askandanswer

This almost looks like an example of the Lord concealing or taking away His word which seems to me to be a puzzling thing to do, especially when you consider what was involved in delivering that word. A deliberate decision by God to cut off His children from His word. It may be that an effect of the removal of His word is to reduce the accountability of the people as there may be some issues about justice if they were held accountable to a standard to which they did not have access. I could probably do with some reduced accountability at times. Ether 4 Moroni is commanded to seal up the writings of the brother of Jared So we get Moroni's abridgement of the writings of the brother of Jared Jared but not the actual writings. The wording is imprecise. In the non-scriptural heading to chapter 1 we get a sentence saying that Moroni abridges the writings of Ether. In the chapter heading for chapter 4 there is a reference to the writings of the brother of Jared. In the scriptural heading for the Book of Ether we get :The record of the Jaredites, taken from the twenty-four plates." We can probably conclude that there were 24 plates which contained a record of the Jaredites. Whether or not these plates included, or were different from, the writings of the Brother of Jared, or the writings of Ether, is not clear. It's also not clear whether the 24 plates and the record of the Jaredites are synonymous with each other or whether the 24 plates is sombody's abridgement of the Jaredite record. Or maybe I'm just getting tired and losing my focus. Ether 4 Moroni is commanded to seal up the writings of the brother of Jared Moses in Mount Sinai. The Sermon on the Mount. The Brother of Jared meeting with the Lord in the mountain. The Hill Cumorah. Enoch meeting with the Lord on Mount Simeon. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints headquartered in the Rocky Mountains. The Mount of Transfiguration. This may be enough evidence to come to a tentative conclusion about how God feels about mountains. And then I remember Enoch displacing some mountains and commanding them to flee. Ether 4:1 And the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to go down out of the mount from the presence of the Lord Surely the Lord God shall do nothing save He revealeth His secrets unto His servants, the prophets, but it seems that He sometimes commands His prophets not to tell the people what He has revealed to them. I guess some things are revealed primarily for the prophet's benefit rather than the benefit of the people. Ether 4:1 And the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to go down out of the mount from the presence of the Lord, and write the things which he had seen; and they were forbidden to come unto the children of men until after that he should be lifted up upon the cross; and for this cause did king Mosiah keep them, So we hear that the writings of the brother of Jared were made manifest to the people at the time of Christ but this was not mentioned in any way by anybody at the time of Christ and we have no hint of what these writings contain. Ether 4:2 And after Christ truly had showed himself unto his people he commanded that they should be made manifest. With the taking away of the word of the Lord being here linked to rejection of the gospel of Christ, can we conclude from the fact that the word of the Lord was taken out of the earth in 1820, that the gospel was again starting to be accepted even before the gold plates came out of the earth? Ether 4:3 And now, after that, they have all dwindled in unbelief; and there is none save it be the Lamanites, and they have rejected the gospel of Christ; therefore I am commanded that I should hide them up again in the earth. So does the sealed section of the plates contain both the direct account of the Brother of Jared and Moroni's account of what the Brother of Jared saw? A complete version and an edited version? Ether 4:4 4 Behold, I have written upon these plates the very things which the brother of Jared saw; It would be an interesting exercise to, using the scriptures, list all the variables that might be taken into account when God is deciding how much to reveal, who to reveal it to, and the conditions on which things will be revealed. From there, the next step would be to try and rank in importance each of those variables, and finally, to make an estimate of the decision making process by seeing the interaction/inter-relationship between these variables. An exercise like that, guided by the Spirit, might help to give some understanding of the mind of God. Sometimes I think that its only when you can understand how something thinks and there decision-making process that you can have some basis for making a claim that you know someone. I think Joseph Smith taught that knowing God is the most important thing we need to do. Ether 4:4 and there never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared. I guess that Moroni used the interpreters to translate the writings of the Jaredites, and then Joseph Smith used those same interpreters to translate the writings of Moroni. Ether 4:5 and he also hath commanded that I should seal up the interpretation thereof;

Hello Liz I guess I haven't been paying close enough attention to the posts! From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZIL-41047 The Zil has seven seats including the driver. When loaded it weighs 3,550 kg (7,826 lb). The top speed with two persons is listed as "not less than 190 km/h (118 mph)". It is powered by a 7.7 L (469 cubic inch) carbureted V8 giving 232 kW (315 hp SAE Gross) at 4,400 revs per minute. I see some similarities in terms of power and speed. I'm not going to say anything about weight.

Fixed it This doesn't look anything like @Vort at all - far too thin short Before I moved to the Northern Territory about 2 years ago, my body weight and shape was pretty much the same as when I got married. However, since moving here all of my pants have shrunk, my stomach has changed shape, and I've had to buy more new clothes in the past 2 years than I did in the previous 15. It's probably caused by a combination of age, the much hotter climate here in the NT, and my much more sedentary lifestyle.

This doesn't look anything like @Vort at all - far too thin

The only other Zil I know is the Russian luxury car. Given your experiences in Russia last century, I'm wondering if there is a connection?

I should compare this with parts of 1st and 2nd Nephi to see if they use the promised land or a promised land. Ether 2 The Jaredites prepare for their journey to a promised land The promised land is a very conditional gift. Ether 2 It is a choice land whereon men must serve Christ or be swept off A one-on-one audience for 50% longer than the duration of a General Conference session. There is a huge amount that can be conveyed in that amount of time. I suspect Joseph Smith's lessons with Moroni might have been of similar duration, and from what I recall, without checking, Moses was on Mount Sinai for many days and nights. Ether 2 The Lord talks to the brother of Jared for three hours— barges, not arks like Noah, or ships like Nephi Ether 2 The Jaredites build barges— I'm guessing that this is a subject area in which the brother did not have a lot of expertise or experience. Ether 2 The Lord asks the brother of Jared to propose how the barges will be lighted. This sounds like a larger group than the group that went with Lehi but its speculative because we don't have a number. Ether 2:1 And it came to pass that Jared and his brother, and their families, and also the friends of Jared and his brother and their families, went `This group sounds much better prepared than Lehi's group, or perhaps Nephi simply didn't record such things on the plates that Mormon abridged. Ether 2:3 and thus they did carry with them swarms of bees, and all manner of that which was upon the face of the land, seeds of every kind. For reasons that are not clear, the Lord chooses to stay hidden from His children. The manner of almost appearing sounds very similar to the experience of Moses. Ether 2:4 the Lord came down and talked with the brother of Jared; and he was in a cloud, and the brother of Jared saw him not. Sounds very similar to the Israelies post Egypt and pre-Israel. Ether 2:5 And it came to pass that the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel. Personal directions rather than through a Liahona. There's likely to be a reason for the difference. Ether 2:5 And it came to pass that the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel. It's not clear whether this refers to many different bodies of water or one or a few larger bodies of water. I wonder how many sets of barges they ended up building. Ether 2:6 and did build barges, in which they did cross many waters Which land in particular is being referred to here? What land was covered by the decree, and what land wasn't? Even today, we see a lack of precision about the exact extent of a decree about a promised land continuing to drive conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Ether 2:9 And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land This suggests a yes/no sort of approach, that only once a particular condition has been met does it then trigger a particular consequence. It does not seem to be a gradual approach with the consequence beginning to occur gradually as the conditions are gradually met. Ether 2:9 And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. There are only limited parts of north or south America that have not been under political bondage of some sort. Even the components of what became the US was under bondage until about 1776. And you could make a reasonable argument that even today, the US is under the bondage of debt. Ether 2:12 Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage I suspect this is an incomplete account. I can't seee how or why it would take the Lord 3 hours to rebuke the brother of Jared for this failure to pray. Instead of calling another person to be his spokesperson, the Lord corrected the spokesperson he already had. I wonder if not praying sufficiently often could be considered as a type of deserting, or walking away, from God. Is that what the brother of Jared did? If so, it''s interesting that God continued to deal with him. Ether 2:14 And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord. Noah had a window but I kind of doubt that one window would have been enough to adequately illuminate the whole ark. God could have prevented the winds and the waves from dashing a window to pieces but instead He chose to prevent them from having a window and invited suggestions as to how the ark should be lit. There are reasons for choices. I'm not sure what sort of lighting Lehi and his people had on their trip. I'm not sure what the Lord has against fire. He prevented Lehi's group in the wildnerness from having fire right up until the time that Nephi needed fire to make tools. On the other hand, the Lord appeared as a firey, cloudy pillar in the wilderness to guide the Israelites. He was quite happy to let them go by fire as long as He was the fire. Ether 2:23 For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire.

Pick a plot Any plot They would all make a fine, final resting place for your story https://assets.ctfassets.net/ud83ml8x57b0/3dkCO43AMmTo6NM6kTxQZ1/7ad58ea580412012160eda5b9a5a8354/Healesville_Cemetery_Price_List_2020-21.pdf

This looks like an appeal to believe in Christ based on a fear of what will happen if you don't believe. I think it has been quite some time since that sort of appeal was regarded as an effective tool of missionary work. Mormon 9:2 Behold, will ye believe in the day of your visitation—behold, when the Lord shall come, yea, even that great day when the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, yea, in that great day when ye shall be brought to stand before the Lamb of God Repentance can remove guilt but it is only available on certain conditions. OR Repentance can remove guilt and it is available to all who meet the conditions on which it is provided. Mormon 9:3 Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws? I think this plea to repent might be one of the most important things that Moroni wrote. Mormon 9:6 O then ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day. I find it difficult to understand the mindset of people who say/believe this. Why would God do miracles before and then stop doing them? On the other hand, the appearance of God's reduced involvement with His children during the dark ages, and the infrequency of reported miracles during that time might add support to the idea that sometimes, for the reasons given in verse 29, God does sometimes seem to cease doing miracles, or does fewer of them for a season. Mormon 9:7 And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues Is the fall of man more correctly attributed to Adam, or to Eve? My understanding is that it was Eve who first committed the act which caused the fall. Mormon 9:12 Behold, he created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man. This endless sleep only refers to the condition of our body. Consciousness, self-awareness and identity never ceased. Mormon 9:13 which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, I think this could be more accurately expressed as "from which sleep the bodies of all people" Mormon 9:13 from which sleep all men shall A possible interpretation of this scripture is that after the time of judgement, our condition/position becomes fixed/frozen/incapable of further change. This does not fit well with the idea that a period in hell can lead to sins being paid for and that after the price is paid souls can eventually be released. Mormon 9:14 And then cometh the judgment of the Holy One upon them; and then cometh the time that he that is filthy shall be filthy still; One man's miracles becomes another man's daily necessity. I guess we can see this clearly by reference to the example of electricity. One of the benefits of living in the latter days. Mormon 9:16 Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God? And this is beginning to look like an appeal to believe based on miracles, which are a type of sign. This also is a less successful type of appeal to people to change their hearts. I think there is a lot of evidence to support the idea that people whose conversion is based on miracles develop shallow root systems that don't provide support during a storm. I suspect that Moroni would have used what he believed to be the most effective types of appeals that he knew of when trying to encourage people to change their hearts and come unto God. If appeals based on fear and signs were the most successful type of appeal at that time, to those people, and if such approaches now are downplayed or minimised, it may suggest that there has been a fundamental change in what people today regard as most appealing about the gospel. The primary approach today seems to be to help people understand the nature of their relationship with God and to help them seek their own answers to prayer. This is quite a different approach than the two approaches Moroni is relying on here. Mormon 9:18 And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles. This sort of raises a chicken or egg argument. Perhaps the reason why they began to dwindle in unbelief is that they did not see enough miracles to sustain their faith. If that were the case it would help to illustrate why signs, in the form of miracles, are not the best foundation on which to build a testimony. Mormon 9:20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust. I get a bit concerned/confused when I read this type of verse, of which there are many, many others, suggesting that all you need to do is believe and ask and you shall receive. I think they create a misleading impression about how easy it can be to get something by asking for it through prayer. There are so many more conditions that need to be met in order to receive what you ask of the Father. In recent years I've heard a few conference talks that seem to discourage this idea of viewing God as a celestial vending machine. Mormon 9:21 whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, I have the same concerns about this type of verse, and for the same reasons, as I do for verse 21 - they seem to simplify requirements of what is involved in achieving a particular outcome and leave out many, many other necessary conditions. Mormon 9:23 And he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned;

I don't think I have shared a youtube clip here before, but I think this one is worth sharing.

Lol, more work with the same reward is not usually regarded as a promotion, anywhere.

I don't have A CLU what you are talking about (Sorry, couldn't resist)

It must be difficult to fight for a cause when you have no hope of winning. It is, also suggested by other scriptures that to be without hope is not too different from being without faith. Mormon 5:2 But behold, I was without hope, Maybe there was a resurgence in the popularity of Jewish place names after Christ. In chapter 1 we saw David, Joshua and Aaron all being used as place names. Mormon 5:3 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did come against us as we had fled to the city of Jordan; This reminds me of 2nd Samuel 11:2 when that which should have been hidden was revealed from the house top. Mormon 5:8 knowing that these things must surely be made known, and that all things which are hid must be revealed upon the house-tops— So far the Book of Mormon does not have a strong track record in convincing unbelieving Jews that Jesus is the Christ, unless we count the original inhabitants of central and south America as Jews because they descended from Lehi who was a Jew. But that seems silly, because if we apply that logic we could count the Jews as Egyptians, or of whatsoever land Jacob was in when his 12 sons were born. Mormon 5:14 And behold, they shall go unto the unbelieving of the Jews; and for this intent shall they go—that they may be persuaded that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; that the Father may bring about, through his most Beloved, his great and eternal purpose, in restoring the Jews, or all the house of Israel, to the land of their inheritance. This is where the Book of Mormon has been spectacularly successful. Mormon 5:15 And also that the seed of this people may more fully believe his gospel, which shall go forth unto them from the Gentiles; I have a vague memory of Brigham Young or Joseph Smith commenting on/describing the native peoples of the Americas and I don't think that description is consistent with this prophecy here. Mormon 5:15 for this people shall be scattered, and shall become a dark, a filthy, and a loathsome people, beyond the description of that which ever hath been amongst us, This is an interesting, and I believe somewhat controversial among some people, idea, that there is a connection between physical appearance and levels of belief/wickedness. I suspect there is not a lot of evidence for it because some of the most wicked and war-mongering people have been white. Mormon 5:15 and this because of their unbelief and idolatry. The people who were being led about by Satan were engaged as hard as they could in mutual destruction. Satan could have his way with these people without restraint and his way was to lead them to death as fast as possible. Both Satan, in these chapters, and Christ, in 3rd Nephi 8, engaged in wholesale destruction of the wicked. Mormon 5:18 But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, This is another example of how gifts of land and promised blessings from God are conditional and can easily be passed to another group of people. Mormon 5:19 And behold, the Lord hath reserved their blessings, which they might have received in the land, for the Gentiles who shall possess the land. The Nephites of his time are not listening to his preaching, so Mormon starts preaching to a people more than a thousand years into the future. I guess that like Alma, he could not be restrained. Mormon 5:22 And then, O ye Gentiles, how can ye stand before the power of God, except ye shall repent and turn from your evil ways?

Given that this book covered several hundred years I guess its possible that it could have been written by one of the 3 Nephites. Verse 19 rules out this possibility. That verse mentions that the writer of this record died. 4 Nephi 1 THE BOOK OF NEPHIWHO IS THE SON OF NEPHI—ONE OF THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST In Alma 23 we get a pretty good listing of the lands where the gospel had reached. We don't get such a listing here. 4 Nephi 1:1 behold the disciples of Jesus had formed a church of Christ in all the lands round about. This is a little more detail about how far the gospel had spread. 4 Nephi 1:2 the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites Perhaps disputation was a bigger sin than pride amongst the Nephites. Christ warned them more about disputations than he did about pride. 4 Nephi 1:2 there were no contentions and disputations among them, This sounds very much like the description of Zion as given in Moses 7:18. That city, based on the teaching by Enoch, was translated, but this group of people, based on the teaching of Christ, was not. 4 Nephi 1:3 And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift. Today, such acts occur on an almost daily basis in hospitals all around the world with not the slightest sign of faith amongst the participants/beneficiaries. The methods are different but the outcomes are the same. 4 Nephi 1:5 And there were great and marvelous works wrought by the disciples of Jesus, insomuch that they did heal the sick, and raise the dead, and cause the lame to walk, and the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear; Prosperity without pride. At last they have learned how to deal with prosperity without it leading to sin. 4 Nephi 1:7 And the Lord did prosper them exceedingly in the land; yea, insomuch that they did build cities again where there had been cities burned. I think it might have been more useful to leave it as a memorial to the consequences of sin in the same way as the ruins of a shrine in Hiroshima has been left untouched to remind people of the problems with war. 4 Nephi 1:8 Yea, even that great city Zarahemla did they cause to be built again. When thinking about how quickly and frequently the pre-Christ Nephites returned to wickedness, after short periods of goodness, and the fact that Christ's commandment that they meet together oft to hear the word of the Lord appears to be a new commandment, perhaps a failure to meet on a regular basis contributed to their fast and frequent abandonment of righteousness. 4 Nephi 1:12 and in meeting together oft both to pray and to hear the word of the Lord. All nine would have died well before the 100 year mark. 4 Nephi 1:14 yea, even an hundred years had passed away, and the disciples of Jesus, whom he had chosen, had all gone to the paradise of God, There is no mention here of pride. Maybe they didn't see it as a problem? Did they have a blind spot when it came to that particular sin? 4 Nephi 1:16 And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; Unity, righteous, having all things in common and no sign of sin or social problems but no translation. Perhaps the degree of righteousness is not the only thing that is taken into account when deciding whether or not a city should be translated. 4 Nephi 1:17 17 There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God. This would seem to conclusively rule out Nephi as one of the 3 Nephites although the timing is out. In verse 14 we read that a hundred years had passed and all the original disciples had gone to paradise, but then it is only in verse 19 that we read of the death of Nephi. 4 Nephi 1:19 And it came to pass that Nephi, he that kept this last record, (and he kept it upon the plates of Nephi) died My guess is that this revulsion from the church may have been more a result of disputation than pride or some other sin. It's not until verse 24 that we get pride making a comeback. 4 Nephi 1:20 20 And he kept it eighty and four years, and there was still peace in the land, save it were a small part of the people who had revolted from the church The timing is still unusual. A man who was old enough to be a disciple of Christ at the time He came had a son who was still alive 193 years after the coming of Christ? 4 Nephi 1:21 And it came to pass that Amos died also, (and it was an hundred and ninety and four years from the coming of Christ) Two generations in just 200 hundred years. I think today its about 25 years per generation. 4 Nephi 1:22 And it came to pass that two hundred years had passed away; and the second generation had all passed away save it were a few At the time of their greatest peace, righteousness, prosperity and happiness, Nephite society had a very flat social structure. It was a collective society. Perhaps such a flat structure is a consequence of righteous living. Such a conclusion might point to other possible conclusions about highly stratified societies. 4 Nephi 1:24 And now, in this two hundred and first year there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride, such as the wearing of costly apparel, and all manner of fine pearls, and of the fine things of the world. This verse may give support to conclusions about the damaging effects of class on religion and what can happen when the focus of religious adherents shifts from the collective to the individual. 4 Nephi 1:26 And they began to be divided into classes; and they began to build up churches unto themselves to get gain, and began to deny the true church of Christ If there were many churches which denied the more parts of His gospel then there is no way that that which they did administer was in any way sacred. It would have been just ordinary bread and water. not the sacrament. 4 Nephi 1:27 and did administer that which was sacred unto him to whom it had been forbidden because of unworthiness. This is an interesting and unexplained shift from the "many churches" mentiond in the previous verse. 4 Nephi 1:28 And this church

This sounds so similar to the fairy tale story of the fairy God-mother offering to grant one wish. It reminds me of Solomon who was invited to ask God for whatever he wanted. 3 Nephi 28:1 he spake unto his disciples, one by one, saying unto them: What is it that ye desire of me, after that I am gone to the Father? I wander if latter day prophets have any say about the timing of their relocation. 3 Nephi 28:2 We desire that after we have lived unto the age of man, that our ministry, wherein thou hast called us, may have an end, that we may speedily come unto thee in thy kingdom . I suspect that in this verse the word kingdom is not being used in the same way as it is usually used in many other verses. "My kingdom" usually refers to the celestial kingdom but it would be unusual if that is where the disciples went on reaching the age of 72. The usual destination is the spirit world, which is certainly part of God's kingdom, but which is not usually referred to as "my kingdom." ye shall come unto me in my kingdom; and with me ye shall find rest. The sense in which rest is being used here is not clear. They will certainly be very busy so rest is not being used in the context of not working. Its typically interpreted as rest from the cares of the world. whatever they may be, but I'm not sure where that interpretation comes from or how valid it is. Maybe it means rest from physical appetites because it is fairly likely that such appetites will not be present at a time when we are seperate from our body. 3 Nephi 28:3 and with me ye shall find rest. It was the Romans who did the actual lifting up. Even if we were to apply the more usual interpretation, it might be more accurate to say that Christ was lifted up by only a very small percentage of Jewish people, rather than suggesting it was the Jews in general. I did a quick search on the phrase lifted up. In the Book of Mormon it usually refers to "increasing" eg, the people began to be lifted up in their pride or the voices of the people began to be lifted up. Sometimes it means something like being resurrected, as in Mosiah 23:22. Only rarely, and I suspect only by Christ, is the phrase lifted up used to refer to a manner of execution. Its interesting to reflect on the differences between being lifted up by the Jews and being uplifted by the Jews. 3 Nephi 28:6 before that I was lifted up by the Jews, desired of me.

I thought it was a tree

Another intersting thing to note about Malachi 4:6 is that it is the only verse I can remember at the moment that can be found in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. It seems as though the Lord really wanted us to have that particular teaching.

This expounding of all things is a rare event. From what I recall, I believe it is only to a very small group of major prophets, for example, Moses, Abraham, John the Revelator, Enoch and Nephi and a few others, to whom all things are revealed. And just as those prophets were commanded not to reveal what they had been taught, it seems clear, from later verses, that these people were also commanded to not reveal what they had been taught 1 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had told these things he expounded them unto the multitude; and he did expound all things unto them, both great and small. Taking a negative view of this experience, we could conclude that the positive benefits of having these scriptures was withheld from these people up until this point. 3 Nephi 26:2 And he saith: These scriptures, which ye had not with you, the Father commanded that I should give unto you; There are suggestions that the Earth might become similar to the sea of glass referred to in Revelations and Doctrine and Covenants 130. Great heat is required to produce glass, I think it involves the melting of silica which is composed of the two elements oxygen and silica, and once its melted you can shape and blow and wrap it into any form you want. 3 Nephi 26:3 even until the elements should melt with fervent heat, and the earth should be wrapt together as a scroll, I wander if it will be the case that an action which was deemed as good at one time or place will be deemed as bad at another time. Two people from different times and cultures may have committed the same act but be judged differently for it. It was once thought to be a good thing to burn alive people who were thought to be witches but that would be frowned upon now. 3 Nephi 26:4 And even unto the great and last day, when all people, and all kindreds, and all nations and tongues shall stand before God, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil— I believe that as spirits and as intelligences we already had everlasting life and that no resurrection was needed for spirits because they had not died. Abraham taught part of this in Abraham 3:18. I'm not sure of the nature or extent to which the resurrection had any effect on the longevity of spirits but I understand that it made possible the resurrection of the body. If the resurrection applies only to the body being restored to life - the spirit having never lost its life - then the relationship between justice and the resurrection becomes less clear because all bodies will be brought back to life, unconditionally, with no regard to righteousness or wickedness. 3 Nephi 26:5 If they be good, to the resurrection of everlasting life; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of damnation; I'm reminded of the system Joseph Smith set out in Doctrine and Covenants 128, probably through inspiration, for recording baptisms for the dead. That system made possible the recording of enormous amounts of data from multiple locations in one "book." So first we have the teachings of Jesus in their totality. Then a small part, perhaps less than a hundredth, of those teachings recorded on the plates of Nephi. Then Moroni abridges those plates, leaving out even more of Christ's teachings. We are left with about 16 chapters of Christ's direct and personal teachings in this other Testament of Jesus Christ - 3rd Nephi 11 - 27 compared to 15 chapters of political intrigue and wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites in Alma 47 - 62. 3 Nephi 26:6 And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people;

Before he was an airline pilot, Elder Uchtdorf was a refugee, twice. I'm not going to look up the talks but there has been more than one occasion when he has spoken about his experiences as a refugee in post- World War 2 Europe. My guess is that as a pilot he also flew to one or two third world countries and neither of us can make an informed guess as to what actions he took to become acquainted with the countries he spent 20 years or more flying to. As I write, there are maybe a hundred or more senior church leaders around the world receiving training in Africa, Asia, the South Pacific and Central and South America as Area Authorities and members of Area Presidencies. I can't think of a more effective method of training. I suspect that most, more likely all apostles and Area Presidents receive correspondence every day from members all over the world sharing very detailed accounts of their troubles and despair and providing personal, close up accounts of the things they struggle with. And then this understanding they get from reading some of this material every day is further reinforced through their frequent travels when they go out and meet and talk with local church leaders who know what is happening in their congregations. You cannot be in a senior leadership position over a period of decades without becoming intimately acquainted with the ordinary lives of those you lead. Presiding Bishop Claude Gausse is another example of a non-American senior church leader. He is the third non-American Presiding Bishop we have had. Yes, he comes from a white middle-class background, but he also comes from a background where the church was small and struggling during his formative years.

There are 12 men in the Quorum of the Twelve. One is of German/Austrian background, another has a Chinese background and the newest has a British background. That's one quarter of them

Baptised in 1987 and General Authority by 2010. That might not be so uncommon in Latin America Area where the church continues to grow so rapidly but I suspect its not all that common in white western countries. Not that I keep a close track of these things but off the top of my head I can't recall any apostles in my life time who came into the church as converts in their mid-20's.

Clearly, this person is having difficulties eating chocolate cake. My recommendation for anybody who has an undeveloped skill is practice, practice, practice. You're going to have to significantly increase your chocolate cake consumption in order to get your skills up. You'll know your cake consumption skills are at the right level when you can finish two chocolate cakes in an hour and still be looking around for a third.

4 O how afoolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how bquick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their chearts upon the vain things of the world! 5 Yea, how quick to be lifted up in apride; yea, how quick to bboast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to cwalk in wisdom’s paths!

We have to wait another 400 years until we get the words of this blessing from Moroni. 3 Nephi 18:3 he took of the bread and brake and blessed it; This makes it sound as if they ate quite a lot of bread - enough to be filled. 3 Nephi 18:4 And when they had eaten and were filled, The breaking of the bread is typically done by the Priests, and almost always involves two Priests and sometimes three. 3 Nephi 18:5 Behold there shall one be ordained among you, and to him will I give power that he shall break bread and bless it There is no mention of the wine being blessed. 8 And it came to pass that when he said these words, he commanded his disciples that they should take of the awine of the cup and drink of it, I'm just thinking about some of the other words that could have been used here. Always do FOR those who repent. Always do WITH those who repent. 3 Nephi 18:11 And this shall ye always do to those who repent It takes only the smallest chink in our armour for Satan to find his way in. 3 Nephi 18:18 18 I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. It was only after the death of many thousands of the wicked that none were commanded to go away. Perhaps by that time there were no more wicked to stay away. 3 Nephi 18:25 And ye see that I have commanded that none of you should go away, Every broken commandment is evidence of having been led away into temptation and every broken commandment increases the likelihood of being led further away into temptation 3 Nephi 18:25 whosoever breaketh this commandment suffereth himself to be led into temptation. The same action - partaking of the sacrament - has very different effects, depending on the condition of the person doing the action. For one it saves, for the other it damns. 3 Nephi 18:29 For whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul; Does this suggest that there is a set, definite number of people who will follow Christ? 3 Nephi 18:31 for behold I know my sheep, and they are numbered. Another reminder about disputations, given not very long after the previous reminder. 3 Nephi 18:34 And I give you these commandments because of the disputations which have been among you. And blessed are ye if ye have no disputations among you.

Lessons can be read in lots of different ways. I would be focussed on reading the lesson in such a way that it would have the biggest impact on those who hear it.

THanks @zil2 I'm just about to start my scripture reading now and now I know where to read.