#3 The Vision of the Tree of Life

Significance of the Vision


You may think that Lehi's vision has no special meaning for you--but it does!  You are in it--all of us are in it.  Lehi's vision has in it everything a Latter-day Saint needs to understand the Test of Life.  Read the vision carefully--then read it again and again.  All the things you need to know are there.                                                                                                                            Boyd K. Packer

The overarching message of both the gospel and the Book of Mormon is that God himself does not desire our separation from his presence.  The image of Lehi beckoning to his family to come and partake of the fruit emphasizes the central message of the Book of Mormon--that God's arms of mercy are extended to his children.                                                                Jennifer C. Lane

The dream has been called one of the richest, most flexible, and far-reaching pieces of symbolic prophecy contained in the standard works, and a literary masterpiece and a doctrinal gem.                                                                                                                                             Robert L. Millet

The Tree of Life


Partaking of the fruit of the tree thus represented the partaking of the powers of Christ and his atonement:  forgiveness of sins, as well as feelings of peace, joy and gratitude.  Ultimately, through partaking of the powers of the gospel one is qualified to partake of the greatest fruit of the Atonement--the blessings associated with eternal life.                                Robert L. Millet

What does it mean to enter into the rest of the Lord?  Speaking for myself, it means that through the love of God I have been won over to Him, so that I can feel at rest in Christ, that I may no more be disturbed by every wind of doctrine, by the cunning and craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; and that I am established in the knowledge and testimony of Jesus Christ, so that no power can turn me aside from the straight and narrow path that leads back into the presence of God, to enjoy exaltation in His glorious kingdom; that from this time henceforth I shall enjoy that rest until I shall rest with Him in the heavens.                                                               Joseph F. Smith

The image of Christ and the tree are inextricably linked--at the very outset of the Book of Mormon Christ is portrayed as the source of eternal life and joy--living evidence of divine love and the means whereby God will fulfill his covenant with the House of Israel and indeed the entire family of man--returning them all to their eternal promises.                                                      Jeffrey R. Holland

Happily, many of us have already picked and been greatly nourished by the low-hanging fruit from the gospel tree.  Yet, on the higher branches, much fruit still remains, unreached for and unplucked.  Neglecting to harvest this fruit deprives us of greater joy and of greater capacity to help others.  This further feast includes, for example, those fruits of repentance ripened from correcting our sins of omission.  The "cease and desist" portion of repentance is surely vital but so is doing the good heretofore undone.  The higher hanging fruits also embody the sweet savor of submissiveness, the nourishing nectar of consecration, and the milk of meekness.  All these await our stretching grasp and represent the further expressions of love of God for us.  This fruit, said Lehi, is "most sweet" and will "make one happy".  No wonder God, who delights to honor those who will so stretch, urges us onward.  His own beckoning arm is stretched out and even extended all the day long.  He knows all about stretching.                                                    Neal A. Maxwell

The Iron Rod

Here is one of the great promises in all of scripture, a guarantee of safety during the tumultuous last days--safety and salvation.  Whoever will hold fast to the word of God, especially the Book of Mormon, will never perish.  What does it mean to hold fast to the rod?  If you are in a river, sinking and about to drown, and someone extends you a branch, how do you hold onto it?  You grab it tightly and cling to it for dear life.  That is how you must hold firmly to the word of God.  In Nephi's analogy, in a sense we all are dartboards and Satan is a professional dart thrower.  What are the fiery darts he is hurling at us?  Immoral and violent movies, pornographic Internet sites, worldly music, profane and crude language, sexual perversions and deviations, the allure of materialism, and many more.  If you are treasuring up the word, you will not have to debate whether or not to indulge in these things; they will be repulsive to your spirit.  You will not be blinded by the world's example.  "Whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived" (Joseph Smith--Matthew 1:37).  The adversary will not overpower you; he will have no power over you.  That is a sure promise, and a comforting one.      Andrew C. Skinner

I invite you to consider carefully and prayerfully the following question:  What lessons can and should I learn from Lehi's vision of the tree of life and from the principle of continually holding fast to the rod of iron that will enable me to stand spiritually strong in the world in which we live today?  As you work diligently and seek inspiration to answer this important question, you will come to understand more fully by the power of the Holy Ghost, both in your heart and in your mind, the importance of continually holding fast to the rod of iron.  And you will be blessed to apply those lessons with faith and diligence in your individual life and in your home.              David A. Bednar

The mist of darkness will cover you at times so much that you will not be able to see your way even a short distance ahead.  You will not be able to see clearly.  But with the gift of the Holy Ghost, you can feel you way ahead through life.  Grasp the iron rod, and do not let go.              Boyd K. Packer

The Great and Spacious Building


A few eager individuals lecture the rest of us about Church doctrines in which they no longer believe.  They criticize the use of Church resources to which they no longer contribute.  They condescendingly seek to counsel the Brethren whom they no longer sustain.  Confrontive, except of themselves of course, they leave the Church, but they cannot leave the Church alone.  Like the throng on the ramparts of the great and spacious building, they are intensely and busily preoccupied, pointing fingers of scorn at the steadfast iron-rodders.  Considering their ceaseless preoccupation, one wonders, "Is there no diversionary activity available to them, especially in such a large building--like a bowling alley?"  Perhaps in their mockings and beneath the stir are repressed doubts of their doubts.                                                    Neal A. Maxwell

To those of you who are inching your way closer and closer to that great and spacious building, let me make it completely clear that the people in that building have absolutely nothing to offer except instant, short-term gratification inescapably connected to long-term sorrow and suffering.  The commandments you observe were not given by a dispassionate God to prevent you from having fun, but by a loving Father in Heaven who wants you to be happy while you are living on this earth as well as in the hereafter.                                                               Glenn L. Pace

Wayward Children


We too must have the faith to teach our children and bid them to keep the commandments.  We would not let their choices weaken our faith.  Our worthiness will not be measured according to their righteousness.  Lehi did not lose the blessing of feasting at the tree of life because Laman and Lemuel refused to partake of its fruit.  Sometimes as parents we feel we have failed when our children make mistakes or stray.  Parents are never failures when they do their best to love, teach, pray, and care for their children.  Their faith, prayers, and efforts will be consecrated to the good of their children.                                                                                             Robert D. Hales

In some cases parents are desperately trying to bring back some in their family who have wandered.  I am confident that there will be, increasingly, a reward given by God for their efforts.  Those who never give up will find that God never gave up and that He will help them.                                                                                                                                         Henry B. Eyring

Let the father and mother, who are members of this Church and kingdom, take a righteous course, and strive with all their might never to do a wrong, but to do good all their lives; if they have one child or one hundred children, if they conduct themselves towards them as they should, binding them to the Lord by their faith and prayers, I care not where those children go, they are bound up to their parents by an everlasting tie, and no power on earth or hell can separate them from their parents in eternity; they will return again to the fountain from whence they sprang.                                                                                                                                                  Brigham Young

Pondering the Things of God

The things of God are of deep import; time and experience and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out.                                                              Joseph Smith

Pondering and meditation are forms of sacred devotion quiet and effective moments by which man draws near to the infinite and is made a partaker of the things of God.      Robert L. Millet

The Vision of Nephi


Nephi had a great desire to know and see the things of the Lord like his father Lehi.  He believed that "He that diligently seeketh shall find and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them by the power of the Holy Ghost."  He was given the interpretation of the symbols in Lehi's Dream and he learned of the condescension of God.

Bruce R. McConkie explained: "The condenscension of God (meaning the Father) consists in the fact that though he is an exalted, perfected, glorified Personage, he became the personal and literal Father of a mortal Offspring born of mortal woman.  And the condescension of God (meaning the Son) consists in the fact that though he himself is the Lord Omnipotent, the very Being who created the earth and all things that in it are, yet being born of mortal woman, be submitted to all the trials of mortality, suffering 'temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer except it be unto death', finally being put to death in a most ignominious manner.  There was only one Christ and there is only one Mary.  Each was noble and great in preexistence, and each was foreordained to the ministry he or she performed.  We cannot but think that the Father would choose the greatest female spirit to be the mother of his Son, even as he chose the male spirit like unto him to be the Savior."          Bruce R. McConkie

How is it that John was considered one of the greatest prophets?  First.  He was entrusted with a divine mission of preparing the way before the face of the Lord.  Whoever had such a trust committed to him before or since?  No man.  Secondly.  He was entrusted with the important mission, and it was required at his hands, to baptize the Son of Man.  Whoever had the honor of doing that?  Whoever had so great a privilege and glory?  Thirdly.  John, at that time, was the only legal administrator in the affairs of the kingdom there was then on the earth, and holding the keys of power.                                                                                                                   Joseph Smith

The baptismal covenant clearly contemplates a future event or events and looks forward to the temple.  As we stand in the waters of baptism, we look to the temple.  As we partake of the sacrament, we look to the temple.  We pledge to always remember the Savior and to keep His commandments as prepration to participate in the sacred ordinances of the temple and receive the highest blessings available through the name and by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Thus, in the ordinances of the holy temple we more completely and fully take upon us the name of Jesus Christ.                                                                                                     David A. Bednar

The Son of God condescended from his throne on high to come to the earth in order to serve all mankind, but even more to sacrifice and consecrate all that he had to his Father and to each of us in need of spiritual and physical deliverance.  Jesus went to the sick, afflicted, diseased, and possessed, and he delivered them from their various forms of suffering.  He delivers us from the sting of the grave and from the pains of sin, affliction, temptation, and sickness.  His example establishes that if he who is our Lord and our King would descend from his place of glory and honor and would condescend to be judged and crucified by us, all in order to serve and save us, we should be willing to do the same for our fellowmen.  Part of the mark of discipleship is that we look beyond the outward appearance and serve in a similar manner as the Savior served us.                                                                                                                                 D Mick Smith

Death has come to be the universal heritage--come it must as Satan knows and in this knowledge is his present, but temporary triumph.  But the purposes of God, as they ever have been and ever shall be, are infinitely superior to the deepest designs of men or devils.  The atonement to be wrought by Jesus Christ was ordained to overcome death and to provide a means of ransom from the power of Satan.                                                                                        James E. Talmage

To the thoughtful follower of Christ, it is a matter of surpassing wonder that the voluntary and merciful sacrifice of a single being could satisfy the infinite and eternal demands of Justice and atone for every human misdeed.  But I testify that is exactly what Christ did for every one of us.  I bear solemn witness that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the compassionate foundation and central fact in God's eternal plan for our salvation and our happiness.  Christ, the greatest of all, partook of the bitter cup and did not shrink, that we might not suffer if we would repent and come unto Him.  I declare my wonder and awe, my adoration and Apostolic witness of Him.                                                                                                                                            Jeffrey R. Holland

#2 All Things According to His Will

The Book of Mormon Language


In Mormon 9:32-33, Moroni indicates that the plates were written in reformed Egyptian.  Some scholars believe that reformed Egyptian was a type of shorthand.  Moroni explains that if the plates had been larger they would have been written in Hebrew and then the record would have been without imperfections.  This suggests that reformed Egyptian must not have been as precise and accurate as Hebrew but required less space to write.  The Hebrew language is very compact when compared to English.  A typical English sentence of fifteen words will often translate into seven to ten Hebrew words.  We have no indication of the size of the characters Mormon and Moroni used, but if they rejected Hebrew because the plates were not "sufficiently large", then reformed Egyptian must have been a language remarkable for its ability to convey a lot of information with few words.

Political Conditions
For several years prior to the Book of Mormon record Babylon was the dominate country in the world having crushed Egypt and her allies at the battle of Carchemish in 605 BC.  When the account

commences, 21-year-old Zedekiah, a well-meaning but utterly weak king, is in the 1st year of his reign.  Zedekiah was appointed to the throne by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon but even so, Zedekiah is seeking an alliance with Egypt and hoping to break away from Babylon.  It was a time of great wickedness and the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed that Jerusalem and its temple were doomed. for destruction and the entire nation would be led into captivity if they did not repent.  But the declaration that God would turn against his chosen people and allow his sacred temple and his holy city to be destroyed was considered an outrage--both traitorous and blasphemous.

Sacrifice


A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation. . . . The faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things.                           Joseph Smith

The Law of Sacrifice is that we are willing to sacrifice all that we have for the truth's sake--our character, reputation, our honor and applause, our good name among men, our houses, lands, and families--all things, our very lives if need be.  We are not always called upon to live the whole law of consecration and give all of our time, talents and means to the building up of the Lord's earthly kingdom--few of us are called upon to sacrifice much of what we possess, and at the moment there is only an occasional martyr in the cause of revealed religion.  But we must be able to live these laws to the fullest if we are called upon to do so.                                                                            Bruce R. McConkie

Obedience


"I will go and do . . ." (1 Nephi 3:7) , one of the most cited and quoted verses in all of holy writ, sets forth clearly the attitude of those who trust implicitly in the purposes of God:  though the means for accomplishing specific objectives are not always readily apparent, the obedient--acting upon the peaceful assurance borne of the Spirit--move forward in quiet but deliberate ways, knowing full well that further light and knowledge will be forthcoming.                                    Joseph Fielding McConkie

We made vows, solemn vows, in the heavens before we came to this mortal life.  Here you and I made a solemn commitment; we would do "all things whatsoever the Lord our God shall command us."  We committed ourselves to our Heavenly Father, that if he would send us to the earth and give us bodies and give us the priceless opportunities that earth life afforded, we would keep our lives clean and marry in the holy temple and would rear a family and teach them righteousness.  This was a solemn oath, a solemn promise.  He promised us an eventful mortal life with untold privileges and providing we qualified in the way of righteousness, we would receive eternal life and happiness and progress.  There is no other way to receive the rewards.                                                                     Spencer W. Kimball

Angels


I believe we need to speak of and believe in and bear testimony of the ministry of angels more than we sometimes do.  They constitute one of God's great methods of witnessing through the veil, and no document in all this world teaches that principle so clearly and so powerfully as does the Book of Mormon.                                                                                                 Jeffrey R. Holland

We are told by the Prophet Joseph Smith, that "there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it."  Hence, when messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from the ranks of our kindred, friends, and fellow-beings and fellow-servants.  The ancient prophets who died were those who came to visit their fellow creatures upon the earth. . . . In like manner our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, or reproof and instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh.                                                                      Joseph F. Smith

Led by the Spirit


Be willing to take reasonable risks.  We live in an age of reason, logic, facts, and figures.  These can be useful if kept in subjection to faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ.  But if they ever take precedence over faith in Him, then they are not useful and can be very harmful.  I have found in my life that most of the good decisions I have made may not have been made if they were based solely on logic or reason.     John H. Groberg

Laban

A few deft and telling touches resurrect the pompous Laban with photographic perfection.  We learn in passing that commanded a garrison of fifty, that he met in full ceremonial armor with "the elders of the

Jews" for secret consultations by night, that he had control of a treasury, that he was of the old aristocracy, being a distant relative to Lehi himself, that he probably held his job because of his ancestors, that his house was the storing place of very old records, that he was a large man, short-tempered, crafty, and dangerous, add to the bargain cruel, greedy, unscrupulous, weak, and given to drink.                                      Hugh Nibley

A pair of missionaries in Santiago, Chile, wrote to their president about a woman they were teaching:  "She started reading the Book of Mormon, and she got to the part where Nephi killed Laban.  She didn't understand how God could command someone to kill another.  It bothered her, and she went to bed with that doubt.  During the night a bolt of lightning woke her up, and she immediately thought of David and Goliath.  She thought that if God could command David to kill Goliath, then why not Nephi?  Then, she said, a feeling of peace and tranquility came over her.                 Andrew Skinner

Oaths


When he [Zoram] saw the brethren and heard Nephi's real voice he got the shock of his life and in a panic made a break for the city.  In such a situation there was only one thing Nephi could possibly have done, both to spare Zoram and to avoid giving alarm--and no westerner could have guessed what it was.  Nephi, a powerful fellow, held the terrified Zoram in a vice-like grip long enough to swear a solemn oath in his ear, "as the Lord liveth, and as I live", that he would not harm him if he would listen.  The oath is the one thing that is most sacred and inviolable among the desert people and their descendants.  But

not every oath will do.  To be most binding and solemn an oath should be by the life of something, even if it be but a blade of grass.  The only oath more awful than that "by my life" or "by the life of my head", is the wa hayat Allah "by the life of God".  So we see that the only way that Nephi could possibly have pacified the struggling Zoram in an instant was to utter the one oath that no man would dream of breaking, the most solemn of all oaths to the Semite:  "As the Lord liveth, and as I live!"             Hugh Nibley

Murmuring


One reason Satan encourages murmuring is to prevent us from following living prophets, inspired leaders, and parents.  Elder H. Ross Workman of the Seventy explained that "murmuring consists of three steps, each leading to the next in a descending path to disobedience."  First, when people murmur they begin to question.  They question "first in their own minds and then [plant] questions in the minds of others."  Second, those who murmur begin to "rationalize and excuse themselves from doing what they [have] been instructed to do. . . . Thus, they [make] an excuse for disobedience."  Their excuses lead to the third step:  "Slothfulness in following the commandment."  "The Lord has spoken against this attitude in our day: 'But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned' (D&C 58:29)  I invite you to focus on the commandment from living prophets that bothers you the most.  Do you question whether the commandment is applicable to you?  Do you find ready excuses why you cannot now comply with the commandment?  Do you feel frustrated or irritated with those who remind you of the commandment?  Are you slothful in keeping it?  Beware of the deception of the adversary.  Beware of murmuring."

The Brass Plates


When the Lord led Lehi and his colony out from Jerusalem, they were required to take with them the Brass Plates.  They contained a record of God's dealings with men from the beginning down to that day.  There was more on them than there is in the Old Testament as we now have it.  The prophecies of Zenock, Neum, Zenos, Joseph the son of Jacob, and probably many other prophets were preserved by them.  Tha value of the Brass Plates to the Nephites cannot be overestimated.  By means of them they were able to preserve the language, most of the civilization, and the religious knowledge of the people from whence they came.  By way of contrast, the Mulekites, who were led out of Jerusalem some 11 years after Lehi's departure, and who had no record equivalent to the Brass Plates, soon dwindled in apostasy and unbelief and lost their language, civilization, and religion.  From prophet to prophet and

generation to generation the Brass Plates were handed down and preserved by the Nephites.  At some future date the Lord has promised to bring them forth, undimmed by time and retaining their original brightness, and the scriptural accounts recorded on them are to "go forth unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people."                                                Bruce R. McConkie

Forgiveness


The most difficult of all the virtues to cultivate is the forgiving spirit.  Revenge seems to be natural with man; it is human to want to get even with an enemy.  It has even been popular to boast of vindictiveness; it was once inscribed on a man's monument that he had repaid both friends and enemies more than he had received.  This was not the spirit of Christ.      William Jennings Bryan

I remember so clearly that night as I walked home alone.  Out of the darkness came a gun-wielding attacker.  I struggled fiercely but hopelessly as he pressed the gun against my throat.  Suddenly there seemed a momentary silence--like eternity to me--and then a very sharp shrill whistle pierced the darkness.  My assailant fled and the stillness of the darkness returned.  I was shaken but unhurt.  I had read sometime earlier the sermon on the mount.  Now at this moment of anger and possible hysteria, a scriptural admonition seemed to press upon my mind;  "But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you."  Whatever hysteria or emotion might have resulted from this unexpected and tearful event melted away.  There was not then, nor has there been since, any hate in my heart.  I have always tried to love all people, especially those who curse and despitefully use me.  The Lord has protected me for it.                                                                                                         Tamano K. Umagai

#1 The Keystone of Our Religion

The Keystone

I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.

                                                                                                                                     Joseph Smith

The Book of Mormon is a keystone because it establishes and ties together eternal principles and precepts, rounding out basic doctrines of salvation.  It is the crowning gem in the diadem of our holy scriptures.  It is a keystone for other reasons also.  In the promise of Moroni--namely, that God will manifest the truth of the Book of Mormon to every sincere inquirer having faith in Christ--we have a key link in a self-locking chain.  A confirming testimony of the Book of Mormon convinces 'that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God' and also spiritually verifies the divine calling of Joseph Smith and that he did see the Father and the Son.  With that firmly in place, it logically follows that one can also receive a verification that the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price are true companion scriptures to the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  All of this confirms the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the divine mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, led by a living prophet enjoying continuous revelation.  From these basic verities, an understanding can flow of other saving principles of the fulness of the gospel.                James E. Faust

Another Testament of Jesus Christ

Believe in the Book of Mormon as another witness of the Son of God.  This book has come forth as an added testimony to the world of the great truths concerning the Master as set forth in the Bible.  The Bible is the testament of the Old World.  The Book of Mormon is the testament of the New World, and they go hand in hand in testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.

     Gordon B. Hinckley

Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another?  

       2 Nephi 29:7-8 

Svetlana was a young mother living in Leningrad, Russia.  She had importuned the Lord in prayer to make it possible for her to obtain a Bible written in the Russian language.  The year was 1989, and such a Bible was rare and very expensive.  In the fall of that year, she and her family went to Helsinki searching for a Bible.  While walking through a park in Helsinki, she stepped upon an object hidden beneath the ground cover of autumn leaves.  She stopped down, spread the leaves, and found a book.  She picked it up and found it to be the answer to her prayers--a Bible written in Russian.  So excited was she that she joyfully recounted the story to another woman who was also in the park.  The second woman asked Svetlana, "Would you like to have another book about Jesus Christ, also written in the Russian language?"  Svetlana answered in the affirmative.  The Finnish woman, wife of a district president, provided Svetlana with a copy of the Book of Mormon and invited her to church.  Svetlana took the missionary lessons, joined the Church, and returned to Leningrad with her family.  She then invited friends into her home, and many of them responded to the message of the missionaries and were baptized.  Svetlana, her friends, and others like them are the pioneer foundation upon which the Church has been built in that part of the world.         Russell M. Nelson

Testimony of Joseph Smith from Liberty Jail

Hell may pour forth its rage like the burning lava of Mount Vesuvius or of Etna--yet shall "Mormonism" stand.  Water, fire, truth and God are all realities.  Truth is "Mormonism."  God is the author of it.  It was by Him we received the Book of Mormon.

D&C 17:6

He has translated the book even that part which I have commanded him--saith the Lord and as your Lord and your God liveth--it is true.

This is God's testimony of the Book of Mormon.  In it Deity Himself has laid His Godhood on the line.  Either the book is true or God ceases to be God.  There neither is nor can be any more formal or powerful language known to men or Gods.                           Bruce R. McConkie

The Book of Mormon is true just what it purports to be and for this testimony I expect to give an account in the day of judgement.                           Joseph Smith

The Three Witnesses

It is recorded in the American Encyclopaedia and the Encyclopaedia Britannica, that I, David Whitmer, have denied by testimony as one of the three witnesses to the divinity of the Book of Mormon, and that the other two witnesses, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris, denied their testimony to that book.  I will say once more to all mankind, that I have never at any time denied that testimony or any part thereof.  I also testify to the world, that neither Oliver Cowdery nor Martin Harris ever at any time denied their testimony.  They both died reaffirming the truth of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon.                                             David Whitmer

Early Testimonies of the Book of Mormon

I have been abused and thrust into a dungeon, and confined for months on account of my faith, and the testimony of Jesus Christ.  However I thank God that I felt a determination to die, rather than deny the things [plates] which my eyes had seen, which my hands had handled, and which I had borne testimony to.                                                             Hyrum Smith

When Lucy Mack Smith was confronted by Deacon Beckwith and other religionists of Palmyra encouraging her to not say "anything more upon the subject" of the Book of Mormon, she said, "Deacon Beckwith, if you should stick my flesh full of faggots, and even burn me at the stake, I would declare, as long as God should give me breath, that Joseph has got that Record, and that I know it to be true."

Zina Huntington declared that when she first saw the book, "My whole soul was filled with joy.  Without opening it I clasped it to my heart and exclaimed, 'O Truth, Truth, Truth!'  I knew it had been brought forth by an angel's hand and the feeling that possessed me was one of supreme ecstasy."

Solomon Chamberlin wrote:  "About the time that Joseph Smith found the gold record, I began to feel that the time was drawing near, that the Lord would in some shape or other bring forth His church.  I made some inquiry through the country where I traveled if there was any strange work of God, such as had not been on the earth since the days of Christ.  I could hear of none."  Then Chamberlin wrote of being drawn to the Palmyra area and spending the night at a farmhouse in the vicinity:  "In the morning the people of the house asked me if I had heard of the gold Bible [Book of Mormon].  When they said 'gold Bible,' there was a power like electricity went from the top of my head to the end of my toes.  This was the first time I ever heard of the gold Bible."  Chamberlin indicated that a few days later he went to the shop of E. B. Grandin, where printing had begun on the Book of Mormon.  "As soon as they had printed 64 pages, I took them with their leave, and pursued my journey to Canada, and I preached all that I knew concerning Mormonism.

Experiences with the Book of Mormon

Before the rededication of the Sao Paulo Brazil Temple in 2004, the temple doors were opened to many notable leaders from government, business, and education.  As I accompanied a highly respected, elected leader through the temple, I noticed that his attention was acutely focused.  It wasn't until we reached a sealing room at the end of our visit that I fully understood why.  In a solemn tone he said to me:  "Mr. Andersen, I want to tell you something about my family.  My oldest son passed away five years ago at age 35 of cancer.  In his final months he could find no peace.  He was nervous, distraught, and concerned about his family, his life, and what was ahead of him.  Knowing of my son's situation, a friend of mine who is a member of the Church shared with me a copy of the Book of Mormon and suggested I share it with my son.  It was a miracle to me to see the effect of that book on my son.  He devoured it.  He wrote notes and thoughts in the margins. His concerns and anxieties disappeared.  In reading the Book of Mormon he found enormous peace.  When he died, the book was next to him.  I am so thankful for the peace it brought to him."                                                                              Neil L. Andersen

Sister Celia Cruz Ayala of the Puerto Rico San Juan Mission decided to give the Book of Mormon to a friend.  She wrapped it in attractive paper and set out to deliver her present.  On the way she was attacked by a bandit who stole her purse and with it the wrapped copy of the Book of Mormon.  A few days later she received this letter:  "Mrs. Cruz:  Forgive me, forgive me.  You will never know how sorry I am for attacking you.  But because of it, my life has changed and will continue to change.  That book [the Book of Mormon] has helped me in my life.  The dream of that man of God has shaken me. . . . I am returning your five pesos for I can't spend them.  I want you to know that you seemed to have a radiance about you.  That light seemed to stop me, [from harming you, so] I ran away instead.  I want you to know that you will see me again, but when you do, you won't recognize me, for I will be your brother. . . . Here, where I live, I have to find the Lord and go to the church you belong to.  The message you wrote in that book brought tears to my eyes.  Since Wednesday night I have not been able to stop reading it.  I have prayed and asked God to forgive me, [and] I ask you to forgive me. . . . I thought your wrapped gift was something I could sell.  [Instead,] it has made me want to make my life over.  Forgive me, forgive me, I beg you.     Your absent friend."

Such is the conversion power of the Book of Mormon.                                                  F. Burton Howard

We Have Been Admonished to Study the Book of Mormon

No member of this Church can stand approved in the presence of God who has not seriously and carefully read the Book of Mormon.                      Joseph Fielding Smith

Members of the Church everywhere should know the Book of Mormon better than any other book.  Not only should we know what history and faith-promoting stories it contains, but we should understand its teachings.  I have noted within the Church the difference in discernment, in insight, conviction, and spirit between those who know and love the Book of Mormon and those who do not.  That book is a great sifter.                                  Ezra Taft Benson

The Book of Mormon will be with us "as long as the earth shall stand."  We need all that time to explore it, for the book is like a vast mansion with gardens, towers, courtyards, and wings.  There are rooms yet to be entered, with flaming fireplaces waiting to warm us.  The rooms glimpsed so far contain further furnishings and rich detail yet to be savored, but decor dating from Eden is evident.  There are panels inlaid with incredible insights, particularly insights about the great question [the reality of Jesus Christ].  Yet we as Church members sometimes behave like hurried tourists, scarcely venturing beyond the entry hall.                                                                                                    Neal A Maxwell

During the war in Vietnam, some of our men were taken prisoner and kept in nearly total isolation.  Permitted no access to the scriptures, they later told how they hungered for the words of truth, more than for food, more than for freedom itself.  What they would have given for a mere fragment of the Bible or Book of Mormon that lay so idly on our shelves!  They learned by hard experience something of Nephi's feelings when he said:  "For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children.  Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard."                                                                                                                                      Spencer W. Kimball

I urge you to get acquainted with this great book.  Read it to your children;  they are not too young to understand it.  I remember reading it with one of my lads when he was very young.  On one occasion I lay in the lower bunk and he in the upper bunk.  We were each reading aloud alternate paragraphs of those last three marvelous chapters of Second Nephi.  I heard his voice breaking and thought he had a cold, but we went on to the end of the three chapters.  As we finished he said to me, "Daddy, do you ever cry when you read the Book of Mormon?"  "Yes, son," I answered.  "Sometimes the Spirit of the Lord so witnesses to my soul that the Book of Mormon is true that I do cry."  "Well," he said, "That is what happened to me tonight."                                                                       Marion G. Romney

I am convinced that each of us, at least some time in our lives, must discover the scriptures for ourselves--and not just discover them once, but rediscover them again and again.                                                                                                                                                          Spencer W. Kimball