For some who are not familiar with the Bible, in the Old Testament, found in Amos 3:7:
“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”
Soon after Christ was crucified, the gospel began to be preached beyond the confines of the Jewish lineage. But eventually, due to persecution, the Lord’s own appointed representatives were murdered, one by one. As a result, the direct line of the Lord’s own anointed ended.
This is why you may have heard words such as “the apostasy.” Those who had chosen Christianity were left to figure things out on their own. Eventually there was so much arguing and bickering amongst the church members and church member appointed leaders, that a forced council under the emperor Constantine was called and eventually the Nicene creed was established.
Over time, things continued to deteriorate. Eventually history saw brave individuals crying out that apostasy had occurred from the original church teachings and organization that Christ had established. Men such as Martin Luther, John Lathrop, and others, risked great bodily harm to proclaim such things.
Now flash forward historically to the early 1800s and a young man called Joseph Smith. He himself was laboring under great difficulty, seeking to know which of all the churches in his day were correct. There again was great conflict. For example, some claimed baptism was essential to return to the kingdom of God; others claimed only professed belief was sufficient. Joseph reasoned it couldn’t be both.
Through sincere prayer, and the Lord’s miraculous answer to that prayer, Joseph Smith ushered in what is now known as the restoration. Through Joseph Smith, the church of Jesus Christ now exists in its completeness once again on the earth. And through the prophet Joseph Smith, we have an additional testament of the Savior, known as the Book of Mormon.
An excellent summary of how this occurred is contained in a few short pages at the beginning of the Book of Mormon. This account comes after the Title Page, after the Introduction, and after the testimony page of those who actually saw and handled the ancient record that Joseph translated, again, known as the Book of Mormon.
In Joseph’s summary, for those who are interested, he describes how he was taught where to find the ancient scriptural record and what the Lord intended for him to do with it. Great attempts were made by community members on Joseph’s life in order to steal the record, once others knew he had it.
But due to the graces of God, the record was preserved, Joseph was allowed to finish its translation, and we now have a readable version of the ancient scriptural accounts of the inhabitants of the Americas. It is a companion volume to the Bible, and stands as an additional witness that Jesus is indeed the Christ. The Book of Mormon is a welcome addition to help today’s peoples understand that the Bible indeed is a true book.
To understand more fully Joseph’s experience, feel free to click here. Joseph freely shared his testimony and what he gained during the experience of the amazing responsibility given to him.
I’ve read the Book of Mormon. The peace that attends its teachings is supernal and strengthening. You can experience this too. Simply visit this link to quietly study it in your own home.
