Come Follow Me LDS- Moroni 10
Dec 20, 2020
'The Gifts of The Spirit'
- Moroni's overall message is about opening the heavens
- Moroni's Book of Mormon Promise
- Moroni outlines 9 Spiritual Gifts, 9 is a Spiritual number identified in ancient religion and mythology.
Raw Transcript
all right
all right welcome to the quick media
come follow me series we are covering
moroni chapter 10 the end of the book of
mormon i'm a little sad to
finish this off here i am excited for
next year
but uh would not even mind going through
the book of mormon a second time with
a few different approaches and angles
and a little bit more information on it
but we'll be back to that i guess in in
four years
here we are at the end of moroni's
message
and i've been going over the last few
episodes
asking you to think about what moroni's
message is here
well let's go back to where he started
and kind of bring all of this together
here
as we give context to chapter 10 and
moroni's parting message
he starts off in his father's book in
the book of
mormon in chapters 8 and 9
where he finishes up what was left of
the space
in the plates at that time to finish off
his father's book
and in chapter eight what he's covering
number one
is the lamanites seek out and destroy
the nephites
right that's where this all starts and
he's going to end up in chapter 10
giving a part this parting message to
the lamanites
and then as the book of mormon will come
forth by the power of god well of course
he's the one
that is going to bury the plates
and he knows what kind of a tool
this book is that he's finishing up with
and that he is going to seal
and bury he knows the tool
that it is and how much effect it's
going to have
in the latter days it is the central
physical object
of the latter days he knows this he's
seen the prophecies he's been
he's seen the lord himself he's seen the
prophecies
he knows what this is about
now we move on to chapter 9 in the book
of mormon and we get really what he
really starts to focus on which is
really his father's message
right let me just go through the summary
here of chapter nine in
the book of mormon it says moroni calls
upon those who do not believe in christ
to repent right
the nehor principle it's about the
doctrine of christ but then he goes into
he proclaims a god of miracles
who gives revelations and pours out
gifts
and signs upon the faithful right
miracles cease because of unbelief
signs follow those who believe okay
so that's that's really what he's going
to go into
faith hope and charity are three
of those gifts three probably the most
important gifts
and you can see why he's doing this and
it's kind of
interlaced among these warnings about
falling away from the doctrine of christ
and what is happening with his people
the nephites
they lost the gifts they lost
right everything that would come down
from the father
everything that comes down from heaven
they closed
the heavens they sealed the veil
and that is something that is up to us
right everything
is it's another example of understanding
equality
right and and and a big buzzword now
meritocracy these are
important things to understand it is up
to
us to receive the gifts
it is up to us to open the heavens
the lord has his arm reached out toward
us
he has given us the mercy and the love
through the atonement of christ
and gives us prophets he gives us
scripture
he gives us revelation he gives us the
principles of the gospel
he's given us his son he's given us
everything which is to say in a capsule
he has given us opportunity
that's what he gives us
he does not give us salvation
without our works
we get a free pass on a body an eternal
body and a resurrection but we do not
get a free pass
on our eternal progression that would be
contrary
to common sense to all truth
we cannot progress without making
proper decisions we cannot progress
without
doing proper acts and works
so everything is given to us
if we will
accept christ if we will be meek
insert ourselves into the into the the
fluid hierarchy
and then exercise faith
which will give us hope which will
entice us to have charity
and good works for our fellow man and
toward god
this is the opposite of what happened
with the nephites they closed off the
heavens
even though the sacrifice of jesus
christ
and the fact that they had the prophets
and then and the records
and the teachings and the church
right they turned away from the doctrine
of christ they turned away
from the tree of life and they began to
lose
the spiritual gifts that moroni
consistently goes over and again this is
this he's pulling this from his father
this is the primary message
of mormon again who has abridged
everything from mosiah that we have
everything from mosiah on
to chapter 7 of the book of mormon
and that is mormon's big push
and therefore moroni's big push with us
we need the spiritual gifts we need the
heavens
to be opened
and we seal those heavens that
veil at our own peril
i'm going to go on here to ether chapter
11 where where moroni
really inserts himself into into that
book of ether
where we have another people the
jaredites
that went through the same thing as what
the nephites have done here
right complete extermination
turning primarily or or first and
foremost
away from the tree of life away from the
doctrine of christ
which leads you to automatically
the great and spacious building it is
self-interest it is pride
it is the tower of babel moroni it says
recounts the wonders and marvels done by
faith
the lord gives men weakness right to be
meek
that they may be humble so that they can
enter into the fluid hierarchy
faith hope and charity are essential to
salvation
okay so this is what is being
given to us from moroni
primarily faith hope and charity but an
understanding of all of the gifts of god
and again
i think the best way to look at this is
to bring in and incorporate
the the parable of the talents and
understanding those
as gifts
all right now let's go into chapter 10
here here's verse one now i moroni
writes somewhat as seemeth me good right
again he's
he thought he was done he's finally
going to give us his parting chapter his
f his parting words here
and i write unto my brother in the
lamanites well there's the ones that
are left the lamanites have exterminated
moroni's people
but charity despite
something that could cause a great
amount of hate
in moroni i mean imagine his family
right his father mormon has been slain
by
the lamanites how would you feel
despite all of this charity rises above
everything
and he feels compassion and understands
the prophecies
that this book that he's writing in
right now
is what is going to go to the future
generations of the lamanites
and convert them to the gospel
so charity drives moroni in this message
and then he says here in verse 2 and i
seal up these records
after i have spoken a few words by way
of exhortation
unto you well what does that mean well
he's going to finish off
this chapter and then he's going to seal
them and according to
don bradley in his book the lost 116
pages we've covered this
this is an actual physical seal
right we get the idea of a seal going
into wax
being put on a scroll perhaps uh
or a letter right this is something that
is physical
being engraven into a plate that is
actually going to be found more than
likely on the top
of the golden plates we know that
there's a compass and a square on it
based on testimony of early saints
mostly
probably sourced from martin harris
and there could be more that's on this
this sealed plate but it's probably
on the same plate where we get
originally
the the basically the title page if you
will of
the book of mormon right he writes this
when we go back and we look at the title
page on this
the book of mormon an account written by
the hand of mormon
upon the plates taken from the plates of
nephi this is
moroni writing this
and as he gives this parting message of
of
chapter 10 he may be writing this last
right because this goes probably on the
plate where he's sealing everything
so we see the parting message is
actually
moroni 10 but the last thing he writes
is a description of the entire book of
mormon with the title page
and he says right here just like he did
in verse 1 of chapter 10
in the title page it is written to the
lamanites who are remnant of the house
of
israel and also to the jew and gentile
and he says it is written and sealed
up by way of commandment
that is what moroni gives us here
in verse 3 he goes into remembering
again
a very common uh a message
from the book of mormon what are we
going to focus on
we can focus on the bad things we can we
can when we say focus right that's the
primary thing you think about it's not
that you don't
it's not that you don't take the bad
things and look at lessons through them
even in your own life or in your own
circumstances your own family your own
community your own country your own
politics
history of the church the scriptures
if your focus is negative if your focus
is on
the negative issues that's a problem
right that is a real problem the focus
needs to be
on christ that's what we get in the
sacrament prayers
that they might remember right that we
eat in remembrance of the lord jesus
christ
that as we get in in section 20 verse 75
it is expedient that the church meet
together often
to partake of bread and wine in the
remembrance of the lord jesus christ
and then specifically in the the
blessing on the bread
that they may eat in remembrance of the
body of thy son we've gone over that
that's the lower law the carnal law
and then the blessing on the wine or
water
that is to the souls of all those who
drink of it that they may do it in
remembrance of the blood of thy son
that is our focus when we come back
every week is the remembering
the lord which is everything that is
good and all that he has done for us
it's the opposite
of closing off the heavens
and we're to do the same in remembering
what good things the lord has done for
us and our people and our forefathers
it's good to take a critical approach to
history
it's good to take a critical approach
and i'm saying small c here that's
important
a critical approach to the scriptures
so that we can learn that's how you
learn and then you take that and you
ponder right like section 9 of the
doctrine and covenants
it is not a good thing to focus
on things and be negative about them
like we get so much
out there it is it is it goes beyond
criticism it it goes into skepticism
and in some cases nihilism
for some people in some groups
focus on the good focus on the good in
your own life
gratitude is an incredible thing in fact
if you go to the sacrament prayers
which are basically what they are of the
essenes
in the dead sea scrolls what you see
there and in other groups and in other
places you see that they are called
thanksgiving hymns or blessings of
thanksgiving it's gratitude
and remembrance that we get here with
the sacrament prayers
and thanksgiving or gratitude it's the
same idea
are we filled with gratitude toward
our heavenly father and our savior his
son jesus christ
or are we critical
what is our focus what do we remember
most
and so in verse 3 of chapter 10 in
moroni
he says that ye would remember how
merciful
the lord hath been unto the children of
men
that's our our charge right from our own
eye
from the creation of adam even down
until the time that you shall receive
these things
and ponder it in your hearts right
that's the key
it's the focus what is our mindset on
what is
our attitude are we grateful to the lord
and then of course we get to the famous
scripture in verse 4
which we want to put into context
with everything we've just talked about
here in moroni's entire message
if we take it by itself just kind of as
a missionary
message for the book of mormon we're
losing out
on its power on its depth on its context
let me read it to you here it says and
when ye shall receive these things being
the book of mormon
i would exhort you that ye would ask of
god
the eternal father in the name of jesus
christ in the name of christ
if these things are not true and
if ye shall ask with a sincere heart
with real intent having faith
in christ he will manifest the truth of
it
unto you by the power of the holy ghost
okay this is the whole idea of our
works right including prayer here
where we ask the lord right with real
intent
it's our works reaching up to
our heavenly father it's the lower law
right it's it's
what man does in mortality it's the
carnal law
it's prayer specifically in this example
then he will do what he will give us
the blessing the gift
of the truth that's manifest through
the holy ghost right the holy ghost is
always a part of this conversation here
with the gifts of the spirit with the
pouring out of the blessings
from heaven that's what the message of
chapter 10 here is
that's what the message of moroni
overall is
so that's the context that chapter 10
verse 4
really comes to us in is the idea of
keeping
open the veil of opening
the heavens and receiving all of the
blessings all of the gifts
provided through the holy ghost
to us we call them spiritual gifts
that's what this is about he says in
verse 5 confirming this and
and by the power of the holy ghost ye
may know the truth
of all things well we need
the heavens open for that and then again
he's gone over this a couple times
already in verse six and whatsoever
thing is good
is just and true wherefore
nothing that is good denieth the christ
but acknowledgeth that he is
right again remember last time we were
talking about the sources
of things that's an important thing to
understand like the tree of life and
then the fruit from the tree of life
or the rivers the four rivers in the
garden of eden
that are coming out from the tree of
life to go out and bless the four
quarters of the earth
what is the source that we are receiving
information and
truth from he's talking a lot about
truth here we need to make sure we're
grabbing on to
good things that are true
and then in seven and he may know that
he is by the power of the holy ghost
wherefore i would exhort you that ye
deny
not the power of god right
denying the power the gifts denying
the blessings of heaven is a problem
for he worketh by power according to the
faith
of the children of men the same today
and tomorrow and forever so
moroni's people right denied the power
they denied
christ and they lost their faith
and therefore the lord could not bless
them
all right then we go down to verse 8 it
says and again i exhort you my brethren
that ye
deny not the gifts of god so you can see
how he's kind of
entering in here to this message
in in this last chapter this is a
separate message from everything else
remember that everything else in this
book of moroni is basically his father's
words
pretty close and then what he inserted
that he pulls from the visit of christ
so again verse 8 and again i exhort you
my brethren
that ye deny not the gifts of god
for there they are many and they come
from the
same god again he's very focused on the
source
right where you're getting things there
you cannot have other gods that are
giving you
good gifts right there is one
source for goodness and righteousness
everything else comes from somewhere
else
he really hammers that message home over
and over again
he follows that up again and there are
different ways that these gifts are
administered
but it is the same god
and they are given by the manifestations
of the spirit of god unto men
right so again it is the blessing coming
down from heaven that he is concerned
with
the opening of that veil
by our works and our faith in our hope
and our charity
and then interestingly enough he gives a
list here of
nine different gifts again
when you're talking about ancient
scripture or ancient writings
numbers almost always matter they're
almost always specific
they're going to fit in something into
the right number
and that may very well be what moroni is
doing here for example you have the
ended
right which is the the original gods
of egypt there were nine of them there's
a grouping of nine
of gods again think of the heavens and
what would come down from the heaven
there are the nine etruscan deities
which are called the noven selas i'm not
sure if i got our novensiles
these were the nine gods that came from
lightning right something that came down
from
the heavens and then you have in greek
mythology
the myth of prometheus right where
prometheus gives
fire a gift to down to mankind
and to punish prometheus zeus
has him tied down to a rock and has an
eagle every day come down
and eat his liver well of course because
prometheus is immortal
the liver grows back every day and then
prometheus goes through the same thing
each and every day tortured
by this eagle that comes down and eats
his liver
and then to punish mankind zeus
forms a council it's a council of
nine it's a council of heaven so to
speak
and they create pandora right who
has her box and that box
once opened because curiosity gets the
best of them
once the box is open that that produces
all of the mishaps all the misfortunes
for mankind which would be the opposite
of the right gift
the right source so this number nine is
is pretty interesting there's also the
nine muses
right you know the muses that you have
in greek mythology
the women that are muses it's where we
get the the term museum
from right where we have all of the art
and architecture and sculptures
or the term music right and what do they
do they are they are like those that
give
gifts to those who are inspired to
create these things
they're like spiritual gifts
so nine really is associated closely
with this idea
of things that come down from heaven and
and as gifts heavenly gifts
here's the nine that he gives us
one the spirit of god that he may teach
the word of
wisdom and to another that he may teach
the word
of knowledge exceedingly great
faith the gifts of healing
working mighty miracles prophesying
concerning all things
beholding angels and ministering spirits
all kinds of tongues and then this one's
the last one's a little bit different
from that
and again to another the interpretation
of languages
into diverse kinds of tongues where
would you need that from well
i think primarily looking at scripture
right how are you going to do that how
you're going to need the gift
to be able to interpret scripture
primarily
right we get this then all these gifts
come by the spirit of christ and they
come unto every man severally according
as he will so again christ is at the
center of all of this
that is the fountain that is the source
and i would exhort you my beloved
brethren that ye
remember that every good gift
cometh of christ that's the message
of the book of mormon right the doctrine
of christ all good things are going to
come from that
and then again in 19 and i would exhort
you my beloved brethren
that ye remember that he is the same
yesterday today and forever
and that these gifts will never be done
away with except
the unbelief by the unbelief of the
children of men
that's what moroni has just witnessed
and that's what he abridged in the book
of ether
and then kind of a concise little thing
that sets up the rest of the chapter in
verse 20
wherefore there must be faith and if
there must be faith
there must also be hope because faith
produces hope
and if there must be hope which is
produced from faith
then there must also be charity because
that's what follows hope
and except ye have charity can in no
wise be saved
in the kingdom of god and then
interestingly here
we think about a lot of the despair that
we get today in the world
and if you have no hope right that comes
from our faith
our trust our ability to trust in
something
if we have no hope a state of being
from that faith knowing who we are
and seeing a bright future ahead of us
in the plan of salvation if you have no
hope he must needs be
in despair it's the opposite of hope
and despair cometh because of iniquity
right so that's kind of interesting
right the more
iniquity we have well that iniquity is
going to pull us away from faith and
away from hope
right the more obedience we offer the
more sac
more sacrifice we offer the more we
follow the commandments the more
faith we exert the more hope
we will have and and the brighter future
will be right in front of us
that makes a lot of sense he says again
making sure that we're understanding and
listening to what he's saying
and now i speak unto the ends of the
earth that if the day cometh that the
power and
gifts of god right
this is the gifts are part of what verse
4 is about
receiving the truth about the book of
mormon
that the power and gifts of god if they
shall be done away
among you it shall be because of
unbelief this is again going to
the opposite of pistes this is a lack of
faith
a lack of trust in the lord
and then we get something interesting
and woe be unto the children of men if
this be the case
for there shall be none that doeth good
among you
no not one
i'll show you why this is really
interesting for if there be
one among you that doeth good he shall
work by the power and gifts of god
right that's the source goodness comes
from christ
whether we know it or not it's goodness
comes from
those principles that fall under the
doctrine of christ
from that fountain and that goes for all
cultures everywhere
regardless of whether they acknowledge
jesus as the christ now that's getting
higher and higher into the doctrine of
christ
but any principle sacrifice for others
love for others that is what
the atonement is all about right and
that is going to bring
that is goodness even if you're not a
christian for example
now he says here again it says and will
be unto the children of men if this be
the case
for there shall be none that doeth good
among you
no not one so this would be those that
deny
the gifts of god those that close the
heavens
you can't do good if you completely
close off the heavens
well in a different account of the first
vision which we're going to be going
right into next time
next episode in the 1832 account
of the vision it's not the one that we
have in joseph smith history
right there's four separate accounts
that we can pull from the 1832 account
says the following
this is what joseph smith says that he
heard from the lord it says behold i
am the lord of glory i was crucified for
the world
that all those who believe on my name
right this is going back to what moroni
just says that
because of unbelief all these things are
taken away that they may have eternal
life
behold the world lieth in sin at this
time
and none doeth good no not
one all right so the lord here
is bringing something together this
might very well be
another example of an old testament type
source maybe from the brass plates
or maybe it's somewhere in the in the
old testament i'm not aware of
but it's interesting that the lord here
in his visit to joseph smith in the
first vision says the exact same thing
what is he saying he's saying
that even in this revivalist environment
right in new england in the time of
joseph smith in the early 19th century
those that are professing and trying to
sell you and pull you into their
their christian sect that what has
happened at this time is that they've
lost the spirit right they've lost
the gift of god they've closed off the
heavens a bible a bible we have a bible
and that's what the world is like at the
time of joseph smith they've cut off
at least a large portion
of the windows of heaven
of the veil so kind of interesting that
those are
those are tied together moroni's message
at the very end of the book of mormon
that is going to open up the veil that
is going to open up the blessings of
heaven
and what joseph smith says that the lord
says to him here in
the first vision right it's it's
moroni's last message and it's the
lord's first message to joseph smith
before he even has the plates
and then again down in 27 and i exhort
you to remember
these things what are you focusing on
because the time speedily cometh that ye
shall know that i lie not
for ye shall see me at the bar of god
and the lord god will say unto you did i
not declare my words unto you
my dbr which were written by this man
moroni like this is interesting like as
one
crying from the dead just like john the
baptist is like one
crying from the wilderness or in the
wilderness
yea even as one speaking out of the dust
it's very poetic
and then of course coming to the bottom
few scriptures here of of
moroni's message he says here in verse
30 and again i would exhort you that ye
would come
unto christ that is the focus of the
book of mormon
and lay hold upon every good gift
and touch not the evil gift what's the
source of it
nor the unclean thing right
not carnal gifts money material items
philosophies of men that will produce
other consequences
and then interestingly enough he comes
here into
isaiah 52 right where we get we get 52
from
many many times in the book of mormon
where this is focused on
here we get it again this is verse 1 of
52. it says and awake and arise from the
dust o jerusalem
so he's been talking in a sense unto us
individually now he's talking to us
together kind of as
israel as a people as a church
and awaken arise from the dust o
jerusalem yea and put on thy beautiful
garments
joseph smith says that this is the
priesthood garments
this is the priesthood o daughter of
zion and strengthen thy stakes
and enlarge thy borders right we get the
metaphor here from the tabernacle
that thou mayest no more be confounded
right look at everything that's being
poured upon us today
through social media and the internet
and competing
ideas of politics and and governing
and ideas of christianity itself
but do these things so that you are not
confounded
and in 32 year come unto christ and be
perfected in him
and deny yourselves of all ungodliness
and if you shall deny yourselves of all
ungodliness
and love god with your might all your
might mind and strength
then is his grace sufficient for you so
again
love is not a feeling here love is what
we are doing
it is our merits it is our works
and if we love him with all of our might
mind and strength with our works
then is his grace sufficient for us
he gives us the opportunity it's already
done
we need to work toward him
and that grace comes from the shedding
of the blood of christ
which is in the covenant of the father
unto the remission of your sins
that ye become holy without spot
right the covenant is the coming
together it is the covenant
where his side is primarily the
sacrifice of his son
jesus christ and our side in coming
together
is reaching up to him the lower law
and his last verse the last verse of the
book of mormon from moroni
and now i bid unto all farewell i soon
go to rest in the paradise of god
until my spirit and body shall again
reunite there's the doctrine of the
resurrection
a physical resurrection and i am brought
forth triumphant through the air to meet
you
before the pleasing bar of the great
jehovah
the eternal judge of both quick
and dead by the way cwic for quick media
it's the same word yes basically in old
english that we get here from both quick
and dead or both alive or intelligent
and dead amen
so moroni knows that as he has put
all this together and given to us that
he is going to be there
as a witness of what has been produced
here with the book of mormon
have we learned enough from the book of
mormon
have we solidified the doctrine of
christ into our minds and into our
hearts enough
as the book of mormon over and over
again exhorts us to do
to hold onto the rod
but move right we move forward we're not
in one place
like a fundamentalist idea is where
we're just hanging onto the rod and
we're just sitting there
no we are moving forward but we're
moving as we
hold on to the rod that's the key
right we have so much today if you look
at the last episode that i did in in the
uh
interview with those authors that wrote
what is called the
radical orthodoxy right we understand
that
we want to avoid fundamentalism
fundamentalism is holding on to the rod
and not moving toward the tree of life
that is not good and then the opposite
end of that as they put it
as the author supported is unbridled
progressivism
and that would be letting go of the rod
and and wandering around and we get lost
in the dark
etc and in the fog the mist
both of those are bad both of those
are wrong both of those hinder us
from reaching the tree of life as moroni
asks us to do because we are to
come unto christ
i really appreciate your time with me
here
this year in going over the book of
mormon really i'm a little bit more of
an old testament
guy but the book of mormon is
is incredible and and so rich
and and the message is loud and clear
from moroni going all the way back to
nephi
come unto christ follow the doctrine of
christ
move toward the tree of life and stay
away
from the great and spacious building
liberty throughout the book of mormon
is a a precious thing to hold on to
and the book of mormon as a whole will
be a tool
to gather israel and fulfill the
covenant
of our heavenly father in the last days
i'll talk to you next time
you
Come Follow Me LDS
Book of Mormon Moroni
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