Abish

Wouldn’t it be best to tell those considering joining the Church to forget about the Book of Mormon and rather study the latest Conference issue and pray about it? After all, if she reads the Book of Mormon and the Holy Ghost tells her that the things therein plainly written that no one can err, are true, wouldn’t it confuse and perplex her when she hears instead modern Church doctrine from the mouth of Living Oracles?

A Story by Ray Farmer

Abish sat arms distant from Elder Korihor and Elder Nehor, the LDS Elders who have been teaching her all about the LDS Church. There was a look of calm and joy upon her face that the Elders had not seen as they had gone over the discussions.

Abish: I have to tell you that I have been reading the Book of Mormon, just as you have encouraged, even insisted, that I do. I have a witness that the Book is true! But, just as the three witnesses, I can testify that not only is the Book true, but the things written therein are true. Like it says in 2 Nephi 27:12

"....three witnesses shall behold it....and they shall testify to the truth of the book and the things therein".

Although you have testified over and over again the the Book is true, it seems that you never testify that the things therein are true. I thought about it, and it seems to me that it seems logical that if one believes the Book is true that what is written in it must be true. We have read Moroni's promise several times and a close reading of that invitation tells us to ask if the things we read are true and not so much if the Book is true. So, accordingly, I read a great portion of it and asked if what I read was true. The Holy Ghost testified that the "these things", as the promise calls the words of the Book of Mormon, are true! Yipeee!

Elder Korihor: I am so glad! I always, since Primary, thought the Book was true, although I have never read it much before my mission. I can see that one can believe the Book is true without a testimony that the concepts taught in it are true. I see how that wouldn’t make sense.

(Elder Nehor looked confused, as usual.)

Abish: I cannot tell you how relived I was as I learned wonderful doctrines as I read. You see, my family has been discouraging me from meeting with you two and joining the Church. They have been, apparently, making up things that you believe. Crazy things! But as I read, I discovered that the Book of Mormon exposes their lies plainly. So let talk about my baptism!

Elder Nehor: Great! That will get our numbers up!

Elder Korihor: I am so glad that the Book of Mormon exposed those dirty, rotten liars. I am curious about what you found. Will you share?

Abish: Of course! My family tried to convince me that Mormons (sorry, I do know the real name of the Church) believe there are many, many gods. I told them that was silly, but I was somewhat disturbed. Could it be true? Fortunately, I can across a discussion between a lawyer name Zeezrom and a man named Amulek. Here! I have it marked:

Alma 11:28. Now Zeezrom said: Is there more than one God?
29. And he answered, No.
30. Now Zeezrom said unto him again: How knowest thou these things?
31. And he said: An angel hath made them known unto me.

You can see how wonderful this discovery was! Someone is lying and this verse, to which the Holy Ghost testified to me, lets me identify the liars among us!

Elder Korihor: Ahhh.....hmmmmm…However....

Abish: But that's not all! The Family told me the Latter-day saints believe, somehow, that people can repent of their sins AFTER DEATH and move over to paradise at anytime before the Judgement! I have to tell you, at this I kinda chuckled. I'm no scholar. Fortunately the Book of Mormon was written plainly so no one can err (it says that, you know). The Book repeatedly says that “those who die in their sins, remain in their sins”. I wrote these verses down.

2 Nephi 9:38 And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins.

Mosiah 15:26 But behold, and fear, and tremble before God, for ye ought to tremble; for the Lord redeemeth none such that rebel against him and die in their sins; yea, even all those that have perished in their sins ever since the world began, that have wilfully rebelled against God, that have known the commandments of God, and would not keep them....

Moroni 10:26 And wo unto them who shall do these things away and die, for they die in their sins, and they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God; and I speak it according to the words of Christ; and I lie not.

I like how Moroni added the "I lie not". There is no deception here. What he says he means sans caveats! There are no, "But, but, buts" about it. It says what it says! What a silly family I have!

Besides, The Book of Mormon tells us that those who die in their sins are in an awful state of darkness until they are resurrected! So, obviously, they can't move to paradise like some kind of spirit transit! Let's see, how does the Book of Mormon put it?

Alma 40:14 Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, UNTIL the time of their resurrection.

Alma 40:21 But whether it be at his resurrection or after, I do not say; but this much I say, that there is a space between death and the resurrection of the body, and a state of the soul in happiness or in misery UNTIL the time which is appointed of God that the dead shall come forth, and be reunited, both soul and body, and be brought to stand before God, and be judged according to their works.

Isn't it amazing how complete the Book of Mormon is?! It is like it contains the fullness of the gospel!

Elder Korihor: Let's pause a moment. I would like to cover repentance after death....there is a prison…

Abish: Wait! Wait! Wait! I know this! Alma talks of this very thing! Let me see. I think I marked it in yellow. Would you elders want to use my yellow pencil to mark this in your scriptures?

Elder Nehor: When I read my scriptures its on my phone.

Abish: Here it is. Alma 34! Bright yellow, indeed. I especially like verse 34.

33. And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.
34. Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.
35. For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.

I missed it the first time, but there it is again. If you die in your sins, you are subject to the devil and that is your final state! No moving to a different neighborhood! Isn't this grand? The Book of Mormon is absolutely amazing. I have been able to find clear teachings therein that counter all the ridiculous claims my family regarding the beliefs of the Latter-day Saints. Things like baptism for the dead! If the Latter-day Saints believed the day of probation ends at the judgement, why can't dead people get baptized for themselves when they get their resurrected body? Duh! Think of all the money these made up Latter-day Saints my folks talk about could save instead of building "elegant and spacious buildings" to baptize the dead. Things about water for wine, authority, polygamy, something they termed “various degrees of glory”, the wicked glorified....Oh! how the Book of Mormon assured me that the Latter-day Saints, who love the Book of Mormon perhaps more than I do, could not possibly believe!

Elder Korihor: Ah, did we mention Living Oracles?

[to be continued?]