Gospel Doctrine, Lesson 47: To Keep Them in the Right Way,

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Moroni 1-6

#1: At a meeting at Spanish Fork, Utah Co., in the winter of 1896, Brother Higginson stated in my presence that Thomas B. Marsh told him that the Prophet Joseph Smith told him (Thomas B. Marsh, he being then President of the Twelve), that he became very anxious to know something of the fate of Moroni, and in answer to prayer the Lord gave Joseph a vision, in which appeared a wild country and on the scene was Moroni after whom were six Indians in pursuit; he stopped and one of the Indians stepped forward and measured swords with him. Moroni smote him and he fell dead; another Indian advanced and contended with him; this Indian also fell by his sword; a third Indian then stepped forth and met the same fate; a fourth afterwards contended with him, but in the struggle with the fourth, Moroni, being exhausted, was killed. Thus ended the life of Moroni. (Charles D. Tate, Monte S. Nyman, Fourth Nephi through Moroni: From Zion to Destruction #2: Early on the morning of April 25th, 1877, President Brigham Young asked Brother Warren S. Snow to go with him to the Temple hill. Brother Snow says: We two were alone: President Young took me to the spot where the Temple was to stand; we went to the southeast corner, and President Young said: Here is the spot where the prophet Moroni stood and dedicated this piece of land for a Temple site, and that is the reason why the location is made here, and we cant move it from this spot; and if you and I are the only persons that come here at high noon today, we will dedicate this ground (Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, 436). #3: Elder Orson Hyde: In those early and perilous times, our men were few, and our resources limited. Poverty was among the most potent enemies we had to encounter; yet our arms were successful; and it may not be amiss to ask here, by whose power victory so often perched on our banner? It was by the agency of that same angel of God that appeared unto Joseph Smith, and revealed to him the history of the early inhabitants of this country, whose mounds, bones and remains of towns, cities and fortifications speak from the dust in the ears of the living with the voice of undeniable truth. This same angel presides over the destinies of America, and feels a lively interest in all our doings. He was in the camp of Washington; and, by an invisible hand, led on our fathers to conquest and victory; and all this to open and prepare the way for the Church and kingdom of God to be established on the western hemisphere, for the redemption of Israel and the salvation of the world.

This same angel was with Columbus, and gave him deep impressions, by dreams and by visions, respecting this New World. Trammelled by poverty and by an unpopular cause, yet his persevering and unyielding heart would not allow an obstacle in his way too great for him to overcome; and the angel of God helped him was with him on the stormy deep, calmed and troubled elements, and guided his frail vessel to the desired haven. Under the guardianship of this same angel, or Prince of America, have the United States grown, increased, and flourished, like the sturdy oak by the rivers of water (Journal of Discourses, Vol.6, p.368). #4: Hugh Nibley: St. Basil, writing in the fourth century, said, we know they baptized, but we dont have any formula. We dont have any ordinance for baptism given. The church didnt have one. They had to invent them. And he said, we know they got married, but we dont know what kind of marriage rites were celebrated in the early Christian church. Now if you want the best thumbnail sketch that could possibly be given of primitive Christianity we look to Moroni 6 Its just like Qumran revisited, a little Dead Sea Scrolls This is exactly the picture of the primitive church that has emerged from the recent studies of it on the basis of newly found documents, begun in the latter part of the nineteenth century by von Harnack, Albert Schweitzer, Bultmann (MaxwellInstitute.byu.edu, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 4, Lecture 112) #5: President Boyd K. Packer: Ordinances and covenants become our credentials for admission into His presence. To worthily receive them is the quest of a lifetime; to keep them thereafter is the challenge of mortality (CR, April 1987). Good conduct without the ordinances of the gospel will neither redeem nor exalt mankind; covenants and the ordinances are essential (CR, Oct. 1985). #6: And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. (Genesis 14:18) And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine; and he broke bread and blest it; and he blest the wine, he being the priest of the most high God. (JST Genesis 14:17) #7: Daniel Rona: Every Sabbath, just before the evening meal, the father offers a blessing on the bread and wine. Heres what the Encyclopedia Judaica Jr. says: On Sabbath and festivals the blessing over bread is recited over two loaves (representing the double portion of manna that fell on Friday and did not go bad when kept till the Sabbath). These loaves are specially sweet bread and made in a distinctive shape. They are known as hallot (singular hallah), and are usually covered with a cloth embroidered with Shabbat symbols. Should there be no wine for Kiddush beverages other than wine may also be used. It may be significant that to the Jews, the blessing of wine and then bread is in anticipation of a greater deliverance than from Egypt. To believers in Jesus, the ritual is done by blessing the bread first and then the wine. This is done in remembrance of the great deliverance, the atonement. (IsraelRevealed.com)

LESSON 47 OUTLINE

Today we begin the Book of Moroninot because he intended to write it, but because, as you know, he had some time on his hands. ~Any guesses as to how much time? (384 A.D. was the last battle at Cumorah, see Moroni 1:1; and in 421 A.D. Moroni says he sealed the records, see 10:1; so at least 37 years) ~What do we know about those 37 years? (spent in hiding from the Lamanites, see 1:3; alone, see Mormon 8:3; Lamanites were at war among themselves, see 8:8) I was surprised to find a statement on how Moroni died. Its not from a primary source, so you be the judge of its reliability, but I found it credible enough and interesting enough to share: Quotation #1 Now that we may know the end of the life of Moroni, lets review what we know about the rest of it. ~Of course, he was the last Nephite prophet in the Book of Mormon. Who was his father? (Mormon) ~Just before Mormons death in battle, what did he deliver to Moroni? (his abridgement of the large plates of Nephi, see Words of Mormon 1:3), as well as the small plates of Nephi (W of M 1:6) ~What did Moroni then do with these records? (finished his fathers, see Mormon 8:1, writing chapters 8 and 9.) ~What scripture did Moroni then abridge? (Ether, see Ether 1:2) ~And, finding himself with time on his hands, what else did he write? (Book of Moroni) ~What did he do with the records next? (sealed them up, see Moroni 10:2; and hid them, see Mormon 8:14) ~Do we know of anything else Moroni did while alive? (dedicated at least 4 temple sites) Quotation #2 ~Do we know of anything he did between his death and appearing to Joseph Smith? (Orson Hyde, referring to the persecutions of the Saints in Joseph Smiths day refers to Moroni in Quotation #3:) Quotation #3 And theres something else we know about Moroni. In the Doctrine & Covenants, when the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that they didnt have to and in fact shouldnt use wine for the sacrament, He also reveals a gem about Moroni:

D&C 27:5 2 ~What does that mean: the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim? (Moroni became the principal figure in the transmission of the record to our dispensation, as well as the protector of the record itself. (CES Book of Mormon Manual, 2009)) Thus we have records of 22 different appearances of Moroni to Joseph Smith, beginning in 1823. He instructed Joseph each year from 1823-27 and finally delivered the plates to him in 1827 (JS-H 1:54,59) ~After Joseph completed the translation, what did he do with the plates? (returned them to Moroni) There were about 17 other early Saints who also give accounts of having seen Moroni. Does anyone have anything to add? Okay, so today our lesson covers Moroni 1-6. ~What, after all the marvelous writings weve studied throughout this year, does Moroni feel will be of most worth to us? (Ordinances) Ch. 2: conferring the Holy Ghost Ch. 3: How to ordain priests and teachers. (Incidentally, did you know that prior to Christs appearance to the Nephites there were no Aaronic priesthood holders among the Nephites? Elder McConkie says: Even during the Mosaic dispensation there were no Aaronic priesthood holders among the Nephites, for there were no Levites among them, and the Aaronic priesthood in that day was con fined to the sons of Levi. The priests and teachers among the Nephites held the Melchizedek Priesthood. (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 348) Chs. 4-5: Sacrament prayers. (In the New World, then, Nephi was the last to understand and record the ordinances of salvation as established by the Savior. Meanwhile, what happened in the Old World to these ordinances? (Apostasy) Quotation #4 Ch. 6: More on baptism, the Holy Ghost, and how meetings should be conducted under the guidance of the Holy Ghost. ~How often did they meet? (Oft, see Moroni 10:5) Speaking of meetingsits been suggested that an appropriate epitaph for a Latterday Saint would be Gone to another meeting. What is it about ordinances that is so indispensable? Most ordinances are comprised of covenants. The Latin convenire means come together. ~What is it that is coming together through ordinances? (God and us)

Quotation #5 3 One ordinance which Moroni expands on is the sacrament, and Id like to spend the rest of our time on this. Sacrament means a spiritual covenant between God and man, and in our church this is done through the ordinance of the sacrament during sacrament meeting. But the practice of blessing bread and wine in a sacramental procedure is ancient. Christ fulfilled and upgraded it at the last supper, but Melchizedek blessed bread and wine in a foreshadowing of that. I included in your handout under #6 the scripture in Genesis where Melchizedek blessed the water and wine. READ #6 JST. During the Passover Meal the wine and bread are eaten, symbolizing that partaking of them must precede the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Even today every Sabbath Jewish families bless bread and wine. Heres what Daniel Rona, an Israeli, an American, a Mormon and a Jew living in Jerusalem has to way: Quotation #7 The entire plan of salvation is reflected in the symbolism of the sacrament, so there is much that we can think about as we partake of the sacrament each week: ~The Fall brought into the world two kinds of death. What were they? (physical & spiritual) ~How are these deaths overcome? (Atonement) On board:
PHYSICAL DEATH (What is it?) Separation from body (How was it overcome?) Overcome by Resurrection of Christ SPIRITUAL DEATH Separation from God Overcome by Redemption of Christ

(Who will be resurrected?) All (1 Cor. 15:22) Repentant (Matt. 26:28) (Which part of sacrament represents Christs physical death?) Represented by the body of Christ, Represented by the blood of Christ, Symbolized by the bread Symbolized by the wine/water Christ is the bread of life (John 6:35) (Why do we break the bread?) Bread is broken as was Christs body Christ is the fountain of living water (John 4:10) (Why is the water poured?) As spilt blood, he hath poured out his soul unto death (Isaiah 53:12) (When was this part of Christs offering consummated?) Offering consummated on the cross Offering consummated in Gethsemane) Thanks to GospelDoctrine.com

Next week: Moronis final and very significant message to us!

Thanks to GospelDoctrine.com

Separation from the physical body Overcome by the Resurrection of Christ Death overcome for all (1 Corinthians 15:22) Represented by the Body of Christ Symbolized by the bread Christ is the bread of life (John 6:26) Bread is broken as was Christs body Offering consummated on the cross

Overcome by the Resurrection of Christ Death overcome for all (1 Corinthians 15:22) Represented by the Body of Christ Symbolized by the bread Christ is the bread of life (John 6:26) Bread is broken as was Christs body Offering consummated on the cross

Thanks to GospelDoctrine.com

PHYSICAL DEATH
Separation from the physical body Overcome by the Resurrection of Christ Death overcome for all (1 Corinthians 15:22) Represented by the Body of Christ Symbolized by the bread Christ is the bread of life (John 6:26) Bread is broken as was Christs body Offering consummated on the cross

PHYSICAL DEATH
Separation from the physical body Overcome by the Resurrection of Christ Death overcome for all (1 Corinthians 15:22) Represented by the Body of Christ Symbolized by the bread Christ is the bread of life (John 6:26) Bread is broken as was Christs body Offering consummated on the cross Thanks to GospelDoctrine.com Thanks to GospelDoctrine.com Thanks to GospelDoctrine.com

Overcome by the Resurrection of Christ Death overcome for all (1 Corinthians 15:22) Represented by the Body of Christ Symbolized by the bread Christ is the bread of life (John 6:26) Bread is broken as was Christs body Offering consummated on the cross

Thanks to GospelDoctrine.com

PHYSICAL DEATH Separation from the physical body

PHYSICAL DEATH Separation from the physical body

Overcome by the Resurrection of Christ Death overcome for all (1 Corinthians 15:22) Represented by the Body of Christ Symbolized by the bread Christ is the bread of life (John 6:26) Bread is broken as was Christs body Offering consummated on the cross

Separation from the physical body Overcome by the Resurrection of Christ Death overcome for all (1 Corinthians 15:22) Represented by the Body of Christ Symbolized by the bread Christ is the bread of life (John 6:26) Bread is broken as was Christs body Offering consummated on the cross

Thanks to GospelDoctrine.com

PHYSICAL DEATH

PHYSICAL DEATH Separation from the physical body

Overcome by the Resurrection of Christ Death overcome for all (1 Corinthians 15:22) Represented by the Body of Christ Symbolized by the bread Christ is the bread of life (John 6:26) Bread is broken as was Christs body Offering consummated on the cross

Thanks to GospelDoctrine.com

PHYSICAL DEATH

PHYSICAL DEATH Separation from the physical body

SPIRITUAL DEATH

Separation from God Overcome by the Redemption of Christ

SPIRITUAL DEATH Separation from God Overcome by the Redemption of Christ Remission of sins for may (Matthew 26:28) Represented by the Blood of Christ

Remission of sins for may (Matthew 26:28) Represented by the Blood of Christ Symbolized by the wine/water Christ is the fountain of living water (John 4:10) Water is poured out as spilt blood (Isaiah 53:12) Offering consummated in Gethsemane

Symbolized by the wine/water

Christ is the fountain of living water (John 4:10) Water is poured out as spilt blood (Isaiah 53:12) Offering consummated in Gethsemane

SPIRITUAL DEATH

SPIRITUAL DEATH

Separation from God Overcome by the Redemption of Christ

Separation from God Overcome by the Redemption of Christ

Remission of sins for may (Matthew 26:28) Represented by the Blood of Christ Symbolized by the wine/water Christ is the fountain of living water (John 4:10) Water is poured out as spilt blood (Isaiah 53:12) Offering consummated in Gethsemane

Remission of sins for may (Matthew 26:28) Represented by the Blood of Christ Symbolized by the wine/water Christ is the fountain of living water (John 4:10) Water is poured out as spilt blood (Isaiah 53:12) Offering consummated in Gethsemane

SPIRITUAL DEATH Separation from God Overcome by the Redemption of Christ Remission of sins for may (Matthew 26:28) Represented by the Blood of Christ

SPIRITUAL DEATH Separation from God Overcome by the Redemption of Christ Remission of sins for may (Matthew 26:28) Represented by the Blood of Christ

Symbolized by the wine/water Christ is the fountain of living water (John 4:10)

Water is poured out as spilt blood (Isaiah 53:12) Offering consummated in Gethsemane

Symbolized by the wine/water Christ is the fountain of living water (John 4:10) Water is poured out as spilt blood (Isaiah 53:12)

Offering consummated in Gethsemane

SPIRITUAL DEATH

Separation from God Overcome by the Redemption of Christ

SPIRITUAL DEATH Separation from God

Overcome by the Redemption of Christ

Remission of sins for may (Matthew 26:28) Represented by the Blood of Christ Symbolized by the wine/water Christ is the fountain of living water (John 4:10) Water is poured out as spilt blood (Isaiah 53:12) Offering consummated in Gethsemane

Remission of sins for may (Matthew 26:28) Represented by the Blood of Christ Symbolized by the wine/water Christ is the fountain of living water (John 4:10) Water is poured out as spilt blood (Isaiah 53:12) Offering consummated in Gethsemane

Physical Death
Separation from God Overcome by the Redemption of Christ Remission of sins for many (Matt. 26:28) Represented by the Blood of Christ Symbolized by the wine/water Christ is the fountain of living water (John 4:10) Water is poured out as spilt blood, he hath poured out his soul unto death (Isa 53:12) Offering consummated in Gethsemane

Spiritual Death

Separation from the physical body

Overcome by the Resurrection of Christ

Death overcome for all (1 Cor. 15:22)

Represented by the Body of Christ

Symbolized by the bread

Christ is the bread of life (John 6:35)

Bread is broken as was Christs body

Offering consummated on the cross