After returning to Hiram from the Amherst conference, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon resumed their labors on the translation of the New Testament. The vision recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 76 was received while they were translating John 5:29. Philo Dibble, one of a dozen men present when this visionContinue Reading

Historical Background – Martin Harris By 1827, Martin Harris had built a comfortable life for himself in Palmyra, New York. He married his cousin Lucy in 1808, fought in the war of 1812, and by 1827 Martin had had acquired 320 acres of farmland, made them profitable through his industry andContinue Reading

Things to cover We bring destruction upon ourselves. See 3 Ne. 6.5 and Abraham Lincoln’s quote. The passage of the relics and the total breakdown of Nephite society (3 Nephi 1.2) Gadianton’s “girded about w/lamb skin” – the irony! The Greek names in the Book of Mormon – quote EricContinue Reading

The Land and the Sea Beast Revelation 13 depict two mighty beasts coming to the fore, both representing different aspects of the Kingdom of Satan in his time as well as ours. One beast arises out of the sea, hence we will call it “The Sea Beast.” This creature hasContinue Reading

Occasionally I find myself in a conversation with those that ask the question, “Is Satan essential for the Plan of Salvation to work?” While I do not think this question is one of the more vital gospel questions we may ask, it certainly is interesting! The answer may help usContinue Reading

In 1837, Elders Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, Orson Hyde, and Isaac Russell were laboring as missionaries in Preston, England. 1 They were sharing a three-story flat on Wilford Street when the unthinkable happened. On Sunday, July 30, sometime around daybreak, Elder Russell rushed into the room of Elders KimballContinue Reading

Joseph F. Smith – those who received a fullness in this world “And he that believes, is baptized, and receives the light and testimony of Jesus Christ, and walks well for a season, receiving the fulness of the blessings of the gospel in this world, and afterwards turns wholly untoContinue Reading