Book of Mormon; Latter Day Saint churches -- Doctrines; Latter Day Saints
Jesus next called Nephi to him, then eleven others, and gave them
authority to baptize the people, at the same time strictly charging
them as to the manner in which they performed this ordinance, that
all disputes on this point might cease among the believers. The names
of the Twelve whom he chose were: Nephi, his brother Timothy, whom he
had beforetime raised from the dead, also his son Jonas, and Mathoni,
Mathonihah, Kumen, Kumenonhi, Jeremiah, Shemnon, Jonas, Zedekiah and
Isaiah. These Twelve are to sit in the great day of judgment as the
judges of the seed of Lehi, and be themselves judged by the Twelve
Apostles whom Jesus had called from among the Jews.
After Jesus had chosen the Twelve, he commenced to teach the people the
principles of the fullness of the gospel. Step by step he led them over
the same precious ground of universal truth as he had his followers in
the temple at Jerusalem, by the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and on the
hillsides of Judea and Samaria. Sometimes, through the difference of
the inspired translation of the Book of Mormon from the worldly-wise
one of the Bible, a slight difference is noticeable in the wording
of the instructions, but as a rule these differences are trivial,
the advantage being with the Nephites, whose greater faith drew from
the Savior deeper truths than Judah had received, or caused him to
display greater manifestations of his omnipotence and boundless love.
From the believers he would turn to the Twelve, and give them special
instructions as his ministers, then again he would shed forth his words
of mercy, truth and divine wisdom upon the multitude; and by and by
again address the disciples. So he continued day by day until all was
revealed, either to the multitude or to the Twelve, that was necessary
for the eternal salvation of the obedient.
Some have wondered why Jesus should have given so many of the same
teachings to the Nephites as he did to the Jews. The reason is that
those teachings were perfect and could not be improved. They were
universal, that is, they were adapted to the wants of all peoples,
whether of Israel or of the Gentiles, whether of Judah or Joseph. They
were a portion of the everlasting gospel and had to be preached to
all the world as a witness, to those who dwelt in America as well as
those of Asia, Africa and Europe. Thus we find in the teachings given
to the Nephites what we term the first principles of the gospel--faith,
repentance and baptism; we also find those divine lessons of love,
truth, humility and duty that glorified the Savior's "Sermon on the
Mount." These we shall not reproduce but will draw attention to other
teachings of the Savior not recorded by the Four Evangelists; that is
they are not to be found in their writings as at present contained in
the New Testament.
CHAPTER XLIV.
THE FULFILLMENT OF THE MOSAIC LAW--"OTHER SHEEP HAVE I"--THE TEN
TRIBES--THE EVENTS OF THE LATTER DAYS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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