Where Were You? Part 2

Blogger's Note:
This part is about what happened in God's plan between the creation of the world and the present day.  This is how God put His plan into action and a few important events that occurred, specifically, the creation of the world, the Fall of Adam and Eve, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
This is a summary of the stories of Adam and Eve, an overview of the pattern of prophets in the Bible, and then an overview of the story of Jesus Christ.


God Has a Plan
You watched as the earth and all that inhabit it were created.
You watched as Adam and Eve were put on the earth, and you marveled at them in their bodies. They were put in charge of a garden, and they were taken care of, plenty of food, no worries. Time passed, and Satan found his way into the garden, as stealthy and sly as a snake. You and your siblings stared in horror as he went first to Adam and told him to eat of a certain tree. You had watched as Father had commanded them not to, and you were scared as the devil worked to try to get Adam to eat, but he would not. Satan would not give up. He went to Eve, talking with her, tempting her, and then she did eat the fruit.

Your siblings who were watching were in an uproar.
"Isn't this what Father promised us?" You ask. "That we could choose?"
Some quieted and others became louder.

Adam and Eve were then cast out into the lonely world, and they began to fend for themselves and to learn, and they began to have children. You were happy to see your siblings start to gain their own bodies.

You watched patiently as more of Gods children obtained bodies. You were amazed at them. They had all forgotten how they lived with God before. They made all sorts of choices, some changing all mankind, others so wicked it broke your heart.

God sent his messengers, though, to preach the gospel and His plan. You rejoiced as your siblings followed the council and direction of these prophets, but all had their choice, and many prophets were killed, many were not listened to. God, the all loving parent, wouldn't keep a prophet on the earth when no one would listen, and so there were times where there was no prophet, and though some could remember what the prophets taught, they couldn't remember all of it, and they didn't always understand, and they would worship God as they saw fit, not always the way they were supposed to.

This pattern happened over and over and over.  God sent a prophet. And another.  And another. 

This is when Father really put His plan into action.  He sent His Son, Jehovah, down to Earth.  He was called Jesus.  You rejoiced with the angels as He was born.  You watched over Him as He grew, and you laughed with Him as a little child, and you were in awe as He taught in the temple. 

He was perfect.  He was kind and loving, and He taught so that any willing listener could understand.  His miracles were amazing things.

He was the chosen one, the anointed one, the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior, and as this was His end, His purpose, He obeyed. 

You were there, watching, as He went to the Garden of Gethsemane and took on all of the pains and weaknesses and sins and afflictions of the world.  You knew that He was taking on yours as well, though you hadn't been born yet.  You were so grateful, but you hated to see Him hurt so much.
You could hardly watch as He was taken and accused.  You turned your eyes away as He was beaten and scourged.  You saw Him be put up on the cross, and you couldn't stand the sight.  You left long before He gave up His life.  You knew that Father couldn't even watch.  This was His Beloved Son, and He could not save Him and save the rest of His children as well. 

You stayed away from Earth for a while, knowing that there would be so much destruction after the death of your beloved brother.  You knew that He would overcome death, and you made sure that you were there for that.
You knew that death had been overcome, that sin had been overcome, and that if you followed Christ while you were on Earth, then you would receive so many blessings.  You knew that Christ was your Savior, and you wanted to follow Him.

Of course, He had to leave, and you went about your way, waiting for it to be your turn for a body.  You learned what you could.  You watched the human race, and you felt sorrow that there were no more prophets, and that the apostles were killed.  You were so sad that pieces of the gospel were lost, some on mistake through mistranslation or misinterpretation, some through those who wished to manipulate others, but all you could hope for was that you would be able to find the truth when it was your turn.

And you did.

Where Were You? Part 1

Blogger's Note:
The next few posts are of a different nature.  While I have usually done a summary or a fictionalized rendition of the scriptural chapters, this is more of an original story take on what is known as the Plan of Salvation.  This is a predicted three part series, but as many planned trilogies go, it often turns into four or more, and it will cover the three main stages of the Plan of Salvation, or in other words, it answers the three questions that everyone seems to ask in their lives, namely "Where did I come from?" "Why am I here?" and "Where am I going?"  As you read, put yourself in the story, and ponder on what it would have felt like and on how you would have felt.  This story takes from several points of inspiration, Moses 4, Abraham 3, Revelations 12, Genesis, and I Lived in Heaven.
I hope you enjoy it.


I Lived in Heaven a Long Time Ago

You are a child of God. You are but a spirit. Your Heavenly Father has watched over you and taught you and cherished and loved you. Your heavenly home is a beautiful place, and you are surrounded by your loving brothers and sisters. You feel their love, and they feel yours. You and your siblings adore your dear Father, and you have such a desire to become like Him, just as a little toddling child puts on Daddy's oversized dress shoes and Mommy's flamboyant straw sunhat. You have learned, and you have grown, and now, there is not much more to do with just your spirit being. Your father isn't just a spirit. You want to be like Him. He has what is called a body. You want a body. All of His children want bodies.

You and all your family are in a large council. You are sitting between your very best friends, and you wonder what this is about. You are sure that this will be exciting. It is. All of your siblings are chatting among themselves. There's a roar of chatter from your family around you. Your father enters, and there is a reverent quiet throughout the spirits. You feel yourself get even more excited. Your father starts to talk, and He tells of a plan that will provide a way for His children to become like him, to obtain a body, to learn how to use it, to succeed with it.

At that, cheers start, and then they spread, and there are great yells and shouts of joy from your siblings, and you join, and you cheer as loud as you can for joy.

He elaborates in great detail. There are questions, and he answers and discusses them. He talks about how there must be someone to die for all of our siblings, and overcome sin and death. Someone asks about what death is. You don't understand. You have always been with your Heavenly Father. What sort of thing is death? Why does it need to be overcome? What is sin? Why does sin make you unclean? You ask those questions, and a few around you answer them.

Father calls for a volunteer to be an example and a sacrifice for all who choose to follow the plan.

Your brother, Jehovah, steps forward and answers, "Here am I. Send me." You know he is a good choice. He is strong and obedient, and you love your brother very much.

 

Another steps forward, and you recognize this brother as well. He announces, "Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor."

You recognize this brother as Satan. He has achieved much, and his ideas sound pleasing. Wouldn't it be wonderful that not any of your family would be lost? You look to Father, and His face is drawn out in concern.

Jehovah again speaks up, "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever."

You realize what Satan was asking for. In exchange for bringing every soul back to Father, he wanted all of God's glory and honor, to be greater and above and to be praised for not even losing one being.

"I will send the first," Father announces.

Satan steps back in alarm, and you recognize his anger at not being given what he wants. Afterwards, he begins to go throughout all of his siblings, and he talks with them, explaining his position, telling others why they should not follow Father's plan. He comes to you.

"You will surely not return to Father," he tells you. "You won't see any of us again. There will only be pain and suffering because of this plan. I should be the savior. I won't lose anyone. Father only wants to keep His glory to Himself. He doesn't really care about us."

"I don't know everything," you say in return. "But I do know Father loves me, and He loves all of us, and I know Jehovah loves us, as well. I will obey Father and go through His plan. Get thee hence."

He leaves, but his attempts escalate, and he succeeds in gaining followers, a third of your brethren and sisters. It goes from simple words to full battles. Michael, another brother, the archangel, leads
the fight against Satan. In the end, Satan is cast out of Heaven, with all of his followers. There were many tears shed. You are so heartbroken. You know you have chosen wisely though, and you are excited to follow God's plan.


You are there as the plan is set into motion, and the creation of your new home, Earth, is begun.

The End of First Nephi

The First Book of Nephi

Chapter 19

"Nephi makes plates of ore and records the history of his people—The God of Israel will come six hundred years from the time Lehi left Jerusalem—Nephi tells of His sufferings and crucifixion—The Jews will be despised and scattered until the latter days, when they will return unto the Lord. About 588–570 B.C."-Introduction to 1 Nephi Chapter 19

No action here.
Nephi just tells about why he's making the record, how it is to be passed down a few prophecies about Christ from the words of prophets that have been lost, and he likens the scriptures to himself and his brothers.

Chapters 20-21

"The Lord reveals His purposes to Israel—Israel has been chosen in the furnace of affliction and is to go forth from Babylon—Compare Isaiah 48. About 588–570 B.C."-Introduction to 1 Nephi Chapter 20
"The Messiah will be a light to the Gentiles and will free the prisoners—Israel will be gathered with power in the last days—Kings will be their nursing fathers—Compare Isaiah 49. About 588–570 B.C."-Introduction to 1 Nephi Chapter 21

He quotes Isaiah. Good luck with that. Isaiah is not the easiest book to read or understand.

Chapter 22

"Israel will be scattered upon all the face of the earth—The Gentiles will nurse and nourish Israel with the gospel in the last days—Israel will be gathered and saved, and the wicked will burn as stubble—The kingdom of the devil will be destroyed, and Satan will be bound. About 588–570 B.C."-Introduction to 1 Nephi Chapter 22

Nephi explains some of what he quoted in Isaiah, concerning the scattering and gathering of Israel. If you read the previous quoting Isaiah chapters, Nephi will explain some of it.
Nephi then commands his offspring and future prophets to keep the records and continue to write on them.

So What?

So, we've just gone through the entire first book of the Book of Mormon. We've heard the story of how Nephi and his family left Jerusalem and traveled through the wilderness to a promised land and
all of the family drama and trials and challenges that they faced. Children have been born. People have died. They've seen angels and miracles. Some people's faith has been strengthened, others have forgotten and turned away. 

And this is all important why?  Why did anyone even bother writing all of these things down?  Why would anybody care?  Why is this so important that a man made sheets of metal and took the time to engrave these things on them?  Why were they so important that this man commanded his children and others to pass them down and continue to write on them? 

Well, God commanded him to, but there's a reason that God did. 

These stories, these experiences, these thoughts, impressions, theories, doctrines are all so important, that they were preserved for our day and age.  They were brought forth so that we could learn and grow and gain a stronger faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

We can and are supposed to relate these things to our lives. 

I've seen people in my life that are just like Laman and Lemuel. They have seen miracles.  They know that there is a God.  Then, they turn away, and they forget, and they are faced with humbling experiences, and they just won't listen.  Sometimes, I act like Laman and Lemuel.
Then, I know people like Nephi who will go and do anything for God. Sometimes I act like Nephi.
I've had experiences like these.  I've seen God in my life, and I know that He is there waiting to help us and guide us, but we have to be willing to listen and to do the things He commands.

There are so many things you can learn from the scriptures, and there's more as we reach the promised land with Nephi and his family.

To read the actual scriptures, go to1 Nephi 22, and then you can navigate to other scriptures.

Pirates!

The First Book of Nephi

Chapter 18

"The ship is finished—The births of Jacob and Joseph are mentioned—The company embarks for the promised land—The sons of Ishmael and their wives join in revelry and rebellion—Nephi is bound, and the ship is driven back by a terrible tempest—Nephi is freed, and by his prayer the storm ceases—The people arrive in the promised land. About 591–589 B.C."
-Introduction to 1 Nephi Chapter 18




For those who have just joined us:
So, there's this guy named Lehi, and he's a prophet, and God tells him that Jerusalem is going to get destroyed, so he better get his family OUT!  So he takes his family into the wilderness, and then there's all sorts of drama.  His sons are constantly rebelling.  One of his other sons becomes a prophet, too.  His sons are commanded to go back to Jerusalem and almost die trying to obtain a set of scriptures.  They pick up a few other people from Jerusalem, all the sons get married, Lehi starts to have grandchildren, they reach a body of water, and now, his prophet son Nephi is commanded to build a ship, but guess what? His other sons rebel again!  And that's what you missed last time in the Book of Mormon!


Now where were we?
Nephi, Lehi's righteous prophet son, finished building the ship, finally, with no thanks to his wicked brothers, Laman and Lemuel.  The caravan of the family made the preparations to leave, collecting food and supplies and seeds and other such things.

During all of the commotion that had been going on, Lehi's company had grown.  There were of course Lehi, the prophet, and his wife, Sariah, then his four sons that our story has centered around so far: Laman and Lemuel--the rebellious older sons, Sam--the good kid who stayed under the radar, and Nephi--the 'I will go and do' prophet.  Lehi also had daughters, though nothing much is ever said about them.  When they went back to Jerusalem, Nephi had become friends with a servant named Zoram, and he had joined the group, and then on a second trip back to Jerusalem, they picked up the entire family of a man named Ishmael, who's sons and daughters married Zoram and Lehi's sons and daughters.  Then, with all of the time spent wandering in the wilderness and building a ship, Lehi and Sariah were blessed with two more sons, Jacob and Joseph.  So it must have been a fairly large ship for all of these people.

As they sailed through the sea, Nephi's brethren and Ishmael's children found ways to entertain themselves, dancing, drinking, rudeness. Nephi was quickly alarmed, and he was worried that God's judgment would come upon them, and he rushed to speak with his brethren to tell them to stop, but as always, they would not listen. They mocked their younger brother for telling them what to do, and in their anger, they bound him so he couldn't move and they tied him to the mast of the ship.

They commandeered the ship, mutiny against their captain Nephi, their father Lehi, and against their Lord. God will not bless us for disobedience. Their compass, that ball of curious workmanship, ceased to direct them. It would no longer show them the way they needed to go. On top of that, a storm came and waves crashed and their ship was driven back in the wind. There was the constant fear of drowning. And Nephi was stuck to the mast of the ship.

For 3 days, the ship was shoved around by the storm as it continually got worse, and Laman and Lemuel and their disobedient families' fear grew and grew. Lehi, who was getting rather old by now, begged his children to loose their brother and tried to tell Ishmael's children too, but nothing. On the fourth day of the storm, it grew worse, or as Nephi said exceedingly sore, and they realized that the storm and lack of direction was because of their rebellion against God, and once they knew that, they loosed Nephi and begged for mercy from God. Nephi fell to the deck of the ship, his ankles and his wrists swollen and sore, but he got to his knees and prayed, praising God.

The storm calmed, the compass began to work and direct them again, and they were quickly brought to their promised land.

To read the actual scriptural account, go to 1 Nephi 18.

So What?

So this family is thrown into a dangerous storm and lose divine guidance because a couple of the angry sons tie up the other one?  What are supposed to learn from that?

Well, don't go commandeering ships unless you've got God on your side.

No, don't do that.

We can learn how God's guidance, or the Holy Ghost, works in our lives.  When we pay attention to God and the tools He gives us, like prophets and the Holy Spirit, we are guided to where we need to be.  We are able to do amazing things! We can build huge ships!  We can traverse dangerous terrain and surf the oceans!  But when we are disobedient, when we don't pay any head to God or to His prophets or to the scriptures, we get lost.  We wander into those dangerous life threatening storms.

You have to remember that God is our loving Heavenly Father, and He's not doing this to torture us.  It's like a parent with their children.  The children are tired of listening to what their parents say, and they ignore their cell phone, and they go to a dangerous party where there's things that sound like so much more fun.  And then what happens?  Storms!  What happens when they get home much much later than their curfew?  Their parents of course are going to be frustrated and angry and worried, but are they still going to love their child?  Yes.  Yes they are. They might take away their cell phone until they're ready to behave and listen, but the parents still love the child. 

And God is our Heavenly Father, and He loves you!