Mormon 9 – So many nuggets!
As I was reading this chapter this morning it
was almost with a new set of eyes. I have
read the Book of Mormon dozens of times.
But this time I saw nuggets that in the past did not stand out. Why is this – especially given the fact I
feel a little punk today? It has something
to do with “drops of oil”. Each time I
read anything pertaining to the gospel of Jesus Christ, I am adding to my lamp
the drops of oil spoken of in the scriptures.
I sat and stared at Mormon 9:2 for minutes
before I moved on. Let’s see if I can
commit to paper what my mind was doing – and why. I’ll start with the why. My granddaughter, Tyler, is the sweetest
teenager. She has figured out that I
really love to “chew on the scriptures” and occasionally will send me a text
with a question pertaining to the Gospel.
She asked me about Hell the other day.
She asked me after reading 3 Nephi 12:30 if hell is a place. “. . . is there a hell or does it mean that
they will experience hell like conditions in the afterlife?” My reply was sufficient and probably more
than she wanted, but chewing on this one verse today was even better.
“Behold, will ye believe in the day of your
visitation – behold, when the Lord shall come, yea, even that great day . . . .
(from The Living Christ it says: “We
testify that He will someday return to earth And the glory of the Lord shall be
revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” Isaiah 40:5). This is what the day of your visitation means? We will all see the Lord come at the same
time. I’ve pondered that statement
numerous times. What is that going to
look like? I have no idea, but I have no
doubt that it will be seen by all of us at the same time. Yes, it will be a great day!
Moving on:
“. . . when the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat, yea, in that great day when ye shall be
brought to stand before the Lamb of God. . .”
Why did this stop me in my tracks?
In D&C 130:9 “The earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will
be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who
dwell thereon (This is a place.), whereby all things pertaining to an inferior
kingdom (do you get this? Inferior
kingdom is the Telestial kingdom). . . or all kingdoms of a lower order, (think
Telestial Kingdom here), will be manifest to those who dwell on it; (who will
be dwelling on the Telestial Kingdom? Read D&C 76:83-86) and this earth
will be Christ’s”. Those who dwell in
the Telestial Kingdom, aka the earth as we know it, will have become as a sea
of glass and easy to read. . . Will be able to see. Even though we’ve been told even the
Telestial Kingdom will be a place of glory.
D&C 76: 84 says “. . . they are thrust down to hell.” This earth, in its sanctified state, will be
the hell spoken of in the scriptures! It
is a place. It will also be a state of
mind though because we will see with clarity those things we might have had,
and chose not to have. What do you suppose your mind is going to feel like at
that point if you “qualify” to live in the Telestial Kingdom? I can’t think I’d be real happy about
it. That would definitely describe hell
to me.
My morning is moving a lot faster than I
am. I could chew on this a long
time. Yes, the scriptures are full of
nuggets. This chapter is dense with them. I love reading the scriptures and finding a
nugget I can chew on. I love my Savior,
Jesus Christ and his patience with me in this process – and it is a
process. As I wrote earlier, one drop at
a time, or line upon line as Joseph Smith wrote (D&C 98:12).
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