Chapter XXIX. The Ministration of Jesus to Ancient America

" On the Morrow come I into the World." Sign of his Crucifixion. Pie Appears unto the Nephites after his Resurrection, and Tarries with them. He Chooses Twelve Apostles. The Three Nephites who were never to Taste Death.

TARRIES WITH THEM HE CHOOSES TWELVE

APOSTLES THE THREE NEPHITES WHO WERE

NEVER TO TASTE DEATH.

But the chief subject of the Book of Mormon is the ministry of Jesus to Ancient America. As previously shown, a knowledge of the Christ was had among the ancients of this greater land of promise from the beginning. Among the Nephites especially, his coming was the subject of repeated prophesying.

The following from the Book of Nephi (one of the Books of the Book of Mormon), is in point :

" Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death, except the sign should come to pass which had been given by Samuel the prophet. Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceeding sorrowful. And it came to pass that he went out and bowed

himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God, in behalf of his people ; yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers. And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord, all the day ; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying, Lift up your head and be of good cheer, for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfill all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets. Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfill all things which I have made known unto the children of men, from the foundation of the world, and do the will, both of the Father, and of the Son ; of the Father, because of me, and of the Son, because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given.

" And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken ; for behold at the going down of the sun, there was no darkness ; and the people began to be astonished, because there was no darkness when the night came. And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets, had been frustrated ; for the signal which had been given was already at hand ; and they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear ; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth, from the West to the East, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished, that they fell to the earth; for they knew that the prophets had testified of these things for many years, and that the sign which had

been given, was already at hand ; and they began to fear because of their iniquity and their unbelief.

"And it came to pass that there was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was midday. And it came to pass that the sun did rise in the morning again, according to its proper order; and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born, because of the sign which had been g-ivan."

In the sacred records of no people is there a more striking view of the pre-existence of Christ than this ; and his annunciation, " On the morrow come I into the world," is so like Jesus in its beautiful simplicity, yet grandeur of personal announcement, that it cannot but charm the imagination.

But during the mortal life of Jesus at Jerusalem, the sign of his coming lost its awe in the minds of the Nephites, and they fell into unbelief. Then came the crucifixion at Jerusalem, which in America was signaled by the destruction of cities, by earthquakes, etc., and darkness for the space of three days.

"Then the voice of Jesus risen from the dead, declared this destruction to be in consequence of the wickedness of the people, while to those which remained the voice of the invisible Lord cried, " O all ye that are spared, because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you ? Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive ; and blessed are those who come unto me. Behold I am Jesus

Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me ; and in me hath the Father glorified his name. I came unto my own, and my own received me not. And the scriptures concerning my coming are fulfilled. And as many as have received me, to them have I given to become the sons of God ; and even so will I to as many as shall believe on my name, for behold, by me redemption cometh, and in me is the law of Moses fulfilled. I am the light and the life of the world. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood ; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings; and ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not. Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin : therefore whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive : for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again ; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved.

" And now behold, it came to pass that all the people of the land did hear these sayings, and did witness of it. And after these sayings there was silence in the land for the space of many hours ; for so great was the astonishment of the people that they did cease lamenting and howling for the loss of

their kindred which had been slain ; therefore there was silence in all the land for the space of many ours.

The next chapter of Nephi opens with the personal appearing- of the Lord. He writes :

" And now it came to pass that there were a great multitude gathered together, of the people of Nephi, round about the temple which was in the land Bountiful ; and they were marveling and wondering one with another, and were shewing one to another the great and marvelous change which had taken place; and they were also conversing about this Jesus Christ, of whom the sign had been given concerning his death.

"And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven ; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard ; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice ; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice, it did pierce them that did hear to the centre, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake , yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn. And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not ; and again the third time they did hear the voice, and did open their ears to hear it ; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came ; and behold the third time they did understand the voice which they heard ; and it said unto them, behold my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name : hear ye him.

" And it came to pass as they understood, they cast their eyes up again towards heaven ; and behold, they saw a man descending out of heaven ; and he was clothed in a white robe, and he came down and stood in the midst of them, and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.

"And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying, behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the wrorld ; and behold, I am the light and the life of the world ; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.

"And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, the whole multitude fell to the earth, for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should shew himself unto them after his ascension into heaven.

" And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them, saying, arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and I have been slain for the sins of the world.

" And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet ; and this they did do, going forth one by one, until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes, and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety, and did bear record, that it was he of whom it was written by the prophets that should come.

And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying, hosanna ! blessed be the name of the Most High God ! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him.

" And it came to pass that he spake unto Nephi (for Nephi was among the multitude), and he commanded him that he should come forth. And Nephi arose and went forth, and bowed himself before the Lord, and he did kiss his feet. And the Lord commanded him that he should arise. And he arose and stood before him. And the Lord said unto him, I give unto you power that ye shall baptize this people when I am again ascended into heaven. And again the Lord called others, and said unto them likewise; and he gave unto them power to baptize. And he said unto them, on this wise shall ye baptize ; and there shall be no disputations among you. Verily I say unto you, that whoso repenteth of his sins through your words, and desireth to be baptized in my name, on this wise shall ye baptize them : behold, ye shall go down and stand in the water, and in my name shall ye baptize them. And now behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying, Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the. Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water. And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name, for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one ; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one. And according as I have commanded you, thus shall ye baptize. And there shall be no disputations among you, as there hath hitherto been ; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning

the points of my doctrine, as there hath hitherto been ; for verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another ; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away. Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine. And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me ; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me, and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me ; and whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved ; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God. And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, *and I bear record of it from the Father ; and whoso believeth in me, believeth in the Father also, and unto him will the Father bear record of me ; for he will visit him with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me ; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.

"And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in no wise receive these things. And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. Verily, verily I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this, buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail

against them. And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock, but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell standeth open to receive such, when the floods come and the winds beat upon them. Therefore go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have spoken unto the ends of the earth. And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto Nephi, and to those who had been called (now the number of them who had been called, and received power and authority to baptize, were twelve), and behold he stretched forth his hand unto the multitude, and cried unto them saying, blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants ; and unto them I have given power, that they may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me, and be baptized, after that ye have seen me and know that I am. And again, more blessed are they who shall believe in your words because that ye shall testify that ye have seen me, and that ye know that I am. Yea, blessed are they who shall believe in your words, and come down into the depths of humility and be baptized, for they shall be visited with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins."

After this Jesus continued to teach the multitude his gospel and spiritual philosophy, much as he did to his disciples in Jerusalem.

"And now it came to pass," says Nephi, " that

when Jesus had ended these sayings, he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and said unto them, behold, ye have heard the things which I have taught before I ascended to my Father ; therefore whoso remembereth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, him will I raise up at the last day. * * And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he said unto those twelve whom he had chosen, ye are my disciples ; and ye are a light unto this people, who are a remnant of the house of Joseph. And behold, this is the land of your inheritance ; and the Father hath given it unto you. * * And verily, verily, I say unto you, that I have other sheep, which are not of this land ; neither of the land of Jerusalem ; neither in any parts of that land round about, whither I have been to minister. For they of whom I speak, are they who have not as yet heard my voice ; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them. But I have received a commandment of the Father, that I shall go unto them, and that they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold, and one shepherd ; therefore I go to show myself unto them. And I command you that ye shall write these sayings, after I am gone, that if it so be that my people at Jerusalem, they who have seen me, and been with me in my ministry, do not ask the Father in my name, that they may receive a knowledge of you by the Holy Ghost, and also of the other tribes whom they know not of, that these sayings which ye shall write, shall be kept, and shall be manifested unto the Gentiles, that through the fulness of the Gentiles, the remnant of their seed who shall be scattered forth upon the face of the earth, because of their unbelief, may be brought in, or may be brought to a knowledge of me, their Redeemer. And then will I gather them in from the four quarters of the earth ; and then will I fulfill

the covenant which the Father hath made unto all the people of the house of Israel. * * *

" Behold, now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he looked round about again on the multitude, and he said unto them, behold my time is at hand. I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time; therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again. But now I go unto the Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them.

"And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him, as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them. And he said unto them, behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you: have ye any that are sick among you, bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you ; my bowels are filled with mercy; for I perceive that ye desire that I should show unto you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem, for I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you.

" And it came to pass that when he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick, and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind, and with their dumb, and with all they that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought

forth unto him, and they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him ; and as many as could come from the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears.

" And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought. So they brought their little children and sat them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst ; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him. And it came to pass that when they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground. And it came to pass that when they had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and saith, Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel. And when he had said these words, he himself also knelt upon the earth ; and behold he prayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him. And after this manner do they bear record : the eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father; and no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and -marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.

"And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome. And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise. And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them, blessed are

ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full."

The narrative continues with many miraculous events and many doctrinal instructions by Jesus, culminating in his leavetaking and ascension.

"And it came to pass," says Nephi, " that when Jesus had made an end of these sayings, he touched with his hand the disciples whom he had chosen, one by one, even until he had touched them all, and spake unto them as he touched them ; and the multitude heard not the words which he spake, therefore they did not bear record; but the disciples bear record that he gave them power to give the Holy Ghost. * * *

" And it came to pass that when Jesus had touched them all, there came a cloud and overshadowed the multitude, that they could not see Jesus. And while they were overshadowed, he departed from them, and ascended into heaven. And the disciples saw and did bear record that he ascended apfain into heaven."

But, according to the record, Jesus repeatedly reappeared to the disciples, and wrought miracles among the people. On one of these occasions he is represented to have granted the miraculous and truly marvelous favor of continued mortal existence to three of the Nephite disciples. The record is as follows :

"And it came to pass that as the disciples of Jesus were journeying and were preaching the things which they had both heard and seen, and were baptizing in the name of Jesus, it came to pass that the

disciples were gathered together, and were united in mighty prayer and fasting. And Jesus again showed himself unto them, for they were praying unto the Father, in his name ; and Jesus came and stood in the midst of them."

He thereupon resumed his teachings, enlightening their minds more particularly upon some questions that were not clear to them concerning the organization of the Church.

" And it came to pass when Jesus had said these words," says the record, "he spake unto his disciples, one by one, saying unto them, what is it that ye desire of me, after that I am gone to the Father? And they all spake, save it were three, we desire that after we have lived unto the age of man, that our ministry, wherein thou hast called us, may have an end, that we may speedily come unto thee, in thy kingdom. And he said unto them, blessed are ye, because ye desired this thing of me ; therefore after that ye are seventy and two years old, ye shall come unto me in my kingdom, and with me ye shall find rest. And when he had spoken unto them, he turned himself unto the three, and said unto them, what will ye that I should do unto you, when I am gone unto the Father? And they sorrowed in their hearts, for they durst not speak unto him the thing which they desired. And he said unto them, behold, I know your thoughts, and ye have desired the thing which John, my beloved, who was with me in my ministry, before that I was lifted up by the Jews, desired of me ; therefore more blessed are ye, for ye shall never taste of death, but ye shall live to behold all the doings of the Father, unto the children of men, even until all things shall be fulfilled, according to the will of the Father, when I

shall come in my glory, with the powers of heaven ; and ye shall never endure the pains of death; but when I shall come in my glory, ye shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, from mortality to immortality: and then shall ye be blessed in the kingdom of my Father. And again, ye shall not have pain while ye shall dwell in the flesh, neither sorrow, save it be for the sins of the world : and all this will I do because of the thing which ye have desired of me, for ye have desired that ye might bring the souls of men unto me, while the world shall stand: and for this cause ye shall have fullness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the. kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fullness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one; and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and the Father giveth the Holy Ghost unto the children of men, because of me.

" And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he touched every one of them with his finger, save it were the three who were to tarry, and then he departed. And behold, the heavens were opened, and they were caught up into heaven, and saw and heard unspeakable things. And it was forbidden them that they should utter; neither was it given unto them power that they could utter the things which they saw and heard ; and whether they were in the body or out of the body, they could not tell; for it did seem unto them like a transfiguration of them, that they were changed from this body of flesh into an immortal state, that they could behold the things of God. But it came to pass that they did aain minister noon the face of the earth ; nevertheless they did not minister of the things which they had heard and seen, because of the commandment which was given them in heaven. And now whether they were mortal or immortal, from

the day of their transfiguration, I know not ; but this much I know, according to the record which hath been given, they did go forth upon the face of the land, and did minister unto all the people, uniting as many to the church as would believe in their preaching; baptizing them; and as many as were baptized, did receive the Holy Ghost ; and they were cast into prison by them who did not belong to the church. And the prisons could not hold them, for they were rent in twain, and they were cast down into the earth. But they did smite the earth with the word of God, insomuch that by his power they were delivered out of the depths of the earth ; and therefore they could not dig pits sufficient to hold them. And thrice they were cast into a furnace, and received no harm. And twice they were cast into a den of wild beasts ; and behold they did play with the beasts, as a child with a sucklino- lamb, and received no harm. And it came to pass that thus they did go forth among all the people of Nephi, and did preach the gospel of Christ unto all people upon the face of the land ; and they were converted unto the Lord, and were united unto the church of Christ, and thus the people of that generation were blessed according to the word of esus.

Concerning the three Nephites, we are afterwards told that they were as ministering angels to the Nephite church for several hundred years, but when apostacy spread over the land they ceased to administer ; yet Moroni, the last of the Nephite prophets, saw them during his lifetime.

And to this day they are supposed to be ministering angels among the nations, unknown, except to those to whom they choose to reveal themselves.