Chapter 13

Principles of Zion, Part XIII

The Book of Mormon, the Bible, the Doctrine & Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price

What is a sign? What is a wonder in heaven? Are not the words of God already a sign and
a wonder? (JRE Link, 2017-0516 (Tue), COM-STR2)

As far as the world knows, the testimony of Joseph Smith regarding the First Vision and
the coming forth of the Book of Mormon is unbelievable. One of a number of miracles going
forth from among us today will change that.

The great prize of the restored gospel—the Book of Mormon. It makes this Church,
headquartered in Salt Lake City, stand out among all the other churches and religions of the
world.

The Book of Mormon is a masterpiece of truth.

The Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price are masterpieces in like manner,
corroborating the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith's testimony.

The Nephites of the New World had greater light and knowledge of the gospel than the
Israelites of the Old World. There is indescribable beauty and power in their writings.

The Savior appears to the Nephites––perfection is manifest.

This is the Holy Ghost speaking. There are no secrets between friends with respect to the
truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.

The words of the Book of Mormon are powerful and were founded entirely on the spirit
of revelation. No other explanation is plausible. Critics need to stand down.

You are not reading the Spirit that is present in the words of the Book of Mormon, you
are only reading the text. Please read the Spirit and the text together (JRE Link, 2017-0606 (Tue), COM-STR2).

Don't treat the words of the Spirit as mere text in a book like any other. The salvation of
your soul in the kingdom of God is not a literary exercise.

I'll tell you the truth if you are interested. I am not Shakespeare. I am God (JRE Link, 2017-0720 (Thu), COM-STR2).

I don't think you realize just how good the Book of Mormon is (JRE Link, 2018-0110 (Wed), COM-STR2).

I touched that book, and out sprang revelation.

My spirit is here. I can assure you it's true (JRE Link, 2019-0706 (Sat), WSE-MAIN).

My signature is on it (JRE Link, 2018-0530 (Wed), WSE-MAIN).

The Book of Mormon was signed by the Lord through miracles and witnesses (JRE Link, 2018-0319 (Mon), WSE-MAIN).

The Book of Mormon calls its first witness to the stand––the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost is both a sign and a witness (JRE Link, 2018-0319 (Mon), WSE-MAIN).

The Holy Ghost speaks the greatest truths of mankind (JRE Link, 2017-0313 (Mon), COM-STR2).

The Holy Ghost speaks words that no one else can (JRE Link, 2018-0220 (Tue), COM-STR2).

Be sure as you pray about the Book of Mormon. Don't be deceived. The Holy Ghost will
speak to you. You will hear the still, small voice not just once, but possibly many times in
confirmation (JRE Link, 2017-0608 (Thu), COM-STR2).

Do you hear the Spirit whispering to you? (JRE Link, 2017-1019 (Thu), WSE-MAIN)

A burst of knowledge from heaven can quickly change your life (JRE Link, 2017-0825 (Fri), WSE-MAIN).

The Spirit is whispering, continuously whispering truthful sayings (JRE Link, 2019-0406 (Sat), COM-STR2).

The Spirit will speak softly to you in the still of the night.

The Spirit will draw a conclusion for you––a beautiful picture of the truth (JRE Link, 2018-0630 (Sat), WSE-MAIN).

Plain and precious, the truth is revealed to thee (JRE Link, 2018-0617 (Sun), COM-STR2).

Who is greater, God or man? From whom should you receive counsel?

Counsel received directly from God is better than counsel received from any other
source (JRE Link, 2017-0615 (Thu), COM-STR2).

A testimony received directly from God will cause you to weep. Share these beautiful
new emotions you have with the world.

And then it happened. A testimony from God was given to you (JRE Link, 2018-1130 (Fri), WSE-MAIN).

Humble investigators of the Church will wonder who wrote the Book of Mormon. They'll
soon realize that the Spirit of the Lord did all of the writing through the stories, life experiences,
and testimonies of the great Book of Mormon prophets (JRE Link, 2019-1013 (Sun), COM-STR2).

I said "terrific," "amazing," and "astounding" with respect to the teachings of Book of
Mormon prophets already. I still agree with that assessment.

Read on. You will find the testimony you are seeking. Your faith in God will guide you
to the most awe-inspiring verses located throughout the book (JRE Link, 2018-1222 (Sat), COM-STR2).

If your heart is softened, a testimony of the Book of Mormon can be obtained in the first
full reading. If your heart is hardened, it may take two or three full readings, but it will come (JRE Link, 2020-0412 (Sun), COM-STR2).

I think you should know that the Book of Mormon is true, even if it creates a disruption
to the lifestyle and religious beliefs you currently have.

Apathy towards the Book of Mormon—a failure to seek out the truth of religion. The sin
of not knowing and not doing (JRE Link, 2020-1006 (Tue), COM-STR2).

I've already listened to the missionaries once before. And I've already browsed a little bit
through the Book of Mormon. I was stiff-necked in my beliefs then, but hopefully I'm not stiff-
necked in my beliefs now (JRE Link, 2018-1224 (Mon), COM-STR2).

Don't read the Book of Mormon from a distance.

Don't speed read the Book of Mormon (JRE Link, 2018-0319 (Mon), WSE-MAIN).

How little you read. How little you believe (JRE Link, 2022-0824 (Wed), WSE-MAIN).

Don't read the Book of Mormon with unbelieving eyes and an unbelieving heart (JRE Link, 2022-0530 (Mon), COM-STR2).

Read, ponder, and pray. Pray, ponder, and read. They all become one and the same (JRE Link, 2017-1001 (Sun), COM-STR2).

Read, ponder, and obey.

Teach yourself the truth by candlelight and by prayer (JRE Link, 2018-0821 (Tue), COM-STR2).

Scripture study––powerfully read as powerfully written.

The scriptures––read 'em and weep.

You read the words of God and feel them. The quickening process of the Holy Ghost
leads to conversion (JRE Link, 2018-0606 (Wed), COM-STR2).

You read the Book of Mormon by closing your eyes and feeling your way through the
pages with your fingers as though it were printed in braille and you have just recently come to

the realization that you have been blind all your life. You stop and ponder what you read,
awakening feelings of the pure love of Christ in your soul and the prospect of having the fulness
of the gospel now finally within your grasp. You read, patiently, chapter by chapter and book by
book, understanding that the Spirit of God will not always strive with man, and that it's
sometimes necessary to build the fire of the Spirit within your heart through prayer, fasting,
listening to beautiful and sacred music, and doing good to others as you await a special witness
from God.

You either feel the Spirit or you don't.

If you feel the Spirit come upon you and bear witness, you will believe.

If you don't feel the Spirit come upon you and bear witness, you are left to yourself and
your own reasoning.

Many important teachings of Jesus Christ are not found in the Bible. But that's okay, the
Bible is not jealous of other truths (JRE Link, 2017-1123 (Thu), COM-STR2).

Peter, James, John, Paul, and the other apostles of Christ didn't have the Book of Mormon
and the other standard works of the restored gospel during their ministries. But they would have
been overjoyed to have these new scriptures, giving them a far greater knowledge of the gospel
than what they had at the time.

The standard works of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints––all the great stuff
that is hidden away from the world (JRE Link, 2018-0515 (Tue), COM-STR2).

The Book of Mormon is so good! A testament of Jesus Christ absolutely.

The Doctrine and Covenants is so good! The pure and precise words of the Savior
speaking firsthand, expounding more of the beautiful fulness of His gospel in modern times.

D&C Section 10—The Savior's personal testimony of the Book of Mormon and His
extended comments about the book's purpose and its great importance to the world.

The Pearl of Great Price is so good! Adam, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and
other great prophets of ancient times had a far greater knowledge of Jesus Christ and His gospel
than what is found in the Old Testament (JRE Link, 2019-1007 (Mon), COM-STR2).

The Psalm of Nephi in 2nd Nephi 4 is not found in the Bible. D&C 76 is not found in the
Bible. Moses 1 is not found in the Bible. A fair-minded individual will realize that great words
such as these are epic revelations of God. And these are just a small sampling of all that is there
for you to enjoy in the standard works of the restored gospel (JRE Link, 2017-0802 (Wed), COM-STR2).

Delight in the words of Nephi, his great love for, and marvelous teachings of the Savior (JRE Link, 2018-1218 (Tue), COM-STR2).

Like Nephi, go into the mount oft, and pray oft, and the Lord will show you amazing
things.

A layman's prophet—Nephi teaches the spirit of prophecy and core gospel truths in plain
language, making even the complex Isaiah verses perfectly clear (JRE Link, 2022-0226 (Sat), COM-STR2).

Nephi, Nephi, Nephi––Nephi, son of Lehi, establishing righteousness among the
Nephites from the very beginning; Nephi, son of Helaman, given the sealing power on heaven
and earth to do great miracles; Nephi, son of Nephi, a great and powerful apostle of Jesus Christ
in the Western Hemisphere. Read their words. Follow their examples. Be like unto them (JRE Link, 2019-0723 (Tue), COM-STR2).

The Psalm of Jacob––2nd Nephi 9. Words so powerful. Isaiah would be proud (JRE Link, 2018-0914 (Fri), COM-STR2).

Scripture does not have an end with John the Revelator, but a beginning (JRE Link, 2018-0808 (Wed), COM-STR2).

The world has truth, but it needs further truth (JRE Link, 2018-0808 (Wed), COM-STR2).

Something new from heaven is always on the horizon (JRE Link, 2018-0808 (Wed), COM-STR2).

The mission of the scriptures is to lift us to salvation and eternal life. The more scriptures
we can get from God to help in that mission the better (JRE Link, 2019-0508 (Wed), COM-STR2).

Volumes of scripture can be revealed by God to man at any time and for any reason.

The Spirit never reaches the end. Continuous revelation keeps on going (JRE Link, 2018-1201 (Sat), COM-STR2).

A prophet can receive an infinite number of revelations.

The gospel provides for new testaments. It's part of the plan (JRE Link, 2018-1201 (Sat), WSE-MAIN).

The lovely that is found in the New Testament. Yes, Latter-day Saints are fully onboard
with this priceless treasure of the Christian world. But we have more than that... much, much
more.

The Bible—is it possible to improve upon what is written there? Yes, it is, through
further revelation.

It is a silly assumption by so many for so long that the Bible was intended by God to be
the entirety of all canonized scripture for mankind.

Wondrous things are revealed to man today through prophets and apostles just as in olden
times. Scripture is not static, but dynamic, able to be added upon by the Lord at any time at His
will and pleasure. Revelation of God can sometimes be very sudden, like a lightning bolt,
awakening the world from its sleep, bringing forth further light and knowledge to those who are
ready to receive it, and a chance to repent to those who are not.

One who reads and loves the New Testament already will desire more and more of the
word of God, even to an overflowing of new scriptures given to man if that were possible.

The Book of Mormon comes in answer to such righteous desires, a continuation of the
four gospels.

One who reads the New Testament will realize just how little we have there of Christ's
life and teachings. It only scratches the surface, and it raises just as many questions about the
gospel and the plan of salvation as it answers. Thus, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon
and the other latter-day scriptures is clearly needed and justified.

A new Matthew? A new Luke? New testaments, new epistles, and all forms of new
scripture flow easily from the Lord. The limitation is only in the minds of the people (JRE Link, 2018-0505 (Sat), COM-STR2).

Eighteen hundred years––that's a long time between new scriptures (the origin of the
New Testament texts being in or around the 1st century AD). So, maybe you can see the Savior's
point with respect to His bringing forth the Book of Mormon in modern times and why it was
necessary? (JRE Link, 2019-0825 (Sun), COM-STR2)

Honestly, it's difficult to take the critics of the Book of Mormon seriously. They never
attack the Book of Mormon at its strength––its unparalleled power to lead men to Christ, to
motivate them to repent of their sins, and then to endure to the end (JRE Link, 2017-1211 (Mon), COM-STR2).

And consider the combination of the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and
the Pearl of Great Price together. Critics attack them piecemeal, through independent arguments,
with the hope of finding something here or there that will give them peace of mind that
revelation of God was not, in fact, received by Joseph Smith. A comprehensive attack upon the
three books as a unit, in contrast, is a rather daunting challenge, for together, the three books
strongly corroborate each other as well as Joseph Smith's First Vision testimony itself. And, of
course, you can add the testimony of the eleven witnesses on top of that, providing even more
powerful evidence for the world. It is not just the testimony of one man. It is not just the
testimony of one book.

Don't look for world religions to help in the rollout of the Book of Mormon. They are
caught up in their own doctrines, and therefore, not helpful to this critically-important work.

Biblical scholars have always assumed that the Book of Mormon was a fraudulent work
created somehow by Joseph Smith and his colleagues. But the book doesn't have that kind of feel
to it. It just doesn't. Scholars, thus, have deceived themselves, and they have deceived many
good men and women of the world by their faulty characterization.

Any man of God who is worth his salt will realize that the Book of Mormon is a great
and powerful testament of Jesus Christ and that it is to be believed and followed after whole-
heartedly. He will say to the world: "I've read it... and, in fact, I read it every day. It is true
beyond a shadow of a doubt."

A biblical scholar can pump his chest and proudly proclaim to the world what great
knowledge of the gospel he has, or he can humbly read the Book of Mormon and enjoy finding
out how little he knows. For a true man of God, discovering these great restored truths in the
Book of Mormon will be the ultimate treasure hunt.

The Book of Mormon is too good for anyone to ignore. A devastating win for Latter-day
Saints in the world of Christian theology and beyond (JRE Link, 2018-1017 (Wed), COM-STR2).

The Book of Mormon is a great friend to the Bible, just as Latter-day Saints are great
friends to other Christians and to all people throughout the earth (JRE Link, 2019-0929 (Sun), COM-STR2).

Why was Christ’s ministry in the Americas hidden from the world until the coming forth
of the Book of Mormon?

The probable answer is to try the faith of the world in anticipation of the restoration of
the gospel in the fulness of times that was set to come later. Eternal life is a precious gift and
must be earned. A person who warmly holds the Bible in their hand demonstrates a good deal of
faith in Christ already, but it requires substantially more faith and diligence for one born outside
of the restored Church of Jesus Christ to read the Book of Mormon and pray to God about its
truthfulness. The Bible and the shared beliefs of mainstream Christianity offer a great deal
already to a true believer in Christ, but the Book of Mormon, the other latter-day scriptures, and
this wonderful Church offer so much more!

Your testimony of the Bible will only be enhanced after you have obtained a testimony of
the Book of Mormon.

The Bible is true. The Book of Mormon is true. It not just one or the other.

A testimony of Jesus Christ that excludes the Book of Mormon is incomplete (JRE Link, 2017-0612 (Mon), COM-STR2).

Your inhibitions concerning the Book of Mormon counter the Lord's narrative.

To lay aside or reject the Book of Mormon is to make the biggest mistake of your life.

The Lord says to the skeptic—I know what I have not written. If the Book of Mormon
were not true, my Spirit would testify to you of that as well.

You can know the Book of Mormon is true.

You can't know the Book of Mormon is true.

Faith in God is the difference between these two statements.

Less logic, less worrying, and more of the Spirit to guide you.

One book... one truly amazing book. The Book of Mormon bears reading.

There are some books that are better than others, and there is one book that is better than
all others. And that book is... the Book of Mormon (JRE Link, 2020-0424 (Fri), COM-STR2).

Judge the Book of Mormon righteously. The subject matter is powerful and important...
perhaps more than you know (JRE Link, 2018-1031 (Wed), COM-STR2).

Well, well, well. So, the Book of Mormon is true after all. I guess I was wrong all these
years. The question therefore becomes what will I do now that I know its truthfulness? (JRE Link, 2017-0909 (Sat), COM-STR2)

The Book of Mormon is 100% approved by the Lord. A new testament of Jesus Christ is
hardly detrimental to the world.

Double down on truth. Double down on testaments of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Mormon is gold.

The Book of Mormon is buried treasure. The truth of God is buried treasure (JRE Link, 2017-0124 (Tue), COM-STR2).

The Book of Mormon is rich in "thus" wisdom.

The Book of Mormon is a miracle––a miracle through modern-day revelation.

The Book of Mormon came suddenly in 1830, catching the world off guard (JRE Link, 2019-0112 (Sat), COM-STR2).

The words of the Book of Mormon––so powerful, so direct, so glorious!

We never have thought of things so clearly before. The Book of Mormon brings the
simplicity and purity of the gospel to life (JRE Link, 2017-0612 (Mon), COM-STR2).

Embrace the Book of Mormon. Open your heart to the great and important truths it
contains. It will improve your quality of life. It will change your eternal destiny (JRE Link, 2017-0615 (Thu), COM-STR2).

The Book of Mormon lifts me spiritually. It makes me want to do great things in the
world. It increases my love of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Mormon provides for a peaceful transfer of power, changing the souls of
men from evil to good (JRE Link, 2017-0124 (Tue), COM-STR2).

America, freedom, and patriotism––the Book of Mormon teaches the spirit of 1776 in
stories and in principle like no other book, having the power and authority of God behind it.

The Book of Mormon is physical evidence of God's existence and a bellwether sign of
the restoration of the gospel to the people of the earth.

A question to investigators and to the members of the Church: Would you rather have the
original golden plates of the Book of Mormon on display today as a special archeological exhibit

at the Smithsonian Institute—but with no translation of them having been done by Joseph Smith
in the late 1820s, and with only the words/engravings on a single plate (title page) being left
legible for scientists to verify the plates' authenticity—or, without the plates physically in our
hands, have the powerful stories and teachings of ancient prophets, and the great words of Jesus
Christ Himself, that have guided our lives for generations in the published Book of Mormon?

Prior to Mormon, there was Ether. The destruction of the Nephite and Jaredite
civilizations was a mighty nightmare. The opportunity to repent was offered to them many times,
but they would not! The Book of Mormon's description of the awful fear that fills the hearts of
the wicked when final destruction comes is a sobering message for all humanity.

There is a soberness and seriousness in truth that makes it stand out and become
recognizable to the world. This is the essence of the Book of Mormon (JRE Link, 2018-0604 (Mon), COM-STR2).

The world needs more revelation of God, not less (JRE Link, 2017-0924 (Sun), COM-STR2).

The world needs more testaments of Jesus Christ, not less (JRE Link, 2017-0924 (Sun), COM-STR2).

Jesus Christ is perfect. The scriptures that testify of Him are not perfect (JRE Link, 2017-0103 (Tue), COM-STR2).