pgs. 454 and 455...he commanded them that they should write the words which the Father had given unto Malachi...

3 And all things that he spake have been and ^ashall be, even according to the words which he spake.

4 Therefore give heed to my words; write the things which I have told you; and according to the time and the will of the Father ^athey shall go forth unto the Gentiles.

5 And whosoever will hearken unto my words and repenteth and is baptized, the same shall be saved. Search the ^aprophets, for many there be that testify of these things.

6 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had said these words he said unto them again, after he had expounded all the scriptures unto them which they had received, he said unto them: Behold, other scriptures I would that ye should write, that ye have not.

7 And it came to pass that he said unto ^aNephi: Bring forth the record which ye have kept.

8 And when Nephi had brought forth the records, and laid them before him, he cast his eyes upon them and said:

9 Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servant ^aSamuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that there were ^bmany ^csaints who should ^darise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. And he said unto them: Was it not so?

10 And his disciples answered him and said: Yea, Lord, Samuel did prophesy according to thy words, and they were all fulfilled.

11 And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not ^awritten this thing, that many ^bsaints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them?

12 And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written.

13 And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be ^awritten; therefore it was written according as he commanded.

14 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had ^aexpounded all the scriptures in one, which they had written, he commanded them that they should ^bteach the things which he had expounded unto them.

THIRD NEPHI
THE BOOK OF NEPHI
THE SON OF NEPHI, WHO WAS THE SON OF HELAMAN

CHAPTER 24

The Lord’s messenger shall prepare the way for the Second Coming—Christ shall sit in judgment—Israel is commanded to pay tithes and offerings—A book of remembrance is kept—Compare Malachi 3. [A.D. 34]

1 And it came to pass that he commanded them that they should write the words which the Father had given unto Malachi, which he should tell unto them. And it came to pass that after they were written he expounded them. And these are the words which he did tell unto them, saying: Thus said the Father unto Malachi—Behold, I will ^asend my ^bmessenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly ^ccome to his temple, even the ^dmessenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.

2 But who may ^aabide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a ^brefiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap.

3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall ^apurify the ^bsons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may ^coffer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

5 And I will come ^anear to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the ^bsorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false ^cswearers, and against those that ^doppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the ^efatherless, and that turn aside the ^fstranger, and fear not me, saith the Lord of Hosts.

6 For ^aI am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ^aordinances, and have not kept them. ^bReturn unto me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts. But ye say: Wherein shall we return?

8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say: Wherein have we robbed thee? In ^atithes and ^bofferings.

9 Ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

10 Bring ye all the ^atithes into the storehouse, that there may be ^bmeat in my house; and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the ^cwindows of heaven, and pour you out a ^dblessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11 And I will rebuke the ^adevourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the fields, saith the Lord of Hosts.

12 And all nations shall call you blessed, for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of Hosts.

13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say: What have we spoken against thee?

14 Ye have ^asaid: It is ^bvain to serve God, and what doth it profit that we have kept his ^cordinances and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts?

15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

16 Then they that feared the Lord ^aspake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard; and a book of ^bremembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

17 And they shall be ^amine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I ^bmake up my jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

18 Then shall ye return and ^adiscern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

I learned a little about the timeline of Malachi's writings in my study of chapter 24. Malachi is the last recorded prophet from the Old Testament. He lived almost 200 years after Lehi and his people left Jerusalem so these people with whom Christ is visiting would not have known his prophecies. They must have been very important and significant for the Savior to teach them again.

I also found this quote on fast offerings (which are mentioned in verses 8-12) that I have never heard before:

“One of the important things the Lord has told us to do is to be liberal in our payment of fast offerings. I would like you to know that there are great rewards for so doing—both spiritual and temporal rewards. The Lord says that the efficacy of our prayers depends upon our liberality to the poor” (Marion G. Romney in Conference Report, Mar.–Apr. 1979, p. 135; or Ensign, May 1979, p. 95).

Calculating fast offerings has always been a little tricky for me. Tithing is so easy to figure because it is just a straight 10%. I've always thought fast offerings were just the amount you would have spent on your meals during that fast but I have recently learned that it can be much more than that. It can be whatever amount you feel inclined to give and can even be paid as an offering in connection with a blessing you are seeking. This is wonderful but also so vague that it really requires one to be close to the Spirit to know if the Lord is pleased with the amount of the offering.

pgs. 452 and 453...I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires...and great shall be the peace of thy children.

21 And I will execute ^avengeance and ^bfury upon them, even as upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.

22 But if they will repent and hearken unto my words, and ^aharden not their hearts, I will ^bestablish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be ^cnumbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their ^dinheritance;

23 And they shall assist my ^apeople, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the ^bNew Jerusalem.

24 And then shall ^athey assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem.

25 And then shall the ^apower of heaven come down among them; and ^bI also will be in the midst.

26 And then shall the work of the Father commence at that day, even ^awhen this gospel shall be preached among the remnant of ^bthis people. Verily I say unto you, at that day shall the work of the Father commence among all the dispersed of my people, yea, even the tribes which have been ^clost, which the Father hath led away out of Jerusalem.

27 Yea, the work shall commence among all the ^adispersed of my people, with the Father to prepare the way whereby they may ^bcome unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name.

28 Yea, and then shall the work commence, with the Father among all nations in preparing the way whereby his people may be ^agathered home to the land of their inheritance.

29 And they shall go out from all nations; and they shall ^anot go out in ^bhaste, nor go by flight, for I will go before them, saith the Father, and I will be their rearward.

THIRD NEPHI
THE BOOK OF NEPHI
THE SON OF NEPHI, WHO WAS THE SON OF HELAMAN

CHAPTER 22

In the last days, Zion and her stakes shall be established, and Israel shall be gathered in mercy and tenderness—They shall triumph—Compare Isaiah 54. [A.D. 34]

1 And then shall that which is written come to pass: Sing, O ^abarren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into ^bsinging, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child; for more are the children of the ^cdesolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.

2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy ^astakes;

3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall ^ainherit the ^bGentiles and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

4 Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed; neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to ^ashame; for thou shalt forget the ^bshame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the ^creproach of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

5 For thy maker, thy ^ahusband, the Lord of Hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel—the God of the whole earth shall he be called.

6 For the Lord hath called thee ^aas a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

7 For a small moment have I ^aforsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee.

8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting ^akindness will I have ^bmercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

9 For this, the ^awaters of Noah unto me, for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee.

10 For the ^amountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my ^bkindness shall not ^cdepart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.

11 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted! Behold, I will lay thy ^astones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.

12 And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

13 And ^aall thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the ^bpeace of thy children.

14 In ^arighteousness shalt thou be established; thou shalt be far from oppression for thou shalt not fear, and from terror for it shall not come near thee.

15 Behold, they shall surely gather together ^aagainst thee, not by me; whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.

16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall revile against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the ^aservants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

Isn't the expression "lay thy foundations with sapphires" so beautiful? This is one of the sentences in the scriptures that helps us imagine how wonderful our eternal homes in heaven will be. And the promise of peace for the children is enough to make any parent's heart sing. Heavenly Father truly wants to bless those who will follow His teachings and perform His work.

pgs. 450 and 451...all these things shall surely come, even as the Father hath commanded me. Then shall this covenant...be fulfilled.

42 For ye shall ^anot go out with ^bhaste nor go by flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel shall be your rearward.

43 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.

44 As many were astonished at thee—his visage was so marred, more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men—

45 So shall he ^asprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him, for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they ^bconsider.

46 Verily, verily, I say unto you, all these things shall surely come, even as the Father hath commanded me. Then shall this covenant which the Father hath covenanted with his people be fulfilled; and then shall ^aJerusalem be inhabited again with my people, and it shall be the land of their inheritance.

THIRD NEPHI
THE BOOK OF NEPHI
THE SON OF NEPHI, WHO WAS THE SON OF HELAMAN

CHAPTER 21

Israel shall be gathered when the Book of Mormon comes forth—The Gentiles shall be established as a free people in America—They shall be saved if they believe and obey; otherwise they shall be cut off and destroyed—Israel shall build the New Jerusalem, and the lost tribes shall return. [A.D. 34]

1 And verily I say unto you, I give unto you a ^asign, that ye may know the ^btime when these things shall be about to take place—that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion;

2 And behold, this is the thing which I will give unto you for a sign—for verily I say unto you that ^awhen these things which I declare unto you, and which I shall declare unto you hereafter of myself, and by the power of the Holy Ghost which shall be given unto you of the Father, shall be made known unto the Gentiles that they may know concerning this people who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, and concerning this my people who shall be scattered by them;

3 Verily, verily, I say unto you, when these things shall be made ^aknown unto them of the Father, and shall come forth of the Father, ^bfrom them unto you;

4 For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a ^afree people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth from them unto a remnant of your seed, that the ^bcovenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of Israel;

5 Therefore, when these works and the works which shall be wrought among you hereafter shall come forth ^afrom the Gentiles, unto your ^bseed which shall dwindle in unbelief because of iniquity;

6 For thus it behooveth the Father that it should come forth from the ^aGentiles, that he may show forth his power unto the Gentiles, for this cause that the Gentiles, if they will not harden their hearts, that they may repent and come unto me and be baptized in my name and know of the true points of my doctrine, that they may be ^bnumbered among my people, O house of Israel;

7 And when these things come to pass that thy ^aseed shall begin to know these things—it shall be a sign unto them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the people who are of the house of Israel.

8 And when that day shall come, it shall come to pass that kings shall shut their mouths; for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they ^aconsider.

9 For in that day, for my sake shall the Father ^awork a work, which shall be a great and a ^bmarvelous ^cwork among them; and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto them.

10 But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be ^amarred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that ^bmy wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.

11 Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause ^ahim to bring forth unto the ^bGentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they shall be ^ccut off from among my people who are of the covenant.

12 And my people who are a remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a ^alion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

13 Their hand shall be lifted up upon their ^aadversaries, and all their enemies shall be cut off.

14 Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles except they ^arepent; for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy ^bchariots;

15 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy ^astrongholds;

16 And I will cut off ^awitchcrafts out of thy land, and thou shalt have no more soothsayers;

17 Thy ^agraven images I will also cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee, and thou shalt no more worship the works of thy hands;

18 And I will pluck up thy ^agroves out of the midst of thee; so will I destroy thy cities.

19 And it shall come to pass that all ^alyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, shall be done away.

20 For it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that at that ^aday whosoever will not repent and come unto my Beloved Son, them will I ^bcut off from among my people, O house of Israel;

The last verse of chapter 20 reminds me of this wonderful statement by Joseph Smith:

"No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may raise, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every climb, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, til the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done."

pgs. 448 and 449...And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you.

16 Then shall ye, who are a ^aremnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young ^blion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both ^ctreadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

17 Thy hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

18 And I will ^agather my people together as a man gathereth his sheaves into the floor.

19 For I will make my ^apeople with whom the Father hath covenanted, yea, I will make thy ^bhorn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass. And thou shalt ^cbeat in pieces many people; and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I am he who doeth it.

20 And it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that the ^asword of my justice shall hang over them at that day; and except they repent it shall fall upon them, saith the Father, yea, even upon all the nations of the Gentiles.

21 And it shall come to pass that I will establish my ^apeople, O house of Israel.

22 And behold, this ^apeople will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the ^bcovenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a ^cNew Jerusalem. And the ^dpowers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even ^eI will be in the midst of you.

23 Behold, I am he of whom Moses spake, saying: ^aA prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among the people.

24 Verily I say unto you, yea, and ^aall the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have testified of me.

25 And behold, ye are the ^achildren of the prophets; and ye are of the house of Israel; and ye are of the ^bcovenant which the Father made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham: And ^cin thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.

26 The Father having raised me up unto you first, and sent me to ^abless you in ^bturning away every one of you from his iniquities; and this because ye are the children of the covenant—

27 And after that ye were blessed then fulfilleth the Father the covenant which he made with Abraham, saying: ^aIn thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed—unto the pouring out of the Holy Ghost through me upon the Gentiles, which ^bblessing upon the ^cGentiles shall make them mighty above all, unto the ^dscattering of my people, O house of Israel.

28 And they shall be a ^ascourge unto the people of this land. Nevertheless, when they shall have received the fulness of my gospel, then if they shall harden their hearts against me I will return their ^biniquities upon their own heads, saith the Father.

29 And I will ^aremember the covenant which I have made with my people; and I have covenanted with them that I would ^bgather them together in mine own due time, that I would give unto them again the ^cland of their fathers for their inheritance, which is the land of Jerusalem, which is the promised land unto them forever, saith the Father.

30 And it shall come to pass that the time cometh, when the fulness of my gospel shall be preached unto them;

31 And they shall ^abelieve in me, that I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and shall pray unto the Father in my name.

32 Then shall their ^awatchmen lift up their voice, and with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye.

33 Then will the Father gather them together again, and give unto them ^aJerusalem for the ^bland of their inheritance.

34 Then shall they break forth into joy—^aSing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Father hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

35 The Father hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of the Father; and the Father and I are one.

36 And then shall be brought to pass that which is written: ^aAwake, awake again, and put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city, for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

37 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

38 For thus saith the Lord: Ye have sold yourselves for naught, and ye shall be redeemed without money.

39 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that my people shall know my name; yea, in that day they shall know that I am he that doth speak.

40 And then shall they say: ^aHow beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings unto them, that ^bpublisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings unto them of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!

41 And then shall a cry go forth: ^aDepart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch not that which is ^bunclean; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye ^cclean that bear the vessels of the Lord.

42 For ye shall ^anot go out with ^bhaste nor go by flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel shall be your rearward.

43 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.

44 As many were astonished at thee—his visage was so marred, more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men—

45 So shall he ^asprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him, for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they ^bconsider.

46 Verily, verily, I say unto you, all these things shall surely come, even as the Father hath commanded me. Then shall this covenant which the Father hath covenanted with his people be fulfilled; and then shall ^aJerusalem be inhabited again with my people, and it shall be the land of their inheritance.

The promises that the Lord gives to these Nephites regarding the last days are so valuable to us because of the time in which we live. To know there will be a New Jerusalem and that the Savior will rule from there to all the world is so powerful. It is another testament of the power of the Book of Mormon that the Savior Himself is recorded telling us about the future of His Father's Kingdom on the earth. When Satan's influence on the world seems to be overwhelming we can gain strength from this chapter and it's amazing promises of what lies ahead.

pgs. 446 and 447..."So great faith I have never seen among all the Jews; wherefore I could not show unto them so great miracles..."

22 Father, thou hast given them the Holy Ghost because they believe in ^ame; and thou seest that they believe in me because thou hearest them, and they pray unto me; and they pray unto me because I am with them.

23 And now Father, I ^apray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them ^bas thou, Father, art in me, that we may be ^cone.

24 And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus prayed unto the Father, he came unto his disciples, and behold, they did still continue, without ceasing, to pray unto him; and they did not ^amultiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should ^bpray, and they were filled with desire.

25 And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto him; and his ^acountenance did smile upon them, and the light of his ^bcountenance did ^cshine upon them, and behold they were as ^dwhite as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; and behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof.

26 And Jesus said unto them: Pray on; nevertheless they did not cease to pray.

27 And he turned from them again, and went a little way off and bowed himself to the earth; and he prayed again unto the Father, saying:

28 Father, I thank thee that thou hast ^apurified those whom I have chosen, because of their faith, and I pray for them, and also for them who shall believe on their words, that they may be purified in me, through faith on their words, even as they are purified in me.

29 Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me ^aout of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them.

30 And when Jesus had spoken these words he came again unto his disciples; and behold they did pray steadfastly, without ceasing, unto him; and he did smile upon them again; and behold they were ^awhite, even as Jesus.

31 And it came to pass that he went again a little way off and prayed unto the Father;

32 And tongue cannot speak the words which he prayed, neither can be ^awritten by man the words which he prayed.

33 And the multitude did hear and do bear record; and their ^ahearts were open and they did understand in their hearts the words which he prayed.

34 Nevertheless, so great and marvelous were the words which he prayed that they cannot be written, neither can they be ^auttered by man.

35 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying he came again to the disciples, and said unto them: ^aSo great ^bfaith have I never seen among all the Jews; wherefore I could not show unto them so great ^cmiracles, because of their ^dunbelief.

36 Verily I say unto you, there are none of them that have seen so great things as ye have seen; neither have they heard so great things as ye have heard.

THIRD NEPHI
THE BOOK OF NEPHI
THE SON OF NEPHI, WHO WAS THE SON OF HELAMAN

CHAPTER 20

Jesus provides bread and wine miraculously and again administers the sacrament unto them—The remnant of Jacob shall come to the knowledge of the Lord their God and shall inherit the Americas—Jesus is the prophet like unto Moses, and the Nephites are children of the prophets—Others of the Lord’s people shall be gathered to Jerusalem. [A.D. 34]

1 And it came to pass that he commanded the multitude that they should ^acease to ^bpray, and also his disciples. And he commanded them that they should not cease to pray in their hearts.

2 And he commanded them that they should arise and stand up upon their feet. And they arose up and stood upon their feet.

3 And it came to pass that he ^abrake ^bbread again and blessed it, and gave to the disciples to eat.

4 And when they had eaten he commanded them that they should break bread, and give unto the multitude.

5 And when they had given unto the multitude he also gave them wine to drink, and commanded them that they should give unto the multitude.

6 Now, there had been no ^abread, neither wine, brought by the disciples, neither by the multitude;

7 But he truly ^agave unto them bread to eat, and also wine to drink.

8 And he said unto them: He that eateth this bread eateth of ^amy body to his soul; and he that drinketh of this wine drinketh of my blood to his soul; and his soul shall never hunger nor thirst, but shall be filled.

9 Now, when the multitude had all eaten and drunk, behold, they were filled with the Spirit; and they did cry out with one voice, and gave glory to Jesus, whom they both saw and heard.

10 And it came to pass that when they had all given glory unto Jesus, he said unto them: Behold now I finish the commandment which the Father hath commanded me concerning this people, who are a remnant of the house of Israel.

11 Ye remember that I spake unto you, and said that when the ^awords of ^bIsaiah should be fulfilled—behold they are written, ye have them before you, therefore search them—

12 And verily, verily, I say unto you, that when they shall be fulfilled then is the fulfilling of the ^acovenant which the Father hath made unto his people, O house of Israel.

13 And then shall the ^aremnants, which shall be ^bscattered abroad upon the face of the earth, be ^cgathered in from the east and from the west, and from the south and from the north; and they shall be brought to the ^dknowledge of the Lord their God, who hath redeemed them.

14 And the Father hath ^acommanded me that I should give unto you this ^bland, for your inheritance.

15 And I say unto you, that if the Gentiles do not ^arepent after the ^bblessing which they shall receive, after they have scattered my people—

The powerful quote given by the Savior in verse 35 teaches us that our faith or lack of faith is directly connected to what God can show us and share with us. I think about my own children and all the wonderful things I would like to teach them but I know they have to be ready and willing. Going through the temple comes to mind...it is the experience I want them to have most but the spiritual preparation must occur. I'm sure Heavenly Father feels the same way about all of His children. He has so much He would like to show us but we must prepare ourselves through faithfulness first.

pgs. 444 and 445...while the angels were ministering unto the disciples, behold Jesus came and stood in the midst and ministered unto them.

31 But if he repent not he shall not be numbered among my people, that he may not destroy my people, for behold I ^aknow ^bmy sheep, and they are numbered.

32 Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out of your ^asynagogues, or your places of worship, for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall ^bheal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them.

33 Therefore, keep these sayings which I have commanded you that ye come not under ^acondemnation; for wo unto him whom the Father condemneth.

34 And I give you these commandments because of the disputations which have been among you. And blessed are ye if ye have ^ano disputations among you.

35 And now I go unto the Father, because it is expedient that I should go unto the Father ^afor your sakes.

36 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of these sayings, he touched with his ^ahand the ^bDisciples whom he had chosen, one by one, even until he had touched them all, and spake unto them as he touched them.

37 And the multitude heard not the words which he spake, therefore they did not bear record; but the Disciples bare record that he gave them ^apower to give the ^bHoly Ghost. And I will show unto you ^chereafter that this record is true.

38 And it came to pass that when Jesus had touched them all, there came a ^acloud and overshadowed the multitude that they could not see Jesus.

39 And while they were overshadowed he ^adeparted from them, and ascended into heaven. And the Disciples saw and did bear record that he ascended again into heaven.

THIRD NEPHI
THE BOOK OF NEPHI
THE SON OF NEPHI, WHO WAS THE SON OF HELAMAN

CHAPTER 19

The Twelve Disciples minister unto the people and pray for the Holy Ghost—They are baptized and receive the Holy Ghost and the ministering of angels—Jesus prays using words that cannot be written—He attests to the exceedingly great faith of these Nephites. [A.D. 34]

1 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had ascended into heaven, the multitude did disperse, and every man did take his wife and his children and did return to his own home.

2 And it was noised abroad among the people immediately, before it was yet dark, that the multitude had seen Jesus, and that he had ministered unto them, and that he would also show himself on the ^amorrow unto the multitude.

3 Yea, and even all the night it was noised abroad concerning Jesus; and insomuch did they send forth unto the people that there were many, yea, an exceedingly great number, did labor exceedingly all that night, that they might be on the morrow in the place where Jesus should show himself unto the multitude.

4 And it came to pass that on the morrow, when the multitude was gathered together, behold, Nephi and his ^abrother whom he had raised from the ^bdead, whose name was Timothy, and also his son, whose name was Jonas, and also Mathoni, and Mathonihah, his brother, and Kumen, and Kumenonhi, and Jeremiah, and Shemnon, and Jonas, and Zedekiah, and Isaiah—now these were the ^cnames of the ^ddisciples whom Jesus had chosen—and it came to pass that they went forth and stood in the midst of the multitude.

5 And behold, the multitude was ^aso great that they did cause that they should be separated into twelve bodies.

6 And the twelve did teach the multitude; and behold, they did cause that the multitude should ^akneel down upon the face of the earth, and should pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus.

7 And the disciples did pray unto the Father also in the name of Jesus. And it came to pass that they arose and ministered unto the people.

8 And when they had ministered those same words which Jesus had spoken—nothing varying from the words which Jesus had spoken—behold, they knelt again and prayed to the Father in the name of Jesus.

9 And they did pray for that which they most desired; and they desired that the ^aHoly Ghost should be given unto them.

10 And when they had thus prayed they went down unto the water’s edge, and the multitude followed them.

11 And it came to pass that Nephi went down ^ainto the water and was ^bbaptized.

12 And he came up out of the water and began to baptize. And he baptized all those whom Jesus had chosen.

13 And it came to pass when they were all baptized and had come ^aup out of the water, the ^bHoly Ghost did fall upon them, and they were filled with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

14 And behold, they were ^aencircled about as if it were by fire; and it came down from heaven, and the multitude did witness it, and did bear record; and angels did come down out of heaven and did minister unto them.

15 And it came to pass that while the angels were ministering unto the disciples, behold, Jesus came and stood in the midst and ministered unto them.

16 And it came to pass that he spake unto the multitude, and commanded them that they should kneel down again upon the earth, and also that his disciples should kneel down upon the earth.

17 And it came to pass that when they had all knelt down upon the earth, he commanded his disciples that they should pray.

18 And behold, they began to pray; and they did pray unto Jesus, calling him their Lord and their God.

19 And it came to pass that Jesus departed out of the midst of them, and went a little way off from them and ^abowed himself to the earth, and he said:

20 Father, I thank thee that thou hast given the Holy Ghost unto these whom I have ^achosen; and it is because of their belief in me that I have chosen them out of the world.

21 Father, I pray thee that thou wilt give the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall believe in their words.

It must have been so exciting for those who were invited by their friends to come to the place where they had seen the Savior so they could meet Him the next day. Can you imagine? It makes my heart beat faster just thinking about that emotion! The next morning as they were waiting for the arrival of the Savior the 12 apostles taught them and prayed with them. Chapter 19 focuses so much on prayer, in fact the words pray, prayed or praying are mentioned 28 times. This reminds us that to be close to the Savior and prepare ourselves to meet Him someday prayer is vital.