Seminary: 14 2 Nephi 3-5

Background: Nephi has been giving counsel to the group.  He taught about the Fall, Redemption and agency.

Many prophets, including Nephi, saw Joseph Smith and his destiny to bring the world our of spiritual darkness.

Brigham Young in one occasion spoke about this:

"It was decreed in the counsels of eternity, long before the foundations of the earth were laid, that he, Joseph Smith, should be the man, in the last dispensation of this world, to bring forth the word of God to the people, and receive the fulness of the keys and power of the priesthood of the Son of God.  The Lord had his eyes upon him and upon his father, and upon his father's father, and upon their progenitors clear back to Abraham, and from Abraham to the flood, from the flood to Enoch and from Enoch to Adam.  he has watched that family and that blood as it circulated from its foundation to the birth of that man.  he was foreordained in eternity to preseide over this last dispensation." (discourses of Brigham Young).

2 Nephi 3:11

What are some of the Prophet Joseph Smith's major accomplishments?

He translated the Book of Mormon, received the revelations for and wrote them into the Doctrine and Covenants, restored the gospel, received the keys of authority regarding the different dispensations and priesthoods, ran for President, met the president at the white house, was a govenor, was an editor, was a general, saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, met many angels, managed the building of a temple...

President Gordon B. Hinkley said:

"Without reservation I promise you that if you will prayerfully read the Book of mormon, regardless of how many times you previously have read it, there will come into your hearts an added measure of the Spirit of teh Lord.  There will come a strengthened resolution to walk in obediance to His commandments, and there will come a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God. (Ensign, June 1988, 6)

2 Nephi 3:12

What does it mean that the "two will grow together"?

The fruit of the loins of Judah is teh Bible and the fruit of Nephi's loins is the Book of Mormon.  He says that they will grow together meaning that they will be used together to combat false doctrine and to roll out the Gospel of the Lamb.  Nephi already saw in a vision that the Bible will become corrupted and that the Book of Mormon will be preserverd by the Lord to come forth at his due time uncorrupted and translated through his power.  It will be used to clarify the teachings in the Bible, to uphold those teachings that are still pure and to bring back those teachings that were lost due to the corruption.  Neither book should be used alone.  They should be used together.  The Lord has said that "...in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" (2 Corinthians 13:1).  The Bible and the Book of Mormon are both witnesses or testaments of Jesus Christ.

Elder Boyd K. Packar taught:

"The Stick or record of Judah-the Old Testement and the New Testament-and stick or record of Ephraim-the Book of Mormon, which is another testamenet of Jesus Christ-are now woven together in such a way that as you pore over one you are drawn to the other.  They are indeed one in our hands.  Ezekiel's prophecy now stands fulfilled (Ensign, November 1982, 53)

Has the Book of Mormon had an impact on any of your lives?  How?

How would you respond to the following situations:

• You are a parent and your 8 year old child did not want to be baptized
• Your 10 year old child did not want to go to church because he/she thought it was boring
• Your friend said that they were not going to go no a mission saying "I would not make a good missionary becuase I am not religous"
• Your non member friend says that they could not be like you because both his/her parents were alcoholics
• Pretend you are a Bishop and a member of your ward said "it's my parent's fault I left the church-they never taught me about the scriptures ot anysuch thing"
• A member of your ward said "I do not see a problem with what I have done, my dad does it all the time"

When should parents share in the responsibility for their children's actions?

My personal belief is that a parent has the responsibility to teach their childen the Gospel and how to live in the world.  This includes teaching by action as well as by command.  If they do not do this then they will be held accountable for the actions of their children.  If they do everything thing that they could to teach them the right then they have done their part.  Now everyone has the ability to make their own choices so if their children still choose the wrong chioces after the parent has taught them the right way to live then they have no responsibility for their child's actions.

The First Presidency of the Church said this in the "Family, a Proclamation to the World":
"Parents ahve a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical needs and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.  Husbands and wives-mothers and fathers-will be held accountable before God for teh discharge of these sacred obligations."

[Show a picture of a temple]

Whose house is this?

It is God's

Doctrine and Covenants 97:15-16

What promise has the Lord made to those that enter the temple worthily?

He promises that they shall see God.  Now I know that some have seen God in the temples though I do not think that this scripture means that anyone that goes to the temple worthily will see God in the physical sense.  Though I do believe that we shall "see" God or come to a better understanding of who he is and what he has and will do for us.  We shall come to know him and his work, his plan, and our destiny in that plan.

What is spiritual death?

Spiritual death is being cut off from the Lord.  No longer feeling his influence and relying soley upon yourself to choose your own path.  When Adam fell this was the curse that he had to live with.  In the garden of Eden he and Eve walked and talked with God.  He then was seperated from them as a result of transgression.  Through repentance he later was able to have the Lord in his life though it was not the same as before.  The Lamanites also suffered from a spiritual death as a result of their hard-heartedness.

The Book of Mormon Institute manual had this to say regarding this topic:

1. What was the curse? The curse is clearly defined in verse 20 as being "cut off from the presence of the Lord."
2. What caused the curse?: According to verse 21, the cause of the curse came "because of their iniquity" and "hardened...hearts."  Since the days of Adam's fall, wickedness has resulted in being cut off from the presence of the Lord (see 1 Nephi 2:21;2 Nephi 4:4; 9:6; Alma 9:13; Ether 10:11)
3. What was the mark or sign set upon the Lamanites?  It also explained in  verse 21 that so "they might not be enticing unto my people [the Nephites] the Lord did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them [the Lamanites]."  It would appear that this was done to limit the spreading of more wickedness.  Later Alma suggested this same motive when he explained that "the skins of the Lamanites were dark...that thereby the Lord God might preserve his people, that they might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions" (Alma 3:6, 8).  Throughout scripture we find warnings of the Lord not to marry unbelievers (see Deuternonomy 7:2-3; 2 Corintians 6:14); thje result of doing so was often that the righteous were turned away from the Lord (see Deuteronomy 7:4; 1 Kings 11:4; D&C 74:5).