Book of Mormon Images - Page 2

Enos Praying

(Enos 1)
My soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication. (Enos 1:4)

Enos was Jacob's son. One day Enos went into the forest to hunt animals. He began thinking about the teachings of his father. He had often heard his father talk about eternal life and the joy of those who keep God's commandments. (Enos 1:1, Enos 1:3)

Enos wanted to have that joy. He knelt down and prayed to Heavenly Father to forgive him of his sins. Enos prayed all day and into the night. (Enos 1:4)

While Enos was praying, he heard the voice of the Lord say to him, "Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed" (Enos 1:5).

Enos knew his sins were forgiven (Enos 1:6). He was very grateful and asked, "Lord, how is it done?" (Enos 1:7).

The Lord answered, "Because of thy faith in Christ" (Enos 1:8).

Enos wanted all the Nephites to feel the joy he felt, so he prayed for them. The voice of the Lord again came to his mind. The Lord said He would bless the Nephites if they kept His commandments. (Enos 1:9-10)

Then Enos prayed for his enemies, the Lamanites. He wanted the records of his people to be preserved so that someday the Lamanites would read them and believe. The Lord said to Enos, "I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith" (Enos 1:12; Enos 1:11-16).

Enos was happy. He spent the rest of his life preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Enos 1:17, Enos 1:19, Enos 1:26)

Summary

As Enos went into the forest to hunt, he remembered what his father had taught him about eternal life and the joy of the Saints. Enos wanted to have that joy. He knelt down and prayed all day long and into the night. The Lord said to Enos that his sins were forgiven and that he would be blessed. Enos then prayed for the Nephites, and the Lord told him they would be blessed if they were righteous. Finally Enos prayed for his enemies, the Lamanites, and asked that the Nephite records would be kept safe and help the Lamanites someday. The Lord said He would do as Enos asked because of Enos's faith.

Artist, Robert T. Barrett

Mormon Abridging the Plates

(Words of Mormon 1:1-11; Helaman 3:14; 3 Nephi 5:9-17; 3 Nephi 26:12; Mormon 1:1-5; Mormon 6:6; Mormon 7; Mormon 8:1)
I make [my record] according to the knowledge and the understanding which God has given me. (Words of Mormon 1:9)

Several hundred years after Jesus visited the Nephites, a Nephite prophet and military commander named Mormon received the Nephite records. Mormon took a portion of the records and abridged, or summarized, them. To this he added a small, unabridged portion, as well as his own history. This collection of records is called the Book of Mormon because he was its main editor and writer. (Words of Mormon 1:1-11; 3 Nephi 5:9-17; Mormon 1:1-5)

In his abridgment, Mormon could not "write the hundredth part" of the history of his people (Words of Mormon 1:5; Helaman 3:14). However, he did include material that would help people learn about Jesus Christ and believe in Him. To those of the latter days, Mormon wrote: "Repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record [the Book of Mormon] but also in the record [the Bible] which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles unto you" (Mormon 7:8); see all of (Moroni 7).

Mormon's mission came by commandment of the Lord (3 Nephi 26:12), and he was guided by the Spirit in his work with the records (Words of Mormon 1:7). Near the end of his life, Mormon hid most of the records in the Hill Cumorah and gave the rest to his son, Moroni, who finished the work begun by his father (Words of Mormon 1:1; Mormon 6:6; Mormon 8:1).

Summary

Mormon was the main editor and writer of what is known as the Book of Mormon. Having been commanded of the Lord, Mormon abridged, or summarized, a portion of the Nephite records. His abridgment does not contain even a "hundredth part" of his people's history, but it does contain important teachings about Jesus Christ and His gospel. Besides this abridgment—which forms the main part of the Book of Mormon—Mormon and later his son, Moroni, were inspired to include other writings. The resulting book of scripture stands alongside the Bible as another testament of Jesus Christ.

Artist, Tom Lovell

King Benjamin Addresses His People

(Mosiah 16)
Behold, I have things to tell you concerning that which is to come. (Mosiah 3:1)

Before he died, King Benjamin called all his people together. He wanted to tell them his son Mosiah would be their next king, and he wanted to encourage them to live the gospel. (Mosiah 1:9-10)

The people gathered from all over the land (Mosiah 1:18). Each family put up their tents with the doors facing the temple. There were so many people that King Benjamin had a high tower built to help them hear his words. (Mosiah 2:1-2, Mosiah 2:5-7) When he began to speak from the tower, many people still could not hear him, so he had his teachings written down (Mosiah 2:8).

King Benjamin taught the people, "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17). He also taught them to keep the commandments. He said the Lord had chosen his son Mosiah to be their next king. (Mosiah 2:18-31, Mosiah 2:41)

King Benjamin told the people that an angel had told him Jesus would be born and His mother's name would be Mary (Mosiah 3:2, Mosiah 3:8). He also taught them that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ. King Benjamin said Jesus would suffer and die for the sins of all people and then be resurrected. He told the people to repent and believe in Christ. (Mosiah 3:9-12)

The people fell to the ground, asking Heavenly Father to forgive them for their sins, saying, "For we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, ... who shall come down among the children of men" (Mosiah 4:2). The Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with peace and joy (Mosiah 4:1-3).

King Benjamin continued encouraging the people to believe in God's great wisdom and power. He told them to be kind to each other and to teach their children to love and serve one another. (Mosiah 4:9, Mosiah 4:13-15) King Benjamin told the people to continue having faith in the coming of the Lord. (Mosiah 4:30)

When King Benjamin finished speaking, he asked the people if they believed what he had told them. They all said they did. (Mosiah 5:1-2) The people knew his words were true because the Holy Ghost caused a "mighty change" in their hearts and they wanted to do good and not evil (Mosiah 5:2).

King Benjamin took the names of those who wanted to make a covenant, or promise, with Heavenly Father to obey Him. Every person, except the little children, made this covenant. They took upon themselves the name of Christ. King Benjamin then made Mosiah king. (Mosiah 6:1-3) "And King Benjamin lived three [more] years and he died" (Mosiah 6:5).

Summary

Before he died, King Benjamin gathered his people to the temple to speak to them. Speaking from a tower, he taught his people to serve one another and to keep the commandments. He spoke about Jesus Christ, who would suffer and die for the sins of all and be resurrected. When he finished speaking, King Benjamin took the names of all who promised Heavenly Father to keep the commandments. King Benjamin then made his son Mosiah king over the people.

Artist, Gary L. Kapp

Abinadi before King Noah

(Mosiah 11-17)
Now it came to pass after Abinadi had spoken these words that the people of king Noah durst not lay their hands on him, for the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. (Mosiah 13:5)

King Noah was evil and led his people into wickedness (Mosiah 11:1-4). The Lord sent a prophet named Abinadi to tell King Noah and his people to repent. Abinadi warned that if they did not repent, their enemies would conquer them. King Noah and his people were angry with Abinadi and wanted to kill him, but the Lord protected him. (Mosiah 11:20-29)

Two years later Abinadi returned to Noah's people. He said because they had not repented, their enemies would conquer them. If they did not repent after that, they would be destroyed. The people were angry and took Abinadi to King Noah, who threw Abinadi into prison. Then the king and his wicked priests questioned him. Abinadi answered all their questions and told King Noah and his priests they were teaching false things and needed to repent. (Mosiah 12:1-2, Mosiah 12:9, Mosiah 12:17-19, Mosiah 12:26-37)

King Noah was angry and ordered that Abinadi be put to death. But Abinadi said, "God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver" (Mosiah 13:3; Mosiah 13:1-2).

The Lord's Spirit rested on Abinadi so strongly his face shone with light. He spoke "with power and authority from God" as he declared the rest of his message. (Mosiah 13:5-6) He read the Ten Commandments to King Noah and his priests. He also taught them about Jesus and the Atonement. Again he called on them to repent. (Mosiah 13:5-35; Mosiah 14-16)

After Abinadi finished speaking, King Noah ordered his guards to put him in prison (Mosiah 17:1, Mosiah 17:5). Three days later King Noah brought Abinadi before him. King Noah told Abinadi he would kill him unless he took back what he had said against him and his people. Abinadi said he would never deny the truth. King Noah feared that what Abinadi had said would come true. The king was about to release him, but the priests made King Noah angry again against Abinadi. (Mosiah 17:6-12)

The guards tied Abinadi up and beat him. Then they burned him with fire. As Abinadi died, he again warned the people to repent and believe in God. He said King Noah would also suffer death by fire. Abinadi gave his life as a witness of the truth. (Mosiah 17:13-20)

Summary

The Lord sent the prophet Abinadi to tell wicked King Noah and his people to repent. The people were angry at Abinadi and brought him before the king. When Abinadi was questioned by the king's priests, he spoke boldly against their wickedness. This angered King Noah, who ordered Abinadi killed. But no one dared touch Abinadi, for the Lord's Spirit was upon him. He spoke with power and authority. He taught the Ten Commandments, testified of Jesus Christ, and again called for repentance. After Abinadi finished delivering the message God wanted him to teach, King Noah had Abinadi killed.

Artist, Arnold Friberg

Alma Baptizes in the Waters of Mormon

(Mosiah 17:24; Mosiah 18:1-17)
Yea, and they were baptized in the waters of Mormon, and were filled with the grace of God. (Mosiah 18:16)

Alma, one of the priests of wicked King Noah, heard Abinadi preach the word of God to the king. Alma believed Abinadi's teachings and asked King Noah not to harm Abinadi. King Noah became angry and threw Alma out from among his people. Then the king sent servants to kill Alma. Alma hid for many days, and the servants did not find him. While hiding, Alma wrote down everything Abinadi had taught. (Mosiah 17:2-4)

Alma repented of his sins and went around privately teaching the people Abinadi's message. He taught them about Jesus Christ and His mission. Many believed Alma. After a number of days a large group had gathered to Mormon, a place on the border of the land, to hear Alma preach. This place had a fountain of pure water running by a thicket of small trees. In the daytime Alma hid here from the king's servants. Alma taught the people about repentance and faith in the Lord. (Mosiah 18:1-7)

The people believed the things Alma taught, and they desired to be called the people of God. Alma said that if this was their desire, they should be baptized. The people understood and joyfully accepted their responsibility to "bear one another's burdens," "mourn with those that mourn," "comfort those that stand in need of comfort," and "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places ... even until death" (Mosiah 18:8-9).

Being baptized would show that the people wanted to covenant with God to serve Him and keep His commandments. Then He would pour out His Spirit more fully upon them. (Mosiah 18:10)

When the people heard this, "they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts" (Mosiah 18:11).

Alma led a man named Helam into the Waters of Mormon. Alma said the baptismal prayer, and then both he and Helam went entirely under the water. Alma then baptized the others, but he did not go under the water again. About 204 people were baptized. From that time on they were called the Church of Christ. (Mosiah 18:12-17)

Summary

Alma, one of the priests of King Noah, believed Abinadi. He repented of his sins and began to secretly teach the words of Abinadi to all who would listen. Many gathered at the Waters of Mormon, and Alma taught them of repentance and faith in the Lord. He asked if they wanted to be baptized, which would show their desire to serve God and keep His commandments. Clapping their hands for joy, the people said that this was what they wanted to do. With authority from God, Alma baptized about 204 people. From that time on they were called the Church of Christ.

Artist, Arnold Friberg