The Book of Mormon is a most precious book. It is another testament of Jesus Christ.  It contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ as delivered by Him and his ordained prophets to the people who lived on this continent.

 

These people came from Jerusalem around 600 B.C. by boat led by the Lord to this land; a land of promise.  They carried with them the records of their forefathers comprising of the writings of the prophets from Adam down to the reign of Zedekiah, King of Judah; or essentially about to the time of the prophet Jeremiah.  Many of the words of Isaiah are quoted in these pages.

 

The chief purpose of the book is to testify of the divinity of the Savior as another witness to the Bible.  “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.”  (see 2 Cor 13:1 and Matt 18:16)   This book is the testimony of another nation even the stick of Joseph as prophesied in Ezekiel 37: 19, 22.

 

19.  I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

 

22.  And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:

 

The book contains prophecies made by prophets in this land of the coming of the Savior.  The prophets taught the people that Christ would pay the price for our sins, that be would be rejected of the Jews, that he would be crucified, and that he would rise the third day. (see Mosiah 3:5-11)  They also prophesied that He would visit the people in this land after his ascension into heaven.  These prophecies were fulfilled and the account of the Savior’s visit to these inhabitants is found in 3 Nephi 11 – 27.

 

While on the earth, the Savior said, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” (John 10:16)

 

In the account of the Savior’s visit to this land He said to the people, “And verily I say unto you, that ye are they of whom I said: Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” (3 Nephi 15:21 – see also 12 – 24)

 

The last prophet to write in this record was Moroni.  He lived about 400 AD and was commanded of the Lord to hide up the record in a hill where it would be preserved to come forth in the last days to serve as a witness of the Savior to the world. (See Moroni 10:1-5)  This prophet later appeared as an angel to the prophet Joseph Smith in 1823 providing the location of and instructions for the ancient record.  The story of these events and subsequent restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ is contained in the beginning of this book as a “Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith”

 

I know of a surety that this book is true.  It is another witness the to divinity of the Savior; a powerful testimony of his works and teachings.  It also contains the fullness of the everlasting gospel delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants of this land.  It provides greater light into the purpose of life and illustrates with no uncertainty the blessings that come from obedience and the judgments that follow disobedience to the commandments of God.