When Samuel the Lamanite came preaching among the Nephites
he prophesied of the birth of the Messiah who would be born (back home in Jerusalem)
he not only gave signs of his birth but of his death. The sign of his birth
would be light a day and a night and a day. The sign if his death would be of
darkness for the space of three days. There would also be a great tempest, the
earth would shake, and mountains would be made low.
Samuel said that Christ came that he must die that Salvation
might come. “He dieth that he might
bring to pass the resurrection of the dead that thereby men may be brought into
the presence of the Lord.”(Helaman14:15) That statement is profound. In his intercessory
prayer Christ said. “And this is life eternal that they might know thee the
only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)
Christ came as the Messiah to save us and make it possible
for us to return home to heaven. There is no way that we can get there under
our own power. The way is made clear. We must believe and enter into the gates
of Baptism but that is not all… we must endure to the end.
Whenever I am asked to give a talk on baptism I make up a
big poster. The front of the poster is covered half way with a gate. Behind the
gate you can see Christ. I ask the individual to open the gate (for no man,
woman or child of age will be forced to heaven) The gate is opened with belief
in Christ. Once the gate is opened one can see the straight and narrow path the
scriptures talk about. I used to draw thorn bushes hanging over the path but
now I put in a dragon with fire and smoke all around but not on the path. The way is not easy. We need the Lord every step
of the way but if we keep our eye single to the Glory of God, and follow Christ
we will have life eternal.
Those two scriptures are the essence of the Gospel. Through the birth, atonement, death and resurrection of
Christ we might know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent.
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