Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

One of the criticisms often mentioned by critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that the Book of Mormon has "too much Jesus before Jesus."  To me, this denies the eternal nature of the Savior who, describing Himself to John the Beloved said, "I am Alpha and Omega" (Revelation 1:8.)  In fact, it was this same John who wrote, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word as with God, and the Word was God." (John 1: 1)  Those who believe that Jesus didn't exist before Bethlehem are looking beyond the mark (Jacob 4:14) and missing the point.

Jesus has always existed.  In the Old Testament, He is called Jehovah, Counselor, King, The Mighty God, LORD, Yeshua (Joshua, His Hebrew name) and Masiah, the Anointed One (or Messiah - Daniel 9:25).  Jesus is the Greek translation of Yeshua and Christ, in the Greek, is His Role as the Anointed One.

Because of the way Joseph Smith translated the characters on the Golden Plates, he saw the meaning of the Name and Title of the Savior and he dictated what he saw (he was a see-er or seer.)  You don't have to hunt through symbols and translation errors to find Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon.  He is there, written plainly, so all may find Him.  The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus Christ (Alma 6:8; Revelation 19:10)

Here are just a few examples that have been fulfilled:

• And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary. *(Mosiah 3:8)

• For according to the words of the prophets, the Messiah cometh in six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem [1]. . . his name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainly that ye cannot err.* (2 Nephi 25: 19-20)

• . . . I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, [I remember hearing my father prophesy] concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. . . . As my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me. . . (Alma 36: 17-18) [2]

• . . . There was one Samuel, a Lamanite,came into the land of Zarahemla, and began to preach unto the people . . . And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it were day. Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; . . . nevertheless that night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he was born.  And also, there shall be a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you. (Helaman 13:2; 14: 3-5)

Samuel prophesied other things about the death and resurrection of Jesus and of the geological calamities that would befall the Nephite people at the time of Christ's death because of their great wickedness, but that is a discussion for another season.

Nephi saw that Jesus' mother would be named Mary.  I believe he knew this through revelation because Mary's calling was fore-ordained before the world was.  Tomorrow, I'd hope to talk a little bit about Mary.

[1] Around 600 BC

[2] BTW, the Savior heard Alma's pleas and gave him peace in his heart that he had been forgiven. Alma arose from his bed, a completely repentant and changed man and spent the rest of his life serving Jesus Christ and preaching His Gospel.

*One can't get any plainer than that!