BIG PICTURE MONDAY: Mosiah 11-17 Come Follow Me May 13-May 19

We are continuing in the flashback this week with one of the most famous scripture heroes.
Watch this video for all the easy-to-understand context you need for this week’s Come, Follow Me reading!
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What are YOU learning this week?! Comment below to join in on the conversation!
Happy Studying!
❤️ Cali Black

[@apple8319130]

Sister Black, I appreciate your weekly video like this! You may not know how much I like to watch this as a storytime before I dig deeper into the chapter!

[@TheTiredmamaof5]

You're right! We hear these stories over and over again but do we really digest them and honor them. When you spoke of Abinadi sealing his testimony and then being put to death, I literally had tears in my eyes. I felt the somberness and heartache of mourning for someone who gave his life for Christ. Your testimony of Abinadi's experience was beautiful. It made him real. Thank you.

[@8Slades]

These are great videos! Keep up the good work!

[@truthprecept678]

The prophet Mormon saw the last days as if he were present. Mor 8:35 He addresses his reader and asks why we have transfigured the holy word of God v33 and declares that we have polluted the holy church of God v38. In order to wake us up to this situation (Ether 8:24) because he knew most of us would be blind and hard hearted, he cherry picked specific characters and events in his abridgment to serve as allegorical prophecy that would mean something to his readers in the last days.
In Mosiah 9, we see a parallel with Zeniff representing Joseph Smith and the King of the Lamanites with the Governor of Missouri. We also get a warning in Jacob 1:15 “under the reign of the SECOND king, began to grow hard in their hearts, and indulge themselves somewhat in wicked practices, such as like unto David of old desiring many wives and concubines, and also Solomon, his son.”
Mormon further emphasizes this in the next chapter 2:23-24 “This people begin to wax in iniquity; they understand not the scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and Solomon his son. Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.”
Now here in Mosiah 11, Mormon gives us the example of another 2nd king, after Zeniff. How does he describe him?
- V1 “he did not walk in the ways of his father” [predecessor]
- V2 “For behold, he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart. And he had many wives and concubines.”
- V2 “And he did cause his people to commit sin, and do that which was abominable”
- V3 “He taxed [tithed] them”
- V4 Used this money “to support himself and his wives and his concubines and also his priests and their wives and concubines”
- V4 “thus he had changed the affairs of the kingdom”
- V8 Built helping many elegant and spacious buildings
- V9 Built himself a spacious place
- V10 Built and adorned a temple
- V12-13 Built a tower on the hill north of the land
- V14 Place his heart upon riches
- V15 Built wine presses
- V16 Fought against the Lamanites in the local area
What is Mormon trying to tell his latter day reader. What connection is he trying to get them to see by describing this “2nd king” and the preceding chapters as mentioned above?
If it isn’t obvious, Mormon is warning us about ourselves and what we would do in our church history.
- Brigham had 56 wives and only 57 children. The wife to children ratio in polygamous relationships defeats the notion that it is to raise up a lot of children. If those polygamous wives had had their own husband it would have resulted in more children born into the covenant. The US Censes also shows that there were actually more men in Utah territory than women.
- Joseph Smith repeatedly taught polygamy was a form of adultery, but after Joseph died, Brigham had Joseph’s journals edited to change his words to support this new affair and had women many years later lie and say they were sealed to Joseph in an attempt to win the Temple Lot court case to prove they were the sole successors to Joseph’s church instead of the others that formed. See ua-cam.com/video/eJtpqVAVPjA/v-deo.html for a start
- Brigham changed tithing and declared in History of the Church pg 257 “I want my support and living by the church hereafter, so that I can give my whole time to the business of the church” This is contrary to what Mormon tells us about King Benjamin. “And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes” Mosiah 2:14 And witnessed again in Alma 30:32-33 “Thou knowest that we do not glut ourselves upon the labors of this people; for behold I have labored…And notwithstanding the many labors which I have performed in the church, I have never received so much as even one senine for my labor; neither has any of my brethren.”
- Plural marriage was not taught or practiced by Joseph Smith. See YT channels, 132 Problems, Rob Fotheringham and so when Brigham made plural/temple marriage the highest ordinance he fulfilled prophecy in Isaiah 24:5 and D&C 1:15 by changing the ordinances and breaking the everlasting covenant, which if you do a keyword search for that phrase you will come to see it is obviously not temple marriage.
- He cause his people to error by also participating in this practice which the Lord declared as an abomination in Jacob 2:24
- Brigham built the largest and richest homes in the west. The “Gardo house” was called the palace of the west and rivaled the interior of any temple.
- He introduced a modified freemasonry for the temple ceremony, which included their secret signs and words as well as the penalty oath of promising to slit your throat if you tell the details of the temple ceremony. The scriptures warn us of these very things in Hellman 6:22 “they did have their signs, yea, their secret signs, and their secret words; and this that they might distinguish a brother who had entered into the covenant” and Moses 5:29 “And Satan said unto Cain: Swear unto me by thy throat, and if thou tell it thou shalt die; and swear thy brethren by their heads, and by the living God, that they tell it not; for if they tell it, they shall surely die”
- Ensign Peak has a tower on it and is located on the north hill of the SLC temple and served as a lookout for the surrounding area
- Brigham became the richest man in the west. How does the prophet become rich? He took from the tithes. He bragged about this. In today’s money it would be estimated around $7 million. In Malachi 3:8 the leaders have twisted this verse to apply to the people when it is actually Malachi leavening these charges agains the priests of his day. “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.”
- He also built many wineries and bars in Utah
- And lastly he had the Timpangos Indians killed in a massacre in Utah county.
One can continue through the chapters to find even more prophetic parallels that Mormon is giving us. For a quick example see the next chapter, Mosiah 12:6 “and insects shall pester their land also, and devour their grain.” Remember the grasshoppers plague that came during the early pioneer’s time? That was a covenant curse because of the abominations the saints were living.