Official Statement: Baptism of Brother Barber

We are pleased to announce the baptism of Brother Peter Barber which will be taking place at 7:30 this evening. The ordinance of baptism will be performed by the Prophet, Brother Matthew Gill. Brother Peter has taken his first step on his road to full fellowship with Christ. Brother Peter will be officially confirmed a member of the Latter Day Church of Jesus Christ on Sunday after he has been baptised. We very much look forward to seeing all those that have been invited to Brother Peters Baptism this evening. 

Sermon: The Very Small Remnant- We Are It

The only seemingly legitimate question asked today concerning the followers of The Latter Day Church of Jesus Christ is our numbers. There are only a few is the cry, why are there only a few, how can they be led by God with so few? To answer this question let us look at what the scriptures, and what Christ and his Prophets tell us about the church of God. Firstly we must look at what the Lord told his own people the Jews concerning the state of the world in which the Gentiles would come to prominence and how they would deny what was given unto them.

The scriptures teach us that after the Gentiles receive the gospel dispensation in the last days they were to reject it, again. Jesus even gave the date. When the disciples asked concerning His return, they were told it was not the time and season for them to know; but, to concern themselves with the destruction that should soon come upon Jerusalem. When they saw Jerusalem circled by the Roman army they were to "flee to the mountains." There is no record of how many may have obeyed the command that the Lord gave them. Jesus told them that, "they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (Luke 21:24)


Joseph Smith, the first Prophet of the last dispensation was clear in his teachings that the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times was to be given first to the Gentiles and then to the House of Israel. "The last shall be first, and the first last." The dispensation could not return to the House of Israel until the Gentiles rejected the priesthood and gospel. In the Dispensation of the Meridian of Time, the Gentiles did not receive the gospel until after the Jews had rejected the priesthood and crucified Christ. "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matt. 10:5-6) After his crucifixion, Jesus commanded, "Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." (Mark 16:14-16)


It is clear to any one that has studied the scriptures that Joseph revealed that the dispensation which he opened was the last time the gospel would be taken to the Gentiles. "For behold, the field is white already to harvest; and it is the eleventh hour, and the last time that I shall call labourers into my vineyard." (D&C 33:3; 39:17; 88:84; 90:2; 95:4) "Wherefore, labour ye, labour ye in my vineyard for the last time-- for the last time call upon the inhabitants of the earth." (D&C 43:28)


So we see that the teachings of Joseph Smith's are completely in line with the teachings of Jesus in as much as the Gentiles would again reject the gospel and then His people would be gathered. "Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me." (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 28:32) "They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ." (2 Nephi 28:14) So we see once again that those that are faithful will be only a few, not millions! Isaiah also wrote of, "a very small remnant."


Only a few? This is what Jesus told of His true followers? "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." (Matt 7:13-15) "For many are called, but few are chosen." (Matt. 22:14) So lets look at this again, well it says "few there be that find it," "a very small remnant" Not millions!


The Lord revealed that before Joseph should die, he would appoint "another" as his successor. "But verily, verily, I say unto you, that none else shall be appointed unto this gift except it be through him; for if it be taken from him he shall not have power except to appoint another in his stead. And this shall be a law unto you, that ye receive not the teachings of any that shall come before you as revelations or commandments; And this I give unto you that you may not be deceived, that you may know they are not of me." (D&C 43:4-6)


Sadly there remain today still only a few true followers of the church of Christ. Maybe this is one of the strongest witnesses of truth. There have always been only a few at the turn of world events. Which is better? A few real sheep or many wolves in sheep's clothing? There were eight souls that survived the last destruction that came upon the earth. There was only Lot and his two daughters that escaped from Sodom. When the Disciples of Christ gathered after His death "the number of names together were about an hundred and forty." (Acts 1:15) Even of those who are members of the kingdom of Heaven as Christ's return, only half will be found worthy. They will cry, "Lord, Lord, open to us." But, Jesus will answer, "Verily I say unto you, I know you not." (Matt. 25:11, 12)


Once again when we look at the time of the flood when the time came that the cup of iniquity of the world was full to the brim, the flood was sent to destroy the people and show them that God was not to be mocked with impunity, and then as always when the Lord rises up a righteous people 'only few, in this case eight souls, were saved.'


Today the Lord has not left us without hope and he has not left the world without truth and structure he has given us the church and any person who is earnestly seeking truth has the opportunity to follow the principles of the gospel and enter the kingdom of God. These are members of the Church of the Firstborn and have that great opportunity to endure faithful and obedient, be resurrected into the celestial glory, and inherit the earth in all its glory.  The gate is still open to you, all who are seeking truth. “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.” (Matt. 7:13-16) “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matt 15:9)


Here in the Latter Day Church of Jesus Christ are the true followers of Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, and Matthew Gill there is no great church buildings. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16) But, here in this church we find the “small remnant” that was to remain until the return of our Lord. Here in The Latter Day Church is truth, the Melchezedick Priesthood, and the opportunity to walk on the path to eternal life. Finally let us remember the words spoke in Matthew “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt 6:33)

Sermon: The Law of Tithing

If you read section 119 of the D&C you will find that Tithing was a question for many in the Church, there were many views and people were paying different amounts and in different ways.

Section 119 was given through revelation by the Lord to be "and this shall be a standing law unto them forever". Greatly distinguishing it from other Laws and commandments that God give and later might revoke or change and of course from the policies and teaching established by Church quorums or proposed by leaders that some time change and can have errors. Here the Lord revealed the Law of Tithing to be "A standing law unto them forever". I remind you that this was for the whole Church, not for some group living a higher Law but rather for the general members and those entering the Church as the Lord clearly set forth in verses 1-7 the rich and the poor the strong and the week the young and the old.  In verses 1-3 the Lord commanded that members already in the Church to give all their surplus property to the Bishop of the Church. The Lord declares what the funds are to be used for and this is the beginning of the tithing of my people. Everyone was to start off with only what they feel they need. All were to enter Zion equal. In verse 4 the Lord declares "And after that" see verse 1-3 (given their all their surplus property) "those who have thus been tithed" shall do the following. He states when they shall do it and what they shall do, the correct amount and on what, He commands they "shall pay one tenth of their interest" and they are to do it "annually"

Since the time the Lord gave this standing law unto the church forever various leaders and member of other so called Mormon faiths have tried to improve or change the law to their own ideas, in fact if you read the many sermons on tithing in the conferences of the other Mormon churches you will find their leaders trying to be more righteous than the last speaker, some claimed the better way was to pay their tithing monthly another as soon as you get it and even another once you get word it is coming to you. These people have discarded the wisdom and law of the Lord, in preference to their ideas of righteousness and wisdom. Tithing is a commandment of God, this we must never forget, its details are specifically given by God and are simple and fair to all, and within it there is great wisdom. But yet we find that the many Mormon faiths including the LDS Church have rejected the Lords authority to make standing laws unto the church. For instance the LDS Church have enacted at least five different policy changes concerning the law of tithing and at five different times since they arrived in Salt Lake City and never was there a claim of revelation or inspiration to do these changes. What we see today is that many Mormon churches including the LDS church, instead of following Gods command listen to mortal men proclaim mortal laws and everyone abandons the words give by God on how we are to the direct his Church. Unfortunately even John Taylor who argued with Brigham young about failing to follow the laws of tithing could not stop the Church members in joining with Brigham in perverting the Law of Tithing the Lord had given to be a Standing Law. What we in The Latter Day Church of Jesus Christ need to do is not fall into the same trap and stop listening to the council of the Lord on this very important matter.

Verse 5 commands that all new members shall pay all of their surplus property as they gather to Zion. Note this is not before they gather but after, the Lord did not want them not to have the means to gather. Today many of the Mormon Churches and by far the largest of these Mormon churches the LDS church has grown to the point that new converts can gather in their own areas. In any case the command is after they gather they pay the same, no more or no less than those who are already there did. All of their surplus property and after that, one tenth was and is to be paid on their interest or increase for that year, and it was to be done annually. And this is the reason for an annual meeting with the bishop.

So let us make it clear, you determine if and how much better off you are this year than the year before and you supply one tenth of that to the Bishop. It is your tithing, not the tithing the bishop determines for you. It is your responsibility to determine if you have prospered and give the correct amount to the Bishop of the church and it is his responsibility to receive, record and do with the tithing properly as set for in verse 2 and not go off and do something else with it or change the Law to his own ideas.

You may have noticed in the above statement I have used the term "interest" and "increase". The word "interest" is used by the Lord in verse 4 to define what you are tithed on. The word increase comes from many of the early sermons by the leaders who had it explained and taught to them by Joseph Smith and were teaching the saints. Interest mean increase, In the early days most members were farmers and worked for themselves and had little certainty if they were doing better this year than last - having an increase was not known until the crops where harvested and secured in the barn and or sold. In the great wisdom of the Lord, the determining of what interest or increase you had been blessed with was to be made on an annual basis. Everyone could do this. They were not tithed again on what they had only on their increased wealth.

What of the poor and those who had no interest but in fact were poorer this year than last? Tithing as revealed adjusted for that fact and does not add to their burden by taking the bread out of the mouth of the poor. But if a person is wealthy or poor had an increase from last year they also are capable to pay the Lord his small tenth of that interest. Please note that the Lord did not use the term "income". The whole question of Gross or Net is just one of many foolish things that has resulted from individuals, leaders and the many Mormon Churches trying to change or allowing attempts to ignore and change the specific commandment and instruction on who, what, when to obey tithing. So we say to the church today live the commandments of God, pay your tithing as He revealed it, not someone else's way.

There is great wisdom in the Lords Law of Tithing I will just mention the few I have noticed, I am sure there are more. The individual counts his blessings and wealth. There is an appoint time to do this, annually. The amount is based on your ability to pay. All members were to enter the Church committed. All paid initially what they could - their entire surplus. All paid no more than they could or should. No extra hardship is placed on the poor. The Church receives resources needed. The members are allowed and encouraged to be prosperous. The Church is limited to the resources the Lord establishes for them to receive. And will not put heavy yokes on the people in the Lord's name or for righteousness sake calling it - tithing, a commandment from God. But not to run faster than the Church had means. It is simple, only 7 verses. It is easy to follow correctly. It will make the people happy and make God and the people partners in their own prosperity and that of the Church. It is designed so that the weakest of saints have no excuse to obey it. It is a Standing Law to the whole Church to obey from head to toe, not a just commandment for the members to follow. The leaders and the organisation (the Church as a body) have to following this standing Law as revealed.

It is a commandment with a promise and a warning -- verse 6-7. The traditional form of tithing was "in kind" meaning a farmer might pay in crops, a rancher in animals and others in what ever they prospered in but it does not instruct that it has to be paid "in kind" or indicate or limit acceptable forms of tithing payment. Which would allow for changes over time, countries and individuals needs and ability to convert it to a currency?

The wisdom in this simple commandment always amazes me. The Lord knows what works and is righteous. Some people want to pay more, some less some something else, some gross, some net. But if we go beyond the mark and do it even with all sincerity we are ignoring the word of the Lord, and in our own way like those who refuse to obey His specific instructions, we ignore it. There is no wisdom in and the members and the leaders and the other Mormon Church have no right to modify the commandment that the Lord has given us as a Standing Law. Also to that effect we The Latter Day Church of Jesus Christ have no right to change the law because we either do not understand or do not want to live the law.

D&C 119 is a Standing Law unto the Church forever, as given and does not admit modifications! Remember that tithing is what the Lord said it is - nothing more, nothing less and that you are responsible to make sure you obey this His Law correctly in the prescribed way that He commanded. It is not a free will offering it is a commandment of God we are obligated to obey, and obey as given. Pay your tithes annually, pay one tenth of your interest, your increase, NOT your income, count your blessings the way the Lord has told you to, there is great wisdom in His prescribed ways, we should not, we must not adopt other ways just as other so called Mormon churches have done just because you do not want to follow his law. If you don't practice and obey tithing the Lord's way it's not tithing! It's some apostate form of what God revealed in clarity and simplicity to be a Standing Law unto the Church FOREVER!

So what do we say as members of The Latter Day Church of Jesus Christ to other Mormon Denominations who refuse to see this law the way we do? I would encourage you to remind them of the story of the Rechabites, and the strong temptation that they were under when invited to the Temple of God, and there, in one of the apartments, asked by Jeremiah, one of the greatest Prophets, to drink wine; or, in other words, to do something they had been instructed by their father not to do. They could not be moved, the teaching of their father had found an abiding place in their hearts, and the consequence was that they utterly refused to do what the Prophet of God told them to do. The Lord himself admired the course that they took in this matter and was led as I before said, to make such a glorious promise to the house of Rechab.

We might say to our LDS friends and family the following. If the Lord admired and rewarded these individual for refusing to disregard the instructions of their mortal father and obey the new direct instructions given to them by the prophet in the temple. How much more appropriate is it for you to refuse to disregard a Law of God declared by him to be a standing law forever and not follow numerous authorised changes made by mortal leaders. If you have to choose between your God's standing commandment and your mortal leaders that instruct you, which will it be?

In fact you could also remind them that they had a leader that stated that they were to follow the teaching of the Lord instead of the teachings of corrupt leaders, you might challenge them to listen to his council as they hold his word so dear…these words come form their so called prophet and leader Brigham young from his own Journal of discourses, it should be noted that it would seem that the LDS church now holds what he thinks in short regard, or what ever he wrote that they now disagree with, and it should be noted that it would seem that whatever they now disagree with they are willing only to listen to those things that these men said that they can agree with and that marries up with current thinking and belief. Surely not the signs of a righteous faith, or one that is led by God! "...If a bishop counsels the people of his ward to swear shall they swear? No. If he counsels them to steal shall they steal? No. If he counsels them to lie and bear false witness shall they do these wrongs? No. If a bishop or any other officer in this church shall counsel the people to violate any of the laws of God, and to sustain and build up the kingdoms of this world, I will justify them and the Lord will justify them in refusing to obey that counsel..." (Brigham Young JD 12:164)

If you or any body else you know in what ever Mormon faith is not obeying the law of tithing the Lords way, you or they are not living the law of tithing but some perversion of the truth! Who convinced you to do it is no excuse unto God and it doesn't change God's standing law, to you and to them and to his church!

If the Latter Day Church of Jesus Christ is to have a Motto it should not be "do it" but rather it should be “do it the Lords way" for this is all that matters. The church must remain faithful and we as Latter Day Mormons must remain faithful in obeying this Law, a law that has been given to us by God as a Standing law unto his church and we will remain faithful to it now and forever.

Amen

Sermon: The Book of Jeraneck

Throughout history much has been written concerning those who once lived upon the Isles of Great Britain in the era some call the pre-history of the world. Much has been spoken of the people that built Stonehenge, Woodhenge and all the other stone monuments and burial grounds that are found throughout the lands of Great Britain, however not one of these so called historians has had any record or writing to base their claims and ideas on. But now a record has come forward written by those that lived anciently upon the land of Great Britain and much of what they have written will shock and destroy many of the false ideas that many of these learned men of the world have had to say concerning the past of those that lived long ago upon the land of Great Britain.

The book of Jeraneck stands as the record of a dying civilisation of early Britain which had constructed Stonehenge and the other Stone Circles, hill forts and burial mounds and other such places as meeting places and places of worship of Almighty God, the same God who brought them from the Tower of Babel to Britain to have them serve Him as His People. The book of Jeraneck answers fundamental questions that have perplexed historians for centuries, like: - What were the early peoples of Britain like? Where did the come from? What did they believe? And who built the ancient Megaliths like Stonehenge - and for what purpose?

Now those questions have answers and they are to be found within the pages of this record, The Book of Jeraneck.

Perhaps some of the most amazing people in the world are those whom we call the children of Araneck or the People of Light. These people lived in what is today’s United Kingdom and they lived anciently. The time period that makes up the book of Jeraneck spans from 3000 B.C to 800 B.C. It is within the time period known as the Bronze age between 2700-2000 B.C that that the ancient’s built stone monuments such as Seahenge also the greatest of all Stonehenge as it has come to be known and these wonderful monuments and temples have a great deal to do with the people and their worship and other things in particular. We know from secular archaeology that this was a great time of immigration to our Islands from continental Europe and the Book of Jeraneck tells us and these people came to be the elite and influence the whole population, bring with them a skill in refining metal and commerce and building.

It is then no coincidence that perhaps no other temple stands as a monument of which has drawn a lot of attention as Stonehenge. While there are many who attribute Stonehenge to that of the ancient druids, the truth is, it has much more to do with the Children of Araneck. In a real sense, it is the children of Araneck or the People of Light that are mistaken for what we call the Druids today. When we look back at some of the beliefs, there are some similarities but whatever similarities they may have had has been lost over time due to the wickedness and idolatry of the people that remained upon the land after the events of the book of Jeraneck.  One of the most influential people in the Book of Jeraneck and the one whom the book is named after was a man named Jeraneck who was the son of Isnah.

It is clear when we read the scared scriptures that Jeraneck had lived a life of clear understanding and he knew and was instructed in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. This is something that we find in common with those within the Book of Mormon, some, such as Nephi and others were also knowledgeable concerning Jesus Christ. The same also dates back to Genesis where we find mention of Jesus Christ. While most translations do not make this clear, the Inspired Version of the Holy Scriptures point’s this out to be the case. In our study, however, of this unique book of scripture, it will be well worth the effort to sometimes consider the parallels between the Book of Jeraneck and other scriptures, noting how sometimes they go almost hand in hand on what is taught, how they teach how they live and what their importance really are. As we look at this book, we will find it incredible to see the great details within it.

We see from reading and studying the book of Jeraneck that Jeraneck was greatly concerned for his people and especially so for their welfare. He wrote “For it is my people that have strayed from the paths of righteousness…” (BofJ 1:4) Here, we find how greatly concerned Jeraneck was, so much so that he probably felt at times all alone in holding true to the commandments of God. He also wrote “I am the last and living Prophet of the People of Light” (BofJ 1:3) and so here, we find that he was concerned about how there were no other prophets who would follow him and that although the Book of Jeraneck is just a small part of a larger work that we do not yet know about yet, for Jeraneck he is very well aware that this record that he is writing could be the only one that survived and therefore could prove to be the only one we ever have from his people, the pressure was one and he delivered.

Now let us turn our attention to Stonehenge and just how important Stonehenge is, why it was, what its purpose is and how we can apply it to our understanding of the Gospel. So then, just why was Stonehenge built and, where there others built? For Latter Day Mormons, this most special of places is a link to the past like we have never before seen, it gives us a tangible link to the Book of Jeraneck and we find that in historical evidences, archaeologists have uncovered other sites where henges and Stonehenge were built, most all of them are in England and in Europe. It is interesting that when we see this and then when we look at the Book of Jeraneck we read “Behold a commandment I give to you that you are to mark your way unto this land for there will be other that I will command to come unto this land and they will be able to follow and find this pleasant and blessed land from the markers you shall leave. I will now show unto you, Araneck, the form that these signs must take, they are…” (BofJ 2:17-18). When we look at the henges which were built, both here and across Europe we find that there are thoughts going abroad in the world today that they must have been built by hands other than mans, and many believe as they do these days that aliens must have helped the people build them. Well, it would seem from reading the scriptures that this theory would almost, almost agree with what the Lord spoke to father Araneck “I the Lord will provide Angels to help you and your people and all things that are necessary for these markers to be built for many more people will follow these markers. Behold they will stand as a testament to your journey and a sign that I the Lord am great and I will bless all that do follow my commandments.” (BofJ 2:22-23). Now as we continue to study the book of Jeraneck we begin to find some precise information, information which only in recent time has for the most part, been supported by the findings of archaeologists and these finding all support what is written within the Book of Jeraneck. If anyone has ever visited just one of the many differing stone monuments that are in existence here in the U.K and Europe, they will know that the building of these great monuments was a massive. However when we look at them with an eye single to the glory of God we find that what most archaeologists say about these wonderful monuments is not exactly what scripture is now revealing to us concerning these massive structures. This is why that perhaps it is more important than ever that we look at the Book of Jeraneck and see just exactly what their importance really are, why they were really built and just what it is that they can teach us today if we allow them.

As Latter Day Mormons we all know that in other areas of the world, there are ancient buildings which were built to serve God and that they were built as temples—most of them as we are well aware were built to serve as temples to the Lord’s people and yet, science and secular archaeology with all its advances and so called knowledge does not know exactly their real meaning and purpose and why they were built and for whom they were built. But, that is where scripture comes into play, for scripture is both a knowledge and a history a history concerning what happened to the people that the scriptures pertain to and also a knowledge of God’s dealings with those people. Just as today, God’s people continue to write, so then in those days they wrote and they left us their history just as we are doing today for those in future generations. Yet, scientists and secular archaeology still cannot figure out the real meaning of these things, thus, that is one reason why the Church is so very important to the world and its understanding, so that we can teach people the real meaning to these questions and of course, many other questions that need answered.

We do not know exactly how many years it took to build all the many various henges and monuments that are in existence throughout the whole region of Great Britain and Europe, but, what we do know is that each one had to have the help of someone to build them, for we do know that the people of that period did not posses modern tools as we know them today and they more than likely did not possess the modern equipment that we are blessed with today such as cranes and heavy lifters, however this would probably not have profited them much any way, as we with all our modern technology struggle to build replicas of many of these monuments today. So as the scriptures tell us they would have needed supernatural help to show them how to build them and to what degree each one was to be built, yes, each one had to be built to exact measurements, perhaps this is one reason why the Lord had to reveal all the information which needed to be revealed concerning the building of these structures to his servants the prophets and why he sent angelic help.

Now, many people today think that many of these structures and monuments were ancient temples or some form of worship for the Druids. But, from scripture revealed to us within the Book of Jeraneck, we learn that they were temples to God, not the Druids and that the druids or priests that did use them after the fact would have perverted there use so from the revealed word of the scriptures we learn something quite different from what the world believe. We see from scripture and learn that many of the monuments were built to mark their way to the land so that others that God might command can follow and find that pleasant form that these signs must take thus, we now see why many were built and not all were for worship of any kind. If we want to go further into why they were built, we find that they are “great stone monuments” which stand to this day to the entire world as a testament of the journey the children of Araneck took and also as a testament to their faith in following the Lord. That is why they are built in the manner which they were built and why it is evidenced that they are built in the path that they were built—leading from the point where they were dwelling at to the point where the Lord took them to.

So then, what we learn from these ancient structures is that these people, the children of Araneck were very obedient in the building of them so that others God could command would be able to follow along and they did so in accord with the way that the Lord revealed and yes, it then becomes plain that yes, angels did come down and did help and assist in their being built. So the next time we visit these ancient structures after reading their history within the Book of Jeraneck we will begin I hope to take a deeper understanding and become clearer as to their purpose and the sacrifice that was made and to whom they built them.

It is a blessing to The Latter Day Church of Jesus Christ and in turn to the world that we have been blessed with the record of the children of Araneck, not just for the historical record of the people which in itself has given us a greater understanding of the people who lived upon this land and others in our deep past, but also for the insights we gain about their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and their understanding of the gospel and their relationship with it. The Book of Jeraneck that was so painstakingly written in a time of great upheaval should stand as a witness of Christ, not just for us but for the entire world. We hope that this will deepen your love for our ancient brothers and for the gospel that they died to protect and to preserve upon our land, so the next time we pick it up to read let us remember and thank the Lord that we have this record to learn from and to enrich our lives