(gentle music)
- Welcome everybody to
The New Evidences for Joseph
Smith YouTube Channel.
We have another update for you.
This one is an update to
The Book of Mormon Metals Map Geography.
This is an addendum that we have titled
Alma's Miraculous Journey
by the Power of God's Word.
First to summarize, with
respect to geography,
the metals map yielded only one solution
for The Book of Mormon.
This map fit the correct
metals distribution, to suggest
that First Inheritance
would be in Ecuador,
Nephi in Colombia,
Zarahemla and Bountiful,
somewhere in Mesoamerica,
and Moron up in
the Guadalajara area of Mexico.
Also, this map fit
Joseph Smith's editorials
in the Times and Seasons,
in which he said that Lehi landed
south of the Isthmus of Darien or Panama,
and Zarahemla is in Guatemala.
This also nicely positions
the small neck of land,
or the narrow strip of wilderness
between the East and West
Sea as being through Panama,
and the narrow neck of
land further to the north
with the narrow pass by the West Sea
is the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
in Southern Mexico.
Now this geography means
that the land of Nephi
is separated from the land of Zarahemla
by 14-hundred miles.
In part four, we
discussed that separation,
and Alma's miraculous journey
from the vicinity of
City Nephi to Zarahemla.
In part four, we provided evidence for
the 14-hundred mile separation.
Specifically number one, it took 400 years
for the Nephites and the Lamanites
to discover the Mulekites
to the north in Zarahemla.
It wasn't until 210 B.C.
that Mosiah the first
journeys from the City Nephi
north and discovers Zarahemla.
It then took another 150 years
before the Lamanite kings
were able to consolidate
their power and position
to extend their control north
and threaten Zarahemla militarily.
So it was in 72 B.C. that Moroni,
Chief Captain of the Nephite Armies,
commonly referred to as Captain Moroni,
established a defensible border
between Zarahemla and the
expanded land of Nephi.
In fact, they took the Lamanites
that were in the wildernesses
west and east of Zarahemla,
and relocated them south of the border.
We also learned that about 120 B.C.
when we looked at the narrative
timeline of Limhi's journey
from the land Nephi north to Zarahemla,
that that was probably a
four-to-five month journey,
but we also saw, about the
same time, that Alma's journey
with the church showed what
would of had to have been
a miraculous 12-21 day journey.
Now Alma's very short
journey and short travel time
constrains the Mesoamerican model
of Book of Mormon geography
despite the internal
Book of Mormon evidence
supporting the reality that these lands
were quite distant from each other.
So this addendum provides
additional evidence
for Alma's miraculous journey.
So is a miraculous journey by Alma
consistent with the scriptures?
Well of course we do know of
several miraculous journeys.
We have Moses crossing the Red Sea
and feeding the children of
Israel in the wilderness.
We have the Jaredites
with their lighted barges.
We have Lehi with his Liahona,
and we have the Wise Men from the East
that follow a star guide
to come to Bethlehem.
Likewise, the people of Zarahemla
are "struck with wonder and amazement
and knew not what to think"
after Mosiah the Second
caused to be read the account of Alma.
So something happened there
that got their wonder and amazement.
Well let's look at Mosiah's
journey to Zarahemla first
and see if we can characterize that.
He traveled to the land of
Zarahemla discovering the land
of Zarahemla for the
Nephites about 210 B.C.
In Omni we're told that "Mosiah
(was) warned of the Lord
"(to flee) the land of Nephi,
"and they were led by many
preachings and prophesyings,
"and they were admonished
continually by the word of God",
which is a reference to scripture,
"and they were led by the
power of his arm through
"the wilderness until they
came down into Zarahemla."
The phrase "by the power of his arm"
is used only one other
time in the Book of Mormon.
It's found in Enos chapter one, verse 13,
as "by the power of his holy arm"
to describe God preserving
a record of the Nephites
to "be brought forth in some future day",
which of course is The Book of Mormon.
How long this journey took
and what miracles were
experienced on the way
is not known from the account.
Now let's look at Alma's
journey to Zarahemla.
This is Alma and the faithful church
traveling from Helaman to
Zarahemla about 120 B.C.
at the same time that Limhi
is traveling up to the land of Zarahemla.
We read about this in an
abridged account by Mormon
in Mosiah 23 and 24,
and concerning the journey itself,
Mormon simply says that "after (Alma)
had been in the wilderness 12 days
they arrived in the land of Zarahemla."
An element of the miracle
was the incredibly short travel time.
In the land of Helam,
we're told that "the voice of the Lord
"came to them" as a group
on two reported occasions.
One, to lighten their burdens,
and secondly, to tell them
of their impending escape.
To Alma the head of the
church, the Lord then says,
"Thou shalt go before this
people and I will go with thee
"and deliver this people out of bondage."
Alma the Younger recalls
that when he was on this journey,
and he must of been
very young at the time,
that "(we) were delivered by
the mercy and power of God ...
"the Lord did deliver them out of bondage
"by the power of his word."
So the Lord said,
I will go down with thee Alma
and deliver this people out of bondage,
but what does travel by "the
power of his word" mean?
What does that phrase mean?
As an example, we
consider Nephi the prophet
just prior to the birth of Christ
who was given the sealing power.
In Helaman chapter 10,
Nephi records the following,
that "a voice came to him saying
"behold, thou art Nephi and I am God."
And God tells him that
he shall have power,
meaning Nephi would "have
power over this people
"to smite the earth with famine,
and with pestilence, and destruction,
according to (the people's) wickedness."
Notice in the phrases here,
that what Nephi was to "say"
to a temple or "say" to a mountain,
or to "say" with respect
to what God would do
was the authority and the action of power,
so the word of God
given to Nephi was critical here.
"And now behold, I command you
"that ye shall go and
declare unto this people
"that thus saith the Lord God ...
"except ye repent, ye shall be smitten,
"even unto destruction."
Nephi immediately went on this mission,
and we are told that "the
power of God was with him",
and that the people had
no power at all over him.
When they tried to "take him
and cast him into prison,
"he was taken by the spirit
"and conveyed away out of (their) midst."
Nephi later uses this power
to replace the war that's going on
among the Nephites with famine
in hopes of calling them to
repentance by this means.
"And so it was done, according
to the words of Nephi."
Later in Helaman chapter 12,
Nephi explains this power of God.
He says that "the dust of the earth ...
"at the command of our
great and everlasting God"
and "at his voice" is
activated and moved and changed
"by the power of his voice",
so here's this phrase.
"By the power of his
voice, they are broken up."
"By the power of his voice,
that the whole earth shake."
"By the power of his voice,
do the foundations rock."
He emphasizes it even more by saying
if God "say" to the earth move,
it's moved, and so on and so on.
So this emphasizes the importance
and the strength of the word of God
as executed by the voice of God himself,
or as executed by his authorized servants
who are given this authority.
So, by "the power of his word" or "voice",
that is the instrument of power,
of God and his authorized servant.
He is commanding the elements.
The elements obey the "word"
or the "voice" of God.
The uncertainty principle
of quantum physics
seems to override the Newtonian
physics at the mass scale.
The elements act in accord
with the command of God
rather than the probabilities
that would be normally expected.
Consider for example, that
God touches the stones
that the Brother of Jared brings to him
and they shine with light and
illuminate the Jaredite barges
across the ocean during
their long journey.
Jacob talks about
the creation of the earth,
and the creation of man
as having been done "by
the power of his word."
Mormon emphasizes this also,
but then also includes that
"by the power of his word"
miracles are brought to pass.
Now let's look at some
examples of this in practice.
The mission for example
of the Sons of Mosiah
to the Lamanites was considered by most
to be an impossible task,
but in fact, it was very successful.
Ammon says, "I will boast of my God,
"for in his strength, I can do all things;
"yea, behold many mighty miracles
"have we wrought in this land
"because of the power of his word
"which is in us,
"and we have been instruments in his hands
"of doing this great and marvelous work."
Also, we consider for example
those that are referred
to as the Three Nephites.
"For in his name (meaning Jesus Christ)
"could they remove mountains,
"and in his name could they
cause the earth to shake;
"and by the power of his word
"did they cause prisons
to tumble to the earth;
"yea, even the fiery
furnace could not harm them,
"neither wild beasts,
nor poisonous serpents,
"because of the power of his word."
In other instances, we learn of them
being thrown into pits
and buried in the earth,
but the earth could not hold them.
Other forms of this phrase,
"by the power of his word",
is also available to us.
When we consider for example
reference to the power of God,
Alma the Younger and Amulek
"had power given unto them
"insomuch that they could
not be confined in dungeons;
"neither was it possible that
any man could slay them."
Although of course, men tried to.
We read in Alma chapter 14 the
account of the wicked priests
who came into the prison
and smote them on the cheeks
demanding a sign from them,
and day after day,
and then how the prison is brought down
upon their heads and kills
all of the wicked priests,
freeing Alma and Amulek.
We have another example
with the voice of God with
the brothers Nephi and Lehi
who go on a mission into Zarahemla,
that at that time was
occupied by the Lamanites.
They had "power and
authority given unto them
"that they might speak,
"and they also had what they
should speak given unto them."
They were cast into prison,
and they were encircled about by fire.
The Lamanites dared not
to lay hands upon them.
They feared that they
would die if they did so,
and Nephi says to them, "Fear not,
"it is God that has shown
unto you this marvelous thing.
"(And) there came a voice saying,
"Repent ye and seek no more
to destroy my servants,
"and the voice came again, saying
Repent ye for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand."
We also have the experience of God's voice
immediately after the great destruction
that occurred in the American Continent
at the time of the death of Jesus Christ.
After the great destructions,
we hear the following from God,
"there was a voice heard crying,
"Zarahemla, I burned with fire.
"Moroni, have I caused
to be sunk in the sea.
"Moronihah, I covered with earth,
"And many great destructions
"have I caused to come upon this land."
"Behold, I am Jesus
Christ the Son of God."
So phrases and words for miracles
were used to describe the journey by Alma.
To Alma the Lord says,
"Thou shalt go before this people,
"and I will go with thee
"and deliver this people out of bondage."
The phrase, "by the power of his word"
describes the journey as
a miracle by God's power.
There are 10 other times
that this phrase is used
in the Book of Mormon,
in each case referring
to miraculous events done
by God's commanding power
over the earth's elements,
and when God gives this power
to his servants, miracles occur.
When the voice of the Lord
is heard, miracles occur.
So in conclusion, there
is in fact evidence
for a 14-hundred mile separation
between City Nephi and Zarahemla,
and also for Alma's miraculous journey.
One, it took 400 years for
the Nephites and the Lamanites
to discover the Mulekites
14-hundred miles to
the north in Zarahemla.
It then took another 150 years
before the Lamanite kings had consolidated
their power and control all the way up
to Zarahemla to pose a military threat.
Third, the narrative
timeline of Limhi's journey
in about 120 B.C.
shows that that must of been
a four-to-five month journey.
Likewise, the narrative
timeline of Alma's journey
at the same time shows the
12-21 day miraculous journey.
This is not an internal
conflict in the Book of Mormon.
The miraculous journey is supportable.
The language used to
describe the journey of Alma
is language that was used
throughout the Book of Mormon,
specifically for miraculous events.
The voice of the Lord to Alma,
"I will go with thee
and deliver this people"
and the phrase, "by the power of his word"
shows Alma's journey was a miracle
wrought by the power of God.
This phraseology, along with
"voice" replacing "word"
is only used 10 other times
in the Book of Mormon.
In each instance, this phrase
describes miraculous events
done by the power of God.
Other forms of the phrase all
support the same conclusion.
Please like our
New Evidences for Joseph
Smith YouTube Channel.
Share it with your friends.
Let them know that there is
a new Book of Mormon geography proposal
that supports the Prophet Joseph Smith,
and also that reveals
something that we have
not understood before,
and that is that Alma
and the church's journey
from the land Helaman to Zarahemla
was a miraculous journey.
Thank you very much.
