The prophets Isaiah, Luke and John give their powerful prophetic witnesses of the coming of the Savior. It is important to have these testimonies of the Savior and many of you reading these words have already received the spiritual witness through the Holy Ghost that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God and the Savior of the world as explained in this book. These words, then are not so much to teach us something we do not know as to merely repeat the words of these men in the actual time of the Lord. As we read these words, they heighten the faith of those who do not have a testimony of this, the greatest truth in the world.
All of the gospel and the prophecies we study and the events of the world yet to occur have no importance outside the atonement. This is the center of our belief and our worship. Without Christ, we have no life or no hope, so the message of the actuality of his birth and life is of utmost importance and it is equally critical that we know or develop the strong, unshakeable faith that it is true. A witness of this is not given to everyone, however, and many devout believers must rely on faith.
To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world. To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful. (D&C 46:13-14)
By reading these words, those who do not have the gift of testimony can develop the faith to act and follow the Savior as well. Faith, like testimony, is a gift as is made plain in this statement. Some have the gift of a revealed testimony and others are given the gift of faith to believe the words of those who have such a testimony. This makes it clear that it is not necessary to have a testimony of Christ’s atonement in order to receive the blessings of the gospel and of eternal life. The false idea that one must have this testimony is often heard in Church and those who do not, bear false testimonies because of the stigma of not having one.
One of the evil practices in the Church today is the teaching of our little infant children by rote to stand and bear a false testimony including that they have a testimony of Christ. This practice negates this powerful gift of the Spirit. It is not something that has to be learned by rote. When the testimony of the Holy Ghost comes, and that is the only way to receive a testimony, then the person does not have to be taught what to say. To do so makes a mockery of this wonderful gift.
By reading the testimonies of these prophets and disciples who lived at the time of the Savior, we get a first hand account of the fact and their testimonies are powerful and most valuable, especially to those who may yet have some doubts about the Savior.
Today, even among those who profess to believe in him, people blaspheme his holy name and make jokes about him. Some jokes may be okay and appropriate but most are irreverent and are nothing short of blasphemy. There are groups who, under the influence of Satan, are waging war against Christians in this country and around the world. Christians are increasingly persecuted and murdered in many countries. In the United States all symbols of Christ and anything having to do with Christianity are being removed by this government from all public property. In fact, laws are being passed to inhibit the display of Christian symbols even on private property where they can be seen by the public. If a nativity scene is portrayed in some prominent place, all a person needs to do is go and complain that he is offended by it and he can force it to be removed.
In the end, these servants of Lucifer will stand before the Lord and he will tell them that since they were offended by him, he is offended by them and he will send them off with those condemned to the telestial kingdom there to dwell in relative darkness with murderers and other evil people of the world who also rejected him.
The Lord and Savior of the world did live as is told in these accounts and these words are true as far as they are translated and interpreted correctly.
-Robert Smith
To read Robert Smith’s New Testament Commentary, click on the link below.
Last Days Unsealed 