This is an excerpt from this week’s installment of John W. Welch Notes , which can be studied on the ScripturePlus app , and in the Book of Mormon Central Archive . Chapter 20 begins with the statement: “There was a place in Shemlon where the daughters of the Lamanites did gather themselves together to sing, and to dance.” Just as the month of February means Valentine’s Day to many...

The story of Abinadi and the story of the Exodus are remarkably similar. From reciting the Ten Commandments, to faces shining with the power of God, Abinadi and Moses have a lot in common. These similarities can help us recognize God’s loyalty to His covenants, and can even help us learn about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ScripturePlus | CFM Study...

The coronavirus has forced the closure of church buildings and gatherings, causing many to practice Church at home. Having a productive Sunday School lesson at home can be tough. It’s hard to focus and prepare a well-crafted lesson that brings the Spirit and insights into our lives. Book of Mormon Central has teamed up with Brigham Young University Professors Taylor Halverson and Tyler Griffin,...

Enjoy images of the Holy Land as you visualize Jesus Christ's last hours with the following slideshow of photos by John W. Welch The Power of Apostolic Eyewitness Testimony We now turn to the often-asked question: Who killed Jesus? The answer is not simple, and we can now better appreciate that lots of people were involved in all of this, each in their various way. To answer this question, we...

For reflection especially on the day remembered among Christians as “Maundy Thursday,” the day of the Last Supper and when Jesus was arrested, I invite you to consider some of the perspectives that Latter-day Saint insights add to our understanding of the complex question: Why was Jesus killed? The Need for Humility Latter-day Saints in particular, but all people as well, know the importance of...

People have long wondered, What happened to Jesus after he was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane? What kinds of procedures followed, before Caiaphas, members of the Sanhedrin, Pilate, and even Herod Antipas? Were these procedures property conducted under either Jewish or Roman law? And of what could Jesus, an innocent man, be accused and convicted? Was he put to death by Romans under Roman law...

None of the actions taken against Jesus by the Chief Priests during his final week would have come as any surprise to Jesus. He knew the hearts, the desires, and the intentions of all the actors in this eternal drama. He had heard their questions and arguments many times before. Reentering Jerusalem on Monday morning, the day after his Triumphal entry, Jesus made a beeline directly to the temple...

The last week of Jesus’s mortal life was a time filled with completions. As His time drew near, He knew that many parts of His mission needed to be drawn fully to conclusion. And by the time that week ended, He had in fact finished all that He had been sent to do and all that was necessary to allow the eternal plan of His Father to succeed. Prophecies needed to be fulfilled. The week began with...

Because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has temporarily suspended all church meetings , we would love to offer a few suggestions on how you can better worship as individuals and families at home. We are grateful to have a prophet of God on the earth today to lead, guide, and prepare disciples of Jesus Christ. In the October 2018 General Conference , President Nelson prophetically...

1. Read Isaiah as Poetry One of the things that can make Isaiah confusing is its abstract and expressive language. Isaiah was both a prophet and a poet, so one of the things you can do to make his prophecies easier to grasp is to read Isaiah as poetry. BYU Professor Donald W. Parry published a book called Poetic Parallelisms in the Book of Mormon (available to read for free online!)...