Book of Mormon Scripture Journal Reading; Day #4
This post is a 1 min read
This post is a 1 min read
October 26, 2017 10:41 AM:
Before I get to the actual journal entry, I was walking up the stairs (maybe 30 seconds ago) and heard the song “Soul on Fire”. This is a Christian song that I’ve heard millions of times, but it wasn’t until now that I realized the meaning of this song. He has conviction. He has a testimony- a surety- of things (something) now. How amazing is that!
That made me think that these witnesses whom I’m about to introduce to you, must have had souls on fire as well. They knew that what they were dealing with was true and I find that so exciting!
The Testimony of Eight Witnesses:
This passage mainly supports and adds conviction (as I mentioned earlier) to The Testimony of Three Witnesses. The Eight witnesses also bore testimony of the plates, the realness and curiousness of it. They said, “…we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship.”
I felt the need to research these Eight men. I could also take time to research the Three Witnesses, but that’s for another time.
Obviously, Christian Whitmer, Jacob Whitmer, Peter Whitmer, Jun., and John Whitmer were related to one of the Three Witnesses, David Whitmer in one way or another. Hiram Page, being the Whitmer brothers’ Brother-in-Law, was also related to them. And Joseph Smith Sen., Hyrum Smith, and Samuel H. Smith were also obviously related to Joseph Smith Jun.
Something interesting that I learned from this radio series on the Mormon Channel (Past Impressions), is that the Eight Witnesses were mainly testifying of the golden plates. The Three Witnesses, if you look back, were mainly testifying of the religious truth of the Book of Mormon. But the Eight Witnesses testified of the physical realness of the golden plates, confirming it’s reality.
Throughout the history of time, only three of them fell away, but there are instances told of how they testified of the Book of Mormon- it’s truth of being the Word of God- on their death beds. Even their children testified of it! I think that even though they fell away from the Church (for whatever reasons), it’s pretty amazing and admirable that they still had a testimony of what they saw and touched (the golden plates).
Ending thought: Why didn’t they say “Amen” at the end of their testimony? They just simply said: “And we lie not, God bearing witness of it.” This seemed to me like a testimony, in which you typically close in Jesus’ name and an “Amen”, but they didn’t. I wonder why….?
Until next time!!
Love,
Diyana
Photo Creds: Moroni Hides the Plates in the Hill Cumorah (Moroni Burying the Plates), by Tom Lovell