“… And It Came to Pass,” Ensign, Jan. 2008, 40–45
… and it came to pass
When the angel Moroni appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith in September 1823, he spoke of “a book … written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent” (Joseph Smith—History 1:34). The translation of these plates became the Book of Mormon.
Joseph’s mother, Lucy, wrote of the time period when Joseph was discovering the stories of the Book of Mormon for himself: “Joseph gave us some of the most amusing recitals which could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, their manner of traveling, the animals which they rode, the cities that they built, and the structure of their buildings with every particular; their mode of warfare, and their religious worship as specifically as though he had spent his life with them.”
As we read the Book of Mormon today, its stories easily capture our imagination. Latter-day Saint artists have created works that strive to capture the power, excitement, and inspiration of some of the stories from the book. A few of their works are pictured here.