Prepare your mind and heart to learn. The Holy Ghost can teach and edify you as you approach your study with prayer and a desire to learn.
Begin your study with prayer.
How much effort and sincerity do you put into your personal scripture study? How are you and those around you blessed for your efforts?
Watch the following video, in which Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recounts the story of Mary Elizabeth Rollins, who was 12 when she first read the Book of Mormon. Look for the effort Mary put into her study and the lesson Elder Stevenson learned from her example. You can read the text for this video here: “Look to the Book, Look to the Lord,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 44–45.
We read in Isaiah 29:1–8 that Isaiah prophesied of the destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred because of the people’s wickedness. He also referred to the Nephite nation, which would also be destroyed because of wickedness.
In the Bible, there are a number of references to those who seek to communicate with the spirits of people who have died. This practice is referred to as seeking or having a “familiar spirit” and is specifically forbidden by the Lord (see Leviticus 20:27; 1 Chronicles 10:13). However, in Isaiah 29:4, Isaiah used the imagery of a familiar spirit to teach that the Book of Mormon would speak to us “as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground.”
As Nephi wrote, “Those who shall be destroyed shall speak unto them out of the ground, and their speech shall be low out of the dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit” (2 Nephi 26:16). In one sense, the Nephites, “who have slumbered in the dust” (2 Nephi 27:9) for centuries, are now whispering “out of the dust” (Isaiah 29:4) through the Book of Mormon.
We read in Isaiah 29:5–10 that Isaiah also spoke of the conditions of the latter days.
Read Isaiah 29:9–10, looking for what Isaiah prophesied would happen after the Lord’s people were conquered by their enemies.
According to Isaiah 29:10, the people would experience “the spirit of deep sleep” and the prophets and seers would be “covered,” or removed from the people.
With the loss of the prophets and the straying of the Lord’s people from the truth, the world would fall into a state of spiritual darkness. This falling away from the truth is called apostasy. Isaiah’s words in Isaiah 29:9–10 refer to a period known as the Great Apostasy, which occurred after the death of the Savior and His Apostles.
Read paragraph 4.6 in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document, looking for what happened during the Great Apostasy that led to so much confusion about the Lord’s true gospel.
Think for a moment about what your life would be like if the Lord withdrew the authority and keys of the priesthood from the earth.
One truth we can identify from Isaiah 29:9–10 is that during a period of great apostasy, people were without divine direction from living prophets and apostles.
Isaiah also prophesied of events in the last days that would help end the Great Apostasy.
Read Isaiah 29:11–12, looking for what Isaiah prophesied concerning the Book of Mormon. Then read Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65, looking for how Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled.
Quiz 1
Match the prophecy on the left with its fulfillment on the right.
“The words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned” (Isaiah 29:11).
“I informed him that part of the plates were sealed. … He replied, ‘I cannot read a sealed book’” (Joseph Smith—History 1:65).
“And he [the one that is learned] saith, I cannot; for it is sealed” (Isaiah 29:11).
“[He] called me back, and asked me how the young man found out that there were gold plates. … I answered that an angel of God had revealed it unto him” (Joseph Smith—History 1:64).
“And the book is delivered to him that is not learned” (Isaiah 29:12).
“I went to the city of New York, and presented the characters which had been translated … to Professor Charles Anthon, a gentleman celebrated for his literary attainments” (Joseph Smith—History 1:64).
According to Isaiah 29:13, the Lord said that during the Great Apostasy the people would “draw near [Him] with their mouth, … but [would remove] their heart far from [Him].” The phrase “their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men” means that people’s worship of God would be corrupted by false teachings.
Read Isaiah 29:13–14, looking for what the Lord said He would do to overcome the effects of the Apostasy. Isaiah 29:13–14 is a doctrinal mastery passage. You may want to mark this passage in a distinctive way so you can locate it more easily.
“A Marvellous Work and a Wonder”
Read the following statement by President Russell M. Nelson about the meaning of the phrase “a marvellous work and a wonder” in Isaiah 29:14.
Image
Russell M. Nelson
“Isaiah foresaw that God would do ‘a marvellous work and a wonder’ in the latter days (Isaiah 29:14). … That marvelous work would include the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the gospel” (Russell M. Nelson, “Scriptural Witnesses,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2007, 46, endnote 26).
According to Isaiah 29:13–14, what effect will the Restoration and the Book of Mormon have on “the wisdom of … wise men” (verse 14), or the wisdom of the world?
We can identify the following truth from Isaiah 29:13–14: The Restoration of the gospel, including the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, is a marvelous work and a wonder.
1. Respond to one or both of the following questions:
How does the Book of Mormon help correct false teachings and counter the wisdom of the world? Include an example if you can think of one.
What are some of the blessings you have received because of the Restoration of the gospel and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon?
As recorded in Isaiah 29:15–17, Isaiah prophesied that the Book of Mormon would come forth at a time when people would seek to hide their actions from God and would not acknowledge God’s hand in their lives.
Read Isaiah 29:18–19, 22–24, looking for what the Book of Mormon can do for those who study it with a sincere desire to understand its teachings. You may want to mark what you find.
From Isaiah 29:18–19, 22–24 we can identify the truth that if we study the Book of Mormon, it can help us have joy, revere God, and understand true doctrine.
2. Answer the following questions:
What other blessings can we receive by studying the Book of Mormon?
What can you do to improve your study of the Book of Mormon?
What teaching in the Book of Mormon has helped you in a specific way?
Testimonies of the Book of Mormon
Watch the video “Book of Mormon: Messages from Heaven,” which shows youth from eastern Europe testifying of the blessings of studying the Book of Mormon. You can view this video on LDS.org.
Watch the video “Book of Mormon: Messages from Heaven,” which shows youth from eastern Europe testifying of the blessings of studying the Book of Mormon. You can view this video on LDS.org.
Prayerfully consider ways that you can receive similar blessings through effective and consistent scripture study.
For doctrinal mastery review, read Malachi 4:5–6. How do these verses help teach the following key statement of doctrine? Through family history and temple service, we can make the ordinances and covenants of the gospel available to our ancestors (Doctrinal Mastery Core Document, 8.4).
3. Complete the following activity:
Create a clever way to remember that Malachi 4:5–6 helps teach the importance of family history and temple service for our ancestors. For example, you could use the name Malachi as an acronym in which each letter refers to family history or temple service. Another possibility is to think of how you could use the numbers four, five, and six to remind you about family history or temple service.
