Joseph Janson: Who is Christ?

I've been studying some exceptional stuff recently. As we read more in the New Testament about Jesus and the Mount of Transfiguration, we talked a bit about how these same keys were given to Joseph and Oliver in the Kirtland temple. This brought me right back to an article I read in a considerably old Ensign edition in June 1985 (that's considerably old for me). It is called "The Restoration of Priesthood Keys on Easter 1836" by John D. Pratt. Now this article is not your typical primary story of breaking a window with a baseball and asking neighbor for forgiveness story. It is an extensive discussion on the exact date of the Savior's resurrection. Now you may think, why is that important? Well what is important is knowing that hundreds of years later on this resurrection date, Christ would come to bring keys to Joseph and Oliver. Easter is important for more reasons than we typically think. Now I was reading in John 10:14-16. "I am the good shepherd, and k...

Well I admit again that the more I get into my studies, the more I realize I have forgotten or just don't know! My wife Eloisa and I were reading from Matthew 17 in the earlier verses where we read of the Mount of Transfiguration. I definitely don't remember a huge amount of what happens on this amazing occasion. We do read something familiar though in verse 5. "While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." We only know of a few times that God has actually really spoken, and this is one of them. Of course these are familiar words we know were said to Joseph Smith in the grove. God mostly works through His Son, but at very important occasions He comes Himself to present the Son. We know through revelation that here in Matthew 17 Peter, James, and John received priesthood keys needed to actually direct the work when Christ was gone. This wa...

So I was reading some more of Matthew's writings in Matt 15:7-9. The more I read from here the more I realize I don't understand very well! What I'm finding is if I don't study consistently enough, I forget a lot about gospel study I once knew. Anyways, here Christ basically throws down on the Pharisees and scribes. "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draw nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Now if you know your scriptures at all, you've heard these words before. But where? Well the footnote takes us to Isaiah, where clearly Jesus is quoting from. Isaiah's words are almost identical. This is also in 3 Nephi 27, which is a chapter speaking of the apostasy. That's three times these words are repeated! Now I just realized I'm pretty sure this was said to Joseph Smith at the...

This week in class Professor Griffin was mentioning General Conference and said how it should be more like a "Specific Conference" to us. I thought it was funny, hence my title here. So I kept telling my wife that I was excited for Specific Conference! But really, that's what the conference should be to us. We shouldn't just sit back and wait and "see what they dump on us this time," in Professor Griffin's words. We need preparation in order to make it real to us. I can't help but mention the talk of Jeffrey R. Holland that I heard today. He always just hits me with some realization, or resonates with what I feel often. What I love about him is he is always so engaged in what he is saying. You never get the impression he is just reading the teleprompter. He is totally enthralled by the Spirit he feels and is expressing. What stuck out to me is how he mentioned things from Christ's Sermon on the Mount, which we just studied! In Matthew 5:23-34 ...