Gospel Talktrine

Through the story of the Jaredites, Moroni contrasts the two roads people can take, the diverging paths of gratitude and idolatry.

Mormon begins the tale of the Jaredites, an ancient people following an even more ancient path, across the water to the promised land.

Mormon and Moroni both bid the Book of Mormon’s readers farewell, each in his own distinctive way.

Mormon describes the decline of his people, with an emphasis on Heavenly vs. earthly gifts, and the concept of vengeance vs. redemption.

Jesus instructs that his name must be upon his Church, sets apart the three Nephites, and Nephite society enjoys two centuries of peace and blessedness.

Mark relates the story of his brush with COVID-19 and how it affected his family and this podcast. Look for new episodes starting this week!

On the second and third days of his visit to Bountiful, Jesus gave the Nephites the highest blessings of the Gospel, including healing, understanding of mysteries, and perhaps most importantly of all, sanctification.

In a single day, Jesus institutes the sacrament, teaches prayer in his name, bestows keys for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and introduces many other practices we associate with His modern church.

Jesus’ Sermon at the Temple is not simply a call for us to be inwardly as well as outwardly faithful; it contains detailed instructions for how a Hebrew nation with centuries of tradition in the Law of Moses will carry on their worship both in public and in private now that that Law is fulfilled.

The “good news” of the Gospel is both reversed and then redoubled, as the Nephites suffer three days of darkness and destruction before the arrival of that long-awaited day in which they finally meet their Savior.

Samuel the Lamanite’s prophecies regarding the birth of Christ are fulfilled, and the Nephites undergo many violent trials during his lifetime.

The prophet Samuel initiates a 5-year countdown to the birth of Christ, as he offers the Nephites a clear choice of paths—one leading to peace, and the other to assured destruction.

Mormon relates the story of Nephi praying on his tower to bring home to us the lesson of how universal is the pride, the weakness, and the depravity of man, and how desperate is our need for a steady stream of his messengers if we are to overcome the evils of our nature.

Nephite and Lamanite societies conflict, reconcile, merge, and divide again with their roles reversed, all in just a few short years, as the appearance of an ancient evil takes them from the height of righteousness to the depths of depravity.

Moroni and Helaman achieve victory in their wars both military and spiritual, Moroni through his unwavering commitment to defend freedom, and Helaman through his mutual love for the people of Ammon.

Just as the Lamanites embark on a campaign of massive aggression against the Nephites, a great leader arises capable of saving them—the legendary hero, Captain Moroni.

In motivating his son Corianton to repent, Alma teaches him not only about sexual purity, but about resurrection, judgment, the Fall and Atonement, the justice of God, and the plan of mercy.

Mike Madsen delivers his presentation on the presence and prevalence of chiasmus and parallelism in the Book of Mormon, giving and explaining examples from the Old Testament as well. This presentation was originally published as a video on the Gospel Talktrine YouTube channel. Watch it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FahcvsYHVKE or at http://www.gospeltalktrine.com/chiasmus-in-the-book-of-mormon-special-episode-s00e09.

Alma counsels his sons on how to care for sacred things, tells them what it will mean to carry on when he is gone, and, above all, teaches them of the transformative power of Jesus Christ.

On their mission to the Zoramites, Alma and Amulek teach that there’s humility and then there’s humility, that not all beliefs are created equal, and that the word is in Christ unto salvation.

Alma provides a timely warning against the creeping lure of apostasy, as first Korihor, and then the Zoramites reject the church, reject the spirit of prophecy, and ultimately reject Christ.

The Lamanite converts of the sons of Mosiah are brought so low in their repentance that they will not even take up arms in their own defense. This choice to live a Millennial law presents us with a marvelous manifestation of the Christian paradox, a clue into God’s plans for the world to come.

Ammon and Aaron, the two sons of Mosiah, demonstrate how to teach the Gospel in such a way that it powerfully enters into the hearts of those hearing it—by first, creating a need to learn.

To believe in God is to struggle with the question of how he allows evil to exist. In this week’s lesson, we ask ourselves “Why wouldn’t God intervene to save the people of Ammonihah?” We also conduct a thought experiment into the mind of Amulek, and learn about the ancient high priests in the City of Enoch.

Through his courage and faith, as well as the law of witnesses and the law of the fast, Alma learns to turn failure into success, pride into humility, and enemies into friends.

Through two sermons delivered to both faithful and wayward members of the church, Alma shows us the path to repentance, the method to retain forgiveness, and the rewards for obedience.

Thanks to the wisdom of their humble king, Mosiah, the Nephites learn to value the liberty of self-rule over the safety of a monarchy. But liberty of any kind is a threat to Satan, and so the Nephites learn not only the value of liberty, but its cost, when their freedom is attacked in three different ways. In each case, the answer is the same, follow the prophet of God.

After a terrifying vision, Alma the Younger undergoes a profound transformation, echoing the changes that were occurring in his family, his church, and in his society.

The people of Alma and the people of Limhi were forced to undertake similar odysseys, but in very different ways. What do their respective journeys teach us about the path of exodus, and the path of exile?

Abinadi the prophet bears witness of Christ at the cost of his life, not only giving us some of the most powerful scripture to exist, but teaching a lasting lesson on what it means to be a messenger.

“The Lost City of Limhi” isn’t a movie about Central American archaeologists, it’s a series of chapters in the Book of Mormon, introducing the story of Zeniff and his people. We’ll discuss what these chapters teach us about several different ancient civilizations, about the Old Testament, and even about Joseph Smith.

As the Nephites internalize King Benjamin’s message, it works a miraculous change in their hearts, in their futures, and in their very characters. In what ways was this message active in the Israel they left behind, and how is it active today?

In his end-of-life address, King Benjamin fulfills a crucial requirement of the Law of Moses, teaches how to obtain salvation, and demonstrates why the Nephites were so important to God.

Coinciding as it does with the bicentennial of the First Vision, this Easter season is a perfect time to contemplate what precious truths you would be without, had God never revealed to us his Son the way He did in the Book of Mormon.

The tale of Enos’s touching and personal prayer leads into 300 rapidly recounted years of Nephite history. Latter-day Saints are forced to deal with a missing part of their most sacred record.

The ancient Israelite prophet Zenos likened the world to an olive grove, and the house of Israel to a precious tree, one whose branches would be scattered and used everywhere to bring desirable fruit. Jacob repeats this lesson, giving an illustration from his own life.

In a short time period, Jacob illustrates the major roles a prophet plays in the salvation of his people, those of priesthood leader, voice of castigation, mouthpiece of God, and inspired historian. Among his teachings: that we must allow God to show us our weaknesses and rely on his grace to overcome them.

Nephi describes in plain language what God intends for us. Part of that lesson is the importance of following Christ, and part is how to get God on our side by acknowledging our own flaws.

Nephi foresaw the reception the Book of Mormon would have when brought forth in our time. He also prophesied about many other aspects of our spiritual environment, including the pride that rejects truth, the anger that fights good, and the complacency that leads to destruction.

Nephi promised two things about the writings of Isaiah: first, that they were worthwhile, and second, that we would understand them. Bringing these promised blessings about, however, depends a lot on whether we’re willing to work at it.

Using Isaiah as a backdrop, Jacob prophecies of the future scattering and gathering of Israel, and likens it to the death and resurrection of Christ.

Lehi makes a heartbreaking final request to Laman and Lemuel to repent, coupled with a matchless lesson on agency, the meaning of life, and the Plan of Salvation.

The journey of Lehi’s family through the wilderness was a pattern that God’s people had followed before and would follow again—that of exodus. The telling of the journey’s story to highlight the wickedness of those who opposed the prophet was also a pattern, one followed by Nephi, which would later be followed by Stephen and even Jesus himself.

The spirit shows Nephi the interpretation of his father's vision, and, as a result, Nephi teaches us far more about revelation itself than he ever did about the dream of Lehi.

Lehi’s dream is more than a simple allegory—it is a powerful parable with multiple layers describing the spiritual journey each of us travels, and that journey’s connection with the Creation, the story of Cain and Abel, the Exodus, the Atonement, and the New Creation.

The first chapters of the Book of Mormon contain important parallels with the Old Testament books of the same time period, powerful spiritual lessons, and a puzzling moral dilemma.

What can we learn from the introductory materials in the Book of Mormon, and in what sense is the Book of Mormon another “testament” of Christ?

I respond to your questions with my thoughts and opinions from the scriptures! Questions include: (1:41) Is it the offerer or the priest that kills the animal under the Law of Moses? (7:44) What is the significance of the horn that holds oil for temple anointings? (15:24) What is your favorite scripture? (31:20) What is poetry in the scriptures, and how can we recognize it? (38:18) Why do bad things happen to good people? (50:56) Have you ever considered writing for the TV Show “The Chosen?” (52:31) Is the Wisdom of God from Proverbs 8 a separate entity from God in Jewish belief?

John’s Apocalypse was not merely a description of the end of the world, but a symbolic representation of the world’s entire history as seen from a spiritual perspective. In short, it’s a summary of the entire plan of God. Therefore, it isn’t only useful to those near the end times; it’s useful to anyone who desires to continue the same spiritual battle engaged in by all of God’s followers since the beginning.

We discuss the three lessons that are at the top of our list this year about the meaning of Christmas. Bonus: a twenty-four-year-old Christmas message from President Russell M. Nelson!

Selected verses from Matthew 1 and 2 and Luke chapter 2 read aloud by Mark Holt and set to music by Kendra Lowe Holt (as she will soon be known).