Lesson 25 2 Nephi 3

Much of 2 Nephi 3 focuses on a prophecy by Joseph of Egypt about the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Elder Neil L. Andersen

“The negative commentary about the Prophet Joseph Smith will increase as we move toward the Second Coming of the Savior. The half-truths and subtle deceptions will not diminish. There will be family members and friends who will need your help. …

“To the youth … , I give a specific challenge: Gain a personal witness of the Prophet Joseph Smith” (Neil L. Andersen, “Joseph Smith,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 30).

Divide in half. One half read 2 Nephi 3:6–9 and the other half read 2 Nephi 3:11–15 and look for words and phrases that Joseph of Egypt used to describe Joseph Smith and the work he would accomplish.

Doctrine and Covenants 135:3

3 Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!

Topic

What are some examples of the word of God that Joseph Smith brought forth?

Search 2 Nephi 3:12 for phrases that describe the impact that the Book of Mormon and Bible will have on the world as they “grow together.”

How would you complete this statement based on the teachings in verse 12?

What are some examples of how the Book of Mormon works with the Bible to confound false doctrines?

“The Book of Mormon—a Book from God”

You can find examples of how the Book of Mormon and the Bible work together to confound false doctrines in the October 2011 general conference talk “The Book of Mormon—a Book from God” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 74–76), by Elder Tad R. Callister, who served as a member of the Seventy.

2 Nephi 3:15

15 And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation.

In what ways does the Book of Mormon

help bring people to salvation?

When have you experienced the power of the Book of Mormon in your life or seen its influence in the lives of friends or family members?

Based on what we have learned from 2 Nephi 3, how would you summarize why the Lord raised up the Prophet Joseph Smith?

President Brigham Young

“It was decreed in the counsels of eternity, long before the foundations of the earth were laid, that he, Joseph Smith, should be the man, in the last dispensation of this world, to bring forth the word of God to the people, and receive the fulness of the keys and power of the Priesthood of the Son of God. The Lord had his eyes upon him, and upon his father, and upon his father’s father, and upon their progenitors clear back … to Adam. He has watched that family and that blood as it has circulated from its fountain to the birth of that man. He was fore-ordained in eternity to preside over this last dispensation” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young [1997], 96, 343.).

Why is it important to know that Joseph Smith was raised up by the Lord to help bring about the Restoration of the gospel?

What have you learned or felt today

that has strengthened your testimony

of the Prophet Joseph Smith?

What did Joseph Smith do, teach, or restore that you feel is “of great worth” (2 Nephi 3:7) to you?

Elder Neil L. Andersen

“A testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith can come differently to each of us. It may come as you kneel in prayer, asking God to confirm that he was a true prophet. It may come as you read the Prophet’s account of the First Vision. A testimony may distill upon your soul as you read the Book of Mormon again and again. It may come as you bear your own testimony of the Prophet or as you stand in the temple and realize that through Joseph Smith the holy sealing power was restored to the earth. With faith and real intent, your testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith will strengthen” (Neil L. Andersen, “Joseph Smith,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 30).