“The Time Cometh...that the Lord Omnipotent shall come down from heaven”

George Reynolds, Janne M. Sjodahl

King Benjamin prophesied to his faithful people of the Messiah, "the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was and is from all eternity to all eternity," and who, with great power, would come down from heaven to dwell among the children of mortality, and who would take upon Himself a body of flesh and blood. King Benjamin confirmed, by the spirit of prophecy which imbued both him and his people, many of the things which had been foretold by the prophets concerning the Messiah, the Redeemer of the world, Who was to come.

But, however, with words that were painful to their hearts and, no doubt, were perplexing to their minds, he spoke of the sufferings of our Lord; that He should endure the wrath of men; that He should be tempted, tried, and be afflicted; that His body should be racked with pain, and that His anguish, because of the wickedness and abominations of the world, should be so great that blood would exude from every pore. Benjamin also told them that the Messiah would perform many mighty miracles when He lived among men. He would heal the sick, raise the dead, cause the blind to see, and cure all manner of diseases.

It is worthy of note, that many of the miracles wrought by the Savior when he visited the Nephites were, when they are compared, found to be of the same character as the wondrous works He performed among the Jews. Frequently, too, they were more marvelous and more glorious in Bountiful on account of the greater faith of the Nephites. He healed the sick, cast out devils, raised the dead in Bountiful as He did in Judea and Galilee.

But there were other manifestations that were somewhat different that, so far as the record goes, were entirely dissimilar. In the Land of Jerusalem, Jesus miraculously fed five thousand by increasing the store of loaves and fishes that had been provided; in Bountiful He administered the Emblems of His Body and Blood when neither the Disciples nor the multitude had brought either bread or wine. Angels ministered to men during His labors among the Jews; they did so more abundantly during His visits to the Nephites. Again, though we are told in the Bible of the Holy Redeemer blessing little children, we nowhere read therein of the glorious manifestations, the outpouring of the Spirit, the ministry of the angels, the baptism of fire that took place when the Risen Redeemer blessed the little ones of the Nephites.

Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 2

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