A Voice from Heaven
A large crowd of Nephites had gathered around the temple in the land of Bountiful. They were buzzing with excitement, pointing out to each other the incredible things that had just happened. They were talking about Jesus Christ—the one the signs had pointed to—and about his death.
While they were talking, they heard a voice. It seemed to come from the sky. They looked around, confused—they couldn’t make out what it was saying. It wasn’t harsh or loud. But even though it was quiet, it pierced right through them. It reached into the core of their being, making their whole bodies tremble. It struck deep into their souls and made their hearts burn.
The voice spoke again. They still couldn’t understand it. Then it came a third time. This time they really listened, straining their ears, turning their eyes toward the sound. They stared up at the sky where the voice was coming from. And this third time, they finally understood what it said: “This is my beloved Son. I’m delighted with him. I’ve honored my name through him. Listen to him.”
Jesus Descends
As soon as they understood, they looked up again. And there, coming down from the sky, they saw a man dressed in a white robe. He descended and stood right in the middle of them. Everyone turned to look at him. No one dared speak—not even to whisper to the person next to them. They didn’t know what to think. They figured an angel had appeared to them. Then he reached out his hand and spoke to them: “I am Jesus Christ, the one the prophets said would come. I am the light and the life of the world. I’ve drunk from the bitter cup the Father gave me. I’ve honored the Father by taking on the sins of the world—suffering everything the Father asked of me from the very beginning.”
When Jesus said this, the whole crowd fell to the ground. They remembered—it had been prophesied that Christ would appear to them after he ascended into heaven.
The Lord spoke to them: “Stand up. Come to me. Put your hands into my side. Feel the nail marks in my hands and feet. Know for certain that I am the God of Israel, the God of the whole earth, and that I was killed for the sins of the world.” So the crowd came forward. One by one, they put their hands into his side and felt the nail marks in his hands and feet. Every single person went through, until they’d all seen with their own eyes and felt with their own hands. They knew beyond any doubt, and they testified that this was the one the prophets had written about.
When everyone had come forward and witnessed for themselves, they all cried out together: “Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God!” And they fell down at Jesus’ feet and worshiped him.
The Authority to Baptize
Then Jesus spoke to Nephi—he was there in the crowd—and told him to come forward. Nephi stood and walked over. He bowed before the Lord and kissed his feet. The Lord told him to stand up. He got up and stood before him. The Lord said to him, “I’m giving you authority to baptize these people when I’ve gone back to heaven.” Then the Lord called others forward and said the same thing to them. He gave them authority to baptize too. He said to them, “This is how you’re to baptize, and there’s to be no arguing about it.”
“I’m telling you: when someone turns from their sins because of your words and wants to be baptized in my name, this is how you do it. You go down into the water with them, and in my name you baptize them. Here are the exact words you’re to say, using their name: Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Then you’ll put them under the water and bring them back up. This is how you baptize in my name. Listen: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one. I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one.”
No More Arguments
“Baptize the way I’ve told you. There’s to be no arguing among you like there has been before. No more fighting about what my teachings mean. Anyone who has a spirit of contention doesn’t belong to me—they belong to the devil. He’s the father of contention. He’s the one who stirs people up to fight with each other in anger. It’s not my way to stir people up in anger against each other. My way is to put an end to all that.”
The Doctrine of Christ
“Let me tell you plainly what my teaching is. This is my teaching—the teaching the Father has given me: I testify of the Father, and the Father testifies of me, and the Holy Ghost testifies of the Father and me. And I tell you that the Father commands everyone, everywhere, to turn from their sins and believe in me. Whoever believes in me and is baptized will be saved. They’re the ones who will inherit God’s kingdom. Whoever doesn’t believe in me and isn’t baptized will be condemned. This is my teaching. I testify of it from the Father. Whoever believes in me also believes in the Father, and the Father will testify of me to them—he’ll visit them with fire and with the Holy Ghost. That’s how the Father will testify of me. And the Holy Ghost will testify to them of the Father and me, because the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.”
“Let me say it again: you must turn from your sins and become like a little child and be baptized in my name, or you can’t receive these things. I’m saying it again: you must turn from your sins and be baptized in my name and become like a little child, or you can’t inherit God’s kingdom.”
“This is my teaching. Whoever builds on this foundation builds on solid rock, and the gates of hell won’t be able to break through. But whoever teaches more or less than this and calls it my teaching—that comes from evil. They’re not building on rock. They’re building on sand, and the gates of hell stand wide open to swallow them when the floods come and the winds beat down.”
“So go to these people and teach the words I’ve spoken, all the way to the ends of the earth.”