The People Gather at the Temple
A large crowd of Nephi’s people gathered around the temple in the land of Bountiful. They were talking with each other about the amazing changes that had happened. They were also talking about Jesus Christ. The sign of his death had been given.
While they were talking with each other, they heard a voice. It seemed to come from heaven. They looked around because they did not understand the voice they heard. It was not a harsh voice. It was not a loud voice. But even though it was a small voice, it went through them to the center. It made their whole bodies shake. It went through them to their very souls. It made their hearts burn. Again they heard the voice. They still did not understand it. A third time they heard the voice. They opened their ears to hear it. Their eyes looked toward the sound. They looked up at heaven where the sound came from. The third time they understood the voice they heard. It said to them: “This is my beloved Son. I am very pleased with him. I have honored my name through him. Listen to him.”
Jesus Comes Down from Heaven
After they understood, they looked up again toward heaven. They saw a man coming down from heaven. He was dressed in a white robe. He came down and stood in front of them. Everyone looked at him. They did not dare open their mouths to speak to each other. They did not know what it meant. They thought it was an angel. He reached out his hand. He spoke to the people and said: “I am Jesus Christ. The prophets said I would come into the world. I am the light and the life of the world. I have drunk from that bitter cup which the Father gave me. I have honored the Father by taking the sins of the world on me. I have done the Father’s will in all things from the beginning.“
When Jesus spoke these words, the whole crowd fell to the ground. They remembered that the prophets said Christ would show himself to them after he went up to heaven. The Lord spoke to them and said: “Stand up and come to me. Put your hands into my side. Feel the nail marks in my hands and in my feet. Then you will know that I am the God of Israel and the God of the whole earth. I have died for the sins of the world.”
The crowd went forward. They put their hands into his side. They felt the nail marks in his hands and in his feet. They did this one by one until everyone had gone forward. They saw with their eyes and felt with their hands. They knew for sure and told others that it was him. He was the one the prophets wrote about. When everyone had gone forward and seen for themselves, they all cried out together and said: “Hosanna! God bless the name of the Most High God!” They fell down at the feet of Jesus and worshiped him.
Jesus Gives Power to Baptize
He spoke to Nephi, because Nephi was in the crowd. He told him to come forward. Nephi got up and went forward. He bowed down before the Lord. He kissed his feet. The Lord told him to stand up. He stood up and stood before him. The Lord said to him: “I give you power to baptize these people when I have gone back up to heaven.”
Again the Lord called others. He said the same thing to them. He gave them power to baptize. He said to them: “This is how you will baptize. There will be no arguments among you. I tell you the truth. If someone is sorry for their sins because of your words and wants to be baptized in my name, this is how you will baptize them. You will go down and stand in the water. In my name you will baptize them. These are the words you will say. Call them by name and say: ‘Jesus Christ has given me authority. I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.’ Then you will put them under the water. Then come back out of the water. This is how you will baptize in my name. I tell you the truth. The Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one. I am in the Father. The Father is in me. The Father and I are one.
Jesus Teaches About Fighting
Do what I have told you. This is how you will baptize. There will be no arguments among you like there have been before. There will be no arguments among you about my teachings like there have been before. I tell you the truth. Anyone who has the spirit of fighting is not from me. They are from the Devil. He is the father of fighting. He makes people fight with each other in anger. It is not my teaching to make people angry with each other. My teaching is that such things should be stopped.
Jesus Teaches His Doctrine
I tell you the truth. I will tell you my teachings. This is my teaching. It is the teaching which the Father gave me. I tell the truth about the Father. The Father tells the truth about me. The Holy Ghost tells the truth about the Father and me. I tell the truth that the Father tells all people everywhere to be sorry for their sins and believe in me. Anyone who believes in me and is baptized will be saved. They will receive the kingdom of God. Anyone who does not believe in me and is not baptized will be judged. I tell you the truth. This is my teaching. I tell the truth about it from the Father. Anyone who believes in me also believes in the Father. The Father will tell the truth to that person about me. He will visit them with fire and with the Holy Ghost. This is how the Father will tell the truth about me. The Holy Ghost will tell the truth to that person about the Father and me. The Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.
Again I say to you. You must be sorry for your sins. Become like a little child. Be baptized in my name. If you do not, you cannot receive these things. Again I say to you. You must be sorry for your sins. Be baptized in my name. Become like a little child. If you do not, you cannot receive the kingdom of God. I tell you the truth. This is my teaching. Anyone who builds on this builds on my rock. The gates of hell will not win against them. Anyone who teaches more or less than this and says it is my teaching comes from evil. They are not built on my rock. They build on sand. The gates of hell stand open to receive them when the floods come and the winds blow on them.
Go to these people. Tell them the words I have spoken to the ends of the earth.“