Our Favorite Easter Scriptures

In April 2023 during General Conference, Elder Gary E. Stevenson gave a talk titles "The Greatest Easter Story Ever Told" In that talk he mentioned "The more I thought about our [Easter] celebrations, the more I found myself wondering if we are inadvertently shortchanging the true meaning of this holiday, so central to all believers in Jesus Christ. Then he goes on talking about the significance of Easter and how we should strive to make this holiday the most important one during the year. As the holiday draws closer we Latter-Day Saint Geeks thought it would be appropriate to share some of our favorite Easter scriptures. 

--Michael

Michael - Isaiah 53:2-6 (see also Mosiah 14)

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground; he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all.

For Christmas many of us read Luke 2 and read about the saviors birth. During Easter I reflect on Isaiah and what he foresaw the savior do. I believe when Isaiah is talking about Jesus Christ I feel that it is poetic and beautiful how he describes the Master. No wonder Isaiah is one of the most quoted prophet. 

I like Isaiah 53: 2-6 because it go over the suffering that the savior went through, and more importantly the reason why. He was wounded not because he was hated, but because of our sins. We all sin and we need Jesus to cleanse us from it. I believe in Jesus Christ, I believe that he knows each and everyone of us. I am grateful that he was willing to be wounded for us. 

Kenton - Alma 42:15, Luke 22:40-44, and 2 Nephi 26:24-25

I'm particularly fond of this scripture from the Book of Mormon in Alma 42:

15 And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also.

We understand somewhat of what this "atonement" meant, from Luke 22:

40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

In order for us to be claimed by the plan of mercy, in order for us to be claimed by the grace of Christ, it was necessary for him to suffer, even a suffering beyond what he wanted to bear, in order to understand our griefs, and in order to satisfy justice and the law. In the end, all of our pains, sufferings, abuses, trials, and difficulties will be made right, and it is made right through the blood of Jesus Christ, who suffered for us all. All we need to do is to come to him, as described in 2 Nephi 26:

24 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.

25 Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.

He offers his love, his sacrifice, and his gift freely; if we will but come to Jesus he will heal us, he will take us in, he will fill the emptiness in our souls, and he will mend our broken hearts, and give us strength through our difficulties. All we need to do is to turn to him, and seek him out, and try to come closer to him, and he will try and come closer to us. 

Spencer - D&C 76:21-24

I'm grateful for the extra emphasis the Church has put on Easter in recent years, especially as I've wondered how to raise my family in faith. As a father, even more than before, I can pick out moments each and every day to emphasize my personal need for the Atonement. I make daily mistakes with my girls and my wife. It isn't enough to white-out the mistakes, but I need the Savior's grace to change me and make me better with each day. And as my favorite contemporary Christian song says, "Grace wins every time!" Moroni emphasized the power of grace as he closed his father's book in Moroni 10:

32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

As we close this blog post and look forward to Easter next week and General Conference the week after, I want to finish with some modern-day scripture from Doctrine and Covenants 76:

21 And saw the holy angels, and them who are sanctified before his throne, worshiping God, and the Lamb, who worship him forever and ever.

22 And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

23 For we saw him, even on the bright hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

24 That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.

"The Savior will return. Soon, He will be here." (Final lines of the Hill Cumorah Pageant)

5 Books That Are Better Than Your Average Self-Help Book

 

Artist: Unknown

Self-help books are nice. They do a good job teaching us how we can improve as individuals. I usually will read one self-help book a year and try implementing that in my daily life for the whole year trying to make it my habit. Last year I read Make Your Bed by William H. McRaven, and I made my bed every morning that year. I still try to do it this year. I missed a few days, but it has been a nice habit to have, and it does make me feel more accomplished when I do it. This year, so far, I have read 3 self-help books because of a book club with my in-laws. I have read Essentialism by Greg McKeown, Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, et al, and How Full is your Bucket by Donald O. Clifton. I realized that the formula for each self-help book is essentially the same: 1. Be vulnerable 2. Improve yourself, and 3. Follow this guide to become a better person. Following all their commitments to improve yourself becomes increasingly impossible for each self-help book you read. After some frustration about not being perfect I realized that there are books out there that have helped me more than self-help books.

In this post I will go over 5 books that I believe have encouraged me to become a better person.

Lord of the Rings

Of course, the greatest fantasy book ever will be on this list. There is a reason that this book has been cherished over the decades. Besides the great story, almost every character is a similitude of the Savior that we can emulate in some way or another. Do we associate ourself with Gandalf who must actively avoid touching the ring (sin) because he knows he will be corrupted if he does, or do we feel like Frodo who has a burden he feels that he must carry alone, or Sam willing to be the best support you can be, or even Aragon who helps others to succeed?

There are so many great relatable characters in the book and most of them are good characters that emulate the Savior. Don’t worry we all have a little Gollum in us, but we can succeed where he failed.

The Boys in the Boat

I might be a little biased here because I am from Washington, but if you have never read this book, it is really motivating. It’s a true story about eight-oared rowing crew from University of Washington competed and won in rowing during the summer Olympic in 1936. The story focuses on a nine-man crew and how different each of them are, and how they became synchronized to win first place.

I liked this book because it talks about the crew’s personal stories. We read how each of them come from different backgrounds but ended up having one purpose: winning first place. When one of the members got sick during the Olympics the boys kept him on the team because they would be better synced with each other. It's a good message that we need to stand up for and support each other. 

Way of Kings

Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite living authors. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and when he writes his stories he includes gospel messages in them---like in Way of Kings. Near the end of the book Dalinar Kholin, King Gavilar's brother, wants to buy Sadeas bridgemen (slaves that carry bridges during the war with no armor to protect them. They usually have a short life span). He trades his sword (Shardblade) that is “worth fortunes. Cities, palaces, kingdoms” for the “worthless” men (according to Saedes).  Kaladin being one of the bridgemen has the following conversation with Dalinar:

Kaladin shook off his numbness. He scrambled after the highprince [Dalinar], grabbing his armored arm. “Wait. You—That—What just happened?”
Dalinar turned to him. Then, the highprince laid a hand on Kaladin’s shoulder, the gauntlet gleaming blue, mismatched with the rest of his slate-grey armor. “I don’t know what has been done to you. I can only guess what your life has been like. But know this. You will not be bridgemen in my camp, nor will you be slaves.”
“But…”
“What is a man’s life worth?” Dalinar asked softly.
“The slavemasters say one is worth about two emerald broams,” Kaladin said, frowning.
“And what do you say?”
“A life is priceless,” he said immediately, quoting his father.
Dalinar smiled, wrinkle lines extending from the corners of his eyes. “Coincidentally, that is the exact value of a Shardblade. So today, you and your men sacrificed to buy me twenty-six hundred priceless lives. And all I had to repay you with was a single priceless sword. I call that a bargain.”
“You really think it was a good trade, don’t you?” Kaladin said, amazed.
Dalinar smiled in a way that seemed strikingly paternal.

In Doctrine and Covenants 18:10 we are told: Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. We are all priceless to God. We have worth.

 

Artist: TotemofHorror

The Screwtape Letters

The Screwtape Letters, written by C.S. Lewis, is a compilation of letters written from a senior devil, Screwtape, to his nephew Wormwood with advice about in tempting his "patient," the average man.  When they are talking about God, they refer Him as the enemy. They mention how selfish gain and power are seen as the only good and how they can’t comprehend God’s love.

This book is a reverse psychology on how we should be. Instead of being selfish and gaining power for unrighteous purposes we need to be loving and serve those around us. I definitely feel like a better person when I try to be selfless than selfish and reading this book makes me want to be on God's side.

The Bible and The Book of Mormon

As someone that has grown up as a Christian and still lives it today; I have never found a set of books that have been more impactful in my life. From reading the scriptures I have gained faith that Jesus Christ did come and still lives today. He is the embodiment of what we should be and, as I study the scriptures, I get inspiration from God on what I need to improve on. Sometimes I am successful while other times I am not, but when I am, I feel like I am able to do more than what I expect from myself.

I feel like the scriptures are handbooks on how we can be the best versions of ourselves. No other self-help book can do what the scriptures can. They might tell you how to succeed in some respects, but the scriptures will show you how to be perfect in the things that matter most. 

Tower of God: Allusion to the Bible

 

With the second season of Tower of God (ToG) in the works and SIU stopped being off his hiatus and releasing more chapters I thought it would be a good time to write another post about this amazing franchise. For those of you who do not know Tower of God is a South Korean webtoon that has over 550 chapters released. SIU started publishing this series in 2010 and it seems like there is no end in sight; yet.

What I really enjoy about this series is there are many references to the Old and New Testament. In this post I will go over some of the easter eggs I have noticed while reading this webtoon.

Tower of God

Let’s get the easiest easter egg out of the way first. Tower of God represents the tower of Babel. In Genesis chapter 11:1-9; the people wanted to build a tower “whose top may reach unto heaven”. Heaven referring to the place where God dwells. In ToG people are selected to enter the tower and if they reach the top, then a wish will be fulfilled by God.

We know from the series there are three individuals who want(ed) to reach the top of the Tower. Rachel, one of the best antagonists ever written, who wants to see the stars, Baam who initially wanted to reach the top to see Rachel, and young Zahard for reasons unknown my guess is he was searching for power.

Ten Great Families

 

@danyaeljl

This one I noticed early on, but the farther you read into the series the more you understand how the ten great families are very similar to the twelve tribes of Israel. In the Old Testament after Abraham has Isaac who begot Jacob who is renamed Israel (Let God Prevail) has twelve sons and their descendants are known as the twelve tribes of Israel or children of Israel. Ten of those tribes obtained land; Reuben forfeited their right and the Levites oversaw the temple. Eventually 10 tribes of Israel were lost besides Judah and Benjamin who merged and became what is known to us as Jews. However, we believe that there will be a gathering of Israel that is happening today.

When Young Zahard was climbing the tower, he had 12 party members. After some drama one of them died and the other mysteriously disappeared and had a child outside the tower named Baam. The ten remaining members scattered and became known as the ten great families. Now you may be wondering how they are scattered if they are all in the tower, that is easy to explain. They lost their purpose. The 10 great families and Zahard had a purpose to reach the top of the tower, but for some unknown reason they stopped. What I think is starting to happen is Baam is gathering the families together again and will take them to the top. Zahard hasn’t been trying to reach the top of the tower. He may have been trying to bring the families together but is doing it the wrong way by taking daughters from the ten great families and adopting them to be his princesses.

Lo Po Bia Ren

In Matthew 7 Jesus Christ gave a powerful sermon on the mount and in verse 15 Jesus says, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” One interpretation of this verse is that we should be careful who we follow because we could be deceived, enter Lo Po Bia Ren.

Before Baam enters the tower and climbs to the top, he (and others that are granted to climb) must be trained and tested. They are each split into positions that best suit the individual strengths. Baam is taught by Lo Po Bia Ren to help him become what is known as a wave controller. At the beginning he helped Baam, but once he learned that he was an irregular (someone that willed themselves to enter the tower without being granted), he turns against him and tries to kill him. 

As you can see above Lo Po Bian Ren is dressed in sheep’s clothing and we never really get to see what he looks like underneath at the beginning. As you learn later in the series the Lo Po Bia family (one of the 10 great families) can control animals and many of them are animals. Even though underneath his sheep clothing he is not a wolf this character is sharp and intelligent like a wolf.Therefore, we can relate that verse of scripture to Ren.

These are just three easter eggs that this series relates to the scriptures. There are more that I know of and some that I haven’t picked up on yet. I have personally enjoyed reading this long series. The world building is great, the foreshadowing is executed well; meaning I didn’t predict it, but once it came, I understood what happened prior. If you are interested in reading a clean series, then I would suggest reading this webtoons. It is free online, and you can access it here.