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Free Nations
The Book of Mormon prophesies that as part of the gathering of Israel in the latter days the Gentiles who have scattered the remnant of the seed of Jacob will be established in the Americas as a free...
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Stairs or Ramp
Exodus 20:25 says Israelite altars made of stone should use natural, uncut stones so as not to defile the natural building material with iron tools. Deuteronomy 27:5-6 and Joshua 8:31 reinforce this...
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Heap Mounds and Tower Pyramids
People ask "If the Book of Mormon happened in Mesoamerica, why does the text not contain the word 'pyramid' since stepped pyramids were ubiquitous anciently in the region?" Actually, the text does...
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Volcanoes
Geologists who analyze the destruction described in 3 Nephi 8 generally conclude that it was caused by a combination of seismic and volcanic activity. See for example Bart J. Kowallis, "In the Thirty...
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North America
Many people believe the Book of Mormon took place in North America and they may be right. North America is a continent in the western and northern hemispheres. It is bounded by the Arctic, Pacific,...
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Christians by Continent and Country
The Book of Mormon contains a powerful prophecy about the relationship between freedom and religiosity. "Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from...
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Pacific Winds and Currents
Poorly informed people sometimes claim that the winds and currents in the Pacific Ocean run only from east to west, which would preclude either the Jaredite barges or the Lehite ship crossing the...
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This Continent and This Country
Some zealots in the Church cite Joseph Smith in an attempt to locate Book of Mormon lands in what is today the United States of America. In his 1838 history, Joseph describes his initial visit with the...
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This Land
A previous blog article explored the likely meaning of the terms "this continent" and "this country" in Joseph Smith's day. Both could refer to the New World, the Western Hemisphere, all of North and...
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Lehites Sailed East
Noe Correa, a brilliant Scripture Central colleague, shared this insightful exegesis with me today. I thought about it for several hours, and am convinced Noe's conclusion is correct. When the Lehites...
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Narratives
The Book of Mormon text has a number of narratives that geographic models should accommodate or explain. Key narratives include:Mulekite/Phoenician connection. The Mulekites likely sailed across the...
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No Kings
Jacob, ca. 550 BC, gave us one of the most audacious prophecies in the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 10:10-14:This land (North and South America - see the blog article "This Land") will be a land of...
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Church Growth 2023
One of my favorite parts of April General Conference is the release of the annual statistical report. At the end of 2022, Church membership stood at 17,002,461 and had grown by 1.17% year over year. At...
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Longevity Corroborates Prophethood
The 17 prophets to date in the dispensation of the fulness of times (Ephesians 1:10) and their ages at death are:Joseph Smith 38Brigham Young 76John Taylor...
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Presidential Succession
The organization Jesus established during his earthly ministry was a kingdom Luke 12:31-32.Kingdoms are generally passed on through hereditary succession rather than through conclaves, conferences,...
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Wealth Doing Good
It is common knowledge that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints manages its assets productively and has amassed considerable wealth. Salt Lake Temple and Environs Under Construction April...
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Joseph Smith as Writer
Joseph Smith finished dictating the text of the Book of Mormon on or about June 30, 1829 and the printed volume went on sale in Palmyra, NY on March 26, 1830. 10 days later, on April 6, 1830, the...
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Christian Divisions
When Joseph entered the Sacred Grove in the spring of 1820, he was unsure whether the Methodists, Presbyterians, or Baptists had the stronger claim to truth. He was confused by their continual...
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History of Moroni Day
On Friday, September 20, 2024, I stood up in front of 500 people in the main ballroom of the Hyatt Regency in downtown Salt Lake City. I announced that we (Scripture Central) were making Moroni Day...
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Church Growth 2024
I always look forward to the annual statistical report as part of April Conference. At the end of 2023, Church membership stood at 17,255,391 and had grown by 1.49% year over year. At the end of 2024,...
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Saints upon All the Face of the Earth
1 Nephi 14:12 is explicit. The Saints of God will be few in number but extensive in their geographical distribution. We know this refers to the latter days because of references to the marvelous work...
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Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Growth in 2025
Today, April 4, 2026, the Church published its 2025 Statistical Report. Key takeaways:1. Total worldwide membership at year-end reached 17,887,212. The Church was organized April 6, 1830 in Fayette,...
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Book of Mormon Geography #01 River Sidon Flowed North
A video posted on Sunday, February 1, 2026 entitled "Can The River Sidon Help Solve the Book of Mormon Geography Debate?" walks through the passages in the text that require a north flowing Sidon....
View ArticleThe Largest Chiasm Ever Discovered
A typical chiastic structure in the Old or New Testament has 5, 10, perhaps 15 elements. There is a book-length structure in the Book of Revelation with 45 pairs. Nothing, though, prepared me for the...
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Hill Ramah Chronology
For years, I believed the demise of the Jaredites at Hill Ramah (Ether 15:29) was connected to the abandonment of La Venta ca. 400 BC. This was based on a naive assumption about the relationship...
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