“Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the Father, and ye all have witnessed. And ye see that I have commanded that none of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me, that ye might feel and see; even so shall ye do unto the world; and whosoever breaketh this commandment suffereth himself to be led into temptation.”
Here is another clarification for the earlier sermon. When admonished to “let your light so shine before this people that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (3 Nephi 12: 16) what the Lord meant is that it is He who should be held up. He alone. Not you, or your good intentions, your conspicuous acts or philanthropy. Not you at all. Him.
The obligation to hold up a light is circumscribed by His direction that He “is the light which ye shall hold up.” Nothing and no one else. He is the lifeline. Therefore, when you offer, preach, teach, exhort and expound, He must be at the center of this prophesying, or you are engaging in priestcraft. (2 Nephi 26: 29.)
The Lord has “prayed unto the Father” in their presence. Therefore, His example points to how prayer is to occur, and to whom it is addressed. They “all have witnessed” this, and know for themselves how it is to be done.
He has not told any of those who were present to go away. He has brought the same message to all. He gives them His example of liberality: “Ye see that I have commanded that none of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me.” No one is refused. All are welcomed. Whether those in the multitude thought someone was unworthy, or whether there were some with conflicts, it did not matter. All were invited. None were refused. They are all “commanded that they should come unto Him.”
What is the reason we are commanded to come to Him? It is so “ye might feel and see.” So that you might know Him. So that you can also be a witness of His physical evidence of suffering, crucifixion and death. The wounds He bears could not be received without death. His body testifies that He died. His body also testifies of His resurrection. Despite the wounds which memorialize His suffering and death, He lives! He stands before you in life! He has risen!
As you testify of Him, you must invite others to likewise come “that they might feel and see” Him. This is how witnesses of Him are commanded to “do unto the world.” This is their ministry, their burden, their witness, and their command from Him. When they fail to testify, teach and proclaim, they “break this commandment and suffer themselves to be led into temptation.” This is why the Lord required at my hands the book The Second Comforter
. That is how He directs all those who are “commanded to come unto Him, that they might feel and see.” It will not be in vague innuendo or veiled language. It may not be in a published book, and may well be in private. But they will all be required to invite others to likewise “come unto Him” that everyone “might feel and see” our Risen Lord.
. That is how He directs all those who are “commanded to come unto Him, that they might feel and see.” It will not be in vague innuendo or veiled language. It may not be in a published book, and may well be in private. But they will all be required to invite others to likewise “come unto Him” that everyone “might feel and see” our Risen Lord.He is accessible. He invites. More than that, He commands. All are commanded and “none of you should go away.” We think it a great thing when someone testifies of Him. Yet He wants all to “come” so that everyone “might feel and see” Him.
If we have the same Gospel, we have the same commandments.
The Book of Mormon is, as I have testified in everything I have written, not merely a book of scripture. It is the preeminent volume of scripture for our day. All other volumes of scripture are not just inferior to it, but vastly so. It is the covenant we are condemned for neglecting. It is the reason I have found Him. For above all else, I have used the Book of Mormon to direct my thoughts, actions, teachings and understanding. Here in these verses we see again – He is inviting us, using the text of the Book of Mormon to find Him, individually, for ourselves.
This Book is the restoration of the Gospel. Unfortunately, most people have missed that. Nevertheless, it is true.