President Nelson commemorates the 200th anniversary of angel Moroni’s first visit to Joseph Smith
See the two questions President Nelson hopes Latter-day Saints will consider while reflecting on the anniversary
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reads scripture in his office at the Church Administration Building in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, April 13, 2022.
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
President Nelson commemorates the 200th anniversary of angel Moroni’s first visit to Joseph Smith
See the two questions President Nelson hopes Latter-day Saints will consider while reflecting on the anniversary
President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reads scripture in his office at the Church Administration Building in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, April 13, 2022.
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
President Russell M. Nelson celebrated the 200th anniversary of angel Moroni’s first visit to the Prophet Joseph Smith with a social media post on Thursday, Sept. 21.
“I have reflected many times on the miracle of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon,” President Nelson wrote. “Today we commemorate the 200th anniversary of the angel Moroni’s first visit to the Prophet Joseph Smith. What a remarkable visitation this was! Moroni was a messenger sent from God to teach Joseph Smith about the work that God had for him to do. Moroni became one of Joseph’s major tutors.”
President Nelson shared the message on his Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.
President Nelson wrote that Joseph Smith translated the ancient record — the Book of Mormon — “by the gift and power of God.”
“I cherish the Book of Mormon and the opportunity to study its teachings,” he wrote. “It is a thrill to invite visiting dignitaries to learn of its profound teachings of Jesus Christ.”
President Nelson wrote of reading the Book of Mormon, including the account of Jesus Christ’s visit to the people of ancient America, with a man in Accra, Ghana, many years ago. The man said, “You could have given me diamonds or rubies, but nothing is more precious to me than this additional knowledge about the Lord Jesus Christ.”
On the 200th anniversary of Moroni’s first visit to the Prophet Joseph Smith, President Nelson encouraged Latter-day Saints to consider the following two questions:
- What is this book worth to you?
- If you were offered diamonds and rubies or the Book of Mormon, which would you choose?
“I testify that the Book of Mormon is truly the word of God. It contains the answers to life’s most compelling questions. Its truths have the power to inspire, comfort, restore, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls,” President Nelson wrote. “It is my hope that each of us will see this book, today and always, as it really is: more precious than all the riches in the world.”
Also acknowledging the anniversary on social media was Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He posted a short video and message while standing next to a replica of the gold plates.
“May I today, on this 200th anniversary of the revealing of the existence of the gold plates that became the Book of Mormon, add my testimony of this marvelous heavenly visitation and that the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is the word of God,” he said in the video.
