Avraham’s Mailbox

Question: In my gospel doctrine class, I rarely find topics discussed that touch on censuring parts of the scriptures, especially ones that address members of the church in our day. When Moroni says, “Why have ye polluted the holy church of God?” shouldn’t that be a concern, so that by facing this issue we can […]

Question: Do we know who the wise men were who came from the east, bringing gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the infant Jesus in Bethlehem? Answer: Matthew alone tells the story of the wise men who came from the east or place of sunrise: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the

Question: Why don’t we hear of persons that are translated in our day? It seems strange that there been translated beings in every dispensation except ours. Answer: By examining the backstories of translated beings in any dispensation and getting into the heart of what motivated them in their lives, we are able to measure at

Question: How are temple covenants “manifestations of the Davidic Covenant” as you have taught in your presentations? Answer: Without needing to name covenants Latter-day Saints make in the temple, we know that they set persons on a course of purification and sanctification designed to enable them to enter into the presence of the Lord. So

Question: Does Isaiah teach anything about making one’s calling and election sure as the prophet Joseph Smith does, who quotes 2 Peter 1:10–11? What does making sure your calling and election mean? Answer: Although different gospel dispensations and historical periods reveal different ways prophets and apostles teach theological concepts, the doctrines themselves remain constant throughout

Question: According to Isaiah, what is the end-time role of the queens of the Gentiles in relation to their husbands? Are these numbered among the 144,000 servants of God also? Answer: Two spiritual categories of kings and queens operate on Isaiah’s spiritual ladder. One is Isaiah’s equivalent of the 144,000 servants of God in the

From Isaiah’s covenant theology, Malachi’s prophecy of the hearts of the fathers turning to the children and the hearts of the children turning to their fathers before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord—lest he should come and smite the earth with a curse (Malachi 4:5–6)—defines the formula for obtaining God’s

Question: I recently watched a podcast that claimed the servant Jesus speaks of in 3 Nephi 21:8–10 is the prophet Joseph Smith. Why can’t the prophet Joseph Smith be the servant in Isaiah 52:13–15 of whom Jesus is speaking? Answer: There are two identified as Jehovah’s (or Jesus’) servant in the Book of Isaiah: (1)

Question: Who are the saints and covenant people of the Lord mentioned in 1 Nephi 14:14, on whom the power of the Lamb descends, and has that happened yet as some have announced over the pulpit? Answer: The scripture you are referencing says, “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of

Question: Can you explain the current armed conflict between Palestinians and Israelis from an Israeli perspective and how that possibly relates to latter-day scriptures? Answer: When I lived in Israel five years, the last two as an Israeli citizen, I was informed that it takes two years’ living in Israel to understand this conflict that

Question: If the casting out of evil spirits was common in the past, and human nature doesn’t change, why isn’t the casting out of evil spirits common today, such as in priesthood blessings, instead of resorting to drugs for abnormal behavioral problems? Answer: As many people can testify, the phenomenon of evil spirits exists today