From: Dwight & Pam Burford
dpburford@all4liberty.net
A testimony of John the Baptist and the resurrection of many in Matthew 27
Dear Family and Friends,
Late in the evening of December 30, 2022, I received a joyful word of knowledge from the Lord while kneeling in the house of prayer next door to my home. This amazing word of encouragement has greatly changed my understanding of John the Baptist and his calling and work.
I was shown that John the Baptist was among the many saints Matthew said were resurrected at the time of Jesus Christ's resurrection.
Matthew 27:54-57 IV (27:50-53 KJV) – Jesus when he had cried again with a loud voice, saying, Father, it is finished, thy will is done, yielded up the ghost. And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and the bodies of the saints which slept, arose, who were many, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
This was something I had not considered before. After reflecting upon it, I am still wondering why it was not something I had considered before. Given what Jesus said about John in this next passage, why had I not considered how John would be one of the first to be raised from the dead soon after Christ's resurrection?
Matthew 11:10-16 – For this is the one of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily, I say unto you, Among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist; notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. But the days will come, when the violent shall have no power; for all the prophets and the law prophesied that it should be thus until John. Yea, as many as have prophesied have foretold of these days. And if ye will receive it, verily, he was the Elias, who was for to come and prepare all things. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Briefly comprehended, John is a resurrected soul, with his body and spirit now joined for eternity, and he has been ever since he was resurrected after Christ’s resurrection.
John was part of the Lord’s victory that remarkable day when, in His own joy, Jesus defeated death and the grave by the power His heavenly Father had given Him (e.g. John 10:17,18). In bringing many souls to life upon His own resurrection, Jesus showed that He truly is the resurrection and the life of the world (John 11:25).
Immediately upon hearing this word from the Lord, my thoughts went directly to the following passage from the Book of Mormon with a question: What about Abinadi? I really wanted to know if Abinadi had been resurrected also.
III Nephi 10:36-41 – Verily I say unto you, I commanded My servant Samuel the Lamanite that he should testify unto this people, That at the day that the Father should glorify His name in Me, That there were many saints which should arise from the dead and should appear unto many and should minister unto them. And He saith unto them, Were it not so? And His disciples answered Him and said: Yea, Lord, Samuel did prophesy according to Thy words, And they were all fulfilled. And Jesus saith unto them: Howbeit that ye have not written this thing—that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them? And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written. And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written, Therefore, it was written according as He commanded.
Just as quickly as I asked my question about Abinadi, the answer was yes, which continued the flow of joy into my mind and my heart. The Lord also assured me by His Comforter that both Alma the Older and Alma the Younger, along with many others, were resurrected. Remember, Jesus gave this command to Nephi so we would have this record in our days (see III Nephi 11 with III Nephi 10). Therefore, we should take courage in the words of Christ recorded by Matthew and by Nephi about many people being resurrected then and the promise that many more will be raised to eternal life to abide with the Lord in His kingdom eternally.
All these individuals have received their eternal reward and now minister accordingly for the Lord of Hosts in His work of bringing to pass our immortality and eternal life.
This word of knowledge did not come to me merely as a fact. I had a work to do in response. For I was assured that John the Baptist is actively engaged in preparing the way of the Lord for His second coming under the same authority and spirit of Elias that he had labored under in preparing the way of the Lord at His first coming. Simply put, it is my duty to cooperate with the work spoken of in D&C 65, supporting it as I am led by the Spirit of the Lord.
Truly an amazing work of the Lord is underway! Even though the world must pass through a very dark time over the next few years, the light of our Lord’s Zion will yet shine victoriously at the appointed time. The work of the Lord described in D&C 65 is most assuredly in good hands, and all who would labor accordingly must cooperate with the spirit of Elias.
If you would like to know more about the work in which John is currently engaged, recall how the Old Testament ends with a special promise:
Malachi 4:5,6 IV (4:5,6 KJV) – Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
The New Testament begins with this same message when an angel of the Lord announced the birth of John the Baptist. John’s father was told his son would minister in the spirit and power of Elias in bringing about the work of Elijah foretold by Malachi.
Luke 1:12-17 – And when Zacharias saw the angel, he was troubled and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. Thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth; For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God; And he shall go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
It is true that there are many different opinions and views of John today, just like there were in Jesus’ day. Please note, however, that John is not a reincarnated Elijah. Neither is he the returning Elijah, i.e. the man Elijah who lived years before him. John is a resurrected being and he is preparing the way of the second coming of Jesus Christ in the spirit and power of Elias as we approach the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
Sadly, we have been told in scripture that there will be many false prophets and false Christs as we approach this great and dreadful day. With this unique day fast approaching, we must therefore hold fast to the words of the Lord preserved in scriptures lest we are deceived and fall away.
Why did I receive this word of knowledge from the Lord about John the Baptist? For months I had been earnestly seeking the Lord through prayer and study about His plan for addressing the many different atrocities that are being committed against children around the world. I was particularly troubled about those committed in Joseph’s land. I truly believe He has a plan for addressing the horrible slaughter and maiming of children. So I continued to call upon Him to have mercy and send healing upon the land so children are no longer exploited, abused, and misused for the mere carnal pleasures of others.
At long last, in reply, I received the word of knowledge about John the Baptist being fully engaged in preparing the way of the Lord, lest He come and smite the earth with a curse. As to what I might do to support this work, I was assured that a study letter I was writing at the time would be helpful to others and I should therefore work diligently to finish it and make it available to others. It is titled “Why I Am a Miner,” and a pdf copy may be viewed online or downloaded at the following link.
https://hisworkmanship.net/why-i-am-a-miner/
I also received encouragement to complete a book I have been writing on the stick of Joseph and the stick of Judah, which the prophet Ezekiel prophesied would be one in the hand of the Lord in the latter days. The first few chapters of this book have been uploaded to the internet and can be accessed via the following links:
https://hisworkmanship.net/why-look-to-the-stick-of-joseph-as-a-standard-chapter-1/
https://hisworkmanship.net/why-look-to-the-stick-of-joseph-as-a-standard-chapter-2/
https://hisworkmanship.net/why-look-to-the-stick-of-joseph-as-a-standard-chapter-3/
Please take heart, brothers and sisters. There truly is a great work in progress. It will culminate with the fulfillment of the Lord’s prayer, in which we are taught to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.”
God’s blessings to you all from an unprofitable servant of the Lord who has only tried to do as he has been commanded.
Your fellow bondservant,
Dwight
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