The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ

The Messiah Series #5

by Bruce R. McConkie

All the prophets, from Adam in the beginning of earth's existence down to Joseph Smith and his successors in this, the last dispensation, have testified of Christ. His coming was announced many hundreds of years before Mary gave birth in Bethlehem, and all who were spiritually enlightened knew that the Christ who would come would bring the blessings of salvation and eternal life. The Promised The First Coming of Christ presents a careful analysis of those prophecies concerning the First Coming of the Lord. "What is here considered," says the author, Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Council of the Twelve, "was the heart and core of the teachings of all the preachers of righteousness who lived before he dwelt among men. In the course of this discussion, it becomes evident that the fulness of God's everlasting gospel has been available to men in every age, that the plan of salvation is eternal and unchanging from century to century, and that the same principles and doctrines which were given to save men in the days of Christ saved men in the days of Abraham, and will save them in the present day. But most important of all these teachings is the understanding that Christ is the Savior, that he did indeed come to make atonement for the sins of men and thus opened up the way for them to return to his presence.

Genres: Lds, Religion, Church, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Christian, Lds Non Fiction

636 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Bruce Redd McConkie was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

McConkie served in the First Council of the Seventy of the LDS Church from 1946 until his calling to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1972, where he served until his death in 1985.

During his service as a general authority, he published several doctrinal books and articles and wrote the chapter headings of the LDS standard works.

McConkie received a Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor from the University of Utah. He spent his childhood between Monticello, Utah; Salt Lake City; and Ann Arbor, Michigan. He married Amelia Smith (1916 - 2005), daughter of Joseph Fielding Smith.

Reviews

[Layne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Excellent book. It is certainly not for the less motivated readers. This one takes concentration and work to get through. On to the next one.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the quorum on the Twelve Apostles presented a living testimony of Alma 17:2-3. He has searched the scriptures diligently that he might know the word of God to bear witness of Jesus Christ and His greatness.

The book is a thorough examination of the promised Messiah or the premortal Christ and Old Testament Christ. Examining scriptures with enough emphasis, Elder McConkie established that the man named Jesus was the Jehovah.

For me the organization of the book was confusing at times. I had a difficult time following why one chapter led to another. Yet there were moments where I could feel the power of what Elder McConkie was thinking and how much he loved the Savior.

For me personally the most influential part of the book was chapters 30 through 32, or the conclusion. The book was worth all of the effort to read so I could understand those last three chapters.

Looking forward to beginning now Volume 1 of The Messiah series, having read Volume 5 first to lay the foundation for who was the premortal and Old Testament Christ.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very rewarding, yet very difficult -- unnecessarily difficult, in my mind -- read. It took me a very long time to finish this book, but it was great as a study aid, as I focused on the individual topics discussed.

Two major drawbacks (and why this book gets four stars instead of five): First, Elder McConkie's unnecessarily flowery, ornate, and repetitive writing style. Elder McConkie really needed a good editor. Sometimes his sentence structure is unnecessarily complex, and the words he uses do not succinctly convey the message I believe he intended. ("Sidereal heavens"? How about "the sky"?)

Second, the internal structure and organization of the topics did not flow very well. He would promise to do something in a chapter and then fail to do it. He would also repeat something he had said earlier in the book, in just as much detail as he did the first time and without acknowledging that he had already covered the topic.

I would still recommend this book for anyone who has questions about whether the God of the Old Testament is the same God as the one in the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants. Using only the scriptures themselves, Elder McConkie establishes very firmly (if not succinctly) that Jesus is Jehovah and that His Gospel has not changed but has remained the same from before the creation of the world.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is no doubt that Bruce R. McConkie was incredibly intelligent and a brilliant scriptorian. This book was well researched and covered a lot of ground. It was, however, very difficult to get through. He repeated ideas frequently and used what Anne Shirley would have referred to as, "a lot of highfaluting mumbo jumbo." He really could have used a good editor! I felt like I had to trudge through it and that's not the way that I want to feel when I am reading about my Lord and Savior. I doubt I'll read the rest of the books in the series.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a powerful and persuasive testimony of Jesus Christ and the reality that he is the Jehovah of the Old Testament and the Messiah that literally and perfectly fulfilled all of what the scriptures (Bible and Book of Mormon) foretold of his mortal ministry, and will yet fulfill all that remains to be fulfilled in his Millennial ministry.

Elder McConkie's writing style is much like his speaking style: bold and confident in the authority of the scriptures and of his authority to proclaim the gospel. He is very thorough (some might say repetitive) in his treatment of the scriptures and the various name-titles and roles that in their totality define the Messiah and his role in the Plan of Salvation. I appreciate his thoroughness and the clarity with which he expounds doctrine. I enjoyed reading the book. There were many times when his peculiar and unique way of wording things would cause me to smile and I could imagine his voice speaking the words aloud in my head as I read. Elder McConkie's writing and testimony of the doctrine is deeply grounded in the scriptures and yet uniquely his at the same time. There is no way you can walk away from this book without knowing absolutely, positively, 100%, that Bruce R. McConkie knew and preached and testified of Christ, and him crucified.

This book, as well as many of Elder McConkie's other sermons and writings, have really enriched my life and I am grateful for them and him. Like all of Bruce R. McConkie's books this book is not light or easy reading. The subject matter is serious, the content is quite dense and rich with truth, and the book is best read slowly with adequate time to ponder, pray, and consider what is written. Some parts are better written than others. Overall, it is a good book and reading it was a valuable part of my education in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

2023 reread: rereading the book 5+ years later it is interesting how different parts of the book stood out to me than when I read it the first time. Again, some passages were engaging and powerful and other sections felt a bit dry, slow, and tedious. Still overall a good book that teaches a lot of important and valuable truths.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whew! This was a tough one for me to get through. I actually started reading it a couple of months ago, just on Sundays and not for very long. My motivation for reading came when I told my husband I didn't feel I had a close enough relationship with Jesus Christ. He suggested I read this. He also suggested that I try feeling more grateful through developing a pattern of daily repentance. He was right. That's been helpful. Then I started regularly testifying of Jesus Christ to my daughter who has been struggling spiritually and in other ways. I started to feel closer to Him in general, not necessarily because I was reading this book.

I was slowly plodding through, and only about a tenth through this book, when about two weeks ago, I was asked to give a talk on Easter! I realized I needed all the help I could get. So, I started to read this every day these past two weeks. I was hoping to finish it yesterday, but ended the day about twenty pages short. So, I got it done today.

The book is very thorough. I'm glad I read it. I do kind of like the more poetic parts. I learned more about Jesus Christ than I knew before. One of the things I hadn't thought about before was that He went through suffering and sacrifice not only for us, but also for Himself. It was a necessary part of His own salvation process as well as for ours. That makes sense and is something I hadn't previously considered.

Even with my positive feelings about this book, I don't think I'll read the rest of the series. The author continually quotes scriptures. All his theorizing and organizing is a bit exhausting. Some of it is drawn out and repetitive. I think I prefer to read the actual scriptures.

[Rex Cluff · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me over a year to plow through this volume. This is a six volume series and this is the second volume I have read. I don't know if I will get back to the other four. There is enough information about the Savior in this volume that I don't know if the other four will add that much. I started with volume 4 which is closing out the Lord's mortal ministry. It was more concisely focused on the New Testament scriptures whereas this volume is giving the overall scope of His mission as the Savior and Redeemer as promised from the beginning of time. This heavenly overview pretty much covers scope of His purpose and our relationship to Him. What more could you want than that. I love the wealth of information but labored over McConkie's wordiness in describing everything. He was a scholar, son in law to Pres. Joseph Fielding Smith and I met him while I was serving in Brazil. I admire him and am glad I have his books but it will be a while before I tackle another one of his volumes.

[Andreas Leit · Rating 3 out of 5]

It'd say my biggest reason for 3 stars and not more is the repetitiveness of it all, incl. Hundreds of unnecessary sub-headings etc, Teachings and conclusions that are virtually the same but mentioned an unnecessary amount of times. Also the lack of references to certain ideas or understandings. Too authoritarian and close minded as to his own understanding of things. Would be much better if it had a more humble approach and not so "look at how much I know, even though some conclusions have no actual arguments that makes sense on what I know is definitely the only way to read and understand this". But with McConkie, however well he read his scriptures through his personal lenses, one should know what to expect from a book from him. No offense intended and his calling. Just as a writer, mainly.

[Gaston G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

As many of previous reviewers have commented, this book can be a difficult read. It was a long slow read for me. But then, I consider the scriptures to be difficult reading, fortunately, the scriptures get easier as one reads them over many times.

Unfortunately, there are so many things that I want to read that I won't be re-reading this book. I found it very inspiring. The repetition alluded to by other reviewers did not bother me. I consider this book to be very instructional. My goal in reading it was to learn more about Jesus and that I did.

I was specially inspired by the last few chapters. It clarified for me that if one lives worthily enough, one may qualify to see the face of the Savior! And nt only in the next life but in this life! I look forward in reading the other volumes of the Messiah series that Elder McConkie has written.

[Jeff Birk · Rating 5 out of 5]

A long journey this book but worth every effort. I don't think I've taken more notes in any book I've read. I'm looking forward to reading his other books in this series. It may take me the better part of a year to year and a half to do so but I know they will add to my desire to know my Savior and learn of him. I will most certainly be reviewing my extensive notes and pondering them in order to open the windows of heaven for some insights to the scriptures which talk about the Son of God. The last two chapters were particularly good in coming to understand the possibilities of knowing God, his son and having one's calling and election made sure and receiving the second comforter in this life. So glad to have read this book.

[Nancyann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I made it a goal to read McConkie's Messiah series this year. This first book took me much longer than I intended. I really haven't read many dense, scholarly religious books, and I found there was a bit of a learning curve to get into it. This one was also hard because it just felt like a compilation of prophecies about the Savior without much organization or continuity other than "here's some prophecies about his mission, here's some prophecies about his birth" etc

[Scott09g · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew! This one was long and dry, but also loaded with profound doctrines, insights and testimony. This book is the first in a long time that lead me to take a deep, critical look at myself and evaluate areas where I stand in need of improvement. This book made me want to work to be a better disciple and a better person. I wanted to give it 5 stars for that reason...but couldn't, primarily because this book is work to get through.

[Mary L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite kind of reading. To me it seemed that he repeated himself over and over. He did thoroughly explain the scriptures and their fulfillment of prophecy regarding the Messiah. I will try to finish the series but it's going to take me a long time.

[Don Farnsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

.

Outstanding doctrinal book regarding the Promised Messiah, quoting extensively from modern and ancient scriptures and Prophets. A must read for all Latter-day Saints and all people who want to know more about Christ.

[Jefferson Coombs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me almost a year but I made it through. Some very deep stuff. I learned and had much to think about. No higher than 3 stars because it was not super readable and I felt like there was too much minutiae.

[Swhe641200 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in 2002 there is so much in this book. I reread it to try to learn more about our Savior Jesus Christ so that I can become more like him that is my goal for this life. I love him I want to be like him so that I may someday live with him.

[Fábio Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspirational

[Jeff Crosby]

Used as a resource.

[Rhiannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book of writing advice. I love Writer’s style. Highly recommend for other.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, I made myself a rather ambitious reading list for 2011. The Promised Messiah is the 3rd book on the list I have completed. Bruce R McConkie who is considered an eminent scholar of the life of Jesus Christ is not necessarily easy to read. I found this book so in depth that I often times felt like I wasn't moving forward. As the title suggests, this book is about the premortal Christ, his mission and purpose, and the prophecies about it. With that said, I was richly rewarded for ready a book that was not an easy read but a pearl of great worth. Maybe the merit of a book is how you feel about it when you're done with the book. Do you remember the details? Did it impact your life? Can you distinguish it from other books you have recently read. The older I get, the harder it gets to remember anything! But this book left me thinking more about my Savior, Jesus Christ. It made me more grateful for his sacrifice and more aware of the wondrous plan of earth life and how every prophet who ever lived preached of Jesus Christ. There are five more books in McConkie's The Promised Messiah series, I hope to read the rest but probably not until 2012 since 2011's goals have been set.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my heavens, I had no idea what I was getting into when I put this book on hold. It was very informative, but very long! It's basically just a collection of doctrines about the Savior and the foretelling of his mission. There wasn't anything necessarily thought-provoking; it was just all the doctrine. I had a few "a-ha!" moments, but not many. One other thing I didn't love was that a lot of things got repeated. It's because each chapter was a different topic, and so scriptures and ideas were repeated in different contexts, but it was a little unnecessary and the book could have been shorter. However, if you're looking to get a really good book on the life and mission of the Savior, I would definitely recommend this. I'll get to reading the other two in the trilogy eventually, but my brain needs a break.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading the writings of Bruce R. McConkie. He is so through, so complete. I will admit I do not always understand all that I read, but the thoughts are imprinted in my mind. I read this book as I studied the Old Testament in 2010. This is a great, complete, doctrinal book about the God of the Old Testament. Now I am taking on the 4 volume set of the Mortal Messiah. And loving it. Wish me well in finishing.

[Clint · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great as a reference book for Mormons, but tough to read all the way through. This book was written to provide a more current treatment of the Articles of Faith of the Mormon Church than that by James E. Talmage in Jesus the Christ.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very powerful book. I however struggled to finish this book as it was not a fast read by any means. There were many times that I was reminded of reading Jesus the Christ. I will admit that it required some real focus with the immense amount of information that was provided within the pages of this amazing book.

[Shad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although Elder McConkie has a tendency toward wordiness and running quotations, I have a hard time faulting someone for quoting so much scripture. I truly learned more of Christ by reading this book. I was not only motivated to come closer to Christ; Elder McConkie actually teaches things we can do and expect in order to achieve that end.

[Andrew Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. There were some very interesting insights and doctrine inside it. It did get a little tiresome reading every single avenue McConkie pursued because each chapter started to seemed very similar to a previous one. But it is a good testimony builder if it is read carefully

[Trent Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book it has opened my views of my Savior and strengthened my testimony of my Savior. This book has given me a renewed vigor to become more spiritual and to prepare myself to meet my Savior.

[L Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a longer read, but so much information. I love the last few chapters the best, about seeing the Lord. It's hard for me to read books like this because I could spend an hour on each page... that and I fall asleep. Lol. Good read.

[Rex · Rating 2 out of 5]

McConkie's style is too flowery and repetitive for my taste. I simply think the presentation could be more clear.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

took me a long time but I have great notes