W. Cleon Skousen Insights

Text: 2 Samuel chapters 6-9 Supplemental Text: The Fourth Thousand Years chapter 5 BYU Lecture 29: After battling Abner and the northern 10 tribes, King David unites all of Israel and moves the capital city from Hebron to Jerusalem. Peace in Israel, however, is short lived. The Philistines (Canaanites) rally their forces against Israel to attack King David – their Goliath killer. David inquires of...

Join W. Cleon Skousen as he walks the room from history to the present, weaving dramatic Founding-era stories with a lawyer’s sober account of how the Constitution’s 248 principles were meant to protect liberty — and how many have been unraveled. Through vivid anecdotes about Jefferson, Adams, and Washington, he reveals the quiet, deliberate choices that created America and the slow shifts that ha...

Text: 2 Samuel chapters 1-4 Supplemental Text: The Fourth Thousand Years chapter 4 BYU Lecture 28: David learns of the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan. Rather than rejoicing from the news that his tormentor Saul was dead, he went into fasting and mourning. David writes a sad song lamenting the passing of Saul, the Lord’s anointed, and of Jonathan, his dear friend. But even with the death o...

Text: 1 Samuel chapters 22-31 Supplemental Text: The Fourth Thousand Years chapter 3 BYU Lecture 27: King Saul, bitter and feeling rejected by nearly all he trusted, sought the life of David in a tirade. He calls on the prophet Ahimelech, accusing him of treason for siding with David. Saul has the prophet killed along with 85 temple priests. David and his army of 600 loyalists continually flee fro...

Text: 1 Samuel 18 - 21 Supplemental Text: The Fourth Thousand Years chapter 2 BYU Lecture 26: David exercises his faith in God and confronts Goliath, killing him with a rock and sling. David suddenly becomes a military hero to the people of Israel. He meets and befriends the crown prince of Israel, Jonathan – son of King Saul. With all the praise for David from the people of Israel, Saul becomes j...

Text: 1 Samuel 16-17 Supplemental Text: The Fourth Thousand Years chapter 1 BYU Lecture 25: The Jews use different names for some of their scriptural books than do our Bible scriptures. The following reference table shows these differences:                   JEWISH                                 KJV Bible             1st Book of Kings                    1st Samuel             2nd Book of Kings   ...

Text: The Old Testament Supplemental Text: Finish up the Third Thousand Years chapters 21-26 from last semester. The Fourth Thousand Years text begins next week. BYU Lecture 24: This is the "thundering thousand years" from David down to Christ. This is the thousand years of Bible history in which you have all prophets, not the Patriarchs. Programmed learning includes memorizing the “hook dates” in...

Join Dr. W. Cleon Skousen on a sweeping, personal journey through the birth of the United States—where battlefield drama, prophetic vision, and a small band of determined leaders collide to forge a Constitution which ultimately bears the hand of God. Through vivid anecdotes—from Yorktown’s storms to the tense debates in Philadelphia—Skousen brings the Founders to life and reveals why the document...

Text: Deuteronomy 6-8; 15; 18; 29-30; 34 Supplemental Text: The Third Thousand Years chapter 20 BYU Lecture 23: Finally, the Lord declares that Israel is now ready to enter Canaan, the Promised Land. Moses is 120 years old and is in the last year of his life. He has also recently lost Aaron and Miriam. Moses takes the hosts of Israel on a march towards the east of the Dead Sea, avoiding the Anaks....

Text: Numbers 11-14; 20-24; 27 Supplemental Text: The Third Thousand Years chapters 18-19 BYU Lecture 22: The law of carnal commandments include many different sacrifices and oblations which are discussed. The Lord hates them because as a schoolmaster, the law was not obeyed by Israel with humility or a contrite spirit. These carnal commandments were fulfilled and taken away at the time of Christ....

BYU Lecture 21: After taking Israel out of Egypt Moses immediately began teaching the people the Gospel of Jesus Christ so they could witness God and become a people like unto the city of Enoch. But these people were unworthy and unwilling to behold God. Therefore, instead of receiving the Melchizedek priesthood and the temple ordinances, they were given the lesser priesthood and the "Law of Moses...

Text: Exodus 19-20; 24; 31-34 Supplemental Text: The Third Thousand Years chapters 14-16 BYU Lecture 20: After a 2 month journey from Egypt, Moses brings the entire camp of Israel to the base of Mt Sinai. Moses climbs the mount and meets with God, who offers Israel a covenant to make them His chosen people and to do His work throughout the world, if they would be obedient. This is the same covenan...

Text: Exodus 14 - 18 Supplemental Text: The Third Thousand Years chapter 13 BYU Lecture 19 summary: Today, there are many inaccurate doctrines taught throughout the church regarding the Law of Moses, the Law of the Covenant and the Carnal Commandments. The restored gospel compels us to teach the correct doctrine as restored by the Lord. When the Israelites were finally released by Pharoah, they we...

Title: OT 13 Moses Returns to Egypt – Plagues and Miracles Text: Exodus 7-13 Supplemental Text: The Third Thousand Years chapter 12 BYU Lecture 18: At the age of 80, Moses crosses the desert back into Egypt. He and his brother Aaron meet with the leaders of Israel with the message from God – liberation! Moses demonstrates his authority from God by displaying the miracles of the staff and leprous h...

Written by W. Cleon Skousen and narrated by Francis Urry, this professionally dramatized story of Easter was produced by KSL radio in Salt Lake City and was widely broadcast on radio stations during the 1960's and 1970's. Journey through the Easter events beginning with the burial of Jesus Christ and concluding with His ascension. In the stillness of pre-dawn Jerusalem, a group of devoted women, i...

Text: Exodus 1-6 Supplemental Text: The Third Thousand Years chapters 10-11 BYU Lecture 17: Moses, the grandson of Levi, is born. The Israelites had now been in Egypt for 215 years (a total of 430 years since Abraham arrived in Canaan). Moses was born while the Israelites were in slavery due to a previous dynasty change in Egyption leadership. At this time, the Pharoah required the Israelite male...

This week, we have 2 lectures to keep pace for those following the Come Follow Me schedule. Text: Genesis 42-50 Supplemental Text: The Third Thousand Years chapters 6-8 BYU Lecture 14: Joseph marries Asenath and has two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. He prepares Egypt for the upcoming famine by taxing the people by 20%. During the hardship of this famine, Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt desperate for...

Text: Genesis 37-41 Supplemental Text: The Third Thousand Years chapters 5-6 BYU Lecture 13: Joseph spent his youth in Beersheba. He was a devoted son to Jacob and to God. When he witnessed evil doings by his brothers, Joseph faithfully reported it to his father. This created a trusted bond between father and son, but caused hatred between Joseph and his brothers. At the age of 17, Joseph receives...

This week, we have 2 lectures to keep pace for those following the Come Follow Me schedule. Text: Genesis 24-33 Supplemental Text: The Third Thousand Years chapters 1-5   BYU Lecture 11: One of the purposes of a college education is to learn how to think and not to be deceived; what is true and what is false, and what is good and what is evil. Who are God’s chosen people? Just one word describes t...

Text: Genesis 18-23 Supplemental Text: The First 2,000 Years chapters 28-32 BYU Lecture 10: Amazingly, Noah witnessed 10 generation of his descendants before he died, Abraham being his 10th generation, at 2,000 BC. The life of Abraham is discussed, including his ordination of the priesthood in his youth by Melchizedek, who is also discussed. Abraham’s father tries to kill Abraham through idol wors...

Text: Genesis 12-17; Abraham 1-2 Supplemental Text: The First 2,000 Years chapters 23-27 BYU Lecture 9: The church will not save the Constitution – it will be saved by the Elders of Israel. Political education is crucial by the members of the church because the Church itself cannot get involved in the fight. Stay close to the prophet as the Lord is beginning to hasten His work. After Noah came to...

This week, we have 2 lectures to keep pace for those following the Come Follow Me program. Text: Genesis 6-11; Moses 8 Supplemental Text: The First 2,000 Years chapters 20-22 BYU Lecture 7: The Great Universal Flood Due to the wickedness of the people, similar to the wickedness of today, God cleanses the Human race by using a universal Flood. Noah obeys the Lord and builds an enormous ark, but onl...

This week we have combined 2 lectures, #5 for the first 35 minutes and #6 for the next 41 minutes. This is necessary for those following the Come Follow Me study program of the Old Testament. Text: Moses 7 Supplemental Text: The First 2,000 Years chapters 17-19 BYU Lecture #5: The Children of Adam and Eve Reject God Brother Skousen recaps the Fall along with its effects on the world. Adam and Eve...

BYU Lecture #4 - Why was the Atonement necessary? Text: Genesis 5; Moses 6 Supplemental Text: The First 2,000 Years chapters 10-16 and Appendix: Atonement Probably no subject in scripture has aroused more questions or provoked more wonderment than the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Join W. Cleon Skousen in a live university lecture that unfolds like an epic journey from the beginning, starting with in...

BYU Lecture #3: The Fall and Eviction from the Garden Text: Genesis 3-4; Moses 4-5 Supplemental Text: The First 2,000 Years chapters 6-9 After Adam and Eve’s arrival in the Garden, the Fall became a tremendous challenge, as it is on every Earth created for mankind. Essential as the Fall is, our first parents were required to deliberately and voluntarily take that step to bring about mortality. In...