Christ will minister to
the Nephites—Nephi foresees the destruction of his people—They
will speak from the dust—The Gentiles will build up
false churches and secret combinations—The Lord forbids men to practice
priestcrafts. About 559-545 B.C.
1 And after Christ
shall have risen from the dead he shall show himself unto you, my children, and
my beloved brethren; and the words which he shall speak unto you shall be the
law which ye shall do.
2 For behold, I say
unto you that I have beheld that many generations shall pass away, and there
shall be great wars and contentions among my people.
3 And after the Messiah
shall come there shall be signs given unto my people of his birth, and also of
his death and resurrection; and great and terrible shall that day be unto the
wicked, for they shall perish; and they perish because they cast out the
prophets, and the saints, and stone them, and slay them; wherefore the cry of
the blood of the saints shall ascend up to God from the ground against them.
4 Wherefore, all those who
are proud, and that do wickedly, the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the
Lord of Hosts, for they shall be as stubble.
5 And they that kill
the prophets, and the saints, the depths of the earth shall swallow them up,
saith the Lord of Hosts; and mountains shall cover them, and whirlwinds shall
carry them away, and buildings shall fall upon them and crush them to pieces
and grind them to powder.
6 And they shall be
visited with thunderings, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and all manner of
destructions, for the fire of the anger of the Lord shall be kindled against
them, and they shall be as stubble, and the day that cometh shall consume them,
saith the Lord of Hosts.
7 O the pain, and
anguish of my soul for the loss of the slain of my people! For I, Nephi, have
seen it, and it well-nigh consumeth me before the presence of the Lord; but I must
cry unto my God: Thy ways are just.
8 But behold, the
righteous that hearken unto the words of the prophets, and destroy them not,
but look forward unto Christ with steadfastness for the signs which are given,
notwithstanding all persecution—behold,
they are they which shall not perish.
9 But the Son of
Righteousness shall appear unto them; and he shall heal them, and they shall have
peace with him, until three generations shall have passed away, and many of the
fourthgeneration shall have passed away in righteousness.
10 And when these
things have passed away a speedy destruction cometh unto my people; for,
notwithstanding the pains of my soul, I have seen it; wherefore, I know that it
shall come to pass; and they sell themselves for naught; for, for the reward of
their pride and their foolishness they shall reap destruction; for because they
yield unto the devil and choose works of darkness rather than light, therefore
they must go down to hell.
11 For the Spirit of
the Lord will not always strive with man. And when the Spirit ceaseth to strive
with man then cometh speedy destruction, and this grieveth my soul.
12 And as I spake concerning
the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the very Christ, it must needs be
that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God;
13 And that he
manifested himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy
Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty
miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their
faith.
14 But behold, I prophesy
unto you concerning the last days; concerning the days when the Lord
God shall bring these days forth unto the children of men.
15 After my seed and
the seed of my brethren shall have dwindled in unbelief, and shall have been
smitten by the Gentiles; yea, after the Lord God shall have camped against them
round about, and shall have laid siege against them with a mount, and raised
forts against them; and after they shall have been brought down low in the
dust, even that they are not, yet the words of the righteous shalbe written,
and the prayers of the faithful shall be heard, and all those who have dwindled
in unbelief shall not be forgotten.
16 For those who shall
be destroyed shall speak unto them out of the ground, and their speech shall be
low out of the dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit;
for the Lord God will give unto him power, that he may whisper concerning them,
even as it were out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the
dust.
17 For thus saith the
Lord God: They shall write the things which shall be done among them, and they
shall be written and sealed up in a book, and those who have dwindled in
unbelief shall not have them, for they seek to destroy the things of God.
18 Wherefore, as those
who have been destroyed have been destroyed speedily; and the multitude of
their terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away—yea, thus saith the Lord God: It shall be at an
instant, suddenly—
19 And it shall come to
pass that those who have dwindled in unbelief shall be smitten by the and of
the Gentiles.
20 And the Gentiles are
lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because of the greatness
of their stumbling block, that they have built up many churches; nevertheless,
they put down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves
their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain and grind upon
the face of the poor.
21 And there are many
churches built up which cause envyings, and strifes, and malice.
22 And there are also
secret combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of
the devil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of
murder, and works of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a
flaxen cord, until he bindeth the with his strong cords forever.
23 For behold, my
beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness.
24 He doeth not
anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even
that the layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore,
he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.
25 Behold, doth he cry
unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith:
Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and
without price.
26 Behold, hath he
commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the
houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.
27 Hath he commanded
any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay;
but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath given it free for all men;
and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to
repentance.
28 Behold, hath the
Lord commanded any that they should not partake of this goodness? Behold I say
unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none
are forbidden.
29 He commandeth that
there shall be no that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the
world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the
welfare of Zion.
30 Behold, the Lord
hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment
that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should
have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they
would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.
31 But the laborer in
Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish.
32 And again, the Lord
God hath commanded that men should not murder; that they should not lie; that
they should not lie; that they should not steal; that they should not take the
name of the Lord their God in vain; that they should not envy; that they should
not have malice; that they should not contend one with another; that they
should not commit whoredoms; and that they should do none of these things; for
whoso doeth them shall perish.
33 For none of these
iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children
of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he
inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth
none of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white,
bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are
alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.
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