Latest / Scripture Central / 3 Nephi 1–7 | Sept 16–22 | John W. Welch and Lynne Hilton Wilson | Come Follow Me Book of Mormon

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3 Nephi 1–7 | Sept 16–22 | John W. Welch and Lynne Hilton Wilson | Come Follow Me Book of Mormon · Scripture Central

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Hello, Welcome back to Scripture Central.
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I'm Lynn Hilton Wilson. And I'm Jack Welch.
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And we get to start the Book of Third Nephi, the zenith of the
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whole Book of Mormon. We are so glad that you're with
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us today. Third Nephi we will be focusing
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on for the next several lessons, and it's of course, the
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culmination of a lot of what we've looked forward to
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throughout the year studying the Book of Mormon prophecies and
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events, people, places. All of this will come together
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with the amazing appearance of the resurrected Lord Jesus
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Christ to the people who had gathered at the temple in
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Bountiful as they are invited to come to be there that day.
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We'll get to that in a couple lessons, but for right now, I
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just want to say something about the book of Third Nephi.
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I mean, I like to call this whole book the Holy of Holies of
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the Book of Mormon. And we'll today just talk about
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the first 7 chapters. But let me mention a couple
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things that might guide us as we go along.
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First of all, there is a book that was published a while back
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called Third Nephi. An incomparable scripture was a
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conference that we had with a number of really wonderful
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papers that were presented. And we'll refer to some of these
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chapters as we go along. The the book is available on the
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archive. Terrific.
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And will be of great use to US. One of the chapters in that book
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talks about how the book of third Nephi is really the book
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of the great high priest. Of course, Jesus is the great
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high priest and he performs a lot of the miracles and healings
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and prophecies and things that were pertinent to the role of
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the high priest. But in addition, Nephi, who is a
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young man at the beginning of Third Nephi, and he will live
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through the events that happened here in 3rd Nephi.
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He is the high priest as well. And so many of the factors that
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are emphasized in 3rd Nephi are high priestly functions, and
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we'll focus on those as we go along.
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Now, one other thing that we'll be talking about now and then.
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For every chapter in 3rd Nephi, we have published no why's.
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And so they're quite a list of them, sometimes more than one.
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For example, there is a no why number 577 on understanding the
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book of Third Nephi as the book of the high priest with the no
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why number. You can search in various ways
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to find this particular no why and kind of pinpoint the
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information that you might find really relevant.
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But in today's chapters one through 7, we have 25 different
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no whys. So I want to just take a brief
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overview of what we're going to talk about today.
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Nephi is the son of Heilemann, leaves, and his son Nephi begins
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to reign as though not only the keeper of the records, but as
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one of the prophets. His grandfather is the second
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Heilemann, son of Heilemann. And this is just 50 years ago.
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He can't be too old, if only in 50 years we've gone through
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three different keepers of the records.
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That's right. And I think his father leaves.
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We don't know why or where he goes, but they they think that
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he's gone somewhere in the land of Zarahema because they search
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for him and don't find him. Well, in Alma the Younger, it
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says he left and they assumed that he had been translated.
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It doesn't say that here, but perhaps he was.
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I don't know. We we'll find out.
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He just says he isn't there. So what else happens here in
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these 7 chapters? Well, we've got a 10 year war
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and it's all against the Gadiat and robbers.
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It's a terrible time. There's a lot of extremes in
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this chapter, the righteous and the wicked.
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And as soon as the Lord comes, of course we get the justice and
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the mercy as well. You know that 10 year war will
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span into material in chapter 8 as well.
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So we don't finish up all of that, but it's interesting that
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the the most beautiful and holy and righteous experiences we
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have the height of of light and goodness in 3rd Nephi.
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But it also begins with the depth, the worst, the, the
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struggles, the, the, the worst years that are ever experienced
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in in the Nephite history seem to now all be just compiled
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right here, compounded upon one another.
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And, and I think it's probably because Satan knows what's
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coming and he's trying to do everything he can to stop that.
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As we read third Nephi, though, we, we, we like to skip over, we
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don't like to read all these bad chapters at the beginning of
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third Nephi. And you wonder, why did we have
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to go through that? Well, we have to wade through
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the trials and troubles and then the light will shine even
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brighter. I think we also have these
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chapters jacked so that we can recognize it in our own day
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because there are so many parallels in this week's lesson
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with our own generation. And, and Mormon is the one who's
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giving us this now. He, of course.
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He's editing Nephi, son of Nephi.
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Mormon has some idea of what's coming in our day, but he's
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already lived a lot of these things in his own day.
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And so for him, telling the story of why the Nephite nation
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will ultimately collapse is important for him to to
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emphasize these problems that have a way of being persistent.
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And and yet he knew how they could solve those problems.
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He's teaching us how to resolve some of the challenges that will
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be facing us in our generation as well.
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But let's start in chapter 1. And after we get this brief
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introduction, we read in verse nine that there was a day set
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apart by the unbelievers that all those who believed in those
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traditions should be put to death, except the sign should
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come to pass which have been given by Samuel the prophet.
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Now at first this was really quite bothersome to me.
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I was very concerned how, how in the world are they determining a
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certain date? Well, I guess it has to go back
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with the Law of Moses. And I found one of the footnotes
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from Deuteronomy chapter 13, verse 5.
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It describes the need for you to kill a false prophet and and so
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if if you've been repeating these messages from Samuel the
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Lame night that that are wrong, then you need to be killed as
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followers of the false prophet as well.
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Hence the edict from Deuteronomy chapters 13 and 18.
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And Jesus actually will say, if you follow a prophet, you shall
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have a prophet's reward. And that's got an upside.
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But I think there's also the downside.
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You follow a false prophet and you will have a false prophet's
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reward. So that may be part of their
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thinking here. I think they have counted
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carefully and I think they have measured that five year window
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as generously as possible. The way you look at the timing
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of Samuel and other things, I think that they're saying, all
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right, it's been long enough, five years, fully five years.
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There's no way you can continue to believe this because the five
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year prophecy was so specific if it hasn't.
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Come. And so the prophet Nephi begins
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pleading for these people, and in his prayer we see a lot of
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parallels. Now, I think that Nephi is
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acting as the high priest at this point.
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His father is gone and won't. They won't know for sure that
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he's not coming back until they decide that 10 years later.
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However, while Nephi as a young man is now in charge of this
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crisis with his people, he's the one they're looking to.
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And he and I, I just, I really am impressed that he would take
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such responsibility and initiative and go and plead all
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day long. With God and into the night.
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Whether that made it happen or not, I don't think so.
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The birth was already going to happen, but he didn't know that.
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I mean, Mary was at full term and that next day and Jesus is
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saying, OK, on the Morrow, come I into the world, he'll tell
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Nephi those words. But he made Nephi wade through
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that day long a prayer on behalf of all of his people.
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He cried unto the Lord all that day.
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So we don't know where he's praying.
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I think it might have been in the temple of Zaraheml or might
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have been in his home, but he's acting in a, in an intercessory
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way we call it, where he's trying to intercede on behalf of
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his people. And, and this was a function of
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the high priest in ancient Israel.
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Continuing on in verse 12, the voice, the Lord comes to him.
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Behold, the Lord came unto him and saying, Lift up your head
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and be of good cheer. And skipping down a little bit
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to verse 13, On this night shall the sign be given, And on the
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Morrow come I into the world to show unto the world that I will
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fulfill all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth
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of my holy prophets. Now, if he is in utero at the
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time, this has been described as this message as a divine
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investiture of authority that we know that these the the Lord
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Jesus is in his body. And it was interesting.
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I found a first presidency statement in 1921 that said the
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spirit enters the body very early and we it's not the day be
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it's not at the first breath. The spirit is in the body early.
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So Lynn, what you're suggesting with this divine investiture is
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that it was an Angel of the Lord who spoke and said on the Morrow
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come I into the world. And so maybe it was the Angel
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Gabriel or Michael or who knows. Is that what you're suggesting?
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The voice that came to him, the voice in his mind said I.
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But I'm suggesting that literally Jesus is in utero at
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this. Time that's right.
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And what what I'm emphasizing is that an Angel like Gabriel could
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speak those words on the Morrow come I into the world.
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And obviously these angels had a lot of role to play in the time
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before the birth of Jesus appearing to Mary and Elizabeth.
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We have no idea who this Angel was, but there was a voice
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communicated. But it would be perfectly
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natural for an Angel to have carried that message, just as
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happened in the in the old world.
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Yeah. I also appreciate that in verse
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15, the description of the star comes as a little chiasmus.
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At the going down of the sun, there became no darkness, and
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then the center point and the people began to be astonished.
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And then we parallel again coming out because there was no
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darkness when the night came. So the astonishment of the
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people, of course, is going to be great because they're all
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expecting to be killed or to be doing the killing.
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And of course the Lord comes and everything has changed and the
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people change their hearts too, which is the best part of all.
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That's right, they recognize them.
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Let's move on to chapter one, verse 22.
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From this time forth there began to be lying sent forth among the
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people by Satan to harden their hearts to the intent that they
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might not believe in the signs and wonders which they had seen.
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But notwithstanding these lines and deceivings, the more part of
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the people did believe and were converted unto the Lord.
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Anytime Satan tries to change things, we know there's
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something important going on. He never fights unless it's a
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battle worth fighting, and this one unfortunately is.
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He attacks hard. You know this word, Satan.
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It appears now and then throughout the Book of Mormon.
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It is a Hebrew word, Satan. It has an ordinary meaning,
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especially in legal matters. A Satan is an accuser or a
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plaintiff, and so in the courtroom a person stands and
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makes an accusation, and although it sounds rather
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demeaning to us, his role is to be a Satan, to be an accuser.
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So we know that the real name of Lucifer, the premortal name, was
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not Satan. He will become an accuser.
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What his role is, what he sees himself doing, is looking for
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causes of action so that he can then bring legal actions against
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us and and demand that he now owns us.
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Before the judgment bar of God, there will be a court proceeding
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and ultimately He will be the eternal accuser.
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So the word is used very accurately here in verse 22.
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That's right, by trying with the intent that he can get them not
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to believe, so that he can then accuse them of not believing
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when even these signs were given.
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Moving on now to chapter one, verse 24, we read there were no
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contentions save it were a few that began to preach endeavoring
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to prove by the Scriptures that it was number more expedient to
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observe the law of Moses having not understood the Scriptures,
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but skipping ahead, it was made known unto them that the law was
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not yet fulfilled. Presume the prophets were able
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to get that straightened out and it was clarified.
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But as time continues on. Now we're up to the 94th year of
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the reign of the judges. It sounds like the rising
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generation, the Nephite and Lamanite youth are are joining
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in with some of the Gadian robbers.
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And I want to read from verse 30 a very important word.
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We're still in chapter 1 of 35. The youth became for themselves.
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You know, this wickedness of the rising generation is a problem
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with every generation when we become self-centered.
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I just I'm fascinated with that phrase.
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It's not used anywhere else in Scripture became for themselves.
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What does that word for mean there?
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I don't know, what do you think? I think it would mean that now
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it's all about themselves. They are for themselves, they're
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not for other people or they're not for other causes.
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They're not working for God and for His Kingdom, for their
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neighbors, for others, for their parents.
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It's self centeredness. I, I think that's right.
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And, and not just in attitude, but when you become for
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something else now you become a campaigner for it, an advocate
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or a worker or whatever you're trying to do, you're agitating
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for certain things. And in this case, they were all
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now working for themselves. Which then LED them,
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unfortunately, into wickedness. In verse 2, we learned that the
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unbelievers are now going to do kind of like they did with
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Samuel the Lamanite when they couldn't attack and couldn't hit
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him. They claimed that it was the
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devil that had been protecting him.
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So we have a similar kind of response here.
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They can't explain that sign that they saw.
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And you know, the sign was that even though it was night time,
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it was light all of that night. And in the morning they saw the
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sun come up. And so they knew it had been a
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whole night that had passed. Indeed.
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Now they, they don't want to accept that or they want to find
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some way of making an excuse for that.
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And So what they say, well, again, that must have been an
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evil sign. So this is a force not of God,
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but of some. And they believe in that world
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and, and at that time in lots of evil spirits and evil forces
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that they felt influence nature and events and so to say, all
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right, maybe it was an evil process or something that we
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shouldn't attribute to God. Satan is doing a good work to
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distract them. But what's interesting here now
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is that they recognize that that sign had happened.
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Now they're trying to explain it away.
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And if you want to look at an interesting know why on what
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they might have seen, no, why #188 talks about a very
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interesting scientifically observed and noted event that
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happened on June 30th, 19 O 8. And it was in Asia and other
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places in the world where this was noted.
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It is known as the Tunguska event.
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And you can look this up and what happened.
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We don't know why. It might have been some kind of
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a a cosmic experience, a comet or something, something in the
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weather system. We don't know.
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But there was a night where it was light all night long.
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That sounds familiar. That's of course a different
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kind of light, a different event.
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However, it does say that this kind of thing can happen.
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And maybe these people were saying, well, it was just a
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natural event and don't attribute too much to it, but
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that really doesn't fly because Samuel had specifically
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prophesied and this will happen in five years.
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And so I think the sign is is very clear.
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And so with that they they then begin at that point in verse 8
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to recalibrate their calendar system.
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And instead of keeping track further of how many years it had
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been since the reign of Judges, or even since the time that Lehi
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had left Jerusalem, they now keep track of the time from the
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sign. The Lord's birth becomes the
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first year. And then in verse 9, we have the
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first thing that happens in the 10th year after they begin
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keeping track of that. And it's important for us to
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know that it's been a 10 year celebration, a 10 year
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anniversary of that sign. And at that point something
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important happens, I think. And that's when Nephi realizes
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that his father, Nephi is not going to come back.
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They've searched all over the land of Zarahemla.
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They've tried to find any evidence that he might be
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coming. And having given him 10 years to
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come back, it's now appropriate for Nephi to become the full
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high priest. And I think that's an important
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point for the book of Third Nephi because it is the book of
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this high priest. And knowing when he becomes
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fully empowered as the high priest, then lets us follow his
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path throughout the rest of the book of Third Nephi.
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Yeah. This short chapter just ends
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with again carnage in the land led by the Gadiant and robbers.
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And the Lamanites, however, interestingly unite with the
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Nephites. So there are faithful Lamanites
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and faithful Nephites. So chapter 3 is this letter from
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the head of the Gadian robbers. His name is Gideon High, and he
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threatens the governor of the land, which is who is Laconius.
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Now Laconius is a righteous man, we're told.
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He has visions and prophecies. He's a great leader, he's able
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to rally the people around very well.
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But this letter is just I. I almost laugh at it.
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I'm glad you've got some no eyes on it as.
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Well, we do. Be but it's just almost funny
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that he he calls him noble and and upright and then he says
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now, now just give everything over to us because we are really
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the noble and upright ones, you know, give up your lands, give
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up everything so we have no bloodshed or else we're going to
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come after you in a month. And, and you point out an
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interesting aspect of this correspondence between Gideon
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High and Laconius. And, and by the way, I imagine
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that they knew each other fairly well because the Gadiantans are
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headquartered at first in Zarahemla.
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And so why wouldn't they know each other?
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We do have a know why, which is know why #190 and it asks why
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was he so polite in speaking to Laconias?
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Maybe because they were at least acquainted with each other.
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But more than that, looking at a lot of instances of diplomatic
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correspondence in the ancient world from lots of different
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places in the world, there are modes of style and expression.
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And even though you hate that person that you're writing to,
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you put on all of these affected friendship verses or phrases.
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Ingratiate them. But it almost sounds sarcastic.
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But I guess that is part of the old system.
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Or to us, it's sarcastic because we know how it's going to turn
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out. But to them, I think he was kind
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of hoping that, well, maybe I you'll cave in on this.
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And so he's being polite and hoping to make it work.
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Well, whatever the reason, their mode of diplomacy was not our
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mode of diplomacy and the ancient world was different than
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ours, and this is 1 instance of that.
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But as the letter concludes, I'm very grateful for verse 12.
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Laconius, the governor was a just man and could not be
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frightened by the demands and the threatenings of a robber,
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you know. So that's when the gathering
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begins. And Laconius, we're told at the
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end of verse 12, did 'cause that his people should cry unto the
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Lord for strength. And he not only calls them to
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pray, but he also calls them to gather.
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He has them repent and he wants them to not only come together
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to in one place, but he wants them to bring their flocks and
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their supplies and it has to be sincerely done.
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I I think he's just amazing how he is able to have the spiritual
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and political wherewithal to unify the people against the
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Getty and robbers. They have a real enemy here and
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it says in verse 16, great and marvelous were the words and the
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prophecies of Liaconius. And then he warns them in verse
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15, except ye repent of all your iniquities.
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And then he talks about that they're going to be delivered
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into the hands of the Gadiant and robbers.
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And at this time there are enough righteous Nephites that
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were told in verse 19 that their chief captains had the spirit of
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revelation and also prophecy. Do you remember back in our Alma
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chapters, sometimes before a war, they would go and talk to
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Alma about where are the Lamanites coming?
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You know, they, they use this inner relationship between the
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person who's leading politically and the person who's who's
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leading spiritually at the temple.
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And verse 19 says that Gideon High, their military leader, was
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also one of their great prophets.
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So the letter is written in the 16th year.
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They begin gathering in the 17th year.
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And finally in the 18th year, the Gideon robbers come.
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So it's been longer than a month for sure.
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You know, possibly. And, and the people will say,
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OK, we're ready. We're gathered, let's attack the
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Getty and robbers and, and they no, no, no, no, no.
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We're going back to being a people of peace.
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As God's people, we can only use defensive warfare and they
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choose to gather between, in the southern land, between Zarahemla
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and Bountiful rather than going up in the northern land.
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It says the northern land has been cursed.
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We know there's not enough trees there, but it's, and also Samuel
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Lamanite said the land is slippery.
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They're they're, they lose their treasures and there's wickedness
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up there. And they do gather and they do a
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lot of things to prepare for the seven years that they will, they
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will hold out. It reminds me of what Joseph did
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in Egypt where he told people for seven years, we will have
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plenty and let's gather what we can and bring it together and
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store up our seven years supply of of food and everything else
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we will need. And then there were the seven
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years of famine. And I think Laconius, they will
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be there for seven years. And I'm thinking we, we can do
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this. And they have a scriptural
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precedent for it. Now, in addition to, you know,
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bringing together their food, they, they bring a lot of things
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together, their weapons, their supplies.
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It also says that they fortify themselves.
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They make weapons of war. They, they do a lot of things.
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And I've heard some wonderful lessons given in seminary and
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institute situations where people have read through these
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verses and just asked themselves, what's the modern
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day analog to this? What can we do to be prepared
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for seven years of of conflict if they prepared so well to
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fight Satan and their enemies and every one of the things that
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they do, you mentioned following the prophets.
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That's one of them. They they get by and together
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they unite. They don't spread out, but they
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solidify as a body of righteous people.
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I'm glad you mentioned that they are spiritually preparing as
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well as physically preparing. The two are working hand in
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hand. So you can go and, and pull
26:43
quite a few things out of this chapter that you might might be
26:47
saying, well, this is ancient history and we're not in this
26:51
kind of situation, but we are a little bit more than we like to
26:54
admit. And I think we will be, as the
26:56
Book of Mormon is a type of what's to come.
27:03
Well, after this they have their seven-year supply.
27:07
And in chapter 4, verse 10, it says that when they were finally
27:14
attacked, and this is in the 19th year from the time that the
27:18
sign of the birth had been given, said they did not fear.
27:21
And I think that's a very powerful blessing.
27:25
When ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.
27:27
When you're not afraid, you don't panic, you don't lose your
27:31
cool, you don't make bad choices, you go forward with
27:36
faith and you don't fear. In chapter 4, verse 24,
27:41
Iguodonai sends an army ahead at night and is able to stop them
27:46
from fleeing and getting away. And they capture Zemnaraya, who
27:51
had been one of the attackers of their city.
27:54
Do like Captain Moroni had done with getting ahead of and behind
27:59
the opponent. And they, they now take this
28:02
leader Zemnaraya captive and he's one of the robbers and they
28:08
will execute him. And the execution is described
28:12
in Chapter 4. It says that their leader was
28:16
taken and hanged upon a tree, even upon the top thereof until
28:21
he was dead. And when they had hanged him
28:24
until he was dead, they did fell the tree to the earth, the
28:28
chopping this big tree down and I imagine it was a pretty large
28:31
tree and they chop it down and down comes this tree with Zem
28:38
Naraya, his body maybe getting smashed by that tree as a plan.
28:43
Well, doesn't it say in the Old Testament something about cursed
28:47
is he or something of it's wrong to be hung because you're dying
28:51
with your blood in you or something?
28:53
What is that in the Old Testament?
28:54
That's in Deuteronomy, where there is a curse upon the one
28:58
who hangs upon the tree. We know that hanging was a mode
29:02
of execution. Sometimes they would also hang
29:06
the body of someone who had already been killed, simply as a
29:10
way of giving public notice to people that this person was was
29:14
wicked. So what happens here though, is
29:19
that the people, when they are chopping it down, they all cry
29:24
with a loud voice, so they chant together.
29:27
Verse 29 May the Lord preserve his people in righteousness and
29:32
in holiness of heart, that they may cause to be felled to the
29:36
earth, all who shall seek to slay them, because of power and
29:40
secret combinations, even as this man hath been felled to the
29:44
earth. To sign for them to hold on to,
29:48
to say this is a wicked thing that's going to happen to all.
29:50
So it's, it's like a simile curse now it's a simile
29:54
execution. We're executing them in a way
29:58
that says the Lord will bring you down as this man has come
30:02
down. And and then of course they
30:06
rejoice and they cry again with one voice.
30:11
And so you again have a, I'm not sure who's leading the cheer
30:16
here, but they all cheer. May the God of Abraham and the
30:19
God of Isaac and the God of Jacob protect this people in
30:22
righteousness, so long as they shall call on the name of their
30:26
God for protection. So these are the people who are
30:32
holding firm and they know they're trying to prepare for
30:36
the coming of Christ and they are saying we will stay firm and
30:41
we will call upon God for protection.
30:44
Verse 31 says they did praise him.
30:47
You know, they are so grateful that the Lord was able to
30:50
inspire their leaders. They were able to endure these
30:53
hardships and they're now praising God for their
30:56
protection. And in verse 32 they cry again,
30:59
Hosanna to the Most High God. And they did cry.
31:02
Blessed be the name of the Lord God Almighty, the Most High God.
31:07
This is reminiscent of Psalm 118 and the words that are used for
31:13
the acclamation of the coming of the king and of the Hosanna,
31:18
save now. And so I think they're thinking
31:22
of that as hoping that their Messiah will come, that Christ
31:28
will come. And doesn't Joshua mean save now
31:31
as well? Yeshua, the name of our Lord
31:34
Jesus in Greek. Yeshua means Jehovah saves and
31:41
Hosanna saved now. So yeah, the same roots are
31:45
there, and their hearts are swollen with joy, gushing out
31:48
with many tears. You can imagine the victory that
31:50
they've now had. Now on the no why side of
31:54
things, guess what? There is a no why #192 on the
31:58
chopping down of the tree and there are ancient Jewish as well
32:05
as ancient American parallels to this.
32:09
There is a simile curse in the Popol vu which is discussed in
32:15
that Know Why. The Popol Vu, by the way, is the
32:18
ancient text of the Mayans. It's their historical record
32:22
that we find a lot of parallels of things there too with the
32:25
Book of Mormon. And one more mention.
32:27
This is the last legal case in the Book of Mormon now where
32:32
they execute him, take him and execute him without a court
32:36
because he is an outlaw and therefore he has no rights for a
32:41
for a hearing. And they take him and execute
32:44
him. And then all of this about the
32:46
chopping the tree down and how that's following legal
32:49
precedents you'll find here in in that book.
32:53
It is just amazing to me how accurate not only the text is,
32:57
but how consistent the Book of Mormon is with ancient
33:00
scripture. The Law of Moses is so clearly
33:04
outlined in their judicial system and we see it in plate
33:07
here. Joseph Smith had no idea.
33:09
Oliver Cowdry had no idea. This is evidence of the reality
33:14
of the antiquity of this great book.
33:21
I love chapter 5 because the people are following the prophet
33:26
to verse one reads there was not a living soul among all the
33:31
people of the Nephites who did doubt.
33:34
And then skipping ahead to verse three, it reads they did forsake
33:38
all their sins and their abominations and their
33:40
whoredoms, and they did serve God with all diligence day and
33:44
night. And when we serve God, we're
33:46
serving one another. We're making sure everyone has
33:49
food and clothing and help. And we they have Prison Reform
33:53
going on at verse 4 reads they did cast their prisoners into
33:57
prison and they did 'cause the word of God to be preached unto
34:00
them. So these are the Gadiat and
34:01
robbers, I assume. And as many as would repent of
34:04
their sins and enter into a covenant that they would murder
34:07
no more. We're set at liberty.
34:08
And then we get this wonderful section in chapter 5 from verse
34:12
7 all the way to verse 26 where Mormon comes out of the silent
34:18
editor mode to introduce himself as the editor right here.
34:22
And, and he's already introduced himself in some places, but not
34:26
this way. He wants to now let people know
34:31
I am the one who is working with these records and here I know
34:36
what I'm talking about. He wants to testify that he
34:39
knows their accuracy, and he knows that Jesus is the Christ I
34:42
love. It he also has seen Jesus
34:46
Christ. He describes it here.
34:48
And so he can speak whereof he knows, but this has bothered
34:53
some people. So why does he say here I do
34:55
make this record and behold, I am called Mormon, called after
34:59
the land of Mormon. And behold, verse 13.
35:02
I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ, a son of God, all all of these
35:05
things you'd think people have kind of understood, especially
35:12
if Mormon expects that they have already read the title page of
35:17
the Book of Mormon, even though it's not written yet.
35:20
Still, why he introduces himself is a topic that has been
35:25
discussed a little bit. And if you want to look at know
35:29
why 194, the question is why does he introduce himself here
35:34
in this way? Look up that.
35:36
Know why it's a good one. But in Mormons concluding words
35:41
of this little section, he puts them in a beautiful chiasmus
35:46
that Don Perry has published starting in verse 24, as surely
35:50
as the Lord liveth, then he ends in verse 26.
35:53
Yeah, as the Lord liveth, so shall it be.
35:56
Amen. And he describes in these few
35:58
verses that the people will be gathered in from the four
36:02
quarters of the earth. That's repeated twice.
36:04
They're all the House of Jacob. That's repeated twice, and it's
36:07
because of the covenant. They're making covenants.
36:10
And then he promises in the center of this chiasmus that the
36:13
House of Jacob, these promises and covenants that have been
36:17
made with them will be fulfilled to the restoring of all the
36:20
House of Jacob unto the knowledge of the covenants which
36:24
they have covenanted. And he goes back on the other
36:25
side. These promises affect us even
36:28
today. And that's why our prophet has
36:30
said the most important work we're going to be doing is
36:33
gathering Israel. And what Mormon is doing here is
36:36
giving his stamp of approval, his authenticity, his
36:44
validation, and he does so with an oath.
36:49
This expression, as the Lord liveth, is one of the most
36:56
formal ways in which people in the ancient world could take an
36:59
oath. I'm not swearing upon by my head
37:03
or by my knees or by, you know, my land.
37:07
I am swearing as God lives. And that was the most solemn way
37:13
that you could, could invoke God's authentication of what you
37:20
were saying. And so Mormon is wanting us to
37:25
now know that he is truly certifying the correctness of
37:30
this record. And then that takes us to
37:32
Chapter 6. So chapter 6 actually moves
37:40
fairly quickly. It's now the 26th year after the
37:43
sign. As we move through the
37:47
countdown, things become worse in some ways, but they know that
37:51
the time at least. Mormon knows that the time is
37:53
coming and he doesn't want to keep us waiting much longer for
37:57
the fulfillment of the prophecy about the giving of the death.
38:01
The sign of the death of Jesus starts in 26 AD in verse 1, and
38:08
in verse 2 we're told that those people who had gathered under
38:12
Laconia still had some provisions left, which is
38:15
interesting that even after seven years they had been frugal
38:18
enough or had been diligent enough, and they still have
38:22
enough to keep going forward with faith.
38:27
And in 27 AD there's peace and order.
38:32
They repair their roads. They're able to get things
38:35
fixed. Well, they've been out of the
38:36
land for years. And the the 28th year is again a
38:40
year of continual peace. And this might have been in a
38:46
way, one of those sabbatical indications.
38:51
Every seven years you have a sabbatical.
38:54
And the 28th year was the 4th sabbatical.
38:59
From the time of the Lord's coming.
39:00
Yes, and so maybe they are now marking that this will be the
39:05
last sabbatical before the coming of Jesus.
39:09
Mormon would have known that, even though they didn't
39:12
themselves. Right.
39:13
They don't know it yet, but he's putting that in as a way of of
39:18
letting us know that the Lord is blessing these people and they
39:23
are being faithful. For a short time, look at the
39:26
next verse. Yeah, in verse 10, now we have
39:29
the 29th here and they start out again with pride and disrupting
39:33
and riches and merchants and lawyers and they all get divided
39:37
by ranks. So it's kind of a class system.
39:40
Money is the source of the challenge here.
39:43
Pride comes from their desire of wealth.
39:45
And I don't know what it means by ranks, whether this is just
39:48
social class, but it may also have to do with business guilds
39:54
or associations where certain people exclude others from
40:00
business opportunities. It says that education came to
40:03
those who had more money. And ranks were according to the
40:07
riches and the chances they have for learning.
40:09
But some were humble, and interestingly, he says that they
40:15
were firm and steadfast and immovable.
40:18
Where do those words come from? We just read those a few weeks
40:22
ago. Comes up every now and then, but
40:25
mostly they start with Lehigh, where he blesses his sons Layman
40:30
and Lamulo. That thou mightest be like unto
40:32
this valley, firm and steadfast and immovable.
40:35
Yeah. So these are these are classic
40:39
phrases that the Nephite culture has always kept alive.
40:44
And Mormon is using that also saying that they were not only
40:50
that, but they were willing. And that point about being
40:53
willing willingness is something that King Benjamin had also
40:59
addressed. In verse 22.
41:01
We learned that a new edict was issued by the governor.
41:06
This would have been Laconius or his successor.
41:08
Probably Laconius, but the death penalty cannot be imposed by
41:14
anyone. Except he gives permission for
41:16
it or the high, the chief judge. I think this is significant
41:19
because they they know that with the coming of Christ he will
41:24
fulfill all the law of Moses and under the law of Moses there
41:28
were several instances where people could be put to death.
41:31
Could be stoned, yes. But knowing that Jesus had come
41:36
lets him know that the law of Moses will not be around for too
41:42
much longer, and so he issues. Now I will control whether the
41:48
death penalty is allowable or not, so that it's now being
41:53
quite restricted. And maybe he's been told that,
41:58
you know, the law of Moses is going to be fulfilled.
42:01
So don't be using that to justify really serious action by
42:07
people and let them know that no, you cannot just take people
42:12
out and execute them. So what happens, however, and
42:17
maybe he saw this coming, is that in verses 23 to 30, we know
42:23
that some of the Gadiant and robbers do take people out who
42:27
were prophets and kill them. And a complaint was filed.
42:34
And because obviously they shouldn't have been doing that.
42:38
And the the case is brought to court and the accused, we're
42:45
told, had a lot of friends. And because of the friends and
42:50
lawyers and even some high priests, they weren't able to
42:54
get a majority or weren't able to get a consensus to punish the
43:00
people who had killed the prophets, presumably violating
43:05
this new penalty that Laconius had put in place.
43:10
So there was treason and there was a conspiracy that goes on
43:15
and they form a covenant now to destroy the governor and to
43:21
establish a king. Destroy the whole government,
43:24
then the whole law that Mosiah established and.
43:26
There's always been this agitation.
43:28
Yeah, King men have been. All the way through back to the
43:31
king, man, the king. A system of kingship is so much
43:35
easier to administer if you're the king.
43:40
And I, I think it's tempting to to appreciate that Mormon puts
43:46
this into the record here because we know who the king
43:50
will be in not a very long time. And but it is this arrogance and
43:57
this conspiracy that is kind of the the last straw as they are
44:06
to. The Nephite nation.
44:07
Falling into, you know, the, the state where many of them will be
44:13
destroyed in the, the earthquakes and the storms and
44:18
the tempests and washed away into the sea and things that are
44:21
coming up. I'm sure a lot of those
44:22
catastrophes involved indiscriminate deaths.
44:27
I mean, people are being killed, men, women, children, good, bad
44:31
and everything else. But the wickedness upon the land
44:35
is now strong enough that I think Mormon wants us to know
44:42
that God is not just killing a whole bunch of really good
44:46
people. There's a lot of problems out
44:49
there, and these problems need to be eliminated before the Son
44:54
of God in holiness can appear. Well, Chapter 7 is when the
45:03
government actually fails faults.
45:05
We're told in verse 1 they did murder the chief judge of the
45:09
land and the people were divided one against another.
45:12
And that's when they separate into tribes and we no longer
45:17
have a unified system. But these tribes unify
45:22
themselves in somewhat and they agree not to kill each other,
45:28
but they are both. All the tribes are fighting
45:31
against those who destroyed the government and they're mad at
45:34
them. It says, though, in verse 7, all
45:37
this iniquity had come upon the people because they did yield
45:40
themselves to the power of Satan.
45:43
And I just have to ask Jack in my own life, do I recognize
45:47
Satan's influences around me? Do I recognize them in our
45:52
world? Because these people were so
45:54
involved in their day-to-day lives, I don't know if they saw
45:57
Satan carefully destroying that which would provide liberty.
46:02
And I wonder if not just in the governmental sense, but in the
46:07
way we think and the way we view our world, do we recognize
46:11
Satan? Do we yield to his falsehoods?
46:14
What? What could we do?
46:15
I mean, it's not like someone is standing up very often and
46:20
saying I am an ambassador of Satan, you know?
46:26
And here's what. No, no, no.
46:28
I. Think, you know, so it's not
46:30
going to be that flagrant. It's not going to be so open and
46:32
notorious. I think, though, that we have to
46:36
always be on our guard. And if you do not watch and pray
46:43
and are careful and are mindful, as King Benjamin had said, you
46:49
will fall into the power of of Satan.
46:55
So I think we always have to be asking the question, what is
46:58
this of God? Or is this of his opponents?
47:01
And we have a living prophet. We can live by every word that
47:06
proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God and through our
47:11
prophets to continue on. But we're told that these groups
47:15
of people separated themselves. And in the north is where the
47:19
robbers went under their king, King Jacob.
47:22
And it says in Chapter 7, verse 12 and 13 that King Jacob
47:26
commanded his people that they should take their flight into
47:29
the northernmost part of the land.
47:31
And so speedy was their March, they could not be impede until
47:36
they had gone forth out of the reach of the people.
47:38
So the different tribes are down in the area between Bountiful
47:42
and Nephire, whatever with the the traditional small space of
47:45
the Book of Mormon where we've been the whole time.
47:47
But these wicked Geddy at Robbers and their King Jacob are
47:51
up north. In contrast to this disaster.
47:54
I love verse 15, the prophet Nephi having been visited by
47:58
angels and also the voice of the Lord.
48:00
And then moving ahead to verses 17 to 18.
48:03
He did minister with power and with great authority.
48:06
And Jack, did you catch this at the end of verse 15?
48:09
He was an eyewitness to the ministry of Christ.
48:12
Oh, he's following along and seeing things that are happening
48:17
in Galilee and in Jerusalem. It's just amazing to me the Lord
48:21
is giving him visions or God is giving him visions of what is
48:25
happening to our Savior. And I don't know if that was
48:28
just a glimpse of the baptism or a glimpse of a healing, but I
48:31
wonder if it included a gimpse of a healing.
48:34
Because we're told then that Nephi raises his brother.
48:39
He had such great faith. It says in verse 19 that the
48:43
prophet Nephi in the name of Jesus did cast out devils and
48:47
unclean spirits. And even his brother did he
48:50
raise from the dead after he had been stoned and suffered death
48:54
by the people. So his brother we learned later
48:56
on his brothers names Timothy at least that's the translated
49:00
name. And I'm just wondering, they
49:02
give this example of him casting out evil spirits right after
49:06
they say he has had visions of what the Lord was doing in the
49:09
ancient world. I would say that can't be
49:12
inadvertent. And then we ask ourselves, who
49:15
is this Nephi? I mean, he is the son of the
49:18
Nephi who had been given the sealing power back in the book
49:22
of Helaman. And whether he had been given or
49:26
would be given that same power, he now knows that he is the
49:31
acting high priest as he sees what Jesus is doing in Galilee.
49:35
And he now can ask, may I do that here?
49:40
He calls upon the name of the Lord and performs these
49:42
miracles. He is then given permission.
49:45
I suppose we don't. We aren't told that.
49:47
But would he have gone forward? Maybe, maybe he's just acting on
49:52
the promise that was given to his Father.
49:55
Whatsoever you ask in righteousness, it shall be given
49:58
you. And I think as he sees what's
50:01
going on, he needs to prepare his people because he knows that
50:07
Jesus will come and they need to be prepared as much as people in
50:13
Galilee needed to know who Jesus was so that when he appeared as
50:18
a resurrected being there they would recognize him.
50:22
I love verse 21. There were but a few who were
50:25
converted unto the Lord, but as many as were converted did truly
50:30
signify unto the people that they had been visited by the
50:33
power of the Spirit of God. I was fascinated with the link
50:36
between the spirit and power, and I looked it up throughout
50:39
all the Behold Book of Mormon and the This is something that's
50:44
unique in the Book of Mormon, but the spirit is often related
50:48
to power. It's also in the doctrine
50:50
cabinets. It's in restored scripture.
50:52
But I love that idea that when we feel the Spirit, it might be
50:56
a still small voice, but it is a powerful witness to us if we
51:00
treasure it. And continuing on, he, he says
51:03
the power in the Spirit of God, which was in Jesus Christ in
51:07
whom they believe. And as many as had devils cast
51:10
out from them and were healed of their sicknesses and their
51:13
infirmities did truly manifest unto the people that they had
51:17
been wrought upon by the Spirit of God.
51:19
So we've got people walking around as witnesses.
51:21
And I feel like that's one of our roles in this latter days is
51:24
to testify when we have seen God's hand in our lives.
51:28
And I would just like to testify that I believe in a God of
51:31
miracles. I have seen miracles in my own
51:34
life. I have seen miracles in the
51:35
lives of my children. I have seen healing miracles.
51:39
I have seen God's hand. And as Nephi was blessed with
51:44
these gifts right before the coming of the Lord, we have the
51:47
responsibility as disciples of Jesus Christ to speak of Christ
51:53
and rejoice of Christ, and to testify of Him in our lives.
51:57
I hope that as you study these scriptures this week, you can
52:01
feel God's love for you. If you ask for that.
52:07
We can testify of Him better and prepare for His second coming in
52:12
the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.