pgs. 448 and 449...And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you.

16 Then shall ye, who are a ^aremnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young ^blion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both ^ctreadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

17 Thy hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

18 And I will ^agather my people together as a man gathereth his sheaves into the floor.

19 For I will make my ^apeople with whom the Father hath covenanted, yea, I will make thy ^bhorn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass. And thou shalt ^cbeat in pieces many people; and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I am he who doeth it.

20 And it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that the ^asword of my justice shall hang over them at that day; and except they repent it shall fall upon them, saith the Father, yea, even upon all the nations of the Gentiles.

21 And it shall come to pass that I will establish my ^apeople, O house of Israel.

22 And behold, this ^apeople will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the ^bcovenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a ^cNew Jerusalem. And the ^dpowers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even ^eI will be in the midst of you.

23 Behold, I am he of whom Moses spake, saying: ^aA prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among the people.

24 Verily I say unto you, yea, and ^aall the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have testified of me.

25 And behold, ye are the ^achildren of the prophets; and ye are of the house of Israel; and ye are of the ^bcovenant which the Father made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham: And ^cin thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.

26 The Father having raised me up unto you first, and sent me to ^abless you in ^bturning away every one of you from his iniquities; and this because ye are the children of the covenant—

27 And after that ye were blessed then fulfilleth the Father the covenant which he made with Abraham, saying: ^aIn thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed—unto the pouring out of the Holy Ghost through me upon the Gentiles, which ^bblessing upon the ^cGentiles shall make them mighty above all, unto the ^dscattering of my people, O house of Israel.

28 And they shall be a ^ascourge unto the people of this land. Nevertheless, when they shall have received the fulness of my gospel, then if they shall harden their hearts against me I will return their ^biniquities upon their own heads, saith the Father.

29 And I will ^aremember the covenant which I have made with my people; and I have covenanted with them that I would ^bgather them together in mine own due time, that I would give unto them again the ^cland of their fathers for their inheritance, which is the land of Jerusalem, which is the promised land unto them forever, saith the Father.

30 And it shall come to pass that the time cometh, when the fulness of my gospel shall be preached unto them;

31 And they shall ^abelieve in me, that I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and shall pray unto the Father in my name.

32 Then shall their ^awatchmen lift up their voice, and with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye.

33 Then will the Father gather them together again, and give unto them ^aJerusalem for the ^bland of their inheritance.

34 Then shall they break forth into joy—^aSing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Father hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

35 The Father hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of the Father; and the Father and I are one.

36 And then shall be brought to pass that which is written: ^aAwake, awake again, and put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city, for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

37 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

38 For thus saith the Lord: Ye have sold yourselves for naught, and ye shall be redeemed without money.

39 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that my people shall know my name; yea, in that day they shall know that I am he that doth speak.

40 And then shall they say: ^aHow beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings unto them, that ^bpublisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings unto them of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!

41 And then shall a cry go forth: ^aDepart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch not that which is ^bunclean; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye ^cclean that bear the vessels of the Lord.

42 For ye shall ^anot go out with ^bhaste nor go by flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel shall be your rearward.

43 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.

44 As many were astonished at thee—his visage was so marred, more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men—

45 So shall he ^asprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him, for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they ^bconsider.

46 Verily, verily, I say unto you, all these things shall surely come, even as the Father hath commanded me. Then shall this covenant which the Father hath covenanted with his people be fulfilled; and then shall ^aJerusalem be inhabited again with my people, and it shall be the land of their inheritance.

The promises that the Lord gives to these Nephites regarding the last days are so valuable to us because of the time in which we live. To know there will be a New Jerusalem and that the Savior will rule from there to all the world is so powerful. It is another testament of the power of the Book of Mormon that the Savior Himself is recorded telling us about the future of His Father's Kingdom on the earth. When Satan's influence on the world seems to be overwhelming we can gain strength from this chapter and it's amazing promises of what lies ahead.

pgs. 446 and 447..."So great faith I have never seen among all the Jews; wherefore I could not show unto them so great miracles..."

22 Father, thou hast given them the Holy Ghost because they believe in ^ame; and thou seest that they believe in me because thou hearest them, and they pray unto me; and they pray unto me because I am with them.

23 And now Father, I ^apray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them ^bas thou, Father, art in me, that we may be ^cone.

24 And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus prayed unto the Father, he came unto his disciples, and behold, they did still continue, without ceasing, to pray unto him; and they did not ^amultiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should ^bpray, and they were filled with desire.

25 And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto him; and his ^acountenance did smile upon them, and the light of his ^bcountenance did ^cshine upon them, and behold they were as ^dwhite as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; and behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof.

26 And Jesus said unto them: Pray on; nevertheless they did not cease to pray.

27 And he turned from them again, and went a little way off and bowed himself to the earth; and he prayed again unto the Father, saying:

28 Father, I thank thee that thou hast ^apurified those whom I have chosen, because of their faith, and I pray for them, and also for them who shall believe on their words, that they may be purified in me, through faith on their words, even as they are purified in me.

29 Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me ^aout of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them.

30 And when Jesus had spoken these words he came again unto his disciples; and behold they did pray steadfastly, without ceasing, unto him; and he did smile upon them again; and behold they were ^awhite, even as Jesus.

31 And it came to pass that he went again a little way off and prayed unto the Father;

32 And tongue cannot speak the words which he prayed, neither can be ^awritten by man the words which he prayed.

33 And the multitude did hear and do bear record; and their ^ahearts were open and they did understand in their hearts the words which he prayed.

34 Nevertheless, so great and marvelous were the words which he prayed that they cannot be written, neither can they be ^auttered by man.

35 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying he came again to the disciples, and said unto them: ^aSo great ^bfaith have I never seen among all the Jews; wherefore I could not show unto them so great ^cmiracles, because of their ^dunbelief.

36 Verily I say unto you, there are none of them that have seen so great things as ye have seen; neither have they heard so great things as ye have heard.

THIRD NEPHI
THE BOOK OF NEPHI
THE SON OF NEPHI, WHO WAS THE SON OF HELAMAN

CHAPTER 20

Jesus provides bread and wine miraculously and again administers the sacrament unto them—The remnant of Jacob shall come to the knowledge of the Lord their God and shall inherit the Americas—Jesus is the prophet like unto Moses, and the Nephites are children of the prophets—Others of the Lord’s people shall be gathered to Jerusalem. [A.D. 34]

1 And it came to pass that he commanded the multitude that they should ^acease to ^bpray, and also his disciples. And he commanded them that they should not cease to pray in their hearts.

2 And he commanded them that they should arise and stand up upon their feet. And they arose up and stood upon their feet.

3 And it came to pass that he ^abrake ^bbread again and blessed it, and gave to the disciples to eat.

4 And when they had eaten he commanded them that they should break bread, and give unto the multitude.

5 And when they had given unto the multitude he also gave them wine to drink, and commanded them that they should give unto the multitude.

6 Now, there had been no ^abread, neither wine, brought by the disciples, neither by the multitude;

7 But he truly ^agave unto them bread to eat, and also wine to drink.

8 And he said unto them: He that eateth this bread eateth of ^amy body to his soul; and he that drinketh of this wine drinketh of my blood to his soul; and his soul shall never hunger nor thirst, but shall be filled.

9 Now, when the multitude had all eaten and drunk, behold, they were filled with the Spirit; and they did cry out with one voice, and gave glory to Jesus, whom they both saw and heard.

10 And it came to pass that when they had all given glory unto Jesus, he said unto them: Behold now I finish the commandment which the Father hath commanded me concerning this people, who are a remnant of the house of Israel.

11 Ye remember that I spake unto you, and said that when the ^awords of ^bIsaiah should be fulfilled—behold they are written, ye have them before you, therefore search them—

12 And verily, verily, I say unto you, that when they shall be fulfilled then is the fulfilling of the ^acovenant which the Father hath made unto his people, O house of Israel.

13 And then shall the ^aremnants, which shall be ^bscattered abroad upon the face of the earth, be ^cgathered in from the east and from the west, and from the south and from the north; and they shall be brought to the ^dknowledge of the Lord their God, who hath redeemed them.

14 And the Father hath ^acommanded me that I should give unto you this ^bland, for your inheritance.

15 And I say unto you, that if the Gentiles do not ^arepent after the ^bblessing which they shall receive, after they have scattered my people—

The powerful quote given by the Savior in verse 35 teaches us that our faith or lack of faith is directly connected to what God can show us and share with us. I think about my own children and all the wonderful things I would like to teach them but I know they have to be ready and willing. Going through the temple comes to mind...it is the experience I want them to have most but the spiritual preparation must occur. I'm sure Heavenly Father feels the same way about all of His children. He has so much He would like to show us but we must prepare ourselves through faithfulness first.

pgs. 444 and 445...while the angels were ministering unto the disciples, behold Jesus came and stood in the midst and ministered unto them.

31 But if he repent not he shall not be numbered among my people, that he may not destroy my people, for behold I ^aknow ^bmy sheep, and they are numbered.

32 Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out of your ^asynagogues, or your places of worship, for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall ^bheal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them.

33 Therefore, keep these sayings which I have commanded you that ye come not under ^acondemnation; for wo unto him whom the Father condemneth.

34 And I give you these commandments because of the disputations which have been among you. And blessed are ye if ye have ^ano disputations among you.

35 And now I go unto the Father, because it is expedient that I should go unto the Father ^afor your sakes.

36 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of these sayings, he touched with his ^ahand the ^bDisciples whom he had chosen, one by one, even until he had touched them all, and spake unto them as he touched them.

37 And the multitude heard not the words which he spake, therefore they did not bear record; but the Disciples bare record that he gave them ^apower to give the ^bHoly Ghost. And I will show unto you ^chereafter that this record is true.

38 And it came to pass that when Jesus had touched them all, there came a ^acloud and overshadowed the multitude that they could not see Jesus.

39 And while they were overshadowed he ^adeparted from them, and ascended into heaven. And the Disciples saw and did bear record that he ascended again into heaven.

THIRD NEPHI
THE BOOK OF NEPHI
THE SON OF NEPHI, WHO WAS THE SON OF HELAMAN

CHAPTER 19

The Twelve Disciples minister unto the people and pray for the Holy Ghost—They are baptized and receive the Holy Ghost and the ministering of angels—Jesus prays using words that cannot be written—He attests to the exceedingly great faith of these Nephites. [A.D. 34]

1 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had ascended into heaven, the multitude did disperse, and every man did take his wife and his children and did return to his own home.

2 And it was noised abroad among the people immediately, before it was yet dark, that the multitude had seen Jesus, and that he had ministered unto them, and that he would also show himself on the ^amorrow unto the multitude.

3 Yea, and even all the night it was noised abroad concerning Jesus; and insomuch did they send forth unto the people that there were many, yea, an exceedingly great number, did labor exceedingly all that night, that they might be on the morrow in the place where Jesus should show himself unto the multitude.

4 And it came to pass that on the morrow, when the multitude was gathered together, behold, Nephi and his ^abrother whom he had raised from the ^bdead, whose name was Timothy, and also his son, whose name was Jonas, and also Mathoni, and Mathonihah, his brother, and Kumen, and Kumenonhi, and Jeremiah, and Shemnon, and Jonas, and Zedekiah, and Isaiah—now these were the ^cnames of the ^ddisciples whom Jesus had chosen—and it came to pass that they went forth and stood in the midst of the multitude.

5 And behold, the multitude was ^aso great that they did cause that they should be separated into twelve bodies.

6 And the twelve did teach the multitude; and behold, they did cause that the multitude should ^akneel down upon the face of the earth, and should pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus.

7 And the disciples did pray unto the Father also in the name of Jesus. And it came to pass that they arose and ministered unto the people.

8 And when they had ministered those same words which Jesus had spoken—nothing varying from the words which Jesus had spoken—behold, they knelt again and prayed to the Father in the name of Jesus.

9 And they did pray for that which they most desired; and they desired that the ^aHoly Ghost should be given unto them.

10 And when they had thus prayed they went down unto the water’s edge, and the multitude followed them.

11 And it came to pass that Nephi went down ^ainto the water and was ^bbaptized.

12 And he came up out of the water and began to baptize. And he baptized all those whom Jesus had chosen.

13 And it came to pass when they were all baptized and had come ^aup out of the water, the ^bHoly Ghost did fall upon them, and they were filled with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

14 And behold, they were ^aencircled about as if it were by fire; and it came down from heaven, and the multitude did witness it, and did bear record; and angels did come down out of heaven and did minister unto them.

15 And it came to pass that while the angels were ministering unto the disciples, behold, Jesus came and stood in the midst and ministered unto them.

16 And it came to pass that he spake unto the multitude, and commanded them that they should kneel down again upon the earth, and also that his disciples should kneel down upon the earth.

17 And it came to pass that when they had all knelt down upon the earth, he commanded his disciples that they should pray.

18 And behold, they began to pray; and they did pray unto Jesus, calling him their Lord and their God.

19 And it came to pass that Jesus departed out of the midst of them, and went a little way off from them and ^abowed himself to the earth, and he said:

20 Father, I thank thee that thou hast given the Holy Ghost unto these whom I have ^achosen; and it is because of their belief in me that I have chosen them out of the world.

21 Father, I pray thee that thou wilt give the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall believe in their words.

It must have been so exciting for those who were invited by their friends to come to the place where they had seen the Savior so they could meet Him the next day. Can you imagine? It makes my heart beat faster just thinking about that emotion! The next morning as they were waiting for the arrival of the Savior the 12 apostles taught them and prayed with them. Chapter 19 focuses so much on prayer, in fact the words pray, prayed or praying are mentioned 28 times. This reminds us that to be close to the Savior and prepare ourselves to meet Him someday prayer is vital.

pgs. 442 and 443...it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit...

THIRD NEPHI
THE BOOK OF NEPHI
THE SON OF NEPHI, WHO WAS THE SON OF HELAMAN

CHAPTER 18

Jesus institutes the sacrament among the Nephites—They are commanded to pray always in his name—Those who eat his flesh and drink his blood unworthily are damned—The disciples are given power to confer the Holy Ghost. [A.D. 34]

1 And it came to pass that Jesus commanded his Disciples that they should bring forth some ^abread and wine unto him.

2 And while they were gone for bread and wine, he commanded the multitude that they should sit themselves down upon the earth.

3 And when the Disciples had come with ^abread and wine, he took of the bread and brake and blessed it; and he gave unto the Disciples and commanded that they should eat.

4 And when they had eaten and were filled, he commanded that they should give unto the multitude.

5 And when the multitude had eaten and were filled, he said unto the Disciples: Behold there shall one be ^aordained among you, and to him will I give power that he shall ^bbreak ^cbread and bless it and give it unto the people of my ^dchurch, unto all those who shall believe and be baptized in my name.

6 And this shall ye always observe to ^ado, even as I have done, even as I have broken bread and blessed it and given it unto you.

7 And this shall ye do in ^aremembrance of my ^bbody, which I have shown unto you. And it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.

8 And it came to pass that when he said these words, he commanded his Disciples that they should take of the ^awine of the cup and drink of it, and that they should also give unto the multitude that they might drink of it.

9 And it came to pass that they did so, and did drink of it and were filled; and they gave unto the multitude, and they did drink, and they were filled.

10 And when the Disciples had done this, Jesus said unto them: Blessed are ye for this thing which ye have done, for this is fulfilling my commandments, and this doth witness unto the Father that ye are ^awilling to do that which I have commanded you.

11 And this shall ye always do to those who repent and are baptized in my name; and ye shall do it in ^aremembrance of my ^bblood, which I have shed for you, that ye may witness unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.

12 And I give unto you a commandment that ye shall do these things. And if ye shall always do these things blessed are ye, for ye are built upon my ^arock.

13 But whoso among you shall do ^amore or less than these are not built upon my rock, but are built upon a sandy foundation; and when the rain descends, and the floods come, and the winds blow, and beat upon them, they shall ^bfall, and the ^cgates of hell are ready open to receive them.

14 Therefore blessed are ye if ye shall keep my commandments, which the Father hath commanded me that I should give unto you.

15 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and ^apray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him.

16 And as I have prayed among you even so shall ye pray in my ^achurch, among my people who do repent and are baptized in my name. Behold I am the ^blight; I have set an ^cexample for you.

17 And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto his Disciples, he turned again unto the multitude and said unto them:

18 Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for ^aSatan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.

19 Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name;

20 And ^awhatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.

21 ^aPray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.

22 And behold, ye shall ^ameet together oft; and ye shall not forbid any man from coming unto you when ye shall meet together, but suffer them that they may come unto you and forbid them not;

23 But ye shall ^apray for them, and shall not cast them out; and if it so be that they come unto you oft ye shall pray for them unto the Father, in my name.

24 Therefore, hold up your ^alight that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the ^blight which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the Father, and ye all have witnessed.

25 And ye see that I have commanded that ^anone of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me, that ye might ^bfeel and see; even so shall ye do unto the world; and whosoever breaketh this commandment suffereth himself to be led into temptation.

26 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he turned his eyes again upon the ^aDisciples whom he had chosen, and said unto them:

27 Behold verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you another commandment, and then I must go unto my ^aFather that I may fulfil ^bother commandments which he hath given me.

28 And now behold, this is the commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall not suffer any one knowingly to ^apartake of my flesh and blood ^bunworthily, when ye shall minister it;

29 For whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and ^ablood ^bunworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul; therefore if ye know that a man is unworthy to eat and drink of my flesh and blood ye shall forbid him.

30 Nevertheless, ye shall not ^acast him out from among you, but ye shall ^bminister unto him and shall pray for him unto the Father, in my name; and if it so be that he repenteth and is baptized in my name, then shall ye receive him, and shall minister unto him of my flesh and blood.

I must have been 16 or 17 when I heard my Mom use a wonderful analogy about the sacrament while bearing her testimony on a Fast Sunday. She said that she knew her sins were being forgiven as she participated in the ordinance and the way it uplifted her felt like "helium in her heart." I have thought about that so many times since because the image is so powerful to me. Unfortunately it can be easy to become nonchalant about the sacrament because we get so used to it. This reading is a reminder that it is such an amazing gift and blessing. For these Nephites it represented the end of the law of Moses and the sacrificing of animals and the beginning of exercising faith in Christ's sacrifice. This must have been such a powerful transition for them.

pgs. 440 and 441...and they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet and worship him.

17 And then the ^awords of the prophet Isaiah shall be fulfilled, which say:

18 ^aThy ^bwatchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing, for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

19 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

20 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of God.

THIRD NEPHI
THE BOOK OF NEPHI
THE SON OF NEPHI, WHO WAS THE SON OF HELAMAN

CHAPTER 17

Jesus directs the people to ponder his words and pray for understanding—He heals their sick—He prays for the people, using language that cannot be written—Angels minister to and fire encircles their little ones. [A.D. 34]

1 Behold, now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked round about again on the multitude, and he said unto them: Behold, my ^atime is at hand.

2 I ^aperceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot ^bunderstand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time.

3 Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ^aponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and ^bprepare your minds for the ^cmorrow, and I come unto you again.

4 But now I ^ago unto the Father, and also to ^bshow myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not ^clost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them.

5 And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were ^ain tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them.

6 And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with ^acompassion towards you.

7 Have ye any that are ^asick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or ^bleprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will ^cheal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.

8 For I perceive that ye desire that I should show unto you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem, for I see that your ^afaith is ^bsufficient that I should heal you.

9 And it came to pass that when he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their ^ablind, and with their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him.

10 And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did ^akiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears.

11 And it came to pass that he commanded that their ^alittle children should be brought.

12 So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him.

13 And it came to pass that when they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should ^akneel down upon the ground.

14 And it came to pass that when they had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and said: Father, I am ^atroubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel.

15 And when he had said these words, he himself also ^aknelt upon the earth; and behold he ^bprayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him.

16 And after this manner do they bear record: The ^aeye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father;

17 And no ^atongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.

18 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the ^ajoy of the multitude that they were overcome.

19 And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise.

20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And ^anow behold, my joy is full.

21 And when he had said these words, he ^awept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and ^bblessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.

22 And when he had done this he wept again;

23 And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones.

24 And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and ^aencircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.

25 And the multitude did see and ^ahear and bear record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see and hear, every man for himself; and they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls; and they did consist of men, women, and children.

When I was 14 our stake went to BYU for Youth Conference one summer. It was an amazing experience but more than anything I remember the "price of admission." The stake agreed to pay for any young man or young woman who would read the books of Helaman and 3rd Nephi. I had never read just those books in just that order and as I look back now I am reminded of how inspired that assignment was. I enjoyed those pages so much even as a youth. These past few entries as I have tried to comment on these climactic chapters in 3rd Nephi I am constantly reminded that words are not always adequate or enough for expressing spiritual feelings. But just as I learned back when I was 14, one does not need to be a scholar or even a mature adult to feel the simple power of the Savior's love for these 2500 Nephites who wet His feet with their tears. This account of the interaction between the Savior and those who loved Him is an indescribable gift to any and all who will take the time to study it.

pgs. 438 and 439...then will I fulfill the covenant which the Father hath made unto all the people of the house of Israel.

20 And verily, I say unto you again that the other tribes hath the Father separated from them; and it is because of their iniquity that they know not of them.

  21 And verily I say unto you, that ye are they of whom I said: ^aOther sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one^bshepherd.

  22 And they understood me not, for they supposed it had been the ^aGentiles; for they understood not that the Gentiles should be ^bconverted through their preaching.

  23 And they understood me not that I said they shall hear my voice; and they understood me not that the ^aGentiles should not at any time hear my voice—that I should not manifest myself unto them save it were by the ^bHoly Ghost.

  24 But behold, ye have both heard ^amy voice, and seen me; and ye are my sheep, and ye are numbered among those whom the Father hath ^bgiven me.

THIRD NEPHI
THE BOOK OF NEPHI
THE SON OF NEPHI, WHO WAS THE SON OF HELAMAN

CHAPTER 16

Jesus will visit others of the lost sheep of Israel—In the latter days the gospel will go to the Gentiles and then to the house of Israel—The Lord’s people shall see eye to eye when he brings again Zion. [A.D.34]

  1 And verily, verily, I say unto you that I have ^aother sheep, which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister.

  2 For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them.

  3 But I have received a ^acommandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall ^bhear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold and one shepherd; therefore I go to show myself unto them.

  4 And I command you that ye shall ^awrite these sayings after I am gone, that if it so be that my people at Jerusalem, they who have seen me and been with me in my ministry, do not ask the Father in my name, that they may receive a knowledge of you by the Holy Ghost, and also of the other tribes whom they know not of, that these sayings which ye shall write shall be kept and shall be manifested unto the^bGentiles, that through the fulness of the Gentiles, the remnant of their seed, who shall be scattered forth upon the face of the earth because of their ^cunbelief, may be brought in, or may be brought to a^dknowledge of me, their Redeemer.

  5 And then will I ^agather them in from the four quarters of the earth; and then will I fulfil the ^bcovenant which the Father hath made unto all the people of the ^chouse of Israel.

  6 And blessed are the ^aGentiles, because of their belief in me, in and of the Holy Ghost, which ^bwitnesses unto them of me and of the Father.

  7 Behold, because of their belief in me, saith the Father, and because of the unbelief of you, O house of Israel, in the ^alatter day shall the truth come unto the ^bGentiles, that the fulness of these things shall be made known unto them.

  8 But wo, saith the Father, unto the ^aunbelieving of the Gentiles—for notwithstanding they have come forth upon the face of this land, and have ^bscattered my people who are of the house of Israel; and my people who are of the house of Israel have been ^ccast out from among them, and have been trodden under feet by them;

  9 And because of the mercies of the Father unto the Gentiles, and also the judgments of the Father upon my people who are of the house of Israel, verily, verily, I say unto you, that after all this, and I have caused my people who are of the house of Israel to be smitten, and to be afflicted, and to be ^aslain, and to be cast out from among them, and to become ^bhated by them, and to become a hiss and a byword among them—

  10 And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall ^asin against my gospel, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, and shall be ^blifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and ^cmurders, and^dpriestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations; and if they shall do all those things, and shall ^ereject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them.

  11 And then will I ^aremember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them.

  12 And I will show unto thee, O house of Israel, that the Gentiles shall not have power over you; but I will remember my covenant unto you, O house of Israel, and ye shall come unto the ^aknowledge of the fulness of my gospel.

  13 But if the Gentiles will repent and return unto me, saith the Father, behold they shall be ^anumbered among my people, O house of Israel.

  14 And I will not suffer my people, who are of the house of Israel, to go through among them, and tread them down, saith the Father.

  15 But if they will not turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, I will suffer them, yea, I will suffer my people, O house of Israel, that they shall go through among them, and shall ^atread them down, and they shall be as salt that hath lost its savor, which is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of my people, O house of Israel.

  16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, thus hath the Father commanded me—that I should give unto ^athis people this land for their inheritance.

I read an interesting commentary in correlation with Chapter 16 verses 1-3 (which is understood to refer to the lost ten tribes because of the direct reference to them in the next chapter verse 4.) Did you know that in 1831 the Prophet Joseph Smith said that the Apostle John was at that time among the the lost ten tribes and preparing them for their return? (See History of the Church, volume 1, page 176.)  We also know that the Savior visited them after He visited the Nephites and someday look forward to reading that account.  For more information on the lost ten tribes and their return also read D&C 133:26-33.