pgs. 108 and 109...I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little.

15 O the ^awise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the ^bpride of their ^chearts, and all those who preach ^dfalse doctrines, and all those who commit ^ewhoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, ^fwo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell!

16 Wo unto them that ^aturn aside the just for a thing of naught and ^brevile against that which is good, and say that it is of no worth! For the day shall come that the Lord God will speedily visit the inhabitants of the earth; and in that day that they are ^cfully ripe in iniquity they shall perish.

17 But behold, if the inhabitants of the earth shall repent of their wickedness and abominations they shall not be destroyed, saith the Lord of Hosts.

18 But behold, that great and ^aabominable church, the ^bwhore of all the earth, must ^ctumble to the earth, and great must be the fall thereof.

19 For the kingdom of the devil must ^ashake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the ^bdevil will grasp them with his everlasting ^cchains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish;

20 For behold, at that day shall he ^arage in the ^bhearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.

21 And others will he ^apacify, and lull them away into carnal ^bsecurity, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the ^cdevil ^dcheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.

22 And behold, others he ^aflattereth away, and telleth them there is no ^bhell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful ^cchains, from whence there is no deliverance.

23 Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be ^ajudged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a ^blake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.

24 Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ^aease in Zion!

25 Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well!

26 Yea, wo be unto him that ^ahearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!

27 Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we ^aneed no more!

28 And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are ^aangry because of ^bthe truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the ^crock ^dreceiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.

29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we ^aneed ^bno more of the word of God, for we have enough!

30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon ^aprecept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn ^bwisdom; for unto him that ^creceiveth I will give ^dmore; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

31 Cursed is he that putteth his ^atrust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the ^bprecepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.

32 ^aWo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and ^bcome unto me; for mine ^carm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts.

CHAPTER 29

Many gentiles shall reject the Book of Mormon—They shall say: We need no more Bible—The Lord speaks to many nations—He will judge the world out of the books thus written. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

1 But behold, there shall be many—at that day when I shall proceed to do a ^amarvelous work among them, that I may remember my ^bcovenants which I have made unto the children of men, that I may set my hand again the ^csecond time to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel;

2 And also, that I may remember the promises which I have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father, that I would remember your seed; and that the ^awords of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed; and my words shall ^bhiss forth unto the ^cends of the earth, for a ^dstandard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel;

3 And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A ^aBible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.

One of the concepts that jumped out at me from this reading is in verse 22 where Nephi warns us that in the latter days Satan will tell us "I am no devil, for there is none and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance." At first I wondered why it would benefit Satan to convince people that he does not exist. Then I read this quote:

“A corollary to the pernicious falsehood that God is dead is the equally pernicious doctrine that there is no devil. Satan himself is the father of both of these lies. To believe them is to surrender to him. Such surrender has always led, is leading now, and will continue to lead men to destruction.

“Latter-day Saints know that there is a God. With like certainty, they know that Satan lives, that he is a powerful personage of spirit, the archenemy of God, of man, and of righteousness.

“The reality of the existence of both God and the devil is conclusively established by the scriptures and by human experience” (Marion G. Romney in Conference Report, Apr. 1971, p. 22; or Ensign, June 1971, p. 35).

I can now understand why Satan would want us to think he doesn't exist because then we wouldn't know how to protect ourselves from him. And we wouldn't know the difference between being under his influence or the influence of the Spirit. We also wouldn't be prepared for the tricky way that he sneaks into our lives, as taught in this message:

In a general conference address, Elder George Albert Smith quoted 2 Nephi 28:21 and said: “Now, I want you to note that: ‘And thus the devil cheateth their souls and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.’ And that is the way he does it, that’s exactly the way he does it. He does not come and grab you bodily and take you into his territory, but he whispers, ‘Do this little evil,’ and when he succeeds in that, another little evil and another, and, to use the expression quoted, ‘He cheateth their souls.’ That’s what he does. He makes you believe that you are gaining something when you are losing. So it is every time we fail to observe a law of God or keep a commandment, we are being cheated, because there is no gain in this world or in the world to come but by obedience to the law of our heavenly Father. Then again, that peculiar suggestion, ‘And he leadeth them carefully away down to hell’ is significant, that is his method. Men and women in the world today are subject to that influence, and they are being drawn here and there, and that whispering is going on and they do not understand what the Lord desires them to do, but they continue in the territory of the evil one, subject to his power where the Spirit of the Lord will not go” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1918, p. 40).

pgs. 106 and 107...I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, yea, a marvelous work and a wonder.

24 And again it shall come to pass that the Lord shall say unto him that shall read the words that shall be delivered him:

25 ^aForasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do ^bhonor me, but have removed their ^chearts far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the ^dprecepts of men—

26 Therefore, I will proceed to do a ^amarvelous work among this people, yea, a ^bmarvelous work and a wonder, for the ^cwisdom of their wise and ^dlearned shall perish, and the ^eunderstanding of their ^fprudent shall be hid.

27 And ^awo unto them that seek deep to hide their ^bcounsel from the Lord! And their works are in the ^cdark; and they say: Who seeth us, and who knoweth us? And they also say: Surely, your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the ^dpotter’s clay. But behold, I will show unto them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that I ^eknow all their works. For shall the work say of him that made it, he made me not? Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, he had no understanding?

28 But behold, saith the Lord of Hosts: I will show unto the children of men that it is yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field; and the ^afruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest.

29 ^aAnd in that day shall the ^bdeaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

30 And the ^ameek also shall increase, and their ^bjoy shall be in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

31 For assuredly as the Lord liveth they shall see that the ^aterrible one is brought to naught, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off;

32 And they that make a man an ^aoffender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the ^bgate, and ^cturn aside the just for a thing of naught.

33 Therefore, thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall ^anot now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.

34 But when he ^aseeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.

35 They also that ^aerred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall ^blearn doctrine.

CHAPTER 28

Many false churches shall be built up in the last days—They shall teach false and vain and foolish doctrines—Apostasy shall abound because of false teachers—The devil shall rage in the hearts of men—He shall teach all manner of false doctrines. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

1 And now, behold, my brethren, I have spoken unto you, according as the Spirit hath constrained me; wherefore, I know that they must surely come to pass.

2 And the things which shall be written out of the ^abook shall be of great ^bworth unto the children of men, and especially unto our seed, which is a ^cremnant of the house of Israel.

3 For it shall come to pass in that day that the ^achurches which are built up, and not unto the Lord, when the one shall say unto the other: Behold, I, I am the Lord’s; and the others shall say: I, I am the Lord’s; and thus shall every one say that hath built up ^bchurches, and not unto the Lord—

4 And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their ^alearning, and deny the ^bHoly Ghost, which giveth utterance.

5 And they ^adeny the ^bpower of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is ^cno God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men;

6 Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of ^amiracles; he hath done his work.

7 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: ^aEat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.

8 And there shall also be many which shall say: ^aEat, drink, and be ^bmerry; nevertheless, fear God—he will ^cjustify in committing a little ^dsin; yea, ^elie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a ^fpit for thy neighbor; there is ^gno harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.

9 Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, ^afalse and vain and ^bfoolish ^cdoctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark.

10 And the ^ablood of the saints shall cry from the ground against them.

11 Yea, they have all gone out of the ^away; they have become ^bcorrupted.

12 Because of ^apride, and because of ^bfalse teachers, and ^cfalse doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up.

13 They ^arob the ^bpoor because of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor because of their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek and the poor in heart, because in their ^cpride they are puffed up.
14 They wear ^astiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and ^bwhoredoms, they have all ^cgone astray save it be a ^dfew, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are ^eled, that in many instances they do ^ferr because they are taught by the precepts of men.

In the commentary on chapter 28 from the Book of Mormon Student Manual there is a great summary and question focusing on verses 2-14. It caused me to think a lot about the far reaching impact of the Book of Mormon on religion today and on many other aspects of life in our culture. I am including it here because I hope it will do the same for you!

The book mentioned in 2 Nephi 28:2 is the Book of Mormon, described by Nephi in 2 Nephi 27. Nephi said the book would be of great worth because of conditions in the last days. The “for” in 2 Nephi 28:3 means “because.” In other words, the Book of Mormon will be of great worth in our day because of the following conditions:

1. Churches will be built up that—

a. Claim to be the Lord’s but really are full of contention (see vv. 3–4;compare with Joseph Smith—History 1:5).

b. Teach with their own learning and deny the Holy Spirit (see 2 Nephi 28:4).

c. Deny the power of God by denying priesthood authority, and by denying God still operates in the lives of men in the same way (see vv. 5–6).

d. Teach that sin and wickedness are excusable (see vv. 7–8).

2. There will be many who teach false doctrines, are puffed up in their pride, work in darkness, and become corrupted (see vv. 9–12).

3. Pride, false teachers, and false doctrines will lead to many evils (see v. 12):

a. Exploitation of the poor (see v. 13).

b. Persecution of the humble (see v. 13).

c. Widespread apostasy (see v. 14).

d. Deception of the humble followers of Christ (see v. 14).

How does the Book of Mormon help counteract these conditions in our time? Sincerely pondering the answer to this question will broaden our perspective about the impact of this book and why it plays such a central role in the restoration of the Church and gospel of Jesus Christ.

pgs. 104 and 105...For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever.

CHAPTER 27

Darkness and apostasy shall cover the earth in the last days—The Book of Mormon shall come forth—Three witnesses shall testify of the book—The learned man cannot read the sealed book—The Lord shall do a marvelous work and a wonder—Compare Isaiah 29. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

1 But, behold, in the ^alast days, or in the days of the Gentiles—yea, behold all the nations of the Gentiles and also the Jews, both those who shall come upon this land and those who shall be upon other lands, yea, even upon all the lands of the earth, behold, they will be ^bdrunken with iniquity and all manner of abominations—

2 And when that day shall come they shall be ^avisited of the Lord of Hosts, with thunder and with earthquake, and with a great noise, and with storm, and with tempest, and with the ^bflame of devouring fire.

3 And all the ^anations that ^bfight against Zion, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision; yea, it shall be unto them, even as unto a hungry man which dreameth, and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his soul is empty; or like unto a thirsty man which dreameth, and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite; yea, even so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion.

4 For behold, all ye that doeth iniquity, stay yourselves and wonder, for ye shall cry out, and cry; yea, ye shall be ^adrunken but not with wine, ye shall stagger but not with strong drink.

5 For behold, the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. For behold, ye have closed your ^aeyes, and ye have ^brejected the prophets; and your rulers, and the seers hath he covered because of your iniquity.

6 And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall bring forth unto ^ayou the words of a ^bbook, and they shall be the words of them which have slumbered.

7 And behold the book shall be ^asealed; and in the book shall be a ^brevelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ^cending thereof.

8 Wherefore, because of the things which are ^asealed up, the things which are sealed shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and abominations of the people. Wherefore the book shall be kept from them.

9 But the book shall be delivered unto a man, and he shall deliver the words of the book, which are the words of those who have slumbered in the dust, and he shall deliver these words unto ^aanother;

10 But the words which are ^asealed he shall not deliver, neither shall he deliver the book. For the book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the own due time of the Lord, that they may come forth; for behold, they ^breveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof.

11 And the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ; and all things shall be ^arevealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the earth.

12 Wherefore, at that day when the book shall be delivered unto the man of whom I have spoken, the book shall be hid from the eyes of the world, that the eyes of none shall behold it save it be that ^athree ^bwitnesses shall behold it, by the power of God, besides him to whom the book shall be delivered; and they shall testify to the truth of the book and the things therein.

13 And there is ^anone other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of God, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men; for the Lord God hath said that the words of the faithful should speak as if it were ^bfrom the dead.

14 Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to bring forth the words of the book; and in the mouth of as many witnesses as seemeth him good will he establish his word; and wo be unto him that ^arejecteth the word of God!

15 But behold, it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall say unto him to whom he shall deliver the book: Take these words which are not sealed and deliver them to another, that he may show them unto the learned, saying: ^aRead this, I pray thee. And the learned shall say: Bring hither the book, and I will read them.

16 And now, because of the glory of the world and to get ^again will they say this, and not for the glory of God.

17 And the man shall say: I cannot bring the book, for it is sealed.

18 Then shall the learned say: I cannot read it.

19 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that the Lord God will ^adeliver again the book and the words thereof to him that is not learned; and the man that is not learned shall say: I am not learned.

20 Then shall the Lord God say unto him: The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am ^aable to do mine own work; wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee.

21 ^aTouch not the things which are sealed, for I will bring them forth in mine own due time; for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work.

22 Wherefore, when thou hast read the words which I have commanded thee, and obtained the ^awitnesses which I have promised unto thee, then shalt thou seal up the book again, and hide it up unto me, that I may preserve the words which thou hast not read, until I shall see fit in mine own ^bwisdom to ^creveal all things unto the children of men.

23 For behold, I am God; and I am a God of ^amiracles; and I will show unto the ^bworld that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I ^cwork not among the children of men save it be ^daccording to their faith.

The following is an amazing story in the Journal of Discourses that talks about what happened when Joseph Smith went to "hide" the plates back up to the Lord as mentioned in verse 22.

"I believe I will take the liberty to tell you of another circumstance that will be as marvelous as anything can be. This is an incident in the life of Oliver Cowdery, but he did not take the liberty of telling such things in meeting as I take. I tell these things to you, and I have a motive for doing so. I want to carry them to the ears of my brethren and sisters, and to the children also, that they may grow to an understanding of some things that seem to be entirely hidden from the human family. Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited these plates. Joseph did not translate all of the plates; there was a portion of them sealed, which you can learn from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. When Joseph got the plates, the angel instructed him to carry them back to the hill Cumorah, which he did. Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room. He says he did not think, at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificial light; but that it was just as light as day. They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room. Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogether in this room more plates than probably many wagon loads; they were piled up in the corners and along the walls. The first time they went there the sword of Laban hung upon the wall; but when they went again it had been taken down and laid upon the table across the gold plates; it was unsheathed, and on it was written these words: “This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.” I tell you this as coming not only from Oliver Cowdery, but others who were familiar with it, and who understood it just as well as we understand coming to this meeting, enjoying the day, and by and by we separate and go away, forgetting most of what is said, but remembering some things. So is it with other circumstances in life. I relate this to you, and I want you to understand it. I take this liberty of referring to those things so that they will not be forgotten and lost." Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Volume 19 page 38.

When I read this I can't help but think there is SO MUCH we don't know, not just on the plates that haven't been revealed but also in the ways of the Lord. I feel so strongly that the Lord is protecting us from a lot of knowledge so we will not have the opportunity to sin against it and so we will focus on what has already been revealed to us.

pgs. 102 and 103...come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.

14 But behold, I prophesy unto you concerning the ^alast days; concerning the days when the Lord God shall ^bbring these things forth unto the children of men.

15 After my seed and the seed of my brethren shall have ^adwindled in unbelief, and shall have been smitten by the Gentiles; yea, after the Lord God shall have ^bcamped against them round about, and shall have laid siege against them with a mount, and raised forts against them; and after they shall have been brought down low in the dust, even that they are not, yet the words of the righteous shall be written, and the ^cprayers of the faithful shall be heard, and all those who have ^ddwindled in unbelief shall not be forgotten.

16 For those who shall be destroyed shall ^aspeak unto them out of the ground, and their speech shall be low out of the dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit; for the Lord God will give unto him power, that he may whisper concerning them, even as it were out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the dust.

17 For thus saith the Lord God: They shall ^awrite the things which shall be done among them, and they shall be written and ^bsealed up in a book, and those who have dwindled in ^cunbelief shall not have them, for they ^dseek to destroy the things of God.

18 Wherefore, as those who have been destroyed have been destroyed speedily; and the multitude of their ^aterrible ones shall be as ^bchaff that passeth away—yea, thus saith the Lord God: It shall be at an instant, suddenly—

19 And it shall come to pass, that those who have dwindled in unbelief shall be ^asmitten by the hand of the Gentiles.

20 And the Gentiles are lifted up in the ^apride of their eyes, and have ^bstumbled, because of the greatness of their ^cstumbling block, that they have built up many ^dchurches; nevertheless, they ^eput down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own ^flearning, that they may get gain and grind upon the face of the poor.

21 And there are many churches built up which cause ^aenvyings, and ^bstrifes, and ^cmalice.

22 And there are also secret ^acombinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the ^bdevil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and ^cworks of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever.

23 For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in ^adarkness.

24 He doeth not ^aanything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he ^bloveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw ^call men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.

25 Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: ^aCome unto me all ye ^bends of the earth, ^cbuy milk and honey, without money and without price.

26 Behold, hath he commanded any that they should ^adepart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.

27 Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his ^asalvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath ^bgiven it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to ^crepentance.

28 Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but ^aall men are privileged the one ^blike unto the other, and none are forbidden.

29 He commandeth that there shall be no ^apriestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set ^bthemselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get ^cgain and ^dpraise of the world; but they seek not the ^ewelfare of Zion.

30 Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have ^acharity, which ^bcharity is ^clove. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.

31 But the ^alaborer in ^bZion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for ^cmoney they shall perish.

32 And again, the Lord God hath ^acommanded that men should not murder; that they should not lie; that they should not ^bsteal; that they should not take the name of the Lord their God in ^cvain; that they should not ^denvy; that they should not have ^emalice; that they should not contend one with another; that they should not commit ^fwhoredoms; and that they should do none of these things; for whoso doeth them shall perish.

33 For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he ^ainviteth them ^ball to ^ccome unto him and partake of his goodness; and he ^ddenieth none that come unto him, black and white, ^ebond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the ^fheathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.

These verses are of special interest to all of us because, as it says in verse 14, they are a prophesy of our day, the day when these writings have been "brought forth unto the children of men." Much of what was prophesied has already happened...the "many churches" in verse 20, the "secret combinations and works of darkness" in verse 22, the "priestcraft" in verse 29. To me all of this just refers to the fact that Satan's influence is rampant in our world today. One commentary I read about these verses suggested that the "flaxen cord" in verse 22 is symbolic of the temptations and sins that are relatively easy to overcome if we do it in this life but if we don't they become the "strong cords" that give Satan power over us forever. The hopeful message of these pages is in verse 28 where we are taught that when it comes to the salvation of God, "all men are priviliged, the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden."

pgs. 100 and 101...And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ...

24 And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we ^akeep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.

25 For, for this end was the ^alaw given; wherefore the law hath become ^bdead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments.

26 And we ^atalk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we ^bprophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our ^cchildren may know to what source they may look for a ^dremission of their sins.

27 Wherefore, we speak concerning the law that our children may know the deadness of the law; and they, by knowing the deadness of the law, may look forward unto that life which is in Christ, and know for what end the law was given. And after the law is fulfilled in Christ, that they need not harden their hearts against him when the law ought to be done away.

28 And now behold, my people, ye are a ^astiffnecked people; wherefore, I have spoken plainly unto you, that ye cannot misunderstand. And the words which I have spoken shall stand as a ^btestimony against you; for they are sufficient to ^cteach any man the ^dright way; for the right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not; for by denying him ye also deny the prophets and the law.

29 And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and ^aworship him with all your ^bmight, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out.

30 And, inasmuch as it shall be expedient, ye must keep the ^aperformances and ^bordinances of God until the law shall be fulfilled which was given unto Moses.

CHAPTER 26

Christ shall minister to the Nephites—Nephi foresees the destruction of his people—They shall speak from the dust—The gentiles shall build up false churches and secret combinations—The Lord forbids men to practice priestcrafts. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

1 And after Christ shall have ^arisen from the dead he shall ^bshow himself unto you, my children, and my beloved brethren; and the words which he shall speak unto you shall be the ^claw which ye shall do.

2 For behold, I say unto you that I have beheld that many generations shall pass away, and there shall be great wars and contentions among my people.

3 And after the Messiah shall come there shall be ^asigns given unto my people of his ^bbirth, and also of his ^cdeath and resurrection; and great and terrible shall that day be unto the wicked, for they shall perish; and they perish because they cast out the ^dprophets, and the saints, and stone them, and slay them; wherefore the cry of the ^eblood of the saints shall ascend up to God from the ground against them.

4 Wherefore, all those who are proud, and that do wickedly, the day that cometh shall ^aburn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, for they shall be as stubble.

5 And they that kill the ^aprophets, and the saints, the depths of the earth shall ^bswallow them up, saith the Lord of Hosts; and ^cmountains shall cover them, and whirlwinds shall carry them away, and buildings shall fall upon them and crush them to pieces and grind them to powder.

6 And they shall be visited with thunderings, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and all manner of destructions, for the ^afire of the anger of the Lord shall be kindled against them, and they shall be as stubble, and the day that cometh shall consume them, saith the Lord of Hosts.

7 ^aO the pain, and the anguish of my soul for the loss of the slain of my people! For I, Nephi, have seen it, and it well nigh consumeth me before the presence of the Lord; but I must cry unto my God: Thy ways are ^bjust.

8 But behold, the righteous that hearken unto the words of the prophets, and destroy them not, but look forward unto Christ with ^asteadfastness for the signs which are given, notwithstanding all ^bpersecution—behold, they are they which shall ^cnot perish.

9 But the Son of righteousness shall ^aappear unto them; and he shall ^bheal them, and they shall have ^cpeace with him, until ^dthree generations shall have passed away, and many of the ^efourth generation shall have passed away in righteousness.

10 And when these things have passed away a speedy ^adestruction cometh unto my people; for, notwithstanding the pains of my soul, I have seen it; wherefore, I know that it shall come to pass; and they sell themselves for naught; for, for the reward of their pride and their ^bfoolishness they shall reap destruction; for because they yield unto the devil and ^cchoose works of ^ddarkness rather than light, therefore they must go down to ^ehell.

11 For the Spirit of the Lord will not always ^astrive with man. And when the Spirit ^bceaseth to strive with man then cometh speedy destruction, and this grieveth my soul.

12 And as I spake concerning the ^aconvincing of the ^bJews, that Jesus is the ^cvery Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the ^dEternal ^eGod;

13 And that he ^amanifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the ^bHoly Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty ^cmiracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their ^dfaith.

In verse 28 of chapter 25 Nephi refers to his people as "stiffnecked." This is the first time since the Nephites split away from the Lamanites that I have seen Nephi feel the need to chastise his people. This seems to be the beginning of some disbelief finding its way among the Nephite people. I think this is why he taught them the message of Isaiah that was written in previous chapters and why he is summarizing it for his people now. It seems like he feels the need to strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ and to help them understand His message. He also explains the law of Moses to them at the end of chapter 25 and then in chapter 26 he testifies that the Savior will come among the Nephites and then fulfill the law of Moses. It's amazing how the same message Nephi used to strengthen their faith or his people back then is effective in strengthening the faith of so many readers today.

pgs. 98 and 99...we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.

10 Wherefore, it hath been told them concerning the destruction which should come upon them, immediately after my father left ^aJerusalem; nevertheless, they ^bhardened their hearts; and according to my prophecy they have been destroyed, save it be those which are ^ccarried away ^dcaptive into Babylon.

11 And now this I speak because of the ^aspirit which is in me. And notwithstanding they have been carried away they shall return again, and possess the land of Jerusalem; wherefore, they shall be ^brestored again to the ^cland of their inheritance.

12 But, behold, they shall have ^awars, and rumors of wars; and when the day cometh that the ^bOnly Begotten of the Father, yea, even the Father of heaven and of earth, shall ^cmanifest himself unto them in the flesh, behold, they will reject him, because of their iniquities, and the hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness of their necks.

13 Behold, they will ^acrucify him; and after he is laid in a ^bsepulchre for the space of ^cthree days he shall ^drise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have ^eseen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name.

14 And behold it shall come to pass that after the ^aMessiah hath risen from the dead, and hath manifested himself unto his people, unto as many as will believe on his name, behold, Jerusalem shall be ^bdestroyed again; for ^cwo unto them that fight against God and the people of his ^dchurch.

15 Wherefore, the ^aJews shall be ^bscattered among all nations; yea, and also ^cBabylon shall be destroyed; wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered by other nations.

16 And after they have been ^ascattered, and the Lord God hath scourged them by other nations for the space of many generations, yea, even down from generation to generation until they shall be persuaded to ^bbelieve in Christ, the Son of God, and the atonement, which is infinite for all mankind—and when that day shall come that they shall believe in Christ, and worship the Father in his name, with pure hearts and ^cclean hands, and look not forward any more for ^danother Messiah, then, at that time, the day will come that it must needs be expedient that they should believe these things.

17 And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to ^arestore his people from their lost and fallen state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do a ^bmarvelous work and a wonder among the children of men.

18 Wherefore, he shall bring forth ^ahis ^bwords unto them, which words shall ^cjudge them at the last day, for they shall be given them for the purpose of ^dconvincing them of the true Messiah, who was rejected by them; and unto the convincing of them that they need not look forward any more for a Messiah to come, for there should not any come, save it should be a ^efalse Messiah which should deceive the people; for there is save one ^fMessiah spoken of by the prophets, and that Messiah is he who should be rejected of the Jews.

19 For according to the words of the prophets, the ^aMessiah cometh in ^bsix hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem; and according to the words of the prophets, and also the word of the ^cangel of God, his ^dname shall be Jesus Christ, the ^eSon of God.

20 And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainly that ye cannot err. And as the Lord God liveth that ^abrought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should ^bheal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the ^cserpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the ^drock and the water should come forth; yea, behold I say unto you, that as these things are ^etrue, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other ^fname given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved.

21 Wherefore, for this cause hath the Lord God promised unto me that these things which I ^awrite shall be kept and preserved, and handed down unto my seed, from generation to generation, that the promise may be fulfilled unto Joseph, that his seed should never ^bperish as long as the earth should stand.

22 Wherefore, these things shall go from generation to generation as long as the earth shall stand; and they shall go according to the will and pleasure of God; and the nations who shall possess them shall be ^ajudged of them according to the words which are written.

23 For we labor diligently to write, to ^apersuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by ^bgrace that we are saved, after all we can ^cdo.

Don't you just love the word "grace?" I love the whole concept and idea of it. As wonderful as it is, I think it is one of the most misunderstood words in all of theology. I found this quote that explains it more fully:

“One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone is all that is needed for salvation. . . . One passage in the Book of Mormon, written perhaps . . . to stress and induce appreciation for the gracious gift of salvation offered on condition of obedience . . . is particularly enlightening: ‘For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.’ (2 Nephi 25:23; italics added.) . . .

“. . . However good a person’s works, he could not be saved had Jesus not died for his and everyone else’s sins. And however powerful the saving grace of Christ, it brings exaltation to no man who does not comply with the works of the gospel." Spencer W. Kimball, Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, pp. 70-71