pgs. 388 and 389...instead of laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven...ye are heaping up for yourselves wrath against the day of judgment.

19 And now I would that ye should know, that even since the days of Abraham there have been many prophets that have testified these things; yea, behold, the prophet ^aZenos did testify boldly; for the which he was slain.

  20 And behold, also ^aZenock, and also ^bEzias, and also ^cIsaiah, and ^dJeremiah, (Jeremiah being that same prophet who testified of the destruction of ^eJerusalem) and now we know that Jerusalem was destroyed according to the words of Jeremiah. O then why not the Son of God come, according to his prophecy?

  21 And now will you dispute that ^aJerusalem was destroyed? Will ye say that the ^bsons of Zedekiah were not slain, all except it were ^cMulek? Yea, and do ye not behold that the seed of Zedekiah are with us, and they were driven out of the land of Jerusalem? But behold, this is not all—

  22 Our father Lehi was driven out of Jerusalem because he ^atestified of these things. Nephi also testified of these things, and also almost all of our fathers, even down to this time; yea, they have testified of the ^bcoming of Christ, and have looked forward, and have rejoiced in his day which is to come.

  23 And behold, he is God, and he is ^awith them, and he did manifest himself unto them, that they were redeemed by him; and they gave unto him glory, because of that which is to come.

  24 And now, seeing ye know these things and cannot deny them except ye shall lie, therefore in this ye have sinned, for ye have rejected all these things, notwithstanding so many ^aevidences which ye have received; yea, even ye have received ^ball things, both things in heaven, and all things which are in the earth, as a witness that they are true.

  25 But behold, ye have rejected the truth, and ^arebelled against your holy God; and even at this time, instead of laying up for yourselves ^btreasures in heaven, where nothing doth corrupt, and where nothing can come which is unclean, ye are heaping up for yourselves wrath against the day of ^cjudgment.

  26 Yea, even at this time ye are ripening, because of your murders and your ^afornication and wickedness, for everlasting destruction; yea, and except ye repent it will come unto you soon.

  27 Yea, behold it is now even at your doors; yea, go ye in unto the judgment-seat, and search; and behold, your judge is murdered, and he ^alieth in his blood; and he hath been murdered ^bby his brother, who seeketh to sit in the judgment-seat.

  28 And behold, they both belong to your secret band, whose ^aauthor is Gadianton and the evil one who seeketh to destroy the souls of men.

THE BOOK OF HELAMAN

CHAPTER 9

Messengers find the chief judge dead at the judgment seat—They are imprisoned and later released—By inspiration Nephi identifies Seantum as the murderer—Nephi is accepted by some as a prophet. Between 23 and 20 B.C.

  1 Behold, now it came to pass that when Nephi had spoken these words, certain men who were among them ran to the judgment-seat; yea, even there were ^afive who went, and they said among themselves, as they went:

  2 Behold, now we will know of a surety whether this man be a prophet and God hath commanded him to prophesy such marvelous things unto us. Behold, we do not ^abelieve that he hath; yea, we do not believe that he is a prophet; nevertheless, if this thing which he has said concerning the chief judge be true, that he be dead, then will we believe that the other words which he has spoken are true.

  3 And it came to pass that they ran in their might, and came in unto the judgment-seat; and behold, the chief judge had fallen to the earth, and did ^alie in his blood.

  4 And now behold, when they saw this they were astonished exceedingly, insomuch that they fell to the earth; for they had not believed the words which Nephi had spoken concerning the chief judge.

  5 But now, when they saw they believed, and fear came upon them lest all the judgments which Nephi had spoken ^ashould come upon the people; therefore they did quake, and had fallen to the earth.

  6 Now, immediately when the judge had been murdered—he being stabbed by his brother by a garb of secrecy, and he fled, and the servants ran and told the people, raising the cry of murder among them;

  7 And behold the people did gather themselves together unto the place of the judgment-seat—and behold, to their astonishment they saw those ^afive men who had fallen to the earth.

  8 And now behold, the people knew nothing concerning the multitude who had gathered together at the ^agarden of Nephi; therefore they said among themselves: These men are they who have murdered the judge, and God has smitten them that they could not flee from us.

  9 And it came to pass that they laid hold on them, and bound them and cast them into prison. And there was a proclamation sent abroad that the judge was slain, and that the murderers had been taken and were cast into prison.

  10 And it came to pass that on the morrow the people did assemble themselves together to ^amourn and to ^bfast, at the burial of the great chief judge who had been slain.

  11 And thus also those judges who were at the garden of Nephi, and heard his words, were also gathered together at the burial.

  12 And it came to pass that they inquired among the people, saying: Where are the five who were sent to inquire concerning the chief judge whether he was dead? And they answered and said: Concerning this five whom ye say ye have sent, we know not; but there are five who are the murderers, whom we have cast into prison.

  13 And it came to pass that the judges desired that they should be brought; and they were brought, and behold they were the five who were sent; and behold the judges inquired of them to know concerning the matter, and they told them all that they had done, saying:

  14 We ran and came to the place of the judgment-seat, and when we saw all things even as Nephi had testified, we were astonished insomuch that we fell to the earth; and when we were recovered from our astonishment, behold they cast us into ^aprison.

One of the main blessings that comes from reading the Book of Mormon is an eternal perspective.  Whether we realize it or not, the way we live our lives is always a product of what we truly want most.  Those who do not have an eternal perspective may only desire worldly gifts such as fame, fortune, or pleasure and strive for those things.  Those with an eternal perspective hopefully desire eternal gifts such as covenants, families, and spiritual growth and focus on obtaining them. 

 

Years ago I had a visiting teacher who joined the church late in life and a short time later found out that she was dying of cancer.  One day, not long before she died, she told me about the years of her life when she was married to a successful, handsome doctor and raising her children.  She thought she had it all.  She lived across the street from an LDS family and thought they were nice but strange.  Eventually she lost her husband to infidelity and divorce and the money ran out.  Now she looked back on that family and said, "I can see that they were not strange but different, because they wanted completely opposite things from life than I did.  They wanted things that really matter.  Members of the church are so lucky because they are walking around with a completely different perspective on life than the rest of us."  

I've thought about that conversation so many times since. Reading this passage today brought it to mind again because Nephi is trying to teach the people to live for eternal treasure, not earthly treasure.  If we can follow Nephi's teachings we will be so blessed. It seems like a relatively simple lesson in theory but in reality it is so often forgotten.   

pgs. 386 and 387...Moses did not only testify of these things, but also all the holy prophets, from his days even to the days of Abraham.

23 For behold, thus saith the Lord: I will not show unto the wicked of my strength, to one more than the other, save it be unto those who repent of their sins, and hearken unto my words. Now therefore, I would that ye should behold, my brethren, that it shall be ^abetter for the Lamanites than for you except ye shall repent.

  24 For behold, they are more righteous than you, for they have not sinned against that great knowledge which ye have received; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto them; yea, he will ^alengthen out their days and increase their seed, even when thou shalt be utterly ^bdestroyed except thou shalt repent.

  25 Yea, wo be unto you because of that great abomination which has come among you; and ye have united yourselves unto it, yea, to that ^asecret band which was established by Gadianton!

  26 Yea, ^awo shall come unto you because of that pride which ye have suffered to enter your hearts, which has lifted you up beyond that which is good because of your exceedingly great riches!

  27 Yea, wo be unto you because of your wickedness and abominations!

  28 And except ye repent ye shall perish; yea, even your lands shall be taken from you, and ye shall be destroyed from off the face of the earth.

  29 Behold now, I do not say that these things shall be, of myself, because it is not of myself that I ^aknow these things; but behold, I ^bknow that these things are true because the Lord God has made them known unto me, therefore I testify that they shall be.

THE BOOK OF HELAMAN

CHAPTER 8

Corrupt judges seek to incite the people against Nephi—Abraham, Moses, Zenos, Zenock, Ezias, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lehi, and Nephi all testified of Christ—By inspiration Nephi announces the murder of the chief judge. Between 23 and 20 B.C.

  1 And now it came to pass that when Nephi had said these words, behold, there were men who were judges, who also belonged to the secret band of Gadianton, and they were angry, and they cried out against him, saying unto the people: Why do ye not seize upon this man and bring him forth, that he may be condemned according to the crime which he has done?

  2 Why seest thou this man, and hearest him revile against this people and against our law?

  3 For behold, Nephi had spoken unto them concerning the corruptness of their law; yea, many things did Nephi speak which cannot be written; and nothing did he speak which was contrary to the commandments of God.

  4 And those judges were angry with him because he ^aspake plainly unto them concerning their secret works of darkness; nevertheless, they durst not lay their own hands upon him, for they feared the people lest they should cry out against them.

  5 Therefore they did cry unto the people, saying: Why do you suffer this man to revile against us? For behold he doth condemn all this people, even unto destruction; yea, and also that these our ^agreat cities shall be taken from us, that we shall have no place in them.

  6 And now we know that this is impossible, for behold, we are ^apowerful, and our cities great, therefore our enemies can have no power over us.

  7 And it came to pass that thus they did ^astir up the people to anger against Nephi, and raised contentions among them; for there were some who did cry out: ^bLet this man alone, for he is a good man, and those things which he saith will surely come to pass except we repent;

  8 Yea, behold, all the judgments will come upon us which he has testified unto us; for we know that he has testified aright unto us concerning our iniquities. And behold they are many, and he ^aknoweth as well all things which shall befall us as he knoweth of our iniquities;

  9 Yea, and behold, if he had not been a prophet he could not have ^atestified concerning those things.

  10 And it came to pass that those people who sought to destroy Nephi were compelled because of their fear, that they did not lay their hands on him; therefore he began again to speak unto them, seeing that he had gained favor in the eyes of some, insomuch that the remainder of them did fear.

  11 Therefore he was constrained to speak more unto them saying: Behold, my brethren, have ye not read that God gave power unto one man, even Moses, to smite upon the waters of the Red ^aSea, and they parted hither and thither, insomuch that the Israelites, who were our fathers, came through upon dry ground, and the waters closed upon the armies of the Egyptians and swallowed them up?

  12 And now behold, if God gave unto this man such power, then why should ye dispute among yourselves, and say that he hath given unto me no power whereby I may ^aknow concerning the judgments that shall come upon you except ye repent?

  13 But, behold, ye not only deny my words, but ye also deny all the words which have been spoken by our fathers, and also the words which were spoken by this man, Moses, who had such great power given unto him, yea, the words which he hath spoken concerning the coming of the Messiah.

  14 Yea, did he not bear record that the Son of God should come? And as he ^alifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come.

  15 And as many as should look upon that serpent should ^alive, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might ^blive, even unto that life which is eternal.

  16 And now behold, Moses did not only testify of these things, but also ^aall the holy prophets, from his days even to the days of Abraham.

  17 Yea, and behold, ^aAbraham saw of his coming, and was filled with gladness and did rejoice.

  18 Yea, and behold I say unto you, that Abraham not only knew of these things, but there were ^amany before the days of Abraham who were called by the ^border of God; yea, even after the order of his Son; and this that it should be shown unto the people, a great many thousand years before his coming, that even redemption should come unto them.

In the last few verses of this reading Nephi is explaining to his contemporaries (and to us readers) that Heavenly Father has spoken to many prophets throughout time and that they have all testified of the Son of God.  This ties in so well with the latest Mormon Message on you tube that I just have to post it here.  It's definitely worth watching!

pgs. 384 and 385...my soul shall be filled with sorrow because of this the wickedness of my brethren.

37 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did hunt the band of robbers of Gadianton; and they did preach the word of God among the more wicked part of them, insomuch that this band of robbers was utterly destroyed from among the Lamanites.

38 And it came to pass on the other hand, that the Nephites did build them up and support them, beginning at the more wicked part of them, until they had overspread all the land of the Nephites, and had seduced the more part of the righteous until they had come down to believe in their works and partake of their spoils, and to join with them in their secret murders and combinations.

39 And thus they did obtain the sole management of the government, insomuch that they did trample under their feet and smite and rend and turn their backs upon the ^apoor and the meek, and the humble followers of God.

40 And thus we see that they were in an awful state, and ^aripening for an everlasting destruction.

41 And it came to pass that thus ended the sixty and eighth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.

THE BOOK OF HELAMAN

The Prophecy of Nephi, the son of Helaman—God threatens the people of Nephi that he will visit them in his anger, to their utter destruction except they repent of their wickedness. God smiteth the people of Nephi with pestilence; they repent and turn unto him. Samuel, a Lamanite, prophesies unto the Nephites. Comprising chapters 7 to 16 inclusive.

CHAPTER 7

Nephi is rejected in the north and returns to Zarahemla—He prays upon his garden tower and then calls upon the people to repent or perish. Between 23 and 20 B.C.

1 Behold, now it came to pass in the *sixty and ninth year of the reign of the judges over the people of the Nephites, that Nephi, the son of Helaman, ^areturned to the land of Zarahemla from the land northward.

2 For he had been forth among the people who were in the land northward, and did preach the word of God unto them, and did prophesy many things unto them;

3 And they did ^areject all his words, insomuch that he could not stay among them, but returned again unto the land of his nativity.

4 And seeing the people in a state of such awful wickedness, and those Gadianton robbers filling the judgment-seats—having ^ausurped the power and authority of the land; laying aside the commandments of God, and not in the least aright before him; doing no justice unto the children of men;

5 Condemning the righteous because of their righteousness; letting the guilty and the wicked go ^aunpunished because of their ^bmoney; and moreover to be held in office at the head of government, to rule and do according to their wills, that they might get gain and glory of the ^cworld, and, moreover, that they might the more easily commit adultery, and steal, and kill, and do according to their own wills—

6 Now this great iniquity had come upon the Nephites, in the space of ^anot many years; and when Nephi saw it, his heart was swollen with sorrow within his breast; and he did exclaim in the agony of his soul:

7 Oh, that I could have had my days in the days when my father Nephi first came out of the land of Jerusalem, that I could have ^ajoyed with him in the promised land; then were his people easy to be entreated, ^bfirm to keep the commandments of God, and slow to be led to do iniquity; and they were quick to hearken unto the words of the Lord—

8 Yea, if my days could have been in those days, then would my soul have had joy in the righteousness of my brethren.

9 But behold, I am consigned that these are my days, and that my soul shall be filled with ^asorrow because of this the wickedness of my brethren.

10 And behold, now it came to pass that it was upon a tower, which was in the ^agarden of Nephi, which was by the highway which led to the chief market, which was in the city of Zarahemla; therefore, Nephi had bowed himself upon the tower which was in his garden, which tower was also near unto the garden gate by which led the highway.

11 And it came to pass that there were certain men passing by and saw Nephi as he was pouring out his soul unto God upon the ^atower; and they ran and told the people what they had seen, and the people came together in multitudes that they might know the cause of so great mourning for the wickedness of the people.

12 And now, when Nephi arose he beheld the multitudes of people who had gathered together.

13 And it came to pass that he opened his mouth and said unto them: Behold, ^awhy have ye gathered yourselves together? That I may tell you of your iniquities?

14 Yea, because I have got upon my tower that I might pour out my soul unto my God, because of the exceeding sorrow of my heart, which is because of your iniquities!

15 And because of my ^amourning and lamentation ye have gathered yourselves together, and do marvel; yea, and ye have great need to marvel; yea, ye ought to marvel because ye are given away that the devil has got so great hold upon your hearts.

16 Yea, how could you have given way to the enticing of him who is seeking to hurl away your souls down to ^aeverlasting misery and endless wo?

17 O repent ye, repent ye! ^aWhy will ye die? Turn ye, turn ye unto the Lord your God. Why has he forsaken you?

18 It is because you have hardened your hearts; yea, ye will not ^ahearken unto the voice of the ^bgood shepherd; yea, ye have ^cprovoked him to anger against you.

19 And behold, instead of ^agathering you, except ye will repent, behold, he shall scatter you forth that ye shall become meat for dogs and wild beasts.

20 O, how could you have ^aforgotten your God in the very day that he has delivered you?

21 But behold, it is to get ^again, to be ^bpraised of men, yea, and that ye might get gold and silver. And ye have set your hearts upon the ^criches and the vain things of this world, for the which ye do murder, and plunder, and steal, and bear ^dfalse witness against your neighbor, and do all manner of iniquity.

22 And for this cause ^awo shall come unto you except ye shall repent. For if ye will not repent, behold, this ^bgreat city, and also all those great cities which are round about, which are in the land of our possession, shall be taken away that ye shall have no place in them; for behold, the Lord will not grant unto you ^cstrength, as he has hitherto done, to withstand against your enemies.

I've always thought it was so interesting that this Nephi wished he had lived in the days when the first Nephi and Lehi came out of Jerusalem. Really? Would it have been easier to be the Nephi who had to go back from the wilderness to Jerusalem three times and kill Laban for the plates? Or build your own boat while your brothers thought you were crazy and mocked you? Or be tied and bound by your brothers for days and eventually threatened to the point that you had to escape in the night?

This supports my theory that other people's trials often seem easier than our own. I realize the trials the current Nephi (the one in Helaman chapter 7) faces are not easy. And I certainly don't mean to minimize the suffering he is going through as he laments the wickedness around him. I just think it is important for all of us to acknowledge how easy it is to look at others and think that their life is easy when in reality it may be extremely hard.

pgs. 382 and 383...Satan did stir up the hearts of the more part of the Nephites...

13 Behold their women did toil and spin, and did ^amake all manner of ^bcloth, of fine-twined linen and cloth of every kind, to clothe their nakedness. And thus the sixty and fourth year did pass away in peace.

14 And in the *sixty and fifth year they did also have great joy and peace, yea, much preaching and many prophecies concerning that which was to come. And thus passed away the sixty and fifth year.

15 And it came to pass that in the *sixty and sixth year of the reign of the judges, behold, ^aCezoram was murdered by an unknown hand as he sat upon the judgment-seat. And it came to pass that in the same year, that his son, who had been appointed by the people in his stead, was also murdered. And thus ended the sixty and sixth year.

16 And in the *commencement of the sixty and seventh year the people began to grow exceedingly wicked again.

17 For behold, the Lord had blessed them so long with the ^ariches of the world that they had not been stirred up to anger, to wars, nor to bloodshed; therefore they began to set their hearts upon their riches; yea, they began to seek to get gain that they might be lifted up one above another; therefore they began to commit ^bsecret murders, and to rob and to plunder, that they might get gain.

18 And now behold, those murderers and plunderers were a band who had been formed by Kishkumen and ^aGadianton. And now it had come to pass that there were many, even among the Nephites, of Gadianton’s band. But behold, they were more numerous among the more wicked part of the Lamanites. And they were called Gadianton’s robbers and murderers.

19 And it was they who did murder the chief judge ^aCezoram, and his son, while in the judgment-seat; and behold, they were not found.

20 And now it came to pass that when the Lamanites found that there were robbers among them they were exceedingly sorrowful; and they did use every means in their power to destroy them off the face of the earth.

21 But behold, Satan did stir up the ^ahearts of the more part of the Nephites, insomuch that they did unite with those bands of robbers, and did enter into their covenants and their oaths, that they would protect and preserve one another in whatsoever difficult circumstances they should be placed, that they should not suffer for their murders, and their plunderings, and their ^bstealings.

22 And it came to pass that they did have their signs, yea, their ^asecret signs, and their ^bsecret words; and this that they might distinguish a brother who had entered into the covenant, that whatsoever wickedness his brother should do he should not be injured by his brother, nor by those who did belong to his band, who had taken this covenant.

23 And thus they might murder, and plunder, and steal, and commit ^awhoredoms and all manner of wickedness, contrary to the laws of their country and also the laws of their God.

24 And whosoever of those who belonged to their band should reveal unto the world of their ^awickedness and their abominations, should be tried, not according to the laws of their country, but according to the laws of their wickedness, which had been given by Gadianton and Kishkumen.

25 Now behold, it is these secret ^aoaths and covenants which Alma commanded his son should not go forth unto the world, lest they should be a means of bringing down the people unto destruction.

26 Now behold, those ^asecret oaths and covenants did not come forth unto Gadianton from the ^brecords which were delivered unto Helaman; but behold, they were put into the heart of ^cGadianton by that ^dsame being who did entice our first parents to partake of the forbidden fruit—

27 Yea, that same being who did plot with ^aCain, that if he would murder his brother Abel it should not be known unto the world. And he did plot with Cain and his followers from that time forth.

28 And also it is that same being who put it into the hearts of the people to ^abuild a tower sufficiently high that they might get to heaven. And it was that same being who led on the people who came from that tower into this land; who spread the works of darkness and abominations over all the face of the land, until he dragged the people down to an ^bentire destruction, and to an everlasting hell.

29 Yea, it is that same being who put it into the heart of ^aGadianton to still carry on the work of darkness, and of secret murder; and he has brought it forth from the beginning of man even down to this time.

30 And behold, it is he who is the ^aauthor of all sin. And behold, he doth carry on his works of darkness and secret murder, and doth hand down their plots, and their oaths, and their covenants, and their plans of awful wickedness, from generation to generation according as he can get hold upon the hearts of the children of men.

31 And now behold, he had got great hold upon the hearts of the Nephites; yea, insomuch that they had become exceedingly wicked; yea, the more part of them had turned out of the ^away of righteousness, and did ^btrample under their feet the commandments of God, and did turn unto their own ways, and did build up unto themselves ^cidols of their gold and their silver.

32 And it came to pass that all these iniquities did come unto them in the space of ^anot many years, insomuch that a more part of it had come unto them in the sixty and seventh year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.

33 And they did grow in their iniquities in the *sixty and eighth year also, to the great sorrow and lamentation of the righteous.

34 And thus we see that the ^aNephites did begin to dwindle in unbelief, and grow in wickedness and abominations, while the Lamanites began to grow exceedingly in the knowledge of their God; yea, they did begin to keep his statutes and commandments, and to walk in truth and uprightness before him.

35 And thus we see that the Spirit of the Lord began to ^awithdraw from the Nephites, because of the wickedness and the hardness of their hearts.

36 And thus we see that the Lord began to pour out his ^aSpirit upon the Lamanites, because of their easiness and ^bwillingness to believe in his words.

This reading points out that we all need to be aware of the gravity of secret combinations. I like the insight offered by this detailed commentary from the Institute Manual:

Helaman 6 and Ether 8 provide some of the most important insights into secret combinations, including how they worked, what motivated them, and how they came to power. Moroni prophetically warned his latter-day readers that secret combinations were the source of the destruction of both the Jaredite and Nephite societies (see Ether 8:18–21). Moroni then warned us in terms of utmost gravity of the dangers such secret combinations hold for our own day (see vv. 22–26). From this chapter and other places in the Book of Mormon we learn the following important characteristics of secret combinations:

1. The devil is the inspiration and source of all such organizations (see Helaman 6:26–30). Mormon clearly pointed to Satan as the grand conspirator, the real organizer of all such organizations.

2. Such organizations are viewed by the Lord as constituting a wickedness “above all the wickedness of the whole earth” (3 Nephi 9:9; see also Ether 8:18). While individuals may rob, steal, plunder, and murder, how much more wickedness occurs when men plunder and kill on a national or an international scale involving millions of lives?

3. Such organizations flourish and thrive when the “more part” (Helaman 6:21) of the people are wicked and seek to benefit from the spoils of such wickedness (see v. 38).

4. Secrecy is one of the basic operating tenets of such organizations (see vv. 22, 25–26).

5. Joined with the idea of secrecy is the idea of making covenants (see vv. 22, 25–26). An oath of loyalty to the organization is made which involves a vow to maintain the secret of the conspiracy. After the murder of the chief judge, Kishkumen “went unto those that sent him, and they all entered into a covenant, yea, swearing by their everlasting Maker, that they would tell no man” (Helaman 1:11). Helaman 6:21 refers to “their covenants and their oaths.” Moroni described this same covenant making among the Jaredites (see Ether 8:13–14). Ironically, the oaths were sometimes made in the name of God (see Helaman 1:11, Ether 8:14).

6. The objectives of such secret combinations are power or gain, or both (see Helaman 6:38, Ether 8:22, Moses 5:31–33). Since the government is a source of great power, it is not surprising that often the target of action is to take over the reins of government (see Helaman 1:1–4, 2:4–5, 3 Nephi 3:6, 6:30, 7:12, Ether 9:1–6, 13:18).

7. These organizations use immorality, money, and violence to achieve their ends (see Helaman 6:15, 17, Ether 8:10). Assassinating government leaders to bring their own people to power is a common tale found in the Book of Mormon.

8. The only way to lastingly curtail these organizations once they are established and begin to flourish is through conversion of the people to righteousness (see Helaman 6:37, 3 Nephi 5:4–6).

pgs. 380 and 381...they were encirced about; yea, they were as if in the midst of a flaming fire, yet it did harm them not...

37 And it came to pass that this man did cry unto the multitude, that they might turn and look. And behold, there was power given unto them that they did turn and look; and they did behold the faces of Nephi and Lehi.

38 And they said unto the man: Behold, what do all these things mean, and who is it with whom these men do converse?

39 Now the man’s name was Aminadab. And Aminadab said unto them: They do converse with the angels of God.

40 And it came to pass that the Lamanites said unto him: ^aWhat shall we do, that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing us?

41 And Aminadab said unto them: You must ^arepent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have ^bfaith in Christ, who was taught unto you by Alma, and ^cAmulek, and Zeezrom; and when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you.

42 And it came to pass that they all did begin to cry unto the voice of him who had shaken the earth; yea, they did cry even until the cloud of darkness was dispersed.

43 And it came to pass that when they cast their eyes about, and saw that the cloud of darkness was dispersed from overshadowing them, behold, they saw that they were ^aencircled about, yea every soul, by a pillar of fire.

44 And ^aNephi and ^bLehi were in the midst of them; yea, they were encircled about; yea, they were as if in the midst of a flaming fire, yet it did harm them not, neither did it take hold upon the walls of the prison; and they were filled with that ^cjoy which is unspeakable and full of glory.

45 And behold, the ^aHoly Spirit of God did come down from heaven, and did enter into their hearts, and they were filled as if with fire, and they could ^bspeak forth marvelous words.

46 And it came to pass that there came a voice unto them, yea, a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper, saying:

47 ^aPeace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world.

48 And now, when they heard this they cast up their eyes as if to behold from whence the voice came; and behold, they saw the ^aheavens open; and angels came down out of heaven and ministered unto them.

49 And there were about three hundred souls who saw and heard these things; and they were bidden to go forth and marvel not, neither should they doubt.

50 And it came to pass that they did go forth, and did minister unto the people, declaring throughout all the regions round about all the things which they had heard and seen, insomuch that the more part of the Lamanites were ^aconvinced of them, because of the greatness of the evidences which they had received.

51 And as many as were ^aconvinced did lay down their weapons of war, and also their hatred and the tradition of their fathers.

52 And it came to pass that they did ^ayield up unto the Nephites the lands of their possession.

THE BOOK OF HELAMAN

CHAPTER 6

The righteous Lamanites preach to the wicked Nephites—Both peoples prosper during an era of peace and plenty—Lucifer, the author of sin, guides the Gadianton robbers in their murders and wickedness—They take over the Nephite government. Between 29 and 24 B.C.

1 And it came to pass that when the sixty and second year of the reign of the judges *had ended, all these things had happened and the Lamanites had become, the more part of them, a righteous people, insomuch that their ^arighteousness did exceed that of the Nephites, because of their firmness and their steadiness in the faith.

2 For behold, there were many of the Nephites who had become ^ahardened and impenitent and grossly wicked, insomuch that they did reject the word of God and all the preaching and prophesying which did come among them.

3 Nevertheless, the people of the church did have great joy because of the conversion of the Lamanites, yea, because of the church of God, which had been established among them. And they did ^afellowship one with another, and did rejoice one with another, and did have great joy.

4 And it came to pass that many of the Lamanites did come down into the land of Zarahemla, and did declare unto the people of the Nephites the manner of their ^aconversion, and did exhort them to faith and repentance.

5 Yea, and many did ^apreach with exceedingly great power and authority, unto the bringing down many of them into the depths of humility, to be the humble followers of God and the Lamb.

6 And it came to pass that many of the Lamanites did go into the land northward; and also ^aNephi and ^bLehi went into the ^cland northward, to preach unto the people. And thus ended the sixty and third year.

7 And behold, there was peace in all the land, insomuch that the Nephites did go into whatsoever part of the land they would, whether among the Nephites or the Lamanites.

8 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did also go whithersoever they would, whether it were among the Lamanites or among the Nephites; and thus they did have free intercourse one with another, to ^abuy and to sell, and to get gain, according to their desire.

9 And it came to pass that they became exceedingly rich, both the Lamanites and the Nephites; and they did have an exceeding plenty of ^agold, and of silver, and of all manner of precious metals, both in the land south and in the land north.

10 Now the land south was called ^aLehi, and the land north was called ^bMulek, which was after the ^cson of Zedekiah; for the Lord did bring Mulek into the land north, and Lehi into the land south.

11 And behold, there was all manner of gold in both these lands, and of silver, and of precious ore of every kind; and there were also curious workmen, who did ^awork all kinds of ore and did refine it; and thus they did become rich.

12 They did raise grain in abundance, both in the north and in the south; and they did flourish exceedingly, both in the north and in the south. And they did multiply and wax exceedingly strong in the land. And they did raise many flocks and herds, yea, many fatlings.

The miracle of Nephi and Lehi being encircled by a pillar of fire is so amazing! And I love verse 48 which tells us that angels came out of heaven and ministered unto them. Wow. We know so little about angels that any time they are mentioned in the scriptures I am always fascinated! This whole chapter is filled with such miraculous events...the walls of the prison shook, a voice was heard from heaven three separate times, a cloud of darkness made it impossible for the Lamanites to flee...all of it is a wonderful reminder of how thin the veil can be if it needs to be.