pgs. 426 and 427...there was silence in all the land for the space of many hours.

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

CHAPTER 10

There is silence in the land for many hours—The voice of Christ promises to gather his people as a hen gathereth her chickens—The more righteous part of the people had been preserved. [A.D. 34]

  1 And now behold, it came to pass that all the people of the land did ^ahear these sayings, and did witness of it. And after these sayings there was silence in the land for the space of many hours;

  2 For so great was the astonishment of the people that they did cease lamenting and howling for the loss of their kindred which had been slain; therefore there was silence in all the land for the space of many hours.

  3 And it came to pass that there came a voice again unto the people, and all the people did hear, and did witness of it, saying:

  4 O ye people of these ^agreat cities which have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob, yea, who are of the house of Israel, how oft have I ^bgathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have ^cnourished you.

  5 And again, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ^aye people of the house of Israel, who have fallen; yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen; yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not.

  6 O ye house of Israel whom I have ^aspared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and ^breturn unto me with full purpose of ^cheart.

  7 But if not, O house of Israel, the places of your dwellings shall become ^adesolate until the time of the fulfilling of the ^bcovenant to your fathers.

  8 And now it came to pass that after the people had heard these words, behold, they began to weep and howl ^aagain because of the loss of their kindred and friends.

  9 And it came to pass that thus did the three days pass away. And it was in the morning, and the ^adarkness dispersed from off the face of the land, and the earth did cease to tremble, and the ^brocks did cease to rend, and the dreadful groanings did cease, and all the tumultuous noises did pass away.

  10 And the earth did cleave together again, that it stood; and the ^amourning, and the weeping, and the wailing of the people who were spared alive did cease; and their mourning was turned into joy, and their lamentations into the ^bpraise and thanksgiving unto the Lord Jesus Christ, their Redeemer.

  11 And thus far were the ^ascriptures ^bfulfilled which had been spoken by the prophets.

  12 And it was the ^amore righteous part of the people who were saved, and it was they who received the prophets and stoned them not; and it was they who had not shed the blood of the saints, who were spared—

  13 And they were spared and were not sunk and buried up in the earth; and they were not drowned in the depths of the sea; and they were not burned by fire, neither were they fallen upon and crushed to death; and they were not carried away in the whirlwind; neither were they overpowered by the vapor of smoke and of darkness.

  14 And now, whoso readeth, let him understand; he that hath the scriptures, let him ^asearch them, and see and behold if all these deaths and destructions by fire, and by smoke, and by ^btempests, and by whirlwinds, and by the ^copening of the earth to receive them, and all these things are not unto the fulfilling of the prophecies of many of the holy prophets.

  15 Behold, I say unto you, Yea, many have testified of these things at the coming of Christ, and were ^aslain because they testified of these things.

  16 Yea, the prophet ^aZenos did testify of these things, and also Zenock spake ^bconcerning these things, because they testified particularly concerning us, who are the remnant of their seed.

  17 Behold, our father Jacob also testified concerning a ^aremnant of the seed of Joseph. And behold, are not we a remnant of the seed of Joseph? And these things which testify of us, are they not written upon the plates of brass which our father Lehi brought out of Jerusalem?

  18 And it came to pass that in the ending of the thirty and fourth year, behold, I will show unto you that the people of Nephi who were spared, and also those who had been called ^aLamanites, who had been spared, did have great favors shown unto them, and great ^bblessings poured out upon their heads, insomuch that soon after the ^cascension of Christ into heaven he did truly manifest himself unto them—

  19 ^aShowing his body unto them, and ministering unto them; and an account of his ministry shall be given hereafter. Therefore for this time I make an end of my sayings.

I'm intrigued by the many hours of silence recorded in the beginning of this chapter.  What influence would silence have had on these people as they were waiting in the darkness after just hearing the voice of Christ? I am sure it caused much prayer and reflection and served as a way for the people to prepare their hearts.  I can see how it would be to their spiritual advantage to have a fresh, uncluttered mind when Christ makes His upcoming appearance to them.  It also shows respect and honor for the Savior and we know from D&C 88:95 that there "will be silence in heaven for the space of half an hour" just before the Savior's second coming.

pgs. 424 and 425...and ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit...

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

CHAPTER 9

In the darkness the voice of Christ proclaims the destruction of many people and cities for their wickedness—He also proclaims his divinity, announces that the law of Moses is fulfilled, and invites men to come unto him and be saved. [A.D. 34]

1 And it came to pass that there was a ^avoice heard among all the inhabitants of the earth, upon all the face of this land, crying:

2 Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall ^arepent; for the devil ^blaugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen!

3 Behold, that great city Zarahemla have I ^aburned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof.

4 And behold, that great city Moroni have I caused to be ^asunk in the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof to be drowned.

5 And behold, that great city ^aMoronihah have I covered with earth, and the inhabitants thereof, to hide their iniquities and their abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come any more unto me against them.

6 And behold, the city of Gilgal have I caused to be sunk, and the inhabitants thereof to be buried up in the depths of the earth;

7 Yea, and the city of Onihah and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Mocum and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of ^aJerusalem and the inhabitants thereof; and ^bwaters have I caused to come up in the stead thereof, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the ^cblood of the prophets and the saints shall ^dnot come up any more unto me against them.

8 And behold, the city of Gadiandi, and the city of Gadiomnah, and the city of Jacob, and the city of Gimgimno, all these have I caused to be sunk, and made ^ahills and valleys in the places thereof; and the inhabitants thereof have I ^bburied up in the depths of the earth, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up any more unto me against them.

9 And behold, that great city Jacobugath, which was inhabited by the people of king Jacob, have I caused to be burned with fire because of their sins and their ^awickedness, which was above all the wickedness of the whole earth, because of their ^bsecret murders and combinations; for it was they that did ^cdestroy the peace of my people and the government of the land; therefore I did cause them to be burned, to ^ddestroy them from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me any more against them.

10 And behold, the city of Laman, and the city of Josh, and the city of Gad, and the city of Kishkumen, have I caused to be burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof, because of their wickedness in casting out the prophets, and stoning those whom I did send to declare unto them concerning their wickedness and their abominations.

11 And because they did cast them all out, that there were none righteous among them, I did send down ^afire and destroy them, that their wickedness and abominations might be hid from before my ^bface, that the blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among them might not cry unto me ^cfrom the ground against them.

12 And ^amany great destructions have I caused to come upon this land, and upon this people, because of their wickedness and their abominations.

13 O all ye that are ^aspared because ye were more ^brighteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may ^cheal you?

14 Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will ^acome unto me ye shall have ^beternal life. Behold, mine ^carm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.

15 Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I ^acreated the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. ^bI am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name.

16 I came unto my own, and my own ^areceived me not. And the scriptures ^bconcerning my coming are fulfilled.

17 And as many as have received me, to them have I ^agiven to become the sons of God; and even so will I to as many as shall believe on my name, for behold, by me ^bredemption cometh, and ^cin me is the ^dlaw of Moses fulfilled.

18 I am the ^alight and the life of the world. I am ^bAlpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

19 And ye shall offer up unto me ^ano more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.

20 And ye shall offer for a ^asacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I ^bbaptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.

21 Behold, I have come unto the world to bring ^aredemption unto the world, to save the world from sin.

22 Therefore, whoso ^arepenteth and cometh unto me ^bas a ^clittle child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have ^dlaid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved.

Recently we had two horses boarding in a stable near our home. They were considered "broken" when they lived in the country. When they came to the city and were a lot more confined the city trainers considered them "wild." It was a surprise to us what a difference the environment made in connection with their obedience. When I read the phrase "broken heart" today I thought of our experience with them. Do I have a "broken heart" no matter what comes my way or only when I am in the environment I am used to? Can the Lord rely on my broken heart and contrite spirit under any circumstance? How about you?

pgs. 422 and 423...the whole face of the land was changed, because of the tempest and the whirlwinds...and the exceedingly great quaking.

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

CHAPTER 8

Tempests, earthquakes, fires, whirlwinds, and physical upheavals attest the crucifixion of Christ—Many people are destroyed—Darkness covers the land for three days—Those who remain bemoan their fate. [A.D. 34]

  1 And now it came to pass that according to our record, and we know our record to be ^atrue, for behold, it was a ^bjust man who did keep the record—for he truly did ^cmany ^dmiracles in the ^ename of Jesus; and there was not any man who could do a miracle in the name of Jesus save he were cleansed every whit from his iniquity—

  2 And now it came to pass, if there was no mistake made by this man in the reckoning of our time, the ^a*thirty and third year had passed away;

  3 And the people began to look with great earnestness for the sign which had been given by the prophet Samuel, the Lamanite, yea, for the time that there should be ^adarkness for the space of three days over the face of the land.

  4 And there began to be great ^adoubtings and ^bdisputations among the people, notwithstanding so many signs had been given.

  5 And it came to pass in the ^a*thirty and fourth year, in the first month, on the fourth day of the month, there arose a great ^bstorm, such an one as never had been known in all the land.

  6 And there was also a great and terrible tempest; and there was terrible ^athunder, insomuch that it did ^bshake the whole earth as if it was about to divide asunder.

  7 And there were exceedingly sharp lightnings, such as never had been known in all the land.

  8 And the ^acity of Zarahemla did take fire.

  9 And the city of ^aMoroni did ^bsink into the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof were drowned.

  10 And the earth was carried up upon the city of ^aMoronihah, that in the place of the city there became a great ^bmountain.

  11 And there was a great and terrible destruction in the land southward.

  12 But behold, there was a more great and terrible destruction in the land northward; for behold, the ^awhole face of the land was changed, because of the tempest and the whirlwinds, and the thunderings and the lightnings, and the exceedingly great quaking of the whole earth;

  13 And the ^ahighways were broken up, and the level roads were spoiled, and many smooth places became rough.

  14 And many ^agreat and notable cities were ^bsunk, and many were ^cburned, and many were shaken till the buildings thereof had fallen to the earth, and the inhabitants thereof were slain, and the places were left desolate.

  15 And there were some cities which remained; but the damage thereof was exceedingly great, and there were many in them who were slain.

  16 And there were some who were carried away in the ^awhirlwind; and whither they went no man knoweth, save they know that they were carried away.

  17 And thus the face of the whole earth became deformed, because of the tempests, and the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the quaking of the earth.

  18 And behold, the rocks were rent in twain; they were broken up upon the face of the whole earth, insomuch that they were ^afound in broken fragments, and in seams and in cracks, upon all the face of the land.

  19 And it came to pass that when the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the storm, and the tempest, and the quakings of the earth did cease—for behold, they did last for about the space of ^athree ^bhours; and it was said by some that the time was greater; nevertheless, all these great and terrible things were done in about the space of three hours—and then behold, there was ^cdarkness upon the face of the land.

  20 And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could ^afeel the ^bvapor of darkness;

  21 And there could be no light, because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches; neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that there could not be any light at all;

  22 And there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land.

  23 And it came to pass that it did last for the space of three days that there was no light seen; and there was great mourning and ^ahowling and weeping among all the people continually; yea, great were the groanings of the people, because of the darkness and the great destruction which had come upon them.

  24 And in one place they were heard to cry, saying: O that we had repented ^abefore this great and terrible day, and then would our brethren have been spared, and they would not have been ^bburned in that great city Zarahemla.

  25 And in another place they were heard to cry and mourn, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and had not killed and stoned the prophets, and cast them out; then would our mothers and our fair daughters, and our children have been spared, and not have been buried up in that great city ^aMoronihah. And thus were the howlings of the people great and terrible.

Did you know it has been revealed that earthquakes are caused by the hand of God?  I knew that the earthquakes and other natural disasters in this reading were caused by God because they coincide with the death of our Savior Jesus Christ.  However, it is new information to me that all earthquakes are caused by His power.  Here is the quote on the subject:

“Since the earth has been in its present fallen or telestial state, it has been subject to earthquakes. These are part of the Lord’s plan; they come by his power and fulfil his purposes. By them he delivers his servants from perils, destroys the wicked, and leaves a sign that his hand has been in transcendent events. (Hela. 12:7–17.)

“Earthquakes attended the delivery from prison of Paul and Silas in the old world, of Lehi and Nephi in the new. (Acts 16:25–26; Hela. 5:27.) Both the crucifixion and the resurrection of our Lord were attested by earthquakes. (Matt. 27:54; 28:2.) Among the Nephites the quakings and destructions at the time of the crucifixion were so extensive that the whole face of the land was changed and the wicked and rebellious were destroyed. (3 Ne. 8; 9:1–14; 10:9–10.)

“Earthquakes are given as one of the signs of the times; they foreshadow the Second Coming. (Matt. 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11; D. & C. 45:33; 87:6.) By them the testimony of the Lord’s power is borne to the people of the earth. (D. & C. 43:25; 88:89), and when the glorious Second Coming itself arrives there will be ‘a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.’ (Rev. 16:18–20; 6:12–17; 8:5; 11:12–15, 19; Zech. 14:4–5; D. & C. 133:22–25.)” (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 211–12). 

pgs. 420 and 421...so great was his faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily.

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

CHAPTER 7

The chief judge is murdered, the government is overthrown, and the people divide into tribes—Jacob, an antichrist, becomes king of a league of tribes—Nephi preaches repentance and faith in Christ—Angels minister to him daily, and he raises his brother from the dead—Many repent and are baptized. Between A.D. 30 and 33

  1 Now behold, I will show unto you that they did not establish a king over the land; but in this same year, yea, the thirtieth year, they did destroy upon the judgment-seat, yea, did murder the chief judge of the land.

  2 And the people were divided one against another; and they did ^aseparate one from another into tribes, every man according to his family and his kindred and friends; and thus they did destroy the government of the land.

  3 And every tribe did appoint a chief or a leader over them; and thus they became tribes and leaders of tribes.

  4 Now behold, there was no man among them save he had much family and many kindreds and friends; therefore their tribes became exceedingly great.

  5 Now all this was done, and there were no wars as yet among them; and all this iniquity had come upon the people ^abecause they did ^byield themselves unto the power of Satan.

  6 And the regulations of the government were destroyed, because of the ^asecret combination of the friends and kindreds of those who murdered the prophets.

  7 And they did cause a great contention in the land, insomuch that the more righteous part of the people had nearly all become wicked; yea, there were but few righteous men among them.

  8 And thus six years had not passed away since the more part of the people had turned from their righteousness, like the dog to his ^avomit, or like the sow to her wallowing in the mire.

  9 Now this secret combination, which had brought so great iniquity upon the people, did gather themselves together, and did place at their head a man whom they did call Jacob;

  10 And they did call him their king; therefore he became a king over this wicked band; and he was one of the chiefest who had given his voice against the prophets who testified of Jesus.

  11 And it came to pass that they were not so strong in number as the tribes of the people, who were united together save it were their leaders did establish their laws, every one according to his tribe; nevertheless they were enemies; notwithstanding they were not a righteous people, yet they were united in the hatred of those who had entered into a covenant to ^adestroy the government.

  12 Therefore, Jacob seeing that their enemies were more numerous than they, he being the king of the band, therefore he commanded his people that they should take their flight into the northernmost part of the land, and there build up unto themselves a ^akingdom, until they were joined by dissenters, (for he flattered them that there would be many dissenters) and they become sufficiently strong to contend with the tribes of the people; and they did so.

  13 And so speedy was their march that it could not be impeded until they had gone forth out of the reach of the people. And thus ended the thirtieth year; and thus were the affairs of the people of Nephi.

  14 And it came to pass in the *thirty and first year that they were divided into tribes, every man according to his family, kindred and friends; nevertheless they had come to an agreement that they would not go to war one with another; but they were not united as to their laws, and their manner of government, for they were established according to the minds of those who were their chiefs and their leaders. But they did establish very strict laws that one tribe should not trespass against another, insomuch that in some degree they had peace in the land; nevertheless, their hearts were turned from the Lord their God, and they did stone the ^aprophets and did cast them out from among them.

  15 And it came to pass that ^aNephi—having been visited by angels and also the voice of the Lord, therefore having seen angels, and being eye-witness, and having had power given unto him that he might know concerning the ministry of Christ, and also being eye-witness to their quick return from righteousness unto their wickedness and abominations;

  16 Therefore, being ^agrieved for the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds—went forth among them in that same year, and began to testify, boldly, repentance and remission of sins through faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.

  17 And he did minister many things unto them; and all of them cannot be written, and a part of them would not suffice, therefore they are not written in this book. And Nephi did minister with ^apower and with great authority.

  18 And it came to pass that they were angry with him, even because he had greater power than they, for it were ^anot possible that they could disbelieve his words, for so great was his faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily.

  19 And in the name of Jesus did he cast out devils and ^aunclean spirits; and even his ^bbrother did he ^craise from the dead, after he had been stoned and suffered death by the people.

  20 And the people saw it, and did witness of it, and were angry with him because of his power; and he did also do ^amany more miracles, in the sight of the people, in the name of Jesus.

  21 And it came to pass that the thirty and first year did pass away, and there were but few who were converted unto the Lord; but as many as were converted did truly signify unto the people that they had been ^avisited by the power and ^bSpirit of God, which was in Jesus Christ, in whom they believed.

  22 And as many as had devils cast out from them, and were ^ahealed of their sicknesses and their infirmities, did truly manifest unto the people that they had been wrought upon by the Spirit of God, and had been healed; and they did show forth signs also and did do some miracles among the people.

  23 Thus passed away the *thirty and second year also. And Nephi did cry unto the people in the commencement of the thirty and third year; and he did preach unto them repentance and remission of sins.

  24 Now I would have you to remember also, that there were none who were brought unto ^arepentance who were not baptized with water.

  25 Therefore, there were ordained of Nephi, men unto this ministry, that all such as should come unto them should be ^abaptized with water, and this as a witness and a testimony before God, and unto the people, that they had repented and received a ^bremission of their sins.

  26 And there were many in the commencement of this year that were baptized unto repentance; and thus the more part of the year did pass away.

What kind of faith must one possess to receive the ministering of angels DAILY?  I've read and reread the passage and I noticed that it is not clear whether Nephi realizes that the angels are helping him or not.  I have a feeling, though, that he must have known and been so close to the veil that he literally interacted with them.  What an amazing example for all of us of what is actually possible and available if we will exercise enough faith.