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. 

pgs. 418 and 419...thus Satan did lead away the hearts of the people to do all manner of iniquity; therefore they had enjoyed peace but a few years.

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

CHAPTER 6

The Nephites prosper—Pride, wealth, and class distinctions arise—The Church is rent with dissensions—Satan leads the people in open rebellion—Many prophets cry repentance and are slain—Their murderers conspire to take over the government. Between A.D. 26 and 30

  1 And now it came to pass that the people of the Nephites did all return to their own lands in the *twenty and sixth year, every man, with his family, his flocks and his herds, his ^ahorses and his cattle, and all things whatsoever did belong unto them.

  2 And it came to pass that they had ^anot eaten up all their provisions; therefore they did take with them all that they had not devoured, of all their grain of every kind, and their gold, and their silver, and all their precious things, and they did return to their own lands and their possessions, both on the north and on the south, both on the land northward and on the land southward.

  3 And they granted unto those robbers who had ^aentered into a covenant to keep the peace of the land, who were desirous to remain Lamanites, lands, according to their numbers, that they might have, with their labors, wherewith to subsist upon; and thus they did establish peace in all the land.

  4 And they began again to prosper and to wax great; and the twenty and sixth and seventh years passed away, and there was great ^aorder in the land; and they had formed their laws according to equity and justice.

  5 And now there was nothing in all the land to hinder the people from prospering continually, except they should fall into transgression.

  6 And now it was ^aGidgiddoni, and the judge, ^bLachoneus, and those who had been appointed leaders, who had established this great peace in the land.

  7 And it came to pass that there were many cities built anew, and there were many old cities repaired.

  8 And there were many ^ahighways cast up, and many roads made, which led from city to city, and from land to land, and from place to place.

  9 And thus passed away the twenty and eighth year, and the people had continual peace.

  10 But it came to pass in the *twenty and ninth year there began to be some disputings among the people; and some were lifted up unto pride and ^aboastings because of their exceedingly great riches, yea, even unto great persecutions;

  11 For there were many ^amerchants in the land, and also many ^blawyers, and many officers.

  12 And the people began to be distinguished by ranks, according to their ^ariches and their chances for learning; yea, some were ^bignorant because of their poverty, and others did receive great ^clearningbecause of their riches.

  13 Some were lifted up in pride, and others were exceedingly humble; some did return railing for railing, while others would receive railing and ^apersecution and all manner of ^bafflictions, and would not turn and ^crevile again, but were humble and penitent before God.

  14 And thus there became a great inequality in all the land, insomuch that the church began to be broken up; yea, insomuch that in the *thirtieth year the church was broken up in all the land save it were among a few of the Lamanites who were converted unto the true faith; and ^athey would not depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all ^bdiligence to keep the commandments of the Lord.

  15 Now the cause of this iniquity of the people was this—^aSatan had great ^bpower, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and ^criches, and the vain things of the world.

  16 And thus Satan did lead away the hearts of the people to do all manner of iniquity; therefore they had enjoyed peace but a few years.

  17 And thus, in the commencement of the thirtieth year—the people having been ^adelivered up for the space of a long time to be carried about by the ^btemptations of the devil whithersoever he desired to carry them, and to do whatsoever iniquity he desired they should—and thus in the commencement of this, the thirtieth year, they were in a state of awful wickedness.

  18 Now they did not sin ^aignorantly, for they knew the ^bwill of God concerning them, for it had been taught unto them; therefore they did wilfully ^crebel against God.

  19 And now it was in the days of Lachoneus, the son of ^aLachoneus, for Lachoneus did fill the seat of his father and did govern the people that year.

  20 And there began to be men ^ainspired from heaven and sent forth, standing among the people in all the land, preaching and testifying boldly of the sins and iniquities of the people, and testifying unto them concerning the redemption which the Lord would make for his people, or in other words, the resurrection of Christ; and they did testify boldly of his ^bdeath and sufferings.

  21 Now there were many of the people who were exceedingly angry because of those who testified of these things; and those who were angry were chiefly the chief judges, and they who ^ahad been high priests and lawyers; yea, all those who were lawyers were angry with those who testified of these things.

  22 Now there was no lawyer nor judge nor high priest that could have power to condemn any one to death save their condemnation was signed by the governor of the land.

  23 Now there were many of those ^awho testified of the things pertaining to Christ who testified boldly, who were taken and put to death ^bsecretly by the judges, that the knowledge of their death came not unto the governor of the land until after their death.

  24 Now behold, this was contrary to the laws of the land, that any man should be put to death except they had power from the governor of the land—

  25 Therefore a complaint came up unto the land of Zarahemla, to the governor of the land, against these judges who had condemned the prophets of the Lord unto ^adeath, not according to the law.

  26 Now it came to pass that they were taken and brought up before the judge, to be judged of the crime which they had done, according to the ^alaw which had been given by the people.

  27 Now it came to pass that those judges had many friends and kindreds; and the remainder, yea, even almost all the lawyers and the high priests, did gather themselves together, and unite with the kindreds of those judges who were to be tried according to the law.

  28 And they did enter into a ^acovenant one with another, yea, even into that covenant which was given by them of old, which covenant was given and administered by the ^bdevil, to combine against all righteousness.

  29 Therefore they did combine against the people of the Lord, and enter into a covenant to destroy them, and to deliver those who were guilty of murder from the grasp of justice, which was about to be administered according to the law.

  30 And they did set at defiance the law and the rights of their country; and they did covenant one with another to destroy the governor, and to establish a ^aking over the land, that the land should no more be at ^bliberty but should be subject unto kings.

* VERSE 1 (A.D. 26).

In just the seven verses from 10 to 17 Satan destroys a righteous society.  It's amazing how quickly it can happen and how hard he works.  It is the privilege and responsibility of the followers of Christ, especially priesthood holders, to work to stop these evil influences. This was taught in General Conference in 1967 when Elder Robert L. Simpson gave the following message:

“Times have not changed. Less than two months ago, most of you read the disturbing article in our newspapers about a group of individuals who have established a so-called Satanic church, with the sole purpose to participate only in the realms of evil and darkness. They are in open defiance of and diametrically opposed to all of His holy purposes that bring us together in this great conference. Without a goodly number of God-fearing men committed to the cause of truth, these societies of evil could well take over our society.

“The only effective tool against evil and darkness is truth and light, particularly truth and light held in the hands of those bearing God’s Holy Priesthood: worthy, dedicated men such as I see before me here today.

“No man or boy who has accepted the commitment of priesthood can stand idly by, for if we do not abide in this covenant with the Lord, if we are less than anxiously engaged in doing something about it, he says: ‘. . . ye are not worthy of me.’ (D&C 98:15.)” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1967, p. 69).