Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Book of Mormon Lesson 36: “On the Morrow Come I into the World” 3 Nephi 1–7

3 Nephi 1–7

3 Nephi 1
Beginning in 3 Nephi, we see that the Nephites have chosen Lachoneus as their governor and chief judge of the people. He is righteous and will lead the people well.  Still, there was a great division among the people.

Six hundred years had passed since Lehi’s departure from Jerusalem.  Samuel the Lamanite’s and others’ prophecies are coming to pass.  The wicked see them caused by natural events, and disbelieve Samuel’s prophecies, as they are not natural or easily explained away.

While Lachoneus reigns in righteousness, those seeking to depose him are very powerful.  They are so powerful, they are able to threaten the Christians with destruction if the signs of Christ’s coming do not occur on a certain day.  Was Lachoneus’ support at the time too fragile to prevent such a threat by using arms beforehand to stop it?

...to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh (3 Ne 1:14)

Nephi appeals to the Lord to save the believers.  Christ answers, saying he will be born that very night.  His mortal purpose, as quoted above, is to do God’s will.  Here, Jesus notes he will do both his Father’s and his own will.  These are not two distinct wills, but one will.  Jesus submits his own to the Father, the two becoming one in doing so.  That Father’s will is done in sending his Son to save the world.  The Son’s will is to sacrifice his flesh for all mankind.

In chapter 1:17, we see that Mormon notes that all the people “on the face of the whole earth” fell to the ground, describing the four cardinal directions to note just how many were amazed by the event.  Yet, in verse 27, we find the Gadianton robbers still heavily infest the mountain wilderness.  They had not been converted.  Nor should we think that people on other continents saw the star and other signs and were converted, either.  It shows the importance of understanding what the text actually says, and not to read modern concepts into the words.  This concept shown here can also help us consider our reading of other events in the scriptures, such as the Flood.  Many believe it was a global event.  However, science disagrees.  It is possible that it only seemed to be global to those involved in the great destruction.  Regardless of how we believe, we need to recognize that an event that covers the “whole earth” may not technically mean the “whole earth.”

As to the cardinal directions mentioned, the 2012 FAIR Conference included a lecture by Brant Gardner, explaining that for the ancient Mayans, the cardinal directions were useful only from the place one was speaking or writing from.  North-South-East-West from Zarahemla would be different than NSEW from Bountiful, the land of Nephi, or the land of Desolation. It depended upon where one currently was to determine such directions.

Verse 28 states, “there were many dissenters of the Nephites who did flee unto” the Gadiantons.  Why would they have to flee?  It is possible that after the great signs, the righteous Nephites had the upper hand again, forcing those who would not follow Jesus to flee in order to escape either persecution or the strict laws of the Christian Nephites.  

Even among the Lamanites, their children were deceived and led away by lyings and flattering words by the Zoramites and other apostates.  The young were rejecting the teachings of their fathers, even though the signs of Jesus’ birth occurred only two years before.  Why?  Had the Zoramites come up with logical excuses for the signs in the heavens?  Did they use the belief in another god to create another narrative?  Or were promises of wealth, freedom from rules, and belief in the god of hedonism and materialism move them to defect?  And do we see it today?

“...thus were the Lamanites afflicted also, and began to decrease as to their faith and righteousness, because of the wickedness of the rising generation” (3 Nephi 1:30).

3 Nephi 2


Here we get some answers to the questions just asked about the Lamanite youth.  Signs do not convert people.  Disasters, wars, plagues, angelic visitations, and other events may compel a person to be humble for a time, but will not sustain a true testimony.  Eventually, the person will fall back to his/her old patterns and behaviors.  Justification sets in, as things are explained away and there is a return to sin.  Without a great significant emotional event to cause a sudden change in perception, one’s worldview tends to remain as it is.  This new perspective lasts as long as the person believes.  However, if the emotion of the event wears off, it can then be questioned and disbelieved.  The event is like Ebenezer Scrooge’s bit of undigested potato, which he insisted caused the apparition of his dead partner, Jacob Marley.

Sadly, mankind loves to live in a lie.  We believe it gives us protection and safety from the unknown or unwanted.  We toss people in prison to modify behavior.  Once released, most will be on their best behavior.  For a time.  They marvel at being outside the fences and outside the view of prison guards.  They happily greet their first steak dinner in years, and sleeping on a soft mattress.  They want to make good on their lives, and begin working towards it.  Unfortunately, after a while they become comfortable with their new found freedom and become complacent. Then, with the first snag or letdown, many will retreat to their former selves, which the lie tells them will protect them.  It is a cycle that some never break out of in a lifetime of returning to prison.

Only in facing the lies in our lives, can we meet face to face with the reality and truth.  A person who can hear the word of God and humble herself is more likely to succeed in being righteous throughout her entire life.

Gadiantons return to power

The Gadiantons have attempted to gain power through religious preachings (Korihor), assassination (Kishkumen), war (Amalickiah), secret combinations (Gadianton), and overthrowing the government.  Now they try another tactic: building their own nation into a power so great they threaten the Nephite and Lamanite nations.

The Gadiantons did not immediately attack army against army, but used a hit and run terrorist strategy.  They destroyed small towns on the borders and elsewhere that were not well defended. They probably carried off the women and children.  Their efforts brought chaos and instability, until the Nephites and Lamanites were forced to take up arms against them.

The war was so difficult that it threatened the destruction of the Nephite and Lamanite nations.

The Lamanites join the Nephites.  Some read 3 Nephi 2:14-16 as stating the Lamanites’ skin color changed from black to white.  However, many LDS believe that this is a metaphor.  Brant Gardner has an interesting article on the concept of the “skin of blackness” (2 Ne 5:21), and how it should really be viewed.  He shows that there is a curse placed on the Lamanites, and then a separate change (skin of blackness).  In regards to our Lamanites here turning white, he explains,

“This reversal of the curse (not repeated here but “skin of blackness”) implies its opposite (articulated here): “skin became white.” The Lamanites have crossed the insider/outsider boundary, becoming those who were “united with the Nephites” and “numbered among” them. Because they have become Nephites, they therefore “became white like unto the Nephites.” This shift in skin of blackness to skin became white on the basis of a change from outsider to insider explains why the first appearance of the idea of the curse on the Lamanites has a different inception than this mention in 2 Nephi 5:21. In 1 Nephi 12:23, Nephi prophesies: “And I beheld, after they had dwindled in unbelief they became a dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people.” This is a reference to the Lamanites who survive the wars that destroy the Nephites (1 Ne. 12:19-20). In prophecy, Nephi places the darkness of the Lamanites over 1,000 years later than we find it in 2 Nephi 5:21. Why the discrepancy in time? There is no discrepancy. The condition of darkness comes with dwindling in unbelief. When that occurs, darkness falls—on their hearts and metaphorically on their skins. It is not a physical change and therefore does not have a specific point of inception. It is as accurate when described in 2 Nephi as it is prophetically at the end of Nephite culture.”

So, their skin metaphorically became white when they again returned to God, becoming Nephites.

3 Nephi 3-4

Giddianhi and Lachoneus

The Book of Mormon often compares and contrasts people: Lehi as Abraham, Nephi as Moses, Jacob versus Sherem, Alma versus Korihor, Moroni versus Amalickiah.

Here we see a major contrast between the two leaders.  Giddianhi wrote a letter to Lachoneus, demanding the Nephite surrender.  Included are some interesting concepts believed by the Gadianton nation, concepts that are lies they believed in.

“...knowing of their (his army) everlasting hatred towards you (the Nephites) because of the many wrongs which ye have done unto them....” (3 Ne 3:4).

This is the story line given by Laman and Lemuel and their descendants.  Nephi robbed them of their right to rule, along with the national treasures (Laban’s sword, Liahona, Brass Plates of Laban).  Anyone could see that the Gadiantons did not have a claim on these things, as they were neither Nephite nor Lamanite.  There was no wrong caused to them, but such is the big lie.

“...yield yourselves up unto us, and unite with us and become acquainted with our secret works, and become our brethren that ye may be like unto us—not our slaves, but our brethren and partners of all our substance” (3 Ne 3:7).

A moment before, Giddianhi noted the “everlasting hatred” his men had towards the Nephites, and yet are now ready to become brethren?  As for the Gadiantons’ substance, their nation was based upon conquest and getting gain.  There would be no substance, except new enemies arose from within, causing a deadly civil war, such as destroyed the Jaredites.

“And behold, I am Giddianhi; and I am the governor of this the secret society of Gadianton; which society and the works thereof I know to be good; and they are of ancient date and they have been handed down unto us” (3 Ne 3:9).

The continued lie that secret combinations are good.  Even today, we see many who believe if they say the same lie enough times, people will believe it and it becomes the truth.  Whether from historians, politicians, theologians, philosophers, or economists, a lie is a lie.  Some would teach us today that a lot more deficit spending will bring us back to prosperity. $16 Trillion deficit is nothing to worry about, as deficits do not mean anything.  It is like the Gadiantons saying that a life of conquest and getting gain will provide them with ever increasing substance!  Both ignore the fact that if you kill the golden goose, there will be no more golden eggs.  Yet, repeating the lie enough times until most people believe it seems to be the solution the wicked keep going back to. Modern prophets clearly speak the truth when they tell us to get out of debt and stay out of debt.

In October 1998 General Conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley gave the priesthood a lesson in economics.  He began by quoting Pharaoh’s dreams he spake to Joseph (Genesis 41).  

I hope with all my heart that we shall never slip into a depression. I am a child of the Great Depression of the thirties. I finished the university in 1932, when unemployment in this area exceeded 33 percent....I repeat, I hope we will never again see such a depression. But I am troubled by the huge consumer installment debt which hangs over the people of the nation, including our own people....We are beguiled by seductive advertising. Television carries the enticing invitation to borrow up to 125 percent of the value of one’s home. But no mention is made of interest.....We are carrying a message of self-reliance throughout the Church. Self-reliance cannot obtain when there is serious debt hanging over a household. One has neither independence nor freedom from bondage when he is obligated to others.

Those who paid attention to this warning were among those able to weather the crash of the housing and banking markets in 2008.  They purchased modest homes and paid them off quickly. They saved.  They built up their food storage.  They did not allow the world to entice them into making unwise purchases.  They did not buy into the big lie.

In contrast to Giddianhi and his lies, we see that Lachoneus was wise and righteous.  Gathering the people together, he determined they had seven years of supplies, including food.  Smaller towns were being wiped out by the Gadiantons.  Now they would have to deal with the full force of a unified body of Nephites.

Lachoneus prepared the people.  They gathered supplies.  They built up fortifications. They left nothing in the de-occupied areas that the Gadiantons could use in their own favor.

When Giddianhi’s army approached a month later, the Nephites were ready temporally and spiritually.  They withstood the army, driving them off.  In returning to battle later, the marauders found they could not sustain a siege.  They were unprepared.  Their lie was breaking down.  The Nephites began dismantling them, piece by piece, until all the Gadiantons were destroyed.  Only those robbers who would repent and believe in Christ were spared.


Note that the righteous depend upon their prophets, even having them lead them into battle.


Many Nephites wished to return to their farms.  They did not want their lands trampled and laid waste by the Gadiantons.  Their request to invade was not in seeking revenge, but in destroying those who had attacked many times before. Gidgiddoni taught them patience and faith on God. Here we have an interesting concept: the righteous should not invade their enemy’s lands. This can open up interesting discussion.  Does Gidgiddoni’s statement apply in all cases, or just to the Nephites in this one instance?  Did America have the right (re: God’s permission) to invade Germany, which had invaded the rest of Europe?  Did America have the right to invade Iraq or Afghanistan?  In which instances does Gidgiddoni’s statement apply, and will it apply in the future?

There are many LDS who believe the day will come in America, and perhaps elsewhere, when modern day Gadianton mobs will force the saints to gather with other righteous people together for a defense.  In that day, it is believed they will build Zion as a refuge from the storms.

“And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety” (D&C 45:68).

Will 3 Nephi 3-4 become a textbook for future Mormons to preserve their liberty, religion and families?  Will Zion and her stakes be established as places of safety for the righteous of the earth?

3 Nephi 5

Mormon testifies

Here we get an interlude.  Mormon explains that he patched together much of the information so far from various texts, but mostly from the complete record written by Nephi, son of Nephi.

"I am Mormon, and a pure descendant of Lehi. I have reason to bless my God and my Savior Jesus Christ, that he brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem,...and that he hath given me and my people so much knowledge unto the salvation of our souls” (3 Ne 5:20).

He testified of Christ, and the restoration of not only the Lamanites, but also of all the tribes of Israel.

3 Nephi 6-7

The rich, proud and greedy fall again.  For several years the Nephites and Lamanites lived in peace and harmony.  They returned to their homes and built new cities.  They became wealthy, and began to forget the blessings and promises of God.


Note the common themes that again lead to destruction in the pride cycle: wealth, pride, boasting.  Business and government both become very big entities. Education separates the people into rich and poor.  Persecution of the poor occurs from all rich entities, including a big bureaucratic government with lots of lawyers and officers, who support the rich and condemn the poor.

“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....” (3 Ne 6:14).

So terrible is the search for riches and getting gain that it destroys the Church of Christ!  Christians today can see churches torn apart by pride and the search for wealth.  It may be that many will leave the Church of Christ because they think they are smarter than the prophets, richer than their bishop, or no longer need anyone to save them.  Again, the big lie occurs, and all it accomplishes is to separate people from their Savior.

So wicked are the people, that government officials and the wealthy secretly condemn the prophets to death.  Governor Lachoneus, son of Lachoneus, orders an investigation, which only leads to attempts on his own life.  


Government officials, religious leaders, and others combine to create a new secret combination.  It seeks to defend their friends who slew the prophets, and to establish a new monarchy without the Christian God and his prophets.  Again, we see Gadiantons taking another tactic to establish themselves.  The lie is always the same: use whatever method to get gain, wealth and power.

The Collapse of Government

Chief judge Lachoneus is murdered on the judgment seat, as planned by the Gadiantons.  But then something happened they did not expect.  The government broke apart.  The Gadiantons were forced to flee to the north country, blamed for bringing collapse and bankruptcy upon everyone.  Great tribes of people gathered to form new nations, where the Nephite and Lamanite nations once stood.

The people have an uneasy peace, but few are righteous.  The sword of destruction hung over their heads.

Again, could our modern nations collapse in such a way?  We often think it impossible, but then give pause to how quickly the former Soviet bloc splintered into a variety of nations, some seeking freedom, others sinking back into religious extremism, and some putting new dictators in place.

Bankruptcy is just a moment away for the United States and Europe.  Will we see the modern Gadiantons in our governments, business, and even some of our churches, cause a collapse into chaos?  Again, we may someday use the Book of Mormon as a classic textbook of cause and effect.


“From the East to the West: The Problem of Directions in the BoM”, Brant Gardner, 2012 FAIR Conference:

“What does the BoM mean by Skin of Blackness?”, Brant Gardner, FAIR article: http://www.fairlds.org/authors/gardner-brant/what-does-the-book-of-mormon-mean-by-skin-of-blackness

“To the Boys and to the Men”, Gordon B Hinckley, Oct 1998 General Conference: http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1998/10/to-the-boys-and-to-the-men?lang=eng

Monday, August 20, 2012

Book of Mormon Lesson 35: “Repent and Return unto the Lord” Helaman 13–16

Helaman 13–16

Samuel the Lamanite foresees destruction

Again, the Nephites have fallen into great sin: pride, secret combinations, etc.  Many prophets are sent to them, and here we will see that a Lamanite, Samuel, is in particular sent to Zarahemla to preach from its walls.


Here we see four things that the people will lose because of the hardness of their hearts.  In this, it includes the Lord taking his word from them.  We can imagine this would mean losing continual revelation through living prophets, but also the written and perhaps oral records, as well. They will lose the Spirit, meaning they will no longer have a member of the Godhead to direct them.  In rejecting the Spirit, God will no longer suffer them - they are no longer in his presence, under his divine protection.  Therefore, their brethren will turn against them, becoming their enemies.

Amazingly, the Nephites just do not get it.  They have recently been stricken with war and famine, and yet continue in the ways of disbelief and ruin.

So, does Samuel tell them to repent or be destroyed within the next year?

“And four hundred years shall not pass away before I will cause that they shall be smitten; yea, I will visit them with the sword and with famine and with pestilence” (Hel 13:9).

Why would a threat of destruction 400 years from now cause people to repent of their sins now? The righteous may be concerned with posterity, but the wicked often think only of the here and now.  They are not focused on how today’s actions may impact the prosperity and happiness of future generations.  Why would they be concerned with a distant future of possible destruction?


Samuel shows that while the fourth generation will end in utter destruction for the Nephites, it will be a symbol of what can happen even sooner.  Zarahemla is implicitly compared to Sodom and Gomorrah.  When the Lord promised Abraham that he would not destroy Sodom if there were but 10 good people within it (Genesis 18-19), Abraham did not understand that Lot and the handful of other righteous would soon be escorted out, leaving the cities without any righteous people within. They were ripe for destruction, and fire came down from heaven to destroy them.

Sodom and Gomorrah were very wealthy places, probably built upon trade in the area.  In Genesis 14, we read where several kings in the area gathered and ransacked the place, taking treasure and people (as slaves).  Only intercession by Abraham prevented the destruction of the cities.

Yet, Sodom and Gomorrah did not learn from their wicked ways.  They focused on becoming wealthy and using their power in whatever ways needed to get what they wanted.  Harold Bloom suggests they were inhospitable. The Lord destroyed the cities not because there were homosexuals abiding there, but because the wicked chose to forcibly impose their will on the righteous.  When mobs collected demanding to see the two men/angels at Lot’s house, they had crossed the line with the Lord. Instead of destroying their own souls in sin, they now sought to destroy others’ souls by force.  Their secret combination had reached its climax.  They were ripened completely in iniquity.

For the future generation of Nephites that would invade Lamanite territory in search of revenge, and who raped girls and then cannibalized their bodies, their ripening in iniquity would also be complete for a total destruction.  Samuel wanted his listeners to be clear that complete destruction could only be a few generations away, and perhaps sooner if they did not repent of their sins before it was everlastingly too late.

As long as the righteous were not cast out of the cities, the Nephites would be spared a mortal destruction.  

So, what is their main crime, worthy of destruction?


Again, it is not a sin to be rich.  It is a sin to set one’s heart upon riches.  Such wealth turns people away from God and good works, and into selfish, greedy, proud monsters.  Instead of using wealth to bless others, they use their wealth to keep themselves higher than others, to push down those who oppose them, and to have others treat them as royalty.  Who can afford the best lawyers, tax attorneys, accountants, etc., to ensure they have the upper hand?  If a city condemns a neighborhood and forces its sale to a corporation, simply because the company will pay higher taxes, is that legitimate use of government?  If large banks are given a bail out, but then turn around and quickly foreclose on those struggling to stay in those homes, are we guilty of preserving the wealth of the very rich at the expense of poorer peoples?  This is not to say all companies or rich people act in such a manner.  But it is a warning to all not to behave in such a manner.  

The matter is, the majority of Americans have a nicer lifestyle than most people living in Europe and the rest of the world. The average square feet in a house in the United States built since 2003 is 2300 sq/ft.  The average European home size is on the rise, but generally is still below 1000 sq/ft.  

Disposable income for the United States averages $40,550. The median for European nations is $27,500.  Fifteen percent of Americans were living in poverty in 2010, according to our national poverty level.  Compare this to the approximately 100 nations that have large percentages of people earning less than $2 per day.

Clearly there is a need for the wealthy, which includes most Americans (even many of our “poor” have cars, cable tv, cell phones, computers, and homes larger than most Europeans), to take a hard look at ourselves and determine what are we actually doing with the wealth we have.  Focusing too much on leisure, entertainment, and comfort can create a nation that is heading down the path to destruction.

For this cause hath the Lord God caused that a curse should come upon the land, and also upon your riches, and this because of your iniquities” (Helaman 13:21-23).

Clearly, all nations, but especially the United States, needs to refocus ourselves. Instead of focusing on getting richer, we need to remember God and his blessings.  Then we need to share those blessings with others.  Otherwise, the land will be cursed, as will our riches.

We are warned about ignoring such things.  The Nephites, as with the Jews in Lehi’s day, rejected the prophets’ warnings.  Instead, they heaped to themselves those that would flatter them.  They would say they were rich because God had blessed them.  Samuel is teaching us that God may bless us with riches, but we can tell by the humility of the person.  Does the person give thanks for his wealth? Does he use it to move forth God’s will, or does he use it for selfish purposes. Is he angered by the teachings of his Church leaders regarding wealth, modest dress, and modest living?


Samuel now shows a partial fulfillment of this will occur in the destructions just prior to the Lord’s resurrection (3 Ne 7-10).  We will see that the people will cry in their poverty, especially in the three days of darkness, but also in the time that follows.

Here is where symbolism in the scriptures is important to understand.  And Samuel shows it quite plainly.  There is a complete fulfillment of the prophecy scheduled 400 years from his day.  But there will be similar events even sooner that will cause the people to mourn and reflect.  The only difference is that many of these will repent when utter destruction stares them in the face.  In the end time for the Nephites, none will repent.

Samuel foresees the coming Messiah

He tells them that in a day of iniquity, the signs of Jesus’ birth would come forth.  They would be amazed and fall to the earth.  In this moment, Samuel tells them,

And if ye believe on his name ye will repent of all your sins, that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his merits.” (Hel 14:8-9, 13).

Faith and repentance are declared.  Only in embracing the atonement of Christ may anyone be saved.  Note that it is through Christ’s merits, and not ours, that we receive a remission of sins and are saved.

Samuel explains the death of Christ and its importance:

But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord” (Hel 14:15-17).

Without the death of Christ, there is no salvation.  While Latter-day Saints tend to separate out the resurrection and the atonement, the Book of Mormon generally keeps them as one redemption.  In this instance, resurrection brings us back into the Lord’s presence.  It redeems us from spiritual death, not just physical death.  Note that ALL mankind are redeemed and brought back into God’s presence.

Herein lies the near universal salvation that Mormons believe in.  All are resurrected. All are brought back into God’s presence.  These are absolutely free gifts of Christ.  The only question is whether we wish to remain in God’s presence.  In Alma 12, we see that many will wish they could be hidden from God’s presence.  Mormon 9:4 tells us that the wicked would be happier in hell than in the presence of God.  


The very wicked do not wish to be in God’s presence, and are cast out.  These are they who refuse to ever repent of their sins.  These are the sons of perdition.  They will die a second time, as they refuse to remain in God’s presence.

As I study the Book of Mormon, I see that even the Telestial are in God’s presence, though perhaps at a great distance. They may not be able to enjoy his full glory from up close.  They do have the fulness of the Holy Spirit, a member of the Godhead with them.  As noted before, in Isaiah 6, the prophet stands immediately in God’s presence and is invited into the divine council.  For Lehi, who was an average Jew before his prophetic calling, in 1 Nephi 1, he sees God on his throne from a distance, and has the divine council descend to give him his calling.  For the wicked Alma, he sees them from a distance:


Alma, who had barely repented, was in God’s presence, but at a great distance.  Only later after much repenting and good works would he be allowed to join the divine council, when the angel returned to him and told him he is now blessed, or worthy to be part of the divine council (Alma 8:14-15).


Salvation is an issue of restoration.  We started with God and he seeks to restore us back to his presence.  However, we have agency to choose.  We can choose to return fully or partially back to God. Or we can choose to reject him totally.  We are restored to that which we desire.  If we truly desire good, then we will be restored to that same good we desire.  But if we love evil, it will be restored to us, instead.  We get the reward we desire most.

Samuel praises the Lamanites, condemns the Nephites

For me, one of the evidences that the Book of Mormon is true, is how it deals with the people within.  A novel tends to have one group as the good guys, and another as bad guys. The good guys almost always win.  Here we see again that the Book of Mormon is very complex in its relationships between God & man and man & man.  The Nephites began as a promised people of God, who worked well with one another.  Now, Samuel tells them that their contentions are tearing them apart, and that they will shortly be kicked out of the presence of the Lord, if they do not repent.

Meanwhile, the Lamanites, who had no special promise to speak of, have repented of their sins and become a people of the Lord.  They are at peace with one another, and with God.  For their faithfulness, the Lord will bless them that they are never destroyed as a people.   The Lord promises a restoration of the Lamanites.  He is ready to embrace them and bring them back into his presence, when they are ready to return.

It amazes me to see the mighty promises made to the Lamanites.  God has not cast them off forever.  The promises of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob await them as they learn of Christ, repent of their sins, and become true disciples of Jesus.

What will we choose?

The Nephites had a decision to make.  Were they to believe Samuel the Lamanite? Or reject his words?

Sadly, most of them rejected his words, and sought to slay him as they had done with other prophets.  Only a few were willing to humble themselves sufficiently enough to believe, repent, and then seek out Nephi and be baptized.

We live in a day very much like those in the book of Helaman.  We have prophets that call us to repentance and to prepare for the coming of the Lord, which is not far off.  We have much of the world mocking the prophets and missionaries.  The wicked seek wealth, and use it to make themselves more powerful.  They seek to get gain, joining secret organizations of murder and plunder.  They gain control of governments, hoping to impose their will and gain even greater power and wealth by using the power of their office.  Some hide in the mountains and wildernesses of the world, pushing drugs or religious violence upon the rest of humanity.  

The common factor is the search for wealth and power, getting gain.  Instead of humbly turning to Christ, they turn to themselves to deliver themselves and their own.  They do not realize that they shall destroy themselves and the world, even as the Nephites.

The only solution is for people to humble themselves and fully come unto Christ.  Believe in the words of the prophets.  Repent and believe.  Spend your wealth on blessing others.

No other worldly solution, whether from bankers, psychologists, doctors, lawyers, scientists, politicians, etc., will bring to pass a world of peace, where poverty no longer exists.  Only in Christ can we learn to have charity and love, in order to heal the world and its inhabitants.  All other “solutions” are only plugging holes in the dike with our fingers.  It is time for all of us to look closely at our lives and determine where we stand with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Have we truly given ourselves to Him? Or do we just give lip service, and then return to worshiping Mammon, the god of money and gain?


Home sizes in Europe: http://www.architecture.com/Files/RIBAProfessionalServices/ResearchAndDevelopment/Symposium/2008/MikeRoys.pdf

Median wages: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_average_wage

International poverty numbers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_percentage_of_population_living_in_poverty

"Book of J", Harold Bloom: http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-J-Harold-Bloom/dp/0802141919/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345494137&sr=8-1&keywords=bloom+book+of+j