Nephi II & Lehi II
READ Helaman 5:10-11
Helaman tells his sons Nephi II and Lehi II that Christ
comes to redeem people "from" their sins not "in" their
sins - what does this mean?
He will not redeem
the unrepentant.
One must truly feel
the attitudes of confession (godly sorrow) and forsaking (turning from a life
of sin) not just perform the actions of confession and forsaking; in other
words, it must come from a change of heart which gives real intent.
This means avoiding
"ritual prodigalism" or preconceived sinning followed by planned
repentance - as in this you have doubled your sin (the original sins plus
mocking the Lord with your false repentance).
Why does the Father send angels
to declare the conditions of repentance to people instead of just using
missionaries or Church leaders?
Angels cause men to behold Christ’s glory or in other words, they
prepare people to enter into His presence in the flesh (which is redemption
from the fall – see Ether 3:13) through showing them their standing before Him
and their desperate need for Him and then tutoring them in what they must do
next with messages directly from the Lord to them (see Alma 12:29).
Clearly fellow humans, regardless of their callings or even spiritual
gifts, cannot do this; if they could, the economy of heaven would not require
the use of angels to do this work for mortals.
What does it mean that repentance
“bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer”?
Our repentance brings us to Christ’s presence.
Our repentance brings Christ’s power of redemption to bear for us,
otherwise we will have to suffer as though there was no redemption made (see
D&C 19:15-20; Alma 11:40-41).
READ Helaman 5:12
Why is Christ the only sure
foundation upon which you can build?
He is lending us breath from moment to moment; He is completely
supporting and enabling this mortal probation we are currently in (see Mosiah
2:21) – He is the master “observer” from quantum physics.
He is the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father
but by Him (see John 14:6).
In order to endure the presence of God, we must be perfect; Christ
decrees us perfect in Him through His Atonement, enabling us to abide in God’s
presence while we are slowly progressing toward actual perfection (see D&C
1:31; Moroni 10:32-33; D&C 88:75).
He is our example in all things; Christ is the prototype of the
saved being because He Himself did not have a fullness at first but progressed
from grace to grace, and unless we are precisely like Him, we cannot be saved
(see D&C 93:2-14; LoF 7:9, 15-16).
What are you building on the rock
of Christ?
The foundation of a “building” or “tabernacle” or “temple” that
will become your own Godhood (see TPJS 391:2-393:1).
You are building your salvation, which consists of you becoming
precisely like He is, and nothing else.
Why is Christ described as a rock
and Satan as a storm and what are we to learn from this analogy?
Christ is the stable foundation, the “sure” thing which will not
fail or fall in the chaos of a mighty storm.
Satan rages in our hearts and upon the earth seeking to destroy
anything that gets in his way… and by so doing, he provides a test for us to
see whether or not we have built our foundation on the rock that is Christ or
not; anyone but Christ and those connected to Him with a surety will fail as
the storm rises to its apex (see LoF 6:2-5).
READ Helaman 5:16-19
What is unprecedented about Nephi
II and Lehi II’s preaching success?
Nephite dissenters almost NEVER repented! (see Alma 23:14; Alma
24:29).
Why did Nephi II and Lehi II have
such success preaching?
They taught with great power and authority because they were
teaching direct quotes given them from the Lord and were blessed with the Holy
Spirit or tongue of angels with which to speak it (see 2 Nephi 32:2-3).
Implied is that angels and the Lord visited them; they were
teaching with “authority and not as the scribes” because they had “gazed into
heaven” for at least five minutes and they knew of what they spoke with surety
(see Matthew 7:29; TPJS 365:1; 3 Nephi 11:14-15).
The Gate: The Lamanite Baptism of Fire
READ Helaman 5:20-25
What are Nephi II and Lehi II
encircled by?
The light, glory, intelligence, spirit of God.
By “fire” – or what looked like fire to mortals.
Why were they not burned?
Not because it wasn’t fire that can burn…
His glory is much more terrible and destructive than “real fire”
(see D&C 29:9; 1 Nephi 22:15; D&C 63:34, 54; 3 Nephi 25:1-6; JSH
1:36-37).
But you must have the Holy Spirit within you, because that is what
the fire is – it is glory, light or intelligence (see D&C 45:57), but if it
is already within you (i.e. you are “made” of it yourself, to some degree at
least – your cells are “quickened” with glory) and you vibrate at that
frequency already, you can abide the day and the “fire” which comes with it.
Would the fire have burned the
Lamanites if they had tried to grab Nephi II and Lehi II?
You better believe it!
It is not just an illusion of fire used to scare people; it is the
glory of God and would have utterly wasted any who entered it unprepared.
Why does the fire appear as a
pillar?
It is contained within a certain area; otherwise they would have
all been destroyed except Nephi and Lehi.
They are within the conduit of fire that is a portal between
heaven and earth.
Which is why they will soon be visited by and speaking with
heavenly messengers.
Also, fire or spirit/glory/light encircles without and also fills within
each individual that is not filled with darkness; it is both an “outside”
energy shield or aura and a quickening of the cells of the body itself;
although they are really one field of light and energy, it’s just that it
extends outside the cells of the temporal body.
Why were the Lamanites struck
dumb with amazement?
They weren’t “struck” by God – this was the natural consequence of
observing what they were observing.
For the unprepared and uninitiated, seeing the spiritual world
manifest itself in the physical world is shockingly unexpected, amazing and
terrifying.
READ Helaman 5:26-28
Why are the Lamanites
overshadowed with a cloud of darkness?
It is symbolic of the state of their darkened minds.
They are being shown their actual state – bound in chains of
darkness (see Alma 5:7; D&C 38:5-8).
What is the implication of God
“showing” the Lamanites these things?
They are being shown the light and darkness that actually
surrounds and is within each respective individual and group, that their
“unsighted” eyes usually have the inability to see (see Moses 6:35-36; 2 Kings
6:14-18).
They are being “born again to see” their awful state and the
possibility of rescue by light (see John 3:3).
They are being shown the light, which they are afraid of for the
danger it (rightly) poses to them; and then they are shown the darkness (which
envelopes them) that contains with it an awful fear – but they now have a
choice: prepare yourselves to enter the light safely or lose yourself in the
fearful darkness and eventually be incinerated by the light when it catches up
with you.
READ Helaman 5:29-34
What is the message of the voice
from heaven?
Repent!
Turn from seeking to destroy my messengers.
Turn to Me for My kingdom is at hand.
It is the message of all true prophets.
Why is Christ’s voice like a mild
whisper and not a booming shout?
It doesn’t need to be.
The power of His voice, word, will, or intention is such that it
will pierce your heart to the soul or cause a destructive earthquake or command
sub-atomic elements to create a world or a universe.
Why did the darkness not disperse
because of the power of the voice?
The Lamanites must do something to release themselves from the
darkness.
Implied is that the darkness is as a result of their own agency
and choices; it is the real state of their minds – they have now been “born
again to see” the light, and that they are outside of it – but they must repent
in order to be born again to enter it themselves without harm.
What does this event in the
prison remind you of?
Christ’s message to the Nephites after the destruction of the
wicked at the time of His visit to them (see 3 Nephi 8-9; 3 Nephi 11:3-7; 3
Nephi 17:16-25).
READ Helaman 5:35-41
Why does knowledge save a person
or why is a person saved no faster than they can get knowledge? (see TPJS
400:2; TPJS 246:1)
Because without knowledge, they won’t know how to be delivered
from the darkness that they have chosen to be bound by.
Man’s ways are not God’s ways; God’s ways must be revealed to man
or they remain forever unknown (see Mosiah 4:9).
Knowledge is intelligence, truth, light and glory, which we must have
to the same degree Christ has, to ultimately be saved; but it is a progression
from grace to grace.
What does it mean to cry until
you have faith and what would such a cry require?
Repenting is a choice everyone can make – to turn from sin and
turn to God.
Crying unto God is a choice everyone can make – to humbly and with
your whole soul cry out to God for mercy.
Belief, even in the face of doubt, is a choice everyone can make –
to desire to believe and begin to act on that desire with real intent to follow
Christ’s commandments and instructions – without having a sure knowledge, and
even with doubts in one’s heart.
Faith in Christ is a spiritual gift which must be sought for and
received as a result of these other choices: “I will choose to believe even if
I doubt, to the degree that I will act – I will repent and cry unto God for
mercy and faith in His son, prepared to do whatever He asks of me.”
What is the relationship between
receiving faith and the cloud of darkness?
To the degree one receives and exercises faith in Christ, the
cloud of darkness will disperse until it is completely gone.
Faith in Christ seems to be the only way to remove the darkness.
Each of us must cry unto God for deliverance and for faith – it is
up to us.
READ Helaman 5:42-45
What can we learn from the fact
that the darkness did not just disperse but they then opened their eyes to see
that they were now encircled by fire?
Because the fire and darkness are mutually exclusive; meaning that
to the degree the light is there, the darkness cannot be and to the degree that
one is encompassed by darkness, they lack light or glory – fire.
Because fire and darkness are collectively exhaustive; meaning
that if you had spiritual eyes to see, you would notice that all people are
either encircled by darkness of varying strengths or encircled by light of
varying degrees; for example, the fire encircling both Nephi II and Lehi II is
described as “a flaming fire” implying that is was brighter and more glorious
that the fire that was encircling the others.
Why were they each encircled by a
pillar of fire?
Because salvation is a personal matter; a covenant God has with an
old prophet in a book or even with your best friend or family member won’t save
you if you will not cry unto God yourself.
What is happening to the
Lamanites?
The Holy Spirit is entering their hearts and burning away the
darkness and “dross” or impurities with its fiery glory.
They are filled with unspeakable joy that cannot be expressed to
one who has not also experienced it.
They are given spiritual gifts, including the gift of prophesy.
They are being “baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost”, even though
they have not yet been baptized by water! (see 3 Nephi 9:19-20).
READ Helaman 5:46-51
Why has God the Father blessed
them with peace and what does this mean?
It is a reward for their faith in Christ.
Peace means they can be “at peace” with regards to their
salvation; they are receiving a promise from God Himself.
But unless their mortal probation is finished at this moment, the
“peace of the world” is not the promise God is giving them.
How did they receive faith in
Christ and what does this teach us?
By crying unto God the Father for it; they received it as a gift
from God.
God is just waiting to bless us if we will cry unto Him as directed.
If we cry unto Him, we are blessed with faith and when we receive
that faith we are blessed again with salvation.
Did these 300 Lamanites receive a
mighty change?
Yes, their “ghosts” or spirits have been made holy through direct
contact with the Holy Spirit of God filling them; they have been changed in a
mighty way; they are not the same people they were before.
How could this have happened
without the Lamanites first being baptized by water – did they receive the
baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost first and if so, then how?
The answer is yes, as the Lord Himself told the Nephite and
Lamanite survivors (see 3 Nephi 9:19-20).
While baptism by water as a symbolic offering of one’s life to God
was not required of the Lamanites before receiving the baptism of fire, faith
in Christ and repentance was required; likely baptism was performed later as
baptism still seems to be a requirement (see 2 Nephi 31:13-14), although the
order may not matter as much as we think it does – remember Joseph Smith was
encircled in a pillar of fire in the presence of God at 14 years old without
baptism or priesthood!
It’s a good question, as is the following: how could Joseph Smith
and Oliver Cowdery be baptized by water and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost
without first being confirmed by the laying on of hands for the gift of the
Holy Ghost? (see JSH 1:70-74).
Why did the heavens open and
angels came down to minister?
Because past their realization of their awful state, their crying
to God for faith and deliverance, and their being filled with and changed by
the Holy Spirit, these Lamanites do not know what has happened to them (see 3
Nephi 9:19-20) – they must be taught or ministered to.
If they are to go forth and minister to others, they must
understand the doctrine of Christ or in other words, they need a vocabulary to
describe what they have experienced and its importance.
After receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, Joseph Smith reported
having the scriptures opened to him in a way he had never imagined before; as
the journey back to God requires knowledge, a true understanding of the
scriptures through the light of the Holy Spirit is critical (see JSH 1:74).
Because these individuals had been changed and made holy through
the reception of the baptism of fire and Gift of the Holy Ghost and angels
minister to such individuals.
Is it possible for a person to
receive the Holy Ghost but for it not to tarry with them and why would this
happen?
Yes (see D&C 130:23) – the Holy Spirit testifies of truth – it
IS truth; and when one comes into contact with truth, they should feel it.
The visit is conditional and dependent upon the worthiness and
desire of the recipient; they can grieve the Spirit by misbehavior and it will
depart from them.
However, this is not the same as receiving the Holy Ghost as a
constant companion in a gift from God.
What is the Gift of the Holy
Ghost?
It is a gift from God to you.
It is the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit.
Receiving the Holy Ghost as a gift from God makes the one
receiving it Holy, as it changes them forever – they have no more disposition
to do evil but to do good continually; they are sanctified, which brings them
into greater contact with God – eventually to receive Christ, through whose
blood they are sanctified (see Moses 6:59-60).
This sanctification through the baptism of fire is done upon your
body and spirit to render that which it descends upon indestructible, allowing
it to have eternal life (see John 11:25-26); while baptism by water unto
repentance is done upon the body as an outward show of an inward commitment to
come unto Christ and be filled with His Spirit.
Once sanctified, they are prepared to enter the presence of the
Father (see D&C 88:75), receive the Fullness (see D&C 93:19-20) and
join the Church of the Firstborn as a Son of God (see D&C 76:58, 66-69; 3
Nephi 19:29-33).
It is like the ancient Jewish tradition of the Temple altar that
cannot be profaned or made unholy by contact with that which is unclean – in
fact, the altar makes the unclean thing holy by touching it (see Isaiah 6:5-8).
Why does the Father say that
Christ “was from the foundation of the world”?
He existed from the foundation of the world – He is the “I am”.
He was God from the foundation of the world.
It is not implied, necessarily, that Christ was God before that,
in a prior eternity; Jehovah did not have a fullness at first but progressed
from grace to grace until He had received a fullness and was prepared to attain
to the resurrection and accomplish the Atonement (see D&C 93:6-17; TPJS
391:1-2).
What is the implication of
Christ’s journey for us?
If we want to be saved, we must become precisely as Christ is (see
LoF 7:9).
One can only become precisely as Christ is if one experiences the
same things Christ did and demonstrates the same performance.
We, too, must climb Jacob’s ladder going from a small capacity to
a great one or from grace to grace, from eternity to eternity, until we also
receive a fullness and are prepared to attain to the resurrection of the dead
for ourselves and are able to live in everlasting burnings – and learn to be a
God, the way that all other God’s have had to do before us (see TPJS 390-393).
When the scriptures say that Christ is our example in all things,
they are speaking literally – in the same way that Christ did nothing but what
He saw His Father do first, Christ will become our Father if we will come unto
Him and we will one day do all of His works ourselves, or we cannot be saved
because we will not be precisely like Him.
In 1843, Joseph
Smith said, “The Holy Ghost is now in a state of probation which, if he should
perform in righteousness, he may pass through the same or a similar course of
things that the Son has” (see “Words of Joseph Smith” p. 245); if the Third Member of the Godhead is
still in a probationary state, who is he?
“He” can be any of us if we become sanctified and our spirits or
“ghosts” become “holy” through receiving a fullness of God’s Holy Spirit (see
Moses 6:61 and LoF 5:2; D&C 76:58-60; Revelation 3:21-22; Moses 1:39) here
in this mortal probation.
Note: some people have used this statement to glorify Joseph Smith
and suggest that he is the Holy Ghost and was referring to himself; this could
not be true as the Spirit was still being felt by many other Saints during the
mortal life of Joseph Smith and if he is the Holy Ghost but was bounded in a
probationary state, he couldn’t have also been a personage of spirit to dwell
within other people; however, if the definition of the Holy Spirit as the mind
of God and the light which enlightens all things is used, and if the Holy Ghost
is any spirit having a mortal probation that has become truly sanctified and
holy, then Joseph WAS the Holy Ghost, to the degree that his spirit had become
holy and he was one with God through the connection via the Holy Spirit, which
he surely had in abundance (although not in a fullness, like Christ did). But the same could be said for anyone else
(like Hyrum Smith?) living at the same time as Joseph – implied is that there
is not one Holy Ghost, although there is one mind of God or Holy Spirit, which
is in and through all things.
The Path: Being Thoroughly Proved Through All Hazards
READ Helaman 6:1-5
What causes gross wickedness?
Rejecting the word of God when it is preached to you.
You leave neutral ground by rejecting what God offers you.
Is it surprising that the
fellowship between the Nephites and Lamanites, even in the Church, happened so
quickly?
Yes, in that they have been fighting for hundreds of years with
only two generations separating them from the last Great War – and there have
been other smaller wars between them since that time, 10 years before and 25
years before.
Yes, in that their cultures are different by this point (note: we
only see the Lamanites from the Nephites’ perspective in the Book of Mormon; we
have little idea about what their culture was like from the inside) and even in
the Church, it is difficult for some to separate cultural traditions from the
actual gospel of Christ.
No, because when one receives the Fullness of the gospel of Jesus
Christ, it makes you one with Christ and thus, one with anyone else who has
also received it.
No, because the People of Ammon joined the Nephites in good sized
numbers three generations ago and they lived together in peace.
READ Helaman 7:2-5
Why could Nephi II not stay among
the people of the Northward country?
It was not just because they had rejected the gospel, he could not
stay because they were threatening his life.
When he returns to the Land of
Zarahemla, what does he find?
The Gadiantons ARE the government.
They have legitimate and legal power to run the country; they are
the law-makers and law enforcers.
How did the Gadiantons “usurp”
power in a country that appoints leaders by the voice of the people?
Usurp = to seize and hold in possession by force or without right
(see Webster’s 1828 Dictionary).
The Nephites had “united” with the Robbers (see Helaman 6:21,
38-39).
When the voice of the people (the majority) are wicked, then wicked
people will be elected or appointed to lead them.
What has been “usurped” and changed is the Nephite Constitution,
which was given to King Mosiah and based on the laws of God, specifically the
Law of Moses (see Mosiah 29:39; Alma 1:14; Alma 11:1; Jarom 1:5).
How are the government leaders
behaving?
Like modern politicians…it is all about their self-interest –
obtaining money as a result of their government work (insider knowledge and
graft) and staying in power to continue that income stream by encouraging
wickedness, changing the law, painting the righteous as intolerant haters who
are trying to control people with religion, and flattering the people in their wicked
success.
READ Helaman 7:6-9
Is Nephi II romanticizing the
“good old days” of Lehi or is he correct in his assessment of relative
wickedness?
He is romanticizing the good old days because Nephi I was always
getting angry at the “stiff neckedness” of this brothers (see 1 Nephi 15:1-11;
2 Nephi 4:27) and the wickedness of his people (see Jacob 1:7-8, 1516, 19).
There is a danger in romanticizing the old days and their prophets
because in can turn into idolatry, especially if the current generation of
Church members and leaders are not receiving revelation but are basking in
their “chosenness” which they inherited from those that came before.
But Nephi I said they lived after the manner of happiness because
of their covenant relationships with Christ (see 2 Nephi 5:26-27), and as they
were a much smaller community, having several people (Lehi I, Nephi I and Jacob
for sure, and perhaps others) also rending the veil and coming unto Christ
would make the percentage of those who knew God and abided by His commandments
much higher – and that would influence the society to a greater degree.
And Nephi I saw his descendants in vision reap the judgments of
God at the time of Christ’s death, and ultimately be destroyed 400 years later
because of their pride and wickedness (see 1 Nephi 12:2-5, 19-20); while Nephi
I had some wickedness and rebellion to deal with, his people were not “ripened
in iniquity” to the point that they would be swept off, so maybe Nephi II has a
good point about relative righteousness.
What does it mean to be “easy to
be entreated”?
Entreated = earnestly supplicated, besought or solicited;
importuned; urgently requested (see 1828 Webster’s Dictionary).
It means that they were open to being urged or begged away from
sin and back to righteousness.
Why speak of them as “firm to
keep the commandments”?
Firm = properly fixed; closely compressed, compact or hard; solid;
steady; constant; stable; unshaken; not easily moved; not giving way; resolute.
They were steady, constant and resolute in keeping the
commandments; they were not easily moved away into sin even when tempted.
READ Helaman 7:12-21
What is the difference between
entreating and enticing?
Entreat = see above.
Entice = to incite or instigate by exciting hope or desire; to
seduce; to tempt; to urge; to lead astray; to allure (see 1828 Webster’s
Dictionary).
To entreat is to beg or ask for something with no obvious reward
to the giver (dependent upon mercy; charity), while to entice is to allure or
attempt to draw someone to do something usually through some kind of perceived
reward to the giver.
Remember that God both entreats and entices people to choose
righteousness.
Why have the Nephites hardened
their hearts and forgotten God?
To get gain: praise and riches.
To be comfortable, at the expense of others – as “murder, plunder,
steal, false witness” all imply unlawfully or immorally taking from others what
rightfully belongs to them.
To “save themselves”, in this world, at least; implied in this is
the idea that they are beholden to nothing and no one; they can do whatever
they want.
What does it mean to repent?
To turn unto the Lord your God, who is calling after you; it is to
listen to God and do His will which requires forsaking all others’ wills
including your own; it is usually the opposite of doing whatever you want.
It means relinquishing control of your life to God, which could
mean that you will become very uncomfortable, especially as God’s goal for you
is to enable your eternal life, which will require you becoming precisely as He
is, which will require you doing precisely what He has done… which implies your
attaining to the resurrection yourself and suffering an eternal sacrifice for
those you love… which is the opposite of comfortable…(see Moses 1:39; LoF 7:9,
15-16; D&C 19:11-20).
READ Helaman 7:22-23
Why will the Lord withdraw his
strength from an unrighteous person or people?
Because it would be unfair or unjust to do otherwise.
The Lord honors our agency; if we will not ask Him for strength,
which we can gain in return for coming unto Him, He cannot help us – unless we
are being prayed for by others who are righteous and for some reason He decides
to honor their prayer on our behalf.
This is how the Lord allows the wicked to punish and destroy the
wicked: He just removes Himself and lets the natural order of things have full
sway.
What is the danger to a nation
that has enjoyed God’s strength and protection but then loses it through
wickedness?
They don’t realize how much of their former strength and success
was because of God’s support and how much was their own doing.
In their wickedness, they are likely to downplay how much God had
helped them in the past and be overconfident in their own ability.
Other wicked nations who have never received God’s protection will
have a more accurate understanding of their own strengths, which will be an
advantage in battle.
Is righteousness relative to
one’s knowledge?
Yes, in that one’s accountability before God’s judgement bar for
living true to knowledge (i.e. righteousness) is greater the more knowledge one
has; the Lord “grades on the curve” of relative righteousness against relative
knowledge when it comes to forgiving people and covenanting with them; the
question becomes: how well did you live compared to the light you were given (as
a result of performance in a first place – see Alma 13:3; D&C 130:18-21) on
earth?
No, in that ultimately we must become precisely as God and Christ
are or we cannot be saved – end of story!
In this sense, a fullness of knowledge is critical because without it,
you will not be able to live perfectly because you won’t know enough to do so;
the individual who was true to their little portion of light will have further
to go in the eternities than the person who was true to a greater amount of
light and knowledge; and to be saved, we must be perfect (see D&C
130:18-21; LoF 7:9, 15-16).
READ Helaman 7:25-29
In what ways might the “good”
Church members have united or associated themselves with the Gadianton robbers?
Some may have actually joined the group; remember that the
Gadianton’s were the successful, sophisticated, leaders of the society, by this
point – they were revered and emulated as the pinnacle of that which is good,
just like today.
But many are likely adopting their practices and rationalizing it
to themselves – “am I my brother’s keeper,” “money makes the world go ‘round
and I can buy anything with it,” and “a little… won’t matter, as long as I
don’t get caught”, plus, “everyone is doing it”.
And all are benefiting from the wealth that the Gadianton-led
society is creating as a whole, so don’t upset the apple cart by doing something
to ruin the economy – enjoy the fruits of a successful nation.
And if they were really rationalizing things, “God is blessing us
as a people, so things must not be THAT bad…”.
Why is pride such a terrible sin?
To come unto Christ, you must sacrifice your whole soul, which
requires a broken heart and contrite spirit and a complete realization of one’s
lost and fallen state… pride stops you from even entering the gate to
salvation.
But pride says “sure you have to repent and come unto Christ
because you’re not perfect but clearly you’re better or more righteous than
most – I mean look at all of the things you’ve done to help people, look at the
way you teach people the gospel, look at the exactness with which you keep the
Church standards – your sins are nothing compared to all of those people’s”. Pride places the standard of measurement in
the mortal realm instead of where it needs to be to be saved – which is against
Eternal Law.
Pride says “you can take care of yourself because you are a
competent and self-reliant individual who has worked hard, educated yourself
and ‘multiplied’ the talents God gave you”.
Pride masquerading as good old fashioned Yankee values is the opposite
of what King Benjamin taught – that we are less than the dust of the earth and
unprofitable servants regardless of how capable we think we are.
Pride says “the things people have done to you are wrong and you
are right to demand justice from God – what they did is not fair or even
terrible, and they should be punished – and you should not have to love them
until they beg for your forgiveness, and even then…”. Pride stops you from forgiving others in a
quest for “justice” and revenge.
Pride says “I should be better than this”; “I am a loser and I
hate myself.” This manifestation of
pride leads to despair not repentance.
Pride will stop you from offering what is required to come unto
Christ and know your Lord – which is the definition of eternal life (see John
17:3); and if the Lord can’t give you eternal life, His work and glory is
thwarted and His eternal sacrifice is wasted.
How do riches cause pride?
With money in the bank, one does not feel quite so dependent on
God for temporal needs, but at least one is “self-reliant”!
Riches show that the individual is successful or “good” or
talented or “profitable” (see Mosiah 2:21).
Blessings in the form of wealth can be interpreted as a show of
God’s favor of one’s righteousness or the fact that the path one is pursuing is
acceptable to God and is leading directly to your salvation (see 1 Nephi 4:14;
2 Nephi 1:20 and LoF 6:2-7).
Relative wealth makes it easy to judge people and things;
everything can be measured, including righteousness/blessings, justice, talent
and work ethic, based on this easily observed indicator.
READ Helaman 8:1-6
Why are the judges so angry at
Nephi II?
Even if the society is indirectly complicit in and benefiting from
Gadianton behavior, it still must be done in secrecy or the “good people”
finally rise up and decide that they must do something to stop it due to their
guilt of knowing exactly what is going on and thereby being directly complicit
(while still benefitting from the wealth the society is enjoying…).
If their deeds are not done in secrecy, it becomes an outright war
between rival Gadianton gangs and much of the wealth creation possibilities are
lost in the fighting.
What danger do the Nephites have
with the Gadiantons running both the political structure and the military?
They have changed the laws to be able to do whatever they’d like –
economically, politically and militarily – so that they are the legal leaders
of the people and most of their actions are within the legal framework.
As the Gadiantons are completely self-interested, they now have
the power to use “legally authorized” warfare to accomplish their goals;
failure to comply with the “draft” would result in official government
punishment.
How are the leaders framing what
Nephi II is saying regarding the destruction of the Nephites?
They are framing him to be a traitor to the nation.
He is speaking ill of their country – that it will be destroyed, that
they the people are somehow wicked, that the law of the land is corrupt, and that
the military will be beaten; they are saying that he is “un-Nephite” to suggest
such things – he is not a patriot but a malcontent with questionable motives –
he is against the government, the law and the people and thus against the
nation – he is a traitor.
READ Helaman 8:11-13
Why does Nephi II use Moses as an
example of one with the power of God and why is the accusation that they deny
Moses’ words such a powerful and insulting one?
Moses was the dispensation head and the law-giver; if Moses did
not have the power of God then the religion is false.
Moses clearly had the power of God with him and no one who
pretended to religious position would ever dare to deny that publically; if
Moses did not have the power of God then the current leaders surely have none
of it either.
Accusing them of denying Moses’ words would be like someone
telling the modern Brethren that they are denying or not following the words of
Joseph Smith – it is an indictment at the bedrock level of what the people
believe is the truth of the revealed gospel for their day.
If they have denied the revelations of, and have changed the doctrines
taught by the dispensation head, they are indeed in apostasy!
And remember that for the Nephites, the law of God and the law of
the land are much more closely related (historically and still culturally) than
ours are today. They still had to appear
to be aligned with Moses’ (and Benjamin’s) laws – politically and
religiously.
READ Helaman 8:14-16
What symbolism is Nephi II using
here and why?
It is the symbolism of the cross of Christ.
The brass serpent was “lifted up” as was Christ: Israel had to
look to the brass serpent which was above them, to be saved from the poisonous
snakes; Christ’s crucifixion caused him to be lifted up on a cross, above the
people, so that He could “draw all men unto” Him and save them (see John
12:32-34).
The serpent, which we traditionally think of as Satan, was used to
symbolize Christ: Satan wants to be the God of this world and has co-opted
Christ’s symbol; Christ was a man of grief and was accused on countless
occasions of being in league with or possessed by the devil – He was the
“serpent” or “worm” who was seen as a thing of naught (see Psalms 22:1-6; 1
Nephi 19:9).
Looking up to Christ as He was lifted up upon the cross is
something that all who would become His sons and daughters must do, that their
hearts might truly be broken and their spirits become contrite (see Jacob 1:8);
Christ viewed His seed while He was hanging there (see Isaiah 53:10; Mosiah
15:10-13), and “prolonged His days” until the deed was finished, so that they
could be saved (see John 19:30; John 17:1-10) – it is interesting to think
about what this means – did they also see Him, in vision perhaps, but not
really because He could see them during that moment in mortal time while on the
cross? Time in this mortal sphere is an
interesting thing, especially when informed by some principles of modern
science and God’s pronouncements that all things are before His face at
once.
What are “these things” that all
the holy prophets have testified of?
That they have all seen Christ, lifted up, in vision – they are
witnesses because they are His seed or Sons and Daughters.
That they have faith in Christ because they have been redeemed and
know Him (see Ether 3:13; John 17:3).
Because the Testimony of Jesus (see D&C 88:75) is the spirit
of prophesy – making them that receive it “prophets”.
READ Helaman 8:17-22
Why does Nephi II mention the
testimony of all these prophets?
It is not just his testimony – he is not alone in this knowledge.
He followed the words of the testimony of others to find God for
himself (see LoF 2:54-56).
But at the judgement bar at the last day, the testimonies of all
these Sons and Daughters of God will stand against anyone who does not believe
them – that their testimony of what had happened to them and the promises they
had received from the Lord because of His Atonement, was real (2 Nephi 33:11).
Who were the “many before the
days of Abraham” who were called after the Order of His Son?
The people of Enoch’s Zion.
The people of Melchizedek’s Zion.
Adam and the seven patriarchs, his descendants (see D&C
107:53).
Noah and Shem.
Mahonri.
And perhaps others that we don’t have a record of yet.
Why was Lehi driven out of
Jerusalem?
Not just because he testified of destruction of Jerusalem at the
hands of Babylon…the eventual destruction of the city is just proof that the
words of the prophet were true. Plus,
many others were already testifying of this same thing.
But because he testified of the reality of His Lord, because he
had seen him and had become His Son (see 1 Nephi 1:6-15) – this claim made any
other message given by the individual “legitimate” and not easily refuted or
marginalized.
What does it mean that all these
prophets “looked forward” and “have rejoiced in His day which is to come”?
They are witnesses of Christ.
They have all looked forward in time, in vision, and have seen the
birth, ministry, atonement, crucifixion, and resurrection of their Lord and God
– they all saw Him “lifted up” and rejoiced in it (see Moses 7:47).
READ Helaman 8:23
How were all of these people
redeemed by Christ?
They were redeemed from their lost and fallen state of spiritual
death when He manifested Himself unto each of them in the flesh (see Ether
3:13).
What does it mean that they “gave
Him glory because of that which is to come” and how does this apply to having
faith and hope in Christ?
After they had witnessed His atonement, crucifixion and
resurrection in vision, and had been redeemed from the fall by being forgiven
and entering again into His presence while in the flesh, they were given a
promise of eternal life as a Son or Daughter of Christ.
Because Christ had not yet accomplished the atonement in mortal
time, and because they still had to progress through the eternities until they
had themselves had attained to the resurrection of the dead and could dwell in
everlasting burnings because they were precisely as Christ is – being in
jeopardy every hour they are in a mortal condition – they must exercise great
faith in the hope or promise Christ has given them that they will be able to
some day in some future eternity ascend to His height and be exalted as He is.
And all of that is only accomplished through the merits and mercy
of Christ – something to truly give Him glory for!
READ Helaman 8:27-28 and Helaman 9:3, 15-18
Why did Nephi II’s miraculous
prophecy persuade the “five” witnesses but did not convert the judges?
Because they refused to be converted; they had their agency (and
had used it to perform many “Gadianton” activities, so their hearts were hard
and they were filled with darkness) and chose, when confronted with a seemingly
miraculous event, to assume that Nephi II was as corrupt as they were.
The five witnesses who ran to see if the Chief Judge was murdered,
on the other hand, chose to believe Nephi II; they had the same evidence before
them as the judges (i.e. Nephi prophesies and their Chief Judge has been
murdered in line with his prophesy) but decided that if they found the Chief
dead, that they would believe Nephi II.
READ Helaman 9:21, 25-36
Will this second prophesy, if it
plays out the way Nephi II has predicted, convince the judges of his prophetic
abilities and by extrapolation, the truth of his message of impending Nephite
destruction?
No, they can still choose to disbelieve in the face of all kinds
of evidence – they can make assumptions and choose to believe evil intent of
Nephi II (see Helaman 10:13).
Or they can think of him as in league with the devil or possessing
some great magic or having Godlike supernatural or psychic abilities (see
Helaman 9:41).
The Tree: Nephi II’s Sealing Up to Eternal Life
Read Helaman 10:3-11
Why
won’t Nephi II ask that which is contrary to the Lord’s will?
Nephi II has become someone who the
Lord can have faith in.
He has been tried at all hazards and
has come to the point where he has obtained and completely aligned himself with
God’s will.
He has become one with God to a great
extent; his will has been swallowed up in God’s, meaning that Nephi II has
obtained and embraced God’s will, and it is now his will, too.
Why
does the Lord begin by saying “Thou art Nephi and I am God…”; what is happening
here?
The Lord is “declaring the decree” of
His relationship with Nephi II, as a father to a son (see Psalms 2:7; John
1:12).
Nephi is receiving the fullness of the
priesthood or the Priesthood After the Order of the Son of God.
His calling and election has been made
sure and he has been sealed up to eternal life (see D&C 88:75).
How
do we know that Nephi's experience was his calling and election?
"Served with unwearyingness"
= "thoroughly proved" and "determined to serve him in all
hazards".
Acknowledges to Nephi that he is
sanctified such that his will is aligned completely with the Lord's = will “not
ask contrary” to God’s will.
Specifies their relationship
("thou art Nephi and I am God, I declare it unto thee in the presence of
mine angels…" v6) - covenant language of calling and election with
witnesses - proclaims the holy spirit of promise sealing the ordinances already
entered into and promises received therefrom.
The Lord will “bless” him “forever”.
Gives Nephi the fullness of the
priesthood/sealing power; the power over the elements/material earth is a
tip-off that a calling and election has been given.
What
is "eternal life"?
It is life in the highest degree of
glory in the Celestial Kingdom.
It is life like God's - i.e. it is
Godhood, through being a joint-heir with Christ.
What
must we do to inherit eternal life?
Exercise faith unto repentance.
Enter the gospel covenant through
baptism and live the terms of the covenant by offering your whole soul in
sacrifice.
Abide in the covenant at all hazards
to the degree that the blessings promised you in the ordinances are realized in
your actual life while in mortality. You
enter the Gate by receiving the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost; you walk
the path with meekness and charity being tried and proven at all hazards, until
the Lord ministers to you and seals you up to eternal life.
When
have we "made it” when do we know that we will inherit eternal life?
When we are informed by God in
mortality – our initial calling and election is “made sure” through a
"more sure word of prophesy" because there is no more “sure” word of
a prophesy that will happen in future eternities than when God swears (by His
own life) that it will be (see D&C 131:5; D&C 88:75).
What
did Nephi II do to receive the assurance of this highest blessing in mortality?
Consecrated his life, lived and
preached the gospel covenant with "unwearyingness" (see Helaman
10:4-5).
Not "sought his own life
(will)" - gave up the Chief Judge role, risked his life multiple times (with
the dissenters, the Lamanites, and the Gadianton Nephites), and did not succumb
to despair and seek to end his mortal live prematurely.
Exercised incredible faith: the
miracle in the Lamanite prison, prophesying to the Nephites about the Gadianton
Chief Judge conspiracy (see Helaman 5, 8-9).
Obedience to the commandments (see
Helaman 10:4).
Obtained the will of the Lord - and
submitted his will wholly to the Lord (abide in covenant) to the point that his
will had become completely aligned with the Lord's (sanctification) - pure in
heart, one in charity, eye single to glory (see Helaman 10:5).
The grand key in making ones calling
and election sure is loyalty to or trust in God at all hazards; this loyalty
comes from a love for God which dictates all else in your life because it is
the deepest desire of your heart (see John 14:15; TPJS 171:2).
What
power has the Lord given Nephi II?
The "sealing" power; this is
very different from what the sealers have in the LDS temple, which is
contingent upon the obedience (to the terms of the covenant) of the couple over
their lifetimes.
He has God’s power to use on the
earth; he can reach through the veil and command the physical world with the
power of the spiritual world because he has God’s seal of approval and an
association with the Father Himself; if he commands it, it is done, as if it
were God Himself saying it – God will ratify Nephi II’s words and make them so;
he has become a “god among us” or Emmanuel (see Isaiah 7:14; John 10:34-35;
D&C 121:28-29, 32; D&C 132:37; Psalms 82:6; 1 Corinthians 8:5).
This includes a possible change or
renewing of the body to that of a translated being (or at least it works like
one…) such that he can teleport, as did Elijah (see Helaman 10:16 and 1 Kings
18:12).
READ Helaman 10:17-Helaman 11:5, 9-17
How did Nephi II use God’s power
and what does that teach us about the kind of person that God will trust with
it?
Nephi II is extremely meek – in response to being rejected he does
nothing, instead he tries to save the lives of those who rejected him by
stopping their warfare; also, he continues to defer to God in the use of His
power as instead of just pronouncing the famine, he asked the Lord to do it and
then to take it away again, even though he has faith that he could do all
things, as he has faith in God’s promise to him – Nephi II always left it to
the Lord whether the request would be granted or denied and he never demanded
anything of the Lord.
Nephi II is filled with charity – he wants his people to repent
and come unto Christ and feels that the violence and anger in war will just
drive them over the edge, as well as continuing to heap the sins of murder on
an already long list, but a famine might humble them enough to turn them back
to God; and as soon as Nephi II thinks they might have repented, he intercedes
with God on their behalf to stop the famine.
Why are meekness and charity
absolute prerequisites to obtaining the sealing power?
God will only give His power to a “Child” who has become like Him
– one He can trust.
Think of the unjust and terrible destruction that a person could
cause, even in the name of “for your own good”, if they had God’s power to bind
or break in heaven and earth but lacked extreme meekness and boundless charity.
READ Helaman 11:23
What does the fact that Nephi II
continues to have “many revelations daily” infer about revelation and how much
there is to learn?
Even after making his calling and election sure, there is still so
much to learn to become like God.
We should NEVER tell God that we have enough revelation and just need
to work harder on living what we already have – even AFTER having received
one’s calling and election – even more so before.
The Children of Men
READ Helaman 12:1-6
What is the root cause of man’s
problems?
It is that in their heart of hearts, they do not desire that the
Lord should rule over them, despite ALL He has done for them.
And for many, it is the idea that man really has “dominion” over
this creation, not as a gift from God via the Holy Order but because there
really is no God and it is up to the survival of the fittest.
While prosperity or money is a great temptation, it is not the
root cause.
Why do people forget the Lord at
the very time when He blesses them?
Because they are so focused on the things of this world – starting
with the basic needs and then extending into creature comforts and exciting
distractions.
Because the natural man is an enemy to God and wants to follow his
own way and not be beholden to anyone; so when he gets a little money as he
supposes, he soon begins to practice “self-reliance” and will turn from God
because he feels he can.
So as soon as the vast majority of people receive blessings of
prosperity, they are distracted from God or feel they no longer need Him; the
timing is quite ironic.
How does the imagery of
“trampling” someone “under your feet” describe the people’s relationship with
the Lord?
It is an awful image of a mob scene, with people running in a
panic to get away from a terrifying enemy or in the excitement of trying to get
something before someone else does with no one taking care of their neighbor,
and if someone falls (usually the young, weak or old), they may not even be
noticed but will be trampled by the masses, as they pursue their single-minded
objective.
What behavior separates the
children of men (who may all be members of the Church) from the Sons and
Daughters of God (who may not all be)?
The children of men require constant chastening and afflictions to
help them remember God and all He has done for them.
The children of men are quick to listen to Satan and slow to
return to God; they love Satan more than God or they love the things of the
world more than God, which is the same thing – that’s where their hearts are
set.
The children of men live without God in the world in that their
perception of Him (or the lack of Him) leads them to pride; they compare
themselves to each other instead of to a perfect, just and holy being who is so
far above them (but like whom they must become to be saved) that it is hard to
fathom for any man (see Moses 1:10).
READ Helaman 12:7-22
Why doesn’t Mormon add a “but” at
the end of verse seven and qualify the sentence with all the ways we aren’t
nothing?
We are supposed to learn that we are nothing and that learning is
supposed to help us, because we must trust Him when He says that His work and
glory is our immortality and eternal life (see Moses 1:39).
If we never open our hearts to learn and accept the truth of not
only our fallen mortal condition here but also our general lack of spiritual
light in eternity when compared to that just and holy being who is our God, WHO
WE MUST BE PRECISELY LIKE TO BE SAVED (see LoF 7:9, 15-16), we will never be
willing to do or sacrifice what is required to ever get out of a Telestial
state (of which the lone and dreary world in which we now live, is one); we
will continue, worlds without end, to be an enemy to God, cast out of His
presence and accursed (see D&C 76:109-112, 94).
Mormon doesn’t finish his thought
here; how would you finish it?
“…but man will not move or obey at the command of God, which is
why he is less than the dust of the earth.”
READ Helaman 12:23-26
If no one is “good” but God, how
can people do good?
Only Christ’s works, when He had completed His mission, can be
called “good” in this world (see Romans 3:12; Psalms 14:3; Psalms 36:3; Psalms
53:1; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Jeremiah 13:23; 3 John 1:11; Helaman 12:4; Moroni
10:25; D&C 33:4; D&C 35:12; D&C 82:6).
So only those who have come unto Christ in covenant and are judged
as being at-one with Him and forgiven by Him, or in other words “perfect in
Christ” can say they have “done good”.
How long will their everlasting
life and everlasting damnation last?
“Endless” and “eternal” are names of God; endless punishment is
God’s punishment and eternal punishment is God’s punishment (see D&C
19:6-12).
Everlasting is a period of “time” (and I say that with some
squeamishness, because I don’t know if ‘time’ is the right word), as in “from
everlasting to everlasting” or from “eternity to eternity” (see D&C 20:17;
Psalm 90:2; Moroni 7:22; D&C 132:20; D&C 76:4).
So their “life” or their “damnation” will last for a period,
according to God’s wisdom.
