READ 3 Nephi 1:1-3 and 3 Nephi 2:9
What
happened to Nephi II?
As his
body was showing signs of “translation” previously, he was probably translated
and taken up to heaven to join Enoch and his hosts (see Helaman 10:16-17).
Christmas in the Americas
READ 3 Nephi 1:4-9
What
was the reaction of many of the believers to the scorn of the people over the
fact that the time of Samuel’s prophecy was past?
Doubt: they began to be very
sorrowful in case the prophesy might not come to pass.
Belief: they still watched
steadfastly for the night of the sign.
Why
did they begin to doubt?
They were exercising faith in the
traditions of their fathers (see 3 Nephi 1:11) not in their own revelation from
God’s mouth to them.
Why
might the unbelievers have picked the day they did?
They must have calculated what they
felt was the last possible plausible day for the fulfillment of Samuel’s
prophecy.
They needed it to be legally
defensible such that they could say “the prophesy stated the sign would be
given by date X, and that is now past…”
How
could the unbelievers have legally conducted a mass genocide of the believers?
They must have had legal protection
to do it.
Likely the Gadianton leaders of
government decreed the date and possibly used the excuse of treason for
following a foreign prophet (Lamanite) or for disobeying the Law of Moses in
some way by believing in a Christ or in Samuel’s prophesy.
READ 3 Nephi 1:10-14
How
did Nephi III pray?
He cried.
Mightily.
All that day.
Who
is Nephi III praying for?
He’s praying for his people, the
Nephites, who are lost in wickedness and are about to commit genocide against
the believers.
He’s praying for his people, the
believers in Christ, that they will not be killed for their faith in the
traditions of their fathers – which they are starting to doubt.
He is not praying for his own
safety.
He is not praying that the Lord
hasten His work or timing and come earlier than His will dictates.
How
did the Lord answer Nephi III and what is implied?
The voice of Christ came unto Him.
Telling Nephi III that this very
night the sign would be given – the Lord is a fourth watch God and comes in the
very last moment.
Implied is that the veil was not
yet drawn over the Lord through mortal birth, which would happen later that
night when He was born of Mary.
What
does Christ mean that He will “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”?
He will do the will of Father (Ahman)
in coming to earth to rescue mankind because He loves the Father and wants to
become precisely as the Father is, which requires He do precisely what the
Father did (see TPJS 390:2-393:1; John 5:19).
He will do the will of the Son
because He is one with the Father and His goals are the same as the Father’s: our
immortality and eternal life - which can only be accomplished if He condescends
to take upon Himself a body of flesh, suffers the atonement, and attains to the
resurrection of the dead Himself, breaking the bands of death and hell.
READ 3 Nephi 1:15-21
Who
saw the sign of Christ’s birth?
Everyone, both good and evil.
This was a universal sign and all
became eternally responsible for how they reacted to it.
READ 3 Nephi 1:22-23
How
did the people react to the sign?
Many people were converted to the
Lord because of the miraculous sign and were baptized for the remission of
their sins.
But others chose to believe Satan’s
lies and hardened their hearts even further against the signs that were right
before their eyes; they couldn’t deny what they saw (at least not for a while)
but they could attach different meaning to it or sow seeds of doubt regarding
how if might have happened (i.e. naturally or perhaps through occult means).
The Revenge of the Robbers
READ 3 Nephi 2:1-3
Why
did those who were so recently converted forget the signs of Christ’s birth so
quickly?
Signs don't change
the inner spiritual mindset as they appeal to and address the physical senses;
they can get your attention and lead to reflection about the course but the
inner spiritual mindset can only be changed through seeking after God with the
intent to repent and follow Him.
Because of this, signs
can be discounted - "guessed some things right" or it's a trick or "work
some great mystery which we cannot understand", particularly if Satan is
actively spreading lies.
In an ironic turn,
the more signs people see, the more they are desensitized to them and reject
them.
Conversion is a
factor of humbling one's heart such that the Lord can soften it and speak the
truth to you because of the faith (desire to believe) that you have; but it
starts with desiring and choosing to believe.
Signs follow belief;
signs are proofs and provide additional insights to those “with eyes to see”.
READ 3 Nephi 1:27 and 3 Nephi
2:11-12
Now
that the Gadiantons have been cast out of government after “Sign-gate” (their
failed believer genocide attempt), what tactics have they fallen back on?
Terrorism from the mountains, as
they did when the original band was forced into the wilderness after the failed
attempt on Helaman II’s life (see Helaman 11:24-33, Helaman 1:27-30, Helaman
2:11,17).
READ 3 Nephi 2:18-19
What
is the main difference between the Nephites and the Robbers?
Both are wicked…
But the Nephites are “legally”
wicked or “wicked in a socially acceptable way” while the Robbers are
“criminally” wicked…
So, before the Lord, there isn’t a
difference.
READ 3 Nephi 3:2, 6-7, 9-10
Why
does Giddianhi the Robber want the Nephites to join with the Gadiantons in
their secret society, as it would no longer be secret?
It seems like the secret is not so
much between men at this point, as he invites all Nephites to join with the
“secret” band…
But now we’re talking about the
secrets which have been handed down to them which contain ancient covenants
which they have made with Satan, giving them access to his power and pulling it
through the veil into the physical world
How
can Giddianhi say that the “works” of the secret society are “good”?
They are not virtuously or
righteously good…
They are “good” in that they work
very effectively.
What
is Giddianhi asking for?
Legitimacy in his attempt to take
over the government (like they used to have when the Robbers were the Chief
Judges).
While he is more than willing to
mount a military attack (he would say a “noble rebellion”), he would rather he
be invited back into power.
He wants to be legitimate again –
“wicked in a socially acceptable way”.
READ 3 Nephi 3:12-15
Will
gathering all the people into one central place for protection save the
Nephites from the Robbers?
Not unless they repent.
With God withdrawing Himself, they
do not have enough military strength to defend themselves from the Robbers.
READ 3 Nephi 3:20-21
Are
pre-emptive strikes sanctioned by God in desperate circumstances like these?
No, He forbids it.
The Lord will not support nations
that conduct pre-emptive strikes or “preventative war”; He will leave them to
their own strength or actually aid the defenders (the “bad guys”) by delivering
the attackers (“good guys” conducting preventative war) into the defender’s
hands.
Bottom line is that He lets the
wicked punish the wicked, according to their agency.
READ 3 Nephi 3:25-26 and 3 Nephi
4:4
Why
did the Nephites repent?
For fear of the Gadianton Robbers.
And the words of their Chief Judge
Lachoneus regarding the Lord withdrawing His support unless they repented.
As
they decided not to do pre-emptive strikes, what strategy did the Nephites
adopt?
To draw the Gadiantons out in open
battle, where the Nephites would have more advantage; they want to avoid
allowing the Gadiantons to engage in guerrilla tactics where they would attack
out of nowhere and retreat to the hills.
They have prepared for a siege –
and burned the rest of their land to force the Robbers into a pitched battle
like one nation would have with another.
They have adopted a very defensive
strategy and are relying on the Lord to help them.
READ 3 Nephi 4:5-13
Why
does Mormon use the term “great and terrible” and how is that phrase used in
scripture?
“Great and terrible” describes a
single class of events: situations that resemble the final “great and terrible
day of the Lord” (see Malachi 4:5 – in the Hebrew, this verse and the verses in
Joel 2 are the same), because those prophets have seen that day in vision and
are telling the listener and reader that other “great and terrible” days
resemble that coming day in some manner.
This class of events include massive
natural disasters and/or genocidal war.
It was used to describe the war of
extermination fought by the Jaredites’ (see either 15:17), the plagues
preceding Israel’s exodus from Egypt (see Deuteronomy 26:8; 2 Samuel 7:23), the
massive hurricane that Nephi faced (see 1 Nephi 18:13) and that which manifested
itself at Christ’s death (see 3 Nephi 8:6), the destruction from the earthquake
at His death (see 3 Nephi 8:11-12; 1 Nephi 12:4-5), the destruction of the
Nephite civilization (see Alma 45:14), and the future day of the destruction of
the nations, preceding the Second Coming (see Joel 2:11, 31).
Why
does General Gidgiddoni only pursue the Robbers to the borders of the Nephites’
land?
They have adopted the “Christian”
principles of war followed by Captain Moroni – no preemptive strikes, let your
oppressor go free if they surrender and promise to end the war, do not fight a
war of extermination but stand your ground and defend your country only.
If
the Robbers had really made ancient covenants with Satan, why did he not help
them beat the Nephites?
Satan will not support his children.
Satan cannot defeat God and those
who He is supporting (if they have repented).
Satan wins either way – his forces
prevail on earth or if not, he has acquired their souls, regardless.
READ 3 Nephi 4:30-33 and 3 Nephi
5:1-3
Why
do people rush to praise and thank God right after they’ve been delivered from
some terrible situation, vowing to change their ways and worship God from that
time forth and what typically happens?
It is all very real and the veil
seems to be thinner – they “see” how God rescued them against all odds.
They do feel genuinely thankful and
resolve to change their lives.
But in many cases it is a short
lived realization and as soon as the memories of the situation start to fade somewhat,
so does their resolve to repent.
Mormon’s Interlude: A New Hope
READ 3 Nephi 5:13
What
does it mean to be a disciple?
Disciple = a follower; an adherent
to the doctrines of another; one who receives or professes to receive
instruction from another (see 1828 Webster’s Dictionary).
Who
has Mormon been called to preach to?
Not his own people (see Mormon
1:16-17).
He has been called to preach to the
modern-day Remnant of Lehi and the modern-day Gentiles and whoever else will
read this book – he’s been called to preach to you and I (see Mormon 3:17-19).
What
does it mean to have everlasting life?
To live “God’s life” for an
eternity (see D&C 19:10-12; D&C 20:17).
READ 3 Nephi 5:14
What
is a “holy one” and who are the holy ones to whom he refers?
Holy = properly whole, entire or
perfect; free from sin; pure in heart; hallowed; consecrated or set apart from
the profane or common.
A holy one is made holy by direct
association with, and by decree from, God, and in no other way.
The holy ones are the Sons and
Daughters of God (Christ) who have been sealed up to eternal life by the
Father, through the merits and mercy of Christ and the fact that they
successfully sought for and found Him (see D&C 88:75; D&C 76:50-70).
Specifically, the holy ones he is
referring to here are all those Sons of God to whom God had promised that in
the last days He would send the Book of Mormon to reclaim Israel who had
wandered – so Lehi, Nephi, Enos, Joseph in Egypt and others.
READ 3 Nephi 5:20
How
can knowledge bring salvation; isn’t something more needed?
We must know who God is – a just
and holy being who was once as we are now.
We must know who we are – His
spirit children with the potential to become His “Sons and Daughters” or Heirs
or become as He is.
We must know the Way to be saved –
Christ is the Way, both the redeemer from our current fallen state and the
prototype of the Saved Being, and we must become precisely as He is or we
cannot be saved (see LoF 7:9, 15-16).
We must know our standing before
Him – if our lives and sacrifice are acceptable to Him (see LoF 6:2-8).
We must know the next step we must
take – what lack we yet?
Knowledge strengthens our belief in
the true workings of the universe, thus empowering us to exercise faith and
act; if you absolutely and fully accept that knowledge (of the truth), it would
happen because reality accommodates precisely to your intent, but what we don’t
really accept is the degree of doubt that hides behind those affirmations; and
to the degree that doubt is there, faith is not and we will fail (see LoF 6:12).
But if our knowledge is sure, we
will exercise faith and do what is required.
READ 3 Nephi 5:21-26
How
is Mormon using the word “surely”?
As a covenant word – “as surely as
the Lord liveth” or by the eternal and everlasting life of God…it is God’s oath
to Israel, swearing on His own life and Godhood.
Is
the knowledge referred to here the same as that mentioned at the end of verse
20?
Yes, that is the foundational piece
of knowledge.
Some of it is knowledge about God
gained from others (see the whole Lectures on Faith and why is was written –
that without a true knowledge of God and His attributes, we cannot begin to
exercise faith but more specifically LoF 2:54-56)…which enables us to gain
knowledge about God from our personal and direct experience meeting with Him;
which enables us to gain knowledge from God about our standing before Him and
how we might become precisely like Him and be saved.
What
covenant has the Lord made with the house of Jacob?
To turn the earthly, genealogical
house or family of Jacob into the actual, eternal House or family of God,
through covenant.
This opportunity is also extended
to adoptees, if they will bother to repent.
Why
does the House of Jacob have to know about that covenant?
Because if they do not know about
it, they will not do what is required, because it would never enter their minds.
God’s ways are not our ways and
even so, they would lack the faith to do what is required because their
knowledge was incomplete and doubt would exist in their minds – either doubt of
God, doubt in His promises or doubt of themselves.
So they must understand the truth
about the covenant and their part in it, so they can exercise sufficient faith
in it and do what is required.
In
this case does the word “then” mean that they will know their Redeemer after
they know the covenant the Lord has made with Israel, or does it mean that they
will know their Redeemer in knowing that covenant?
It is both because you cannot know
your Redeemer unless you know and live the covenant.
But knowing and living the covenant
brings you back into the literal presence of the Redeemer in the flesh to know
Him personally.
The Gadiantons Strike Back
READ 3 Nephi 6:5, 10-13
Why
do societies divide themselves into ranks by wealth and education?
While one’s natural intelligence
has nothing to do with wealth, access to education usually does – both in the
tuition and opportunity (leisure time).
The rich are smart because of the
opportunity for learning that their wealth gives them; which makes it more
likely that they will remain rich – their worldly learning and networking
opportunities teach them techniques which will yield better financial outcomes.
Associating with other wealthy
individuals in business and other pursuits increases both parties chances to
continue to grow rich as access to money and resources enables one to grow.
The wealthy may choose to not
associate with the poor for many reasons, including: seeing them makes the
wealthy feel guilty if they do not share and help them; they may fear that
they’ll be robbed or retaliated against; they have nothing in common with them
and see no value in them - they assume that they are either much less
intelligent, much less motivated, or much less righteous than they are.
But none of this would really
matter if the rich used their learning and subsequent additional wealth to help
and educate the poor, so that there was “no poor among them”.
The problem is in the pride and
selfish boasting one-upmanship that comes from wealth; implied is the thinking
that the riches have come because they are smarter, work harder, or are more righteous
and therefore more blessed than other people – it is all pride!
READ 3 Nephi 6:14-16
What
broke up and destroyed the Church?
Having many poor among them but
doing nothing but seeking for more riches for themselves = inequality stemming
from lack of charity.
Caused by pride in riches, learning
and causing social classes to be formed (again) and seeking for power and
authority within the Church, so that the rich members don’t need to be bothered
with or made to feel guilty by seeing their needy brothers and sisters – it is
interesting that dividing fellowships or “wards” by geography can “break up” a
church by separating church members by money.
READ 3 Nephi 6:17-18
Why
does Mormon say the people had been “delivered up for the space of a long time
to be carried about by the temptations of the devil” if they had only repented
eight years ago (see 3 Nephi 5:1-7)?
For most of the preceding 55 years
before the repentance that came from fighting the Gadiantons as a
“nation-state” (from the time of the majority of the Nephites embraced
wickedness and abomination - see Helaman 4:11), the people had been wicked –
from generation to generation.
The repentance of 8 years prior was
more of a blip.
What
is the difference between “sinning ignorantly” and “willfully rebelling”
against God?
Both are sin and mean that one
cannot abide in the presence of God.
But the Lord has much less
tolerance for the willful rebellion of those who know better than He has for
those who are lost in either the traditions of their fathers or some other mire
of unknowing sinfulness.
The latter is more likely to result
in a quick destruction while the former may get more opportunities to repent.
READ 3 Nephi 6:20, 23, 27-30
Who
were these men “inspired from heaven” sent to testify of the wickedness of the
people and the redemption through Christ?
They were not the High Priests or
even the priests – the text would have stated that.
They had just “begun” to be
commanded to speak out – they are “just” regular people who were righteous
enough to rend the veil and receive revelation from God, probably about Christ
and their own redemption, who are then tasked by God with testifying to the
wickedness of the people, possibly as their Abrahamic sacrifice.
What
reward did these “inspired men” or “prophets” receive for their following of
the Lord’s commandment to them and what are we to learn?
Death.
Sometimes “rams are not found in
thickets”; sometimes we are asked to sacrifice all things, including our lives
for the testimony we have received from Christ (see D&C 88:75) and of
Christ – we are tested to see if we will be “valiant” in the testimony of Jesus
(see D&C 76:79).
Eternal life – they sealed their
testimonies with their blood and their testimony is in effect as blood has been
shed to activate the covenant.
Who
entered into the devil’s ancient covenant?
The High Priests or leaders of the
Church.
The government officials.
Those who had killed the prophets.
So, the leaders of the Church were
complicit in killing the prophets.
Why
did the leaders of the Church enter this covenant?
To be able to destroy the true
people of the Lord without being brought to trial – not just those outspoken
prophets, but anyone that professed to know Christ or worship Him in a way they
did not control, i.e. authorize and
approve of; in other words, those who connected directly with the Lord and not
through them because such cannot be controlled by men.
To establish a king who could change
the law and decree certain beliefs as “heretical”; any beliefs that would
weaken their authority were made illegal and lawfully punishable by death –
excommunication was not enough.
READ 3 Nephi 7:1-7, 11-12
Did
the Gadianton chief priests and judges accomplish their plan?
Not entirely.
They succeeded in murdering the
Chief Judge but they were not able to convince or force the people into a
monarchy.
Why
was the secret combination not able to unite the nation under their control?
There was so much wickedness,
contention, anger and grasping for power that they had too much competition for
control.
They were hated for destroying the
government; as the people were all wicked, it can be implied that the others
were well enough off under the regime of the wicked Judges and resented when it
was destroyed in the effort to impose a king.
The majority of these other wicked
clan leaders did not trust the secret combination sufficiently to want to join
with them without being forced and it appears that the Gadianton's didn’t have
enough power to win by arms.
READ 3 Nephi 7:8
Why
did things deteriorate so quickly?
The people were never truly
converted…
Meaning that they were humbled into
repentance by affliction and war or were shocked into repentance by signs but
never pushed on to pierce the veil and commune with and KNOW God for themselves.
They “believed” (on the testimony
and teaching of others) but did not “know” (for themselves with their own
experience and personal redemption).
So, they fell into sin and iniquity
in time.
And when the government fell, there
was too much opportunism on the part of some and fear on the part of the many,
that they split into tribes for protection.
READ 3 Nephi 7:9-10
Why
did the secret combination “call” or name their king “Jacob”?
Jacob = Israel.
They are seeking to be the
legitimate birthright holders of the covenant with God and all its blessings,
including the Kingdom of David on earth and the right to bless or damn in
heaven through access to rites and ordinances.
Again, remember that this group was
made up of the elite – the Chief Priests and Judges and their families and
entourage.
And this “Jacob” was one of the
“chiefest” of that group – he wasn’t the Chief Judge because he was murdered,
but he might have been the Chief Priest.
If his actual name was Jacob the
scripture would have said “and did place at their head a man named Jacob…”
Why
are the great majority of the Nephites swept off?
They were sinning against the light -
they knew the truth, hated the prophets for teaching it, sought to kill them
and continued to sin towards the fullness of iniquity (5:1-3, 6:17-18, 7:18-20).
What
lessons can we glean for the latter days?
A turn to extreme wickedness can be
FAST - even within 5 years (or less, look at what happened in New Orleans after
Hurricane Katrina to see the almost immediate "loss of civilization").
An inner enemy (Jacob's or “Israel’s” secret
combination of legitimate political and church leaders) is more dangerous than
a seemingly more fearsome external enemy ("Osama bin-Gadianton's”
terrorist organization).
While the Lord will use fear and
affliction to facilitate repentance, it doesn’t last long when the cause of the
trouble has been dealt with (the September 11th attack is a good
example – you heard a lot about God for 3-4 years but then it all faded away
again).
Prosperity leads the natural man
(within or outside the Church) to depend on the arm of the flesh - quickly
worshipping it - "it's the economy, stupid"; and members of the Church
are also vulnerable especially if they equate wealth with God’s blessings,
making it a valuable tool in Satan's arsenal.
Signs and wonders don't usually work
(they seem to really be a condemning tool on the part of the Lord) - which is
ironic because the "sophisticated" natural man won't believe it
unless he sees it - but when he does see it, he discounts the "proof".
The irony of the wicked
"lawful" citizen vs. the wicked "unlawful" terrorist or
criminal - the Lord uses the wicked (of any variety) to destroy or facilitate the
repentance of other wicked people.
The Return of the Holy Order
READ 3 Nephi 7:15-20
What
differentiates Nephi III from all the Church leaders and members who have
turned evil?
He KNEW Christ.
Nephi III saw His mortal ministry
in vision; he was an eyewitness to Christ and what was happening at that time
in Jerusalem and what was about to happen during the atonement.
He was ministered to daily by
angels from God.
And thus he taught with power and
great authority.
Although the text doesn’t say it
since it was written from Mormon’s perspective, but Nephi III was likely
excommunicated and cast out by the other Church leaders, like Alma I had been
generations before.
Why
could the wicked people not disbelieve Nephi III’s words?
He spoke with so much power and
authority, KNOWING of what he preached, having rent the veil for much longer
than 5 minutes – it wasn’t possible to disbelieve his knowledge.
He spoke with the tongues of angels
and a full measure of the Holy Ghost which pierced their hearts to the core.
But they chose to reject what he
taught them, regardless.
How
did the people (many of them Church members) react to Nephi III and the few who
preached with him?
He and those who were with him were
seen as enemies by all the tribes – not just Jacob and the elite.
They were intensely hated by all
and attacked on-sight.
READ 3 Nephi 7:21-26
Why
did Nephi III and others risk their lives by continuing to preach?
There were still some who would
soften their hearts and repent, even in that great time of wickedness – and
perhaps because of it.
They loved God and their fellowmen
more than their own lives; they wanted to help Him accomplish His work and
glory.
Why
did Nephi III baptize people, as many were likely already members of the
Church?
They had all been wrought upon by
the Spirit of God – changed and sanctified but they needed to perform an
outward witness to God.
Baptism is a witness and a
testimony before God and unto the people that they had repented of and received
a remission of their sins.
They
were “rebaptized”, many of them; their Church was apostate – the leaders
embracing the Gadianton culture and society – so a rebaptism was necessary.
