DAY 14 – I NEPHI 3:217-256

DAY 14 – I NEPHI 3:217-256

217 And it came to pass that when the angel had spoken these words, he said unto me, Remember thou the covenants of the Father unto the house of Israel?

218 I said unto him, Yea.

219 And it came to pass that he said unto me, Look and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose founder is the devil.

220 And he said unto me, Behold, there are save two churches only:

221 The one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil;

222 Wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations;

223 And she is the whore of all the earth.

224 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters;

225 And she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues and people.

226 And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters;

227 Nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth;

228 And their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw.

229 And it came to pass that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together in multitudes upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God.

230 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth;

231 And they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.

232 And it came to pass that I beheld that the wrath of God was poured out upon the great and abominable church, insomuch that there were wars and rumors of wars among all the nations and kindreds of the earth,

233 And as there began to be wars and rumors of wars among all the nations which belonged to the mother of abominations, the angel spake unto me, saying,

234 Behold, the wrath of God is upon the mother of harlots;235 And behold, thou seest all these things;236 And when the day cometh that the wrath of God is poured

out upon the mother of harlots, which is the great and abominable church of all the earth, whose foundation is the devil,

237 Then at that day, the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants which he hath made to his people, who are of the house of Israel.

238 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying, Look! And I looked and beheld a man, and he was dressed in a white robe;

239 And the angel said unto me, Behold one of the twelve

apostles of the Lamb! 240 Behold, he shall see and write the remainder of these things; 241 Yea, and also many things which have been; 242 And he shall also write concerning the end of the world; 243 Wherefore, the things which he shall write are just and true; 244 And behold, they are written in the book which thou beheld

proceeding out of the mouth of the Jew;

245 And at the time they proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, or, at the time the book proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, the things which were written were plain and pure, and most precious and easy to the understanding of all men.

246 And behold, the things which this apostle of the Lamb shall write, are many things which thou hast seen;

247 And behold, the remainder shalt thou see;

248 But the things which thou shalt see hereafter, thou shalt not write; for the Lord God hath ordained the apostle of the Lamb of God that he should write them.

249 And also others who have been, to them hath he shown all things, and they have written them;

250 And they are sealed up to come forth in their purity according to the truth which is in the Lamb, in the own due time of the Lord, unto the house of Israel.

251 And I, Nephi, heard and bear record, that the name of the apostle of the Lamb was John, according to the word of the angel.

252 And behold, I, Nephi, am forbidden that I should write the remainder of the things which I saw and heard; wherefore, the things which I have written sufficeth me;

253 And I have not written but a small part of the things which I saw.

254 And I bear record, that I saw the things which my father saw, and the angel of the Lord did make them known unto me.

255 And now I make an end of speaking concerning the things which I saw, while I was carried away in the Spirit;

256 And if all the things which I saw are not written, the things which I have written are true. And thus it is. Amen.

DAY 12 – I Nephi 3:145-180

145 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld many waters; and they divided the Gentiles from the seed of my brethren.

146 And it came to pass that the angel said unto me, Behold the wrath of God is upon the seed of thy brethren!

147 And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.

148 And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters.

149 And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise;

150 And I beheld the wrath of God that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles, and were smitten.

151 And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles; that they did prosper, and obtain the land for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceeding fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain.

152 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord, and the power of the Lord was with them;

153 And I beheld that their mother Gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them;

154 And I beheld that the power of God was with them; and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle.

155 And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations.

156 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land;

157 And I beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them.

158 And the angel said unto me, Knowest thou the meaning of the book?

159 And I said unto him, I know not.

160 And he said, Behold, it proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew; and I, Nephi, beheld it;

161 And he said unto me, The book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews, which contains the covenants of the Lord which he hath made unto the house of Israel;

162 And it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets;

163 And it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass, save there are not so many; nevertheless, they contain the covenants of the Lord which he hath made unto the house of Israel;

164 Wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles.

165 And the angel of the Lord said unto me, Thou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the plainness of the gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God:

166 Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God:

167 And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the foundation of a great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches;

168 For behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious;

169 And also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away;

170 And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord; that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men:

171 Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God;

172 And after these plain and precious things were taken away, it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles:

173 And after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen, with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity;

174 Thou seest because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God;

175 Because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceeding great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them;

176 Nevertheless thou beholdest that the Gentiles who have gone forth out of captivity, and have been lifted up by the power of God above all other nations upon the face of the land, which is choice above all other lands,

177 Which is the land that the Lord God hath covenanted with thy father that his seed should have for the land of their inheritance, will not utterly destroy the mixture of thy seed, which are among thy brethren;

178 Neither will he suffer that the Gentiles shall destroy the seed of thy brethren;

179 Neither will the Lord God suffer that the Gentiles shall for ever remain in that awful state of blindness, which thou beholdest they are in because of the plain and most precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, whose formation thou hast seen.

180 Wherefore, saith the Lamb of God, I will be merciful unto the Gentiles, unto the visiting of the remnant of the house of Israel in great judgment.

DAY 10 – I Nephi 3:47-95

47 And it came to pass after I had seen the tree, I said unto the Spirit, I behold thou hast shewn unto me the tree which is precious above all.

48 And he said unto me, What desirest thou?

49 And I said unto him, To know the interpretation thereof:

50 For I spake unto him as a man speaketh; for I beheld that he was in the form of a man; yet, nevertheless, I knew that it was the Spirit of the Lord: and he spake unto me as a man speaketh with another.

51 And it came to pass that he said unto me, Look! and I looked as if to look upon him, and I saw him not; for he had gone from before my presence.

52 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities.

53 And I beheld the city of Nazareth: and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white.

54 And it came to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me; and he said unto me, Nephi, what beholdest thou?

55 And I said unto him, A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.

56 And he said unto me, Knowest thou the condescension of God?

57 And I said unto him, I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless I do not know the meaning of all things.

58 And he said unto me, Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.

59 And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit;

60 And after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time, the angel spake unto me, saying, Look!

61 And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.

62 And the angel said unto me, Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!

63 Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?

64 And I answered him, saying, Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore it is the most desirable above all things.

65 And he spake unto me, saying, Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.

66 And after he had said these words, he said unto me, Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men:

67 And I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him.

68 And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God;

69 And I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.

70 And the angel said unto me again, Look and behold the condescension of God!

71 And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, of whom my father had spoken;

72 And I also beheld the prophet who should prepare the way before him.

73 And the Lamb of God went forth and was baptized of him;

74 And after he was baptized, I beheld the heavens open, and the Holy Ghost come down out of heaven and abode upon him in the form of a dove.

75 And I beheld that he went forth ministering unto the people in power and great glory;

76 And the multitudes were gathered together to hear him;

77 And I beheld that they cast him out from among them.

78 And I also beheld twelve others following him.

79 And it came to pass that they were carried away in the Spirit, from before my face, and I saw them not.

80 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying, Look! And I looked, and I beheld the heavens open again,

81 And I saw angels descending upon the children of men; and they did minister unto them.

82 And he spake unto me again, saying, Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Lamb of God going forth among the children of men.

83 And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases, and with devils, and unclean spirits;

84 And the angel spake and shewed all these things unto me.

85 And they were healed by the power of the Lamb of God, and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out.

86 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying, Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record.

87 And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross, and slain for the sins of the world.

88 And after he was slain, I saw the multitudes of the earth, that they were gathered together to fight against the apostles of the Lamb; for thus were the twelve called by the angel of the Lord.

89 And the multitude of the earth was gathered together;

90 And I beheld that they were in a large and spacious building, like unto the building which my father saw.

91 And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying, Behold the world and the wisdom thereof;

92 Yea, behold, the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

93 And it came to pass that I saw and bear record, that the great and spacious building was the pride of the world;

94 And it fell; and the fall thereof was exceeding great.

95 And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying, Thus shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

DAY 9 – I Nephi 3:16-46

16 Yea, even my father spake much concerning the Gentiles, and also concerning the house of Israel, that they should be compared like unto an olive tree, whose branches should be broken off, and should be scattered upon all the face of the earth.

17 Wherefore he said it must needs be that we should be led with one accord into the land of promise, unto the fulfilling of the word of the Lord that we should be scattered upon all the face of the earth.

18 And after the house of Israel should be scattered, they should be gathered together again;

19 Or, in fine, after the Gentiles had received the fullness of the gospel, the natural branches of the olive tree, or the remnants of the house of Israel, should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer.

20 And after this manner of language did my father prophesy and speak unto my brethren;

21 And also many more things, which I do not write in this book; for I have written as many of them as were expedient for me in mine other book.

22 And all these things of which I have spoken, were done as my father dwelt in a tent in the valley of Lemuel.

23 And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father concerning the things which he saw in a vision;

24 And also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost; which power he received by faith on the Son of God;

25 And the Son of God was the Messiah who should come;

26 I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men;

27 For he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.

28 And the way is prepared from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him;

29 For he that diligently seeketh shall find;

30 And the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in this time as in times of old;

31 And as well in times of old as in times to come;

32 Wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.

33 Therefore remember, O man, for all thy doings thou shalt be brought into judgment.

34 Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of your probation, then ye are found unclean before the judgment seat of God;

35 And no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore ye must be cast off for ever.

36 And the Holy Ghost giveth authority that I should speak these things and deny them not.

37 For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me,

38 As I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceeding high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot.

39 And the Spirit said unto me, Behold, what desirest thou?

40 And I said, I desire to behold the things which my father saw.

41 And the Spirit said unto me, Believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he hath spoken?

42 And I said, Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father.

43 And when I had spoken these words, the Spirit cried with a loud voice, saying, Hosanna to the Lord, the most high God; for he is God over all the earth, yea, even above all.

44 And blessed art thou, Nephi, because thou believest in the Son of the most high God; wherefore, thou shalt behold the things which thou hast desired.

45 And behold, this thing shall be given unto thee for a sign, that after thou hast beheld the tree which bore the fruit which thy father tasted, thou shalt also behold a man descending out of heaven; and him shall ye witness; and after ye have witnessed him, ye shall bear record that it is the Son of God.

46 And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me, Look! and I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto the tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow.

DAY 8 – I Nephi 2:77-3:15

-----------------

EDITOR'S NOTE

Just joining us? you can catch up on all the past readings at www.bookofmormonyear.blogspot.com.

------------------

77 And now I, Nephi, do not speak all the words of my father.

78 But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.

79 And he also saw other multitudes feeling their way towards that great and spacious building.

80 And it came to pass that many were drowned in the depths of the fountain;

81 And many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads.

82 And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building.

83 And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me, and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not.

84 These are the words of my father: For as many as heeded them, had fallen away.

85 And Laman and Lemuel partook not of the fruit, said my father.

86 And it came to pass after my father had spoken all the words of his dream or vision, which were many, he said unto us, because of these things which he saw in a vision, he exceedingly feared for Laman and Lemuel;

87 Yea, he feared lest they should be cast off from the presence of the Lord;

88 And he did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words, that, perhaps the Lord would be merciful to them, and not cast them off;

89 Yea, my father did preach unto them.

90 And after he had preached unto them, and also prophesied unto them of many things, he bade them to keep the commandments of the Lord;

91 And he did cease speaking unto them.

92 And all these things did my father see, and hear, and speak, as he dwelt in a tent, in the valley of Lemuel; and also a great many more things, which can not be written upon these plates.

93 And now, as I have spoken concerning these plates, behold, they are not the plates upon which I make a full account of the history of my people;

94 For the plates upon which I make a full account of my people, I have given the name of Nephi;

95 Wherefore, they are called the plates of Nephi, after mine own name; and these plates also are called the plates of Nephi.

96 Nevertheless, I have received a commandment of the Lord that I should make these plates for the special purpose that there should be an account engraven of the ministry of my people.

97 Upon the other plates should be engraven an account of the reign of the kings, and the wars and contentions of my people;

98 Wherefore, these plates are for the more part of the ministry; and the other plates are for the more part of the reign of the kings, and the wars and contentions of my people.

99 Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him; which purpose I know not.

100 But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning;

101 Wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words.

102 And thus it is. Amen.

CHAPTER 3

1 And now I, Nephi, proceed to give an account upon these plates, of my proceedings, and my reign and ministry; wherefore, to proceed with mine account, I must speak somewhat of the things of my father, and also of my brethren.

2 For behold, it came to pass after my father had made an end of speaking the words of his dream, and also of exhorting them to all diligence, he spake unto them concerning the Jews, that after they should be destroyed, even that great city Jerusalem, and many be carried away captive into Babylon, according to the own due time of the Lord they should return again; yea, even be brought back out of captivity;

3 And after they should be brought back out of captivity they should possess again the land of their inheritance.

4 Yea, even six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem, a prophet would the Lord God raise up among the Jews, even a Messiah; or, in other words, a Savior of the world.

5 And he also spake concerning the prophets, how great a number had testified of these things, concerning this Messiah, of whom he had spoken, or this Redeemer of the world.

6 Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be, save they should rely on this Redeemer.

7 And he spake also concerning a prophet, who should come before the Messiah, to prepare the way of the Lord;

8 Yea, even he should go forth and cry in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord and make his paths straight;

9 For there standeth one among you whom ye know not; and he is mightier than I, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

10 And much spake my father concerning this thing.

11 And my father said he should baptize in Bethabara, beyond Jordan; and he also said he should baptize with water; even that he should baptize the Messiah with water.

12 And after he had baptized the Messiah with water, he should behold and bear record that he had baptized the Lamb of God, who should take away the sins of the world.

13 And it came to pass after my father had spoken these words, he spake unto my brethren concerning the gospel which should be preached among the Jews,

14 And also concerning the dwindling of the Jews in unbelief.

15 And after they had slain the Messiah who should come, and after he had been slain, he should rise from the dead, and should make himself manifest by the Holy Ghost unto the Gentiles.