1 Nephi 12:1 - 6, NC 1 Nephi 3 par. 15
And it came to pass that the angel said unto me, Look and behold thy seed, and also the seed of thy brethren. And I looked and beheld the land of promise; and I beheld multitudes of people, yea, even as it were in number as many as the sand of the sea. And it came to pass that I beheld multitudes gathered together to battle one against the other. And I beheld wars and rumors of wars and great slaughters with the sword among my people. And it came to pass that I beheld many generations pass away after the manner of wars and contentions in the land. And I beheld many cities, yea, even that I did not number them. And it came to pass that I saw a mist of darkness on the face of the land of promise. And I saw lightnings, and I heard thunderings, and earthquakes, and all manner of tumultuous noises. And I saw the earth and the rocks, that they rent, and I saw mountains tumbling into pieces, and I saw the plains of the earth, that they were broken up. And I saw many cities, that they were sunk, and I saw many that they were burnt with fire, and I saw many that did tumble to the earth because of the quaking thereof. And it came to pass after I saw these things, I saw the vapor of darkness, that it passed from off the face of the earth. And behold, I saw the multitudes who had not fallen because of the great and terrible judgments of the Lord. And I saw the Heavens open and the Lamb of God descending out of Heaven, and he came down and he shewed himself unto them.
The Stick of Joseph in the Hand of Ephraim 1 Nefi 3 par. 15
And it came to pass that the angel said unto me, Look and behold your seed, and also the seed of your brothers. And I looked and beheld the land of promise; and I beheld multitudes of people, yes, even as it were in number as many as the sand of the sea. And it came to pass that I beheld multitudes gathered together to battle one against the other. And I beheld wars and rumors of wars and great slaughters with the sword among my people. And it came to pass that I beheld many generations pass away after the manner of wars and contentions in the land. And I beheld many cities, yes, even that I did not number them. And it came to pass that I saw a mist of darkness on the face of the land of promise. And I saw lightnings, and I heard thunderings, and earthquakes, and all manner of tumultuous noises. And I saw the earth and the rocks, that they split, and I saw mountains tumbling into pieces, and I saw the plains of the earth, that they were broken up. And I saw many cities, that they were sunk, and I saw many that they were burnt with fire, and I saw many that did tumble to the earth because of the quaking thereof. And it came to pass after I saw these things, I saw the vapor of darkness, that it passed from off the face of the earth. And behold, I saw the multitudes who had not fallen because of the great and terrible judgments of yhwh. And I saw the Heavens open and the Lamb of Elohim descending out of Heaven, and he came down and he showed himself unto them.
I know that this is backtracking to the previous paragraph in the Book of Mormon but I would like to look at the statement made by Nephi about the multitudes who had not fallen because of the great and terrible judgments of the Lord.
Continuing with the idea that the Lord did not command Nephi to write anything that could not bring greater understanding of His ways, what could be learned of the ways of God from Nephi seeing multitudes who were not swept off during the great period of destruction at the time of the death of the Lord?
If we go to the account we read the Lord's words to these people Nephi sees here.
And it came to pass that there was a voice heard among all the inhabitants of the earth upon all the face of this land, crying, Woe, woe, woe unto this people. Woe unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent, for the Devil laugheth and his angels rejoice because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen. Behold, that great city Zarahemla have I burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof. And behold, that great city Moroni have I caused to be sunk in the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof to be drowned. And behold, that great city Moronihah have I covered with earth, and the inhabitants thereof, to hide their iniquities and their abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come up anymore unto me against them. And behold, the city of Gilgal have I caused to be sunk, and the inhabitants thereof, to be buried up in the depths of the earth; yea, and the city Onihah and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Mocum and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Jerusalem and the inhabitants thereof. And waters have I caused to come up in the stead thereof, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come up anymore unto me against them. And behold, the city of Gadiandi, and the city of Gadiomnah, and the city of Jacob, and the city Gimgimno — all these have I caused to be sunk, and made hills and valleys in the places thereof; and the inhabitants thereof have I buried up in the depths of the earth, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up anymore unto me against them. And behold, that great city Jacob-ugath, which was inhabited by the people of king Jacob, have I caused to be burned with fire because of their sins and their wickedness, which was above all the wickedness of the whole earth because of their secret murders and combinations, for it was they that did destroy the peace of my people and the government of the land. Therefore, I did cause them to be burned to destroy them from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me anymore against them. And behold, the city of Laman, and the city of Josh, and the city of Gad, and the city of Kishcumen have I caused to be burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof, because of their wickedness in casting out the prophets and stoning them whom I did send to declare unto them concerning their wickedness and their abominations. And because they did cast them all out, that there were none righteous among them, I did send down fire and destroy them, that their wickedness and abominations might be hid from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among them might not cry unto me from the ground against them. And many great destructions have I caused to come upon this land and upon this people because of their wickedness and their abominations. O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you? Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me, ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father and the Father in me, and in me hath the Father glorified his name. I came unto my own and my own received me not. And the scriptures concerning my coming are fulfilled. And as many as have received me, to them have I given to become the sons of God; and even so will I to as many as shall believe on my name. For behold, by me redemption cometh, and in me is the law of Moses fulfilled. I am the light and the life of the world. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood, yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings; and ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the holy ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the holy ghost and they knew it not. Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin. Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life and have taken it up again; therefore, repent and come unto me ye ends of the earth and be saved. (3 Nephi 9, NC 3 Nephi 4 pars. 6 - 7)
One thing that jumps out at me concerning the Lord's words to the people left on the land is that those cities He burned and buried and sunk into the sea were destroyed so that the blood of the prophets and the saints would not come up to Him against them any more.
Was that another way that the Lord declared this? "...because of their wickedness in casting out the prophets and stoning them whom I did send to declare unto them concerning their wickedness and their abominations. And because they did cast them all out, that there were none righteous among them, I did send down fire and destroy them, that their wickedness and abominations might be hid from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among them might not cry unto me from the ground against them."
Is it when a people cast out all of the prophets and stone those who are sent to declare unto them their wickedness that the blood of the prophets and the righteous saints cries from the earth unto the Lord against that people?
The Glossary of Terms in the Teachings and Commandments states the following concerning the phrase the Lord uses of blood crying from the ground.
Blood “crying from the ground” is not the same thing as a person crying out for vengeance. Keep the context in mind. It is the blood that was shed upon the earth which cries out for vengeance, fairness, or retribution. Something unfair has occurred, and the cry of the blood “upon the ground” is a reminder of the injustice of it all. The ground is a reference to the earth, which has a spirit, intelligence, and is able to communicate (if a person were capable of listening). The earth is a female spirit, and she regards herself as “the mother of men.” This earth is offended when the men who are upon her kill one another or engage in any form of wickedness upon her surface. As she beheld the disorder and murder caused by that generation upon whom the flood was unleashed, she lamented: Woe, woe is me, the mother of men. I am pained; I am weary because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I rest and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face? (Genesis 4:20). Even if the person whose blood was shed departed this earth forgiving those who made offense against him, yet would “the ground” cry out for vengeance because the earth has become filthy by reason of the killing that took place upon her. She, as the “mother of men,” regards the killing of men upon her as an abomination. She cries out. She is offended. She wants righteousness to appear on her, as has happened before. She longs that it be brought about again. When, instead of Zion, she has the murder of men upon her face, it is so great a lamentation by her spirit that “the ground cries out for vengeance” because of the atrocity. (Teachings and Commandments, Glossary of Terms, Blood Crying for Vengeance)
The Lord declared that there were none righteous among the people of the cities that were destroyed.
Do we have other examples of this type of event?
What about Sodom and Gomorrah?
When Abraham was pleading with the Lord for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah how many righteous people were required by the Lord to reside in the cities in order for the Lord to spare the entire populace of the area?
Once the angels had removed Lot and his family could it be said of the people of the area that there were no righteous among them?
What about the city of Amonihah among the Nephites?
Was their destruction caused for the same reason as the destruction of the listed Nephite cities following the death of the Lord?
Had the people of Amonihah cast out all of the prophets and the righteous from among them before they were destroyed?
Was there blood crying from the ground for vengeance upon the inhabitants of Amonihah?
And it came to pass that there came a voice again unto the people, and all the people did hear and did witness of it, saying, O ye people of these great cities which have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob, yea, who are of the house of Israel, O ye people of the house of Israel, how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you! And again, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye people of the house of Israel who have fallen! Yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem as ye that have fallen, yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not! O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart! But if not, O house of Israel, the places of your dwellings shall become desolate until the time of the fulfilling of the covenant to your fathers. And now it came to pass that after the people had heard these words, behold, they began to weep and howl again because of the loss of their kindred and friends. And it came to pass that thus did the three days pass away. And it was in the morning and the darkness dispersed from off the face of the land, and the earth did cease to tremble, and the rocks did cease to rend, and the dreadful groanings did cease, and all the tumultuous noises did pass away, and the earth did cleave together again that it stood, and the mourning and the weeping and the wailing of the people who were spared alive did cease. And their mourning was turned into joy, and their lamentations into the praise and the thanksgiving unto the Lord Jesus Christ, their Redeemer. And thus far were the scriptures fulfilled which had been spoken by the prophets. And it was the more righteous part of the people who were saved, and it was they who received the prophets and stoned them not, and it was they who had not shed the blood of the saints, who were spared. And they were spared, and were not sunk and buried up in the earth, and they were not drowned in the depths of the sea, and they were not burned by fire, neither were they fallen upon and crushed to death; and they were not carried away in the whirlwind, neither were they overpowered by the vapor of smoke and of darkness. (3 Nephi 10:3 - 13, NC 3 Nephi 4 pars. 9 - 10 )
Here we see in the Book of Mormon the delineating factor for those who survived the judgments.
"And it was the more righteous part of the people who were saved, and it was they who received the prophets and stoned them not, and it was they who had not shed the blood of the saints, who were spared. And they were spared, and were not sunk and buried up in the earth, and they were not drowned in the depths of the sea, and they were not burned by fire, neither were they fallen upon and crushed to death; and they were not carried away in the whirlwind, neither were they overpowered by the vapor of smoke and of darkness."
What things qualified these people to be labeled by the Lord as the more righteous part of the people?
They received the prophets and didn't stone them.
They did not shed the blood of the saints.
It doesn't say that they were exceptional folks.
Didn't the Lord in fact call these survivors to repentance?
O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?
If the Book of Mormon was written for us then what am I to learn from this?
Is this event, the destruction of the wicked here in the Americas at the time of the death of the Lord, an example of what Moroni declared as he was abridging the account of the Jaredites?
And now we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God or they shall be swept off when the fullness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fullness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands. Wherefore, he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off, for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fullness of iniquity among the children of the land that they are swept off. And this cometh unto you, O ye gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God, that ye may repent and not continue in your iniquities until the fullness be come, that ye may not bring down the fullness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land hath hitherto done. Behold, this is a choice land; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under Heaven if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who has been manifested by the things which we have written. (Ether 2:9 - 12, NC Ether 1 par. 7)
If the above commentary of Moroni is related and the destruction that occurred was a result of the people here being ripened in iniquity then are shedding the blood of the saints and casting out the prophets God has sent and stoning them signs that a people are ripe for destruction?
Who are saints?
Could saints be considered to be those who are innocent before God?
Would killing the innocent fit with the meaning of injustice being committed on the earth and the earth mourning because of the injustice?
Is it possible in our present nation that blood cries out from the earth for vengeance because of the exceeding multitude of murders and atrocities committed against the unborn and innocent in this nation?
If I support policies and/or laws that uphold the shedding of the blood of the innocent unborn or I support rulers who advance policies and/or laws that promote the shedding of the blood of the innocent unborn am I complicit in the shedding of the blood of the saints?
Would I be considered one of the more righteous if I am complicit in the shedding of the blood of the innocent unborn?
Who are the prophets?
Didn't the Lord mention multiple prophets sent to the various cities to declare repentance unto them?
Do we have the names of all of those prophets?
I don't believe so.
Were the prophets who were sent to warn the various cities to repent independent from an institution?
What about Samuel the Lamanite; was he independently sent by the Lord, as a prophet, to declare repentance?
How about Abinadi?
Is there a pattern here?
How would I know who would be a true prophet sent from God to declare repentance?
Would the message of repentance from a true prophet of God cause warm fuzzy feelings inside of me or would the message cause me to squirm and be uncomfortable?
Is repentance a comfortable thing?
Does a message of repentance cause positive or negative emotions?
Can I declare that a message does not come from God because it is a negative message or because it causes negative emotions inside of me?
In my opinion, there are a lot of questions that ought to be considered with respect to what the Lord has declared concerning His judgments upon a nation or a people.
I believe that I ought to seriously consider the many questions arising from the Lord's declarations of His judgments if I am to personally avoid being a part of shedding the blood of the innocent and casting out and stoning the prophets.
If I desire in any instance to at very least belong to a group of people that the Lord would declare are a more righteous part and worthy of being spared even though they must repent wouldn't I be wise to consider these matters?
What about secret combinations?
Is the thriving of these abominable combinations in a nation also a sign of a people who are ripe for destruction?
Don't the scriptures tell us that these combinations commit secret acts of murder and seek to destroy the righteous and to kill the innocent?
If I support any laws, policy, etc. that upholds secret combinations or that gives them more power over the people am I complicit in the atrocities that they commit?
I believe that these are very important questions to ask myself.
Continuing on with the consideration of this event I would ask, how was the Lord able to sweep the wicked off of the land without killing the more righteous part of the people with His tremendous judgment?
I would invite you to read the following.
I agree with this statement.
I was asked about all the destruction associated with the end time and how do I cope with that.
Look, I saw the sequence of events that will take place. After I was shown that, I went to the
Doctrine and Covenants and it was really remarkable because the sequence of events appear, in
what I saw, in exactly the same order as they are listed in the Doctrine and Covenants. And it
struck me that Joseph may have seen exactly the same thing, because it happened in the same
sequence. The destruction may seem random, but from what I saw it was extraordinarily
targeted, extraordinarily aimed to accomplish the destruction of the wicked and the preservation
of the righteous. In 3rd Nephi the account of the destruction there confirms it was the more
wicked who were destroyed.
On June 6th of 1944, the invasion of D-Day was launched. Two men who were significantly
older than the average G.I. that hit the beaches of Normandy on that day where my father, who
landed on Omaha Beach, and Hugh Nibley, who landed on Utah Beach. Utah Beach was a
cakewalk compared to what happened on Omaha. My father’s job was as a combat engineer to
blow up the tank traps so that the expected tanks could clear the beach and assist in over taking
the pill boxes. There wasn’t a single tank that made it to Omaha Beach that day, because the
weather was so rough that the tanks sank and they didn’t make it ashore. The tank traps were
literally the only thing that blocked the incoming fire. Therefore to blow up the tank traps would have been to blow up the cover and kill your fellow GIs. The soldiers were grateful for the tank
traps they hid behind them. My father instead used the Bangalore mines to blow up some
obstructions so they could get up the hills, and neutralize those who were killing them. My father
didn’t suffer any injury on Omaha Beach. Everyone in his company was a casualty, but he on
June 7th of 1844 formed up with a new company and went on to fight through France.
Ultimately he fought in the Battle of the Bulge as well.
On Utah Beach, Hugh Nibley, who was a well-educated man at the time and was an intelligence
officer, didn’t have to come in with a gun. He came in riding on a Jeep with a bunch of books.
His purpose was to interrogate captured enemy as an intelligence officer. And as he came onto
the beach in a jeep, a round fell on the beach in front of him, blew a hole in the beach and his
Jeep went down and up and bounced through the crater. Reflecting on that moment he recalled
that the one thing that came through his mind at the time was, “the Book of Mormon is true.” In
the midst of all this violence, you can see how wars and the way that men treat one another,
really does result in selective destruction, even though there is chaos. Later on in the war, he
noted that one of the villages he had visited as a missionary which had been very hard-hearted
and very unwilling to receive anything, who treated missionaries poorly, was a place where there
was a lot of destruction. He reflected upon how the more wicked element were killed, just like
the Book of Mormon.
The coming destruction is no different. You want to be protected? It’s in the cavern of the rock,
which is Christ. Literally, a hand grenade can land in the middle of the crowd and if the Lord has
a righteous man among them, he can save that person if He chooses. The things that I have seen
suggest that it’s not destruction we should fear, nor violence, it is our own unworthiness. Our
greatest fear should be our sins. (Denver Snuffer, Boise Q&A transcript, Boise General Conference, September 2016)
I do not presently believe that If I become righteous or that if I am found in the camp of the more righteous that I would necessarily pass through the coming destructions having my life spared or be unharmed.
The prophet Joseph taught the following concerning the judgments to come.
will escape all the judgments, whilst the wicked suffer; for all flesh is subject to suffer, and “the
righteous shall hardly escape;” still many of the Saints will escape, for the just shall live by faith;
yet many of the righteous shall fall a prey to disease, to pestilence, etc., by reason of the weakness
of the flesh, and yet be saved in the Kingdom of God. So that it is an unhallowed principle to say
that such and such have transgressed because they have been preyed upon by disease or death, for
all flesh is subject to death; and the Savior has said, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” (September 29, 1839.) DHC 4:11. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pgs. 162 - 163)
Remember what Alma declared to Amulek in Amonihah as the righteous wives and children were being burned alive in front of them?
And it came to pass that they took Alma and Amulek and carried them forth to the place of martyrdom, that they might witness the destruction of those who were consumed by fire. And when Amulek saw the pains of the women and children who were consuming in the fire, he was also pained, and he said unto Alma, How can we witness this awful scene? Therefore, let us stretch forth our hands and exercise the power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames. But Alma said unto him, The spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand. For behold, the Lord receiveth them up unto himself in glory. And he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just. And the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day. Now Amulek said unto Alma, Behold, perhaps they will burn us also. And Alma said, Be it according to the will of the Lord. But behold, our work is not finished; therefore, they burn us not. (Alma 14:9 - 13, NC Alma 10 par. 7)
Is it possible that those who were allowed to perished in Amonihah were in the same condition as those Lamanites who were slain when they allowed their enemies to come upon them and they resisted not?
And it came to pass that the people of God were joined that day by more than the number who had been slain; and those who had been slain were righteous people, therefore we have no reason to doubt but what they are saved. And there was not a wicked man slain among them, but there were more than a thousand brought to the knowledge of the truth; thus we see that the Lord worketh in many ways to the salvation of his people. (Alma 24:26 - 30, NC Alma 14 par. 12)
Are these examples in the Book of Mormon proof of what the Prophet Joseph declared that, " many of the righteous shall fall a prey to disease, to pestilence, etc., by reason of the weakness of the flesh, and yet be saved in the Kingdom of God."?
If I can live so that I find myself in the camp of the more righteous or I would hope the camp of the righteous would it matter if physically I am called home during the winding up scenes here?
If I were to find myself in the same position as the Lamanites who prostrated themselves before their enemies would I have anything to fear with death?
Would I be able to find myself in the same position as the three Hebrew youths and be able to declare as they did to Nebuchadnezzar, "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up." (Daniel 3:13 - 18, OC Daniel 3 par. 3)?
My present understanding of how God works with respect to destruction and wickedness and righteousness is in alignment with this following statement.
This is the reason why, before the Flood, it was necessary to remove Zion. God cannot destroy
the righteous. The wicked can destroy the wicked, and the wicked can destroy the righteous. But
when Zion is here, the wicked cannot destroy Zion because it is God’s government. And because
the wicked cannot destroy Zion, and God will not do so, Zion necessarily was taken up into
heaven. The same thing happened with Melchizedek's city. ("Zion Will Come", Denver Snuffer 4-10-16
Moab, Utah, pg. 12)
What Nephi shares here in his vision concerning the multitudes who had not fallen, in my opinion, is very important for me to consider because I believe that the judgments of God are falling and will continue to fall upon this nation and upon all nations.
I also believe that God is working a work to gather all who will be gathered under their wing.
There is a new covenant God has established again and invited all to come and take part that they may abide the day of the Lord's coming in judgment upon the earth and not be swept off of this nation beforehand.
The following is a prophecy given during the first offering of this new covenant September 3 2017.
I see this prophecy moving towards fulfillment.
It saddens me greatly but I know that the word of God must be fulfilled.
I hope for myself to become one of the righteous who faithfully keep this covenant I have entered into.
I hope to be a leaven for the world around me and to be kind to all who are in my sphere of influence.
Then I can trust in the promises of God that I will either be preserved or I will die with the sure knowledge that I am clean, through Christ, before God.
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