2 Nephi 32-33

2 Nephi 32

3 …Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

I believe you can receive answers from God to your personal questions. He answers mine, and He doesn’t love me anymore than He loves you. That said, it isn’t easy to learn HOW God speaks to you—it takes time, desire, persistence, and practice to learn how to seek His answers, and learn how they feel or sound or look. I’m still working on it, for sure. But I know He answers. And you just can't beat the amazing feeling when you know God has given you a personal answer. 

Reading the scriptures—including the Book of Mormon—is one of the most common ways God uses to answer our questions (why else did He bother to have the scriptures written??). That’s why I promised you at the beginning of the Book of Mormon that if you read the whole thing with a specific life-question in mind (or 2 or 3) then you would find your answer by the end.  

4 Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark.

 5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.

Also I love these verses about prayer. Basically, God always wants to hear from you. Anytime you feel like not praying or even like you shouldn’t pray, you can know for sure that thought is not coming from God.

 8 And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.

 9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.

2 Nephi 33

It is time to say farewell to Nephi! Congratulations on making it to the end of the book of 2 Nephi. Because Nephi was the one who started the entire record of the Book of Mormon (remember how God commanded him to do that back at the beginning?) I think it’s appropriate that he closes up his portion by discussing again the reasons for his record and the value it holds for those who read it.

Check out the excerpts below and my summary regarding the purpose and value of the Book of Mormon record.

 4 And I know that the Lord God will consecrate my prayers for the gain of my people. And the words which I have written in weakness will be made strong unto them; for it persuadeth them to do good; it maketh known unto them of their fathers; and it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal.

 5 And it speaketh harshly against sin, according to the plainness of the truth; wherefore, no man will be angry at the words which I have written save he shall be of the spirit of the devil.

10 And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good.

 11 And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness.

• (vs. 4) The record isn’t perfect, because men with weaknesses wrote it, but the Lord will make it strong.
• (vs. 4) One reason the Lord will make the record strong for future generations is because of the many prayers of the original authors/scribes/prophets.
• (vs. 4, 10) The Book of Mormon persuades people to do good.
• (vs. 4) The Book of Mormon teaches the Native, South, and Central Americans who their ancestors were and that they believed in Christ—and it persuades them to believes in Christ and endure to the end.
• (vs. 5) The Book of Mormon speaks boldly against sin—only those who are sinning will be angered by its words.
• (vs. 10) If you believe in Christ you will believe the words of the Book of Mormon, because they are the words of Christ (Christ gave them to Nephi).
• (vs. 11) Christ will show you that the Book of Mormon is His word at the Judgment bar, and you will know they are true then if you didn’t believe it now (but it will be a waste to wait that long to find out!!)

Nephi’s final farewell:

 12 And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day.

13...I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from the dust: Farewell until that great day shall come.

15 For what I seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen.

2 Nephi 31

2 Nephi 31 discusses the basic principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has 13 Articles of Faith that summarize what we believe, and the 4^th Article of Faith says:

We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The beginning of the chapter focuses primarily on baptism. What do you learn about baptism from these verses?

5 And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!

7 Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments.

9 And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them.

10 And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?

13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost.

The part about “witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water” encompasses two primary doctrines about baptism that Latter-day Saints believe. First, baptism is a choice and commitment to follow Christ—therefore a person must be at least 8 years old to be baptized, old enough to have some accountability and sense of right and wrong. Second, baptism must be by immersion to be valid, like how Jesus was baptized. A third important belief not covered in these verses is that baptism must be performed by someone with authority from God (and we believe that authority was lost from the earth after the original apostles of Christ were killed, and it was restored to Joseph Smith and subsequent leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).

Later verses in this chapter dig into the other principles of repentance and the gift of the Holy Ghost. They also talk about a 5^th principle that comes after faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, which is called “enduring to the end”—in other words, we must continue to follow and grow our understanding and obedience to these 4 basic principles throughout our lives in order to follow Christ. These principles are not a one-time deal. They are the way to peace and happiness in this life, and salvation in the life to come.

17 Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.

 19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay;

20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

 21 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God.

2 Nephi 29-30

2 Nephi 29

The idea of a second book of scripture in addition to the Bible is a new concept for a lot of people. Some Christians are even upset by the claim, feeling like it threatens the importance or validity of the Bible. But to me, the reason the Bible is so important is because it contains the word of God—and the word of God is not limited to one book (assembled piece by piece a few hundred years after the life of Christ). The Lord will have words to give us as long as we are willing to receive them! This chapter of the Book of Mormon says this so beautifully:

 3 And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.

 7 Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?

 8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.

 9 And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.

 10 Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written.

2 Nephi 30

Similar to 2 Nephi 27, this chapter is a prophecy of the future (written in 550 BC and referring to our century approximately), and I will try to provide basic interpretation as to what some verses are talking about:

vs. 3	“The book of which I have spoken”	The Book of Mormon (which was written 600BC-400AD and translated/published in 1830 AD)
vs. 3	Gentiles	pretty much anyone who isn’t a Jew
vs. 3	“Sealed up again unto the Lord”	after the golden plates were translated into English and the Book of Mormon was officially published, the Angel Moroni took the plates back from Joseph Smith to keep them safe
vs. 3	“there shall be many which shall believe the words which are written”	Me! And millions of others who believe what is written in the Book of Mormon
vs. 3	“and they shall carry them forth unto the remnant of our seed”	LDS missionaries or regular church members who share the Book of Mormon with Native American and South/Central American people (because they are the descendants of Lehi and Nephi!)
vs. 4	“then shall the remnant of our seed know concerning us… that they are descendants of the Jews.”	That’s right… the Native Americans and the indigenous people of South/Central America are descendants of the Jews (a couple thousand years removed)
vs. 5-6	“And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them; wherefore, they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers… then shall they rejoice; for they shall know that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes”	South and Central America is the fastest growing area of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—faster even than in the U.S.
vs. 8	“the Lord God shall commence his work among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, to bring about the restoration of his people upon the earth.”	The spreading of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints across the world through its missionary efforts
vs. 9-18	Those familiar with the Bible may also recognize these as Isaiah verses	These verses are talking about the time of the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ (still yet to come!)

2 Nephi 27-28

2 Nephi 27

Compare to Isaiah 29

This is one Isaiah chapter that I can give a little insight into. And because the prophecies are directly related to the Book of Mormon, I think it is relevant for a deeper-dive in a blog post.

Below I have connected verses from 2 Nephi 27 with other scriptural references that tell the story of the fulfilling of the prophecies in 2 Nephi 27. Keep in mind that the prophecies of Isaiah were written years before Christ, and the fulfillment occurred in the 1800’s. I think this is pretty rad. 

2 Nephi 27:6 ---> 2 Ne. 26:17 (16–17)
The Book of Mormon is the “words of them which have slumbered”

2 Nephi 27:7-10, 15-20  ---> Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65 

Part of the Book of Mormon was a “sealed” book

“a man” (vs. 9)= Joseph Smith

“another” (vs. 9, 15 )= Martin Harris (friend of Joseph Smith’s who helped with the translation of the Book of Mormon)

“the learned” (vs. 15, 18)= Professor Charles Anthon in New York City

“him that is not learned” (vs. 19-20)= Joseph Smith

“the man” (vs. 17)= Martin Harris

2 Nephi 27:12-13 ---> The Testimony of the 3 Witnesses and The Testimony of the 8 Witnesses

“I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, yea, a marvelous work and a wonder (v26)”= the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ through the prophet Joseph Smith (including the translation of the Book of Mormon)

And a beautiful verse to finish off with—I believe God is a God of miracles… not just in ancient scriptural times, but NOW. And he reveals his word to prophets, apostles, and each of us today if we will seek Him.

23 For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.

2 Nephi 28

Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough! For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.  (vs. 29-30)

This chapter is fascinating and eye-opening. If you have ever been critical of organized religion, you may relate to some of the prophecies in this chapter. These are all prophecies of OUR time (written around 550 BC)!

Below are important verses from the chapter and a little commentary about each set:

3 For it shall come to pass in that day that the churches which are built up, and not unto the Lord, when the one shall say unto the other: Behold, I, I am the Lord’s; and the others shall say: I, I am the Lord’s; and thus shall every one say that hath built up churches, and not unto the Lord—

4 And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance.

Joseph Smith as a young boy struggled with this “battle” of churches and how each claimed to be right. Read his account in Joseph Smith History 1:5-20. Verse 10 is particularly applicable: “ In the midst of this war of words [between different Christian churches] and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?

5 And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men;

6 Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work.

Many churches feel like God cannot/does not perform miracles or speak to His children today—that only happened in Bible times. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is built on the premise that God speaks to his children today, and He leads his people/church through living prophets and apostles like in old times. And that He is a God of miracles—today, yesterday, and forever!

Here are more attitudes/perspectives of people in OUR time, prophesied thousands of years ago. Do any of these sound familiar?

 8 And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.

 9 Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark.

Do you see these attitudes in anyone you know? Or in yourself?

The following are more tactics the devil uses to subtly and slowly ensnare people. Can you recognize any of these in people you know, or in yourself?

20 For behold, at that day [TODAY!] shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.

21 And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.

Do you see people getting too comfortable in life?—not concerned to fight for what is right or make the world a better place. God tells us that if you are not for Him, you are against Him.

 22 And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.

I think lots of people don’t believe there is really a devil. Think of what a powerful and conniving adversary he can be if people are willing to overlook that he even exists! I’ve found in my life that identification is powerful—when I identify lies or bad thoughts in my head as coming from him rather than coming from me, that is half the battle! Then I know to focus my attention on fighting those bad thoughts or desires out of me.

28 And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.

This reminds me of 2 Nephi 9:40: “Do not say that I have spoken hard things against you; for if ye do, ye will revile against the truth; for I have spoken the words of your Maker. I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness; but the righteous fear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken.

29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!

 30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.

These verses are so important! Many Christian churches are fiercely opposed to the Book of Mormon because they already have a Bible, and they believe they don’t need anything else besides the Bible. But here God tells us that He teaches people little by little, one piece at a time. When someone seeks one piece of knowledge and accepts it, God will add a little more so they continue to grow in knowledge and truth. But people who say, “I already know/have enough! Don’t give me anymore” will lose the understanding they currently have. It is important we do not close the door on knowledge or revelation from God!

I love the Book of Mormon!!! 

2 Nephi 25-26

2 Nephi 25

 This chapter is packed with prophecies about the coming of the Savior (the 1^st coming). Keep in mind this was written about 550 B.C.

12 But, behold, they [the Jews] shall have wars, and rumors of wars; and when the day cometh that the Only Begotten of the Father, yea, even the Father of heaven and of earth, shall manifest himself unto them in the flesh, behold, they will reject him, because of their iniquities, and the hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness of their necks.

13 Behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name.

18 Wherefore, he shall bring forth his words unto them, which words shall judge them at the last day, for they shall be given them for the purpose of convincing them of the true Messiah, who was rejected by them; and unto the convincing of them that they need not look forward any more for a Messiah to come, for there should not any come, save it should be a false Messiah which should deceive the people; for there is save one Messiah spoken of by the prophets, and that Messiah is he who should be rejected of the Jews.

19 For according to the words of the prophets, the Messiah cometh in six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem; and according to the words of the prophets, and also the word of the angel of God, his name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

20 And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainly that ye cannot err. And as the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the rock and the water should come forth; yea, behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved.

26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

29 And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out.

2 Nephi 26

Did you know that after Jesus Christ was crucified and then resurrected that He appeared to the people of the Book of Mormon in the American continent? It’s the coolest and most important part of the Book of Mormon, and we will read all about it in the book of 3 Nephi, which is actually toward the end of the Book of Mormon (it doesn’t come right after 2 Nephi). Throughout the Book of Mormon you will see the prophets prophesy of this, but this chapter is particularly direct and detailed.

1 And after Christ shall have risen from the dead he shall show himself unto you, my children, and my beloved brethren; and the words which he shall speak unto you shall be the law which ye shall do.

3 And after the Messiah shall come there shall be signs given unto my people of his birth, and also of his death and resurrection; and great and terrible shall that day be unto the wicked, for they shall perish...

8 But behold, the righteous that hearken unto the words of the prophets, and destroy them not, but look forward unto Christ with steadfastness for the signs which are given, notwithstanding all persecution—behold, they are they which shall not perish.

9 But the Son of Righteousness shall appear unto them; and he shall heal them, and they shall have peace with him

And a couple more verses that I love:

 23 For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness.

 24 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.