Book of Mormon (Plain English Version)/2 Nephi/Chapter 26

by Timothy B. Wilson

Nephi prophesies of 34 to 385 AD...
(compare 2 Nephi, chapter 26)

Nephi speaks to his descendants:

After Christ rises from the dead, He will show Himself to you. You must be careful to live by the laws that He will give you.

In a vision I have seen that many of your generations will pass away, troubled by great wars.

And when the Messiah comes into the world you will be given the signs of His birth, and also the signs of His death and resurrection—-a great and terrible day for the wicked, for that is the day they will perish.

This will happen because the cries of the prophets and the saints, whom the wicked will reject and kill, will go up to God from the ground against the wicked.

Note: In six verses (3 Nephi 9:5-11), no less than five times does the Savior tell why He destroyed many, many cities..."so the blood of the prophets and saints will no longer come up to me against them.”

The Lord says,

“All the proud who do wickedly will be burned.

Those who kill the prophets and saints will be swallowed up by the earth and mountains will cover them.

Tornadoes will carry them away, and earthquakes will cause buildings to crush them, grinding them to powder. They will be visited with thunder, lightning, earthquakes and all types of destruction, for the Lord’s angry fire will burn them like kindling.”

Oh the pain and anguish of my soul for the loss of my people that will perish! For I, Nephi, have seen their destruction, which almost consumes me before the Lord's presence. But I must cry to my God, “Thy ways are just.”

However, those of you among my righteous descendants, who listen to the prophets and faithfully look forward to Christ and the promised signs, even while being persecuted, will not die. The Son of righteousness will appear to you and heal you. Then you will have His peace for three generations. And many of your fourth generation will also have His peace.

But after this, destruction will come quickly to you, my people. For even though it pained my soul to see it, I have seen your destruction and know that it will come to pass. After four generations, you, my descendants, will sell yourselves for nothing.

The reward for your pride and foolishness will be destruction. Because you will give way to the devil and choose his works of darkness rather than light, you must go down to hell. For the Spirit will not always stay with you. When the Spirit leaves you, your destruction will come quickly, and this grieves my soul.

Just as the Jews need to be convinced that Jesus is the very Christ, the Gentiles must also be convinced that He is the Christ, the Eternal God. They must be convinced that He shows Himself to all who believe in Him by the power of the Holy Ghost, even to every nation, working mighty miracles, signs and wonders among them all, according to their faith.

But listen, for now I prophesy to you about the last days--the days when the Lord will bring these words (The Book of Mormon) to all people:

After my and my brothers’ descendants falter in unbelief—after being subdued by the Gentiles--after the Lord will have camped against them, and laid siege against them with horses, and raised forts against them, humbling them to the dust--even after they are considered to be nothing-—the words of the righteous will be written, and the prayers of their faithful forefathers will be answered. And the latter-day Lamanites will no longer be forgotten as a people.

Their ancestors, who will have been destroyed, will speak to them from out of the ground, from where the book will come. Their voices will be as familiar spirits, for the Lord will give them power to whisper to their descendants (through The Book of Mormon).

The Lord says,

"The Nephites will engrave their history on metal plates. When the plates are buried, the unbelieving Lamanites will not have access to them because they would destroy them.

Then the Nephites, even their terrible warriors, will be destroyed suddenly, as though in an instant.”

About 1,100 years later, many of the remaining Lamanites (Native South, Central and North Americans) will be driven and killed by the Gentiles who will come to this land.

Then the Gentiles will lift themselves up in the pride of their own. eyes, stumbling by building up many churches that deny God's miracles and power. They will preach their own wisdom for profit and worldly approval while taking advantage of the poor. They will build up many churches, which will be the cause of envy, contention and slander.

The Gentiles will also have secret combinations, like the ancients, which come from the devil--the founder of murder and works of darkness. He will lead the Gentiles by the neck with a weak cord until he binds them with his strong cords forever.

Listen my beloved brethren, for the Lord God does not work in darkness. Because of His love, everything He does is for the benefit of the world. He will even lay down His own life to draw all people to Him and to offer His salvation freely to all.

Does the Lord say to anyone, "Depart from me?"

No. He says, "Come to me, all people of the earth. Buy milk and honey without money and without price."

Has He ordered us out of the synagogues and chapels? No.

Has He told anyone that they may not partake of His salvation? No. He has given it freely for all and has commanded His people to persuade all others to repent.

Has the Lord forbidden anyone to enjoy His goodness? No. All people are equally privileged to partake of it freely.

However, the Lord does forbid priestcraft among us. Priestcraft is setting oneself up as a light to the world, teaching others for gain and fame, claiming to teach truth while ignoring the needs of Zion.

The Lord helps to keep us from practicing priestcraft by commanding us to practice charity, which is love.

If we do not have charity, then we are nothing. And if the Gentiles have charity, they will not allow the laborer in Zion to perish.

True laborers in Zion are those who build up Zion. If they labor with their hearts set upon money, they will perish (physically and spiritually).

The Lord God has also commanded us not to murder, lie, steal, envy or to take His name in vain. We should not fight with one another or commit adultery, for whoever does any of these things will perish.

None of these sins come from the Lord, for He only does good among us in all plainness.

He invites everyone to come to Him and to enjoy His goodness - black, white, rich, poor, male, female, Jew and Gentile.

And He remembers those who have not been taught His laws, for all people are equal to Him.