Chapter 2
Wickedness and
abominations increase among the people—The Nephites and Lamanites unite to
defend themselves against the Gadianton robbers—Converted Lamanites become
white and are called Nephites. About A.D. 5–16
1 AND it came to pass that thus passed away the
ninety and fifth year [5 A.D.] also, and
the
people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began
to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven,
insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds,
and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen—2 Imagining
up some vain thing in their hearts, that it was wrought by men and by the power
of the devil, to lead away and deceive the hearts of the people; and
thus did Satan get possession of the hearts of the people again, insomuch that
he did blind their eyes and lead them away to believe that the doctrine of
Christ was a foolish and a vain thing.
3 Nephi 2:1 – 2 (Emphasis mine)
About five years have passed since the first signs of Christ’s
birth were given. As time has passed,
the people are forgetting the signs and wonders they head. They hardened their hearts and began to
disbelieve the signs they had seen and heard.
The devil, working his evil, convinced people that these
signs were brought about by man using the power of the devil.
Noel Reynolds comments:
One sentence from
Moses seems to have spawned a whole family of formulaic references in the Book
of Mormon: "And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men,
and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as
would not hearken unto my voice" (Moses 4:4). This language is echoed
precisely by both Lehi and Moroni, who, when mentioning the devil, add the
stock qualification: "who is the
father of all lies" (cf. 2 Nephi 2:18; Ether 8:25), while Jacob
says the same thing in similar terms (2 Nephi 9:9). Incidentally, the
descriptive term devil, which
is used frequently to refer to Satan in both Moses and the Book of Mormon, does
not occur at all in the Old Testament. New Testament occurrences do not reflect
this context.
The Book of Mormon
sometimes separates and sometimes combines the elements of this description of
the devil from Moses and portrays Satan as one deliberately engaged in "deceiving the hearts of the
people" and in "blinding
their eyes" that he might "lead them away" (3 Nephi 2:2). Particularly striking
is the repeated statement that the devil will lead those who do not hearken to the Lord's voice
"captive at his will"
(Moses 4:4).[1]
Hugh Nibley writes:
When Satan claims you
as his, there is indeed a horrible oneness; for he too will embrace you to get
power over you: Do "not choose eternal death, according to the will of the
flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power
to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own
kingdom" (2 Nephi 2:29; cf. 1 Nephi 13:29; 2 Nephi 28:19; Alma 8:9). He
will hold you in his strong embrace, having a great hold over you (Alma 10:25;
12:17; 27:12; Helaman 16:23). Joseph Smith felt that power, and it was not an
imaginary power at all, a power many have felt since (JS-H 1:16). For he
"get[s] possession" of you (3 Nephi 2:2), "for Satan desireth to
have you" (3 Nephi 18:18), just as the Lord does. So while on the one
hand, God "inviteth and enticeth to do good" and be one with him, so
on the other hand Satan "inviteth
and enticeth to sin" (Moroni 7:12-13).[2]
They began to believe that belief in Christ was a foolish
and vain thing.
But we preach Christ crucified,
unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
But unto them [JST 1 Cor. 1:24 … who believe,] both
Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
Because the foolishness
of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1 Corinthians 1:23 - 25
And this Anti–Christ,
whose name was Korihor, (and the law could have no hold upon him) began to
preach unto the people that there should be no Christ. And after this manner did he preach, saying:
O ye that are bound
down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such
foolish things? Why do ye look for a
Christ? For no man can know of anything
which is to come.
Behold, these things
which ye call prophecies, which ye say are handed down by holy prophets,
behold, they are foolish traditions of your fathers.
How do ye know of
their surety? Behold, ye cannot know of
things which ye do not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a
Christ.
Ye look forward and
say that ye see a remission of your sins.
But behold, it is the effect of a frenzied mind; and this derangement of
your minds comes because of the traditions of your fathers, which lead you away
into a belief of things which are not so.
And many more such
things did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made
for the sins of men, but every man fared in this life according to the
management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his
genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever
a man did was no crime.
18 And thus he did preach unto them, leading
away the hearts of many, causing them to lift up their heads in their
wickedness, yea, leading away many women, and also men, to commit
whoredoms—telling them that when a man was dead, that was the end thereof.
Alma 30:12 - 18
3 And it came to pass that the people began to wax strong in
wickedness and abominations; and they did not believe that there should be any
more signs or wonders given; and Satan did go about, leading away the hearts of
the people, tempting them and causing them that they should do great wickedness
in the land.
4 And thus did pass away the ninety and sixth year;
and also the ninety and seventh year; and also the ninety and eighth year; and
also the ninety and ninth year; 5 And also an hundred
years had passed away since the days of Mosiah, who was king over the people of
the Nephites. 6 And six hundred and nine years had passed away
since Lehi left Jerusalem [10 A.D.].
3 Nephi 2:3 – 6 (Emphasis mine)
The people began to embrace wickedness and rejected the prophesies
there would be more signs and wonders give them. Satan went about leading away the hearts of
the people. There became great
wickedness throughout the land.
And the LORD said unto
Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan
answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from
walking up and down in it.
Job 1:7
Satan stirreth them
up, that he may lead their souls to destruction.
And thus he has laid a
cunning plan, thinking to destroy the work of God; but I will require this at
their hands, and it shall turn to their shame and condemnation in the day of judgment.
Yea, he stirreth up
their hearts to anger against this work.
Yea, he saith unto
them: Deceive and lie in wait to catch, that ye may destroy; behold, this is no
harm. And thus he flattereth them, and
telleth them that it is no sin to lie that they may catch a man in a lie, that
they may destroy him.
And thus he flattereth
them, and leadeth them along until he draggeth their souls down to hell; and
thus he causeth them to catch themselves in their own snare.
And thus he goeth up
and down, to and fro in the earth, seeking to destroy the souls of men.
D&C 10:22 - 27
[1] The
Brass Plates Version of Genesis, Noel B. Reynolds, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed October
2, 2012.
[2] The
Meaning of the Atonement, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell
Institute, accessed October 2, 2012.
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