3 Nephi 8:12-25

The destruction was greatest in the land northward.  Mormon records, “the whole face of the land was changed, because of the tempest and the whirlwinds, and the thunderings and the lightnings, and the exceedingly great quaking of the whole earth” (3 Nephi 8:12).  He continues listing the destruction that occurred.

Highways were broken up; cities would become desolate.  This was fulfillment of Samuel the Lamanite’s warning, “And many highways shall be broken up, and many cities shall become desolate” (Helaman 14:24).

Many cities were sunk and burned.  Nephi₁ warned, “ Wherefore, all those who are proud, and that do wickedly, the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, for they shall be as stubble” (2 Nephi 26:4).  Earthquakes destroyed buildings, killing people in them.  Even in the cities that remained, there was great destruction and death.

Many were carried away in whirlwinds.  The face of the land was deformed by the destruction that occurred.  We again turn to the warnings of Nephi₁:

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 burned with fire; and I saw many that did tumble to the earth, because of the quaking thereof.

1 Nephi 12:4

And they that kill the prophets, and the saints, the depths of the earth shall swallow them up, saith the Lord of Hosts; and mountains shall cover them, and whirlwinds shall carry them away, and buildings shall fall upon them and crush them to pieces and grind them to powder.

And they shall be visited with thunderings, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and all manner of destructions, for the ^afire of the anger of the Lord shall be kindled against them, and they shall be as stubble, and the day that cometh shall consume them, saith the Lord of Hosts.

2 Nephi 26:5-6

Samuel the Lamanite had warned the people what would occur if they failed to repent. 

Yea, at the time that he shall yield up the ghost there shall be thunderings and lightnings for the space of many hours, and the earth shall shake and tremble; and the rocks which are upon the face of this earth, which are both above the earth and beneath, which ye know at this time are solid, or the more part of it is one solid mass, shall be broken up;

Yea, they shall be rent in twain, and shall ever after be found in seams and in cracks, and in broken fragments upon the face of the whole earth, yea, both above the earth and beneath.

Helaman 14:21 - 22

The destruction continued for about three hours.  Some said it was greater, but this is not unusual for some people overestimate the length of a horrific event like this.  During this time, there was darkness throughout the land.  The same thing occurred in Jerusalem at the time of Christ’s death.  “And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth [GR earth, region, land, or country] until the ninth hour.  And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst [GR middle]” (Luke 23:44 - 45).

Nephi₁ had prophesied:

And the God of our fathers, who were led out of Egypt, out of bondage, and also were preserved in the wilderness by him, yea, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, yieldeth himself, according to the words of the angel, as a man, into the hands of wicked men, to be lifted up, according to the words of Zenock, and to be crucified, according to the words of Neum, and to be buried in a sepulchre, according to the words of Zenos, which he spake concerning the three days of darkness, which should be a sign given of his death unto those who should inhabit the isles of the sea, more especially given unto those who are of the house of Israel.

1 Nephi 19:10

The darkness on the face of the land was so thick, it could be felt.  This darkness was similar to one the Lord commanded Moses to place on Egypt.  “And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt” (Exodus 10:21).  Nephi₁ foretold:

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 multitudes who had not fallen because of the great and terrible judgments of the Lord.

1 Nephi 12:5

For thus spake the prophet: The Lord God surely shall visit all the house of Israel at that day, some with his voice, because of their righteousness, unto their great joy and salvation, and others with the thunderings and the lightnings of his power, by tempest, by fire, and by smoke, and vapor of darkness, and by the opening of the earth, and by mountains which shall be carried up.

1 Nephi 19:11

The people were unable to light candles, torches, or build fires.  No light was seen.  They could not see the Sun, Moon, or stars.  Hugh Nibley describes a similar event in world history.

In some areas, the Book of Mormon reports, people were "overpowered by the vapor of smoke and darkness,"—and so lost their lives. There it is, this vapor of smoke and darkness that comes down. It shuts everything out. Even without volcanic accompaniments, however, major earthquakes kick up a terrible dust, according to Sieberg. They're accompanied by phenomenal vapors and astonishingly thick air. According to 3 Nephi 8:20–21, the vapor of darkness was not only tangible to the survivors but defeated every attempt to light candles or torches for illumination. And here's an example of the same thing from [the Greek island of Thera in 1400 B.C.], eight times as violent as Krakatoa. The overpowering thickness of the air extinguished all lamps and made it impossible to light them.[1]

Reading this list of destruction, we see that the warnings and prophesies of Samuel the Lamanite occurred.

As the time neared for Samuel the Lamanite’s prophecies to be fulfilled, Nephi₃ witnessed the growing skepticism of the people … Nephi₃ paid careful attention to documenting their exact fulfillment.  Nephi₃ also tracked Samuel’s prophecies concerning Christ’s death and their fulfillment.[2]

Concerning Christ’s Death	Reference	Fulfillment
No light for 3 days	Helaman 14:20, 27	3 Nephi 8:19-23
Thunderings and lightnings	Helaman 14:21	3 Nephi 8:6-7
Earth will shake, tremble, and be broken up	Helaman 14:21-22	3 Nephi 8:12, 17-18
Mountain will be laid low and valleys raised	Helaman 14:23	3 Nephi 8:10, 13; 9:8
Resurrected people will appear to many	Helaman 14:25	3 Nephi 23:9-14

The darkness remained for three days.  During this time, no light was seen.  Through the darkness, great mourning, weeping, and groanings of the people were heard.  They cried, “O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and then would our brethren have been spared, and they would not have been burned in that great city Zarahemla” (3 Nephi 8:24). 

In another place, the people cried, “O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and had not killed and stoned the prophets, and cast them out; then would our mothers and our fair daughters, and our children have been spared, and not have been buried up in that great city Moronihah” (3 Nephi 8:25).

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[1] Lecture 83: 3 Nephi 8-11, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 17, 2012.

[2] Chart 48, Charting the Book of Mormon, John W. Welch and J. Gregory Welch