After prophesying about the coming forth of his record,
Nephi tells us “that those who have
dwindled in unbelief shall be smitten by the hand of the Gentiles” (2 Nephi
26:19). Nephi had been shown in vision, “many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land
of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my
brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten” (1
Nephi 13:14).
The descendants of Lehi, through Laman and Lemuel, as well
as the descendants of the sons of Ishmael, would suffer because they turned
away from the Lord. Christ taught those
that survived the calamities that occurred after Christ’s resurrection:
But
wo, saith the Father, unto the unbelieving of the Gentiles—for notwithstanding
they have come forth upon the face of this land, and have scattered my people
who are of the house of Israel; and my people who are of the house of Israel
have been cast out from among them, and have been trodden under feet by them;
And
because of the mercies of the Father unto the Gentiles, and also the judgments
of the Father upon my people who are of the house of Israel, verily, verily, I
say unto you, that after all this, and I have caused my people who are of the
house of Israel to be smitten, and to be afflicted, and to be slain, and to be
cast out from among them, and to become hated by them, and to become a hiss and
a byword among them—
3 Nephi 16:8-9
Emphasizing the importance of the record, Mormon would
write, “And also that a knowledge of
these things must come unto the remnant of these people, and also unto the
Gentiles, who the Lord hath said should scatter this people, and this people
should be counted as naught among them—therefore I write a small abridgment,
daring not to give a full account of the things which I have seen, because of
the commandment which I have received, and also that ye might not have too
great sorrow because of the wickedness of this people” (Mormon 5:9).
Over time, the Gentiles will be lifted up in their pride and
but they will stumble. Solomon warned, “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but
with the lowly is wisdom”
(Proverbs 11:2).
What will cause them to stumble is the churches they build
up. Ezekiel warned, “Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and
commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because
thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness
which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at
thine hand” (Ezekiel 3:20).
Nephi explained this to his brethren. “For
the time speedily shall come that all churches which are built up to get gain,
and all those who are built up to get power over the flesh, and those who are
built up to become popular in the eyes of the world, and those who seek the
lusts of the flesh and the things of the world, and to do all manner of
iniquity; yea, in fine, all those who belong to the kingdom of the devil are
they who need fear, and tremble, and quake; they are those who must be brought
low in the dust; they are those who must be consumed as stubble; and this is
according to the words of the prophet” (1 Nephi 22:23).
Nephi saw, in vision, that there would be two churches. “And it
came to pass that he said unto me: Look, and behold that great and abominable
church, which is the mother of abominations, whose founder is the devil. And he
said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of
the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso
belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church,
which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth”
(1 Nephi 14:9-10).
These churches will “put
down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own
wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain” (2 Nephi
26:20). Jacob knew of Nephi’s
prophesy. This would lead him to say, “O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness
of men! When they are learned they think
they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it
aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is
foolishness and it profiteth them not.
And they shall perish” (2 Nephi 9:28). Nephi would write, “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 … O the wise, and the learned, and the
rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach
false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way
of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they
shall be thrust down to hell!” (2 Nephi 28:4, 15).
Elder Neal Maxwell would explain how important the things of
God are in a true religion.
Benjamin, who twice pointedly
mentions his "clear conscience" (Mosiah 2:15, 17), did not do so to
be legalistic, but instead, he wanted to do everything he could to keep his
people "in wisdom's paths" (Mosiah 2:36). But the wisdom's path he
cited is sharply distinguished from the "world and the wisdom thereof"
(I Nephi 11:35). Benjamin knew that without revelations, prophets, and sacred
records, mankind must settle for "preach[ing] up . . . their own
wisdom" (2 Nephi 26:20), which is not much of an offering, brothers and
sisters. Only the Holy Ghost can keep us on the strait and narrow path, which
is wisdom's path (see Mosiah 2:36).[1]
Richard Draper
explains how the Nephite pride would lead to their fall.
In sum, the Nephites committed hubris in
two ways: they rebelled against God, attempting to relegate to themselves his
power by force; and they sought that which was forbidden—to avenge themselves
on their enemies. The work of pride caused them to compete with both God and
man. The result was atē—spiritual blindness so profound that the
people could neither see nor feel. Final catastrophe was their unsought
reward—not ultimately of losing battles to the Lamanites but dying in rebellion
against God. To those living in the last days the Lord warned: "Beware of
pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old" (D&C 38:39). The reason
God's warning lies particularly upon the Americas seems to be the unprecedented
wealth the land provides. Partaking of its easy abundance, Americans often
forget from whom the blessings flow. In their blindness, they attribute their
success to themselves and desire more. Pride sets in. As in the case of Nephite
society, "the people began to be distinguished by ranks, according to
their riches and their chances for learning, yea, some were ignorant because of
their poverty, and others did receive great learning because of their
riches" (3 Nephi 6:12). Nephi knew this was exactly the condition that
would beset those upon this continent in the latter days. The Gentiles, he
attested, "are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because
of the greatness of their stumbling block, that they have built up many
churches; nevertheless, they put down the power and miracles of God, and preach
up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get
gain and grind upon the face of the poor" (2 Nephi 26:20).[2]
[1] King
Benjamin's Sermon: A Manual for Discipleship, Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Maxwell Institute,
accessed November 14, 2013.
[2] Hubris and Atē: A Latter-day Warning from the Book of Mormon, Richard D. Draper, Maxwell Institute,
accessed November 14, 2013.
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