Chapter 14
Samuel predicts light
during the night and a new star at Christ's birth—Christ redeems men from
temporal and spiritual death—The signs of his death include three days of
darkness, the rending of the rocks, and great upheavals of nature. About 6 B.C.
Samuel continued to speak and prophesy to the Nephites. He
gives us a simple statement – Samuel “did prophesy a great many more things
which cannot be written” (Helaman 1:14). We cannot help but wonder about his
prophecies. Mormon gives us no clue as to why these cannot be written. Was it a
lack of space on his records? Did he feel these were too sacred to share? As
more records come forth in the future, we will learn why he did not (or could
not) share Samuel’s words with us.
Mormon shares with us Samuel’s prophecy of a sign the
Nephites will be given when the Savior is born. “One of the main purposes for
signs, according to Samuel, is to orient temporality around fulfillment,
binding up their relationship. Samuel wants to be clear that fulfillment always
carries temporal implications, and towards this end he delivers a sign to
cement that connection.”[1]
The prophecy made by Samuel was that in five years, the Son
of God will come, bringing salvation through his name.
Samuel gave a sign that would announce His birth. “[T]here shall
be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there
shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day”
(Helaman 14:3).
“The temporal overtones of Samuel’s signs are made explicit
from the moment they are introduced. In announcing the first sign, Samuel
tellingly refers to it not as a sign of Christ’s coming, but rather ‘a sign at
the time of his coming’ (Helaman 14:3), thus indicating that this omen is
intended not to point to Christ directly, but more precisely to point to the
particular era in which Christ’s coming is inscribed.”[2]
There will be one day, a night, and a day where the Sun will
not set. It will be daylight for this time. This will occur the night of the
Savior’s birth.
Nephi had also prophesied his people would see signs from
God. “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; and they
perish because they cast out the prophets, and the saints, and stone them, and
slay them; wherefore the cry of the blood of the saints shall ascend up to God
from the ground against them” (2 Nephi 26:3).
Samuel told them another sign was a new star unlike anything
they had ever seen.
“NOW when Jesus was born in
Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men
from the east to Jerusalem,
“Saying, Where is he that is born King
of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him”
(Matthew 2:1-2).[3]
There will be many other signs and wonders they will see. When
they see the signs, they will be so amazed, they will fall to the ground.[4]
Those that believe and accept Christ will have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Samuel is fulfilling the Lord commandments. He was told to “Cry
unto this people, repent and prepare the way of the Lord” (Helaman 14:9).
“John the Baptist clearly preached of the imminence of the
coming of the Lord, the need to prepare, and the fiery destruction awaiting
those who failed to repent … Notably, the Baptist’s teachings are echoed by
Samuel as the Lamanite prophet assumes the New World role of Elias (see Helaman
14:9, 18).”[5]
Because he is a Lamanite, they are angry with him, and want
to cast him out of the land because they didn’t like his message.[6]
“And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be
afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell [OR sit] among scorpions: be not
afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
“And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will
hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious” (Ezekiel 2:6-7).
Whether they like his words or not, they will hear them. He
is standing on the wall so they will know the judgements of God because of
their sins. They also must know the conditions of their repentance.
He is ensuring they know about the coming of Christ, the Son
of God. “And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of
heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother
shall be called Mary” (Mosiah 3:8).
“And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith
the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in
me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw,
even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them
are” (Ether 4:7).
“[T]he sign’s temporal elements are a way of keeping the
Nephites rooted in the present and focused on the Messiah, but also
interrupting their knowledge and assumptions, all so that they can begin to
attend to the task of ‘believ[ing] on his name’ and ‘repent[ing] of all [their]
sins’ (Helaman 14:12–13).”[7]
Samuel told them to believe His name and repent of their
sins.
“But Paul cried with a loud voice,
saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
“Then he called for a light, and
sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
“And brought them out, and said,
Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
“And they said, Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:28-31).
If they do this, they will receive a remission of their sins
through His sacrifice.
“For behold, I, God, have suffered
these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;
“But if they would not repent they
must suffer even as I;
“Which suffering caused myself,
even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at
every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink
the bitter cup, and shrink—
“Nevertheless, glory be to the
Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.
“Wherefore, I command you again to
repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your
sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the
smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew
my Spirit” (D&C 19:16-20).
[1] Temporality
and Fulfillment in 3 Nephi 1, Kimberly M. Berkey, Journal of Book of Mormon
Studies 24 (2015): 73-74.
[3] “NOW
when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king,
behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
“Saying, Where is the child that is born, the
Messiah of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are
come to worship him” (JST Matthew 2:1-2).
[4] “And
there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to
the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of
destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the
prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at
hand.
“And they began to know that the Son of God must
shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth
from the awest to the
east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished
that they fell to the earth” (3 Nephi 1:16-17).
[5] “Saving
Christianity”: The Nephite Fulfillment of Jesus’s Eschatological Prophecies,
Heather Hardy, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 23 (2014): 35.
[6] “And
it came to pass that in this year there was one Samuel, a Lamanite, came into
the land of Zarahemla, and began to preach unto the people. And it came to pass
that he did preach, many days, repentance unto the people, and they did cast
him out, and he was about to return to his own land” (Helaman 13:2).
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