A day had been set aside when believers in Christ’s coming birth
would be executed. Nephi3 went to the Lord in fervent prayer. His
prayer was answered. He was told that night the Savior would be born.
The signs occurred as prophesied. “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” (2 Nephi 26:3).
A new star also appeared in the sky, as prophesied. “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).[1]
The devil wasted no time in his attempts to mislead the
people. Those that were in his grasp went out and denied the signs. This was a
case of the cliché, “Who are you going to believe? Me or your lying eyes?” The
devil has worked this way in the past. “And Adam and Eve blessed the name of
God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters. And
Satan came among them, saying: I am also a son of God; and he commanded them,
saying: Believe it not; and they believed it not, and they loved Satan more
than God. And men began from that time forth to be carnal, sensual, and
devilish” (Moses 5:12-13).
What is meant by a sign? “An event or experience which
people understand to be evidence or proof of something. A sign is usually a
miraculous manifestation from God. Satan also has power to show signs under
certain conditions. Saints should seek for the gifts of the Spirit but should
not seek for signs to satisfy curiosity or sustain faith. Rather, the Lord will
give signs as he sees fit to those who believe” (Guide to the Scriptures, S – Sign
Entry).
In this dispensation, the Lord told Joseph Smith, “For,
verily, the sound must go forth from this place into all the world, and unto
the uttermost parts of the earth—the gospel must be preached unto every
creature, with signs following them that believe” (D&C 58:64).
Some accepted the devil’s servants explanation and denied
the signs. Still, most believed and became a part of the Lord’s church.
Nephi went among the people, preaching the gospel. Those who
accepted his message repented and were baptized for a remission of sins. “For
this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission
of sins” (Matthew 26:28).[2]
Peace spread across the land.
There did, however, arise some contentions. There were those
who began to preach, teaching it was no longer necessary for the people to
follow the Law of Moses. Amulek had warned against this very teaching. “Therefore,
it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall
there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood;
then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every
jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away” (Alma 34:13).
“A small group takes Samuel’s fulfilled prophecy to imply a
parallel fulfillment of the law, ‘endeavoring to prove . . . that it was no
more expedient to observe the law of Moses’ (3 Nephi 1:24). Mormon is quick to
assure us that “in this thing they did err” and dismisses the scene in short
order, informing us that ‘in this same year’ they were ‘brought to a knowledge
of their error.’”[3]
Around three years after the signs of the Savior’s birth
were given to the Nephites, the Gadianton robbers rear their ugly heads. The
people were not able to stop them or even find where they hid. They
successfully committed numerous murders throughout the land.
The Lamanites were not immune from the robbers. Many of
their young men were led away by the robbers. They had been warned about the
consequences of following the multitude. “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a
cause to decline after many to wrest judgment
[OR Thou shalt not follow the crowd to do evil, neither speak up in a
lawsuit, being influenced by the majority, to subvert justice]” (Exodus 23:2).
“And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that
kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will
forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath
power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him” (Luke 12:4-5).
“And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the
other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood
as it were in the air, high above the earth. And it was filled with people,
both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was
exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their
fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit” (1 Nephi
8:26-27).
The wicked Zoramites reappear in the record. They were
responsible for leading many Lamanites and Nephites away, becoming robbers. We
first hear of the Zoramites in connection with Korihor, the anti-Christ. “And
it came to pass that as [Korihor] went forth among the people, yea, among a
people who had separated themselves from the Nephites and called themselves Zoramites,
being led by a man whose name was Zoram—and as he went forth amongst them,
behold, he was run upon and trodden down, even until he was dead” (Alma 30:59).
“Alma having received tidings that the Zoramites were
perverting the ways of the Lord, and that Zoram, who was their leader, was
leading the hearts of the people to bow down to dumb idols, his heart again
began to sicken because of the iniquity of the people.
“For it was the cause of great sorrow to Alma to know of
iniquity among his people; therefore his heart was exceedingly sorrowful
because of the separation of the Zoramites from the Nephites.
“Now the Zoramites had gathered themselves together in a
land which they called Antionum, which was east of the land of Zarahemla, which
lay nearly bordering upon the seashore, which was south of the land of Jershon,
which also bordered upon the wilderness south, which wilderness was full of the
Lamanites” (Alma 31:1-3).
The Zoramites became Nephite dissenters. They eventually ceased
to identify themselves as Nephites. “For behold, it came to pass that the Zoramites
became Lamanites; therefore, in the commencement of the eighteenth year the
people of the Nephites saw that the Lamanites were coming upon them; therefore
they made preparations for war; yea, they gathered together their armies in the
land of Jershon” (Alma 43:4).
Hugh Nibley sums up where the Nephites stand shortly after
the Savior’s birth.
“But a new threat arose. The criminal element took to the
hills and there established retreats where they built up strength from
dissenters joining them until they were able to reestablish the Gadianton
organization. Terrorism was the name of the game. From their secure places they
would strike and withdraw, making a special effort to kidnap ‘especially women
and children,’ to assure the permanence of their society (Helaman 11:33). At
the same time, Zoramite recruiters brought a host of young Nephites into the
organization by the prospect of such things as romantic adventure, gaudy
makeup, danger, loot, and license to kill (3 Nephi 1:28—30). Soldiers of
fortune also flocked to the camps.”[4]
[1] 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).
[2] “And
as they were eating, Jesus took abread, and brake it, and blessed it, and gave to his disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is in remembrance of my body
which
I give a ransom for you. For
this is in remembrance of my blood of the new testament, which is shed
for as
many as shall believe on my name, for the remission of their
sins. And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall observe to do the
things which ye have seen me do, and bear record of me even unto the end.” (JST Matthew 26:22-25).
[3] Temporality
and Fulfillment in 3 Nephi 1, Kimberly M. Berkey, Journal of Book of Mormon
Studies 24 (2015): 56.
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