The Savior reminds
the Nephites He is the law and the light.
“And as surely as
the Lord liveth, will he gather in from the four quarters of the earth all the
remnant of the seed of Jacob, who are scattered abroad upon all the face of the
earth.
“And as he hath
covenanted with all the house of Jacob, even so shall the covenant wherewith he
hath covenanted with the house of Jacob be fulfilled in his own due time, unto
the restoring all the house of Jacob unto the knowledge of the covenant that he
hath covenanted with them.
“And then shall they
know their Redeemer, who is Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and then shall they
be gathered in from the four quarters of the earth unto their own lands, from
whence they have been dispersed; yea, as the Lord liveth so shall it be” (3
Nephi 5:24-26).
“The Lord is my
light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid” (Psalms 27:1).
“The sun shall be no
more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto
thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy
glory” (Isaiah 60:19).
“Then spake Jesus
again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me
shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).
“Wherefore he saith,
Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee
light” (Ephesians 5:14).
We are to look to
Him and endure to the end. Our reward will be eternal life. “Jesus said unto
her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he
were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).
“[D]uring his sermon
to the Nephite remnant, Jesus admonishes the congregation to “look unto me, and
endure to the end, and ye shall live” (3 Nephi 15:9). Christ's use of the words
look and live in this way suggests a connection back to the stories of the
brazen serpent and the Liahona and points to Jesus as the true type adumbrated
in each.”[1]
“And ye shall be
hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the
same shall be saved” (Mark 13:13).
“Wherefore, ye must
press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of
hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward,
feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the
Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20).
“The Savior's coming
to the Nephites out of darkness and great destruction is a miracle of light,
establishing order where previously there had been chaos: After the earth ‘did
cleave together again, that it stood’ (3 Nephi 10:10), a Man descends out of
heaven ‘clothed in a white robe’ (3 Nephi 11:8) and declares, ‘I am the light
and the life of the world’ (3 Nephi 11:11). In a series of unforgettable
instructions, the Savior teaches the gathered multitude to be ‘the light of
this people’ (3 Nephi 12:14), to realize that ‘the light of the body is the eye’
(3 Nephi 13:22), that ‘I am the law, and the light’ (3 Nephi 15:9), and that
they should hold up their light ‘that it may shine unto the world’ (3 Nephi
18:24). Then he causes the ‘light of his countenance’ to shine upon his
disciples, ‘and behold they were as white as the countenance and also the
garments of Jesus’ (3 Nephi 19:25).”[2]
The Nephites have
been give commandments. “Therefore come unto me and be ye saved; for verily I
say unto you, that except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded
you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (3 Nephi
12:20).
He commanded them to
keep His commandments. “[T]his is the
law and the prophets, for they truly testified of me” (3 Nephi 15:10). “For
behold, did not Moses prophesy unto them concerning the coming of the Messiah,
and that God should redeem his people? Yea, and even all the prophets who have
prophesied ever since the world began—have they not spoken more or less
concerning these things” (Mosiah 13:33).
He next turned to
the Twelve and they are to be a light to the people.
[1] “Look
to God and Live,” Kristian S. Heal, director of CPART, Maxwell Institute
website.
[2] The
Book of Mormon, Designed for Our Day, Annual FARMS Lecture, 27 February
1990, Richard Dilworth Rust, Maxwell Institute website.
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