Mormon 9:1-4

Chapter 9

Moroni calls upon those who do not believe in Christ to repent—He proclaims a God of miracles, who gives revelations and pours out gifts and signs upon the faithful—Miracles cease because of unbelief—Signs follow those who believe—Men are exhorted to be wise and keep the commandments. About A.D. 401–421.

Moroni speaks to those who do not believe in Christ.

Those who do not believe now will believe when the Lord comes on that great day. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5).

“Therefore, great and marvelous works shall be wrought by [the three Nephites], before the great and coming day when all people must surely stand before the judgment-seat of Christ” (3 Nephi 28:31).

The earth will be rolled like a scroll. “Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God? Know ye not that he hath all power, and at his great command the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll” (Mormon 5:23).

“Nevertheless, he that endureth in faith and doeth my will, the same shall overcome, and shall receive an inheritance upon the earth when the day of transfiguration shall come;

“When the earth shall be transfigured, even according to the pattern which was shown unto mine apostles upon the mount; of which account the fulness ye have not yet received” (D&C 63:20-21).

At that day, the elements will melt from the heat on that great day. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt” (Amos 9:13).

“And he did expound all things, even from the beginning until the time that he should come in his glory—yea, even all things which should come upon the face of the earth, even until the elements should melt with fervent heat, and the earth should be wrapt together as a scroll, and the heavens and the earth should pass away” (3 Nephi 26:3).

Will you, Moroni asks, still say there is no Christ?

At that time, they will no longer be able to deny Christ. Do they think they would dwell with Christ being aware of the guilt? “And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God” (2 Nephi 28:8).

They would be like those who accused the woman of adultery. The Savior told them that he who had no sin should throw the first stone. “And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst” (John 8:9).

The filthy man, aware of his filthiness, would be miserable to live with a holy and just God.

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

“The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

“They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Psalms 14:1-3).[1]

“There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness” (Proverbs 30:12).

He would rather dwell with the damned in hell

“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

“And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:29).[2]

“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalms 9:17).

“Hell [IE The spirit world, the place of the dead, is never filled up] and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied” (Proverbs 27:20).

“Jacob also discussed the dread that would come to those who had to stand before God in their sins.”[3] “O my brethren, I fear that unless ye shall repent of your sins that their skins will be whiter than yours, when ye shall be brought with them before the throne of God” (Jacob 3:8).

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[1] “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no man that hath seen God. Because he showeth himself not unto us, therefore there is no God. Behold, they are corrupt; they have done abominable works, and none of them doeth good.

“For the Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, and by his voice said unto his servant, Seek ye among the children of men, to see if there are any that do understand God. And he opened his mouth unto the Lord, and said, Behold, all these who say they are thine.

“The Lord answered, and said, They are all gone aside, they are together become filthy, thou canst behold none of them that are doing good, no, not one” (JST Psalms 14:1-3).

[2] “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

“And shall come forth; they who have done good, unto the resurrection of the just; and they that have done evil, in the resurrection of the unjust” (JST John 5:29). 

[3] Jacob’s Textual Legacy, John Hilton III, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 22/2 (2013): 59.