24 And now, my son,
these interpreters were prepared that the word of God might be fulfilled, which
he spake, saying:
25 I will bring forth
out of darkness unto light all their secret works and their abominations; and
except they repent I will destroy them from off the face of the earth; and I
will bring to light all their secrets and abominations, unto every nation that
shall hereafter possess the land.
26 And now, my son, we
see that they did not repent; therefore they have been destroyed, and thus far
the word of God has been fulfilled; yea, their secret abominations have been
brought out of darkness and made known unto us.
27 And now, my son, I
command you that ye retain all their oaths, and their covenants, and their
agreements in their secret abominations; yea, and all their signs and their
wonders ye shall keep from this people, that they know them not, lest
peradventure they should fall into darkness also and be destroyed.
28 For behold, there
is a curse upon all this land, that destruction shall come upon all those
workers of darkness, according to the power of God, when they are fully ripe;
therefore I desire that this people might not be destroyed.
29 Therefore ye shall
keep these secret plans of their oaths and their covenants from this people,
and only their wickedness and their murders and their abominations shall ye
make known unto them; and ye shall teach them to abhor such wickedness and
abominations and murders; and ye shall also teach them that these people were
destroyed on account of their wickedness and abominations and their murders.
30 For behold, they
murdered all the prophets of the Lord who came among them to declare unto them
concerning their iniquities; and the blood of those whom they murdered did cry
unto the Lord their God for vengeance upon those who were their murderers; and
thus the judgments of God did come upon these workers of darkness and secret
combinations.
31 Yea, and cursed be
the land forever and ever unto those workers of darkness and secret
combinations, even unto destruction, except they repent before they are fully
ripe. (Alma 37:24-31)
Alma continues to discuss the plates and interpreters.
The interpreters were prepared to fulfill God’s word. He
would bring out of darkness all the secret works and abominations of the Jaredites.
“That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do
they shoot at him, and fear not.
“They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune
of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?
“They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent
search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep” (Psalm
64:4-6).
“And then shall the first angel again sound his trump in the
ears of all living, and reveal the secret acts of men, and the mighty works of
God in the first thousand years.
“And then shall the second angel sound his trump, and reveal
the secret acts of men, and the thoughts and intents of their hearts, and the
mighty works of God in the second thousand years” (D&C 88:108-109).
He would destroy them lest they repent. All the secret abominations
would be made known to all nations who would possess this land.
“Nevertheless, they did find a land which had been peopled;
yea, a land which was covered with dry bones; yea, a land which had been
peopled and which had been destroyed; and they, having supposed it to be the
land of Zarahemla, returned to the land of Nephi, having arrived in the borders
of the land not many days before the coming of Ammon” (Mosiah 21:26).
“Other Book of Mormon prophecies indicate that the teachings
concerning the land of promise apply to all nations there, not one nation only …
The repeated references to ‘every nation’ and ‘whatsoever nation’ also suggest
that there are more nations than one upon the promised
land to whom the covenant applies.”[1]
The Jaredites were destroyed because they did not repent and
God’s word was fulfilled. Their secret abominations were brought out of
darkness and made known to us. “Wherefore, for this cause, that my covenants
may be fulfilled which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do
unto them while they are in the flesh, I must needs destroy the secret works of
darkness, and of murders, and of abominations” (2 Nephi 10:15).
“As there are both physical and spiritual dimensions to the
setting, so the action of the Book of Mormon takes place on human and divine
levels. The human is mainly a cycle of humbling leading to repentance leading
to prosperity leading to pride leading to destruction; on the divine level,
ultimate blessings or punishments are promised.
“In this story of a people (indeed, of any people who
possess the land) there is a firm connection between righteousness and
existence as a nation. This is evident on the larger scale with the Nephite
civilization, and is shown in a relatively brief example in the fate of the Jaredites,
who ‘did not repent; therefore they have been destroyed’ (Alma 37:26). As with
the Nephite civilization, this is the dark end of an earthly society--but
against that is the continuation of a divine society: Ether and Moroni end
their records with references to being ‘saved in the kingdom of God’ and having
‘rest in the paradise of God.’”[2]
Alma commanded Helaman to keep the oaths, covenants, signs, and
agreements from the people. He feared they would fall in darkness and be
destroyed.
“And it came to pass that [the Gadianton Robbers] did have
their signs, yea, their secret signs, and their secret words; and this that
they might distinguish a brother who had entered into the covenant, that
whatsoever wickedness his brother should do he should not be injured by his
brother, nor by those who did belong to his band, who had taken this covenant”
(Helaman 6:22).
“Now behold, all those engravings which were in the
possession of Helaman were written and sent forth among the children of men
throughout all the land, save it were those parts which had been commanded by
Alma should not go forth” (Alma 63:12).
We will later read how Helaman followed Alma’s command. “Now
behold, all those engravings which were in the possession of Helaman were
written and sent forth among the children of men throughout all the land, save
it were those parts which had been commanded by Alma should not go forth” (Alma
63:12).
There is a curse on this land. Destruction will come upon
those who are workers of darkness.
“And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond
the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto
the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God
had preserved for a righteous people…
“For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other
lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off;
for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of
iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off…
“Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall
possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other
nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus
Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written” (Ether
2:7, 10, 12).
Alma once again tells Helaman he must keep knowledge of the
oaths, covenants, and secret combinations from the people.
“Now behold, it is these secret oaths and covenants which
Alma commanded his son should not go forth unto the world, lest they should be
a means of bringing down the people unto destruction” (Helaman 6:25).
He must teach them to abhor wickedness, abominations, and murders.
He is to teach them of the destruction of the Jaredites because of their
wickedness.
Those involved in the combinations murdered the prophets who
came and preached to them of their sins.
“For ye, brethren, became followers [GR imitators] of the
churches of God which in Judæa are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered
like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:
“Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and
have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men” (1 Thessalonians
2:14-15).
“And now when ye talk, ye say: If our days had been in the
days of our fathers of old, we would not have slain the prophets; we would not
have stoned them, and cast them out.
“Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a
prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which
testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out
and seek all manner of ways to destroy him; yea, you will say that he is a
false prophet, and that he is a sinner, and of the devil, because he testifieth
that your deeds are evil” (Helaman 13:25-26).
The blood of the murdered prophets cry to the Lord for vengeance
upon those responsible for their murders.
“You recollect that Jesus, on one occasion, went into a
certain place, and it is said concerning him that he could not do many mighty
works there because of the people's unbelief. Unbelief, therefore, has a
tendency to prevent the communication of God's will to man by closing the
channel of communication. And another very good reason is that when men were on
the earth who did have these communications they were not allowed to live. Every
such man was hunted and persecuted, and his life was sought after until there
was not one left who had the power, authority and great gift and blessing to
say to the people, ‘Thus saith the Lord;’ and revelation and the spirit of
revelation were withdrawn from man, and the whole earth fell into unbelief and
darkness, and gross darkness prevailed over the hearts of the people. It is a
very excellent reason why revelation should cease when the earth was drenched
with the blood of Heaven's messengers, and that blood was crying for vengeance
on those who had slain them.”[3]
This land will forever be cursed unto those who work their secret
combinations which will bring their destruction. “And [Alma] said: Thus saith
the Lord God—Cursed shall be the land, yea, this land, unto every nation,
kindred, tongue, and people, unto destruction, which do wickedly, when they are
fully ripe; and as I have said so shall it be; for this is the cursing and the
blessing of God upon the land, for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least
degree of allowance” (Alma 45:16).
The only thing which can prevent this is if “they repent
before they are fully ripe.” “But behold, it is for the righteous’ sake that [Zarahemla]
is spared. But behold, the time cometh, saith the Lord, that when ye shall cast
out the righteous from among you, then shall ye be ripe for destruction; yea,
wo be unto this great city, because of the wickedness and abominations which
are in her” (Helaman 13:14).
“Mine indignation is soon to be poured out without measure
upon all nations; and this will I do when the cup of their iniquity is full” (D&C
101:11).
[1] Losing
the Remnant: The New Exclusivist “Movement” and the Book of Mormon, Matthew
Roper, FARMS Review 22/2 (2010): 93-94.
[2] The
Book of Mormon, Designed for Our Day, Annual FARMS Lecture, 27 February
1990, Richard Dilworth Rust.
[3] Persecution-First
Principles-Priesthood, Discourse by Elder George Q. Cannon, delivered in
the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday, June 11, 1871.
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