Sunday, April 5, 2020

2 Nephi 26:12-16


12 And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God;
13 And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith.
14 But behold, I prophesy unto you concerning the last days; concerning the days when the Lord God shall bring these things forth unto the children of men.
15 After my seed and the seed of my brethren shall have dwindled in unbelief, and shall have been smitten by the Gentiles; yea, after the Lord God shall have camped against them round about, and shall have laid siege against them with a mount, and raised forts against them; and after they shall have been brought down low in the dust, even that they are not, yet the words of the righteous shall be written, and the prayers of the faithful shall be heard, and all those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not be forgotten.
16 For those who shall be destroyed shall speak unto them out of the ground, and their speech shall be low out of the dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit; for the Lord God will give unto him power, that he may whisper concerning them, even as it were out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the dust.

Continuing to discuss the Jews and Christ, Nephi tells us that not only is it important that the Jews be convinced that Jesus is the Christ, but the gentiles must be convinced as well. He would later write:

“And it shall come to pass that the Jews which are scattered also shall begin to believe in Christ; and they shall begin to gather in upon the face of the land; and as many as shall believe in Christ shall also become a delightsome people.
“And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall commence his work among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, to bring about the restoration of his people upon the earth” (2 Nephi 30:7-8).

Mormon would emphasize:

“Now these things are written unto the remnant of the house of Jacob; and they are written after this manner, because it is known of God that wickedness will not bring them forth unto them; and they are to be hid up unto the Lord that they may come forth in his own due time.
“And this is the commandment which I have received; and behold, they shall come forth according to the commandment of the Lord, when he shall see fit, in his wisdom.
“And behold, they shall go unto the unbelieving of the Jews; and for this intent shall they go—that they may be persuaded that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; that the Father may bring about, through his most Beloved, his great and eternal purpose, in restoring the Jews, or all the house of Israel, to the land of their inheritance, which the Lord their God hath given them, unto the fulfilling of his covenant” (Mormon 5:12-14).

Christ will reveal Himself to all who believe in Him through the power of the Holy Ghost. Miracles, signs, and wonders will be done among all people according to their faith. When the people cry to the Lord, He will hear their prayers.

“And now the Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities; nevertheless the Lord did hear their cries, and began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites that they began to ease their burdens; yet the Lord did not see fit to deliver them out of bondage” (Mosiah 21:15).

Nephi begins to prophesy concerning the last days. The Lord will bring forth these things to the children of men. Those who are descended of the Nephites and Lamanites will have dwindled in unbelief.

They will have suffered at the hands of the Gentiles. They will undergo abuse and “shall have been brought down low in the dust” (2 Nephi 26:15). But, the prayers of the righteous “shall be written and the prayers of the faithful shall be heard, and all those who have dwindle in unbelief shall not be forgotten” (2 Nephi 26:15).

The records will be those who are destroyed speaking from the dust. ”[T]he Lord God will give unto him power, that he may whisper concerning them, even as it were out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the dust” (2 Nephi 26:16).

Richard Rust writes about the concept of dust.

“After the Nephites have been brought ‘down low in the dust, . . . yet the words of the righteous shall be written,’ and the Lord God shall speak concerning them 'even as it were out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the dust’ (2 Nephi 26:15-16). In other words, the latter-day Lamanites shall be awakened to repentance by a voice considered dead. Life shall come out of death, words of eternal life from the voice out of the dust.”[1]

John Tvedtnes and Hugh Nibley look at records from the dust.

“Among the books to come forth was the Book of Mormon, which Nephi wrote about when likening the prophecy found in Isaiah 29 to his own people and their records. He wrote of a sealed book that would be ‘kept … until the own due time of the Lord, that they may come forth’ (2 Nephi 27:10). This book, he noted, ‘shall come forth, and be written unto the Gentiles, and sealed up again unto the Lord’ (2 Nephi 30:3) … Referring to Isaiah 29:4, Nephi wrote that ‘those who shall be destroyed shall speak unto them out of the ground, and their speech shall be low out of the dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit’ (2 Nephi 26:16). He noted in the farewell at the end of his record, ‘I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from the dust' (2 Nephi 33:13).”[2]

“First of all, there is something almost alarmingly literal about these ‘voices from the dust.’ For these documents [Dead Sea Scrolls] were deliberately buried in the deep dust of the cave floors and came forth in choking clouds of dust—the finders had to wear masks: ‘For those who shall be destroyed shall be low out of the dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit; for the Lord God will give unto him power, that he may whisper concerning them, even as it were out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the dust’ (2 Nephi 26:16). They have not survived accidentally, as most other ancient writings have, but were hidden away on purpose; nor were they simply left behind or misplaced or forgotten by people who moved on and lived out their lives elsewhere—the people who left these records died soon after they buried them and died on the spot, the victims of a savage religious war. ‘For those who shall be destroyed shall speak unto them out of the ground’ (2 Nephi 26:16).”[3]


[1] Book of Mormon Imagery, Richard Dilworth Rust, Maxwell Institute.
[2] The Records Come Forth, John Tvedtnes, Maxwell Institute.
[3] The Prophetic Book of Mormon, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute.

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