Chapter 9
2 Nephi 27-33, Jacob, Mosiah 1-6 – Final Fatherly Counsel
1 Nephi 8:37 “And he did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words”
Nephite Timeline
Nephi has finished teaching from Isaiah and has some final words of both warning, instruction, and exhortation for us. What do you say? He has seen the destruction of his people, he has seen the Gentiles of the last days falling into similar traps; his time is short, what do you end on? He first gives warnings of pitfalls to avoid, discusses topics of the restoration in preparation of our next step, and ends by stating he “must speak (‘a few words’) concerning the doctrine of Christ” (2 Ne 31:2). Nephi proceeds to give a beautiful dissertation about the need of following the covenant path of baptism followed by receiving the Holy Ghost, and thus “enter in by the way” (2 Ne 32:5). His brother Jacob follows, similarly giving warnings about things to avoid, discussing entering into the missionary field as a servant in the vineyard, and ending with a similar exhortation to “enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow” (Jacob 6:11). Since final words from fatherly figures are given here King Benjamin’s speech will also be touched on at this time, who remarkably has a similar message.
Individual Timeline
You’ve made it through High School and are preparing to leave the nest. Whether to collage, a mission, or a career, your days in the land of Nephi are numbered and closing fast. As parents we may feel a bit like Nephi or Jacob, who’s space on the plates is quickly running out so to speak; our chance to make one final impression, one final warning, one last lecture, something to prepare our children for the harsh realities of the “lone and dreary world” that awaits them, is quickly coming to a close. Like King Benjamin we may want to erect a tower and give them one last sermon that will leave a lasting impression before time runs out. What can we possibly do or say that will make such an impression? These three father figures to the people show us “the way” with their last words. First giving words of warning, then instruction and preparation for the hoped for next step, then exhortation how to enter into the way.
Voices of the World
Nephi starts off painting a pretty grim picture of the world out there; “all the lands of the earth…will be drunken with iniquity and all manner of abominations” (2 Ne 27:2). He warns us of a prevailing spirit of moral relativism, “Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us”. The world will seek to challenge and undo the doctrinal tapestry we have tried to help our young ones weave, stating that God “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”. While “there shall be many which shall teach after this manner” he warns that they are teaching “false and vain and foolish doctrines” (2 Ne 28:7-9) and to steer clear of such permissive voices.
Nephi then warns of other groups and voices that we are likely to encounter at this point in the narrative. He identifies those that turn against the good in a spirit of bitterness and anger stating that Satan shall “rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good” (2 Ne 28:20). Still “others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance” (2 Ne 28:22). Nephi is laying out Satan’s playbook for all to see. Best case scenario for Lucifer is to get us to turn against the gospel completely in anger. If that doesn’t work he’ll settle for complete disbelief and its rejection. And if that doesn’t work, he’ll interject a spirit of permissiveness, believing that it doesn’t really matter, that our loving God will save us regardless of our actions.
There is one other group identified, a ploy of Satan more sinister and subtle than the others, also more dangerous to both our matriculating youth and to the general body of the church. This tactic is directed specifically to members in good standing, those that he can’t get with these more direct tactics, those that generally believe and want to do what is right. These “others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell” (2 Ne 28:21).
If he can’t get us to fight it, to forsake it, or to forget it, he’ll try to get us to fail at it. Like the frog in ever increasingly warm water this is often how it starts, and one group, if not checked, often leads to the next, and the next, until we’re in the last group with boiling blood in anger and bitterness towards the kingdom. Nephi states “they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men” (2 Ne 28:14). Avoid becoming one of the “failers”, the “forgetters”, the “forsakers”, or the “fighters”, and be one of the “few…followers of Christ” (2 Ne 28:14). This is easier to do when one “knows their enemy” by understanding Satan’s tactics that we’re taught here and then teaching it to our youth.
Satan has a way of letting us enjoy just enough light and truth that we develop a spirit of complacency, while blinding our minds against the deeper, powerful, lasting doctrine, missing the mark and failing to accomplish what the gospel is really designed to do. While he may not get us to fight for him he can at least try to keep us from fighting against him in a process of neutralization. Those that fall into this pervasive trap run the risk of becoming like the pharisees of old or the so called Christians of Joseph Smith’s day to whom the Lord condemned saying that “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me…having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof” (JST 1:19). We would be good to follow the counsel of Paul to Timothy and “from such turn away.” (2 Tim 3:5)
Nephi had similar words of condemnation for this “all is well in Zion group”; “Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion! Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well! Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!” (2 Ne 28:24-26). It’s that last sentence that gives us a hint about what Nephi is talking about, and what will launch him into his last and final sermon in the chapters to come. What makes the difference between the righteous and the wicked, the blessed and the cursed, those that trust in the Lord and those that “putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm” (2 Ne 28:31), is the ability to hearken to the “precepts…given by the power of the Holy Ghost” (2 Ne 28:31). “For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.” (2 Ne 28:30)
Sometimes we like to think that when Nephi says “Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!” (2 Ne 28:29) that he’s only talking about rejecting the Book of Mormon and settling for just the Bible as referenced in the next chapter. While this may be inferred on one level, more specifically here he’s talking to those “in Zion”, you and me, the members of the church that by and large already accept the Book of Mormon.
Nephi is talking about a more inclusive definition of the “word of God”, the iron rod, that “rock” of personal revelation that Christ testified he would build His church upon (Matt 16:18). “For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth (the truth) with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall” (2 Ne 28:28). God is a God of eternal progression, if we’re not progressing, if we’re not actively seeking the true word of God given by His voice through the Holy Ghost, “line upon line” and “precept upon precept”, then we’re regressing, and “from [us] shall be taken away even that which [we] have” (2 Ne 28:30). But I’m getting a little ahead of myself, more on this to come.
Pride and Lust
Nephi also speaks strongly about the pervasiveness of pride and the lure of lust that will entice our new travelers to leave the path and join themselves to the great and spacious building. Verse 15 of chapter 28 states “O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell!” Don’t listen to the laughing, the sneering, the mocking from the prideful palace, we know what happens to such establishments without the rock of our Redeemer as their foundation; “that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it.” (1 Ne 22:14)
It wasn’t long until Nephi’s prophecy was fulfilled. A few short years later his brother Jacob was living in just such a world, having to deal with the same issues our young adults will be faced with, pride, materialism, idolatry, and lust. He spoke first against pride, to those that had “begun to search for gold, and for silver…and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they” (Jacob 2:12-13). This Jacob condems stating “if ye persist in these things his judgments must speedily come unto you.” (Jacob 2:14)
Jacob then gives us the Lord’s way to seek riches, “before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted” (Jacob 2:18-19). If we, like King Solomon, “Seek not for riches but for wisdom” (D&C 11:7) oftentimes we find the same paradoxical outcome he did, the Lord promises to give “that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour” (1 Kings 3:13). He testifies that “if ye seek the riches which it is the will of the Father to give unto you, ye shall be the richest of all people, for ye shall have the riches of eternity; and it must needs be that the riches of the earth are mine to give; but beware of pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old” (D&C 38:39).
King Benjamin had similar things to say to his band of Nephites. While his sermon is quite broad, he chose to end his initial address on our temporal stewardships, prompting us to “succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish” (Mosiah 4:16). “For behold, are we not all beggars?” (Mosiah 4:19).
He does give some extra insight that is of particular worth for those in this stage, words he gives “unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give. And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless” (Mosiah 4:24-25). Likely more applicable at this stage than his words unto the rich: “if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance…and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God…I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him” (Mosiah 4:22-23). Wise and timely counsel for our young people to structure their life by as they prepare for this next phase, choosing to put the Lord first or choosing to put the world first.
“And now I make an end of speaking unto you concerning this pride” (Jacob 2:22) and return to Jacob’s address of a yet “grosser crime”, that of lust. Nephi’s foresight into this dark and devious pitfall had also quickly become problematic for his people. Jacob proceeds to condemn the practice that was beginning among the Nephites of seeking multiple wives stating: “I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me…behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people…And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people…shall come up unto me against the men of my people… For they shall not lead away captive the daughters of my people because of their tenderness, save I shall visit them with a sore curse, even unto destruction; for they shall not commit whoredoms, like unto them of old, saith the Lord of Hosts.” (Jacob 2 28, 31-33)
While the threat of desiring multiple wives might not be specifically applicable at this stage, the root cause of lust and not honoring and protecting women is. Perhaps at no other time are our children at such risk of falling into sexual transgression than at this time, and likely no other sin is as prevalent at keeping our youth from following the prescribed covenantal path on to the next milestone, that of serving a mission.
In particular this is a pitfall for our young men, and Jacob, respectively, is directing his words exclusively to the men. Certainly fornication and other forms of sexual promiscuity are the final, rotten fruit, of such seeds of lust, if sown and nurtured, just like anger and bitterness of soul are the end fruit of apathy and disbelief in the previous section; but I’m more interested in discussing how such seeds begin, the “all is well” entry levels that seems harmless initially, but quickly turns up the heat on the kettle until you’re spiritually fried.
Pornography. It’s everywhere, ubiquitous, completely permeated throughout our culture. It’s not not just in sleazy magazines and X-rated movies anymore. It is literally a click away at all times, being piped into our homes, available 24/7, for anyone living in today’s modern world thanks to literally billions of websites and images throughout the world wide web. The music we listen to, written posts, romance novels, social media, video games, billboards, phones, text messages, “art”; the river of filthy water Lehi saw in his dream is more like a tidal wave today.
In 2006 world pornography revenue was 97 billion dollars, more than Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo, Apple, and Netflix combined. In a 2018 review of one of the biggest online porn sites they reported 33.5 billion visits for the year, that’s 4 visits per person on earth and 5 billion more total visits than last year. Today it’s over 100 million visitors a day. Every minute there are over 200 thousand videos watched, that translates to 10,500 hours of content watched per minute or 15 million hours per day. And this is just the statistics of one major site. Recent studies of young adult regular consumption rates place male rates around 91–99%, and women’s consumption varying more widely 60–92%. Unsure how problematic this is? The top searched for keywords were lesbian, incestual “fauxcest fantacies”, teen, and illicit/violent animated porn. Yes, I think the world has a big problem here. (https://fightthenewdrug.org/pornhub-visitors-in-2018-and-review-of-top-searches/).
So what does pornography actually do to us. First we’ll discuss the detrimental physical factors, then the spiritual. Physically, pornography acts on the “reward centers” of the brain much like tobacco, alcohol, or illicit drugs do. These images release large quantities of dopamine again and again which keep the desire and urge to view in hyperdrive. Similarly to drugs, one eventually develops tolerance to such frequent and excessive dopamine surges, leading to more explicit, violent, and extreme forms of pornography to elicit the same “high”. Only it’s worse than drugs; no one is going to come up from behind and give an addict a shot of heroin against their will (no matter what the addicts tell me in the ER), but porn is so ubiquitous that it’s only a matter of time before that shot is given without even seeking it usually, and then it’s off to the races again. Even if one is actively trying to quit or has been sober for quite some time, those neuronal pathways have been built and often remain, which brings us to the second point of neuroplasticity.
Neuroplasticity is the ability for the brain’s actual physical structure and neuronal pathways to change and develop depending on the repeated use of said pathways. This is the basis behind well known principles such as muscle memory and “use it or lose it” as the reverse works the same way for unused pathways. While the entire neuronal system is wired this way, the pleasure centers are especially susceptible to both cementing these pathways and being resistant to atrophy, due to the synergistic effects of the neurochemical cocktail released with such stimulation. Once these pathways are firmly established one becomes “addicted” and feels near uncontrolled cravings for repeated and heightened stimulation. While this plasticity remains the case no matter our age, it is particularly active in our younger years, especially the sexual pathways during our teen years when most are exposed. No wonder Satan makes such a push spreading these barbed flaxen cords, nothing else seems to become chains as quickly and securely.
These physical effects are deeply correlated with both psychological and spiritual side effects. Just like all addicts, after using and experiencing a “high”, one must come down, depleted of dopamine and other neurochemical hormones, along with the associated guilt, lack of self esteem, anxiety, and depression. These emotions, frequently experienced, become pathologic, as such psychological disorders are nearly ubiquitous in frequent users. Just as sexual sin opens one up to psychological damage, it’s the spiritual exposure that’s the most damaging.
This may be a bit speculative to share but I’ve felt impressed to include an account of a member that had experienced a NDE (Near Death Experience) that was able to view what actually is happening on the other side of the veil when such sexual sin is indulged in. I feel to share both because it rings true to what I believe is really happening on the spiritual plane and because it is in line with revealed doctrine of the effects of sin, enmity, and the inhabitation of evil spirits. I take this excerpt from the book Visions of Glory by John Pontius. He describes seeing a member of the church giving in to the temptations of evil spirits to look at pornography, these spirits then follow him into his office where he closes the door and turns on the computer and begins searching. This member relates what happens next:
“The more excited he grew, the more frenzied the evil spirits became. They became more aggressive, jumping at him, hitting him with their hands and cursing. It was a loathsome thing to see… When he reached a pinnacle of lust in his body, a black tear or rip appeared at the crown of his head. In that instant the disembodied spirits began to attack. They looked like football players tackling the guy with the ball. They were hoping to share just a moment of his physical feelings and excitement. They acted like hungry dogs going after the same carcass. There was fierce competition among them to be in him longer. They fought to be next, screaming and cursing, throwing each other aside to enter. As soon as one or two spirits entered, no more could enter. The evil spirits screamed and dove at him repeatedly until a weaker one inside was expelled and they took its place. It seemed to me that the ones who were expelled were exhausted, jerking on the floor as if they were in a sexual thrall themselves, mimicking the actions of the young man at the computer. I tried to turn my face away in disgust, but I could not. The image was before me no matter which way I turned. The evil ones quickly recovered and rejoined the fight to reenter over and over.”
That’s difficult to read. It’s disgusting, it’s scary, it feels so violating and unwelcome, but when we drive the spirit away and violate our covenants, especially temple covenants, we place ourselves in the tempter’s power and that beautiful enmity, the spirit, the inborn light of Christ that keeps this darkness at bay, wanes and eventually goes out. In such a state one is truly living as a “natural man” which king Benjamin teaches is an “enemy to God” (Mosiah 3:19). Thank goodness for the Master Healer that showed in his mortal life again and again that he has the power to oust such evil spirits, breathing in new life and light into all spiritually darkened, entrapped souls that repent and bring forth “good fruit” (Jacob 5), that of a “broken heart and contrite spirit”. (2 Ne 2:7)
This loss of the spirit brings us to the final point I wanted to make, and by far the most damaging. The Lord declares definitively “he that looketh upon a woman to lust after her shall deny the faith, and shall not have the Spirit” (D&C 42:23). This certainly happens with the gradual loss of the light of Christ, lowercase “spirit”, but here “Spirit” is capitalized, which I would interpret as the Holy Ghost. The Law of Chastity therefore seems to stand like a sentinel, keeping one from greater light and knowledge gained from the gift of the Holy Ghost if violated. The temple alludes to this idea for those that have taken out their endowments, as living the law of morality seems to mark the transition from the world to a higher, Terrestrial way of living. Sexual immorality, including pornography, keeps us from attaining or retaining the gift of the Holy Ghost, which Jacob and Nephi know is so crucial for the next stage in life.
Prepare for the next chapter
What is the next phase these father figures, and the allegory, are preparing us for? Besides identifying pitfalls their teachings do seem to give some hints about where the covenant path may be leading us. Despite being separated by hundreds of years from Nephi and his brother to King Benjamin there are similarities in their last words to their people. If one were to try and pick out a common theme, in particular there seems to be a focus on service and missionary work.
King Benjamin gives perhaps the most famous verses on service as he opens his address. He identifies that he, their king, had spent all his days in their service, following with this observation: “And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God… I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants. And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments… for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast? (Mosiah 2:16-24). He emphasises the promise of blessings for keeping the commandments four times in his opening chapter, one can never give enough back to the Lord, no matter what we give He returns more.
Perhaps the greatest opportunity to give service to our fellow beings and to our God, putting this promise to the test, is in missionary work, as the allegory soon will outline. Nephi and Jacob do their part as righteous father figures in preparing us for this opportunity. Nephi’s final dissertation sounds like something one might be taught in the MTC, straight out of the good ol “discussions”. He starts out teaching about the apostasy of his people and the Gentiles that follow, the need of restoration primarily through the “words of the book, which are the words of those who have slumbered in the dust” (2 Ne 27:9). He testifies in great detail about this book that “shall be sealed” (vs 10), the “three witnesses [that] shall behold it” (vs 12), the “learned” that shall say “I cannot read it” (vs 18), and of the “the man that is not learned” (vs 19), the Prophet Joseph Smith, through whom the Lord was “able to do [His] own work” (vs 20). He also prophetically quotes the words of the Savior to the boy Prophet in the first vision account stating “Forasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men—Therefore, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, yea, a marvelous work and a wonder” (vs 25-26).
He even gives us a heads up of how we can expect this missionary message to be received. “A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible” (2 Ne 29:3)! Can’t tell you how many times I heard a reiteration of that to some degree on the mission. He follows with the Lord’s response to such reasoning that we can adopt and use stating: “Thou fool”! (2 Ne 29:6) Well maybe we should find a more gentle way to respond, how about vs 8 and 9: “Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also. And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure.” Sounds like excellent reasoning to me, I’ve used it many times; if God is unchanging and He used to speak to prophets that wrote His word as scripture before, why not now?
This and innumerable other forms of opposition go hand in hand with the work of the Lord. Just ask Jacob again, he includes an example of an “antichrist” named Sherem he encounters at the end of his ministry. A man that “had a perfect knowledge of the language of the people; wherefore, he could use much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil” (Jacob 7:4), that “labored diligently that he might lead away the hearts of the people” (vs 3), focusing only on past revelation (sound familiar? “A bible!”) and denying current revelation, “for no man knoweth of such things; for he cannot tell of things to come” (vs 7). We will encounter many such puffed up, intellectual, sign seeking naysayers in the service of the Master, that “hope to shake (us) from the faith” (vs 5). Jacob gives a wonderful example of how to respond to such opposition; testify of Christ both in written scripture and in the bearing of personal testimony (vs 10-12). And if all else fails, sometimes we just pray and leave it in God’s hands (vs 14-15).
Jacob extends this call to enter the Lord’s vineyard, in gathering out the righteous through missionary work, in another well known allegory, that of Jacob 5 regarding the tame and wild olive trees. Here, in the longest chapter of the Book of Mormon, Jacob quotes extensively from Zenos, an old testament prophet, all about the Lord’s scattering of unrighteous Israel and the painstaking process of gathering back all the good natural branches to their mother tree. To this process we are all invited, every member, as a missionary/servant in His field. “Wherefore, go to, and call servants, that we may labor diligently with our might in the vineyard, that we may prepare the way, that I may bring forth again the natural fruit, which natural fruit is good and the most precious above all other fruit. Wherefore, let us go to and labor with our might this last time, for behold the end draweth nigh, and this is for the last time that I shall prune my vineyard” (Jacob 5:61-62).
It is labor intensive work, these wild but historically good branches need to leave their wild roots and be grafted into the natural tree, sometimes a painful growing process; they need to be dunged and “nourished by the good word of God” (Jacob 6:7) and they need to be pruned and have the bad branches gently removed by skillful servants and friends in the gospel. The Lord promises such servants in His field “if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself against the time which will soon come.” (Jacob 5:71)
Nothing is of greater value, nothing is of greater importance than this process of saving souls that these forefathers are preparing us for. In like manner our prophet President Nelson issued a similar call to action to just this same age group in 2018’s worldwide devotional to the youth. To these young people he stated: “These surely are the latter days, and the Lord is hastening His work to gather Israel. That gathering is the most important thing taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude, nothing else compares in importance, nothing else compares in majesty. And if you choose to, if you want to, you can be a big part of it. You can be a big part of something big, something grand, something majestic!… Think of it! Of all the people who have ever lived on planet earth, we are the ones who get to participate in this final, great gathering event. How exciting is that! …“This gathering should mean everything to you. This is the mission for which you were sent to earth.” (“Hope of Israel”, worldwide devotional for youth, June 3, 2018)
If we heed this call to service, as youth and forever after, “And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me” the Lord says, “how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me! (D&C 18:15-16). Then we can hope for the same promise given at the end of Jacob’s allegory, “blessed art thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my vineyard is no more corrupted….behold ye shall have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard.” (Jacob 5:75)
Doctrine of Christ
If we are to be effective tools in the Lord’s vineyard we must have the spirit; as the scripture says “if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach” (D&C 42:14). Perhaps this is what compelled Nephi to share, as his final counsel, “a few words” which he states he “must speak concerning the doctrine of Christ” (2 Ne 31:2) which doctrine he gives “unto [us] plainly, according to the plainness of my prophesying”. What is this “doctrine of Christ” and why is it so important as to compel these spiritual forefathers to make it a focus of their final words?
As alluded throughout this chapter, the summum bonum of the “doctrine of Christ”, it’s very essence, is the Spirit of revelation, the words and doctrine that Christ wishes to teach you through the medium of the light (aka voice) of Christ by the divine gift of the Holy Ghost; included in His doctrine is the the process of obtaining this gift, namely Faith, Repentance, Baptism, and Confirmation. Let’s start there.
Nephi starts off touching on the example of our Savior in being baptised. “And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!” (2 Ne 31:5). And here’s the key “after he was baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove” (vs 8); and “it (the Holy Ghost) showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter” (vs 9). Enter what? Christ’s teaching to Nicodemus comes to mind “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). The Holy Ghost marks the path, it is the “word of God” that follows along the strait and narrow path that leads to the tree of (eternal) life.
Nephi reiterates the same doctrine in verses 11 and 12 as testified by the Father and Son: “And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son. And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me”.
He follows this yet again, a 3rd time, in even greater “plainness” stating: “I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost”. That “shall” almost sounds like Nephi is giving us the same injunction that we receive during our conformation, to “receive the Holy Ghost”, a command to “go and do” (1 Ne 3:7). This is different than actually receiving the Holy Ghost as he alludes to immediately following stating “yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel” (vs 13). Once we have this “baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost” we are able to both be taught by Him and teach and relay the will of the Father to those we serve.
Christ’s warning to us in vs 14 marks a 4th emphasis stating: “After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me.” This process of coming to know Christ, revealed by degrees through the Holy Ghost, is serious business. As the old adage goes “the higher you go, the harder you fall.”
Now if the point hasn’t been belabored enough, Nephi spells it out now a 5th time, in even greater clarity. He states that “the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water”, this is the gate that allows one onto the covenant path but don’t stop there, it’s the strait and narrow path we’re looking for, “and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost. And (when this has happened, when we have our baptism by fire) then (and only then) are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate (baptism/confirmation); ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by THE WAY (the truth, and the life) ye should receive” (vs 18, emphasis and commentary mine). “[A]nd the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.” (2 Ne 9:41)
Why is Nephi (and myself by extension) belaboring this point to this degree? Because He knew how vital this was for our progression. He knew that Satan knows how vital this is, and that he would try to “pacify (us), and lull [us] away into (the) carnal security” of our promised exaltation, “that [we] will say: All is well in Zion” (2 Ne 28:21), when in fact all is not well in Zion and we are often groping in the darkness; as a result sometimes we teach this doctrine incorrectly in the church. We teach if you get baptised and confirmed you’re on the path, rod in hand, merrily on our way to the tree, and just need to endure to the end of our lives, but that’s not what Nephi just taught. We may have been baptised and had hands laid on our head, but until we actually receive that gift, the baptism by fire, and have the rod of revelation in hand we haven’t really progressed on the path at all but are like the first group in Lehi’s dream, the “commensers” that are never said to have grasped the rod at all, and without it, when the mists of darkness arise, “did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost.” (1 Ne 8:23)
It might be splitting hairs a little but we just mentioned two “paths”, the covenant path and the strait and narrow path, and I believe this bears more discussion. “The covenant path” is a term that just recently gained popularity in the church, being used in conference talks almost exclusively in the last 10 years. It is often used synonymously with the strait and narrow but I believe there is a difference. From studying modern day teachings, the covenant path is the path we start with making our first covenant, at baptism. This is a necessary step and encompases all other covenants we make along the way but does not ensure one is on the strait and narrow. As Nephi taught, baptism is the gate but the strait and narrow path only starts after one has had their baptism by fire, the completion of the ordinance. It is possible to be on the covenant path and not on the strait and narrow path, however one cannot be on the strait and narrow path and not be on the covenant path. Unfortunately many members have taken false-comfort in being on the covenant path but are not actually following the strait and narrow but are “wandering in strange roads” (1 Ne 8:32).
Even for those that have grasped the rod and “have gotten into this strait and narrow path” he asks “if all is done?” (vs 19). Not at all, the journey literally has just started and we “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 (think of the path),
behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (vs 20). “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)
Nephi ends this segment as he began, establishing the words of Christ given by the Spirit as the “doctrine of Christ”. “And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given…whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ” (2 Ne 31:21). “Wherefore, I [say] unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ (given “by the power of the Holy Ghost”) will tell you all things what ye should do.” (2 Ne 32:3)
Giving this “name” to his people, was the hope and desired outcome of King Benjamin’s final address. He declared “I shall give this people a name…a name that never shall be blotted out, except it be through transgression” (Mosiah 1:11-12). Once his people had their conversion, their baptism by fire, “because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent”, which they stated “wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2), King Benjamin tells them the following:
“And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters” (Mosiah 5:7). This is how one “take(s) upon [themselves] the name of Christ” (Mosiah 5:8), more on this process of spiritual rebirth in the chapters to come.
Nephi ends his masterful teaching declaring that if we cannot understand what he is getting at “it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not
brought into the light, but must perish in the dark” (2 Ne 32:4). He then gives one last reiteration of the doctrine of Christ, now the 6th (he couldn’t make this point any more clearly one would think), stating: “again (last time, I promise) I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do” (vs 5). The Holy Ghost will teach us line upon line, precept upon precept, rung over rung until we have climbed the ladder to the final destination.
“Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he (Christ) shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh.” The Holy Ghost is “the doctrine of Christ”, the “Word of God”, He is our teacher, our comforter, He marks the path and leads to the tree, and there will be no more doctrine given, no other teacher, until He fulfills His role by bringing us to our next teacher and comforter, our Master Teacher. “And when he (Christ) shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do.” (vs 6)
Having so said Nephi exclaims: “And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance”, he’s said all he can say at this point, it’s like he throws up his hands and states “I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be” (vs 7). I think I’ll follow suit and not say more for the time being either.
One has to be careful about sharing too much, it’s the Holy Ghost’s role to teach higher and holier things. Christ himself taught that “this is my doctrine…whoso believeth in me (and is baptised)…the Father…will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost…and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock (3 Ne 11:35-39). In reference to this “rock”, think of Christ’s words to Peter after he bore his revealed testimony of Christ, “upon this rock (of revelation) I will build my church” (Matt 16:18). But here is the warning in the next verse in 3rd Nephi:
“And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them” (3 Ne 11:40). Nobody wants that, hopefully these words, and Nephi’s, can be carried into your hearts by the Holy Ghost and build your foundation on this rock. Knowledge, if attested and given by the Spirit, often exalts and edifies because it is usually given according to one’s readiness to follow. Knowledge, not prompted by the Spirit to be shared but given “some other way” (John 10:1), if we’re not ready for it and it is not followed, just damns us.
Global Timeline
The morning breaks! A prophet has been called again on the earth! The restoration is beginning! Now what? What do you do with said uneducated boy prophet? You teach him the gospel, the pure gospel of Jesus Christ, His “doctrine”, that’s what you do. You bring back the light that was lost in its simplicity and purity, and God had a means prepared to accomplish this. When ready, three and a half years later, again in answer to fervent prayer, Joseph is given another heavenly message, this time by the ancient Nephite prophet, Moroni.
Moroni visits Joseph the night of September 21st, 1823, and keeps him up all night long and into the next day with 4 separate visits. Among other things he is told of an ancient record, “written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also is told that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants” (JSH 1:34). Joseph was visited by the angel Moroni, he went to the spot as directed and found the ancient record as described.
When Joseph was sufficiently prepared he received the record and brought it forth by the gift and power of God. Through some trial and error, as evidenced by the loss of the 116 pages, Joseph grew into the seer he was meant to be. Translating the entirety of the record that we now have in about 90 days. Miraculous means were put in place to have it published in his hometown and it first went on sale, bringing light to the world, on March 26, 1830; exactly 10 years from the best estimated date that we have, when the glorious light of the first vision burst upon the earth, based on research by Drs John C. Lefgren and John P. Pratt! Less than 2 weeks later the Church was organized on April 6th. 41 years earlier in 1789, on the same day, the Divinely inspired Constitution of the United States went into operation, declaring George Washington as the nation’s first president, effectively organizing a nation where the Kingdom of God could be established, the same day the Light of the World was born (D&C 20:1). So the temporal kingdom of the promised land was organized, with Washington as its first president, on the same day that the spiritual Kingdom of God was organized, with Joseph Smith as its first president. The Lord is truly miraculous!
I know this to be true in both my “mind and in [my] heart” (D&C 8:2). My heart most importantly by the witness of the Holy Spirit that I feel every time I read and as I have asked in prayer; but writing this book has also helped solidify the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon in my mind because I know how long and difficult it has been, and it doesn’t hold a candle to the beauty, the intricacies, and complexity of the Book of Mormon, not to mention this allegorical teaching we’ve been studying! To think that an uneducated farmboy of 23 years could make up this literary masterpiece in a little over 60 working days, without notes or historical references, keeping names, dates, and locations straight, while weaving in hebrewisms like chiastic structure and other grammatical styles is just “ludicrous, if not laughable” as Elder Holland has said.
Christ Himself perhaps gives the most powerful and straightforward testimony of all saying that Joseph Smith “translated the book… and as your Lord and your God liveth it is true.” (D&C 17:6). He also testifies that the small plates that we are quickly wrapping up “do throw greater views upon my gospel” (D&C 10:45), these greater views are the “doctrine of Christ” we’ve just discussed, and there’s more to come still!
However with great knowledge comes great responsibility as the Lord declares the following curse “upon (all) the children of Zion”: “your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation. And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all. And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written—” (D&C 84:54-57).
President Benson is famous for extending that warning voice to the Church in our day stating: “Unless we read the Book of Mormon and give heed to its teachings, the Lord has stated in section 84 of the Doctrine and Covenants that the whole Church is under condemnation” (Ensign, May 1986, pp. 5). What is the “new covenant” of the Book of Mormon that we have “treated lightly” in a spirit of “vanity and unbelief”? What does it teach us “to do” and as part of the “covenant”, what are we promised in return? I believe that the allegory is showing us what we are to do, to “[come] unto [Christ] with a broken heart and a contrite spirit” and receive the promised baptism “with fire and with the Holy Ghost” (3 Nephi 9:20). The Holy Ghost then teaches us how to truly “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him” (Moroni 10:32), the promised blessing if we follow His “doctrine”.
Personal Timeline
I had amazing father figures in my life growing up that did their best to teach me the way and prepare me to leave the nest. I will always be indebted to my parents, grandparents, and church leaders that were such great examples to me. Still, despite growing up in the church and having amazing examples, I never really made studying the gospel a priority while at home. It’s a bit embarrassing to say, I went to church weekly, I graduated Seminary, I knew all the stories and such, but until one really sits down and studies, ponders, and prays over the Book of Mormon, it doesn’t really sink down deep into your heart.
A little while after the wakeup call in the theater, I found myself alone down in the basement with the Book of Mormon. I can’t really remember why I decided to pick it up that day, I think I was just bored and it was there sorry to say. I remember as I opened and leafed through its pages how odd that something so familiar, that I had been around all my life, could seem so foreign and new. I opened to 3rd Nephi and started to read.
I read, and read, and read, chapter after chapter. It almost surprised me how engrossed I became, how it caught my soul and held me captive, how delicious it was to my spiritually starved taste buds. I don’t remember any big answers accompanying the reading, I didn’t hear a voice, I didn’t even pray about it at that time, but I do remember very clearly the light and captivating nature of that reading session. That has stuck with me throughout the years. After an hour or two I put it down, and went back to being a punk kid. I can’t remember any other dedicated personal study sessions afterward while at home, what can I say, I’m a slow learner. As the saying goes “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink”, Lehi’s version would be more like “you can call your kids to the tree, but you can’t make them partake.”
The Way 