A Great Division and a Sealed Portion

Book of Mormon Notes - Tuesday, March 12, 2024, 3 Nephi 27

My reflections yesterday on the greater portion of the word coincide well with the material in the Come Follow Me curriculum this week because Nephi prophesied of a sealed portion (a greater portion) of a book that has yet to be revealed. After recording many passages from Isaiah that are often difficult to understand, Nephi prophesied very plainly regarding the last days, or the times in which we now live. He prophesied of specific characters and events, but he also prophesied of general attitudes and conditions in the last days.

Nephi describes the last days, the time in which we now live, so well because he witnessed the last days in his visions. We who live in the midst of these things are like fish that can’t see the water in which we swim. As an ancient, prophetic, outside observer, Nephi shows us things that even the brightest among us could never see with our natural eyes. And Nephi’s message to us is the same as the Lord’s message to us in 3 Nephi 27: repent.

What did Nephi see? What does he show us? Nephi saw that in the last days the Gentiles, or the nations, would build up many false churches and secret combinations. I’ve mentioned before that I don’t think that the “churches” that Nephi saw are merely the wide variety of Christian denominations in modern America, although there may be some of these churches among the “churches” that Nephi saw. Listen to Nephi’s descriptions and consider what kinds of organizations, or “churches,” he saw:

And the Gentiles are lifted up in the ^apride of their eyes, and have ^bstumbled, because of the greatness of their ^cstumbling block, that they have built up many ^dchurches; nevertheless, they ^eput down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own ^flearning, that they may get gain and ^ggrind upon the face of the poor.

And there are many churches built up which cause ^aenvyings, and ^bstrifes, and ^cmalice. (2 Nephi 26:20-21)

And,

For the time speedily shall come that all churches which are built up to get gain, and all those who are built up to get power over the flesh, and those who are built up to become popular in the eyes of the world, and those who seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world, and to do all manner of iniquity; yea, in fine, all those who belong to the kingdom of the devil are they who need fear, and tremble, and quake; they are those who must be brought low in the dust; they are those who must be consumed as stubble; and this is according to the words of the prophet. (1 Nephi 22:23)

Moroni describes these “churches” in a similar way:

Yea, it shall come in a day when the power of God shall be ^adenied, and ^bchurches become defiled and be ^clifted up in the pride of their hearts; yea, even in a day when leaders of churches and teachers shall rise in the pride of their hearts, even to the envying of them who belong to their churches. (Mormon 8:28)

Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be churches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be forgiven of your sins.

O ye wicked and perverse and stiffnecked people, why have ye built up churches unto yourselves to get gain? Why have ye transfigured the holy word of God, that ye might bring damnation upon your souls? Behold, look ye unto the revelations of God; for behold, the time cometh at that day when all these things must be fulfilled. (Mormon 8:32-33)

Thus, the primary characteristics of the modern “churches” that Nephi and Moroni foresaw include the following:

• They put down the power and the miracles of God

• They preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning

• Their purpose is to get gain and grind upon the faces of the poor

• They cause envyings, strife, and malice

• They are built up to get power over the flesh

• They are built up to become popular in the eyes of the world

• They seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world

• They do all manner of iniquity

• They belong to the kingdom of the devil

• They become defiled and are lifted up in pride

• Their leaders and teachers rise up in pride and envy their own members

• They claim to offer forgiveness of sin for money

• They transfigure the holy word of God

Many of these things obviously apply directly to a corrupt religious organization - the selling of indulgences, the removal of plain and precious parts of the Bible, and so forth. But can you think of other institutions that preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and learning, institutions whose primary purpose is to get gain, institutions that are built upon the backs of the poor that they tax and rob, institutions that seek for power, popularity, and the lusts of the flesh, institutions with prideful leaders that cause envy, strife, and malice?

There are many modern businesses, government institutions, and even academic institutions that fit these descriptions as well as, if not better than, the many different religious denominations. In fact, there are many good Christian churches and organizations that hardly fit Nephi’s description at all, whereas certain businesses, government agencies, and schools fit Nephi’s descriptions very well.

Of course, the young Joseph Smith encountered the envy and strife of the “churches” that Nephi foresaw in the interdenominational conflicts of his time, and this is still a problem. There are still religious organizations that put down the power and miracles of God, preach their own wisdom and learning, cause envying and strife, and grind upon the faces of the poor in order to get gain. Even worse, Nephi foresaw that there would be secret combinations - underground criminal networks and conspiracies that promote evil, murder, theft, and power-seeking. But I imagine that Nephi was more concerned about Big Pharma, Big Tech, the Deep State, and corrupt universities than he was about St. John’s Anglican Church or St. Mary’s Episcopal Church.

Nevertheless, Nephi doesn’t hold back his prophesy concerning those who reject the Book of Mormon because they think that the Bible is enough:

And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A ^aBible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.

But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a ^aBible; and it shall proceed forth from the ^bJews, mine ancient covenant people. And what ^cthank they the ^dJews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?

O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have ^acursed them, and have ^bhated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people.

Thou fool, that shall say: A ^aBible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?

Know ye not that there are more ^anations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the ^bisles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the ^cearth beneath; and I bring forth my ^dword unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?

Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the ^atestimony of ^btwo nations is a ^cwitness unto you that I am God, that I remember one ^dnation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two ^enations 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 ^asame yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my ^bwords according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one ^cword ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my ^dwork is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.

Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my ^awords; neither ^bneed ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written. (2 Nephi 29:3-10)

We need to remember these same characteristics of God and His power to continue speaking and causing more to be written when we study the Book of Mormon too, because a greater portion and a sealed portion of the book will come to light in the due time of the Lord.

In any case, all of these “churches” or organizations that deny God and His miracles, are led by prideful and corrupt leaders, preach their own wisdom and learning, grind the faces of the poor for gain, cause envy, strife, and malice, exercise power over the flesh, seek the lusts of the flesh and praise of the world, are defiled and lifted up in pride, transfigure the word of God, claim to offer forgiveness of sin for money, do all manner of iniquity, and belong to the kingdom of the devil stand in sharp contrast to what Nephi called “Zion”:

He commandeth that there shall be no ^apriestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set ^bthemselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get ^cgain and ^dpraise of the world; but they seek not the ^ewelfare of Zion.

Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have ^acharity, which ^bcharity is ^clove. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.

But the ^alaborer in ^bZion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for ^cmoney they shall perish. (2 Nephi 26:29-31)

Zion is what the Lord established among the Nephites at Bountiful. Zion is the opposite of all of the false “churches” that Nephi beheld in vision. Zion is the opposite of the great and abominable church. In contrast to all of these corrupt “churches,” the characteristics of a Zion people include:

• Charity - a people who love God and each other

• Chastity - a people who are sexually pure and uphold marital fidelity

• Purity - a people who are pure in heart

• Unity - a people who are of one heart and one mind

• Service, Sacrifice and Consecration - a people who have all things in common, and no poor among them

• Faith and Hope - a people who believe in the power and miracles of God

• Humility and Obedience - a people who preach the word of God, embrace God’s wisdom, seek the glory of God, and keep His commandments

One thing that stands out to me is that time and time again the Nephite prophets, particularly Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni, lamented because they saw that the Gentiles of the last days lack the most vital attributes and characteristics of Zion, especially charity. The Nephite prophets foresaw rampant selfishness, greed, materialism, pride, envy, hatred, and malice, and they foresaw that many of the Gentile institutions would be founded upon and promote these vices.

Many in the world today complain about “polarization,” but Nephi clearly prophesied that the Lord Himself would polarize the world because Zion is simply incompatible with the false churches or organizations that Nephi beheld in vision:

For the ^atime speedily cometh that the Lord God shall cause a great ^bdivision among the people, and the wicked will he ^cdestroy; and he will ^dspare his people, yea, even if it so be that he must ^edestroy the wicked by fire. (2 Nephi 30:10)

I mention all of these things in order to sharpen the contrast between things as they are presently, and the Church and Zion community that Jesus Christ established among the Nephites in Bountiful. The Church and Zion community that Jesus Christ established among the Nephites in Bountiful is a model for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the last days, a model by which to measure our own budding Zion communities.

How are we doing? Are we loving God and each other, or are we seeking power and popularity? Are we sexually pure, upholding marital fidelity, or are we seeking the lusts of the flesh? Are we pure in heart, or are our hearts set firmly on the things of this world? Are we united in one heart and one mind, or does every man walk in his own way after the image of his own god? Do we have all things in common, with no poor among us, or do we grind upon the faces of the poor in order to enrich ourselves? Do we exercise faith in a God of miracles, or do we rely on our own wisdom and learning? Do we preach the word of God, embrace His wisdom, seek His glory, and keep His commandments, or are we lifted up in pride, causing envy, strife, and malice? In short, are we a Zion community, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or are we just one of the many corrupt “churches” that Nephi saw in vision?

In my observation, the vast majority of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are good people, even great people, who are earnestly seeking to create a Zion society. But I certainly see room for improvement in myself, and in my community. Fortunately, we can gauge our progress by measuring ourselves against the standard, and by more closely emulating the model of Zion that the Lord provided. We can learn from the ancient Nephite saints.

As the disciples of Christ journeyed, preached, baptized, and gathered together in mighty prayer and fasting, Jesus Christ showed Himself unto them again and asked: “What will ye that I shall give unto you?”

Rather sheepishly, I imagine, the disciples asked the Lord what ^aname they should give the Church, because the people disputed this matter. The Lord’s response was so logical and clear that the disciples probably felt ashamed for asking such a foolish question:

And the Lord said unto them: Verily, verily, I say unto you, why is it that the people should murmur and dispute because of this thing?

Have they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the ^aname of Christ, which is my name? For by this name shall ye be called at the last day;

And whoso taketh upon him my name, and ^aendureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day.

Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake.

And how be it ^amy ^bchurch save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel. (3 Nephi 27:4-8)

Rather than criticize these ancient Nephites for their disputations and their request, we might recall that in very recent years, we too have required a course correction and a clarification of the name of the Lord’s Church. I believe that the purpose of this course correction and clarification will become increasingly clear in coming years, especially in connection to the doctrine contained in the recent Restoration Proclamation:

We declare that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, organized on April 6, 1830, is Christ’s New Testament Church restored. This Church is anchored in the perfect life of its chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ, and in His infinite Atonement and literal Resurrection. Jesus Christ has once again called Apostles and has given them priesthood authority. He invites all of us to come unto Him and His Church, to receive the Holy Ghost, the ordinances of salvation, and to gain enduring joy.

In addition to his vision of general conditions among the Gentiles, Nephi, son of Lehi, also saw the contrast between the learned man who could not read the words of the book, and the unlearned man (the Prophet Joseph Smith) who was chosen to read the words the words of the book. The Lord is able to do His own work, and when the Lord sees fit in his own ^bwisdom to ^creveal all things unto us, He will do it. And that will be very exciting because of the contents of the book:

And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall bring forth unto ^ayou the words of a ^bbook, and they shall be the words of them which have slumbered.

And behold the book shall be ^asealed; and in the book shall be a ^brevelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ^cending thereof. (2 Nephi 27:6-7)

These things are currently sealed up because of wickedness and abominations among us. But when the Lord in His wisdom sees fit, He will proceed to do a ^amarvelous work and a wonder. Then the ^cwisdom of our wise and ^dlearned shall perish, and the ^eunderstanding of our ^fprudent shall be hid. (To be continued… )