Mormon survived for a time, and he kept his promise to write to his son again. Moroni includes this second epistle in his book before writing his final words of exhortation. This epistle from Mormon describes the horrendous depravity of both the Lamanites and the Nephites, and the terrible atrocities that they committed against one another. The Lamanites and the Nephites were filled with hatred and revenge, and they tortured and murdered each other in the most despicable ways. They were even so degenerate, like beasts, that they became cannibals.
In sore battles with the Lamanites, the Nephites lost some of their best men, including Archeantus, Luram, Emron, and others. (By the way, who could have ever come up with such names?) The Nephites did not conquer, and Mormon feared that the Lamanites would destroy the Nephites because the Nephites, in their fierce anger and depravity, refused to repent.
Even in the midst of these awful circumstances, Mormon did not give up. He continued to labor among them, and to preach the word of God with sharpness when necessary. Sadly, Mormon’s love and diligent efforts had little to no effect upon his bloodthirsty and hardhearted people. Mormon feared that the Spirit of the Lord had ceased to strive with his people.
The spiritual condition of the Nephites during this time was so awful, and their anger was so great, that they lost their love for one another and they thirsted continually after blood and revenge. Nevertheless, they had no fear of death. This awful state of the Nephites reminds me of the Lord’s prophecy concerning the last days, or the days in which we now live:
And Jesus left them, and went upon the Mount of Olives. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying: Tell us when shall these things be which thou hast said concerning the destruction of the temple, and the Jews; and what is the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world, or the destruction of the wicked, which is the end of the world?
And Jesus answered, and said unto them: Take heed that no man deceive you;
For many shall come in my name, saying—I am Christ—and shall deceive many;
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated of all nations, for my name’s sake;
And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another;
And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many;
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold;
But he that remaineth steadfast and is not overcome, the same shall be saved. (Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:4-11)
The love of the Nephites had waxed cold, and they were filled with hatred, anger, and the spirit of revenge. It was a difficult time for the righteous few, including Mormon and Moroni. Nevertheless, in the midst of these trying circumstances, the Lord inspired Mormon to offer the following counsel and encouragement to his great son Moroni:
And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God. (Moroni 9:6)
This is a verse to ponderize.
It is a verse that inspired the title of an essay that I wrote a couple of years ago on the topic of work. I am grateful that Mormon and his valiant son Moroni continued to labor diligently among their people even when it was a hopeless cause for that particular generation. Their vision was great enough to understand that their work was not only necessary, but that it would also bless untold numbers of people, including us, in future generations.
Notice that the work that Mormon mentions, their labor to perform, was not to conquer their enemies the Lamanites. Their work was to conquer the devil, the enemy of all righteousness, in order to rest their souls in the kingdom of God. We have the same labor to perform. I also notice Mormon’s use of the phrase “tabernacle of clay” to describe the mortal, human body. Why did Mormon use that phrase? We may recall King Benjamin’s great speech, in which he testified of Jesus Christ and His condescension:
For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases. (Mosiah 3:5)
Like each one of us, the Lord Omnipotent was born and dwelt in a tabernacle of clay. He performed the labor that only He could perform. Mormon and Moroni performed the labor that only they could perform, and they did so in the midst of the most horrific evil imaginable.
Mormon begins this epistle by informing his son Moroni that he will write somewhat of that which is grievous. It is the kind of preface that reminds me of current reports concerning the most horrific evil that has infested our own communities, wards, and stakes. It is awful to consider that even the unimaginably horrific evils that Mormon describes among the Lamanites and Nephites pale in comparison to what is happening today in the middle of “Zion.”
One difference between the evils that Mormon describes and those to which I allude, is that the Lamanites and the Nephites perpetrated these crimes in battle and in broad daylight as part of a terrible war, whereas the evils of Satanic Ritual Abuse are mostly carried out in secret. (see, e.g. here, here, here, and here) Like Mormon, I preface such sources by warning readers and viewers that the topic is grievous, and even worse than grievous. But I share these worse than grievous things in order to bring them to light and to help eradicate them.
Mormon describes the sufferings of his people from a report that he received from a man named Amoron. Amoron reported to Mormon that the Lamanites took many Nephite prisoners, including women and children, from the tower of Sherrizah. (Who could have ever come up with such a name and such a story?) Amoron’s report was so terrible that Mormon did not want to write about it at length, but he informed his son Moroni that the Lamanites not only murdered the Nephites, but that they forced the women and children into cannibalism, to eat the flesh of their husbands and fathers while giving them very little water to drink.
As horrific as these crimes were, the Nephite atrocities and abominations were even worse. In a city called Moriantum, the Nephite soldiers raped, tortured, and cruelly murdered Lamanite women before devouring their flesh like wild beasts. It is terrible to consider that such unimaginably savage and despicable evil is found in our own cities, states, and countries. (again, see, e.g. here, here, here, and here)
I echo Mormon’s lament for present atrocities and abominations:
O my beloved son, how can a people like this, that are without civilization-
(And only a few years have passed away, and they were a civil and a delightsome people)
But O my son, how can a people like this, whose delight is in so much abomination-
How can we expect that God will stay his hand in judgment against us?
Behold, my heart cries: Wo unto this people. Come out in judgment, O God, and hide their sins, and wickedness, and abominations from before thy face! (Moroni 9:11-15)
Mormon records more of Amoron’s report, informing his son Moroni that many widows and their daughters at Sherrizah perished because of hunger, and many other Nephites perished as victims of the awful brutality of the Lamanites. As I read Mormon’s terrible message to his son, it strikes me that the suffering of the women and children was particularly acute. A civilization that inflicts such suffering upon women and children especially is on the brink of destruction, and I’m not sure that we are doing much better in modern America.
Mormon mourns because of the depravity and wickedness of his people. He laments that his people were without order or mercy, and that as a mere mortal he could no longer enforce his commands. Mormon’s people were so brutal and perverse that they delighted in everything except that which is good. The suffering of the women and children was so great that it defied description. I echo Mormon’s cry and lament when I learn about the evils that have infested our own communities. (again, see, e.g. here, here, here, and here)
Mormon dwelt no longer on the horrible scene, and he knew that his son Moroni understood the wickedness of the people. Mormon describes them as “without principle,” “past feeling,” and even more wicked than the Lamanites. Mormon’s use of the phrase “past feeling” reminds us of Nephi’s description of his brothers Laman and Lemuel:
Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder. (1 Nephi 17:45)
Because his people were without principle and past feeling, Mormon could not recommend them to God, but he recommended his son Moroni to God, trusting that he would be saved and praying that God would spare his life to witness the return of the Nephites to the Lord or else their utter destruction. Mormon knew that the Nephites would perish if they did not repent, and that such destruction had a precedent:
And if they perish it will be like unto the Jaredites, because of the wilfulness of their hearts, seeking for blood and revenge. (Moroni 9:23)
Mormon’s conclusion to this second epistle is as beautiful as his introduction to his first epistle, a conclusion that Mormon must have written not long before perishing at the hands of the Lamanites. After lamenting the impending destruction of his people and the defection of many to the Lamanites, Mormon urges his son Moroni, if he survives, to write a few things. The war was so terrible, and the wickedness so rampant, that Mormon and Moroni did not know how long they would survive. But Mormon believed and trusted that he would survive at least long enough to confer sacred records upon his son Moroni.
Mormon’s beautiful farewell message must have strengthened and encouraged his son Moroni to remain faithful, to finish his record, and to outlast the Lamanite onslaught:
My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever.
And may the grace of God the Father, whose throne is high in the heavens, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who sitteth on the right hand of his power, until all things shall become subject unto him, be, and abide with you forever. Amen. (Moroni 9:25-26)
Be faithful in Christ.
This is the encouragement and the exhortation that I need and that I want to pass on to everyone, especially my future children.
Mormon wrote of many awful things in this epistle, but his purpose was to warn his son Moroni and us about the terrible effects of sin and lawlessness. He did not wish to burden, but to bless. If there is anything that we need to rest in our minds forever it is Mormon’s encouragement and blessing to his son Moroni. It is Mormon’s testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. These are things to always remember:
Jesus Christ’s sufferings and death
The manifestation of His body unto the Nephites
His mercy and long-suffering
The hope of His glory and eternal life
Mormon’s final message in what may have been his final epistle to his son Moroni is a blessing and lesson on the doctrine of grace, a doctrine that, like the doctrine of charity, also permeates the final passages of Moroni’s own writings.