2 Ne 26:1-2 Christ…shall show himself unto you, my children
In chapter 26, Nephi reviews
some of the prophecies regarding the coming of Christ among the Nephites, the
destruction of the wicked among the Nephites, and the coming forth of the Book of
Mormon. The content of this chapter closely parallels the content of his vision
of the history of the world contained in 1 Ne 12-15. He also uses Isaiah 29 in
this chapter, thereby explaining the relationship between Isaiah’s writings and
his vision.
The first thing that is
referenced is the appearance of the Savior to the Nephites. This is recorded in
1 Ne 12:6, I saw the heaves open, and the Lamb of
God descending out of heaven; and he came down and showed himself unto them.
When Nephi says in verse 2, I have beheld…great wars
and contentions among my people, he is referring to his vision where he
saw the people of my seed gathered together in
multitudes against the seed of my brethren; and they were gathered together to
battle (1 Ne 12:15). This pattern of referencing this vision will
continue for most of the chapter. Eventually, Nephi begins to weave in the
prophecies of Isaiah 29. By doing so, he helps us to understand the meaning of
some of these Isaiah passages.
2 Ne 26:3 signs given unto my people of his birth
Samuel the Lamanite
prophesied of the signs of the coming of Jesus Christ. Five years prior to
their fulfillment, he described the signs of his birth as follows, 1) great lights in heaven…one day and a night and a day, as
if it were one day, 2) there shall a new star
arise, and 3) many signs and wonders in
heaven (see Hel 14:2-6).
The signs of his death and
resurrection are 1) complete darkness in the land for 3 days, 2) terrible
destructions—lightning, thunder, earthquakes, etc., and 3) the resurrection of
many saints. See Hel 14:20-25.
2 Ne 26:3 the cry of the blood of the saints shall ascend up to God
from the ground
The scriptures teach that
the earth is a living being. Whether figurative or not, the earth experiences
what we do as individuals—a baptism by water, a baptism by fire, a day of
redemption, and a new, celestialized body. Therefore, it is the earth itself
that cries to the Lord when the blood of the saints is spilt. As Enoch learned,
And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the
earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the
mother of men; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my
children. When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone
forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and
righteousness for a season abide upon my face? (Moses 7:48)
2 Ne 26:4-6 all those who are proud, and that do wickedly…shall be as
stubble
These three verses describe
the destructions in the Americas at the time of the death and resurrection of
Christ (compare to 3 Ne 8-9). We see that the destruction of the proud and
wicked Nephites are a type for the way the wicked will be destroyed at the
Second Coming of Christ. From this we learn that the signs in the heavens and
the destructions upon the land were not subtle but catastrophic. We should
expect nothing less than this with the Second Coming. As Malachi prophesied, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the
proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day cometh
shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither
root nor branch (Mal 4:1).
2 Ne 26:7 O the pain, and the anguish of my soul for the loss of the
slain of my people
Nephi first felt this pain
when he saw the vision of the history of his people, I
considered that mine afflictions were great above all, because of the
destruction of my people, for I had beheld their fall (1 Ne 15:5). The
Lord feels this same godly sorrow for His wicked children. He explained to
Enoch how the God of heaven was brought to tears by the wickedness of his
children:
‘And Enoch said unto
the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all
eternity to all eternity?
…The Lord said unto Enoch:
Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I
gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of
Eden, gave I unto man his agency;
And unto thy brethren
have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and
that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without
affection, and they hate their own blood;
And the fire of mine
indignation is kindled against them; and in my hot displeasure will I send in
the floods upon them, for my fierce anger is kindled against them’ (Moses 7:29, 32-34).
2 Ne 26:9-10 three generations shall have passed away (in
righteousness)
Again Nephi learned this during
his vision as recorded in 1 Ne 12:11. See 3 Ne 27:32 and 4 Ne 1 for the
fulfillment of this prophecy.
2 Ne 26:11 For the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man
B. H. Roberts
“When
the Spirit of the Lord is withdrawn…darkness, like the blackness of night
surges through the soul of man, and the sun of righteousness seems set for him,
he is then made to feel what it means to sin against the law of God as it has
been revealed unto his soul. When you think of the bitterness of that personal suffering,
you will not marvel that when the heavy burden of a world's sin rested down
upon the Son of God in Gethsemane--you certainly will not marvel that he sweat
great drops of blood in his agony; nor wonder at his suffering on the cross.” (Defense
of the Faith and the Saints, p. 514)
Joseph Fielding Smith
“The
Spirit of the Lord will not dwell in unclean tabernacles, and when the Spirit
is withdrawn, darkness supersedes the light, and apostasy will follow. This is
one of the greatest evidences of the divinity of this latter-day work. In other
organizations men may commit all manner of sin and still retain their
membership, because they have no companionship with the Holy Ghost to lose; but
in the Church when a man sins and continues without repentance, the Spirit is
withdrawn, and when he is left to himself the adversary takes possession of his
mind and he denies the faith.
“It
is possible for a man who has received a perfect understanding of the truth and
has walked in the light of the Holy Spirit to fall away through transgression.
But when he turns away, he still knows that he once had the light. The Lord has
said of such: ‘All those who know my power, and have
been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves through the power of the
devil to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power-They are they who
are the sons of perdition, of whom I say that it had been better for them never
to have been born.’ (DC 76:31-2)” (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3,
p. 309)
LeGrand Richards
“Now,
as I love the Saints for their faithfulness, I also feel remorse and sorrow for
those who fail to have that kind of faith, for those who are not willing to do
their part, for those who have discontinued attending their meetings. Brigham
Young said that when we fail to attend our sacrament meetings and observe our
prayers, the Spirit of the Lord will withdraw himself, and a spirit of darkness
will come over us. Now there are a great many people in our midst who have
ceased attending their meetings, and who do not observe their prayers. Some of
them are near to us, some of them are dear to us, but the Lord does withdraw
his Spirit.
“…And
when people walk in darkness, they cannot love the brethren; they cannot love
the Lord; they cannot love the people; they cannot love this great Latter-day
cause, the greatest movement the world has ever known, aside from the great
atonement of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (Conference Report,
Oct. 1950, p. 151)
Sterling W. Sill
“Repentance
is God's cure for every disease that plagues our lives. As repentance is
postponed, the sinner becomes more willful, and any upward change becomes more
difficult. If this Godly gift is not used, it may lapse into impotence, and the
soul may be lost.
“Through
Noah the Lord said, ‘My spirit shall not always
strive with man. . . .’ (Gen. 6:3.) And someday when it may be too late,
we may discover that repentance is the most thrilling, exciting, uplifting of
all possible activities.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1964, p. 112)
2 Ne 26:15 the Lord God shall have camped against them round about
Nephi is quoting Isaiah 29:3
which reads, I will camp against thee round about,
and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against
thee. Without Nephi’s help it would be difficult to determine that this
passage had reference to the persecutions that the native American Indians
suffered at the hands of the Gentiles. Nephi is going to make frequent
references to Isaiah 29 and also his vision. He saw the same persecutions as
referenced in 1 Ne 13:31.
2 Ne 26:16 for those who shall be destroyed shall speak unto them out
of the ground
Again Nephi references
Isaiah 29 and his vision, see 1 Ne 13:39. The Book of Mormon is obviously the
vehicle by which those who are dead will speak out of the ground. The phrase, their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit,
could be interpreted to have a double meaning. First, in Isaiah’s day, a person
with a familiar spirit was someone who claimed to be able to speak with the
dead. The voices of the ancient prophets, then, are heard in the pages of the
Book of Mormon. Second, the Book of Mormon has a “familiar spirit” to all those
filled with the Spirit of God. Through the light of Christ and the Holy Ghost,
the righteous recognize the divine nature of the Book of Mormon. It is
“familiar” in the sense that it carries the same spirit of truth and
righteousness that the Bible does.
2 Ne 26:17 written and sealed up in a book
See Isaiah 29:11.
2 Ne 26:18 their terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away
Nephi explains that the
phrase, their terrible ones, can refer to the
mighty and proud of his people who were destroyed in the great and last battle
of the Nephites. It also refers to those of the Nephites and Lamanites who had dwindled in unbelief (v. 17). Interestingly, he
again gives us great insight into a less well understood verse of Isaiah, Isa
29:5.
2 Ne 26:19 smitten by the hand of the Gentiles
“The
story of the invasion of America by Europeans in the 16th century, is a tragic
illustration of the truth of this prophecy. Witness the appearance in Mexico of
Cortez with his 450 Spaniards and 1000 Tlascalan allies. From the very first of
his contact with the natives, strife and slaughter ensued….Spanish cannon swept
the streets with terrible effects. Some idea of the losses of the Aztecs can be
formed from the fact that the battle and the retreat cost Cortez 750 of his
1250 white soldiers and 4000 of his 5000 Tlascalan allies.
“But
Cortez came back. On April 28, 1521, he began a siege of the city, which Dr.
John Fiske compares to the siege of Jerusalem by Titus, on a smaller scale, of
course. On August 18, Cortex was master of the situation. But then the city was
a ruin. A new era had been inaugurated, in which the natives lost their
culture, their literature, and arts, and were, practically, buried in the
‘dust.’
“The
first contact of the natives of Peru with the Spaniards under Pizarro and
Almargro-both of whom were finally murdered in a feud between themselves-was a
duplicate of the so-called conquest of Cortez. We shall not here repeat the
almost incredible stories of cruelties perpetrated on the Indians by some of
the early invaders. Suffice it to say that this prophecy was literally fulfilled.
The Indians were everywhere sorely ‘smitten by the
hands of the Gentiles.’” (Reynolds and Sjodahl, Commentary
on the Book of Mormon, vol. 1, p. 386)
2 Ne 26:20-21 many
churches among the Gentiles
Nephi describes the Gentile
churches saying, they put down the power and
miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own
learning. How similar are the words of the Savior to Joseph Smith in the
sacred grove, they draw near to me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of
men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof? (JS-H
1:19) See also Isa 29:13.
Joseph Smith described the
envyings and strifes of the religions of his day, it
was seen that the seemingly good feelings of both the priests and the converts
were more pretended than real; for a scene of great confusion and bad feeling
ensued—priest contending against priest, and convert against convert; so that
all their good feelings one for another, if they ever had any, were entirely
lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions (JS-H 1:6).
2 Ne 26:22 there are also secret combinations
Again the parallels with the
29th chapter of Isaiah continue. Isaiah was apparently describing secret
combinations when he described those that seek deep
to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they
say, Who seeth us? And who knoweth us? (Isa 29:15) That these secret
combinations are founded by the devil is well established in the Book of
Mormon. See also 1 Ne 14:9.
2 Ne 26:22 he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord
A flaxen cord is a soft cord,
one that is easily broken. Often the soft flaxen cord is hardly noticed when
first placed around the neck. However, with time the grip of Satan strengthens
until one is bound with strong cords and led to eternal destruction. “The
safest road to Hell…is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot,
without turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” (C.S. Lewis, The
Screwtape Letters, p. xi)
If only we would recognize the flaxen cord for what it is. When Satan puts such cords around our necks, they can be easily broken if they are noticed. However, as he progressively places stronger cords around our necks, his grip over our souls strengthens—we become choked as to the things of the Spirit. Elder Carlos E. Asay said, “The first wrongdoing is like a single strand of flaxen thread; it is easily broken and thrown aside. But each time the wrong is repeated another strand is intertwined around the first, and on and on it goes until an almost unbreakable cord of multi-strands is woven. ‘The chains of habit,’ said Samuel Johnson, ‘are too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.’” The Road to Somewhere: A Guide for Young Men and Women [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1994], 94.)” Eventually, Satan binds us with his chains of darkness which we cannot, by ourselves, remove. Unlike the breakable flaxen cord, these chains of darkness require the assistance of others, priesthood leaders and the Savior’s atonement, in order to break free.
“Sin is the older and uglier brother of bad habit. Sin, like habit, can enter our lives in a seemingly innocuous way. It can begin small and occupy only a corner of our lives. Yet, if left unattended, countenanced, and allowed to flourish, it can consume our souls.
“An ancient American prophet understood perfectly this concept of which I speak. He referred to the devil as the founder of sin and works of darkness and warned: ‘He [the devil] leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever’ ("2 Ne. 26:222 Nephi 26:22).
“Those who become followers of the evil one do not generally reach their captive state with one misdeed; they lose their freedom one sin at a time—one error after another—until almost all is lost. Flaxen cords are transformed into awful chains of steel as they allow themselves to follow the downward course. Each easy step away from the line of goodness and truth makes it more and more difficult to recover.
2 Ne 26:24 he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto
him
Some have criticized the
Book of Mormon because it sounds too much like the New Testament. They ask, how
could Old Testament era prophets speak with the same words and phrases that the
New Testament writers did? They proclaim that the Book of Mormon is full of
doctrinal anachronisms. We can see with this phrase, that a very similar phrase
is found in the New Testament, And I, if I be lifted
up from the earth, will draw all men unto me (Jn 12:32).
We do not have to worry
about these apparent anachronisms because we understand that Nephi saw the
ministry of Christ in vision (1 Ne 11:27-8). We can even look to the Old
Testament to show that other prophets wrote the exact words which Jesus spoke
during his mortal ministry. The book of Psalms contains many of the events
surrounding the crucifixion of Christ and some of the phrases that Jesus spoke
while on the cross. Is that an anachronism or just evidence that the psalmist
saw the Savior being crucified? See Ps 22:1; 22:7-8; 22:16-18; 31:5; 34:20;
69:19-21.
2 Ne 26:25 Come unto me…buy milk and honey, without money and without
price
Nephi again borrows from the
prophecies of Isaiah. This passage, found in Isa 55:1, discusses how the
blessings of the gospel can be obtained without money or material wealth.
Although Nephi is using this passage to demonstrate that the Lord invites all
to come unto him, the following explanation is useful. From the 1981 Old
Testament Institute Manual:
“The
invitation to come unto Christ and obtain those gifts without money and without
price suggests not that they can be obtained without effort, however, but that
one does not need the goods of this world to obtain them.
“Elder
Marion G. Romney explained what price is required:
‘When
earth life is over and things appear in their true perspective, we shall more
clearly see and realize what the Lord and his prophets have repeatedly told us,
that the fruits of the gospel are the only objectives worthy of life’s full
efforts. Their possessor obtains true wealth—wealth in the Lord’s view of
values….
‘I
conceive the blessings of the gospel to be of such inestimable worth that the
price for them must be very exacting, and if I correctly understand what the
Lord has said on the subject, it is. The price, however, is within the reach of
us all, because it is not to be paid in money nor in any of this world’s goods
but in righteous living. What is required is whole hearted devotion to the
gospel and unreserved allegiance to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
saints….A half-hearted performance is not enough.’” (Conference Report, Oct.
1949, p. 39 as recorded in the O.T. Institute Manual, p. 203)
2 Ne 26:29 priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for
a light unto the world
When we hear a term like
“priestcrafts” we are likely to think first of the impure motives of religious
leaders of other denominations. Elder Dallin H. Oaks explained that this term
just as accurately describes those within the Church who set themselves up as a
light to the world with the intention of gaining the praise of the world.
Dallin H. Oaks
“Focusing
on the needs of the students, a gospel teacher will never obscure their view of
the Master by standing in the way or by shadowing the lesson with
self-promotion or self-interest. This means that a gospel teacher must never
indulge in priestcrafts, which are ‘that men preach
and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and
praise of the world’ (2 Ne 26:29. A gospel teacher does not preach ‘to become popular’ (Alma 1:3) or ‘for the sake of riches and honor’ (Alma 1:16). He
or she follows the marvelous Book of Mormon example in which ‘the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was
the teacher any better than the learner’ (Alma 1:26). Both will always
look to the Master.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1999)
Hugh Nibley
“’Priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up
for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but
they seek not the welfare of Zion.’ That's very interesting when he
says, ‘They seek not the welfare of Zion.’ He's
talking about somebody who is in Zion in that case who sets himself up for a
light and wants to get gain and praise. Well, I know lots of businessmen and
others who have had a free ride on the Church. That's done quite commonly. They
set themselves up for a light. Many of them have been high priests-bishops,
stake presidents, etc. My father was one of them; he cashed in on it. It's sad.
But you'll find that in every church, too. We might as well be frank about
these things. How do we deal with these people? The next verse makes it clear.
You should have charity; you don't judge them at all. Of course not.”(Teachings
of the Book of Mormon, Lecture 21, p. 335)
Bruce R. McConkie
“Priesthood
and priestcraft are two opposites; one is of God, the other of the devil. When
ministers claim but do not possess the priesthood; when they set themselves up
as lights to their congregations, but do not preach the pure and full gospel;
when their interest is in gaining personal popularity and financial gain,
rather than in caring for the poor and ministering to the wants and needs of
their fellow men -- they are engaged, in a greater or lesser degree, in the practice
of priestcrafts.
“Apostasy
is born of priestcrafts (2 Ne. 10:5; 3 Ne. 16:10; D. & C. 33:4), for those
who engage in them follow vain things, teach false doctrines, love riches, and
aspire to personal honors. (Alma 1:12, 16.) Men are commanded to repent of
their priestcrafts (3 Ne. 30:2), and eventually, in the millennial day, these
great evils will be done away. (3 Ne. 21:19.)” (Mormon Doctrine, p.
593-4)
2 Ne 26:30 charity is love
The fact that charity is the
pure love of Christ is well known. This topic will not be dealt with in detail
in this chapter. It will become an important topic in the writings of Moroni.
The following quote should suffice for now.
Bruce R. McConkie
“Above
all the attributes of godliness and perfection, charity is the one most
devoutly to be desired. Charity is more than love, far more; it is everlasting
love, perfect love, the pure love of Christ which endureth forever. It is love
so centered in righteousness that the possessor has no aim or desire except for
the eternal welfare of his own soul and for the souls of those around him. (2
Ne. 26:30; Moro. 7:47; 8:25-26.)” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 121)
2 Ne 26:31 the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they
labor for money they shall perish
The enormous growth of the
Mormon Church has created an interesting explosion of Mormon cultural
paraphernalia. Books, videos, music, accessories, you name it, it has been
produced and tailored to the “Mormon market.” There are members of the church
who seem to see no conflict with making money off this cultural phenomenon. The
writings of Nephi warn the members of Zion about their motives in such
endeavors. The quote of Hugh Nibley, as recorded above, is uniquely candid and
honest.
A good example of performing
ones labors in Zion with pure motives is seen in the work of Elder LeGrand
Richards. A great lover of missionary work, Elder Richards donated all the
proceeds of his Marvelous Work and a Wonder to the general missionary
fund of the Church. The preface of his book states, “This book has been
prepared and published without any monetary remuneration to the author. It is
dedicated to the great missionary work of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints which is so dear to the author’s heart.” He also put pressure
on publishers to keep costs down, thereby making the book available to a
greater audience at a low price (personal communication). Elder Richards
clearly had pure motives in his labor in Zion.
2 Ne 26:33 he inviteth them all to come unto him…black and white,
bond and free, male and female
Nephi understood that the
Lord loves all his children. The doctrine that salvation should be offered to
all of God’s creations is foreign to the traditional Jewish thought. So much of
the Law of Moses tried to separate the children of Israel from the Gentiles (in
order to keep them from practicing the idolatry of their neighbors and in an
attempt to help them understand the difference between clean and unclean, holy
and unholy). This tradition led to an ethno-centrism which produced ill
feelings toward anything Gentile. For Nephi to look beyond this tradition shows
that he was more influenced by the Spirit of the Lord than he was by his
upbringing among the Jews.
“For any people to believe that it is
the only people in whom God is interested, or helps, or that we have special
merit because of our color, race, country or beliefs, that is, that we are
inherently superior and loved by God without regard to the lives we live is one
of the great fallacies and barriers to peace. This is a fallacy whether in an
exploded myth of an Aryan race of supermen, or disguised in more subtle form in
our own consciousness. We must not be guilty of such a fallacy.” (Harris,
Franklin S. Jr., The Book of Mormon: Messages and Evidences, p. 20)
James E. Faust
“I
hope we can all overcome any differences of culture, [and] race….In my
experience, no race or class seems superior to any other in spirituality and
faithfulness….Spiritual peace is not to be found in race or culture or
nationality, but rather through our commitment to God and to the covenants and
ordinances of the gospel.” (Ensign, May 1995, pp. 61,63 as taken from Latter-day
Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 155)
M. Russell Ballard
“Our
Father in Heaven loves all of His children equally, perfectly, and infinitely.
His love is no different for His daughters than for His sons. Our Savior, the
Lord Jesus Christ, also loves men and women equally. His atonement and His
gospel are for all of God’s children. During His earthly ministry Jesus served
men and women alike: He healed both men and women and He taught both men and
women….for example, faith, repentance, baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost
are requirements for all of God’s children, regardless of gender. The same is
true of temple covenants and blessings. Our Father’s work and glory is to bring
to pass the immortality and eternal life of His children (see Moses 1:39). He
loves us all equally, and His greatest gift, the gift of eternal life, is
available to all.” (Ensign, Nov. 1993, p. 89 as taken from Latter-day
Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 154-5)