Mormon 8

(All of my own thoughts are in blue ? red type 7/20 orange 7/21 brown 2022-23) 

CHAPTER 8

The Lamanites seek out and destroy the Nephites—The Book of Mormon will come forth by the power of God—Woes pronounced upon those who breathe out wrath and strife against the work of the Lord—The Nephite record will come forth in a day of wickedness, degeneracy, and apostasy. About A.D. 400–421.

  1 Behold I, ^aMoroni, do finish the ^brecord of my father, Mormon. Behold, I have but few things to write, which things I have been commanded by my father.
  2 And now it came to pass that after the ^agreat and tremendous battle at Cumorah, behold, the Nephites who had escaped into the country southward were hunted by the ^bLamanites, until they were all destroyed. Oh man...I said in the chapter where it said those who did not gather at Cumorah to fight fled and escaped, that that would be me....but I would have still died! The only choice was to join the enemy or die. Guess I would have died too.
  3 And my father also was killed by them, and I even ^aremain ^balone to write the sad tale of the destruction of my people. But behold, they are gone, and I fulfil the commandment of my father. And whether they will slay me, I know not. No assurance from God about his safety. That would take faith!
  4 Therefore I will write and ^ahide up the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not. Not sure if this sounds like despair (what’s left for me? Everyone is dead or wicked. I’m utterly alone! No purpose for the rest of my life...wife and children have all been killed too) or faith (my life is in God’s hands and I trust him to lead me where he will...it doesn’t matter to me)
  5 Behold, my father hath made ^athis record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the ^bplates, but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and ^chow long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not.
  6 Behold, ^afour hundred years have passed away since the coming of our Lord and Savior.
  7 And behold, the Lamanites have hunted my people, the Nephites, down from city to city and from place to place, even until they are no more; and great has been their ^afall; yea, great and marvelous  the fact that he uses the word “marvelous” to describe something as horrific as their destruction gives a possible twist on the definition of the “great and marvelous work” that is yet to come. I’m sure destruction is a big part of what is yet to be. is the destruction of my people, the Nephites.
  8 And behold, it is the hand of the Lord which hath done it. Here we have it again. The Lamanites were wicked as could be. They murdered and completely destroyed the Nephites...yet...”the Lord hath done it”.  This is such a testimony to the fact that the Lord is over all and he allows the wicked to carry out the justice of God upon the wicked. Don’t give the wicked all the credit for their triumphs. God is allowing it and using it for His purposes. And behold also, the Lamanites are at ^awar one with another; and the whole face of this land is one continual round of murder and bloodshed; and no one knoweth the end of the war. It's not even safe to be a Lamanite. NO protection or safety for the wicked.
  9 And now, behold, I say no more concerning them, for there are none save it be the Lamanites and ^arobbers that do exist upon the face of the land.
 10 And there are none that do know the true God save it be the ^adisciples of Jesus, who did tarry in the land until the wickedness of the people was so great that the Lord would not suffer them to ^bremain with the people; and whether they be upon the face of the land no man knoweth. Even though they could not die, they were still removed...
 11 But behold, my ^afather and I have seen ^bthem, and they have ministered unto us. I wonder what that ministering looked like!
 12 And whoso receiveth ^athis record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of ^bgreater things than these. What imperfections is he referring to? The “greater things” are the words of Christ and the revelations of all things to the end of the world that have been withheld from us until we believe what we have been given in this record.  Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would make all things known unto you. We would be blessed by knowing these things we don’t know...we need to qualify for them by believing all the words and prophecies and witnesses and testimonies of this book. And doctrine
 13 Behold, I make an end of speaking concerning this people. I am the son of Mormon, and my father was a ^adescendant of Nephi.
 14 And I am the same who ^ahideth up this record unto the Lord; the plates thereof are of no worth, because of the commandment of the Lord. For he truly saith that no one shall have them ^bto get gain; but the record thereof is of great worth; and whoso shall bring it to light, him will the Lord bless. We can all help “bring these words to light”. Just got an email from my niece, Lydia and these are a few nuggets she shared:One of our very good friends here is preacher for another church. The other day he told us, "I've met a lot of Christians in my life... and no other Christian, has the heart of Mormons"  This truly shows that as you help with your heart, you heal hearts, as you love with your heart, you feel loved, and as you serve with your heart, you're serving as Christ serves. As we try to emulate Christ, its so important to remember the way he loves. He came to this Earth, and loved everyone, knowing he wouldn't always receive it back. This "Christmas" season, I've come to realize that without "Christ" life would be a "mess". I know that as we look to him in all times of our life, we will feel of his love more abundantly. A friend we're teaching said, "If you want someone to believe in Santa, you have to be Santa...and if you want someone to believe in Christ, you have to be Christlike." Although you can't see either of them, it's through their gifts, where you can feel the joy they bring into your life.  Merry Christmas all y'all!! 
 15 For none can have power to bring it to light save it be given him of God; for God wills that it shall be done with an ^aeye single to his glory, or the welfare of the ancient and long dispersed covenant people of the Lord.
 16 And blessed be ^ahe that shall bring this thing to light; for it shall be brought out of darkness unto light, according to the word of God; yea, it shall be brought out of the earth, and it shall shine forth out of darkness, and come unto the knowledge of the people; and it shall be done by the power of God.
 17 And if there be ^afaults they be the faults of a man. But behold, we know no fault;  It sounds like he’s allowing for human error in the translation, but that he’s not aware of any...or allowing for error in the written word, be he knows not of any either nevertheless God knoweth all things; therefore, he that ^bcondemneth, let him be aware lest he shall be in danger of hell fire.
 18 And he that saith: Show unto me, or ye shall be ^asmitten—let him beware lest he commandeth that which is forbidden of the Lord. This is what they said before Christ was born. Perhaps they will say it again before His Second Coming.
 19 For behold, the same that ^ajudgeth ^brashly shall be judged rashly again; for according to his works shall his wages be; therefore, he that smiteth shall be smitten again, of the Lord. Always choose mercy and grace.
 20 Behold what the scripture says—man shall not ^asmite, neither shall he ^bjudge; for judgment is mine, saith the Lord, and vengeance is mine also, and I will repay.
 21 And he that shall breathe out ^awrath and ^bstrifes against the work of the Lord, and against the ^ccovenant people of the Lord who are the house of Israel, and shall say: We will destroy the work of the Lord, and the Lord will not remember his covenant which he hath made unto the house of Israel—the same is in danger to be hewn down and cast into the fire; The Palastinians and their supporters are saying this right now to Israel.
 22 For the eternal ^apurposes of the Lord shall roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled.
 23 Search the prophecies of ^aIsaiah. Jesus commands it. Mormon painstakingly etched them on the plates. Moroni echos their importance. Do it! Behold, I cannot write them. Yea, behold I say unto you, that those saints who have gone before me, who have possessed this land, shall ^bcry, yea, even from the dust will they cry unto the Lord; and as the Lord liveth he will remember the covenant which he hath made with them.
 24 And he knoweth their ^aprayers, that they were in behalf of their brethren. And he knoweth their faith, for in his name could they remove ^bmountains; and in his name could they cause the earth to shake; and by the power of his word did they cause ^cprisons to tumble to the earth; yea, even the fiery furnace could not harm them, neither wild beasts nor poisonous serpents, because of the power of his word.
 25 And behold, their ^aprayers were also in behalf of him that the Lord should suffer to bring these things forth. Joseph
 26 And no one need say they shall not come, for they surely shall, for the Lord hath spoken it; for ^aout of the earth shall they come, by the hand of the Lord, and none can stay it; and it shall come in a day when it shall be said that miracles are done away; and it shall come even as if one should speak ^cfrom the dead.
 27 And it shall come in a day when the ^ablood of saints shall cry unto the Lord, because of secret ^bcombinations and the works of darkness. Was this Joseph's day? Or is the "day" he is talking about the day when the record will come to the lost house of Israel? Or the sealed portion?
 28 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. Do we see this in any of our wards/stakes? There used to be some envying of activities some of the wealthier wards were able to take their youth on, but that doesn't happen anymore. Is this referring to "mega" churches?
 29 Yea, it shall come in a day when ^athere shall be heard of fires, and tempests, and ^bvapors of smoke in foreign lands;
 30 And there shall also be heard of ^awars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes in divers places. Seems to be always happening
 31 Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be great ^apollutions upon the face of the earth; there shall be ^bmurders, and robbing, and lying, and deceivings, and whoredoms, and all manner of abominations; when there shall be many who will say, Do this, or do that, and it ^cmattereth not, for the Lord will ^duphold such at the last day. But wo unto such, for they are in the ^egall of bitterness and in the ^fbonds of iniquity. Happening now
 32 Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be ^achurches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be forgiven of your sins. Definitely not our church (unless you say it's tithing being required to enter the temple)
 33 O ye wicked and perverse and ^astiffnecked people, why have ye built up churches unto yourselves to get ^bgain? Why have ye ^ctransfigured the holy word of God, that ye might bring ^ddamnation upon your souls? Behold, look ye unto the ^erevelations of God; for behold, the time cometh at that day when all these things must be fulfilled.
 34 Behold, the Lord hath shown unto me great and marvelous things concerning that which must shortly come, at that day when these things shall come forth among you. "Shortly" can't mean soon in relation to his writing. It must mean that when the things he's saying happen...they happen in a "short" space of time.
 35 Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.
 36 And I know that ye do ^awalk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not ^blift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of ^cvery fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts. This MUST include our churches if he says "every one"...
 37 For behold, ye do love ^amoney, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted. If this is "our church", is he referring to money spent on temples? What else?
 38 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Are we not the "holy church of God?" Why are ye ^aashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the ^cpraise of the world? I do think there are those in leadership positions that are too concerned with the praise of the world.
 39 Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not? Second time that he says "this" is our sin.
 40 Yea, why do ye build up your ^asecret abominations to get gain, and cause that widows should mourn before the Lord, and also orphans to mourn before the Lord, and also the blood of their fathers and their husbands to cry unto the Lord from the ground, for vengeance upon your heads? I have to believe there are those in the church that belong to these secret combinations that are tares among the wheat and wolves among the sheep.
 41 Behold, the sword of vengeance hangeth over you; and the time soon cometh that he avengeth the ^ablood of the saints upon you, for he will not suffer their cries any longer. Very strong message here about the sin of not caring for the poor, hungry, sick afflicted, orphans, etc...have we seen the day he's talking about yet? I fear we will soon see unprecedented numbers of these people and will be forced/faced with the very reality of helping them or not. Right now we've delegated much "relief" efforts to the Church and government who take our dollars to care for others. But I think soon they will not be able to do that because there will be so many in need.