Book of Mormon 2020 - 2 Nephi 6-10

Please check out my post on these scriptures from 2016: https://gospeldoctrine2016.blogspot.com/2016/02/

As mentioned in my previous post on 2 Nephi 1-5, I split my Gospel Doctrine class into six groups. The first two covered the scriptures in the week’s study, January 13 to 19. The last four were from this week’s scripture study.

Group 3 covered the counsel of Jacob to his Nephite brethren. He spoke to them about the house of Israel and this is of great value to me personally because I know that I am of the house of Israel. The events he described are events that have happened and will happen. In 2 Nephi 6:6 we read, “Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people.” I know this standard well because it is the Church that I believe in with my whole heart and soul. President Marion G. Romney (Conference Report, April 1961) stated: "This Church is the standard…[It] was given to be a light to the world and to be a standard for God's people and for the Gentiles to seek to. This Church is the ensign on the mountain spoken of by the Old Testament prophets. It is the way, the truth, and the life."

"This Church is the standard"

Jacob went on to talk about the Lord’s Second Coming. I was left thinking about how I can best prepare myself and my family for the Second Coming. Although I have six talented, kind, wonderful children, only one is active in the Church. They are all adults so I can encourage them and try to be an example but they make their own decisions. I feel a great responsibility to try to be the best example I can be and to try to do everything in my power to help them see the beauty of the truth as can be found only in the Church. My heart will be broken if the Lord comes again and five of my sweet children are not ready to meet Him.

The Second Coming

The fourth group covered a chapter from Isaiah, a big challenge but they did an admirable job. 2 Nephi 8 (Isaiah 51: and 52:1-2) is a witness to the power and majesty of God. Freeman and Butler (2019; in Don’t miss this in the Book of Mormon) stated, “the Lord is trying to convince Israel to trust Him, to allow Him not just to be Lord and God but to be their Lord and God.” I trust implicitly in the God described in these verses: The God who wounds dragons (v. 9), dries seas (v. 10), comforts Israel (v. 12), plants the heavens (v. 13), and lays the foundation of the earth (v. 13). The Lord has power over all the elements and all His enemies. In verse 25 we are told to, “Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.” How can I make this meaningful to me? I can make sure that I am not bound to the natural man and subject to the will of Satan and I must work to always be worthy of a temple recommend and to prepare, once more, to attend the temple regularly. This is His house and this is where I can be close to Him, close to the Spirit.

Group 5 had the wonderful task of discussing and presenting the information in 2 Nephi: 9 on the infinite Atonement. President Russell M. Nelson spoke about the infinite nature of the Atonement, how it was infinite in saving all human beings from never-ending death, infinite in the Saviour’s intense suffering, infinite in that it extends to an infinite number of people and worlds, and because Christ was the only one who could offer such an infinite Atonement (born of a mortal mother and an immortal Father) as He is an infinite Being. When I ponder on the Atonement, the power of the testimony I have increases my love for my Saviour Jesus Christ. I experience this every Sunday as I listen to the beautiful words of the Sacrament hymns that never fail to bring tears to my eyes and warmth to my heart and soul.

The final group, Group 6 covered the second half of 2 Nephi 9. These scriptures cover the Plan of Salvation, the first principles and ordinances of the gospel, and what happens if we follow Satan. In a General Conference talk in October, 2010, Elder Per G. Malm stated:  "In view of our existence as spirit children before we came to earth and immortality in the life hereafter, this earth life is indeed but a very short moment. It is, however, a day of probation, but it is also a day of opportunities when we choose to follow the invitation to not waste the days of our probation. The thoughts that we dwell on inside our minds, the feelings we foster inside our hearts, and the actions we choose to take will all have a determining impact on our lives, both here and in the hereafter. A helpful habit is to lift our vision daily in order to maintain an eternal perspective of the things we plan and do, especially if we detect a tendency to wait until a future tomorrow to do what we know we should pursue while we have our present today." What a wonderful strategy. I hope to follow this counsel and lift my vision and maintain an eternal perspective.