Book of Mormon 2020 - 3 Nephi 8-11

 

I wrote about 3 Nephi 8 to 11 in January. This was a post where I caught up on scriptures I had been unable to cover in 2016, when I first started my blog. This ‘catch-up’ post is very long. It is located at: https://gospeldoctrine2016.blogspot.com/2020/01/well-i-let-myself-down-quite.html. Just scroll down to: Lesson 37, Whosoever will come, him will I receive, 3 Nephi 8–11.

These scriptures touch me, terrify me, console me, inspire me, and give me hope. Chapter 8 is terrifying. Calamities, such as those in Chapter 8, will occur in the Last Days. In Doctrine and Covenants 45:48 we read, “…And the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake”, and in Doctrine and Covenants 34:8 it states, “But before that great day shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood; and the stars shall refuse their shining, and some shall fall, and great destructions await the wicked.” I wonder if I will live through these events. No one knows the time of His coming, but I do not believe it is not too far away! I worry that I will not be found worthy. I worry about my children who do not live gospel lives. I want them to be safe. I hope that the Lord sees the wonderful people that they are and does not see them just for the things they do that are contrary to gospel principles.

I have had a bleak time over the last month. I watched my mum in great pain. I watched as her health deteriorated. I took on the role of her caregiver through end-of-life care. I was with her when she passed away. I organised her funeral and I am still busy with sorting out her final wishes. I was relieved when she finally slipped away because it was what she wanted. But I miss her terribly. I remember praying for mercy and compassion for her in her suffering and then being told through her priesthood blessing that I was to learn patience. The two quotes below helped me through this time. I have also thought of myself as lacking strength, but I learned I could be strong. I can be strong with the help of the Lord. The scriptures in 3 Nephi also helped me endure and remember the power and hope that comes through the light of Christ. I read these scriptures through tears.

In 3 Nephi 9:2 we read, “Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen!” There is a significance to the use of ‘wo’ three times. In English we use adjectives to describe, and comparative and superlative adjectives to emphasise qualities, e.g. a good book (descriptive); a better book (comparative), and the best book (superlative). In this scripture the use of three ‘wo’s indicates a superlative – the most emphatic ‘wo’ possible. From verses 3 to 12 the Lord takes credit for the great destruction of so many cities. He explains this in verses 12 and 13, “And many great destructions have I caused to come upon this land, and upon this people, because of their wickedness and their abominations. O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?” The Lord reaches out with the “arm of mercy” (verse 14) after having wielded the arm of justice.

I found two Knowhy videos (Book of Mormon Central) that fascinated me. They talk about evidence of cataclysmic events described in the Book of Mormon. The findings made by historians and archaeologists continue to substantiate the records found in the Book of Mormon.

Jesus Christ introduces himself to the people in 3 Nephi 9:15 by saying, “Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.” He goes on to add (verses 18-19), “I am the light and the life of the world. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.” The importance of Christ as the ‘light’ will be examined later. Here, it is interesting to note the important change from the Law of Moses to a higher law. This higher Law of Sacrifice is explained in verse 20, “And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit.” Brother John Bytheway, in his weekly Come, Follow Me podcast (OurTurtleHouse.com), provides a clear explanation of what it means to have a ‘broken heart’. He explains that ‘breaking’ a horse uses the same meaning, i.e. making the horse submissive to the master. In this case, a broken heart will indicate our submission to the Master. There are four quotes that helped me to understand the Law of Sacrifice more fully. The quote to the right is from President Dallin H. Oaks. Below are quotes from Elder Bruce D. Porter and Elder L. Tom Perry, as well as from Elder Neal A. Maxwell.

In 3 Nephi 10:4-6, Christ uses the analogy of gathering the House of Israel (you) as “a hen [that] gathereth her chickens”. The tense in the repetitions changes to cover what the Lord did in the past, what he would have done, and what he will do in the future. The picture below shows how protective, loving, and caring the mother hen is and indicates how much the Lord loves us and is prepared to protect and care for us. This helps me to feel His love for me personally. Below the image is a Knowhy (Book of Mormon Central) video that explains this use of the hen and chickens analogy.

The following graphic is from Mormon LifeHacker (Come, Follow Me Lesson Aids on Facebook).  

The Father introduces His beloved Son to the waiting righteous Nephites and Lamanites. The voice of the Father is heard three times and only on the third time are their ears opened so that they understand and see Christ descending to the earth. As shown in the graphic he states, “Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. And behold, I am the light and the life of the world…” (3 Nephi 11:10-11). I thought a lot about the question on the graphic, “How has Jesus Christ been a light in your life?”

The love of my Saviour and Redeemer has helped me through the darkest times. I love Him and honour Him for all that He does for me. I often feel overwhelmed when I recognise the love of Jesus Christ in my life. I feel inadequate and unworthy but so grateful. I cannot cope without prayer, the guidance and light I receive in the gospel and in quiet moments of prayer, and the clarity I receive through personal revelation. I understand the light that Christ brings when I feel the lowest and most helpless. He helps me to understand, to make difficult decisions, and to persevere through tough times. There are three sets of images below that explore some of the wonderful things that the Light of Christ brings to me.

There are three Knowhy (Book of Mormon Central) videos below that provide insight into these wonderful scriptures from 3 Nephi. 

If I had been there when the Lord visited the more righteous in America, I would have also fallen to my feet. If I am fortunate to be on the earth when He comes again, I will do the same. I can only imagine the inexpressible joy of being in His presence. I cried my way through this last video, ‘My Joy is Full’.