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This week we get to hear from Nephi’s little brother, Jacob. Which I know is strange, because we’re in 2 Nephi, but unlike Laman and Lemuel who couldn’t cope with having their younger brother take the lead or have the spotlight, Nephi is able to give the stage to Jacob. It’s as if he’s saying, You know, you should hear this talk my younger brother gave, it’s amazing. And we are going to hear more from Jacob as he has his own book of scripture that follows 2 Nephi. He’s going to become the prophet of the Nephites after Nephi dies.
2 NEPHI 6 SUMMARY
And to begin, I’m just going to summarize chapter 6. It’s a message we’ve seen a number of times already in the Book of Mormon and we’ll see it again. It’s the basic history of the House of Israel and that narrative is going to make many appearances. And the basic flow is as follows: Jerusalem will be destroyed, and the Jews scattered, but they will return again. And at some future time, the Savior will visit them in the flesh, but they will reject Him, and again they will be scattered. But in the last days they will be gathered once again, and all who believe in him will be saved and delivered out of the hands of their enemies.
LESSON #1 WELCOME HOME (2 NEPHI 7-8)
But let’s focus a little more directed attention on chapters 7 and 8 . . . and they're Isaiah chapters, but don’t freak out on me here, we can handle this. And I’m not going to dive quite yet into an explanation on how best to study Isaiah, I’m going to save that for next week when we really get into the big section of Isaiah chapters. But it’s going to be all right because these chapters aren’t as difficult to understand as the others in 2 Nephi, so they’re going to provide us with some good practice.
OBJECT
I would hang a “Welcome Home Sign” up at the front of my classroom. I’ll put a link to one in the video description.
ICEBREAKER
For an icebreaker, a short discussion question. I would just ask the following: What you would do if you were a parent, and your son or daughter was returning home from a mission? How would you feel and how would you welcome them? Now a little bit of a change of scenario. Another question. What if they were coming home after having stolen thousands of dollars from you, run away for years to live a lifestyle of partying, drugs, and immorality? What would you do if they showed up at your doorstep remorseful, and wanting to come back? How would you respond?
Today we’re going to examine how Christ reacts or deals with that kind of scenario. What’s his attitude towards those who leave his path and then wish to come back? How does he feel about that situation? What does he do?
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
You may remember back in 1 Nephi 19:23 that Nephi found great value in likening the words of Isaiah to himself and invited us to do the same. These chapters, 2 Nephi 7-8 are a perfect opportunity for us to do just that. They center on the house of Israel, who in Isaiah’s day had strayed from Him. They had “run away from home” so to speak, and this was Jesus’s Christ’s message to them. Therefore, two suggested ways to approach these chapters. One, Do you know someone who has strayed from the path? Do you wonder how the Savior feels about them? Do you wonder how to approach that situation yourself? Do they have any hope? OR, maybe it would be more effective to approach these chapters more personally. Have you strayed from the Savior at all? Have you distanced yourself from Him and His Church? OR maybe you’re still active in body, but inactive in Spirit. You go to church, you serve in your calling, maybe you even say your prayers, but you find there is a lack of connection. If you feel distant from Christ for any reason, read these chapters with that in mind. And whenever you see the phrase "house of Israel” or “Zion”, substitute it with your name and see how that personalizes its message for you. I believe that if we do this with these two chapters, we’re going to find a beautiful message of hope for them or for you. This is the Lord’s message of comfort to those who have strayed.
SEARCH ACTIVITY-GROUP SEARCH
If you're teaching these chapters, sometimes the simplest approaches are the most effective. There’s a good chance your students are fairly intimidated by Isaiah. So this is just practice. They have one goal and one goal only. And that is to just find ONE meaningful message in their assigned verses. That’s it. They’re not trying to interpret all the ins and outs. They’re not attempting to teach a comprehensive lesson on their half of the chapter, they may not even understand half of what they’re reading. But that’s ok. We’re practicing here. With the above approach of considering how Christ feels about those who are trying to return, is there one verse, or even one phrase that stands out to them, that’s meaningful. So you’ll divide up the class into two groups by counting them off as either one’s or two’s and then invite the one’s to read the first half of chapter 20, verses 1-12 and the two’s to read the second half of chapter 20, verses 13-25. Then, have them read their section and be prepared to share at least one message from their verses that was meaningful to them. Give them about 5-10 minutes to study, then invite some of them to share. But first, to help them ease into Isaiah here. You, as the teacher, are going to walk them through chapter 7 to help them get a sense of the way Isaiah writes and give an example of how to interpret him.
And chapter 7 is the shorter of the two chapters so it’s a good one to use as an example. And if you’re going to do that as a teacher, then you need to be comfortable with it and have a good understanding of what’s being said. So I’m going to help YOU teachers with that, then hopefully you can turn around and do something similar with your students. And don’t feel tied to my explanation. If you find your own inspiration or meaning within these verses, don’t hesitate to share that instead of my thoughts. And I’m going to approach this as if the Savior were speaking to me, by name. But here we go: Starting with verse 1.
1 Yea, for thus saith the Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever? For thus saith the Lord: Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement? To whom have I put thee away, or to which of my creditors have I sold you? Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.
So here I am feeling distant from the Lord, wondering where He is in my life. Remember, that’s how we’re going to liken the scriptures to ourselves here. And he says, Ben, Have I abandoned you? If you think I have, where are the papers? The bill of your mother’s divorcement. Have I sold you? If you think I have, where is the receipt? They don’t exist. Why? Because I've never given up on you, I have never left you, if you feel distant it’s because you left me, you sold yourself, not the other way around.
:2 Wherefore, when I came, there was no man; when I called, yea, there was none to answer. O house of Israel, is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make their rivers a wilderness and their fish to stink because the waters are dried up, and they die because of thirst.
:3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.
Ben, I’ve called you many times and there was no answer, but, have I lost my power to redeem you and deliver you? I have all power over heaven and earth. I’ve done miraculous things. I haven’t pulled my hand back; it’s still reaching out to you! Come home! Do you think that I don’t have the power to redeem you? I have all power.
:4 The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season unto thee, O house of Israel. When ye are weary he waketh morning by morning. He waketh mine ear to hear as the learned.
God has given me the power to speak to you in such a way that will help you to want to return. While you’re sleeping, every morning I get up early to prepare what I’m going to say to you.
Now a little bit of a shift here, he’s going to tell us what he was willing to do for us. As if he’s saying, look how much I love you, look what I was willing to do for you.
5 The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.
6 I gave my back to the smiter, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
7 For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
Ben, I went through a lot for you. God sent me to suffer for you, and I was obedient to that command. I let them scourge me, humiliate me, spit on me. It was hard, but God helped me. I was determined though to do it, for you. My face was set like a flint, a hard stone. Nothing could stop me from seeking to help you.
8 And the Lord is near, and he justifieth me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? Let him come near me, and I will smite him with the strength of my mouth.
9 For the Lord God will help me. And all they who shall condemn me, behold, all they shall wax old as a garment, and the moth shall eat them up.
I’m more powerful than sin, more powerful than death, more powerful than the adversary. Who will contend with ME? Stand together with me Ben, and we’ll fight them off together. Together we can overcome all your challenges. We can conquer your demons. We can smite those self-defeating thoughts together.
10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light?
Now that is a rhetorical question and I hope you all know the correct answer. What righteous person do you know of that walks in the dark? None of them. They all have light. So Ben, come walk with me in my light, I’ll teach you to walk in the light.
11 Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand—ye shall lie down in sorrow.
Don’t try to this by yourself though. If you try to walk by your own light and try to make your own fire, all you’ll get is sparks. And THAT can only end in sorrow.
Do you see how we do this then? How we liken the words of Isaiah here? And you don’t have to do what I just did. I just want you to study an assigned group of verses and try to get just one thing from them. Seek the spirit. Go slowly. And ponder. I feel fairly confident that you’ll see something meaningful. Now send your students in as 1’s and 2’s to study chapter 8 and let them share.
And before WE move on to 2 Nephi 9, I hope you’ll indulge me and allow me to share some of my favorite verses from chapter 8.
3 For the Lord shall comfort Zion, he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
Ben, let me comfort you. I can make all the deserts of your life like the Garden of Eden, I can make you happy again, and grateful to be alive. I can make you sing again.
7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.
You don’t need to be afraid of your enemies, don’t worry about what other people might say.
11 Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; and they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
12 I am he; yea, I am he that comforteth you. Behold, who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of man,
You can come back, come back to me with joy and gladness and you will be welcomed. All your sorrow and tears will flee away. I am here. I am here to comfort and help you. There is no reason to be afraid.
16 And I have put my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion: Behold, thou art my people.
I’ll teach you what to say and do, I’ll protect you, I’m holding you in my hand. You are my son.
22 Thus saith thy Lord, the Lord and thy God pleadeth the cause of his people; behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again.
I’m pleading your case before God. I’m rooting for you. I know you’ve been drinking from the cup of bitterness, and suffering, and justice, and consequence, but let me take that cup from you. You don’t need to drink it. I will. I will drink it for you. I will suffer YOUR bitterness, if you come to me.
And then we end in triumph:
24 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
25 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
So, It’s time to wake up, It’s time to get moving again, get dressed up in your Sunday best, that life of uncleanness and sorrow are behind you now. Shake off the dust of the past, arise, stand up and sit on a throne, loose yourself from the chains of your past and sit with me.
Don’t you just love Isaiah? So personal, so conversational in tone. He really makes it feel like the Savior is talking to you.
TRUTH
Jesus Christ will welcome back with open arms anyone who wishes to return.
TAKING IT TO HEART
How many of you know somebody who left “the path” or “the iron rod” for a time, but returned? And maybe that person is you. What brought you or them back?
In my life I can think of a few people like this. My Grandpa is one of them. He left the church early in his marriage, and didn’t return until his late 60’s. What brought him back? The love and persistence of his family. And he came back.
I know of a sister who left the rod for a time and a love and concern for her children and their spiritual future brought her back.
I know of a former student who left the rod, and the consequences of his poor choices convinced him that wickedness never was happiness, and he came back.
THE TAKEAWAY
The individual reasons for returning are many and varied, but they all have something in common. Each was welcomed back by their Savior, and each felt of his love and forgiveness embracing them. The moral of the stories is that people can return. There is always a reason to hope in Jesus Christ. I hope and pray that if you needed that message, that you felt its power and that you will respond to that gentle, loving, inviting voice. When we stray, he gently calls to us, “Return to me! And I will welcome you back.”
LESSON #2 THAT AWFUL MONSTER (2 Nephi 9)
2 Nephi chapter 9. This is a big one. Quite similar to 2 Nephi 2 which was spoken to Jacob, so here he is elaborating on some of those amazing things he was taught by his Father. It’s a very deeply doctrinal section.
OBJECT
For an object to this lesson I would bring in a sword. Now I have one that I use quite often as a teacher. Swords come up a lot in the scriptures, so I’ve found that having that particular object quite useful as teacher. It’s not a sharp sword so it’s not really dangerous, but it always makes an impression. If you’re interested in purchasing a sword for this and future lessons, I’ll provide a link to a relatively inexpensive one on Amazon. (https://amzn.to/49v0LrQ)
ICEBREAKER
And for an icebreaker, a quick activity. I’m going to display some famous monsters. Can you name them? You could even do this as a handout if you wish. I’ll make that available.
Rancor
Mike Wizowski
Loch Ness
Frankenstein
Bigfoot
Medusa
Cookie Monster
Godzilla
Monsters seem to capture our imagination as humans and have been around as an idea for millennia. From the monsters of Greek Mythology, Leviathan in the Bible, the Legend of Bigfoot or even Cookie Monster, this idea of imaginary creatures have been a part of almost every culture since the beginning of time. And, maybe they’ve capture your imagination. Were any of you afraid of monsters when you were a child? Hiding in your closet or under your bed? I know I was. I remember I used to jump to my bed every night because I just knew for sure that some big furry claws were going to reach out and drag me under to certain doom. I also remember waking up one night and seeing a strange shape in my room that I was just certain was a monster coming to get me. And I screamed until my parents came running in. And when they turned on the light, it was just my winter coat draped over the chair.
And perhaps as a teacher you or some of your class members could share some of their monster fears or stories.
SEARCH ACTIVITY
Well, there’s a monster in 2 Nephi 9 and I want you to find it. He’s hiding somewhere in the first 13 verses. Where is he and what’s his name?
He’s in verse 10.
10 O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.
Now that’s an awful monster. His name? Death and hell, or physical death and spiritual death. And to clarify the doctrine there, spiritual death doesn’t mean that our spirits cease to exist, but rather it means a separation from the presence of God. So in my mind I picture this monster with two giant claws reaching out for me. For some reason I always picture the Rancor from Return of the Jedi. And I would label his claws, death, and hell.
And because of the fall of Adam, all of us have become subject to that monster, like Luke Skywalker who falls into the rancor pit. And there we are, face to face with the great and awful monster. Well, just like my father used to come into my room at night and make sure that there were no monsters under my bed or in my closet. We have a loving father who comes to rid our rooms of this monster. OR we can picture Jesus as the great monster slayer who fights the monster off for us. And just like the monster has two claws, Christ has a two-edged sword that he uses to lop off the claws of the monster and make him powerless. At this point, I would pick up my sword. What is that two-edged sword? We find it in verses 6-7.
6 For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord.
7 Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.
Did you see the sword? The resurrection and the atonement. This powerful sword was used by Christ to defeat both death and hell, both physical and spiritual death. He overcame both for us.
TRUTH
And that’s our basic doctrine here in this chapter. The main truth Jacob wants us to understand: Through His Atonement and Resurrection, Jesus Christ overcame sin and death for us.
But there’s more he wants us to understand about that doctrine. 2 Nephi 9 deepens our knowledge of that basic truth.
SEARCH ACTIVITY-QUESTIONS
So now I want you to do a little personal study on the atonement and resurrection. I’d like to ask you 4 doctrinal questions, and I want you to see if you can find their answers.
Here they are:
1. If there had been no resurrection or atonement, what would have been the results? 2 Nephi 9:7-9
2. Did Christ suffer for the unlawful actions of those who don’t understand the laws of God like little children, the mentally disabled, or the ignorant? 2 Nephi 9:25-26
3. Did Christ pay for the sins of those who will never accept him or his atonement? (2 Nephi 9:21)
4. Why did Christ need to pay for the sins and transgressions of all individuals? (2 Nephi 9:22)
If there had been no resurrection or atonement, what would have been the results? 2 Nephi 9:7-9
7 Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.
8 O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.
9 And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.
It’s pretty clear how important the resurrection and the atonement were to the plan of salvation
2. Did Christ suffer for the unlawful actions of those who don’t understand the laws of God like little children, the mentally disabled, or the ignorant? 2 Nephi 9:25-26
25 Wherefore, he has given a law; and where there is no law given there is no punishment; and where there is no punishment there is no condemnation; and where there is no condemnation the mercies of the Holy One of Israel have claim upon them, because of the atonement; for they are delivered by the power of him.
26 For the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them, that they are delivered from that awful monster, death and hell, and the devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment; and they are restored to that God who gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel.
So yes, their unlawful actions needed to be paid for as well. But Jesus took that upon himself and therefore death and hell have no claim on them either. The monster can’t get them.
Did Christ suffer for the sins of those who will never accept him or his atonement? (2 Nephi 9:21)
21 And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.
Yes. He did suffer for their pains. Even those who don’t accept him or his sacrifice. He suffers the pains of every man woman and child that ever lived. Which begs this next question:
Why did Christ need to pay for the sins and transgressions of all individuals? (2 Nephi 9:22).
That almost doesn’t seem to make sense. Why make Jesus suffer for the sins of people who don’t accept him. Don’t they have to suffer those things themselves like Doctrine and Covenants 19 tells us? Yes they do, but so does Christ, Christ suffers for them as well. Why? vs. 22 holds part of the answer
22 And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day.
So the resurrection and the atonement make it possible for all people to be brought back to the presence of God to be judged. No unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God, but everyone needs to stand before him to be judged. So, the power of the resurrection and atonement come into play here. Because Jesus suffered the sins of all, all can have their fallen state, at least temporarily overcome so that they can have that final judgment. Those who have accepted Christ’s sacrifice and have sought to live a Celestial law, will be able to continue in the presence of God. Those who have not, will be assigned a lesser kingdom of glory or outer darkness.
So the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ was absolutely necessary not only for us to live forever with a resurrected body, but it also makes it possible for all of us to stand before God at the final judgment-an essential part of God’s plan of happiness.
VIDEO
If you wish to sink this truth deeper into your students hearts, the following video may be helpful. It is a bit more Christmas themed, but does an excellent job of helping us to understand what our existence would have been like without Jesus Christ and his sacrifice. What it would have been like had the monster won.
TAKING IT TO HEART
How does it make you feel to know that Christ has rescued you from the monster of death and hell?
THE TAKEAWAY
It makes me eternally grateful. That we have a hero, a Savior, a loving father who rescues us from the claws of the monster and provides a way for us to escape it. We don’t have to fight it. He fought it, in Gethsemane and on the cross. And, let’s be certain about one thing, this was no easy fight. This wasn’t a quick slash of the sword and a swift victory. Christ struggled and fought and suffered more deeply than any mortal being in eternity, for me, and for you. That monster took an incredible toll on our Redeemer. But when the dust settled, and the darkness finally lifted, Christ stood victorious over that awful beast and raised his sword high for all to see. I’m grateful for that sword and even more grateful for He that wields it.
LESSON #3 THE GLORIOUS OR AWFUL DAY
Now THAT, is just one of the many lessons 2 Nephi 9 has to teach us. But there’s more, a lot more. And I would like to focus on just one more aspect of it.
OBJECT
And for an object, I would bring in a scale or at least display a picture of one. One of those old-fashioned balancing scales. I actually bought a little plastic one that I often use as a teacher to illustrate the principle of balance or justice even.
ICEBREAKER
And for an icebreaker, I display the scale and ask my students if anyone knows the technical term for the part of the scale that the two sides of the scale balances or pivots on. It’s called the fulcrum. All the weight rest or focuses on that one point. It’s the most critical point of the balance. Well, if the scale stands as a representation of the Plan of Salvation, and our part in it, what would you say would be the fulcrum point of the plan. The part upon which all the rest of the plan pivots. The part of the plan where everything before it is leading up to and pointing to it, and then everything after it is affected by that moment. From this list, which would it be?
The war in heaven
Birth
Death
The Resurrection
The Millennium
The Final Judgment
Eternity in the kingdoms of glory
Which did you choose? I know which one Jacob would have chosen. Check your answer by going to 2 Nephi 9:15. And what is it? The judgment. The final judgment. And you could even say that our object lesson was a bit of a hint. Scales are a common symbol for justice and judgment. And how is the final judgment like a fulcrum point? Well, everything that comes before it is going to be taken into account at the judgment. All our premortal, mortal and post mortal decisions and actions will be considered at the judgment. And then, our eternal destinies following the judgment are going to be determined by it. For us personally, the whole plan really balances on that moment, doesn’t it.
And if I had to choose just one verse to hang the rest of our lesson on, the major idea that I feel that Jacob is trying to get across to us here, it would be vs. 46. There are two adjectives that catch my eye in that verse. The final judgment can be one of two kinds of experiences for us. What two words best describe what the final judgment might be for us? It can be either ______________ or _______________. Let’s read it together.
46 Prepare your souls for that glorious day when justice shall be administered unto the righteous, even the day of judgment, that ye may not shrink with awful fear; that ye may not remember your awful guilt in perfectness, and be constrained to exclaim: Holy, holy are thy judgments, O Lord God Almighty—but I know my guilt; I transgressed thy law, and my transgressions are mine; and the devil hath obtained me, that I am a prey to his awful misery.
Did you catch the adjectives? The final judgment can either be Glorious or Awful. Those are the key words for the lesson. Now just approach the rest of the chapter with those two words in mind. Which would you like the final judgment to be? Glorious or awful. We want it to be glorious, right? Jacob will teach us how.
SEARCH ACTIVITY -HANDOUT
For a search activity, a simple handout. I have a list of verses from 2 Nephi 9 that I want you to study. Your challenge will be to put the selected verse or group of verses on the correct side of the handout. Do they describe things that will make for a glorious judgment? Or do they describe things that will make for an awful judgment? Or does it contain examples of both? Also, as we go, we’re going to want to mark those things in two different colors. When we’re done, we’re going to be able to plainly see the choice we have to make or the plan we need to follow.
First, vs. 14
vs. 14 Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.
Well that verse is going to fit into the BOTH category, right? It talks about the two different types of perfect knowledge that we may experience in the next life. On the one side, we may experience a perfect knowledge of all our guilt and our uncleanness. And what does that exactly mean? I don’t know, but I have a theory that I honestly hope is wrong. But it’s a possibility I suppose. Could it mean that I will fully understand how my unrighteous actions and decisions have impacted and affected other people. Maybe we don’t fully comprehend that now. Perhaps people saw us doing something and it shook their faith, or they justified their own sinful actions because they saw us do it. And we may have never even realized it. What impact did our anger, our impatience, our lust, our selfishness have on others? I remember a friend of mine in college distraught with the bad decisions and lifestyle of his younger brother, saying that he could never forgive himself because he was the one who had gotten him into the type of music that promoted that lifestyle. When this friend of mine served a mission he gave up that music, he was strong enough to. But his little brother wasn’t, and it had a lasting influence on him. And my friend felt responsible for that, wrongly or rightly, he felt it. Can you imagine how awful it would be to completely and totally see the negative impact our life may have had on others? That sounds awful to me. I hope that’s not what it means. And by the way I do believe that the gospel and atonement of Christ can cover and heal those types of things, and people need to be accountable for their own decisions.
On the other hand, let’s use that same logic in the positive, because that verse also speaks of receiving a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment and righteousness. And I do hope that this is what this means. Perhaps we will come to fully understand how our righteous actions and decisions have impacted and affected other people. How our example blessed them and changed them and led them in the right direction. We may not fully comprehend that now, but wouldn’t it be amazing to have a perfect knowledge of that influence. The best example of that principle I can think of is that old black and white Christmas masterpiece “It’s a Wonderful Life”. George Bailey is given a perfect knowledge of the good influence his life had had. Maybe we too will receive the gift of knowing what the world would have been like without us. A quick story. I remember refusing to look at a pornographic image that some boys in my computer class had brought up on the screen. Later that month, another classmate passed me a note thanking me for my good example. That because I had refused to look, that it gave them the strength and resolve not to look either. I didn’t even know anybody was watching. If they hadn’t given me that note, I would have never known. How many things like that are out there for us. And how would it feel at the last day to have a perfect knowledge of all the good your life did. To have your own “It’s A Wonderful Life” type moment. That would be glorious, wouldn’t it.
Another thought from that verse. There are two options of how we would like to appear before God at the judgment. Naked, or clothed. Clothed with purity and the robe of righteousness.
Wouldn’t it be awful to appear naked before God. Is that how you want to meet him? Of course, this is symbolic, not literal. But it’s a pretty effective metaphor, isn’t it. How would you feel? Ashamed, embarrassed, you would want to hide. The scriptures say that some will wish that the mountains and rocks would fall on them to hide them from the face of God. Because, when we sin, typically we wish to hide those things. We don’t want others to know about those kinds of things we do. Our secret sins. We can’t hide those things from God. All will be exposed. That would be awful, wouldn’t it?
Or we can come to the judgment clothed with purity and righteousness. That’s how I want to appear before God. Clothed in beautiful righteousness. I know I’ve shared this thought before, but I love the image of the great locker room in the sky. Each one of us has a locker with our name in gold above it. Inside is what we will wear to the judgment and each day of our lives we are weaving threads into that clothing, through our obedience, sacrifice, and service. And if our live have been full of these things, when we open the locker, for women there will be a beautiful dress, and for men a handsome looking 3-piece suit. That’s how I want to appear before the judgment seat. Clothed and confident. However, if our lives have not been full of obedience, and sacrifice and service, how horrified we might be to see what we had to wear, or not wear. Hopefully we can approach the throne of God, fully clothed in in purity and righteousness.
Another way of looking at this is through the lens of the Adam and Eve story. They too felt ashamed after they had partaken of the forbidden fruit and sought to hide themselves from God, to hide their nakedness. They also tried to make their own covering with fig leaves—not a very effective covering. But they confessed their actions to God, turned to Him, and were forgiven. And God gave them a better covering for their nakedness, animal skins. HE clothed them. That is a symbol for the atonement. That animal that was sacrificed in order to provide a covering was the Lamb of God-Jesus Christ. He made it possible for us to be clothed with purity, even though, we too, at times will partake of forbidden fruit. So key verse there
Verse 18:
18 But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever.
That would go on our “glorious” side wouldn’t it. These are things we must do in order to make the judgment day a glorious one for us. Believe in the Holy One of Israel, endure the crosses of the world, and despise the shame of it. We need to believe, and develop faith in Christ and we need to endure the crosses of the world. It’s important for us to understand that we will need to carry those. The glory doesn’t come yet. On Christ’s straight and narrow path, we will encounter crosses. And the only way forward is to pick them up and carry them. And not everybody’s cross is the same. Maybe your cross is a physical or mental disability, maybe it’s a rough home life, losing a child, overcoming an addiction, standing firm in the face of persecution and ridicule, depression, financial difficulties, or loneliness. Or they are the crosses of living righteous in a wicked world. It's not easy to be the one choosing the right, when all around are doing otherwise and wondering why we are going through all that trouble to follow the tenets of our religion. We all have crosses to bear in this life. Opposition in all things. And we’re going to have to despise the shame of them. What does that mean? Maybe that means that we don’t care when they make fun of us or ridicule us. When we hear the laughter of the Great and Spacious building we “heed them not.” It could also mean that I don’t participate in the shameful things the world does. Both interpretations work.
vs. 21
And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.
Glorious. If I hearken to the voice of the Savior, (which implies hearing and obeying, then judgment day, will be glorious).
Vs. 23
23 And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.
Glorious. Repentance, baptism, faith, enduring to the end. Sounds like the 4th article of faith and the first principles and ordinances of the gospel. I just don’t see a mention of the gift of the Holy Ghost but perhaps we can imply that here. This is the Lord’s path to glory.
Vs. 24 on the other hand.
24 And if they will not repent and believe in his name, and be baptized in his name, and endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it.
That’s the awful alternative. If I ignore the first principles and ordinances of the gospel
Now vs. 27
27 But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state!
That’s an awful verse. Those that knowingly transgress God’s laws and waste the days of their probation will end up in an awful state. If I know God’s laws, and I still transgress them, that’s going to be worse for me, then if I never knew them in the first place. Sinning in ignorance is one thing, but knowingly transgressing is completely another.
Verse 28.
28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.
Let’s mark that in our awful color. Learned but unwise. These are people who go out and read every book they can get their hands on, they develop their minds, they earn degrees, plumb the depths of academic and intellectual scholarship. But in the midst of that quest for knowledge, they lose their humility and respect for God’s counsels. That’s a way of wasting the days of our probation.
On the other hand, let’s not forget, vs. 29.
29 But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God. God loves education, spiritual AND secular, and using our minds to their utmost capacity. So let’s learn all we can, but maintain wisdom. And wisdom dictates hearkening unto God’s counsels.
Now I lump verses 30-38 together. And they’re all awful. These are the “WO’s” of 2 Nephi 9 (which by the way is kind of fun alternate activity here in chapter 9, find all the O’s and all the Wo’s. Jacob uses two those words a lot in this chapter. The O’s and Wo’s of 2 Nephi 9.) But here we find a list of awful attitudes and actions that lead to an awful judgment day. Setting my heart on riches. Refusing to hear God’s counsels. Refusing to see God’s wisdom. Hardening my heart. Lying, Murdering, sexual sin, idolatry, and above all, refusing to repent for these things, which we can, they shall return to God, but remain in their sins. Awful.
v. 39 I like this one a lot.
O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.
That verse goes in the BOTH category, right? There are two types of minds we can have. The carnal mind, or the spiritual mind. If I am carnally minded, it will lead me to spiritual death. If I am spiritually minded, it will lead me to life eternal. You’ve heard of being right brained or left brained? Well here’s a similar dynamic. A carnal mind or a spiritual mind. King Benjamin is going to talk about these two sides that we all have inside us, but gives them the terms, the natural man, and the Saint. The carnally minded individual is always looking to please and strengthen the natural man. To give into lust, greed, laziness, and pride. They want what they want now and are constantly yielding to the enticings of the that cunning one. The spiritually minded individual seeks to please and strengthen the saint or spirit within him. To strive for cleanliness, humility, obedience, and sacrifice. Which of the two do we most seek to please? It’s awful to have carnal mind, but glorious to have a spiritual one.
You can see how we could spend a lot of time really digging deep into each of these verses, because they’re so good, but let’s do a few quick ones where I won’t read the entire verse.
vs. 40. BOTH. It’s awful, to revile against the truth, but it’s glorious to love the truth.
vs. 45. Glorious. It’s glorious to shake off the chains of the devil, and come unto God, the rock of our salvation.
Vs. 49. It’s glorious to abhor sin and delight in righteousness. As Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount. We want to hunger and thirst after righteousness.
Vs. 51 could be a BOTH kind of verse. The first part tells us about something awful we can do. Spending money on things which are of no worth, and laboring for things which can’t satisfy—a great description of the wares of the world. BUT, if I hearken, remember, come, feast, and delight, my state will be a glorious one. I love how he says, "Let your souls delight in fatness”. In most areas of life, we want to practice restraint and prudence. But there is one area we are encouraged to indulge. The things of God. It’s like, go ahead, get fat on the gospel. Go back for seconds and thirds. Heap up your plate with it. Feast until you become spiritually obese. That’s a glorious kind of fatness. But if I spiritually restrict my calories, and starve myself of the things of God, and I’m a spiritual stick figure, then, that will be awful.
Vs. 52 adds to our list of glorious verbs. Remember, pray, give thanks, and rejoice.
Now, I think that will do, realizing there is more to this chapter, but I think we’ve covered enough verses to make the point or the decision clear.
TRUTH
We can’t include everything here. So to summarize it into one short statement, I like to key off of that idea we saw in verse 39. I feel it encapsulates all of the actions and attitudes we just studied. If I am carnally minded, my final judgment will be awful. If I am spiritually minded, my final judgment will be glorious.
TAKING IT TO HEART
A pondering question for us to consider. An exercise of the imagination. If the final judgment were tomorrow, would it be awful or glorious for me? And if we’re afraid it might be awful, take heart! It’s not tomorrow! We still have time! We can make a change. The days of our probation are not over yet. Let’s not waste them. We have the resurrection and atonement of Jesus Christ to rely on that can save us from the monster of death and hell. But we’ve got to choose glory.
I WILL GO AND DO
As Jacob has taught us, have you felt any spiritual promptings? What did you hear today? It’s probably going to be different for all of us. Maybe we’ve felt the comforting influence of the Spirit encouraging us to continue down the path of glory we’re striving to walk. Or, maybe it’s prompting us to get rid of something awful in our lives. Whatever it is, I urge us to follow it.
THE TAKEAWAY
Let’s seek to do the things that will make that watershed , fulcrum day a glorious one and not an awful one—things that will make that day the greatest day of our existence. And if we do our part, Christ is sure to do his. With all of these things that we’ve just reviewed that WE must do, let’s also remember, that the only reason we even have a chance of a glorious judgment day is because of the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah. Hopefully we can say with Jacob:
:8 O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace!
:10 O how great the goodness of our God
:13 O how great the plan of our God!
:17 O the greatness and the justice of our God!
:19 O the greatness of the mercy of our God
:20 O how great the holiness of our God!
And perhaps the best way to end this discussion would be with Jacob’s parting words of counsel in chapter 10:23-25
Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved. Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine. Amen.
BONUS: 2 NEPHI 1 and 10 THE PROMISES OF THE PROMISED LAND
The activity I would give you for these two chapters is to search for and mark all the promises God makes with the inhabitants of this land in 2 Nephi 1:5-9 and 2 Nephi 10:10-19.
From 2 Nephi 1 . . .
:5 land of promise
:5 choice above all other lands
:5 covenanted land
for
:5 all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord
So God promises that he will lead many people out of other countries to this nation. America is sometimes referred to as a melting pot. And people from all nations have been led here. America has a very diverse population. That’s by design.
And he promises that . . .
:6 there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.
Another great word in vs. 7
:7 consecrated land (or set apart for a holy purpose) Remember what we learned about America back in 1 Nephi 13
:7 it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore they shall never be brought down into captivity.
:9 if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever.
Then from 2 Nephi 10
:10 the Gentiles shall be blessed upon the land
:11 be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land
:12 I will fortify this land against all other nations
:19 (and again we see that this land is) consecrated, and choice
BUT, there is a warning, back to chapter 1
:7 if iniquity shall abound, cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.
Or if we begin to
:10 dwindle in unbelief
THEN
:11 he will bring other nations unto them, and he will give unto them power, and he will take away from them the lands of their possessions, and he will cause the to be scattered and smitten.
So how do you know if your nation is dwindling in unbelief? To dwindle means to diminish gradually. So what are the signs that your nation is dwindling in unbelief?
One sign is that they begin to lose their knowledge of the creation of the earth and Man.
How are we doing on that one? Do the majority of Americans believe in a divine creation? Or something else?
They begin to forget the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world. Well where do we read about the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world. The scriptures. How are we as a nation doing with respecting, and using, and understanding the scriptures?
They begin to discredit and disregard the power of faith.
They move away from the following of the commandments. And here you could just list each of the 10 commandments and ask how our nation is doing with each? What grade would you give us on keeping the Sabbath day holy, taking the name of the Lord in vain, committing adultery, or coveting. I’ll let you answer that
And the final indicator, how you really know that you are on the brink of full dwindling.
They begin to reject the Savior. How are we doing there?
Well, if America allows herself to dwindle
:10 behold the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them.
That is the law of this land. And we already have two great examples of this law in this land’s history. The Jaredites being replaced by the Nephites and Lamanites, and the Nephites and Lamanites being replaced by the Gentiles.
We would do well to heed the fate of these two civilizations. Don’t dwindle in unbelief. Even though you may not be able to control your nation, at least as an individual, you can control your fate. So remember the promises of the promised land. They are contingent upon our righteousness and belief.
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