Book of Mormon (Plain English Version)/Mormon
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Mormon's early years...(compare Mormon, chapter 1) And now I, Mormon, make a record of what I have both seen and heard, and I call it the book of Mormon. (Mormon chapters 1-7)
Note: Mormon wrote chapters 1-7 before he was killed, and his son Moroni wrote chapters 8 and 9.
When I was about 10 years old, I had already begun to learn the ways of my people. At that time, Ammaron came to me and said,
"I've noticed that you're a serious-minded child, quick to observe and learn. So remember what you now observe among this people.
When you're about 24 years old, go to Shim Hill in the land of Antum. In that hill, I have deposited all the Nephite records unto the Lord. Only take Nephi's plates and leave the rest alone. Then engrave everything you have observed about this people onto those plates."
I remembered what Ammaron told me to do. I, Mormon, am a descendant of Nephi. My father's name was also Mormon. When I was 11 years old, my father took me south to Zarahemla. The whole land had become covered with buildings, and the people were almost as numerous as the sands of the sea.
A war broke out between the Nephites (which included Jacobites, Josephites and Zoramites) and the Lamanites (which included Lemuelites and Ishmaelites). The war was fought near the Sidon waters in the land of Zarahemla.
The Nephite army, with more than 30,000 men, beat the Lamanites in many battles that year, killing many of them.
After the Lamanites retreated, there was peace for about four years.
So much wickedness prevailed throughout the whole land that the Lord took away His beloved disciples, along with their healing and miracles. From then on, there were no gifts from the Lord, for the Holy Ghost did not come upon anyone because of wickedness and unbelief.
When I was 15, because I was a serious young man, the Lord visited me, and I tasted and knew of Jesus' goodness. But when I attempted to preach to my people, my mouth was shut. I was forbidden to preach because my people had willfully rebelled against their God. I stayed among them but said nothing about God because their hearts were so hard.
The land was also cursed because of the hardened hearts. The Gadianton robbers among the Lamanites infested the land so much that the Nephites buried their treasure to keep it from being stolen. Yet their treasure became elusive, for the Lord's curse was upon the land, and the Nephites could not find their buried treasures.
Note: 316 years before it happened, Samuel had prophesied: "And it shall come to pass, saith the Lord of Hosts, yea, our great and true God, that whoso shall hide up treasures in the earth shall find them again no more, because of the great curse of the land, save he be a righteous man and shall hide it up unto the Lord." -- Helaman 13:18.
There was also sorcery, witchcraft and magic, for the power of the evil one was over the entire land. This condition fulfilled all of Abinadi's and Samuel's words.
At age 16, Mormon leads army... (compare Mormon, chapter 2)
Another war broke out between the Nephites and the Lamanites in 325 AD.
Though young, I was strong, so the Nephites appointed me to lead their armies. In the year 326 AD, at age 16, I led the Nephite army against the Lamanites.
In 327 AD the Lamanites came upon us with such great power that they frightened my army, and we retreated to the north. We came to the city of Angola, took possession of it, and prepared to defend ourselves against the Lamanites. We fortified the city with all our strength, but the Lamanites still drove us out.
They also drove us out of the land of David, and we marched to the land of Joshua, near the western seashore. We gathered our people as quickly as possible into one body. But the land was filled with robbers and Lamanites. In spite of the great destruction that hung over my people, they would not repent of their evil doings.
Blood and carnage spread through all the land, among the Nephites and Lamanites. All people were in a constant cycle of warfare.
The Lamanite king, Aaron, came against us with an army of 44,000. I withstood him with my army of 42,000, and their army ran before us. This three-year war ended in 330 AD.
At this time the Nephites began to repent and cry out, as Samuel prophesied they would. No one could keep his own property because of the thieves, robbers, murderers, magic arts and witchcraft in the land. This caused great mourning and lamentation all over the land, especially among the Nephites.
When I, Mormon, saw their sorrow before the Lord, my heart began to rejoice, for I knew of the Lord's mercy and long-suffering. I thought He would be merciful to them, that they would again become a righteous people.
But my joy was vain, for their sorrowing did not bring them to repentance. Theirs was the sorrowing of the damned, for the Lord no longer allowed them to take pleasure in sin.
They did not come to Jesus with broken hearts, for they were not truly sorry for their sins. They cursed God and wished to die, yet they fought with the sword for their lives.
My sorrow returned as I realized their day of grace had passed, both temporally and spiritually, for I saw thousands of them cut down in open rebellion against their God and heaped up like manure over the land. I had witnessed all this by the end of 344 AD.
In 345 AD the Nephites were chased by the Lamanites to the land of Jashon, near Antum--the land where Ammaron had deposited the records unto the Lord.
About 11 years earlier (at age 24), I had gone to Shim Hill, taken out Nephi's plates, and engraved on them according to Ammaron's instructions. On Nephi's plates, I made a complete account of all the Nephites' wickedness and sins that I had seen in my youth.
But on these, my own plates, I haven't made a full record of their wickedness, for I've seen nothing but wickedness ever since I've been old enough to understand the ways of men.
My life has been cursed, and my heart has been filled with sorrow because of their wickedness. Yet I know I will be resurrected at the last day.
During 345 AD we, the Nephites, were again hunted and driven north to the land of Shem. We fortified the city of Shem and gathered as many people as possible, hoping to save ourselves from destruction.
In 346 AD the Lamanites came upon us again. Using great energy, I urged my people to stand boldly before them and fight for their wives, children and homes. My words aroused them enough to keep them from running away from the Lamanites, and they stood boldly against them.
Our army of 30,000 fought the Lamanite army of 50,000 so firmly that they ran from us. We chased them, met them again, and beat them. But the Lord's strength was not with us, for His Spirit was not in us, and we had become weak like our brethren, the Lamanites.
My heart sorrowed because of my people's great calamity, but we went against the Lamanites and Gadianton robbers again and again, until by 349 AD we had retaken our lands of inheritance.
In 350 AD we made a treaty with the Lamanites and Gadianton robbers to divide our lands of inheritance. The Lamanites gave us the northern land, all the way to the narrow passage that led into the southern land, and we gave them all the southern land.
Another chance to repent... (compare Mormon, chapter 3)
The Lamanites did not come to battle again for ten years. During that time, I employed my people, the Nephites, in preparing their lands and preparing weapons for the time of battle.
Then the Lord told to me to cry to this people,
"Repent and come to me.
Be baptized and build up my church again.
If you do this, you will be spared."
I told this to my people, but it was in vain. My people did not realize it was the Lord their God who had spared them, giving them a chance to repent, so they hardened their hearts against Him.
Three hundred sixty years after the coming of Christ, the Lamanite king sent a letter to me, telling me that he and his people were preparing to come to battle against us again.
I had my people gather in the city of Desolation, which was on the border near the narrow pass that led to the southern land. We placed all our armies in Desolation to stop the Lamanite army from taking possession of our lands.
In 361 AD the Lamanites came to Desolation to battle against us, but we beat them, and they returned to their own lands.
The following year they came again, and we beat them again, killing a great number of them, and we threw their bodies into the sea. Because of this victory, my people began to boast of their own strength. They swore by the heavens and by the throne of God that they would avenge the blood of their brethren who had been killed, that they would go to battle against their enemies and cut them off the face of the land.
When they had done this, I, Mormon, utterly refused to continue being their commander and leader. Before this, I had led them to battle many times, in spite of their wickedness. I had loved them with all my heart because of God's love in me. My soul had been poured out in prayer to my God all day long for them, but I prayed without faith in them, for their hearts were hard.
The Lord had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies three times, and they still would not repent. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ had forbidden them to swear by heaven or by the throne of God. And because they did this, swearing that they would avenge themselves of the blood of their brethren, the Lord's voice said to me,
"Vengeance is mine, and I will repay. Because this people will not repent after I have delivered them, they will be cut off the face of the earth."
This is why I refused to go against my enemies again. I did what the Lord commanded me, and I became a witness to the world of what I saw and heard--things shown to me by the Spirit, which had testified of things to come.
This is why I now write to you, the Gentiles, and also to the house of Israel. When the work of the Father begins, you, the members of the house of Israel, will be preparing to return to the lands of your inheritance.
I write to the people of the earth, who will be judged by the twelve apostles whom Jesus chose in Jerusalem.
I also write to the descendants of this people (the Lamanites), who will be judged by the twelve disciples whom Jesus chose in this land. And those disciples will be judged by the twelve apostles of Jerusalem. The Spirit shows these things to me.
I write to all, so you will know you must stand before the judgment-seat of Christ. Every soul who belongs to the family of Adam and Eve must stand to be judged by his or her own works, whether they be good or evil.
I write to help you believe the gospel of Jesus Christ that will be among you (the LDS Church).
I write so the Jews, the covenant people of the Lord, will have another witness (The Book of Mormon), besides Him whom they saw and heard, that Jesus, whom they killed, is the very Christ and God.
I wish I could persuade all people of the earth to repent and prepare to stand before His judgment-seat.
Mormon witnesses evil, leads army... (compare Mormon, chapter 4)
In 363 AD the Nephite armies went out of the city of Desolation to battle the Lamanites but were driven back. While still weary, they were attacked by a fresh Lamanite army.
After a sore battle, the Lamanites took the city of Desolation, killing many Nephites and taking many prisoners. Those who were not killed or captured ran to the nearby city of Teancum, located on the western seashore near Desolation.
The Nephite army lost many men by attacking the Lamanites. If they had stayed in the city of Desolation, the Lamanites would not have overpowered them.
It was in reality, God's judgments that overpowered the Nephites, for He allows the wicked to create war, and thereby the wicked punish the wicked.
The Lamanites began to prepare for war again. In 364 AD they attacked the city of Teancum to try and take it. But the Lamanites were driven back by the Nephites, who again boasted of their own strength.
And with confidence in their own might, the Nephites regained the city of Desolation. Thousands of Nephites and Lamanites were killed during these struggles.
By 366 AD the Nephites had still not repented, and the Lamanites attacked them again.
It is impossible to speak, or to write a perfect description, of the horrible scene of blood and carnage among the Nephites and the Lamanites. Every heart was so hard, they all delighted in continuel bloodshed. The Lord told me there had never been such great wickedness among all of Lehi's descendants, or among all the house of Israel, as there was among this people.
Because they greatly outnumbered the Nephites, the Lamanites conquered Desolation a second time. Then they marched against the city of Teancum and drove out the Nephites. They captured many women and children and offered them up as sacrifices to their idol gods.
In 367 AD the Nephites went against the Lamanites in great anger, for the Lamanites had sacrificed their women and children. They beat the Lamanites a second time and drove them out of their lands.
This time the Lamanites did not come back for eight years. When they did come back, they came in all their power, with an army too numerous to be counted. From this time on, the Nephites never overpowered the Lamanites again, but began to be swept off the earth like the morning dew before the sun.
The Lamanites attacked Desolation a third time and beat the Nephites in a very sore battle. The Nephites ran to the city of Boaz and stood very boldly against the Lamanites, who had to attack them twice before beating them. The Nephites were again driven and slaughtered, and again their women and children were sacrificed to idol gods. The Nephites ran, taking all the inhabitants of their towns and villages with them.
As I, Mormon, realized that the Lamanites were about to overthrow the land, I went to Shim Hill and took out all the records Ammaron had hidden unto the Lord.
Covenants remembered through this book... (compare Mormon, chapter 5)
Then I went among the Nephites, breaking the oath I had made to no longer help them. They again gave me command of their armies and looked to me as if I could deliver them from their afflictions. But I had no hope for them, knowing that the Lord's judgments were upon them. They would not repent, but struggled for their lives without calling upon that Being who created them.
The Lamanites attacked us in the city of Jordan, but we drove them back. They came again, and we again held them off. Other cities were also maintained by the Nephites. These strongholds cut the Lamanites off from the northern lands, preventing them from destroying our people in the north.
By the end of 379 AD the Lamanites had killed all the Nephites who had not gathered into the strongholds and had burned their towns, villages and cities.
In 380 AD the Lamanites attacked us again, and we stood against them boldly. But it was all in vain, for they were so numerous they tread down the Nephites. We ran again before the Lamanites. Those who could run faster than the Lamanites escaped, and those who could not were caught and killed.
And now, I, Mormon, do not want to horrify you by describing this awful scene of blood and carnage before me, but I know this history must be made known. I also know that all things hidden must be made known to all people.
I know that the descendants of this people (Native North, Central and South Americans, and Polynesians), and the Gentiles, who will scatter them and consider them to be worthless, will have this history. Knowing this, I write this limited account of what I have seen.
I will not make a full account because I have been commanded not to, and also because I don't want you to sorrow too much over this people's wickedness.
I write to their descendants, and also to the Gentiles who care for the house of Israel, who realize and know from where their blessings come. They will sorrow over the destruction of this people, wishing they had repented and had been held in the arms of Jesus.
These records are written to Israel's descendants, for God knows my people, who are wicked, cannot preserve these records. This is why I have been commanded to hide them unto the Lord. And I know they will all come forth in His own due time.
This record will go to the unbelieving Jews to persuade them that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God -- that through His most Beloved Son, the Father may bring about His great, eternal purposes, and fulfill His covenant to restore the Jews, and all of the house of Israel, to the lands He has given them as an inheritance.
This record will also help my people's descendants to more fully believe His gospel, which will come to them from the Gentiles (Joseph Smith, Jr. and others of European descent, were "Gentiles").
Before this, my people's descendants will be scattered by the Gentiles. They will have become a dark, filthy and loathsome people, more than any who have lived among us, or among the Lamanites. This condition will be the result of their unbelief and idolatry.
The Lord's Spirit has already left this people. They are without Christ and God in this world, and they are driven about like chaff in the wind.
Once they were a delightful people with Christ as their shepherd, and they were led by God the Father. But now they are led by Satan, like a ship being tossed on the waves without sail, anchor or rudder.
The Lord will give their blessings to the Gentiles, who will possess this land. After the Gentiles have scattered my people's descendants, the Lord will remember the covenant He made with Abraham, and with all the house of Israel. He will also remember the prayers of the righteous, who have prayed for their descendants.
And then, oh you Gentiles (including LDS Gentiles, from where the gospel will come), how can you stand before God's power without repenting of your evil ways? Don't you know that you are in God's hands--that He has all power, and at His great command the earth will be rolled together like a scroll?
Therefore, repent and humble yourselves before Him. Otherwise, He will come out in justice against you, and a remnant of Jacob's descendants will go in among you, like a lion, and tear you to pieces, and no one will deliver you.
Note: This analogy of being "torn into pieces by a lion, with none to deliver" originates with David referring to his soul in (Psalms 7:2). The analogy appears again 300 years later, used by Micah, who prophesied of the last days...
"And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people...as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who... teareth in pieces, and none can deliver (Micah 5:8).
Over 700 years after Micah's day, the resurrected Savior told the Nephites His warnings to the Gentiles of the last days...
"And I say unto you, that if the Gentiles do not repent after the blessing which they shall receive, after they have scattered my people—Then shall ye, who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them....as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who...teareth in pieces, and none can deliver (3 Nephi 20:15-16).
This was actually the Savior's second warning to the Gentiles. His first was about Gentiles being "trodden down" if they did not repent after sinning against the gospel, after rejecting its fulness because of pride (3 Nephi 16:10-15). The Savior warned the Gentiles a third time, again using the "lion" analogy (3 Nephi 21:12).
Having read these warnings given by the Savior, engraved 350 years prior to the destruction of his own people, and experiencing first hand the Lamanites going in and tearing his people to pieces like a lion, with none to deliver, it's no wonder that Mormon again warned latter-day Gentiles to repent, using this powerful, graphic analogy (Mormon 5:22-24).
Mormon's last battle... (compare Mormon, chapter 6) Now I, Mormon, will finish engraving the record of the destruction of my people, for the Nephite people fought one last battle with the Lamanites.
I wrote a letter to the Lamanite king, asking him to allow us to gather our people to the land of Cumorah, near Cumorah Hill, where we could battle them. The Lamanite king allowed this, so we marched to the land of Cumorah and pitched our tents around Cumorah Hill.
This land was full of lakes, rivers and springs, and here we hoped to gain advantage over the Lamanites.
We gathered all our people to Cumorah in 384 AD.
At age 74 I knew this was my people's last struggle. The Lord had commanded me not to allow the sacred records that had been handed down by our forefathers to fall into Lamanite hands, for they would destroy them.
This is why I made this record from Nephi's plates. I hid all the other plates in Cumorah Hill. The only plates I have not hidden are these ones, which I have given to my son Moroni.
My people, along with their wives and children, watched the great Lamanite army marching toward them, and waited to receive them with that awful fear of death that fills the hearts of the wicked.
As the Lamanites came, every one of us was terrified because of their great numbers. They attacked my people with their swords, bows and arrows, axes and all other types of weapons.
My 10,000 men were cut down, and I fell wounded among them, so the Lamanites passed over me and did not kill me.
The next morning, from the top of Cumorah Hill, my son Moroni and I, and 23 other survivors, saw my 10,000 soldiers that I had led into battle, all dead.
We also saw Moroni's 10,000 dead. We saw Gidgiddonah's 10,000 dead, and he had fallen among them. We saw Lamah, Gilgal, Limhah, Jeneum, Cumenihah, Moronihah, Antionum, Shiblom, Shem and Josh, who had each fallen with their 10,000.
There were ten more leaders who had fallen by the sword, each with their 10,000. In addition to these men (230,000 dead), all my people (probably more than a million, not including the dead of the Lamanites) had been killed, except for the 24 who were with me, a few who had escaped to the south, and a few who had deserted to the Lamanites.
Everywhere lay the flesh, bones and blood of the dead, who had been left by the Lamanites to decompose and return to their mother earth. My soul was torn with anguish over my people, and I cried,
"Oh you fair ones, how could have you departed from the Lord's ways, rejecting Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!
If only you had not rejected Him, then you would not have fallen. But you have fallen, and I mourn your loss. Oh you fair sons, daughters, fathers and mothers, how could you have fallen! But you are gone and my sorrow cannot bring you back.
Soon the day will come when your mortal bodies will be made immortal. Then you will stand before the judgment-seat of Christ to be judged according to your works. If you are somehow found righteous, you will be blessed with your forefathers.
Oh that you had repented before this great destruction came upon you. But you are gone, and knowing your condition, the Eternal Father of heaven will deal with you according to His justice and mercy."
A message to latter-day Lamanites... (compare Mormon, chapter 7)
Now I write to the descendants of this people who are spared (the latter-day Lamanites), if God will give them my words, that they may know of their forefathers.
I want you to know that you are of the house of Israel, and that you must repent or you cannot be saved. You must put down your weapons and not delight in bloodshed. Do not take up your weapons again unless God commands you.
You must learn of your forefathers and repent of all your sins, believing in Jesus Christ--that He is the Son of God who was killed by the Jews. He rose again by the power of the Father, and gained victory over the grave. He brings about the resurrection so that we may stand before His judgment-seat. He has redeemed the world.
This redemption brings the gift of living with God forever to those who are found guiltless before Him on judgment day.
With the choirs above, those who are given this gift will sing endless praises to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who act as one God.
So repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus, embracing the gospel of Christ that will be presented to you. The Gentiles will bring you this gospel, found in this record (The Book of Mormon), and also found in the record that the Jews will give to the Gentiles (The Holy Bible).
The Holy Bible will be written to persuade you to believe the gospel of Christ. If you believe its messages, you will also believe the messages of The Book of Mormon. Then you will come to know the marvelous works done by God's power among your forefathers. You will also know you are descendants of Jacob, numbered among the people of the first covenant.
If you believe in Christ and are baptized, first with water, and then with fire and the Holy Ghost, following the example of our Savior, then it will be well with you on judgment day. Amen.
Moroni finishes his father's book... (compare Mormon, chapter 8)
Now I, Moroni, finish the record of my father, Mormon. There are only a few things he told me to write.
After the tremendous battle at Cumorah, the Nephites who had escaped to the south were all hunted and killed by the Lamanites. My father was also killed by them.
Only I remain to write the sad tale of my people's destruction, for they are all gone. I alone fulfill my father's commandment, not knowing if the Lamanites will kill me, too.
I will write and then hide these records in the earth. After I do this, it does not matter where I go.
My father made this record and wrote its purpose (see Title Page). I would also write the purpose if I had room on the plates, but I do not.
And I have no ore, for I am alone. All my friends and relatives have been killed in battle, and I do not know where to go, nor how long the Lord will allow me to live.
Four hundred years have passed since the coming of our Lord and Savior. The Lamanites have hunted down my people in every city until they have become extinct. It has been a great and marvelous destruction.
The Lord's hand has done this. The Lamanites are now at war with one another, and on the whole face of this land there is one continual round of murder and bloodshed.
I will write no more about the Lamanites, for only Lamanites and robbers are left. There is no one left who knows the true God, except Jesus' three disciples. The Lord would not allow them to stay with us because of the people's wickedness, and no one knows where they are. But my father and I have seen them, and they have visited us.
Whoever receives this record and does not condemn it because of its imperfections will know greater things than these.
Note: "Greater things" are mentioned in 2 Ne 28:30, 3 Ne 26:8-10, and Ether 4:6-8.
If it were possible, I would make all things known to you. This is all I will say about our people.
I am the son of Mormon, who was a descendant of Nephi. I am the one who hides this record unto the Lord.
These gold plates themselves are of no worth to anyone, for no one will be allowed to have them to sell for money. However, the messages written on these plates are of great worth, and whoever brings them to light will be blessed by the Lord.
Only those who work to glorify God, and for the welfare of the ancient and long-dispersed covenant people of the Lord, will have the power to bring these records to light. He who will bring them to light is blessed according to God's word. By His power, these records will come out of the earth, shining out of darkness, and will come unto the knowledge of the people.
If this record has faults, they are the faults of men. We do not know of any faults (historically or doctrinally), but God knows all things. Whoever condemns this record is in danger of spiritual destruction.
Whoever says, "Show me a sign that this is true, or you will die," is doing what the Lord forbids. For whoever judges rashly will be judged in the same manner. All will be paid according to their works. So whoever destroys others will be destroyed by the Lord.
The Lord says in the scriptures,
"Do not kill or judge, for judgment and vengeance are mine,
and I will repay."
Those who fight the Lord's work and His covenant people--the house of Israel, saying, "We will destroy the Lord's work, and the Lord will not remember the covenant that He made to the house of Israel," will be in danger of being cut down and burned.
For the Lord's eternal purposes will continue until all His promises are fulfilled.
Study all of Isaiah's prophecies, for I cannot write them all.
The saints who have gone before me, who have possessed this land, will cry (pray) from the dust to the Lord.
As the Lord lives, He will remember the covenant He made with them. The Lord has heard their prayers, made in behalf of their descendants. He knows of their faith, for in His name they moved mountains and caused earthquakes.
By the power of His word they caused prisons to collapse. Fire, wild animals and poisonous snakes could not hurt them.
They prayed for the man whom the Lord would allow to bring forth these records.
They will come forth because the Lord said they would. By His hand, they will come out of the earth, and no one can stop it.
These records will come at a time when people will say that miracles are over.
They will come forth as one speaking from the dead.
These records will come forth when the blood of the saints will cry to the Lord for justice to be brought upon secret combinations and works of darkness.
These records will come at a time when God's power is denied, when churches are defiled, and when church leaders and teachers are lifted up with so much pride in their hearts that they will envy members of their own church.
These records will come when fires, storms and volcanoes will occur in foreign lands.
There will also be wars and earthquakes in various places.
These records will go throughout the earth when great pollutions are upon it, such as murder, robbery, lying, deception, prostitution and every other type of sin.
Note: In the scriptures, the words "pollute, polluted, and pollutions" were never intended to refer to a physical state. One of Moroni's main commissions was to describe the spiritual degeneration of the last days, and to warn us accordingly. An isolated description of urban environmental conditions would not only be an inconsistent use of the word "pollutions," but irrelevant to the purpose of his record. Note the singular meaning of the words, "pollutions" and "polluted" in 1 Ne 8:33, Mosiah 25:11 and Mormon 8:38.
Many will say, "Do whatever you like. It doesn't matter, for the Lord will support you in the end."
Cursed are such, for they are controlled by their sins and are full of bitterness.
These records will come in a day when people will build up churches and say, "Come to me, and for money you will be forgiven of your sins."
Oh you wicked, perverse, stubborn people. Why have you built up churches for yourselves to make money? Why have you distorted God's holy word (The Holy Bible), damning yourselves?
Look to God's revelations, for the time will come when all of these things will be fulfilled.
The Lord has shown me the great and marvelous things that will occur at the time when these records will come forth to you (Great and marvelous things? Review entire chapter of 3 Nephi 21).
I speak to you as if you were present, for Jesus Christ has shown you to me, and I know your works.
I know that except for a few of you, you are all proud, wearing fine clothes, envying, contending with and persecuting one another.
Every one of your churches has become polluted because of your pride.
You love money and the things you own.
You love fine clothing and adorning your churches more than you love the poor, the needy, the sick and afflicted among you. Oh you polluted, hypocritical teachers who sell yourselves for nothing!
Why have you polluted God's holy church?
Note: Can we name "God's holy church", a church Moroni saw in vision in 400 A.D.? What would qualify a church to be God's church? What would qualify it to be holy? Of course it would have to be His church, established by Him alone.
Moroni saw people living in a time of great wickendess, in a time when "great and marvelous" things would be coming forth. What are those things? They are the messages of the brass plates (Alma 37:3-4). The messages of the rest of The Book of Mormon....the "greater" things. Those things will only come forth when the Gentiles (particularly LDS Gentiles) humble themselves and become sanctified as Jared's brother was sanctified (see Ether 4:4-7).
It has been made clear by latter-day prophets that all is not well in Zion. For example, read President Spencer W. Kimball's message to the LDS Church in the July 1976 Ensign entitled, "False God's We Worship". Also read Pres. Ezra T. Benson's talk to the LDS Church on pride in the May 1989 Ensign. Nephi saw the future and wrote that we'd be telling ourselves, "all is well in Zion, yea Zion prospereth" and thus be carefully lead to hell (2 Nephi 28:21).
Futhermore, the Lord placed the entire Church under condemnation in 1832 (see D&C 84:54-57), and President Benson reminded the body of the Church no less than six times in as many years that this condemnation had not yet been lifted, that the only way to lift the condemnation was to read and heed The Book of Mormon (The New Covenant). Furthermore, speaking of a day of wrath, burning and desolation, the Lord said, "...and upon my house shall it begin." (D&C 112:23-26).
Why are you ashamed to take the name of Christ upon yourselves?
Why do you value the world's praise more than endless happiness?
Why do you wear those beautiful things that have no life of their own, while ignoring the hungry, the needy, the ill-clothed, the sick and the oppressed who pass by you? Why do you build up and uphold secret combinations in order to profit yourselves, and allow the widows and orphans to mourn as their dead fathers and husbands cry to the Lord for vengeance upon your heads?
Note: President Ezra T. Benson, in the ENSIGN, Jan. 1988, pg. 5, wrote to LDS Church members, "If we don't quit building up and supporting secret combinations, the situation will continue to degenerate as it did anciently." Compare this quote with Helaman 6:38.
The sword of vengeance hangs over you, and the time soon comes when the Lord will avenge the blood of the saints upon you, for He will not allow their cries to go unanswered.
Moroni questions latter-day people... (compare Mormon, chapter 9)
And now I, Moroni, speak about those whom I saw, who will not believe in Christ (the previous chapter was addressed to believers of Christ).
Will you believe in Christ when He comes on that great day when the earth is rolled together like a scroll, and when the elements will melt with fervent heat?
And when you are brought to stand before the Lamb of God, will you then say there is no God?
Will you deny Christ while in His presence?
Do you think you could live with Him, aware of your own guilt?
Do you think you could be happy living with that holy Being when your soul is racked with guilt for having abused His laws?
You would be more miserable living with a holy and just God, being aware of your filthiness, than you would living with the damned souls of hell. For when you realize how exposed your soul is before God in His glory, and realize the holiness of Jesus Christ, your soul will be filled with a flame of unquenchable fire.
Turn to the Lord, you who are unbelievers. Cry mightily to the Father, in the name of Jesus, that perhaps you may be found spotless--spiritually pure, fair and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb at that great and last day. Again, I speak to you who deny God's power, who say there are no more revelations, prophecies, and other gifts, such as healing, or the speaking and understanding of foreign or unknown languages.
Whoever denies these things does not know the gospel of Christ and has not read the scriptures. Or if he has read the scriptures, he does not understand them.
For do we not read that God is unchangeable forever? If you have imagined that He varies, then you have imagined a god that is not a God of miracles.
But I will show you a God of miracles--the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the same God who created the heavens, the earth, and everything in them.
He created Adam and Eve, who fell from the garden. Because they fell, Jesus Christ came, who is the Father and the Son. Because of Jesus Christ, all people will be resurrected (redeemed from the death of the body). Because of the resurrection, when the trumpet will sound at the great and last day, everyone will be brought back into the Lord's presence to be judged. Whoever was happy, being righteous on earth, will still be happy in his righteousness. And whoever was unhappy, being wicked on earth, will remain unhappy, and will still be wicked.
To those who have imagined a god who cannot do miracles, I ask, have all the miracles I have mentioned come to an end? No, for God has not stopped being a God of miracles.
Are not the things that God has done marvelous to our eyes? Yes, and who can comprehend His marvelous works? Who can say that the creation of the heavens, of the earth, and of Adam and Eve, all from the dust and by His word, are not miracles?
Who can say that Jesus Christ and His disciples did not do many mighty miracles?
If there were miracles then, how can God stop being a God of miracles when He is an unchangeable being? He has not changed, for He continues to be a God of miracles.
The reason He stops doing miracles among people is that they lose faith, turning from the right way, and they grow in ignorance of the God they should be trusting.
If one believes in Christ without any doubts, then whatever he asks the Father in the name of Christ will be given to him. This promise is to every person on the earth.
For the multitude heard Jesus Christ, the Son of God, say to His three disciples who will never die,
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every soul. Those who believe and are baptized will be saved, but those who do not believe will be damned.
These signs will follow those who believe: In my name they will cast out devils and speak in new languages. They will hold deadly serpents and consume poisoned drink and suffer no harm. They will lay their hands on the sick and heal them. To all who believe in my name without doubts, I will confirm all my words, no matter where they live on earth."
Now, who can stand up against the Lord's works? Who can deny His words? Who will rise up against the almighty power of the Lord? Who will despise Christ's children and their works? All of you who despise the Lord's works will be amazed, and then perish.
Do not despise revelation, but rather, listen to the Lord's words. Ask the Father, in the name of Jesus, for what you need. Do not doubt, but believe, and begin to come to the Lord with all your heart, working out your salvation with fear and trembling before Him.
Be wise in the days of your probation. Rid yourself of all uncleanness. Do not ask for something to fulfill your selfish desires. Ask with determined faith, that you will not give in to any temptation, but that you will serve the true and living God.
Do not be baptized or take the sacrament of Christ unworthy. Do it in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
If you do this and continue in righteousness throughout your lives, you will live in God's kingdom.
I speak to you as if speaking from the dead, for I know you will have my words when I am gone. Do not condemn me, nor my father Mormon, nor others because of our imperfections. Thank God for showing you our imperfections, that you may learn to be more wise than our people have been.
We have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters we call reformed Egyptian. This language has been handed down and changed by us, according to our way of speaking.
Note: One example of their changed speech was the elimination of the phrase, "And it came to pass". Mormon and Moroni never used that phrase in their own writings. It was archaic even in their day.
If our plates had been large enough, we would have written in Hebrew, which we have also changed over the years. If we had the space to write in Hebrew, our record would not have the writing imperfections it now has.
The Lord knows what we have written, and also that no other people know our reformed Egyptian language. This is why He has prepared a way for it to be interpreted.
We write these things to rid our robes of our brethren's blood, who have lived in unbelief. We want our brethren (the Lamanites) to know about Christ again. According to the prayers of the saints who have lived in this land, and according to their faith in Jesus Christ, may God the Father remember the covenant that He made with Israel's descendants and bless them forever. Amen.
