Page:A dictionary of the Book of Mormon.pdf/188

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Jesus Christ.
178

darkened and refuse to give his light and also the moon and stars; and there should be no light upon the face of this land, from the time He died to the time that he arose again from the dead. At His death there should be mighty thunderings and lightnings for many hours, and the earth should shake and tremble, and the rocks which are upon its face should be broken up; and there should be great tempests, and many mountains should be laid low, and valleys should become mountains of great height, and many cities should become desolate. And many graves should yield up their dead; and many saints should appear unto the living.

Signs of His Birth. When six hundred years had passed from the time Lehi left Jerusalem, the time arrived of which Samuel, the Lamanite, and other prophets had borne testimony, when the phenomena should appear to bear witness of the birth of the Son of God. As the day drew near, signs and miracles increased among the people. But the hardened in heart began to circulate the idea that the time had passed and the prophecies had failed. They even went so far as to appoint a day when all who believed in the coming of the Savior should be slain, except the sign be first given.

This gross wickedness caused Nephi, the high priest, great sorrow. Before God, in mighty prayer, he bowed all the day long. At last the comforting word of the Anointed One came unto him, saying: On this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouths of my holy prophets. As was thus declared, so was it fulfilled. At the going down of the sun it was as light as day, and so continued until the morning, when the sun again rose in its usual course. A new star had also appeared in the heavens. Then the faithful rejoiced. They knew that their Redeemer was born, and that the great plan of