Timothy B. Wilson

“ We see that those who accept the word of God, which is quick and powerful to destroy all the devil's cunning plans, will be led, as a man or woman of Christ, in a straight and narrow course, to cross over that everlasting gulf of misery prepared for the wicked. Their immortal souls will end up at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and with all our holy forefathers, never to leave again.
Forty-three BC was a year of continual rejoicing in the land of Zarahemla, and in all the surrounding regions, even in all the land populated by Nephites. ”

“ In days ahead, you will also say, 'We are surrounded by demons--by the angels of him who has sought to destroy our souls, and our sins are great. Oh Lord, can Thou not turn Thine anger away from us?'
But in those days, your days of probation will be over. You will have put off the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction will be certain.
All your lives you have been trying to get what you can never have--happiness in doing wrong. You can never be happy while being wicked because this goes against the nature of righteousness. ”

“ You say he is a false prophet, a sinner, and of the devil. You do this because he testifies of your evil acts.
But you only listen to those who say, 'What you are doing is not wrong. You will not suffer. Be proud of yourselves. Do whatever you like.' You make these men famous and give them money. They begin to wear expensive clothes and tell you how wonderful you are, and how great your future will be, and so you find no fault in them. ”

“ I, the Lord, see that most of the people in Zarahemla will harden their hearts against me. I, the Lord, will save those who repent. If it were not for the righteous people in this great city, I would have already rained down fire from heaven and destroyed it. But for the sake of the righteous this city has been spared. When the times comes that you drive the righteous out, then your city will be ready for destruction. The city of Gideon is also cursed because of its wickedness and great sins. All the Nephite cities in this region are cursed for their great wickedness. ”

“ I know that Thou will hear my words now, for Thou said, 'If these people repent, I will spare them.' Thou sees that they have repented because of the drought, pestilence and destruction that has come to them. ”

“ You have gathered to wonder, and you should wonder, because the devil has taken such a great hold on your hearts! How could you have given way to the enticings of the devil, who seeks to hurl your souls down to an everlasting misery and endless woe? ”

“ Because of their wickedness, a curse will come upon the land, and when you bury treasure in the earth, you will not find it again. Only the righteous, who hide their treasure unto me, will be able to find it again. It is my will that people consecrate their treasure for my purposes. Anyone who does not do this is not righteous, but is cursed along with his treasure. The Nephites will hide their treasures before running from their invading enemies. ”

“ We also learn that unless the Lord afflicts His people with death, terror, famine and all types of pestilence, they will not remember Him.
Oh how foolish, vain, evil and devilish are the people. How quick they are to sin--listening to the evil one and setting their hearts upon the vain things of the world--and how slow they are to do good! ”

“ And when His spirit leaves His body, there will be thunder and lightning for many hours as the earth shakes and trembles. Massive rocks, both on the surface of the earth and below it, will be broken up. ”

“ Oh you wicked, perverse generation! You hard, stubborn people! How long do you think the Lord will tolerate what you do? How long will you be led by foolish and blind guides, choosing darkness rather than light? ”

“ Always remember, my sons, that you must build your foundation upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God. If you trust in Him, then you cannot fall, and the devil's temptations will not overpower you and drag you down to a condition of endless torment. ”

“ Sinning against gospel knowledge is much more offensive to God than not accepting the gospel. In each prophecy about those with the gospel....Alma's prophecy to the Nephites of Ammonihah in 82 BC (Alma 9:23-24) , Nephi's prophecy to the Nephites around 20 BC (Helaman 7:23-24) , Samuel's prophecy to the Nephites in 6 BC (Helaman 15:12-17) , and Christ's 34 AD prophecy to the latter-day Gentiles (3 Nephi 16:10-15) , when those with gospel light and knowledge "sin against" it, the Lamanites fare much better than the "offenders," who are either trodden down or completely destroyed. ”

“ We know this is impossible because we're so powerful. Our cities are so great our enemies could never overpower us!"
The judges stirred up some of the people to become angry with Nephi, and the people started to argue among themselves.
Some said, "Leave this man alone. He's a good man, and what he says will surely happen unless we repent. We know all the judgments of which he has testified will come upon us because he has correctly testified of our many sins. If he were not a prophet, he could not have testified of our sins so accurately." ”

“ If only we had remembered the Lord our God when He gave us our riches, then we would not have lost them.
Now when we put down a tool, the next day it is gone. When we need our swords for battle, they are taken from us. Our buried treasures have eluded us because of the curse on the land. ”

“ I, Mormon, cannot include in my book even one percent of these records--the Lamanite and Nephite history--their wars, preaching, prophecies, their shipping, their building of ships, temples, synagogues and sanctuaries, their righteousness and their wickedness--murders, robbery, plunder, immorality, etc. There are many books and records of every kind, mostly kept by Nephites. They have handed down the records from one generation to another, even until they have fallen into sin. ”

“ The southern land had been named after Lehi, and the northern land after Mulek, for they were the first inhabitants of those lands, and they had been brought there by the Lord.
There was plenty of gold, silver and precious ore to be found in all the lands, and many Nephites and Lamanites became very skilled in the art of refining and metal working. This is how they became very rich. They also raised plenty of grain in the north and south.
Soon they became a populous, strong people. They raised many flocks, herds and fatlings, and their women spun and wove all types of cloth and fine linen. ”

“ Helaman teaches his sons... (compare Helaman, chapter 5)
And in that same year, 30 BC, Nephi gave up the judgment-seat to Cezoram.
The laws had been established by the voice of the people, but the majority of the people had chosen evil. Because of this, the Nephites were becoming ripe for destruction, having corrupted their laws.
This was not all. They had become too stubborn to be governed by just laws, which were written for a righteous people. In their fallen condition, just laws could only condemn them. ”

“ However, by 12 BC, there were many Nephite dissenters, who called themselves Lamanites. They persuaded the Lamanites to attack the Nephites. The Lamanites and the dissenters came out of their hiding places to murder and plunder, and then retreated back into the mountains, the wilderness, and secret places.
Each day their numbers grew as more Nephite dissenters joined them. In only a few years there was again a large band of robbers. They studied all the secret plans of Gadianton in order to become Gadianton robbers. These robbers brought havoc and destruction among the Nephites and Lamanites. ”

“ Soon your riches will be cursed. When you are poor, you will not be able to find them. In your poverty, you will cry to the Lord. But 'Your cries will be in vain, for it will be too late, and nothing can stop your destruction,' says the Lord of Hosts. ”

“ Those who truly belonged to God's church were not proud. The Nephites who lifted themselves up in pride above many of their brothers and sisters persecuted the more humble ones, causing them to suffer and wade through great affliction. ”

“ On the day that Christ dies, the sun will be darkened and refuse to give its light. The moon and the stars will do the same, so that no light will be upon the face of this land. This complete darkness will continue for three days, beginning from the time Christ dies and continuing until He rises again. ”

“ But in spite of all these things, only the most believing Nephites and Lamanites were not hardened. Nearly all the people in the land depended on their own strength and wisdom. They said, "With so many predictions, of course they have guessed some things right. But we know that all the great and marvelous works that they have predicted cannot occur." ”

“ This wicked tradition was designed to keep us in ignorance, for we cannot see with our own eyes if these traditions are true or not. Those who teach us, using these wicked traditions, do it by the cunning and mysterious arts of the evil one, working this great mystery that we cannot understand. ”

“ The resurrection of Christ redeems all people from this first death of the body and spirit by bringing them back into the Lord's presence. The resurrection of Christ also allows us to repent and not suffer a second death, or a spiritual death, which is to be cut off from the Lord's presence again after we are judged. ”

“ We learn that the Lord, in His great, infinite goodness, blesses and prospers those who trust in Him.
We learn that at the very moment the Lord gives temporal blessings to His people, they forget Him, because their prosperity makes their lives so easy. ”

“ But under the command of a Nephite traitor, the Lamanites had not been afraid to come into the center of the land. They had taken Zarahemla, and they were taking more cities and strongholds, killing many men, women and children along the way.
When Moronihah learned of this, he immediately sent Lehi with an army to head off Coriantumr's army before they reached Bountiful. Lehi's army met them and began to force them back (southward) to Zarahemla.
Moronihah met Coriantumr in his retreat, and a great, bloody battle ensued. Many Lamanites were killed, and Coriantumr was found among the dead. ”

“ The Lord's promises are made to the Lamanites in the last days, because in spite of the many difficulties they will have--being driven like cattle over the land, being hunted, killed and scattered with no safe place to go--the Lord will show mercy on them. ”

“ The entire face of the earth will be broken up, above and below. There will be great storms, and many mountains will become valleys, while many valleys will become very high mountains. Many highways will be broken up, and many cities will become desolate. ”

“ They have become Lamanites and are wicked and ferocious. Now I will continue with my particular account: Many Nephites had migrated north after having internal disputes, great contentions and wars throughout 46 BC.
There were still many disputes during 45 and 44 BC, but Helaman continued to judge with justice and equity. He kept God's statutes, judgments and commandments, always doing what was right. Because of his righteousness, Helaman prospered in the land, as had his father, Helaman.
Helaman had two sons. The oldest was Nephi and the youngest, Lehi. Helaman taught them to obey the Lord. ”

“ The Lord saved their lives by delivering them from their enemies, who were softened and did not declare war on them. The Lord did everything to insure the welfare and happiness of His people, but instead of thanking Him, the people considered His words to be worthless. ”

“ The Lamanites hunted the band of Gadianton's robbers. They preached God's word among its most wicked members until the band of robbers was completely dissolved from among the Lamanites.
But on the other hand, the Nephites built up and supported the robbers.
Note: The prophet Ezra T. Benson's message 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." --- ENSIGN, Jan. 1988, pg. 87, col 2. At first, only the most wicked Nephites built up these bands. ”

“ Also remember the words of Amulek to Zeezrom while in the city of Ammonihah. Amulek said the Lord will surely come to redeem His people, not in their sins, but from their sins.
The Father has given Jesus Christ the power to redeem us from our sins through our repentance. This is why He sends angels to us to teach us how to repent. ”

“ Together they entered into a secret covenant, vowing by their everlasting Maker, that they would not tell anyone that Kishkumen had murdered Pahoran.
Because of this covenant, and because he was in disguise when he murdered Pahoran, Kishkumen was not suspected among the Nephites. Kishkumen and his band, who had covenanted with him, mixed with the people in a way that they could not all be found. But those who were found were condemned to death. ”

“ They considered him to be a great prophet, a man of God, with great power and authority given to him from God.
And Nephi's brother, Lehi, was just as righteous.
The Nephites started to prosper in the land again and to rebuilt their cities. They multiplied and spread out, covering the whole face of the land from the north to the south, and from the western to the eastern seas. Throughout the year 16 BC, there was peace.
Fifteen BC was also a peaceful year, and the church spread throughout the land. Most of the people, both Nephites and Lamanites, belonged to the church and enjoyed great peace. ”

“ They sought for more and more wealth in order to put themselves above their neighbors. They committed secret murders, robbed and plundered in order to obtain more wealth and power.
Those who did these things were part of the band that had been formed by Kishkumen and Gadianton. At this time, there were many members of this secret band, even among the Nephites.
However, most of the band was made up of wicked Lamanites, and they were called Gadianton's robbers and murderers. ”