(28:1-15) In the last chapter, Nephi revealed the Book of Mormon, 2400 years before Joseph Smith dug it up in his own backyard. Amazing stuff.
Now he tells us how it will be received by Christians everywhere.
But first he reminds us about how God views non-Mormon Christians.
(29:1) "Behold, my brethren, I have spoken unto you, according as the Spirit hath constrained me."
28:1 And now, behold, my brethren, I have spoken unto you, according as the Spirit hath
constrained me; wherefore, I know that they must surely come to pass.
28:2 And the things which shall be written out of the book shall be of great worth unto
the children of men, and especially unto our seed, which is a remnant of the house of Israel.
28:3 For it shall come to pass in that day that the churches which are built up, and not
unto the Lord, when the one shall say unto the other: Behold, I, I am the Lord's; and the others shall say: I, I am the
Lord's; and thus shall every one say that hath built up churches, and not unto the Lord --
28:4 And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with
another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance.
28:5 And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the
people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath
done his work, and he hath given his power unto men;
28:6 Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by
the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work.
28:7 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow
we die; and it shall be well with us.
28:8 And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry;
nevertheless, fear God -- he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one
because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we
die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the
kingdom of God.
28:9Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach
after this manner, false and vain
and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord;
and their works shall be in the dark.
(28:9) "Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach ... false and vain and foolish doctrines ... their works shall be in the dark."
28:10And the blood of the saints shall cry from the ground against them.
(28:11) "And the blood of the saints shall cry from the ground against them."
28:11Yea, they have all gone out of the way; they have become corrupted.
(28:11) "Yea, they have all gone out of the way; they have become corrupted."
28:12Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their
churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up.
(28:12) "Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their
churches have become corrupted."
28:13 They rob the poor because of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor because of
their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek and the poor in heart, because in their pride they are puffed up.
28:14They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness,
and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ;
nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men.
(28:14) "They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms."
28:15 O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their
hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the
Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for
they shall be thrust down to hell!
(28:15) "And pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell!"
(29:15)
Wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? -- Acts 13:10
And thou ... shalt be thrust down to hell. -- Luke 10:15
28:16 Wo unto them that turn aside the just for a thing of naught and revile against
that which is good, and say that is of no worth! For the day shall come that the Lord God will speedily visit the
inhabitants of the earth; and in that day that they are fully ripe in iniquity they shall perish.
28:17 But behold, if the inhabitants of the earth shall repent of their wickedness and
abominations they shall not be destroyed, saith the Lord of Hosts.
28:18But behold, that great and abominable church, the whore of all
the earth, must tumble to the earth, and great must be the fall thereof.
(28:18-23) But it's the Catholics that God really hates.
(28:18) "But behold, that great and abominable church, the whore of all the earth"
28:19 For the kingdom of the devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs
be stirred up unto repentance, or the devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to
anger, and perish;
(28:19) "The devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish;"
28:20 For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men,
and stir them up to anger against that which is good.
28:21 And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they
will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well -- and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and
leadeth them away carefully down to hell.
28:22 And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he
saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none -- and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his
awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.
28:23Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell,
and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according
to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and
brimstone, which is endless torment.
(28:23) "Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil ... from whence they must go into the
place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment."
(28:23) the lake of fire and brimstone ... and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
-- Revelation 20:10
28:24 Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!
28:25 Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well!
28:26 Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the
power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!
28:27 Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!
28:28 And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of
God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy
foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.
28:29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no
more of the word of God, for we have enough!
28:30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men
line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and
lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them
that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.
-- Isaiah 28:10
For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but
whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. --
Matthew 13:12
"Unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them
that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have."
28:31 Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall
hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.
28:32 Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I
shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them,
saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the
Lord God of Hosts.