(25:1) "Now I, Nephi, do speak somewhat concerning the words which I have written,
which have been spoken by the mouth of Isaiah."
Nephi speaks (somewhat) about the 13 chapters that he stole from Isaiah. (2 Nephi 11-24)
(25:2) "The Jews ... works were works of darkness, and their doings were doings of abominations."
25:1 Now I, Nephi, do speak somewhat
concerning the words which I have written, which have
been spoken by the mouth of Isaiah. For behold, Isaiah spake many things which were hard for many of my people to
understand; for they know not concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews.
25:2 For I, Nephi, have not taught them many things concerning the manner of
the
Jews; for their works were works of darkness, and their doings were doings of abominations.
25:3 Wherefore, I write unto my people, unto all those that shall receive hereafter
these things which I write, that they may know the judgments of God, that they come upon all nations, according to the
word which he hath spoken.
25:4 Wherefore, hearken, O my people, which are of the house of Israel, and give ear unto
my words; for because the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are
filled with the spirit of prophecy. But I give unto you a prophecy, according to the spirit which is in me; wherefore
I shall prophesy according to the plainness which hath been with me from the time that I came out from Jerusalem with
my father; for behold, my soul delighteth in plainness unto my people, that they may learn.
(25:4) "The words of Isaiah are not plain unto you,
nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy ... My soul delighteth in plainness unto my people."
(25:5a) "My soul delighteth in the words of Isaiah,"
That's probably why he included 13 consecutive chapters from Isaiah. (2 Nephi 12-24)
(25:5b) "The Jews do understand the things of the prophets,
and there is none other people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto them, save it be
that they are taught after the manner of the things of the Jews."
To understand the prophets correctly you've got to be "taught after the manner of the things of the Jews"
(Like early 19th century Americans).
(25:7) "Behold, I proceed with mine own prophecy, according to my plainness."
25:5 Yea, and my soul delighteth in the words of Isaiah, for I came out from Jerusalem,
and mine eyes hath beheld the things of the Jews, and I know that
the Jews do understand the things of the prophets,
and there is none other people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto them, save it be
that they are taught after the manner of the things of the Jews.
25:6 But behold, I, Nephi, have not taught my children after the manner of the Jews; but
behold, I, of myself, have dwelt at Jerusalem, wherefore I know concerning the regions round about; and I have made
mention unto my children concerning the judgments of God, which hath come to pass among the Jews, unto my children,
according to all that which Isaiah hath spoken, and I do not write them.
25:7 But behold, I proceed with mine own prophecy, according to my plainness; in the
which I know that no man can err; nevertheless, in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall
know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass.
25:8 Wherefore, they are of worth unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that
they are not, unto them will I speak particularly, and confine the words unto mine own people; for I know that they shall
be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they understand them; wherefore, for their good
have I written them.
25:9 And as one generation hath been destroyed among the Jews because of iniquity,
even so have they been destroyed from generation to generation according to their iniquities; and never hath any of
them been destroyed save it were foretold them by the prophets of the Lord.
(25:9) "As one generation hath been destroyed among the Jews because of iniquity,
even so have they been destroyed from generation to generation according to their iniquities."
God has destroyed one generation of Jews after another "according to their iniquities."
(25:12a) ... wars and rumours of wars ... -- Matthew 24:6
... the only begotten of the Father ... -- John 1:14
(25:12b-13) "The Father of heaven and of earth, shall manifest himself unto them in the
flesh, behold, they will reject him, because of their iniquities, and the hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness
of their necks ... They will crucify him."
The evil Jews will reject and crucify Jesus because of their hard hearts and stiff necks.
(25:13) ... arise with healing in his wings... -- Malachi 4:2
(25:14b) "Wo unto them that fight against God and the people of his church [the Mormons]."
(25:15) "The Jews shall be scattered among all nations."
25:10 Wherefore, it hath been told them concerning the destruction which should come upon
them, immediately after my father left Jerusalem; nevertheless, they hardened their hearts; and according to my prophecy
they have been destroyed, save it be those which are carried away captive into Babylon.
25:11 And now this I speak because of the spirit which is in me. And notwithstanding
they have been carried away they shall return again, and possess the land of Jerusalem; wherefore, they shall be
restored again to the land of their inheritance.
25:12 But, behold, they shall have wars, and rumors of wars; and when the day cometh that
the Only Begotten of the Father, yea, even
the Father of heaven and of earth, shall manifest himself unto them in the
flesh, behold, they will reject him, because of their iniquities, and the hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness
of their necks.
25:13 Behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the
space of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his
name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have seen
his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name.
25:14 And behold it shall come to pass that after the Messiah hath risen from the dead,
and hath manifested himself unto his people, unto as many as will believe on his name, behold, Jerusalem shall be
destroyed again; for wo unto them that fight against God and the people of his church.
25:15Wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered among all nations; yea, and also Babylon
shall be destroyed; wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered by other nations.
25:16 And after they have been scattered, and the Lord God hath scourged them by other
nations for the space of many generations, yea, even down from generation to generation until
they shall be persuaded to
believe in Christ, the Son of God, and the atonement, which is infinite for all mankind -- and when that day shall come
that they shall believe in Christ, and worship the Father in his name, with pure hearts and clean hands, and look not
forward any more for another Messiah, then, at that time, the day will come that it must needs be expedient that they
should believe these things.
(25:16) "After they[the Jews] have been scattered, and the Lord God hath scourged them by other nations for ...
many generations ... they shall be persuaded to believe in Christ."
25:17 And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from
their lost and fallen state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do
a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of
men.
(25:17) "The Lord ... will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder."
"A Marvelous work and a wonder" is LDS-speak for the Book of Mormon.
25:18 Wherefore, he shall bring forth his words unto them, which words shall judge
them at the last day, for they shall be given them for the purpose of convincing them of the true Messiah, who was
rejected by them; and unto the convincing of them that they need not look forward any more for a Messiah to come,
for there should not any come, save it should be a false Messiah which should deceive the people; for there is save
one Messiah spoken of by the prophets, and that Messiah is he who should be rejected of the Jews.
25:19 For according to the words of the prophets, the Messiah cometh in six hundred
years from the time that my father left Jerusalem; and according to the words of the prophets, and also the word of
the angel of God, his name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
(25:19) "According to the words of the prophets, the Messiah cometh in six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem
... his name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of God."
25:20 And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainlythat ye cannot err. And as
the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the
nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which
he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the rock and the water should come forth;
yea, behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given
under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved.
(25:20a) "I have spoken plainly that ... the Lord God ... gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the
serpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the rock and the water should come forth."
Joseph Smith (or Nephi) repeats the bible stories about the fiery serpents
(Num. 21:6-9) and the water-bearing
rock (Ex.17:6, Num.20:11). He figures that if you
believe those stories, you'll believe his as well.
(25:20b) ... there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved. -- Acts 4:12
(25:20 - 29) Nephi tells us about "Jesus Christ" 550 or so years before Jesus was born.
(25:20c) "Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken"
(25:21) "That the promise may be fulfilled unto Joseph, that his seed should never perish as long as the earth should stand."
The Book of Mormon: it's all about Joseph (Smith).
(25:23) "We labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ."
(25:24) "We believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ."
(25:25) "We are made alive in Christ because of our faith"
(25:26) "We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ."
(25:27) "We speak ... that our children ... may look forward unto that life which is in Christ ... the law is fulfilled in Christ."
25:21 Wherefore, for this cause hath the Lord God promised unto me that these things
which I write shall be kept and preserved, and handed down unto my seed, from generation to generation,
that the
promise may be fulfilled unto Joseph, that his seed should never perish as long as the earth should stand.
25:22 Wherefore, these things shall go from generation to generation as long as the
earth shall stand; and they shall go according to the will and pleasure of God; and the nations who shall possess them
shall be judged of them according to the words which are written.
25:23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our
brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved,
after all we can do.
25:24 And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look
forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.
25:25 For, for this end was the law given; wherefore
the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments.
25:26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of
Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a
remission of their sins.
25:27 Wherefore, we speak concerning the law
that our
children may know the deadness of the law; and they, by knowing the deadness of the law,
may look forward unto that life
which is in Christ, and know for what end the law was given. And after
the law is fulfilled in Christ, that they need
not harden their hearts against him when the law ought to be done away.
25:28 And now behold, my people,
ye are a stiffnecked people; wherefore, I have spoken plainly unto you, that ye cannot misunderstand. And the words
which I have spoken shall stand as a testimony against you; for they are sufficient to teach any man the right way;
for the right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not; for by denying him ye also deny the prophets and the
law.
(25:28) "The right way is to believe in Christ."
25:29 And now behold, I say unto you that
the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and
Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind,
and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out.
(25:29a) "The right way is to believe in Christ ... Christ is the Holy One of Israel."
(25:29b) ...him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. -- John 6:37
25:30 And, inasmuch as it shall be expedient, ye must keep the performances and ordinances of God until
the law shall be fulfilled which was given unto Moses.
Plagiarism
Absurdities
Injustice
Intolerance
Cruelty and Violence
Prophecy 
Science and History
Language
Family Values
Changes in the BoM
Women
Good Stuff
Interpretations
Contradictions
Homosexuality
Politics
Boring Stuff
Get the SAB