Episode 49: God lightens the skin of the good Lamanites

3 Nephi 1-2

A night that was as bright as day

1 ^1-3 Six hundred years after Lehi left Jerusalem, Nephi, the son of Helaman Jr., left Zarahelma, giving the plates to his oldest son, Nephi. Nephi Sr. didn't say where he was going, and no one knows what happened to him.

⁴ Now that it was the year 0 BCE, it was time for all the great signs and miracles that the Book of Mormon has repeatedly prophesied. And they began to happen just as predicted. ^5-8 But some of the people still weren't impressed by all the signs and wonders. They mocked the believers saying, "What happened to that night that was supposed to be as bright as day? It should have been here by now." ⁹ The unbelievers finally got so upset with the whole thing that they set aside a day just to kill believers.

^10-11 When Nephi heard about the kill-the-believers-day plans, he became exceedingly sorrowful and cried all day mightily to his God. His prayer was immediately answered by the voice of the Lord, who came upon him and delivered a rambling, repetitive speech announcing his own birth. God said that he'd be born tomorrow. And that later that evening "a sign would be given."

^15-19 And God's prophecy came true! That night "there was no darkness when night came ... but it was as light as though it was mid-day." The unbelievers fell to the ground in disappointment, because now they wouldn't be able to kill believers on kill-the-believers day. Everyone else on earth noticed the bright night and also fell on their faces, knowing that Jesus was born that very night. ²¹ A new star appeared on the night Jesus was born, but no one could see it since the night was a bright as day.

²² After the light-as-day night and the new star, Satan began spreading lies and hardening hearts, trying to get the people to disbelieve. But it only worked on some of the people. The more part still believed and were converted.

^23-26 Nephi and some of the others went around baptizing, and there was peace and glad tidings in the land, except for a few who said it wasn't necessary to obey all the Old Testament laws. (They were, of course, completely wrong about that.) ^27-30 But soon there was trouble again. The Gadianton robbers were back murdering many people, and many Nephite dissenters who joined up with them. The Zoramites were also stirring up the Lamanites with their lying and flattering words.

God lightens the skin of the good Lamanites

2 ^1-2 It was getting harder and harder for God to impress the people with signs and wonders. Just a few years ago, God made the night as light as day and put up a brand-new star in the sky. But now, the people had forgotten all about that. Led by the power of the devil, they believed that the doctrine of Christ was a foolish and vain thing. ³ So the people waxed strong in wickedness and abominations. They were through believing in signs and wonders. Satan had taught them well.

⁸ The Nephites began to number years from the coming of Christ. ⁹ And in the year 9 CE, Nephi, the father of Nephi, couldn't be found anywhere.

^10-11 The people were still wicked, despite Nephi's preaching. The Gadianton robbers had become even more numerous, spreading death, carnage, and war throughout the land. ¹² Things had become so bad, that the Nephites and the Lamanite converts united to fight the Gadianton robbers and their allies. ^14-16 God removed his curse from the "good" Lamanites (the ones that "united with the Nephites"), and they "became exceedingly fair, with skins "white like unto the Nephites."

^17-19 The war between the Nephites and the white-skinned Lamanites continued for several years, becoming exceedingly sore. God's sword of destruction hung over them all, and they were about to be smitten by it because of their iniquity.