3 Ne 1:1 The meaning of
the term “A.D. 1”
“The
chronological material listed on the bottom of each page in the Book of Mormon
did not appear in the first edition. These chronological notes were first added
in the edition of 1920 at the recommendation of a committee headed by Elder
James E. Talmage. The abbreviation B.C. is used to designate the number of
years before the time of Christ. The abbreviation A.D. (from the Latin Anno
Domini, meaning ‘in the year of our Lord’) is used to indicate the number of
years since the birth of Christ. Note that this calendar system does not go
through a zero number. Thus the year before the birth of Christ is 1 B.C. and
the year in which the Savior is born is A.D. 1. According to the calendar
systems previously used by the Nephites, the year A.D. 1 occurs in the
ninety-second year of the reign of judges (the record says the ‘ninety and
first year had passed away’) and in the six hundredth year from the time Lehi
left Jerusalem. (3 Nephi 1:1.)” (Daniel Ludlow, A Companion to Your
Study of the Book of Mormon, p. 252)
3 Ne 1:2 Nephi…departed…giving charge unto his son Nephi
“Nephi, like his illustrious father, was the leading
spirit of the age. Previous to the visit of the risen Redeemer to the Nephites
he was their High Priest and prophet. When the Messiah came to them and chose
twelve Disciples to be special ministers of His Name and glory, Nephi was the
first that He called. To him, on various occasions, the Savior immediately
directed His conversation and instructions.
“Shortly before the birth of our Savior, Nephi
received the Sacred Plates with their appendages from his father with strict
instructions as to their care. From that time the elder Nephi was no more seen
by mortals and his son took his place as the representative of Jehovah to the
inhabitants of the western world.” (Reynolds and Sjodahl, Commentary on
the Book of Mormon, vol. 7, p. 49-50)
3 Ne 1:3 he departed out of the land, and whither he went, no man
knoweth
General Douglas MacArthur
once stated that old soldiers never die, they just fade away. A similar
statement could be made about some great prophets, “they never die, they just
walk away.” Alma…departed out of the land
[and] was never heard of more, Moses went up
mount Nebo where the Lord took Moses unto himself
(Alma 45:19, Deut 32:49-50), and Nephi departed out
of the land, and whither he went, no man knoweth. For the righteous,
death is not bitter, for those that die in me shall
not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them (DC 42:46). This is
especially true for these prophets who were apparently taken up by the Lord
without even tasting death. Others that were translated in this manner include
Elijah (2 Kgs 2:11, DC 110:13), Enoch, and his people (Gen 5:24, DC 38:4; DC
107:49).
Joseph Smith
“Now
the doctrine of translation is a power which belongs to this Priesthood. There
are many things which belong to the powers of the Priesthood and the keys
thereof, that have been kept hid from before the foundation of the world; they
are hid from the wise and prudent to be revealed in the last times.
“Many
have supposed that the doctrine of translation was a doctrine whereby men were
taken immediately into the presence of God, and into an eternal fullness, but
this is a mistaken idea. Their place of habitation is that of the terrestrial
order, and a place prepared for such characters He held in reserve to be
ministering angels unto many planets, and who as yet have not entered into so
great a fullness as those who are resurrected from the dead…This distinction is
made between the doctrine of the actual resurrection and translation:
translation obtains deliverance from the tortures and sufferings of the body,
but their existence will prolong as to the labors and toils of the ministry,
before they can enter into so great a rest and glory.” (Teachings of the
Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 170)
3 Ne 1:3 the end of the ministry of Nephi
Richard G. Scott
“Nephi
lived in a time of tremendous upheaval and dissension when morals and standards
were abandoned, government had disintegrated, and Gadianton robbers ruled the
land, yet he remained faithful and engendered faith in others willing to hear
the message of Jesus Christ. He taught with power. He was fearless in proclaiming
truth no matter what opposition he encountered. When Satan applied more
pressure he became more determined in living and acting righteously. He
perfected his ability to be led by the Spirit and followed its direction
without hesitation. His fearlessness came from a righteous heart. He possessed
great humility and compassion. He blessed others with a knowledge of truth. His
total faith in Jesus Christ allowed him to be protected and empowered to do
good. He taught us how to pray for an answer when we urgently need it. He
showed those who hold the priesthood how to exercise that sacred authority
properly.
“…I
love this prophet. I humbly testify that Nephi’s greatness came from his
humility, his unflinching obedience, and his firmly rooted faith in Jesus the
Christ. When truth was taught, he listened carefully and obeyed it
consistently. May our study and pondering of the example of this admirable
servant of the Lord enrich us with a desire to be more submissive when tested,
more obedient when tempted, more forgiving when falsely accused, and more
resolute in our faith in the Master.” (Heroes From The Book of Mormon, p.
155-6)
3 Ne 1:4 there began to be greater signs and greater miracles
Remarkably, these greater signs
and greater miracles were not associated with greater humility and greater
repentance. Rather, the people began to rejoice
(v. 6) in the opportunity to mock and persecute the believers. As the Second
Coming of the Lord approaches, greater signs and greater miracles will again be
given. The all-important question is “how will we respond to them?”
3 Ne 1:6-7 your joy and your faith concerning this thing hath been
vain
How disappointing would it
be after years of faithful service to find out that the Church wasn’t true
after all, that it was all a masterful hoax and a waste of time? We rarely
consider such questions because the Spirit immediately demonstrates their
ludicrousness. Yet, the faithless Nephites are just waiting for the opportunity
to say, “I told you so! You’ve been wasting your time all along! Your efforts
have been in vain!” It seems that their jeering was beginning to have some
effect for some began to be very sorrowful, lest by
any means those things which had been spoken might not come to pass. But
the saints of God need not fear. There is no reason to lack faith. The Lord has
promised not to let one jot or tittle go unfulfilled (Matt 5:18). In the end,
it will be the unbelievers, not the believers who will be disappointed.
George F. Richards
“There
is always a satisfaction, my brethren and sisters, in having been right on any
question that has engaged our attention, especially if the wisdom and judgment
of others have been brought to bear upon that question and we have not all
agreed. You know how prone we are to say, ‘I told you so.’ The more important
the question that is involved in a consideration of this kind, the greater
satisfaction there will be in the end when we find that we have been right; but
if on the other hand it is found that we have been wrong there will be
correspondingly great disappointment…The greatest question that man has ever
considered, according to my judgment, is that of religion, or salvation, of
what it consists and how it may be attained. There is no other question I
suppose that has engaged the attention of so many people or upon which there
has been such diversity of opinion…Those of us who know the truth of the Gospel
as it has been revealed in these last days through the instrumentality of the
Prophet Joseph Smith, know that there are millions of people who, in the end,
[when] it shall be universally known of what salvation consists [and] how it
may attained, will be tremendously disappointed.” (Conference Report,
Apr. 1932, p. 39)
3 Ne 1:9 all those who believed in those traditions should be put
to death
Neal A. Maxwell
“Church
members in another age were being held hostage until certain prophecies were
fulfilled—with their lives being forfeit if those prophecies were not fulfilled
precisely on time. They, too, were told by the Lord to be of good cheer. Why?
Because, said Jesus, ‘On the morrow come I into the
world.’ (3 Ne. 1:13.)
With His birth, the mortal ministry of the Messiah would, at last, be launched!”
(Ensign, Nov.
1982, p. 66)
Hugh Nibley
“It
was the overwhelming majority of unbelievers who actually set a date for a
general massacre of those who expected the coming of Christ (3 Nephi 1:9, 16).
Fantastic as this may seem, it has many parallels in history: the slaughter of
the Magi in Lehi's day, the Sicilian Vespers, the liquidation of the Mamlukes,
St. Bartholomew's, the slaughter of the Donatists, the Bloodbath of Stralsund,
etc., most of them attempts at the complete wiping out of large unorthodox
minorities, and most of them engineered by devout intellectuals. It is a grim
and authentic psychological touch in the Book of Mormon. When events proved the
believers justified, the others were confounded—but not for long. In the Clementine
Recognitions, Peter says that after the terrible upheavals of nature that
accompanied the crucifixion the sun came out again, people went about their
daily tasks, and quickly and efficiently forgot everything that had
happened.” (An Approach To The Book
of Mormon, p. 370)
3 Ne 1:13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold the
time is at hand
Of all the Christmas
greetings ever uttered, certainly, this is the greatest. Even though the
shepherds in Judea were to see an angel and hear the heavenly hosts singing, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will
toward men (Lu 2:14), Nephi received notice from the Lord himself in a
most personal and intimate communication. This message of peace and good cheer
must have soothed Nephi’s soul like nothing else. Certainly, that same message
has soothed the souls of millions since.
Indeed, all of creation had
looked forward to this moment. From Adam’s early sacrifices in ignorance to the
words of Samuel just 5 years prior, 4000 years of prophets and other righteous
souls had their entire belief system resting on the promise that the Son of God
would be made flesh and dwell among men. All of the Law of Moses had pointed to
a Messiah who would redeem the people from their sins. Accordingly, many had
received remission of sins even prior to the birth of the Lamb (Enos 1:5-8;
Alma 36:18-19). Finally, the prophecies from all the prophets would be
vindicated. The faith and hope of millions had to wait as much as four
millennia to be realized, but the promised time had finally come.
First Presidency
Christmas Message
“At
this beautiful and glorious season we celebrate the birth of the Holy one of Israel
- the Lord Jesus Christ. His birth, heralded by angels, had been revealed to
Prophets in ages past. Perhaps the most meaningful of those prophetic
declarations concerning the Savior’s pending birth came from the Lord Himself
when He told the Prophet Nephi: ‘Lift up your head
and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall
the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world....’ (3 Ne.
1:13.)
“Almost
twenty centuries have come and gone since the Savior’s birth and today, as
then, He encourages all people to ‘be of good
cheer.’ (D&C 78:18.) We echo the words of the Lord and testify of
His divinity and that He is the author of our eternal salvation. This is the
message of joy ‘that shall be to all people.’ (Luke
2:10.) May we find such joy as we abide by His teachings and serve with love
our fellow beings. “ (Church News, 12/14/96)
Marion G.
Romney
“Although I have born my testimony of Jesus Christ
frequently and recently, I am happy to repeat it. My calling, and my desire, is
to continue to bear convincing testimony of him. If it were possible, I would
bear it to all men…
“I
have no memory of a time or circumstance in which I have had the slightest
doubt or question about Jesus of Nazareth being ‘The Christ’; the Son of the
Father both in the spirit and in the flesh; the Savior of the world. In the
scriptures there are many events reported and expressions made concerning him
which confirm in me this conviction. Every time I think of them they increase
my understanding of their significance and of his divinity…
“[One]
impressive event concerning Jesus as a premortal spirit was his announcement to
Nephi concerning his advent into mortality.
“About
6 B.C., Samuel the Lamanite
prophesied that at the birth of Jesus there would be a day and a night and a
day without darkness. The unbelievers said the time appointed for this sign had
passed and made plans to put the believers to death. When Nephi, the grandson
of Helaman,
‘…saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly
sorrowful.
‘And … he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried
mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be
destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.
‘And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord, all the day;
and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him saying:
‘Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at
hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into
the world. …
‘And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were
fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of
the sun there was no darkness’ (3 Ne. 1:10-13, 15.)
“This event is to me a moving evidence of the infinite care and concern the Savior has for us mortals. It confirms my testimony of his divinity.” (Ensign, Sept. 1974, p. 2)
3 Ne 1:13 on the morrow come I into the world
A brief digression is in
order to deal with the implications of Jehovah’s communication with Nephi. A
fundamental question is, “During pregnancy, when does the spirit enter the body?
Is it some time after conception, or does it occur just before birth?” The interaction
between Jehovah and Nephi would suggest that the Spirit does not enter the body
until it is time for delivery. Indeed, it would seem to be a great waste of
time for the Great Jehovah to be confined within a growing embryo, inactive in
Mary’s womb for 9 months before His birth.
On the other hand, there are
those who contend that the spirit enters the body shortly after conception. The
scriptural example they cite is found in Luke, Mary…entered
into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that,
when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and
Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost (Lu 1:39-41). The implication
is that the spirit of John the Baptist recognized the spirit of Jesus while
both were still in the womb and that that was the reason that John leaped in
Elisabeth’s womb. Occasionally, this argument is used as part of the argument
against the practice of abortion and as a comfort to those who have been the
parents of stillborn children. Maybe the timing is not important for us to
know, but the passage in 3 Ne 1:13 seems to make a compelling argument.
3 Ne 1:14 the will…of the Father because of me, and of the Son
because of my flesh
The wording of this passage
differs slightly from other scriptures which speak of Jehovah as both the “Son”
and the “Father.” Abinadi said that Jehovah was The
Father, because he was conceived by the power of God: and the Son, because of
the flesh; thus becoming the Father and the Son (Mosiah 15:3). The same
concept is taught in the D&C, the Father and I
are one—(I am) The Father because he gave me
of his fullness, and the Son because I was in the world and made flesh my
tabernacle, and dwelt among the sons of men (DC 93:3-4). Yet Jehovah
tells Nephi that he was to come to do the will, both
of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son
because of my flesh.
In this verse, Jehovah is
equating his will with the will of Elohim. He had in fact been the God of the
Old Testament and the God of the Nephites, under the direction of his Father.
But the fact that Jehovah equates his will with that of his Father has
interesting implications. In particular, all the events of the Savior, in which
he openly admits to following the will of the Father (as if it were different
than His will), were in fact, situations in which He was following the will of
Jehovah also, for the will of Jehovah and the will of Elohim are one (see Jn
4:34; 5:30; 6:38).
“This
is a most difficult passage. It sounds
as though the Lord is stating that he will come into the world to fulfill two
wills- the will of Jehovah, the premortal God of the ancients (perhaps referred
to here as ‘me'), and the will of the mortal Messiah (the person of
‘flesh’). Of course we know that they,
Jehovah and Jesus, are one and the same being.
At the same time, this statement dramatizes the separate and severable roles
that would be played by the Master, that of the Holy One of Israel (premortal)
and that of Jesus of Nazareth (mortal).” (McConkie, Millet, and Top, Doctrinal
Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 4, p. 7)
3 Ne 1:16 many, who had not believed…who fell to the earth
The goal of the unbelievers
was to discredit and mock the prophecies of Samuel. Little did they know that
when they fell to the earth in astonishment, they were merely fulfilling
another prophecy, And it shall come to pass that ye
shall all be amazed, and wonder, insomuch that ye shall fall to the earth
(Hel 14:7).
3 Ne 1:21 a new star did appear
Today, if a new star
appeared in the night’s sky, who would pay any attention? Only the astronomers
would take notice as they compare the sky with their star charts. Yet the
appearance of this new star was generally known. In order for this new star to
be noticeable to everyone, there had to be something distinctive about it.
Samuel prophesied that it would be such an one as ye
never have beheld (Hel 14:5). Certainly, the wise men from the east
found it to be impressive, for it was to them both a guiding light and an
amazing sign, and, lo, the star, which they saw in
the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child
was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy
(Matt 2:9-10).
3 Ne 1:27 Gadianton robbers, who dwelt upon the mountains…did infest
the land
Hugh Nibley
“But
a new threat arose. The criminal element took to the hills and there
established retreats where they built up strength from dissenters joining them
until they were able to reestablish the Gadianton organization. Terrorism was
the name of the game. From their secure places they would strike and withdraw,
making a special effort to kidnap ‘especially women
and children,’ to assure the permanence of their society (Helaman
11:33). At the same time, Zoramite recruiters brought a host of young Nephites
into the organization by the prospect of such things as romantic adventure,
gaudy makeup, danger, loot, and license to kill (3 Nephi 1:28-30). Soldiers of
fortune also flocked to the camps.” (The Prophetic Book of Mormon, p.
555)
3 Ne 1:29 children who did grow up…became for themselves, and were
led away
Neal A. Maxwell
“Experience
in decision-making can be learned at home, too. A child's determination to
spend his allowance foolishly on some object of predictably short-term worth,
may be wise to honor, so that the child can experience, firsthand, the
consequences of his choice. Learning to assess ‘the consequences of what one
wants’ can be taught when the parent can still insulate children from gross or
serious error and yet allow controlled contact with reality. The time often
comes when, as told in The Book of Mormon (3 Nephi 1:29) youth ‘became for themselves’ and would no longer accept
parental counsel. Continuing parental access to offspring for counseling even
in the latter's adulthood depends on a climate of trust which reflects the
granting of a gradually increasing area of agency, beginning with early
childhood.” (A More Excellent Way, p. 132)
3 Ne 1:30 [their faith] began to decrease…because of the wickedness of the rising
generation
Neal A. Maxwell
“While
we do not think of it this way very often, the rising generation has some genuine
responsibilities to the older generation still living. We are not immune to
influence from you. We not only regard you as the seedbearers of a celestial
culture to come, but our own journey can be hastened by your pressing forward.
About A. D. 3, an emerging generation of Lamanite youth ‘became for themselves,’ discounting the influence of their
righteous parents, and many young adults ‘were led
away.’ Then this telling observation about how we always need each other
was given: ‘. . . the Lamanites . . . began to
decrease as to their faith and righteousness, because of the wickedness of the
rising generation.’ (3 Nephi 1:29-30.) Lowering standards in the rising
generations can create an undertow that affects all ages.
“We
have seen, in just the past decade, various youth movements wash over shaky
adults who gave way under pressure. Some adults, strangely enough, replaced
their old values, of all things, with youth worship! The last thing youth needs
is to be envied or worshiped.” (Wherefore, Ye Must Press Forward, p. 84)