3 Ne 26:2 These scriptures…should be given unto future generations
Bruce R. McConkie
“These
scriptures…are primarily for our benefit. We live in the day of which they
speak; we are the children in whose hearts the promises have been planted; we
are the ones who are striving so to live that we will abide the day of His
coming. And it is in our day that Elijah has come, according to the promises,
bringing again the sealing power so that legal administrators may bind on earth
and have it sealed eternally in the heavens -- for all of which the Lord be
praised.” (The Mortal Messiah, book 4, p. 368)
3 Ne 26:3 he did expound all things, even from the beginning
“After
reciting these scriptures to the people, the Savior…then explained all things
to them ‘from the beginning until the time that he
should come in his glory’ (3 Nephi 26:3). It seems likely that, having
just quoted these verses about Elijah's promised return, the Lord then
explained something about Elijah's mission, what it meant and why it was
necessary. Because that mission and the keys of the sealing power that form
such an integral part of it pertain so much to the sacred work carried on in
the holy temples of the Lord, it is not surprising that the text of 3 Nephi
does not give us more detail about the Lord's explanations. They were probably
things of such a sacred nature as to be learned by us only in the temple.”
(Byron R. Merrill, Elijah: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, chap. 16)
3 Ne 26:3 elements should melt with fervent heat
From the Book of Mormon
text, it is not clear whether the elements are to melt at the Second Coming or
later, at the celestialization of the earth. However, a careful reading of
other applicable scriptures (2 Pet 3:10-12, DC 101:25, Mormon 9:2) tells us
that the elements melt from the heat and burning which will accompany Christ at
his Second Coming.
Bruce R. McConkie
“When
the Lord comes in his glory, in flaming fire, that fire will both cleanse the
vineyard and burn the earth. In that day, so intense shall be the heat and so
universal the burning, the very elements of which this earth is composed shall
melt. The mountains, high and glorious and made of solid rock, shall melt like
wax. They shall become molten and flow down into the valleys below. The very
earth itself, as now constituted, shall be dissolved. All things shall burn
with fervent heat. And out of it all shall come new heavens and a new earth
whereon dwelleth righteousness. It is of these things -- and they, above all
else, show the literal nature of the burning fires that shall attend that
dreadful day -- it is of them that we must now make mention…
“Fervent
heat -- what is it? It is hot, glowing heat. The word itself comes from the
Latin verb fervere, meaning to boil or to glow. It is the heat of which
our revelation, alluding to a prophecy of Isaiah (Isa. 64:1-3), says: ‘The presence of the Lord shall be as the melting fire
that burneth, and as the fire which causeth the waters to boil.’
(D&C 133:41.) There has as yet been no heat on earth of such extent and
intensity that it could melt the very planet itself. Such is reserved for the
day of burning.” (The Millenial Messiah, p. 526-7)”
Orson Pratt
“Here
then is a declaration how this earth is to be cleansed the second time from
wickedness, namely, by fire, which is a more powerful element than water. The
earth is to be cleansed by fire; in other words, the elements are to be melted
with fervent heat. This is the declaration of several of the prophets. David,
in speaking of this period, in one of his psalms, says, the mountains shall
melt like wax before the presence of the Lord when he shall come (Ps 97:5). You
know how wax melts when exposed to the influence of heat. So, when the Lord
comes, will the elements melt and the mountains flow down at his presence with
fervent heat. This will cleanse the earth as it was cleansed in the days of
Noah, only by another element called fire.
“This
is typical of the cleansing of those who embrace the plan of salvation. After
you have been immersed, as this earth was, in the water, and been cleansed and
received the remission of your sins, you also have the promise of baptism of
fire and of the Holy Ghost, by which you are purified, as well justified and
sanctified from all your evil affections, and you feel to love God and that
which is just and true, and to hate that which is sinful and evil. Why? Because
of this sanctifying, purifying principle that comes upon you, by the baptism of
fire and the Holy Ghost. So must this earth be baptized by fire, it must be
cleansed from all sin and impurity. Will it be filled with the Holy Ghost? Yes.
These elements that melt like wax before the presence of the Lord will again be
filled with his Spirit and will be renewed, and the earth itself will be full
of the knowledge of God as the waters cover the channels of the great deep. It
will enter into the elements of creation, so that the curse which came in
consequence of the fall of man will be removed from the earth, and the elements
will be cleansed, not only by fire but by the Spirit of the living God, which
will mingle with and purify them.” (Journal of Discourses, 16:319)
3 Ne 26:6 there cannot be written…even a hundredth part of the
things which Jesus did truly teach
Bruce R. McConkie
“Who
has seen such marvelous things as Jesus did among the Nephites? And who has
heard such wondrous words of divine wisdom as fell from his lips on the
American continent? To our shame we know only the hundredth part. Our friend
Mormon -- the prophet -- historian who has given us such as we do have -- at
this point in his inspired writing said of the teachings of the Blessed One,
which he so freely gave to the spiritually attuned ears in the New World:
(quotes 3 Ne 26:3-5).
“In
the providences of the Lord, we have slivers and fragments of what Jesus gave
the Nephites, Sections 29, 45, 63,
76, 77, 88,
93, 101, 107,
132, 133, and 138 in the
Doctrine and Covenants, and the books of Moses and Abraham in the Pearl of
Great Price, all contain truths of transcendent worth about the doings of Deity
from the beginning to the end. But what we have is only the milk of the
present, which prepares us for the meat of the future. We do not have what he
told the Nephites, and we do not have what he revealed to the brother of Jared,
nor will we until the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon comes forth.” (Mortal
Messiah, book 4, p. 368-9)
3 Ne 26:9 if…they shall believe these things then shall the greater
things be made manifest
Joseph Fielding Smith
“I
would like to call your attention to one thing in the Book of Mormon. The Lord
has promised us greater knowledge, greater understanding than we find in the
Book of Mormon, when we are prepared to receive it. When the brother of Jared
went upon the mount to have the Lord touch stones to give them light to light
their way across the great ocean, the Lord revealed to him the history of this
world from the beginning of it to the end. We do not have it.
“I
am going to read one or two passages of scripture from the Book of Mormon in
relation to that matter. ‘And he’ (that is,
Christ) ‘did expound all things, even from the
beginning until the time that he should come in his glory -- yea, even all
things which should come upon the face of the earth, even until the elements
should melt with fervent heat, and the earth should be wrapt together as a
scroll, and the heavens and the earth should pass away; . . .’ (3 Nephi
26:3.)
“All
of that was written and given to the Nephites. We do not have that record, and
the Lord said this -- which is concerning us particularly -- and Mormon wrote
it: (quotes 3 Ne 26:8-10)
“I
say that when the brother of Jared went on the mount, the Lord revealed the
history of this earth to him from the beginning to the end thereof, but we do
not have it. But when the Nephites became righteous, after the visit of the Son
of God, the Lord revealed that record to them, and then when they began to fall
away, he took the record away again and hid it up. Here is what the Lord says
about it.
‘And after Christ truly
had showed himself unto his people, he commanded that they should be made
manifest.’ (That is, the full record.)
‘And now, after that,
they have all dwindled in unbelief; and there is none save it be the Lamanites,
and they have rejected the gospel of Christ; therefore I am commanded that I
should hide them up again in the earth.’
‘…And in that day that
they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared
did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the
things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my
revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and
of the earth, and all things that in them are.’ (Ether 4:2,3,7)
“Now
the Lord has placed us on probation as members of the Church. He has given us
the Book of Mormon, which is the lesser part, to build up our faith through our
obedience to the counsels which it contains, and when we ourselves, members of
the Church, are willing to keep the commandments as they have been given to us
and show our faith as the Nephites did for a short period of time, then the
Lord is ready to bring forth the other record and give it to us, but we are not
ready now to receive it. Why? Because we have not lived up to the requirements
in this probationary state in the reading of the record which had been given to
us and in following its counsels.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1961, pp.
19-20)
Neal A. Maxwell
“So
it is that ‘all things must come to pass in their
own time.’ (D&C 64:32.) This is cause and reason for patience and
perspective amidst the macro plan! Such unfoldingness reflects the tutoring of
a just and a long-suffering Lord…. Besides, we have a notable lack of capacity
to appreciate things that, like water out of a fire hydrant, come in a rush.
Hence the Lord meters out divine disclosure according to what is deserved and
usable. He has warned us: ‘Murmur not because of the
things which thou hast not seen, for they are withheld from thee and from the
world, which is wisdom in me in a time to come’ (D&C 25:4.).” (Meek
and Lowly, p. 91)
3 Ne 26:14 he did teach and minister unto the children
Jeffrey R. Holland
“We
are left to wonder at the marvelous messages given to these children that could
in any way have been ‘greater than he had revealed
unto the people.’ He had spoken of faith, repentance, baptism, the gift
of the Holy Ghost, prayer, the sacrament, the law of Moses, the scattering and
gathering of Israel, the Book of Mormon, the fulness of the covenant, the work
of the priesthood, and his own second coming—to name just a few of the
principal topics! What he told the children that was greater than these is a
question of surpassing wonder. On that astonishing note Christ ascended into
heaven, concluding the second day.” (Christ And The New Covenant, p.
299)
3 Ne 26:15 he…raised a man from the dead
The raising of this
individual from the dead was not an afterthought on the part of the Lord. Rather,
it is a blessing given according to their desires. Previously, the Savior said,
I perceive that ye desire that I should show unto
you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem (3 Ne 17:8).
Therefore, the Lord blessed their sick and afflicted as he had done among the
Jews. Later the Lord gave them bread and wine symbolizing the miracle of the
loaves and fishes (3 Ne 20:7). Finally, he would demonstrate his power over
death as he had with Lazarus, Jairus’s daughter, and the widow’s son (Jn 11:14-46,
Matt 9:18-26, Lu 7:11-17). This demonstration of power over death was important
both as a witness and a blessing to the Nephites. Hereby, his ministry of the
second day was complete, for after he had shown
forth his power unto them, he ascended unto
the Father.
3 Ne 26:16 on the morrow…even babes did open their mouths and utter
marvelous things
Jeffrey R. Holland
“The
sequence and circumstance of Christ's third day of ministering to the Nephites
is not entirely clear in the text we have been given…Apparently after the close
of the second day…the people gathered ‘on the
morrow’ (the third day) to be taught by the Master. As he had done the
first and second days, so too on the third he again ministered to the children,
loosing their tongues and filling their hearts with spiritual truths. As a
result, not only children but also babes in arms ‘did
open their mouths and utter marvelous things; and the things which they did
utter were forbidden that there should not any man write them.’
“It
is significant that in each of the three days of his Nephite ministry, Christ
had a singular spiritual experience with children. Those experiences, linking
each of the days of his Nephite ministry, trumpet again the truth that Christ
taught in the Old World as well as the New, that ‘of
such is the kingdom of heaven’ (Matt 19:14).” (Christ And The New Covenant, p. 301 – 302)
Marion D. Hanks
“My
experience is that, as the prophets have known, and the poets also, children
come into this world:
‘Not
in entire forgetfulness,
And
not in utter nakedness,
But
trailing clouds of glory…
From
God, who is our home.’ (William Wordsworth)
“…We
have a little girl who is, I think, especially susceptible to spiritual things.
Form her babyhood she gave me an almost eerie feeling sometimes, because she
would walk about the yard and in her play, stop and look up and say, ‘Hi,
Jesus,’ or ‘I love you, God’: just a little child…The sweet assurance and
confidence she has, nothing doubting, that God is, and that Jesus is, and that
they are interested in her and related to her and that she may talk with them
and apply to them on her little knees at night and in the morning, and expect
that when she prays for her little sister who is ill, she will be blessed by
them—this sweet confidence and assurance we need. The scriptures not
only affirm it, my own life and experience affirm it.” (Book of
Mormon Student Manual, 1981, p. 436)
Neal A. Maxwell
“Some
time ago, Nate, then just over three, said: ‘Mommy, there is another little
girl who is supposed to come to our family. She has dark hair and dark eyes and
lives a long way from here.’
“The
wise mother asked, ‘How do you know this?
“‘Jesus
told me, upstairs.’
“The
mother noted, ‘We don’t have an upstairs,’ but quickly sensed the significance
of what had been communicated. After much travail and many prayers, the Barker
family were in a sealing room in the Salt Lake Temple in the fall of 1995—where
a little girl with dark hair and dark eyes, from Kazakhstan, was sealed to them
for time and eternity. Inspired children still tell parents ‘great and marvelous things’” (Ensign, May
1996, pp. 69-70 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon
compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 457)
3 Ne 26:17 the disciples…began from that time forth to baptize
We remember the account of
the baptisms of the disciples (3 Ne 19:11-13). But, at that time, there had not
been sufficient time to baptize the entire multitude. The ushering in of a new
dispensation and covenant now required another baptism, even for those who had
been previously baptized. This massive work was one of the first tasks of the
new disciples. Apparently, the Lord truly blessed them with many manifestations
of the Gift of the Holy Ghost, for we are told, many
of them saw and heard unspeakable things, which are not lawful to be written
(v. 18).
Joseph Fielding Smith
“Baptism,
as we understand it, is one of the cardinal principles of the gospel, commanded
primarily for the remission of sins, and, secondarily, as the door by
which we enter into the Church… When Christ appeared to the Nephites on
this continent, he commanded them to be baptized, although they had been
baptized previously for the remission of their sins. We read how Nephi beheld
angels who came and ministered to him daily; how he baptized all who came to be
baptized for the remission of sins; how he organized the Church; and how he
even raised his brother from the dead, since he held the priesthood (see 3 Ne
7:15-25). Then we read that the Savior commanded Nephi and the people to be baptized
again, because he had organized anew the Church under the gospel. Before
that it had been organized under the law.” (Doctrines of Salvation,
vol. 2, pp. 332,336)
3 Ne 26:19 they had all things common among them
See commentary for 4 Nephi
1:3.