2 Nephi 26
1 And after Christ shall have risen from the dead he shall show himself unto
you, my children, and my beloved brethren; and the words which he shall
speak unto you shall be the law which ye shall do.
2 For behold, I say unto you that I have beheld that many generations shall
pass away, and there shall be great wars and contentions among my people.
3 And after the Messiah shall come there shall be signs given unto my people
of his birth, and also of his death and resurrection; and great and terrible shall
that day be unto the wicked, for they shall perish; and they perish because
they cast out the prophets, and the saints, and stone them, and slay them;
wherefore the cry of the blood of the saints shall ascend up to God from the
ground against them.
4 Wherefore, all those who are proud, and that do wickedly, the day that
cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, for they shall be as
stubble.
5 And they that kill the prophets, and the saints, the depths of the earth shall
swallow them up, saith the Lord of Hosts; and mountains shall cover them,
and whirlwinds shall carry them away, and buildings shall fall upon them and
crush them to pieces and grind them to powder.
6 And they shall be visited with thunderings, and lightnings, and
earthquakes, and all manner of destructions, for the fire of the anger of the
Lord shall be kindled against them, and they shall be as stubble, and the day
that cometh shall consume them, saith the Lord of Hosts.
7 O the pain, and the anguish of my soul for the loss of the slain of my
people! For I, Nephi, have seen it, and it well nigh consumeth me before the
presence of the Lord; but I must cry unto my God: Thy ways are just.
8 But behold, the righteous that hearken unto the words of the prophets, and
destroy them not, but look forward unto Christ with steadfastness for the
signs which are given, notwithstanding all persecution — behold, they are
they which shall not perish.
9 But the Son of righteousness shall appear unto them; and he shall heal
them, and they shall have peace with him, until three generations shall have
passed away, and many of the fourth generation shall have passed away in
righteousness.
10 And when these things have passed away a speedy destruction cometh
unto my people; for, notwithstanding the pains of my soul, I have seen it;
wherefore, I know that it shall come to pass; and they sell themselves for
naught; for, for the reward of their pride and their foolishness they shall reap
destruction; for because they yield unto the devil and choose works of
darkness rather than light, therefore they must go down to hell.
11 For the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man. $ And when
the Spirit ceaseth to strive with man then cometh speedy destruction, and this
grieveth my soul.
12 And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the
very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is
the Christ, the Eternal God;
13 And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the
power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and
people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of
men according to their faith.
14 But behold, I prophesy unto you concerning the last days; concerning the
days when the Lord God shall bring these things forth unto the children of
men.
15 After my seed and the seed of my brethren shall have dwindled in
unbelief, and shall have been smitten by the Gentiles; yea, after the Lord God
shall have camped against them round about, and shall have laid siege against
them with a mount, and raised forts against them; and after they shall have
been brought down low in the dust, even that they are not, yet the words of
the righteous shall be written, and the prayers of the faithful shall be heard,
and all those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not be forgotten.
16 For those who shall be destroyed shall speak unto them out of the
ground, and their speech shall be low out of the dust, and their voice shall be
as one that hath a familiar spirit; for the Lord God will give unto him power,
that he may whisper concerning them, even as it were out of the ground; and
their speech shall whisper out of the dust.
17 For thus saith the Lord God: They shall write the things which shall be
done among them, and they shall be written and sealed up in a book, and
those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not have them, for they seek to
destroy the things of God.
18 Wherefore, as those who have been destroyed have been destroyed
speedily; and the multitude of their terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth
away — yea, thus saith the Lord God: It shall be at an instant, suddenly —
19 And it shall come to pass, that those who have dwindled in unbelief shall
be smitten by the hand of the Gentiles.
20 And the Gentiles are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have
stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling block, that they have
built up many churches; nevertheless, they put down the power and miracles
of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own
learning, that they may get gain and grind upon the face of the poor.
21 And there are many churches built up which cause envyings, and strifes,
and malice.
22 And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of old, according
to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea,
the founder of murder, and works of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by
the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords
forever.
23 For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God
worketh not in darkness.
24 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he
loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all
men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake
of his salvation.
25 Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? $ Behold, I say
unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk
and honey, without money and without price.
26 Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the
synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.
27 Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation?
Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath
commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance.
28 Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of
his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one
like unto the other, and none are forbidden.
29 He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold priestcrafts
are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that
they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of
Zion.
30 Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath
given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love,
and except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they
should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish.
31 But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money
they shall perish.
32 And again, the Lord God hath commanded that men should not murder;
that they should not lie; that they should not steal; that they should not take
the name of the Lord their God in vain; that they should not envy; that they
should not have malice; that they should not contend one with another; that
they should not commit whoredoms; and that they should do none of these
things; for whoso doeth them shall perish.
33 For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is
good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto
the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of
his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond
and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike
unto God, both Jew and Gentile.