CHAPTER VII.

22:1 And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, after that I had read these things which were engraven upon the plates of brass, my brethren came unto me and said unto me, What meaneth these things which ye have read? Behold, are they to be understood according to things which are spiritual, which shall come to pass according to the spirit and not the flesh? 22:2 And I, Nephi, sayeth unto them, Behold, they were made manifest unto the prophet, by the voice of the spirit: for by the spirit are all things made known unto the prophet, which shall come upon the children of men, according to the flesh. 22:3 Wherefore, the things of which I have read, are things pertaining to things both temporal and spiritual:¹ for it appears that the House of Israel, sooner or later, will be scattered upon all the face of the earth, and also among all nations, 22:4 and before there are many which are already lost from the knowledge of they which are at Jerusalem. Yea, the more part of all the tribes have been led away; and they are scattered to and fro upon the isles of the sea: and whither they are, none of us knoweth, save that we know that they have been led away. 22:5 And since that they have been led away, these things have been prophesied concerning them, and also concerning all they which shall hereafter be scattered and be confounded, because of the Holy One of Israel: for against him will they harden their hearts; wherefore, they shall be scattered among all nations, and shall be hated by all men. 22:6 Nevertheless, after that they have been nursed by the Gentiles, and the Lord hath lifted up his hand upon the Gentiles and set them up for a standard, and their children shall be carried in their arms, and their daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders, behold, these things of which are spoken, are temporal: for thus is the covenants of the Lord with our fathers; and it meaneth us in the days to come, and also all our brethren which are of the House of Israel. 22:7 And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the House of Israel have been scattered and confounded, that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles, yea, even upon the face of this land; and by them shall our seed be scattered. 22:8 And after that our seed is scattered, the Lord God will proceed to do a marvellous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed; wherefore, it is likened unto the being nursed² by the Gentiles, and being carried in their arms, and upon their shoulders. 22:9 And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles; and not only unto the Gentiles, but unto all the House of Israel, unto the making known of the covenants of the Father of Heaven unto Abraham, saying,

In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.

22:10 And I would, my brethren, that ye should know that all the kindreds of the earth cannot be blessed, unless he shall make bare his arm in the eyes of the nations. 22:11 Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to make bare his arm in the eyes of all the nations, in bringing about his covenants and his Gospel, unto they which are of the House of Israel. 22:12 Wherefore, he will bring them again out of captivity, and they shall be gathered together to the lands of their first³ inheritance; and they shall be brought out of obscurity, and out of darkness; and they shall know that the Lord is their Saviour and their Redeemer, the mighty one of Israel. 22:13 And the blood of that great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads: for they shall war among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own heads, and they shall be drunken with their own blood. 22:14 And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight against Zion, shall be destroyed. And that great whore, which hath perverted the right ways of the Lord; yea, that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust, and great shall be the fall of it. 22:15 For behold, saith the prophet, that the time cometh speedily, that Satan shall have no more power over the hearts of the children of men: for the day soon cometh, that all the proud and they which do wickedly, shall be as stubble; and the day cometh that they must be burned. 22:16 For the time soon cometh, that the fulness of the wrath of God shall be poured out upon all the children of men: for he will not suffer that the wicked shall destroy the righteous. 22:17 Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power, even if it so be that the fulness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be preserved, even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire. Wherefore, the righteous need not fear: for thus saith the prophet, They shall be saved, even if it be so as by fire. 22:18 Behold, my brethren, I say unto you, that these things must shortly come; yea, even blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke must come; and it must needs be upon the face of this earth; and it cometh unto men according to the flesh, if it so be that they will harden their hearts against the Holy One of Israel: 22:19 for behold, the righteous shall not perish; for the time surely must come, that all they which fight against Zion, shall be cut off. 22:20 And the Lord will surely prepare a way for his people, unto the fulfilling of the words of Moses, which he spake, saying:

A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, like unto me;
him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
And it shall come to pass that all they which will not hear that prophet,
shall be cut off from among the people.

22:21 And now I, Nephi, declare unto you, that this prophet of whom Moses spake, was the Holy One of Israel; wherefore, he shall execute judgment in righteousness; 22:22 and the righteous need not fear, for it is they which shall not be confounded. But it is the kingdom of the Devil, which shall be built up among the children of men, which kingdom is established⁴ among them which are in the flesh: 22:23 for the time speedily shall come, that all churches which are built up to get gain, and all they which are built up to get power over the flesh, and they which are built up to become popular in the eyes of the world, and they which seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world, and to do all manner of iniquity; yea, in fine, all they which belong to the kingdom of the Devil, it is they which need fear, and tremble, and quake; it is they which must be brought low in the dust; it is they which must be consumed as stubble: and this is according to the words of the prophet. 22:24 And the time cometh speedily, that the righteous must be led up as calves of the stall, and the Holy One of Israel must reign in dominion, and might, and power, and great glory. 22:25 And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth; and he numbereth his sheep, and they know him; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture. 22:26 And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan hath no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years: for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth. 22:27 And now behold, I, Nephi, say unto you, that all these things must come, according to the flesh. 22:28 But, behold, all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, shall dwell safely in the Holy One of Israel, if it so be that they will repent.

22:29 And now I, Nephi, make an end; for I durst not speak further as yet, concerning these things. 22:30 Wherefore, my brethren, I would that ye should consider that the things which have been written upon the plates of brass, are true; and they testify that a man must be obedient to the commandments of God. 22:31 Wherefore, ye need not suppose that I and my father are the only ones that have testified, and also taught them. Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day. And thus it is. Amen.

NOTES