Br. Martins' Lecture Notes for Book of Mormon

3 Nephi 6-10

Questions for Review:

1. What was the cause of the break-up of the church among the Nephites just a few years before the Savior's visit to the American continent? (3 Nephi 6:10-18)

3 Nephi 6

With the destruction of the secret combination the Nephites returned to their homes, after 9 years living as one body in Zarahemla (1-2)

. Can you imagine (especially those of you who will become engineers, urban planners, and economists) the logistics of having the population of a whole country living in a single city? What changes do you think might have been necessary in water and heat supply systems, in waste management, in the economy, in governmental structure?

Uh-oh! Here we go again--down the drain ... (10-13)

Pride, boasting, and persecutions
Social stratification (a society divided in ranks, with those at the top claiming special privileges due to their wealth)
The rich get education, the poor don't-therefore the rich rule and get richer while the poor are led and continue poor

Have you seen this "film" before? If so, were you in it? What type of personage were you?

Instead of being a haven, a shelter against society's problems, the Nephite church becomes affected by those problems-and it is destroyed in the process (14)

The real cause of those problems: Satan offering people a fake alternative to the Lord's blessings--and the people accepted it (15)

Satan inspired to the people to engage in an unreasonable search for power, authority, wealth, and other vain things of the world (status, prestige, pride) and the people "ran amok" living that "gospel of materialism"

Be careful, folks. Once people get some of these things without the correct reasons for seeking them (Jacob 2:17-19) they can never get enough pleasure out of them. One never feels satisfied with those acquisitions because the source of satisfaction shifts from possessing things into acquiring things, and that acquisition process never ends.

Starting a "vicious cycle," people feel an almost irresistible urge "to keep up with the Joneses," (i.e. to acquire the same things that one's neighbor has) or even an urge to have more than others. Unfortunately, material possessions spoil, become old-fashioned, and eventually obsolete, thus perpetuating the acquisition fever.

The Nephites willfully rebelled against the commandments (18; also read D&C 82:3-4)

Lachoneus, the son of Lachoneus, is the new chief judge (19)

Missionaries with the gift of prophecy are sent by the Lord to preach to the people, but the people get angry and they are secretly executed (20-24; also read Alma 30:7-11)

A sinister secret combination arises again, this time to protect those who had murdered many of the missionary-prophets (26-30)

3 Nephi 7

The Nephite government breaks up--but total anarchy does not occur because the people divide themselves into tribes (1-6, 11)

Wickedness runs rampant (7)

The powerful ministry of Nephi, great-great-grandson of Alma the younger (15-17)

Keep in mind that this lineage (6 generations spanning about 180 years) of powerful prophets resulted from Abinadi's courageous preaching: Alma Sr., Alma the younger, Helaman, Helaman II, Nephi & Lehi, and Nephi

According to the currently available scriptures, it doesn't look like Abinadi baptized many people--if any--during his mission. But look how beautiful, inspiring and successful his mission was, regardless of the number of baptisms

Nephi raises his brother Timothy from the dead, and guess what: the people get mad at him for doing that (18-20)

Hey, doesn't this look like our own days? People get mad at us even for praying at graduation ceremonies in school, or mentioning God in class ...

Few people are converted (21-22)

Nephi ordain men to minister and baptize the people (25)

Would like to be a missionary under the same circumstances these brethren were? Well, just take a quick look around you ...

3 Nephi 8
Signs of the Death of the Savior

The signs of the Savior's death prophesied by Samuel, the Lamanite, befall the Nephites & Lamanites (5-23)

Those destructions were "the fruit of their thoughts" (read Jeremiah 6:19)

The mist of darkness may have been simply the visible manifestation of the darkness in which the people had been living all along because of their wicked actions and desires

Wicked actions apparently cause some kind of "imbalance in nature" (read Moses 7:48-49) and the destructions are a way of "cleansing the earth" so that the proper balance may be restored

The cries of the people (24-25)

Now they wish they hadn't rejected and stoned the holy prophets. At this point Carole King would sing: ♫ "But it's too late, baby; Now it's too late ..." ♫

3 Nephi 9
The Lord Speaks to the Survivors
of the Great Cataclysm

The devil and his angels rejoices with the destruction (2)

Many cities destroyed because of their wickedness (3-12)

The survivors were spared because they were more righteous than those who had died, and the Lord offers his mercies to them (13-14, 22; also 10:12)

The Lord introduces himself (15-18)

The Lord changes the ancient Law of Sacrifice: No more shedding of blood; instead, a broken heart and a contrite spirit are to be offered (19-20; also 3 Nephi 15:5-6,9)

Broken - made submissive; trained for use; subdued; crushed; reduced in rank

Heart - emotional constitution, basic disposition, or character; one's prevailing mood or current inclination

Contrite - broken down in spirit with grief and penitence for sin or shortcoming; humbly and thoroughly penitent

Penitent - one sorrowful for one's transgressions and resolved to amend one's life

By dictionary definition, contrition arises out of one's love for God, whereas remorse doesn't; in addition, remorse doesn't imply humility, hope of forgiveness, nor a determination to change one's life.

However, be aware that some of these terms have been used interchangeably; in other words, some authors will use the term "remorse" when they mean "contrition" and vice-versa

Spirit - temper or disposition of mind; a mental disposition characterized by firmness or assertiveness; mood; an individual person considered with reference to characteristics of mind or temper; soul

3 Nephi 10

After 3 days, the mist of darkness is dispersed (9-10)

The Lord appeared to the Nephites and Lamanites soon after his ascension (18)