Helaman 14

Samuel the Lamanite prophesied many more things, some of which cannot be written, and some of which can.

“I will give you a sign to watch for,” he said, “that will inform you of the time of Jesus Christ’s arrival. Five years from now he will come to redeem those who believe in his name. You will see great lights in heaven, and in the night before he comes there will be no darkness. After the night that is as bright as a day has passed, you will know that Jesus Christ has been born. After the second day of light has passed, a new star, such as has never been seen, will rise in the evening sky. This also will be a sign to you that Jesus Christ has come. And this is not all. There will also be many other signs and extraordinary events in the heavens.

“When these things happen,” Samuel the Lamanite continued, “you will be so amazed that you will fall to the ground. Whoever believes in Jesus Christ will find eternal life. I have been commanded by God, through his angel, to tell you these prophecies. God has commanded me to say these words for him, ‘Cry out to my people’, he said, ‘tell them to repent and to prepare for the way of God.’

“I can see that you’re angry with me because I am a Lamanite who has spoken harsh words to you. But these are words that God has commanded me to say. So now you want to destroy me and cast me out. I’ve climbed on top of this wall to tell you about the judgments of God that await you if you do not repent for your sinfulness. I wanted to let you know of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is the creator of heaven and earth, and of all things since the beginning of time. I wanted to tell you about the coming signs in hopes that you will repent and believe in his name. If you believe in his name and repent all of your sins, you will receive a remission for them through his intervention.

“I will give you another sign so that you will know the time of Christ’s death. For in order for salvation to occur, Jesus Christ must first die. It is necessary that he dies in order for the resurrection of the dead to occur, whereby men will be brought into the presence of God. His death will signal the resurrection and redemption of all mankind from the first death, the spiritual death, that we have inherited from the fall of Adam. Until Christ dies, all mankind has been cut off from the presence of God, and are considered dead to everything spiritual and worldly. Christ’s resurrection will bring everyone back into God’s presence.

“Whoever repents will not be cut down and thrown into the fire. Those who haven’t repented will be cut down, thrown into the fire, and die a second death. They will forever be cut off from everything righteous. So repent, unless by having known these things, and not having repented, you condemn yourselves to be brought down by this second death.

“You will know the time of Christ’s death by another sign. On the day that he dies, the sun, the moon and the stars will be darkened throughout the span of three days time, from the moment of his death until the time of his resurrection from death. At the moment of his death thunder and lightning will occur for many hours, the earth will shake, and rocks that make up the face of the earth will be broken into pieces. There will be great storms. Mountains will fall down into the valleys, and valleys will be lifted up as mountains. Highways and cities will be broken and made desolate. Graves will be opened, and the dead will be yielded up. Saints will appear to many people.

“The angel has told me that many people will see greater things than these, as demonstrations designed to convince them that there is no reason for disbelief among men. Those who believe will be saved, while those who disbelieve will receive a righteous judgment for they will condemn themselves. I want you to remember that whoever perishes, does so to himself. Whoever sins, does so to himself. This is the freedom that God has given you, to act on your own behalf. You are free to know good from evil, and free to choose life or death. You can be good, and be restored to that which is good. Or you can do evil, and be condemned to evil forever.”