Helaman 5

In the 62nd year of elected judges, Nephi stepped down as chief judge to devote himself to preaching the word of God for the rest of his life. He despaired because the laws that empowered the people were useless if the majority chose evil over good. He saw the laws being corrupted by the people’s stubbornness, and he saw how ripe the Nephites were for destruction.

Lehi joined his brother Nephi and also committed himself to preaching to the Nephite people for the rest of his life also. Together they remembered the words of their father Helaman, “My sons, I want you to remember and keep the commandments of God. I also want you to convey these words to the people. I have given you the names of our ancestors who came to this land from Jerusalem. I did this so that when you remember your own names, you will also remember them. When you remember them, remember their works. When you remember their works, know that they were good. I want you to be held in the same high regard as your namesakes are.”

“I further ask,” Helaman had said, “that you not boast about your good works. Your purpose in being good should be to secure the eternal place in heaven that we must presume our ancestors have received. I want you to remember the words that King Benjamin spoke to the people when he said that ‘There is no other way that a man can be saved except through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ who will come to redeem the world.’ I want you to remember the words that Amulek spoke to Zeezrom when he said that ‘God will surely come to redeem his people, not in their sins, but from their sins.’ This power of redemption comes from repentance, and through Jesus Christ. This is why he has sent angels to declare the conditions of repentance and redemption. Remember to build your foundation upon the rock of our redeemer, Jesus Christ. When the devil sends his mighty storms of hail and whirlwinds to try and dislodge you, your foundation will not fail if it is built on his rock.”

Remembering these words, Nephi and Lehi went forth among the Nephites to keep God’s commandments and teach his word. They traveled from one city to another until they’d visited all the Nephite cities in the south. After that they brought their missionary work to Zarahemla, which was now part of the Lamanites’ lands. They preached with such power and persuasiveness that many of the Nephite rebels who had gone over to the Lamanites came forward to confess their sins, repent, and be baptized. These reformed Nephite rebels returned to the Nephite lands to restore the damages they’d done.

Nephi and Lehi spoke to the Lamanites with such authority that 8,000 of them, convinced of the wickedness of their ancestors, offered up their repentance and were baptized. The two brothers continued northward into more Lamanite lands where they were captured by the Lamanite army and thrown into prison. After having left them for many days without food the guards came to take them out for execution. When the guards arrived Nephi and Lehi were encircled in a fire that the Lamanites were afraid to touch but that left the brothers unharmed.

“Don’t be afraid,” the brothers said to the Lamanite executioners, “God is just showing you that we cannot be harmed or killed by you.” After these words were spoken, the earth shook as if the prison might fall, and a cloud of darkness and fear descended upon the Lamanites.

“Repent, repent,” came a firm, calm voice from the cloud of darkness. “Stop your attempts to harm these servants of mine. I have sent them to bring you good news.”

The earth then shook again, and the prison walls trembled. “Repent, repent,” the calm voice from the cloud said again. “The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Do not attempt to harm my servants.”

Then the earth shook for a third time and the voice came again saying marvelous words that cannot be spoken by men. After the voice was finished speaking the earth shuddered for a fourth time as if it were about to split itself open. The Lamanites couldn’t run away because the cloud of darkness blackened the sky, and they were paralyzed with fear.

Among the Lamanites was a Nephite rebel who had once belonged to the church of God. Through the cloud of darkness this man saw the faces of Nephi and Lehi shining like angels, with their eyes lifted to heaven as if they were talking with some unseen being. The man cried out to the Lamanites, telling them to turn and look.

“What does this mean? With whom are these prisoners conversing?” they asked.

“They talk with the angels of God,” cried the man.

“What can we do,” the Lamanites asked, “to remove this cloud of darkness that blackens the sky?”

“You must repent and cry out to the voice,” the man answered, “until you have faith in Jesus Christ, as was taught to you by Alma, Amulek, and Zeezrom. When you do this, the cloud of darkness will be removed.”

Upon hearing this the Lamanites all began to cry out to the voice that had caused the earth to shake. When they did as they were told the cloud of darkness vanished. Afterwards they looked about and found themselves each encircled within a pillar of fire, as Nephi and Lehi had been before. The flames burned intensely but did them no harm, and they were filled with an unspeakable joy and glory. The Holy Spirit of God came down from heaven and entered their hearts as if they were filled with fire.

The pleasant, calm voice came to them again, saying, “Peace be with you because of your faith in my Beloved Son whose presence was prepared from the earth’s beginning.”

When the people looked up to see where the voice was coming from they saw the heavens open and angels pouring out to minister to them. Three hundred people witnessed these things. These witnesses were told to go out into the world without doubts, minister to the people, and declare what they had seen and heard. Most of the Lamanites who heard these testimonies became convinced of their truth, laid down their weapons, gave up their hatred of the Nephites, abandoned the traditions of their ancestors, and returned the Nephites’ occupied lands to them. [30 BC]