THE SONS OF HELAMAN--NEPHI's RIGHTEOUS RULE--THE LAMANITES AGAIN
INVADE ZARAHEMLA--THEY DRIVE THE NEPHITES INTO THE NORTHERN
CONTINENT--THE MINISTRATIONS OF NEPHI AND LEHI--THE MANIFESTATIONS
OF GOD'S POWER IN THE CITY OF NEPHI--AMINADAB--THE CONVERSION OF THE
LAMANITES--UNIVERSAL PEACE.
(HELAMAN CHAP. 4 AND 5.)
In Nephi we have one of the greatest prophets that ever trod the earth,
or to whom the God of our salvation revealed his glorious will. He
lived during the greater portion of the first century before Christ,
and disappeared from the knowledge of mankind but a short time before
the advent of the Messiah as a babe in Bethlehem. He is first referred
to in the Book of Mormon (B. C. 44) as the elder of Helaman's two
sons, Lehi being the younger. These two brothers appear to have been
inseparable during their lives. They are nearly always mentioned as
associated in the great and oft-times perilous labors of the ministry
undertaken for the salvation of either Nephites or Lamanites. We have
no information with regard to the time of Nephi's birth, but when his
father died, in the year B. C. 39, he succeeded him as chief judge, the
duties of which office he filled with wisdom and justice for about nine
years, when owing to the wickedness of the people, he resigned that
office, and Cezoram was chosen by the people in his stead (B. C. 30).
The years that Nephi judged his people are some of the darkest in
Nephite history. Owing to their great pride and iniquity, the Lord
left them to themselves, and they became weak like unto the Lamanites,
man for man. When war was declared, the latter, being much the more
numerous, carried everything before them. In vain the Nephites
struggled for their homes and their liberties. They were forced back
by the hordes of the Lamanites from city to city, from land to land.
Manti, Gideon, Cumeni, Moroni, and even Zarahemla fell. Nor did the war
end when the blood-thirsty Lamanites held high carnival in the midst of
its towers and palaces. Onward swept the invading host; backward fled
the defenders of the commonwealth, and backward they continued until
every town and city, every tower and fort, from Melek to Moroni, from
Manti to Bountiful, were filled with the savage, half-disciplined,
dark-skinned warriors of Laman. Not a place could be found in the whole
southern continent where the soldiers of the Nephites successfully held
their ground. Zarahemla, with its hallowed associations, its glorious
temples, where the daily sacrifice was unceasingly offered, its proud
palaces, its luxurious homes, its courts of justice, where the chief
judge sat in the magnificence of almost kingly authority to administer
the law--this their queen city, the seat of their government, the centre
of their civilization, the home of their highest priesthood, was in the
hands of their merciless, vandal-like foes. Nor had the danger stopped;
with hurried hands the Nephites built a line of defense across the
Isthmus of Panama from sea to sea, for the unnumbered hosts of their
conquerors were still pushing forward. This line of fortifications was
effectual; it stopped the roll of the barbaric tide northward, and the
Lamanite commanders rested with the possession of a continent.
In this war the Nephite dissenters took active part against their
white brethren, and to this fact, in part, may be attributed the
sudden success that shone on the Lamanite arms. But little by little
in succeeding years the half repentant Nephites regained their lost
ground, until (B. C. 31) the most northerly half of their possessions
had again fallen into their hands; but because of their only partial
repentance, their leaders had not strength to lead them further, and
Zarahemla still remained in the hands of the warriors of Laman.
When Nephi retired from the judgment seat it was with the intention of
devoting his entire time to the preaching of the gospel. He associated
his brother Lehi with him, and commencing at Bountiful, he journeyed
and preached throughout all the land southward in the possession of the
Nephites. From thence the two brothers passed onwards to Zarahemla,
where they found many Nephite dissenters, to whom they proclaimed the
word of God in great power. Numbers of these confessed their sins, were
baptized unto repentance, and immediately returned to their brethren
to repair, if possible, the wrongs they had done, and make such
restitution as lay in their power.
Numbers of the Lamanites also received the truth gladly, insomuch that
eight thousand of that race were baptized in Zarahemla and the regions
round about.
From Zarahemla the prophets proceeded to the Lamanite capital in the
land of Nephi, where yet mightier power attended them. The voice of God
from heaven sustained their testimony; angels ministered to the people
who assembled to see them; neither prisons, nor chains, nor bonds
could restrain or hold them, and they accomplished an ever blessed and
marvelous work amongst the benighted children of Laman (B. C. 30).
God's power was manifested at these times in mercy to the darkened
condition of the minds of the Lamanites, when only extraordinary
manifestations of his divine goodness could reach their hearts. They
had no records to which they could appeal, and all their traditions
were opposed to the Holy Being whose message of eternal joy the Nephite
prophets bore. Thus in their weakness they were strengthened by signs
and wonders which a people better educated in the things of God could
with but ill grace claim.
The story of the ministration of Nephi and Lehi in the land of Nephi
is of the deepest interest. When they reached its chief city they were
thrust into that same prison into which Ammon and his companions were
cast by the guards of king Limhi. Here they were kept with little or
no food for a number of days. At the end of this time the officers of
the Lamanites went to the prison with the intention of slaying the
two brothers. But to their intense surprise the Lamanites found them
encircled about as if by fire. At this strange spectacle fear fell upon
the officers. They dared not touch the two prisoners lest they should
be burned. Yet when they saw that Nephi and Lehi were not consumed
their hearts took courage, though they still stood as if struck dumb
with amazement.
At this point the two brethren stood forward and began to explain
that what was seen was manifested that the spectators might learn
that no one could harm them, and that they were the servants of the
Most High, and his all-powerful arm shielded them. Nor was this all:
a sudden earthquake shook the ground, the prison walls tottered to
their foundations, a pall of thick darkness covered all whom curiosity
or other motives had gathered to the prison. The unburning flame,
the tottering walls, the quivering earth, the impenetrable cloud of
blackness, all conspired to fill the hearts of the Lamanites with
solemn fear and awful dread. They realized the almighty power of God;
they were filled with the sense of their own abject insignificance. A
voice, the voice of One whom they knew not, sounded in their affrighted
ears. Once and again, yea, a third time, and each time that the voice
came it was followed by the trembling of the earth and the shaking of
the prison walls. All nature quivered at the presence of the Majesty
on High, whilst the heavy, palpable, impenetrable darkness still
enshrouded them.
From above the voice descended; it was outside the cloud; its tones
came not to their quaking hearts with the roar of the pealing thunder;
nor was it like the tumultuous flow of angry waters; but a still voice
of perfect mildness, almost a whisper, that pierced to their inmost
souls. That voice was the voice of the mighty God of Jacob, and he
called upon all those who heard him to repent, and to do his servants
no hurt. With the third repetition of this command were added marvelous
words of salvation that cannot be uttered by men. And because of the
darkness that enveloped them, and the fearful dread that filled their
hearts, none dared to move. Fear, astonishment, apprehension of what
was to come, had riveted each to the spot on which he stood.
Among the crowd was a Nephite dissenter, an apostate from the true
church, named Aminadab. This man, happening to turn his face in the
direction in which the two disciples stood, beheld that their faces
shone with a glorious light, and that they were conversing with
some one who appeared to be above them, for their eyes were turned
heavenward. Aminadab drew the attention of those who surrounded him
to this glorious appearance, and the spell that bound them was
sufficiently removed to enable them to turn towards the prisoners and
to become witnesses of the fact also. What do all these things mean?
they anxiously inquired. They do converse with the angels of God,
answered Aminadab. What shall we do that this cloud of darkness may
be removed? was their next question. You must repent and cry unto the
Voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ, he replied. They did
cry unto God with all the energy that their terrifying surroundings
inspired, and so continued to supplicate until the cloud was dispersed.
Then, to their great surprise, they discovered that they also were
entombed in a pillar of living fire. Yet this fire did not hurt them,
it did not singe their garments, it did not consume the prison walls,
but their terror was swept away, and they were filled with a joy that
was unspeakable, for the Holy Spirit of God filled their souls, and
they broke forth in marvelous words of praise and rejoicing. Again
a pleasant, searching whisper reached their gladdened ears. It said
unto them, Peace, peace be unto you because of your faith in my
Well-beloved, who was from the foundation of the world. Now there were
about 300 souls who heard and saw these things, and they cast up their
eyes unto heaven, which was opened to their vision, and holy angels
came down and ministered unto them.
The tidings of this glorious appearing were quickly spread near and far
in the lands where the Lamanites dwelt. So powerful was the testimony,
and so great were the evidences, that the major portion of the
people believed, repented and obeyed the gospel. Then, like all true
saints, they manifested the sincerity of their repentance by works of
restitution; they laid down their weapons of war, they cast aside their
false traditions, their hatred gave place to love, and they restored to
the Nephites Zarahemla and the other lands which they had taken from
them (B. C. 30).
So great was the reformation in their character that the Lamanites
soon exceeded the Nephites in their faith and good works. Extraordinary
as it may appear, instead of Nephite missionaries visiting the
Lamanites, Lamanite missionaries were soon ministering the precious
truths of the gospel among the Nephites. Then a universal peace,
such as had never before been known since the division of the two
races, extended over the whole land. Indeed, from this time the
history of the two nations, to a great extent, becomes one. Together
they worshiped the Lord, together they rose and sank, together they
battled with the assassin hosts of Gadianton, together they triumphed
over those desperadoes, and together they sought refuge in one vast
body when there was no safety but in massing the people in one land,
together the more unrighteous portions of both races were destroyed at
the crucifixion of the Savior, and together the more righteous ones
witnessed his appearing, listened to his words, received his law, and
became members of his holy church. Henceforth, for generations, they
were no more of Nephi, no more of Laman, no more of Jacob, no more of
Ishmael--all were of Christ.