Gospel Essentials Class Notes January 21, 2001

Notes on Mormon Chapter 2 

Teachers Note:  Class started today with two beautiful prayers:  an invocation from sister Laura, and a heartfelt prayer from brother Ralph in behalf of our newly inaugurated president Bush.  Lots of good discussion today.   The following scriptures were covered.  Class in two weeks will cover the book of Ether, so read ahead!

Reviewed End of Chapter 1 from last week:  Mormon prophesies to many people--foretells that when this work of the Book of Mormon comes to the Gentiles, that the House of Israel will soon be returning to their homeland. (Click here to read last week's notes for more discussion)

Finished last week with a profound prophecy that HAS been fulfilled:  (Mormon 1:82)

This week's discussion:

Now, 360 years have passed and we see the plight of the Nephites

Life Principle:  Mormon 2:6 But behold, the judgments of God will overtake the wicked; and it is by the wicked, that the wicked are punished; for it is the wicked that stir up the hearts of the children of men unto bloodshed.

The Nephites are being punished by other wicked people for their willful rebellion against  God.

This is a description of God’s people now:

·    Mormon 2:13 And it is impossible for the tongue to describe, or for man to write a perfect description of the horrible scene of the blood and carnage which was among the people; both of the Nephites and of the Lamanites; and every heart was hardened, so that they delighted in the shedding of blood continually.

·         Mormon 2:14 And there never had been so great wickedness among all the children of Lehi, nor even among all the house of Israel, according to the words of the Lord, as was among this people

      This means they were worse than the Israelites when they molded a golden calf; worse than when the Assyrians overthrew Jerusalem; worse than when the Jews lifted up the Messiah on the cross.

Archeologically, scientists have found three major groups of people who populated the central Americas (in support of, but quite separate from, the Book of Mormon's history):

1. Olmec

2. Mayan

3. Aztec

We see the beginnings of the culture that was left among the Native Americans in verses to follow.  The Book of Mormon describes three groups of people chronologically:

1. Jaredites lived and died out.

2. Lamanites & Nephites; Nephites found Mulekites and merged with them.

3. Lamanites, in spiritual state of disbelief,  survived all.

The Book of Mormon time periods match very well with scientific estimates:

The Aztec people are the vestiges of the Lamanites.  The Aztec were know for iddolic lives: They worshipped idols, made human sacrifices, etc.  These were the remaining Lamanites.  Mormon describes their vicious acts of terror upon his people the Nephites.  Here is evidence that they continued in their departure from faith into the tribe historians and archeologists now studied:

·          Mormon 2:16 And they did also march forward against the city Teancum, and did drive the inhabitants forth out of her, and did take many prisoners, both women and children, and did offer them up as sacrifices unto their idol gods.

·         Mormon 2:17 And it came to pass that in the three hundred and sixty and seventh year, the Nephites, being angry because the Lamanites had sacrificed their women and their children, that they did go against the Lamanites with exceeding great anger, insomuch that they did beat again the Lamanites, and drive them out of their lands;

 The Mayan were the elite, the Aztec were the savages.  The Nephites cultivated land, while the Lamanites hunted for food; The Nephites studied worshipped, while the Lamanites stole and plundered; (The Nephites played chess, the Lamanites played checkers).

 Now Mormon had made an oath to not lead the Nephite armies because of their sinful rebellion:

·   Mormon 1:74 And now because of this great thing which my people, the Nephites, had done, they began to boast in their own strength, and began to swear before the heavens, that they would avenge themselves of the blood of their brethren who had been slain by their enemies. Mormon 1:75 And they did swear by the heavens, and also by the throne of God, that they would go up to battle against their enemies, and would cut them off from the face of the land. Mormon 1:76 And it came to pass that I, Mormon, did utterly refuse from this time forth, to be a commander and a leader of this people, because of their wickedness and abomination.

Mormon rescinds that oath later, but with out hope.

 · Mormon 2:26 And it came to pass that I did go forth among the Nephites, and did repent of the oath which I had made, that I would no more assist them; and they gave me command again of their armies; for they looked upon me as though I could deliver them from their afflictions.

But Mormon was without Hope…Why?  Because he new that unless repentance occurred, there was no room for hope.

• Mormon 2:27 But behold, I was without hopes, for I knew the judgments of the Lord which should come upon them; for they repented not of their iniquities, but did struggle for their lives, without calling upon that being who created them.

We discussed some of Ether already,  Especially how the Jaredites knowledge of metal working, formerly criticized by critics of the Book of Mormon, has been discovered and proven by researchers from Harvard and Yale.  Click here to read the article of metal discoveries in 1998 in Peru, dating back to 2000 BC.

Also discussed how the Book of Mormon teaches that the Jaredite people lived in and on the same lands as the Nephites, according to Ether's record, and Moroni's comments.  Detailed notes will be forth coming in upcoming notes.