Book of Mormon Commentary CofC - Odessa, Missouri Community ...

Book of Mormon Commentary
2 Nephi Chapter 12
2 Ne 12:14 Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have
become corrupted; and their churches are lifted up; because of pride, they are puffed up.
12:14 Early in the work of the Restoration the Lord said, "No one can assist in this work, except
he shall be humble and full of love, having faith, hope and charity, being temperate in all things
whatsoever shall be intrusted to his care" (D. and C, 11:4b). No person or church that harbors
pride and false teachers can long retain divine favor.
Jesus closed his Sermon on the Mount by saying, "It is not everyone that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, that shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in
heaven" (Matt. 7:30). Nephi saw that being "puffed up" in pride would cause the churches to rob
the poor to build fine sanctuaries, and they would "persecute the meek" (15) "They have all gone
astray, save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ" (16). (See M. 4:41-50)
WOE TO THOSE AT EASE IN ZION, VER. 19-34
2 Ne 12:20 For the day shall come that the Lord God will speedily visit the inhabitants of the earth; and
in that day that they are fully ripe in iniquity, they shall perish.
12:20 Men become calloused to the prophetic warnings. Peter saw these times when he wrote, “In
the last days there shall come scoffers, walking after their own lusts. Denying the Lord Jesus
Christ, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things
must continue as they are, …from the beginning of the creation" (11 Pet. 3:3, 4).
2 Ne 12:22 But behold, that great and abominable church, the whore of all the earth, must tumble to the
earth; and great must be the fall thereof:
12:22 This is strong and emphatic language, but when properly understood it is quite acceptable. It
could not have applied to one large and powerful denomination of our day and covered Jacob's
broad area: "Wherefore, he that fighteth against Zion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free,
both male and female, shall perish: for they are they who are the whore of all the earth" (II N.
7:23, 24). “I beheld this great and abominable church; and I saw the devil that he was the
foundation of it" (1 N. 3:141).
“The day cometh that the wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots, which is the
great and abominable church of all the earth, whose foundation is the devil" (I N. 3:236). Just
before saying this Nephi had declared, "Behold, there are save two churches only: the one is the
church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil" (220, 221).
Regardless of the waywardness and sinning of men, they are still God's children, and he loves
them. He is not willing that any should perish. Therefore he inspired Nephi to write, "The
kingdom of the devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto
repentance" (11 N. 12:23).
2 Ne 12:25 And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say, All is
well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well;