Moroni Finishes His Father’S Record

Event 189

Reference: Morm. 8:1-41; 9:1-37

BEHOLD I, Moroni, do finish the record of my father,Mormon. Behold, I have but few things to write, whichthings I have been commanded by my father.MoroniLand northwardA.D. 385 to 4002 And now it came to pass that after the great andtremendous battle at Cumorah, behold, the Nephites whohad escaped into the country southward were hunted by theLamanites, until they were all destroyed. 3 And my fatheralso was killed by them, and I even remain alone to writethe sad tale of the destruction of my people. But behold,they are gone, and I fulfil the commandment of my father.And whether they will slay me, I know not. 4 Therefore Iwill write and hide up the records in the earth; and whither Igo it mattereth not. 5 Behold, my father hath made thisrecord, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, Iwould write it also if I had room upon the plates, but I havenot; and ore I have none, for I am alone. My father hathbeen slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have notfriends nor whither to go; and how long the Lord will sufferthat I may live I know not.6 Behold, four hundred years have passed away since thecoming of our Lord and Savior. 7 And behold, theLamanites have hunted my people, the Nephites, downfrom city to city and from place to place, even until they areno more; and great has been their fall; yea, great andmarvelous is the destruction of my people, the Nephites. 8And behold, it is the hand of the Lord which hath done it.And behold also, the Lamanites are at war one withanother; and the whole face of this land is one continualround of murder and bloodshed; and no one knoweth theend of the war. 9 And now, behold, I say no moreconcerning them, for there are none save it be theLamanites and robbers that do exist upon the face of theland.A.D. 401 to 42010 And there are none that do know the true God save it bethe disciples of Jesus, who did tarry in the land until thewickedness of the people was so great that the Lord wouldnot suffer them to remain with the people; and whether theybe upon the face of the land no man knoweth. 11 Butbehold, my father and I have seen them, and they have ministered unto us. 12 And whoso receiveth this record, andshall not condemn it because of the imperfections which arein it, the same shall know of greater things than these.Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would makeall things known unto you.MoroniLand northwardA.D. 401 to 42013 Behold, I make an end of speaking concerning thispeople. I am the son of Mormon, and my father was adescendant of Nephi. 14 And I am the same who hideth upthis record unto the Lord; the plates thereof are of no worth,because of the commandment of the Lord. For he truly saiththat no one shall have them to get gain; but the recordthereof is of great worth; and whoso shall bring it to light,him will the Lord bless. 15 For none can have power tobring it to light save it be given him of God; for God willsthat it shall be done with an eye single to his glory, or thewelfare of the ancient and long dispersed covenant peopleof the Lord.16 And blessed be he that shall bring this thing to light; forit shall be brought out of darkness unto light, according tothe word of God; yea, it shall be brought out of the earth,and it shall shine forth out of darkness, and come unto theknowledge of the people; and it shall be done by the powerof God. 17 And if there be faults they be the faults of a man.But behold, we know no fault; nevertheless God knowethall things; therefore, he that condemneth, let him be awarelest he shall be in danger of hell fire. 18 And he that saith:Show unto me, or ye shall be smitten—Criticlet him beware lest he commandeth that which is forbiddenof the Lord. 19 For behold, the same that judgeth rashlyshall be judged rashly again; for according to his worksshall his wages be; therefore, he that smiteth shall besmitten again, of the Lord. 20 Behold what the scripture says—man shall not smite, neither shall he judge; for judgmentis mine, saith the Lord, and vengeance is mine also, and Iwill repay. 21 And he that shall breathe out wrath and strifesagainst the work of the Lord, and against the covenantpeople of the Lord who are the house of Israel, and shallsay:MoroniWe will destroy the work of the Lord, and the Lord will notremember his covenant which he hath made unto the house ofIsrael—Critic the same is in danger to be hewn down and cast into thefire; 22 For the eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on,until all his promises shall be fulfilled. 23 Search theprophecies of Isaiah. Behold, I cannot write them. Yea,behold I say unto you, that those saints who have gonebefore me, who have possessed this land, shall cry, yea,even from the dust will they cry unto the Lord; and as theLord liveth he will remember the covenant which he hathmade with them. 24 And he knoweth their prayers, that theywere in behalf of their brethren. And he knoweth their faith,for in his name could they remove mountains; and in hisname could they cause the earth to shake; and by the powerof his word did they cause prisons to tumble to the earth;yea, even the fiery furnace could not harm them, neitherwild beasts nor poisonous serpents, because of the power ofhis word. 25 And behold, their prayers were also in behalf ofhim that the Lord should suffer to bring these things forth.MoroniLand northwardA.D. 401 to 42026 And no one need say they shall not come, for they surelyshall, for the Lord hath spoken it; for out of the earth shallthey come, by the hand of the Lord, and none can stay it;and it shall come in a day when it shall be said that miraclesare done away; and it shall come even as if one shouldspeak from the dead. 27 And it shall come in a day when theblood of saints shall cry unto the Lord, because of secretcombinations and the works of darkness. 28 Yea, it shallcome in a day when the power of God shall be denied, andchurches become defiled and be lifted up in the pride oftheir hearts; yea, even in a day when leaders of churchesand teachers shall rise in the pride of their hearts, even tothe envying of them who belong to their churches. 29 Yea, itshall come in a day when there shall be heard of fires, andtempests, and vapors of smoke in foreign lands; 30 Andthere shall also be heard of wars, rumors of wars, andearthquakes in divers places. 31 Yea, it shall come in a daywhen there shall be great pollutions upon the face of theearth; there shall be murders, and robbing, and lying, anddeceivings, and whoredoms, and all manner ofabominations; when there shall be many who will say, Dothis, or do that, and it mattereth not, for the Lord willuphold such at the last day. But wo unto such, for they arein the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity. 32 Yea,it shall come in a day when there shall be churches built upthat shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be forgiven of yoursins.ChurchesLand northwardA.D. 401 to 42033 O ye wicked and perverse and stiffnecked people, whyhave ye built up churches unto yourselves to get gain? Whyhave ye transfigured the holy word of God, that ye mightbring damnation upon your souls? Behold, look ye unto therevelations of God; for behold, the time cometh at that daywhen all these things must be fulfilled.Moroni34 Behold, the Lord hath shown unto me great andmarvelous things concerning that which must shortly come,at that day when these things shall come forth among you.35 Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet yeare not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me,and I know your doing. 36 And I know that ye do walk inthe pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few onlywho do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts,unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, andstrifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner ofiniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one, havebecome polluted because of the pride of your hearts.37 For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, andyour fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, morethan ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and theafflicted. 38 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, whosell yourselves for that which will canker, why have yepolluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed totake upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think thatgreater is the value of an endless happiness than that miserywhich never dies—because of the praise of the world? 39Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life,and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, andthe sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice themnot?40 Yea, why do ye build up your secret abominations to getgain, and cause that widows should mourn before the Lord,and also orphans to mourn before the Lord, and also theblood of their fathers and their husbands to cry unto theLord from the ground, for vengeance upon your heads? 41Behold, the sword of vengeance hangeth over you; and thetime soon cometh that he avengeth the blood of the saintsupon you, for he will not suffer their cries any longer. 1 AND now, I speak also concerning those who do notbelieve in Christ. 2 Behold, will ye believe in the day ofyour visitation—behold, when the Lord shall come, yea,even that great day when the earth shall be rolled togetheras a scroll, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat,yea, in that great day when ye shall be brought to standbefore the Lamb of God—then will ye say that there is noGod? 3 Then will ye longer deny the Christ, or can yebehold the Lamb of God? Do ye suppose that ye shall dwellwith him under a consciousness of your guilt? Do yesuppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holyBeing, when your souls are racked with a consciousness ofguilt that ye have ever abused his laws?MoroniLand northwardA.D. 401 to 4204 Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable todwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness ofyour filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with thedamned souls in hell. 5 For behold, when ye shall bebrought to see your nakedness before God, and also theglory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindlea flame of unquenchable fire upon you. 6 O then yeunbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto theFather in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be foundspotless, pure, fair, and white, having been cleansed by theblood of the Lamb, at that great and last day.7 And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations ofGod, and say that they are done away, that there are norevelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, norspeaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues; 8Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knowethnot the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures;if so, he does not understand them. 9 For do we not read thatGod is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in himthere is no variableness neither shadow of changing?10 And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a godwho doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing,then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is nota God of miracles. 11 But behold, I will show unto you aGod of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God ofIsaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God whocreated the heavens and the earth, and all things that inthem are. 12 Behold, he created Adam, and by Adam camethe fall of man. And because of the fall of man came JesusChrist, even the Father and the Son; and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man. 13 And because of theredemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they arebrought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this iswherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christbringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass aredemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all menshall be awakened by the power of God when the trumpshall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great,and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed andloosed from this eternal band of death, which death is atemporal death. 14 And then cometh the judgment of theHoly One upon them; and then cometh the time that he thatis filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall berighteous still; he that is happy shall be happy still; and hethat is unhappy shall be unhappy still.MoroniLand northwardA.D. 401 to 42015 And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselvesa god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have allthese things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the endcome yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has notceased to be a God of miracles. 16 Behold, are not the thingsthat God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, andwho can comprehend the marvelous works of God? 17 Whoshall say that it was not a miracle that by his word theheaven and the earth should be; and by the power of hisword man was created of the dust of the earth; and by thepower of his word have miracles been wrought?18 And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do manymighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracleswrought by the hands of the apostles. 19 And if there weremiracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God ofmiracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, Isay unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to beGod; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God ofmiracles. 20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miraclesamong the children of men is because that they dwindle inunbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not theGod in whom they should trust.21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ,doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in thename of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise isunto all, even unto the ends of the earth. 22 For behold, thus said Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples whoshould tarry, yea, and also to all his disciples, in the hearingof the multitude:MoroniLand northwardA.D. 401 to 420Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature;23 And he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he thatbelieveth not shall be damned; 24 And these signs shall followthem that believe—in my name shall they cast out devils; theyshall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and ifthey drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall layhands on the sick and they shall recover; 25 And whosoever shallbelieve in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm allmy words, even unto the ends of the earth.Jesus Christ26 And now, behold, who can stand against the works of theLord? Who can deny his sayings? Who will rise up againstthe almighty power of the Lord? Who will despise theworks of the Lord? Who will despise the children of Christ?Behold, all ye who are despisers of the works of the Lord,for ye shall wonder and perish. 27 O then despise not, andwonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, andask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soeverye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, andbegin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with allyour heart, and work out your own salvation with fear andtrembling before him. 28 Be wise in the days of yourprobation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, thatye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmnessunshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that yewill serve the true and living God.Moroni29 See that ye are not baptized unworthily; see that yepartake not of the sacrament of Christ unworthily; but seethat ye do all things in worthiness, and do it in the name ofJesus Christ, the Son of the living God; and if ye do this,and endure to the end, ye will in nowise be cast out. 30Behold, I speak unto you as though I spake from the dead;for I know that ye shall have my words. 31 Condemn me notbecause of mine imperfection, neither my father, because ofhis imperfection, neither them who have written beforehim; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath mademanifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn tobe more wise than we have been.32 And now, behold, we have written this record accordingto our knowledge, in the characters which are called amongus the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and alteredby us, according to our manner of speech. 33 And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written inHebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and ifwe could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would havehad no imperfection in our record. 34 But the Lord knoweththe things which we have written, and also that none otherpeople knoweth our language; and because that none otherpeople knoweth our language, therefore he hath preparedmeans for the interpretation thereof.MoroniLand northwardA.D. 401 to 42035 And these things are written that we may rid ourgarments of the blood of our brethren, who have dwindledin unbelief. 36 And behold, these things which we havedesired concerning our brethren, yea, even their restorationto the knowledge of Christ, are according to the prayers ofall the saints who have dwelt in the land. 37 And may theLord Jesus Christ grant that their prayers may be answeredaccording to their faith; and may God the Father rememberthe covenant which he hath made with the house of Israel;and may he bless them forever, through faith on the nameof Jesus Christ. Amen.