The Book of Mormon has an important message of warning and hope for America.
This message is much bigger than what is typically presented in introductions to the Book, made to those unfamiliar with its teachings.
"Wherefore, these things (the Book of Mormon) shall go from generation to generation as long as the earth shall stand; and they shall go according to the will and pleasure of God; and the nations who shall possess them shall be judged of them according to the words which are written."
2 Nephi 25: 22
That the coming calamities may be righteously allowed to fall, the inhabitants of America have been warned and forewarned. The Lord has said this is a day of warning and not of many words. (Doc. & Cov. 63: 58)
I invite you to read or reread the Book of Mormon, and seek for its message to the current societies inhabiting America, specifically regarding the political and cultural implications of the message it conveys.
The Book of Mormon is not to be confined to the so-called "spiritual" lives of those who read it. The Book warns against specific temporal shortcomings, and offers dire predictions of national concern to any and all within the reach of the Book.
These warnings and admonitions are not confined to the United States of America. It includes every land, stretching from the northern reaches of Canada, and southward, across the farthest tip of South America. Perhaps the warnings to the United States would be more vivid, if we opened our mind to the devastations wrought by the loss of freedom in places outside the United States. I'm sure you can find examples of oppressive regimes that have been the cause of much misery, even in Canada and Central and South America.
Indeed, we bear the obligation to carry this message to the world, providing any and all who heed its message with a straight, safe path to find peace in this life, and eternal life in the world to come. (Doc. & Cov. 59: 23)
Of course, I am not denying the profound personal power of this book. I am, however inviting us to move forward in our understanding, and seek the collective message of redemption offered to our country and countries as a whole.
In the words of a wise friend, paraphrased:
In building God's kingdom, we can't expect to achieve different results by applying only more of the same efforts we are accustomed to. To see things never before seen, we have to do things we've never done before.
This idea has been expressed by others as well.
"It is now time that we each implement extraordinary measures—perhaps measures we have never taken before—to strengthen our personal spiritual foundations. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures."
Russell M. Nelson
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Nephi actually received much of the same vision recorded by John the Apostle, written in the Book of Revelation. Each of these two men had the same experience, but were commanded to write different parts, based on the specifics of their own ministry among two different peoples.
The analysis would be too labored for me to present here. I invite you to read the First and Second books of Nephi alongside the Revelation of John, in the New Testament.
Then read Third and Fourth Nephi to see additional illuminating insight into the fulfillment of these prophecies. Of course, you'll need to also keep the commandment Jesus gave the Nephites with regard to studying the words of the Prophet Isaiah. (3 Nephi 23: 1)
Come with me and let us put these scriptures together. We will see marvelous things, reading them this way.
Here's a start:
1. Those who have the testimony of Jesus have the spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19: 10)
2. Those who have the spirit of prophecy will understand the words of Isaiah. (2 Nephi 25: 4)
Therefore, if you want to better understand the words of Isaiah, build your faith in Jesus Christ. Come unto Him, and allow Him to change you.
Search the revelations of God. Apply them to yourself. See the world in a clearer light. Hold up the Son of God as the Light you should hold for the world to see.
Let the world see your good works, and encourage them to glorify God thereby. (Matthew 5: 16; John 1; 3 Nephi 18: 24; Doc. & Cov. 88; 93)
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“To meet the difficulties that are coming, it will be necessary for you to have a knowledge of the truth of this work for yourselves. The difficulties will be of such a character that the man or woman who does not possess this personal knowledge or witness will fall. If you have not got the testimony, live right and call upon the Lord and cease not till you obtain it. If you do not you will not stand. …
“The time will come when no man nor woman will be able to endure on borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light within himself. …
“If you don’t have it you will not stand; therefore seek for the testimony of Jesus and cleave to it, that when the trying time comes you may not stumble and fall.” (Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1967, p. 450.)
See also:
A Voice of Warning, by Henry B. Eyring
Safety for the Soul, by Jeffrey R. Holland
Flooding the Earth with the Book of Mormon, by Ezra Taft Benson
Our Divine Constitution, by Ezra Taft Benson
Cleansing the Inner Vessel, by Ezra Taft Benson
The Savior’s Visit to America, by Ezra Taft Benson