2 Nephi 1: 1

1 And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of teaching my brethren, our father, Lehi, also spake many things unto them, and rehearsed unto them, how great things the Lord had done for them in bringing them out of the land of Jerusalem.

It seems that one of the key ingredients to heart softening on the way to conversion is remembering the merciful dealings God has had with men. Moroni certainly understood this as he wrote it in his great promise to readers of The Book of Mormon (see Moroni 10: 3). It is important that we have this perspective so that we can trust the Lord in our own conversions. That’s one reason the scriptures are so important to us as a record of God’s dealings with man. If the scriptures record how the Lord responded in a certain way to a person’s actions, then we should be reasonably confident that we would receive the same treatment for those same actions. We find out in the scriptures that He is absolutely consistent; over the whole history of man there is no wavering or waffling. So it’s important that we remember His mercy as well as his justice. That gives us hope and a reason to make changes in our lives.

In this case Nephi’s brethren had personal experience with the Lord they could draw upon. They may not have been big scripture readers, but they had personal experience. Lehi starts his preaching by reminding them of that and putting it into perspective. In the next few verses he will cite specific examples from their experience, all in an effort for them to turn from their periodic (or frequent) rebellions. Again, this perspective is important as we develop a relationship of trust with the Lord. Even if He can’t always trust us to do the right thing, we can always trust Him (see D&C 58: 31–33).

• Moroni 10: 3 (3–5)

2 Nephi Chapter 1—Overview

Lehi prophesies of a land of liberty—His seed will be scattered and smitten if they reject the Holy One of Israel—He exhorts his sons to put on the armor of righteousness. About 588–570 B.C.

This seems to be the beginning of the end, so to speak, of Lehi and his ministry. It is a second witness to Nephi’s testimony, and the beginning of Lehi’s last sermon to his wayward sons. By the things he says and the tone in which they are said, it’s clear that Lehi believes his time in this life is short. We don’t know how much longer Lehi lives after this, but he clearly thinks his time is limited. I wonder how much blame he assigns himself for the way Laman and Lemuel turned out.

1 Nephi 22: 29–31

29 And now I, Nephi, make an end; for I durst not speak further as yet concerning these things.
 30 Wherefore, my brethren, I would that ye should consider that the things which have been written upon the plates of brass are true; and they testify that a man must be obedient to the commandments of God.
 31 Wherefore, ye need not suppose that I and my father are the only ones that have testified, and also taught them. Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day. And thus it is. Amen.

I have wondered over the years why there are two books of Nephi, written by the same person. I suppose there could be several reasons, but this passage kind of represents a shift in the narrative. First Nephi was about the journey to the Promised Land; Second Nephi is about establishing the civilizations, Nephites and Lamanites, in that Promised Land. First Nephi was under Lehi as the prophet; Second Nephi is about Nephi’s ministry as the prophet. So this seems like an appropriate place to break Nephi’s record into two books.

Nephi ends this book with his testimony. He testifies of the truthfulness of the scriptures (the brass plates); he testifies of the truthfulness of the gospel, and that keeping the commandments matters because it is key to obtaining eternal life. And he testifies of the living prophets (at that time), his father and himself. He adds his testimony to that of Lehi’s and all the prophets who are recorded in the brass plates that we must keep the commandments and endure to the end if we are to have hope of eternal life.

1 Nephi 22: 28

28 But, behold, all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people shall dwell safely in the Holy One of Israel if it so be that they will repent.

After all the energy Nephi has put forth telling his brethren (and us) of the special relationship Israel has with God, it would be easy to be tempted into discouragement if you were not literally of that genealogy. Isn’t that what all the promises are about? So Nephi clearly states here that these promises of salvation apply to everyone who is willing to repent and come to the Holy One of Israel, regardless of blood lineage. Christ also taught this when he told the Jews essentially to not get cocky about being descendants of Abraham, because God is “able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham” (Luke 3: 8). Paul taught the Galatians that, “they which are of faith…are the children of Abraham…So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham” (Galatians 3: 7, 9). This is important to me, because I don’t know whether I have literal blood of Abraham running through my veins or not, but I do know that my patriarchal blessing says I am of the tribe of Ephraim, which tribe does have the blood of Abraham flowing through it. Now, as long as I am repentant it doesn’t matter what my blood lineage is. I can dwell safely in the Holy One of Israel. Thank you, Nephi, for being so clear about that. God truly is no respecter of persons.

• Luke 3: 8
• Galatians 3: 7–9

1 Nephi 22: 27

27 And now behold, I, Nephi, say unto you that all these things must come according to the flesh.

After Nephi read the Isaiah chapters (1 Nephi 20–21) his brethren asked him if these prophecies of the latter days and the coming of Christ were to be understood in a temporal or spiritual context (1 Nephi 22: 1). Nephi’s response was that it was both (vs. 3), after which he expounded and expanded our understanding of the Gathering of Israel, as well as other events of the Last Days. Now he begins his summary of this sermon by reaffirming to his brethren that all of these signs, wonders, destructions, etc. would occur in the physical world we live in, not some hypothetical or imaginary discussion among scholars, and they would not be confined to a spiritual destruction. We should take heed and warning of this, since we live in the Latter Days when these things are prophesied to come about. We would do well to turn to the Lord continually.

1 Nephi 22: 26

26 And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth.

If there was any doubt that Nephi has been writing about the Millennium, this verse clears up that doubt. There are other scriptures that prophesy Satan shall be bound during that time, but this verse is very clear about how he will be bound. It doesn’t seem like this will be any kind of physical binding, as with shackles or jail cells. This binding will come about simply because he will have no influence over men or women. And the reason he will have no power or influence is due to the righteousness of the people. And if that is what binds Satan during the Millennium, we should be able to bind him on a more individual basis now, during this time in our lives before the Millennium begins. Others have done it. Of course Jesus Christ allowed Satan to have no power over him, but the scriptures have many examples of people who lived in such a way that Satan had very little influence over them. (I know that nothing short of perfection will qualify us for the celestial kingdom, but the less influence we allow Satan to have, the more likely we are to allow the Savior and His Atonement to have power in our lives.)

One very prominent example in The Book of Mormon of someone who bound Satan is Captain Moroni. As he was abridging the Nephite records, Mormon said that if everyone “had been, and were, and ever would be like unto Moroni, …the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men” (Alma 48: 17). Is it any wonder that Mormon named his son after this man, whom he obviously admired so much? (I wonder if this could also be a shadow of our day. So much of our strategy to fight Satan comes from Captain Moroni. Isn’t it fitting that this record be revealed to Joseph Smith through another Moroni?) Moroni’s example tells us that we can bind Satan personally so that he has no power over us. In fact, Satan only has as much influence over us as we allow. He can take no more than he is given, but he will take every bit of influence we give to him.

This is illustrated during the war chapters in Alma. When building the Nephite cities into strongholds, Moroni caused that it be done in such a way that “the Lamanites could not get into their forts of security by any other way save by the entrance…”(Alma 49: 18). Likewise, Satan cannot get into our hearts by any other way save by our “entrance:” our permission. He cannot force his way in. He will, however, lie, cheat, and deceive however he can to get us to open our hearts to him, even the tiniest bit. We must ever be vigilant against these subtle attacks. As long as we will do that, Satan will have no power over our hearts; he will be bound.

• Jacob 5: 76
• Alma 48: 17 (16–17)
• D&C 88: 110