2 Nephi 6
Jacob, Nephi’s younger brother, shared the words of Isaiah with the people of Nephi so they may “learn and glorify the name of your God.” He shared with his people that “those who were at Jerusalem, from whence we came, have been slain and carried away captive.” Shortly after Lehi’s family left Jerusalem “came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it” and many of the house of Israel were carried away captive into Babylon while others escaped into Egypt (Daniel 1:1-6; see also Jeremiah 43:5-6). Jacob taught that many “should return again” to Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 2) but that after the Savior should “manifest himself unto them in the flesh…they should scourge him and crucify him” and then they would be “driven to and fro…scattered, and smitten, and hated” (2 Nephi 6:9-11).
But “the Lord will be merciful unto [scattered Israel]” in the last days. He will “set up my standard,” His gospel, among the Gentiles who “shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders” that they may “come to the knowledge of their Redeemer” and be “gathered together again to the lands of their inheritance.”
The people who accept His gospel become God’s heroes and warriors because they “repent and fight not against Zion.” They are “the people of the Lord…who wait for him; for they still wait for the coming of the Messiah.” They know that “the Messiah will set himself again the second time to recover them; wherefore, he will manifest himself unto them in power and great glory, unto the destruction of their enemies, when that day cometh when they shall believe in him” (2 Nephi 6:14).
These heroes and warriors believe in him and fight to establish Zion by obeying God’s words, by sharing God’s words, and by living God’s words of righteousness, forgiveness, and love. President Joseph F. Smith (sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1901-1918), outlined the role of today’s heroes and warriors in preparing for the second coming of the Messiah and His thousand year reign of peace during the Millennium.
Obedience to the Gospel will save the world from sin, abolish war, strife and litigation, and usher in the millennial reign. It will restore the earth to its rightful owner, and prepare it for the inheritance of the just. These are all principles of [the] Gospel of Christ, and the effects which will flow from their acceptance and adoption by mankind.
…the gospel teaches men to be humble, faithful, honest and righteous before the Lord and with each other, and in proportion as its principles are carried out so will peace and righteousness extend and be established on the earth, and sin, contention, bloodshed and corruption of all kinds cease to exist, and the earth become purified and be made a fit abode for heavenly beings; and for the Lord our God to come and dwell upon, which he will do during the Millennium….
The Lord … decreed a decree which He said His people should realize: That they should begin from that very hour to prevail over all their enemies and, inasmuch as they continued to be faithful in keeping His laws He had given unto them, it was decreed that they should prevail until all enemies were subdued—not subdued by violence or the spirit of contention or of warfare but subdued by the power of eternal truth, by the majesty and power of Almighty God. … The increased power of the righteous and of the upright covenanted people of God should be magnified and increased, until the world shall bow and acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, and that there is a people preparing for His coming in power and glory to the earth again [see D&C 103:5–13].
When we believe in Jesus Christ, we believe there is still good in this world. We see the good and seek the good all around us. Most importantly, we persistently try to be the good and “be a light unto the world” (D&C 103:9) so that “all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
*As you wait for Christ and believe in Christ, how are you preparing for Christ and building up Zion?
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I’ve had v. 7 on my mind this morning. I always thought it gross and icky. Why would a king or queen lick someone’s feet? Disgusting! But I decided to break it down and think it through Isaiah style and I’ve come up with something (could be completely wrong. If so…carry on) “And kings shall by thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers.” I read somewhere that to nurse means to heal and in the case of the scriptures, nursing equals spiritual healing. The first king to come to my mind is King James. He helped bring the Bible to the masses and begin spiritual healing for many people. I think of the rulers of lands that have allowed missionaries to come in and preach the gospel. I think of church leaders (ok, they aren’t kings but neither was Nephi and they still looked to him as a king [v.2]) who have gone into lands and blessed it for missionary work. “they shall bow down to thee with their faces towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet.” When we pray in humility we bow down with our faces towards the earth. To lick is to use one’s tongue: We use our tongues to pray, to preach the gospel, to speak kind loving words, to perform ordinances, to bear our testimonies. To clean dust off of one’s feet is to perform loving service for another, to help cleanse them. We have 80,000 missionaries out right now, who are of a royal birth, praying for the people they serve. Loving them, teaching them, giving them the priesthood, all so that the people they serve can “know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.”
Great thoughts. Here are some additional ones right in line with what you said from an old “I Have a Question.”
Can I leave one more comment? Verse 15 of 2 Nephi 6 gives us the opposite view, along with the punishment. “they that believe not in him shall be destroyed” It’s as simple as that – HAVE FAITH IN GOD.
Absolutely! And when our faith is weak we can pray for the Lord to “increase our faith” and “help thou [our] unbelief.”
My Gospel study recently has been focused on “FAITH” and this fit right in. Thanks for a great commentary.