MORONI

Chapters 1 - 6

Chapter 1

Moroni apparently thought that his own task had ended with the abridgment of Ether’s record. He seemed almost surprised that he remained alive after completing the abridgment.

Moroni’s statement, “I have not yet perished,” shows his amazing fortitude. His determination to not make himself known to the Lamanites so they could not kill him shows that, although he was alone in the world, he planned to stay alive to do everything the Lord required of him.

The Lamanites—a blanket term for the collected survivors on the continent, including descendants of all of the sons and daughters of Lehi and Sariah and of Ishmael and his wife, plus Mulekites—and possibly Jaredite—descendants—were involved in bloody tribal wars, fighting among themselves. They were united only in their hate for “every Nephite who would not deny Christ”—which Moroni would never do. Moroni knew that they would immediately kill him if he was discovered.

Moroni looked at “the big picture.” He acknowledged his kinship with the Lamanites, knowing that they were children of Israel and his “brethren.” He knew that someday, as a people, Lamanites would accept the Gospel and come back to God. By the will of God, he wrote words of wisdom and instruction for their descendants.

Sidney B. Sperry grouped the content of “The Book of Moroni” into four categories (Book of Mormon Compendium, pp. 482-483)

Chapters 1-4

Moroni’s [personal] historical observations and admonitions,
Discipline and procedures in the Nephite Church [the Church of Jesus Christ among the Nephites],
Teachings and epistles of Moroni’s father Mormon.
Moroni’s farewell to the Lamanites.

Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5

Some procedures in the Church of Jesus Christ

When Christ visited the Nephites, He spoke both to the people in general and privately to only His Disciples. Third Nephi records a time when Christ spoke specifically to His Disciples.

Bestowing the Holy Ghost

In Moroni 2, the Lord allows us to know specifically what was said.

Ordaining priests and teachers:

In the Church today there is no set prayer for the ordination of priests or teachers. In the early Nephite Church of Christ, however, Disciples “who were called the elders of the Church”:

Prayed to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ,
Laid their hands upon those about to be ordained and said:

“In the name of Jesus Christ I ordain you to be a priest,

(or if he be a teacher), I ordain you to be a teacher,

to preach repentance and remission of sins through Jesus Christ,

by the endurance of faith on His name to the end.

Amen.”

Sacrament Bread and Wine

On the night before His death, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, administered the holy sacrament to His apostles in Jerusalem. This sacred ordinance signifies witness of Jesus as Christ, renews commitments to His holy cause, and shows remembrance of His Sacrifice.

An act of service, performed after His Resurrection when He appeared in the Promised Land, Jesus Christ, as risen Lord, gave the sacrament to His disciples and taught them to administer it in His name to those who would repent and be baptized (3 Nephi 18:5; 11).

During some of Moroni’s younger years, the Church of Christ was at least functioning. We will read in Moroni 7 a beautiful and important sermon preached by his father Mormon. Moroni may have reflected on his earlier experiences as he wrote about ordinations and taking the sacrament; he was likely ordained by his father Mormon. Moroni next shared the sacred sacramental prayer with future generations who would read the record, including its obligations and its promises.

Partakers of the holy sacrament make sacred promises:

To remember the resurrected body of Christ which He allowed to be abused and nailed to a cross and that He took up again in Resurrection that every soul ever born may become immortal—joining together after death, all bodies and spirits.

To remember the Eternal fact that Christ shed His blood, both on the cross, and in Gethsemane when He took upon all sins and pains of the world and in infinite agony bled from every pore—so everyone who chooses may eventually follow Him into God’s Presence to live forever.

To witness to God, the Eternal Father to be willing “to take upon them the name of [God’s] Son,” by always remembering Him and by keeping His commandments [including all the covenants and obligations in which the partakers have made.]

As God’s covenant to faithful partakers of the sacrament,

The bread and wine [or in latter-days, water] will be sanctified to their souls;

They may always have the influence of the Holy Spirit to dwell in their sanctified souls.

The Lord gave Joseph Smith a revelation regarding the change from wine to water in the sacrament service (Doctrine & Covenants 27:1-5).

Christ specifically said to not take any wine until it is “made new” by the saints themselves at the time of His coming. Then He Himself will drink it with worthy Saints, including Moroni.

Chapter 6

Baptism

Moroni made it known that the act of baptism was not one to be taken lightly—or to be entered into automatically, but “fruit meet for repentance” and a “broken heart and a contrite spirit” with commitment to always serve Christ.

“The term ‘fruit meet for repentance’ [in Moroni 6:1] implies something in the way of an action that is adequate (meet) to demonstrate that the convert has complied with the law of repentance.

“This action could take many forms. What form it would take would have to be determined by the sinner, the Church officer in charge, the seriousness of the sins to be repented of, and the instructions from presiding authorities. The letter of the law is not always adequate. The Spirit sometimes must be called upon.

“The Church today expects those who are criminals to turn themselves over to the law for prosecution in applicable cases.

“The Ammonites entered into a covenant never to make war again and buried their weapons as a sign of their sincerity.

“In addition to the visible fruits of the Spirit, Alma and the sons of Mosiah went about seeking to undo the harm they had done and suffered all manner of abuse as a witness of their sincerity.” (Book of Mormon [Religion 121-122]student manual, 1981, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. p 509.)

Moroni wrote that the blessing received, when converts were baptized, included:

being wrought upon and cleansed by the Power of the Holy Ghost,
being numbered among the people of the Church of Christ,
being nourished by the good word of God.

These blessings helped:

with righteous living
watchful prayer,
[to] “Rely alone upon the merits of Christ, who is the Author and the

Finisher of their faith.”

Church procedure and discipline:

Moroni remembered Church meetings from his early boyhood. He said that Church meetings were conducted according to the promptings of Holy Spirit. He specifically mentioned four things Church members did when they met together:

Fasted
Prayed
Spoke to each other about their souls’ welfare
Took bread and wine in remembrance of the Lord Jesus

To keep the Church sacred to the name of Jesus Christ, and to maintain integrity of the holy ordinances, members were not allowed to commit serious sins and stay in good standing in the Church. But forgiveness for sins to those who truly repented was freely offered.

Moroni: Welcome

CHAPTER 7

The last words Mormon wrote before giving the Golden Plates to his son, Moroni, addressed remnants of the destroyed Nephite nation.

Who are these remnants?
From whom did they descend?
By Mormon’s time, what did the terms, “Nephites” and “Lamanites” mean?
Were all individual “Nephites” destroyed?

Drs. Daniel H. Ludlow and Hugh B. Nibley, two prominent Book of Mormon scholars, gave insights regarding these questions. As well as quoting in his book, A companion to your study of The Book of Mormon, the same section from Lehi in the desert and the world of the Jaredites that we have quoted, Dr. Ludlow gave additional ideas to contemplate.

“It is well to remember that the word Nephite apparently had a different meaning near the close of The Book of Mormon than it did before A.D. 231. (4 Nephi 20, 36:39.)

“From approximately 544 B.C. to A.D. 34 (Jacob 1:13-14) the term Nephite referred either to the descendants of Nephi and those who went with him into the wilderness (2 Nephi 5:5-8) or to those who joined with this group.

“From about A.D. 34 to nearly A.D. 194, there were not ‘any manner of ‘ites’ among the descendants of Lehi. (4 Nephi 17.)

“By A.D. 194, however, a group of people revolted from the Church and took upon themselves the name of Lamanites (4 Nephi 20),

“And by A.D. 231 those who had remained true to the Church became known as Nephites (4 Nephi 36). For the remainder of The Book of Mormon, the term Nephite apparently refers to the descendants of those who had been faithful in A.D. 231.”

(Daniel H. Ludlow, A companion to your study of The Book of Mormon,

p. 304-305.)

***

“The Nephites were destroyed, we are told, but it is pertinent to the case of the Jaredites [and the Nephites] to ask, what does The Book of Mormon mean by ‘destroyed’? The word is to be taken, as are so many other key words in the book, in its primary and original sense: ‘to unbuild; to separate violently into its constituent parts; to break up the structure.’ To destroy is to wreck the structure, not to annihilate the parts.

“ ‘…and after thy seed shall be destroyed, and dwindle in unbelief, and also the seed of thy brethren, behold these things shall be hid up’ (1 Ne. 13:35) …both Nephite and Lamanites dwindled in unbelief after they have been destroyed.

“Only once in The Book of Mormon do we read of a case of annihilation, when we are specifically told that ‘every living soul of the Ammonihahites was destroyed,’ (Alma 16:9), where not only the social structure but each individual is undone.

“In other instances the Lord promises that He will not utterly destroy the descendants of Lehi’s youngest son, Joseph (2 Ne. 3:3) or of Lemuel (id 4:9), and even Nephi is told that God “will not suffer that the Gentiles will utterly destroy the mixture of thy seed which are among thy brethren” (1 Ne. 13:30), even though the promise and fulfillment were that the Nephites [as a nation] should be ‘destroyed’ (Eth. 8:21), and even though Moroni can say: ‘there is none, save it be Lamanites’ (Ether 4:3).” (Hugh Nibley, Lehi in the desert and the world of the Jaredites, pp. 204-242 [brackets, bold, and underline added])

Of individual Nephite men, women, or children who may have escaped the Lamanite slaughter, we are not told; they certainly would have to have been well hidden to evade death. We do know that the whole fabric of Nephite society was completely destroyed—and was never rebuilt.

Although we have Moroni’s account telling of subsequent vicious battles among the Lamanites and prophecies telling that many would become degenerate idol worshipers, records are silent regarding most of their history—whether they originally called themselves Lamanites or if some regarded themselves Nephites.

In Mormon’s last words, he thus speaks to the descendants, or “remnants” of these lost nations, telling them who they are and how to find Eternal Salvation through Jesus Christ.

Remnants of Lehi and Mulek are of the House of Israel
Repentance is necessary for Salvation
Remnants of Israelite ancestors must come to a “knowledge of their fathers”

Centuries before Mormon, Nephi wrote, using similar phrases—prophesying that when The Book of Mormoncomes forth from hidden records, the remnant of his people will [begin to] know they are originally from Jerusalem (2 Nephi 30:3-5).

The knowledge of Jesus Christ was taught for centuries, and some of “their fathers,” (their ancestors), had actually seen and heard Christ. For nearly 200 years those who in actual fact saw and heard Christ in person, or faithfully learned of Him from His Disciples, as well as their descendants and their descendants’ descendants, lived according to Christ’s holy precepts.

It is necessary to have a testimony that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of the world

Because of Christ’s atonement, His sacrifice of His own life, and His Resurrection, Resurrection is made sure for all of us; He is the only One with the infinite knowledge, Power, and right to judge all mankind

Because of Christ’s infinite sacrifice, all who repent and come unto Him will be “redeemed” from the grave; through Him all mankind can choose to become “guiltless.” This will reap the wonderful reward of Everlasting happiness—becoming “one” with God, in the sense that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are “One”

Repent, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and obey His Gospel from both The Book of Mormon and the Bible

Some of Mormon’s reasons for writing included telling latter day descendants of Lehi and Sariah and descendants of the Mulekites that Christ came to their ancestors in the Promised Land, performed mighty miracles, and gave them the Gospel, including the power of the Holy Ghost

Mormon also wrote to tell the descendants of the lost nations of the Promised Land that their heritage was of the House of Israel, and if they obeyed the Gospel of Christ all would be well with them at that last Day of Judgment

The Book of Mormon is written to testify of Jesus Christ and to testify that by obeying His holy Gospel, all of us may become part of the House of Israel. Mormon assuaged his grief his people had brought upon themselves through their wickedness, by specifically addressing descendants of the Nephites and Lamanites—telling them that God is the God of all the world, and what is true for the “remnants” is true for everyone.

Thus ends the abridgment as well as the deeply personal words

of the great and noble prophet, Mormon.

His work was destined to bring millions in the latter-days

to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Moroni: Text

CHAPTER 8

The solitary prophet, Moroni, solemnly and faithfully fulfilled his calling year after year. Other than brief glimpses, we are left without details of his life. He staunchly assumed the work of preparing the sacred Plates for future readers. We learned in Chapter 7 that he kept or had access to at least some of Mormon’s personal writings. Moroni evidently also kept some of his own writings. From the battlefield many years before, his father wrote letters to him. Moroni was inspired to etch contents of two of these letters onto the Plates. Chapters 8 and 9 are two epistles from Mormon—written to Moroni.

This epistle was a loving response from a letter that Moroni had written to his father. Mormon wrote that he constantly prayed for his son that he would endure in faith in Jesus Christ.

There was disagreement over an important doctrinal point among members of the Church and Moroni requested his father, a prophet of God, as well as leader of the army, to answer the question. Mormon returned the Lord’s answer in no uncertain terms.

The Question:

Should little children

take on the sacred ordinance of baptism?

Little children are whole (not sinners) and are covered by the Lord’s Atonement.

The sacred ordinance of baptism requires faith in Jesus Christ and then repentance (of which little children are incapable of because they are incapable of committing sin). This ordinance is not necessary for little children.

Mormon clarified that those capable of sinning, including parents, should definitely repent; then they could be saved with their innocent little children, because young children, through the atoning Sacrifice of Christ, are without sin. Baptism is a sacred ordinance that comes after repentance.

Little children who die will get back to God because Christ, who earned and retains all rights of mercy, freely claims them through His atoning sacrifice They are saved through the mercy of Christ. This was part of the plan from the time the Plan of Salvation was first presented.

Mormon, as God’s prophet, with authority from God, wrote that spreading the wicked doctrine of infant baptism was perversion of God’s sacred ordinance and a person teaching it must repent or perish. He plainly stated that he did not fear what any man would do because of what he, Mormon, said about them, because “perfect love casteth out all fear”. Mormon had perfect love for all little children.

God is not partial; God is not changeable; He never was and He never will be. He loves everyone—and little children, who are pure and innocent before Him will be saved by His powerful tender mercy. Christ, in His purity, infinitely suffered all the pains of the world and infinitely paid the price for all sins. He completely justified all things and earned the absolute right of extending mercy. Those who deny that Christ can extend His mercy to little children are actually denying Christ’s right to extend mercy, and are further denying His entire atoning and redeeming sacrifice.

Mormon reviewed the necessary actions men and women must take (fruits) for Salvation—after following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Baptism comes by faith [in the Lord Jesus Christ] followed by

repentance.

Fulfilling these commandments brings a remission of sins.
The remission of sins brings meekness and lowliness of heart.
Meekness and lowliness of heart bring “visitation of the Holy Ghost, which

Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by

diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, and when all the saints

shall dwell with God.”

Mormon reflected on the wicked state of the Nephite nation (verse 27). He asked Moroni to pray for them to repent—but even as he asked, he conceded the Nephites were trying to put down “Power and authority from God” and were denying the Holy Ghost, although they had been blessed with great knowledge. Mormon could feel the end coming soon.

Mormon had little hope for his fellow citizens, fearing the Spirit had stopped “striving,” with them—the Holy Ghost ceased the hopeless task of trying to inspire them to righteousness. They purposely hardened their hearts against Him and His holy witness of Jesus Christ, rejecting all goodness

Moroni: Text

CHAPTER 9

In this second epistle to Moroni, Mormon was not optimistic about seeing his son…except for the fact that Mormon knew he would turn the sacred plates over to him. The battle was hot and desperate and Mormon knew the destruction of the nation was near at hand. He began by telling Moroni that many of the “choice” men had fallen in a “sore battle” against the Lamanites.

Although he tried to call them to repentance and stave off the nation’s destruction, the Nephites refused to listen and repent, and they fought each other as well as the Lamanites. They were angry at Mormon when he attempted to speak to them of God. Death seemed to mean nothing to them—perhaps refusing to think that there was another life following Earth; they did not love each other; they thought only of “blood and revenge”.

Charity, the pure love of Christ and Heavenly Father, is the characteristic on which all other Godly qualities are based. The Nephites “lost their love, one towards another.

Even though the Nephites were in an awful state of wickedness, it was still the duty of righteous men to call them to repentance. The war Mormon and Moroni were fighting, which was against evil, and the “enemy of righteousness,” the devil, must continue as long they remained “in this tabernacle of clay,” or as long as they lived.

Mormon prayed for God’s judgment to come against the sins and wickedness which he was both hearing of and witnessing.

Widows and their daughters who had not been captured from Sherrizah were starving—because their own people—a Nephite battalion under Zenephi—took all the provisions “and left them [the women] to wander whithersoever they can for food; and many old women do faint by the way and die.” Frustrated, Mormon could not get to them to help because Lamanites were between his army and Sherrizah. Some of the women fled to Aaron’s army, but instead of getting help, they became victims of brutality.

Mormon summarized the appalling characteristics and actions the Nephite army, then he closed that part of his epistle, letting his son know that if he recommended the wicked people to God, God might “smite him” (for hypocrisy).

Mormon prayed that his righteous son would live to assume the sacred witnessing task—the return of the Nephites to righteousness or their utter destruction.

Although it became Moroni’s commission to abridge the record of the Jaredites, Mormon was familiar with Mosiah’s translation of their civilization and destruction. He recognized the tragic parallel of the two nations.

Many of the Nephites, not wanting to be on the losing side of battle, betrayed their nation and joined the Lamanites and more would follow.

Mormon counseled Moroni to maintain and complete the written record. He realized that he would at least see Moroni to turn the Plates over to him.

After the heartbreaking tragedies Mormon recounted, he ended the letter with words of hope, not wanting to “weigh [Moroni] down to death”—but have him look to life through Christ.

Moroni: Text

CHAPTER 10

In one of his last letters to his son, Mormon asked Moroni to “write somewhat a few things,” particularly to the Lamanites, by now a genetic mixture from many people led by God to the Promised Land. Moroni specifically addressed his next words to these remnants and their descendants.

It was more than 420 years since the “sign was given for Christ to come” [Christian Nephites began reckoning time according to Christ’s birth, when there was a day and a night and a day without darkness.]. Moroni had been living somewhere close to twenty years without fellow kin or friends, faithfully fulfilling God’s commandments, writing scripture for future generations. He knew that he would soon seal up the records, join his father, and work in God’s Kingdom beyond the veil—but he felt that he must “speak” a few more words before he finished his task.

Moroni exhorted his readers, that when they read the records, they would remember and ponder that throughout the whole history of the world, the Lord has been merciful to His children.

Moroni’s last words include:

A promise, through the Power of the Holy Ghost;
A message about gifts of the Spirit, through the Power of the Holy Ghost, from an unchanging Christ;
A summary of the vital necessity of faith, hope, and charity;
The lesson that unbelief alone shuts down the gifts and Powers of Heaven;
God’s justification of Moroni and other prophets;
Insights on Judgment Day;
An appeal for the House of Israel to come unto Christ;
A testimony directed to all who come unto Christ;
A final farewell.

A promise, through the Power of the Holy Ghost

Moroni wrote an often-quoted beautiful promise, explaining the witnessing power of the Holy Ghost to those with faith in Christ who are sincere in asking for truth.

The “things” to which Moroni refers in verses 4 & 5 are the scriptures, the word of God Himself, the “iron rod.” If we truly receive Jesus Christ and His holy word into our hearts and lives, we will be led, like Lehi, to experience the sacred and wonderful fruit of God’s love.

After carefully reading and pondering the scriptures, as we humbly pray to Heavenly Father, recognizing that we are commanded to do all things in the name of our Savior, His beloved Son, who was chosen to be our Redeemer—and who suffered and died for us, we are beginning to show our faith.

Although implicitly included as a large part of our request, not only are we asking God if The Book of Mormonis true, we are asking if “these things” are true. We are asking if the words of Christ [found in The Book of Mormon and other scriptures], teaching us The Plan of Happiness and Salvation and the will of Heavenly Father, are true.

These requirements give us the opportunity to show that we are willing to do our part in gaining a testimony of “these things.”

Having faith in Christ—even beginning to have faith in Him—is a prerequisite to obtaining a true and lasting testimony of Him and “these things.” When we show our faith by living His commandments, we gain more faith. This keeps faith growing until it is a great Power within us.

The Holy Ghost is the strong Witness of God the Eternal Father and His Son Jesus Christ. If we come to God with a sincere heart, real intent, having faith in Christ, the sanctifying Power of the Holy Ghost will clear our minds of doubt and witness to us the truth of “these [sacred] things.”

And whatsoever thing is good is just and true;

wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ,

but acknowledgeth that He is.

Gifts of the Spirit from an unchanging Christ, through the Power of the Holy Ghost

The Holy Ghost is a God Himself, and He uses His power in many ways. Foremost among His sacred responsibilities is to witness of God the Eternal Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and their Power.

God the Eternal Father, Jesus Christ, Savior, Redeemer and God of this world, and the Holy Ghost, also called the Holy Spirit, are One in purpose and spiritual characteristics and Power. This great power manifests itself to men and women according to their faith.

Centuries before Moroni was born Paul, inspired by the Power of God, wrote to Church members in Corinth of some of God’s gifts of the Spirit that the Holy Ghost bestows (1 Corinthians 12). God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. In the western hemisphere, many years later, God gave Moroni this same inspiration. Moroni wrote for our enlightenment God’s words about the Holy Ghost—by whose Power we receive “Gifts of the Spirit.” Sacred gifts are given to us to help us bring ourselves and others back into God’s holy presence.

Moroni listed some of the gifts of the Spirit. We all are given one or more of these gifts or other gifts, and we can strive for more gifts according to God’s will. They come through the power of the Holy Ghost. Every good gift comes from Christ. He has given wonderful gifts of the Spirit from the beginning; as long as people are faithful in living within the Light of Christ, He will continue to bless mankind with His gifts.

A summary of the vital necessity faith, hope, and charity

Moroni reminded readers that to be saved in the Kingdom of God, it is necessary for men and women to develop three Godly qualities: faith, hope, and charity

… “Christ truly said unto our fathers…If ye have faith ye can do all things which are expedient unto Me.”

Unbelief alone shuts down the gifts and Powers of Heaven

If the time ever comes that there are no gifts from God upon Earth, it will be because of the people’s unbelief.

Moroni use the phrase, “And wo unto them,” referring to “them” as those who are unbelieving and wicked and are unworthy of good gifts from God—and then die without repenting.

God’s justification of Moroni and other prophets on the Day of Judgment

Moroni knew that the words he wrote would be used to judge the readers. He also knew that someday the records he sealed up would be brought forth to the world, “crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust.” This was prophesied by Isaiah, and later by Nephi—both many centuries before Moroni’s time.

Moroni earnestly appealed to readers to remember the words he wrote and believe them—rather than waiting for Judgment Day.

Did I not declare my words unto you,

which were written by this man [Moroni],

like as one crying from the dead,

yea, even as one speaking out of the dust?

An appeal for the House of Israel to come unto Christ

“Jerusalem” and “Daughter of Zion” refer to the House of Israel. Moroni appeals to Israel, in metaphor: “Put on thy beautiful garments,” meaning, belief in Jesus Christ, acknowledging and worshipping Him as their Savior and God. Everyone needs to do this so the covenants God the Father made to Abraham concerning them may be fulfilled. With the House of Israel again holy, all believers and followers of Christ—His sons and daughters—will be part of this covenant.

A testimony for all who come unto Christ

We can never be perfect by ourselves. But we can come to Christ, striving to be like Him—having faith in Himand His power to redeem us. We can repent and then be baptized and truly receive the Holy Ghost. We can then turn our backs firmly on evil, and love God with all our “might, mind, and strength.”

Because Christ shed His innocent blood and infinitely paid the agonizing price for our sins, we may become perfect through His grace. He will make up the difference between what we try to do and what is necessary. God the Father has covenanted that if we do our part, we may be saved in His holy kingdom—through the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Moroni’s final farewell

After about 20 years of living with no mortals for companionship, hiding from the Lamanites, and finishing his father’s work which is our Heavenly Father’s work, Moroni buried the sacred plates and artifacts and was ready to finally go to his loved ones beyond the veil until the time God would call him to appear on Earth—to Joseph Smith—as the revered Angel of the Restoration.

Moroni: Text