“. . . And we also see the great evil that one very wicked man can cause among mankind. We see that Amalickiah, because he was a scheming, corrupt, and articulate man, led astray the hearts of many people to act wickedly, and to attempt to destroy God’s congregation and also the foundation of liberty God had provided to them, or God’s blessing sent upon the land because of the righteous” (CofC, Alma 21:6, emphasis added).
The description of Amalickiah might be an accurate description of Satan. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and the Devil has claimed many prominent men and women in the chains of his evil desires.
When Moroni recorded his views of our day he admonished us to study Isaiah’s prophecies. He and Isaiah were witnesses to how Israel would be gathered in the last days. The individuals and societies they observed become “types” of their latter-day counterparts.
With Amalickiah and the wickedness and destruction sown by him, Isaiah offers two kings, the Assyrian king, depicting a literal fulfillment of the anti-Christ, and the king of Babylon, a type for Satan and his servant representing spiritual corruption of those who subject themselves to him. The king of Assyria is the instrument of the Lord’s wrath. God justly allows the Assyrian king to be His instrument of retribution. The Assyrian king rises to punish latter-day Gentiles for their abuse of Israel’s scattered remnant.
The Assyrian King
“Because those who judge rashly will in turn be judged rashly; they’ll be paid according to their works. Therefore, those who strike will in turn be struck by the Lord. Take note of what the scripture says: People must not inflict harm or judge. The Lord has said: Judgment is Mine, and vengeance is Mine as well; I will repay. Those who, in great anger, fight against the Lord’s work and against the Lord’s covenant people, who are the house of Israel, and say: We will destroy the Lord’s work, and the Lord won’t remember the covenant He’s made to the house of Israel — they’re in danger of being cut down and thrown into the fire . . .
Why do you build up your secret abominations for the purpose of getting rich and cause widows and orphans to mourn before the Lord, and make the blood of their fathers and husbands cry to the Lord from the ground for vengeance on your heads? The sword of vengeance hangs over you; and the time is soon coming when He’ll avenge the blood of the holy ones upon you, since He won’t endure their cries any longer” (CofC, Mormon 4:3 & 5, emphasis added).
After Israel is scattered among Gentile nations they become victims of the Gentiles cruelty. The Lord’s justice demands the latter-day Gentiles suffer similar retribution they subjected Israel’s remnant to. He does so by withdrawing His Spirit from the world.
“This process, with the spirit withdrawing, will end on this continent as it did with two prior civilizations in fratricidal and genocidal warfare. For the rest of the world, it will be as in the days of Noah in which, as that light becomes eclipsed, the coldness of men’s hearts is going to result in a constant scene of violence and bloodshed. The wicked will destroy the wicked. The covenant, if it is kept, will prevent you from losing light and warmth of heart as the spirit now steadily recedes from the world. The time will come when you will be astonished at the gulf between the light and truth you will comprehend and the darkness of mind of the world. (Closing Remarks, Covenant of Christ Conference, 3 September 2017, pg. 1)
Wickedness grows, but so does righteousness. Balance in the symmetry of God is maintained between good and evil. Not in numbers, but in power. There must be opposition in all things. Wickedness grows commensurate with the expansion of righteousness.
The Assyrian king is metaphorically referred to as the Lord’s “axe” or “saw” and people are “trees.” He and his army are described as a “flood,” alluding to the destruction in the days of Noah. Also, the metaphors of “the rod of my anger” and “staff.”
“O Assyrian [king], the rod of my anger, and the staff in their hand is my indignation. I will send him against a hypocritical nation [Gentiles], and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Nevertheless, he [Assyrian king] means not so, neither does his heart think so, but in his heart it is to destroy and cut off nations not a few. For he says, Are not my princes altogether kings? Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus? As my hand has founded the kingdoms of the idols, and whose engraved images did excel [exceed] them of Jerusalem [Judah] and of Samaria [Ephraim], shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and to her idols [be victorious over their God as Assyria conquered the lands of idol gods]?
Wherefore, it shall come to pass that when the Lord has performed his whole work upon Mount Zion and upon Jerusalem [new and old], I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.[1] For he says, By the strength of my hand and by my wisdom I have done these things, for I am prudent. And I have moved the borders of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man. And my hand has found as a nest the riches of the people, and as one gathers eggs that are left have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.
Shall the ax [Assyrian king] boast itself against him [the Lord] that hews with it? Shall the saw [Assyrian king] magnify itself against him [the Lord] that shakes it? As if the rod [Assyrian king] should shake itself against them [the Lord and His angels] that lift it up, or as if the staff [Assyrian king] should lift up itself as if it were no wood. Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, send among his fat ones [prosperous] leanness; and under his [Assyrian king] glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. And the Light of Israel [Christ] shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame, and shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers [evil Gentiles] in one day,[2] and shall consume the glory of his [Assyrian king] forest [people] and of his fruitful field, both soul and body.[3] And they [Assyrians] shall be as when a standard-bearer [holder of the armies banner or “ensign”] faints. And the rest of the trees of his forest [people] shall be few, that a child may write them” (RE Isaiah 4:5-8, emphasis added).
The Assyrian king is the instrument for the Lord’s wrath upon the Gentiles who afflicted and persecuted the Lord’s covenant people, Israel. Israel in this context is not genealogical, rather, it represents those who repent and become adopted into the family of God. This means the cutting off referred to by Isaiah involves all who refuse to repent and turn to Christ. Both Israel and the Gentiles suffer the Lord’s wrath if they are wicked. Heritage is less important than where a person stands in the balance between good and evil.
The wrath of God begins when the Assyrian king begins his conquest against all nations with the desire to rule the world. He will not be the only one seeking to subjugate all nations and harvest worldly power and wealth. He will be the most successful for a time.
His success against the lands of idol Gods and those in Israel who turned from the Lord make him over confident and prideful. When the Lord has sufficiently prepared Zion and both Jerusalem’s, new and old, His wrath turns against Assyria and their king.
“Moreover, the word of the Lord said unto me, Take a great scroll, and write on it in common script: Maher-shalal-hash-baz [Hasten the plunder, hurry the spoil]. And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record — Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah. And I went unto the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then said the Lord to me, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz. For behold, the child shall not have knowledge to cry, My father and my mother — before the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.
The Lord spoke also unto me again, saying, Forasmuch as this people [Israel] refuse the waters of Shiloah [means “sent” or “messenger,” also refers to the pool of Siloam in Jerusalem symbolizing healing and purification] that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son, [a conspiracy to overthrow Jerusalem and install a puppet king that failed] now therefore behold, the Lord brings up upon them the waters of the river [as opposed to the waters of Shiloah offered by the Lord], strong and many, even the king of Assyria and all his glory. And he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks [conquer foreign lands], and he shall pass through Judah. He shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck [but not cover the head or king]. And the stretching out of his wings [ability to move] shall fill the breadth of your land [through conquest], O Immanuel [means “God with us” but is not limited to a strictly Messianic application. It may have a contemporary application referring to one of Isaiah’s sons]. Associate yourselves, O you people, and you shall be broken in pieces. And give ear, all you of far countries: Gird yourselves, and you shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and you shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand; for God is with us.
For the Lord spoke thus to me with a strong hand [servant], and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, Say not, A conspiracy — to all to whom this people shall say, A conspiracy; neither fear their fear nor be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread, and he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken [captive].
Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. And I will wait upon the Lord that hides his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of Hosts who dwells in Mount Zion. And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and mutter — should not a people seek unto their God? For the living to hear from the dead — to the law and to the testimony? And if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. And they shall pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall come to pass that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. And they shall look unto the earth and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish, and shall be driven to darkness”[4] (RE Isaiah 3:5, emphasis added).
The Lord offers to Israel the “waters of Shiloah” or peace and healing. Israel rejects the Lord’s offer of covenant and rather receives a river that rises over its banks to overrun its neighboring countries. Even the king of Assyria and his forces. The tribes of Israel are among those lands that are overrun by Assyria but the Lord stops the Assyrian king short of conquering Jerusalem through divine intervention.
In Isaiah’s day, Hezekiah reigned over Judah and the account of the Assyrian forces approaching Jerusalem only to be repelled by divine intervention. Hezekiah is a type for the Lord’s hand or servant in the last days who raises an ensign in Zion and gathers Israel.
The King of Babylon
Before examining the king of Babylon in Isaiah, consider what the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith regarding the true identity and nature of Babylon.
“Yea, verily I say unto you again, the time has come when the voice of the Lord is unto you: Go out of Babylon, gather yourselves out from among the nations, from the four winds, from one end of Heaven to the other. Send forth the elders of my church unto the nations which are afar off, unto the islands of the sea. Send forth unto foreign lands, call upon all nations, firstly upon the gentiles and then upon the Jews. And behold and lo, this shall be their cry, and the voice of the Lord unto all people: Go forth unto the land of Zion, that the borders of my people may be enlarged, and that her stakes may be strengthened, and that Zion may go forth unto the regions round about. Yea, let the cry go forth among all people: Awake and arise and go forth to meet the Bridegroom. Behold and lo, the Bridegroom comes, go out to meet him; prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord. Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Let them therefore which are among the gentiles flee unto Zion, and let them who be of Judah flee unto Jerusalem, unto the mountains of the Lord’s house. Go out from among the nations, even from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon. But verily thus says the Lord: Let not your flight be in haste, but let all things be prepared before you; and he that goes, let him not look back, lest sudden destruction shall come upon him”[5] (RE T&C 58:2, emphasis added).
The kingdom of Babylon is found in all nations. It has no borders, only a condition of spiritual withdrawal and wickedness. To flee Babylon is to disavow spiritual wickedness in all of its manifestations. Preparation for Zion involves waking to wickedness, repenting of sin and turning from Satan and sin to face God.
Historically, Israel was taken captive by Babylon and its king. Babylon employed a strategy of corrupting the subjects of their conquests. Prisoners in Babylon were forced to abandon their lands and moved to other locations where they became integrated with foreign societies. By intermingling traditions, intermarriage, combining religious and social traditions which diluted and eventually replaced original norms. Through this dilution of beliefs and traditions the people became more compliant to Babylon’s royal rule.
To flee Babylon is to flee spiritual corruption and sin. Our geographical location need not change, rather, the center of our devotion must return to the Lord in preparation for His return.
In reference to the king of Assyria, it was noted his reign of terror ended when the Lord completes His work of Zion. The Babylonian captivity of Israel occurred when Cyrus, king of Persia, a Gentile, freed the Israelite captives in Babylon with a command to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. Isaiah foretold these events two hundred years before Cyrus is born.[6] Cyrus represents the Joseph lineage of the Davidic king and Hezekiah is the genealogical type for Judah in the same king.[7]
The Lord preserved Israel’s head in the days of Hezekiah. In the end, Israel is delivered from spiritual bondage in Babylon. As Joseph Smith explained:
“ . . . But their [Israel’s] unbelief has not rendered the promise of God of none effect: no, for there was another day limited in David, which was the day of His power [when latter-day David received the spirit of Elijah and the “fullness” of the Priesthood][8]; and then His people, Israel, should be a willing people;-and He [the Lord] would write His law in their hearts, and print it in their thoughts; their sins and their iniquities He would remember no more” (TPJS., p.15, emphasis added).
It is not a coincidence that Cyrus and his son were intent on rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. They had no religious affiliation with Israel but restoring the Temple is a necessary function for the latter-day David to obtain the spirit of Elijah and fullness of the Priesthood. The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith the necessity of completing the Nauvoo Temple for that purpose:
“And again, verily I say unto you, let all my saints come from afar [flee Babylon?], and send swift messengers, yea, chosen messengers, and say unto them, Come all of you, with all your gold, and your silver, and your precious stones, and with all your antiquities, and with all who have knowledge of antiquities that will come, may come. And bring the box tree, and the fir tree, and the pine tree, together with all the precious trees of the earth, and with iron, with copper, and with brass, and with zinc, and with all your precious things of the earth, and build a house unto my name for the Most High to dwell therein. For there is not place found on the earth that he may come and restore again that which was lost unto you, or which he has taken away, even the fullness of the Priesthood” (RE T&C 141:10, emphasis added).
For the latter-day David to receive the spirit of Elijah and the “fullness of the Priesthood,” the Lord required an acceptable Temple be constructed. Such a location on Earth is a necessity. For Cyrus to act as a type for the latter-day David, building a Temple is essential.
Isaiah and the King of Babylon
The end of conquest for both the kings of Assyria and Babylon arrives when the Lord completes His work in Zion. Isaiah begins his “burden” on Babylon with an assurance to the righteous in Zion they will be preserved through coming wars.
“Lift up a banner [ensign] upon the high mountain [Temple in Zion[9]], exalt [raise] the voice unto them, shake the hand [covenant relationship], that they may go into the gates of the nobles [Patriarchal Fathers][10]. I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones, for my anger is not upon them that rejoice in my highness . . .” (RE Isaiah 6:1, emphasis added).
Before the Lord gathers the nations to battle, He assures the righteous who “rejoice in my highness” they will not be harmed. To those of Israel who are lost and confused by their residency in Babylon, He offers words of warning.
“ . . .The noise of the multitude in the mountains, as of a great people, a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together; the Lord of Hosts musters the host of the battle. They come from a far country, from the end of heaven — yea, the Lord and the weapons of his indignation — to destroy the whole land.
Howl, for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, every man’s heart shall melt, and they shall be afraid. Pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them, they shall be in pain as a woman that travails; they shall be amazed one at another, their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. And I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease [including the Assyrian and Babylonian kings], and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold [rare commodity], even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore, I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place,[11] in the wrath of the Lord of Hosts and in the day of his fierce anger. And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man takes up; they shall every man turn to his own people and flee everyone into his own land. Everyone that is proud shall be thrust through, and everyone that is joined to the wicked shall fall by the sword. Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes, their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives violated. Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who shall not regard silver and gold, they shall not delight in it. Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces, and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellence, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelled in from generation to generation[12], neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there, neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there, and their houses shall be full of howling creatures, and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces. And her [Babylon’s] time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged, for I will destroy her speedily; yea, for I will be merciful unto my people, but the wicked shall perish” (RE Isaiah 6:1-3, emphasis added).
These horrible conditions will not continue indefinitely. The Assyrian and Babylonian kings are among the proud and wicked who fall when the Lord completes His work in Zion.
“And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall give you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear, and from the hard bondage wherein you were made to serve. And it shall come to pass in that day, that you shall take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How has the oppressor [kings of Assyria and Babylon] ceased, the golden city ceased. The Lord has broken the staff [support] of the wicked, the scepters of the rulers. He who smote the people in wrath with a continual [perpetual] stroke [kings of Assyria and Babylon], he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted [receive justice for their evil deeds], and none hinders. The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; they break forth into singing. Yea, the fir trees [trees are metaphors for people] rejoice at you, and also the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since you [king of Babylon] are laid down, no feller has come up against us. Hell from beneath is moved for you to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the dead for you, even all the chief ones of the earth; it has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto you, Have you also become weak as us? Have you become like unto us? Your pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of your viols; the worm is spread under you, and the worms cover you” (RE Isaiah 6:5, emphasis added).
The king of Babylon, like the Assyrian king is consumed with pride and brought down by the Lord for his wicked deeds. That will always be the fate of those who fail to acknowledge the Lord and His power. No one, good or evil may do anything unless the Lord allows it.
The world suffers at the hand of the anti-Christ but a day of relief comes when wickedness is destroyed from the Earth in preparation for the Savior’s return. The Lord will have mercy on His people after the pain.
“For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land [covenant promise], and the strangers [repentant Gentiles] shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And the people shall take them and bring them to their place, yea, from far unto the ends of the earth, and they shall return to their lands of promise. And the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids; and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were, and they shall rule over their oppressors [with compassion and mercy].
And it shall come to pass in that day [last days] that the Lord shall give you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear, and from the hard bondage wherein you were made to serve [and survived]. . .” (RE Isaiah 6:4-5, emphasis added).
The Glossary of Gospel Terms has a wonderful explanation of how and why Babylon must be destroyed prior to the Savior’s Second Coming:
“That’s why the prophecies of John talk about the fall of Babylon the great. Because the head of gold is still with us. The Babylonian influence remains with us still in our banking, in our profit motives, in our culture, in our education, in our false ideas about what’s important and what’s not, in our desire for power, and wealth, and influence. All of those things remain with us still today. And they corrupt everything. They corrupt business; they corrupt governments; they corrupt churches. They corrupt society. Everyone is vying with one another to gain influence, power, and in turn, wealth and the acclamation of this world. And it all goes back to Babylon. Which is why John prophesies the fall, not of every one of these components of the great image that Nebuchadnezzar saw, but he goes right to the head. Because as soon as you destroy the head, everything else is going to unravel. And he prophesies about the destruction of Babylon, the head of gold that holds sway over all else” (A Glossary of Gospel Terms, second edition, Babylon, p.30, emphasis added).
Denver drawing attention to the destruction of Babylon’s head is not insignificant. When young David faced Goliath on the field of battle, Goliath was felled by a smooth stone from a brook. After Goliath was rendered unconscious, David drew Goliath’s sword and smote off his head.
In the last days, the latter-day David, under the Lord’s direction, collapses Babylon by “small means”[13] and the king of Babylon’s head may be removed with his own sword by an act of the wicked slaying the wicked.
Amalickiah
Viewing Amalickiah as a type for a modern anti-Christ involves identifying strategies and behaviors manifest today. There are more advanced technologies available today than were in the days of Moroni and Amalickiah. What hasn’t changed are motivations and behaviors repeatedly used since the fall of Adam. By close examination of this account we expose past behaviors present in modern society. Through identifying past details we may become more accurate in self-assessing our current conditions. When we see similar conditions we can be certain they lead to a similar outcome.
Secret Combinations
The story of Amalickiah begins with his lust for power which led to direct opposition and rebellion against the Lord and His servants. His strategy for overcoming his opposition involved appealing to lower level judges with promises to reward them with wealth and power. The outcome for those who embrace these conspiracies is subjection to Satan and his will.
“How great are God’s wisdom, mercy, and grace! Because if our bodies never rose again, our spirits would necessarily become subject to that angel who fell from the presence of the Eternal God. He became the accuser to never rise again. And our spirits would be doomed like him to remain fallen from heaven; we would have become devils, angels to the accuser — to be shut out from God’s presence and remain with the father of lies, in misery like he is — angels to the one who deceived our first parents, who tries to imitate an angel of light and persuade mankind to enter into conspiracies to commit murder and to do all kinds of dark, secret works” (CofC, 2 Nephi 6:3, emphasis added).
Satan entices mankind with false promises of fame, power, and wealth if they embrace his unholy covenants. His offers are “shiny objects” the Devil dangles before our eyes to induce us to subject our will to his.
“ . . . And there will also be secret conspiracies [among the Gentiles], as in former times, using the accuser’s plan for conspiracies, because he’s involved in the foundation of all these things — the foundation of murder and works of darkness — and he leads them by the neck with a strong rope at the start made of flax, until he enslaves them with his strong ropes forever” (CofC, 2 Nephi 11:15, emphasis added).
Satan is the foundation of all secret conspiracies designed to enslave and destroy mankind. When Alma delivered to Helaman his presiding office over the church of God, he warned Helaman about these conspiracies, how they lead to mankind’s destruction. Alma explained to Helaman how the Lord combatted the conspiracies in their day and ours as well.
“Now I’ll tell you about those 24 plates: You must keep them safe, so that the mysteries and their dark, secret schemes, the conspiracies of those people who were destroyed, can be revealed to this nation. They will need to hear about all their murders, robberies, plundering, wickedness, and abominations. And you must preserve these Directors.[14] When the Lord saw His people began to fall into dark acts and to commit secret murders and abominations, the Lord warned that if they didn’t repent, they would be altogether annihilated from the earth. The Lord said: I’ll prepare a stone for My servant Gazelem that will bring their dark acts into the light, so I can expose for the people who serve Me the errors, depravity, and abominations of the earlier believers who fell into secret wickedness and dark works. And now, my son, these Directors were prepared to accomplish the prophecies of God, which He committed to have happen, saying: I’ll expose to public view, out of darkness into light, all their secret offenses and their abominations. And unless they repent, I’ll destroy them and annihilate them from the earth. And I’ll bring to light all their secrets and abominations to every nation who will inhabit the land after this. And now, my son, we see they didn’t repent; therefore they’ve been removed. And so far God’s word has been fulfilled; indeed, their secret abominations have been brought out of darkness and revealed to us.
And now, my son, I command you to not publish all their oaths, covenants, and agreements used in their secret abominations; indeed, you must continue protecting this people from all their signs and conspiracies, so they don’t learn them, so they can’t risk falling into darkness as well, and also be destroyed. Remember, there’s a curse on all this land that any people who choose darkness until they’re fully ripe in iniquity, will be destroyed by God’s power. That being the case, I don’t want this people to be destroyed. So you must protect this people from these secret plans of their oaths and covenants. And only reveal to them the wickedness, murders, and abominations. You must teach them to reject and regard such wickedness, abominations, and murders with disgust. You must also teach them the reason those people were destroyed was due to their wickedness, abominations, and murders. Indeed, they murdered all the Lord’s prophets who came among them to condemn their iniquities. And the blood of those they murdered cried out to the Lord their God for vengeance upon their murderers. As a result, God’s judgments were imposed upon those who practiced that darkness and were part of the secret conspiracies. And may the land be cursed forever against those who work in darkness, to their utter destruction, unless they repent before they’re fully ripe” (CofC, Alma 17:12-13, emphasis added).
There is an irrevocable curse on this land for all who participate in these conspiracies. Their only opportunity for deliverance is if they repent and return to God. Destruction fell upon the wicked prior to the Savior’s Nephite ministry. Conditions leading to their destruction are found in 3 Nephi.
“Many cities were rebuilt and many old cities were repaired. Many highways were constructed and new roads connected city to city, land to land, and area to area. The 28th year ended in abiding peace. But in the 29th year, some controversies arose between people, and some were now proud and boastful because of their great wealth, so much so that they actively persecuted others. Now there were many merchants, many lawyers, and officials also. The people began to be divided into classes based on wealth and their opportunities for education. Unfortunately, some were uneducated due to their poverty; and others were highly educated because of their wealth. Some were very prideful and others very humble. Some met verbal abuse by returning verbal abuse, while others tolerated abuse, persecution, and other mistreatment without retaliating; but to the contrary, they were humble and repentant before God. Therefore inequality increased throughout the land, with even the congregation becoming divided, so much so that in the 30th year the congregation broke apart throughout the land with the exception of a few Lamanites [a type for descendants of Lehi] who remained committed to the true faith. They refused to abandon it, since they were firm, resolute, and immovable, willing to diligently keep the Lord’s commandments. Now the cause of the people’s iniquity was that Satan had such influence that people began to commit all kinds of iniquity; to become prideful, and tempting them to seek power, authority, wealth, and property with no eternal value. Satan led the hearts of the people into all kinds of iniquity. Therefore they had only enjoyed peace for a few short years. At the start of the 30th year, the people were in an awful state of wickedness. They submitted to the accuser’s temptations, doing as he led them, participating in exactly the sins he urged upon them. Now they didn’t sin ignorantly; they knew God’s will for them, since it had been taught to them. Therefore they willfully rebelled against God.” (CofC, 3 Nephi 3:2, emphasis added).
These conditions in society preceded the destruction of the wicked who engaged in these behaviors. Another symptom with similarities to Amalickiah is the corruption of the legal system.
“ . . . Now many people got very angry because of the men who testified of these things. Those who were angry included the chief judges and those who had been high priests and lawyers. All the lawyers were angry with those who testified of these things. Now, no lawyer, judge, or high priest had the authority to condemn anyone to death until the death order was signed by the governor. But many of those who taught about Christ, testifying boldly, were taken and put to death secretly by the judges, so the governor didn’t learn of their deaths until after they had been killed. Now it violated the laws of the land for anyone to be put to death without the governor’s approval. Therefore a complaint was sent to Zarahemla, to the governor, accusing the judges who had condemned the Lord’s prophets to death of violating the law.
They were arrested and brought before the judge to be judged for the crime they had committed, according to the law adopted by the people. Now these judges had many friends and relatives. Those others, including almost all the lawyers and high priests, joined with the relatives of the judges facing a trial for violating the law. They entered into a covenant with each other, the same as the one made long ago, which was given and administered by the accuser, to conspire against all righteousness. Therefore they conspired against the Lord’s people and made a covenant to kill them and to free the guilty murderers from the justice to be imposed under the law. They defied the law and the rights of their country. And they covenanted with one another to kill the governor and set up a king over the land, to destroy liberty and establish control by kings” (CofC, 3 Nephi 3:2, emphasis added).
Corruption of the government and legal systems are a sign society is ripening in iniquity as they speed toward destruction. Complacency in the face of corruption is another symptom of societal ills. Attorneys are often targeted for derision in these examples, but it should not be ignored that “high priests” were also complicit and the reason God is provoked to destroy “the mother of harlots and utterly wicked church whose foundation is the accuser.”
“And I saw that God’s wrath was poured out upon that wealthy and utterly wicked church, so that wars and reports of wars arose among the nations and tribes of the earth. As these wars and reports of wars arose among the nations that followed the mother of abominations, the Angel told me: God’s wrath is upon the mother of harlots. You’re a witness to all these things. When the time comes that God’s anger is poured out upon the mother of harlots — the wealthy and utterly wicked church of the whole earth, whose foundation is the accuser — then as that happens it will be part of the Father’s work to vindicate the covenants He has made with His people who belong to the house of Israel” (1 Nephi 3:29, emphasis added).
God’s wrath is poured out upon the “utterly wicked church” because their evil deeds are done in God’s name. People turn from God because they cannot reconcile religious leaders wickedness by those professing to represent Him.
There are many parallels or “types” to examine as case studies for how the accuser leads mankind away from God and into his bondage. I have exceeded my wife’s length parameters on this subject. There is much more that can be said. Now we know the types for our day, it behooves us to be attentive to what God is saying to us in our time.
[1] “Then I looked and saw the whore of the whole earth. She was spread everywhere across the seas, ruling over the whole earth, among all people of every nation, tribe, and language. And I saw the congregation of the Lamb of God; its numbers were few because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who was spread everywhere across the seas. Nevertheless, I saw that the congregation of the Lamb, who were God’s holy ones, were also there throughout the earth; but their presence was small because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw. And I saw the great mother of abominations assembled in large numbers all over the earth among all Gentile nations to fight against the Lamb of God. Then I saw the power of the Lamb of God descend upon the holy ones of the Lamb’s congregation and upon the Lord’s covenant people, who were scattered across the earth. They were armed with righteousness and God’s power in great glory.
And I saw that God’s wrath was poured out upon that wealthy and utterly wicked church, so that wars and reports of wars arose among the nations and tribes of the earth. As these wars and reports of wars arose among the nations that followed the mother of abominations, the Angel told me: God’s wrath is upon the mother of harlots. You’re a witness to all these things. When the time comes that God’s anger is poured out upon the mother of harlots — the wealthy and utterly wicked church of the whole earth, whose foundation is the accuser — then as that happens it will be part of the Father’s work to vindicate the covenants He has made with His people who belong to the house of Israel” (CofC, 1 Nephi 3:28-29, emphasis added).
[2] “And the murderous guilt of that utterly wicked church — the whore of the entire earth — will come back upon their own heads, because they’ll fight among themselves. The swords they wield will fall upon their own heads, and they’ll be drunk with their own blood. And every nation that fights against you, O house of Israel, will be turned against each other. They’ll fall into the pit they dug to ensnare the Lord’s people. Those who fight against Zion will be destroyed. And the great whore that’s corrupted and perverted the right ways of the Lord — that utterly wicked church — will tumble to the dust, and its fall will be complete. The prophet has said: The time is quickly coming that Satan will no longer have power over mankind’s hearts. The time is soon coming that the proud and those who do evil will be like straw; and the time is coming that they will certainly be burned. Indeed, the time is soon coming when the full extent of God’s wrath will be poured out on all mankind, since He won’t allow the wicked to destroy the righteous. Therefore He’ll keep the righteous safe by His power, even if it means that the full extent of His wrath must come while the righteous are preserved by God destroying their enemies by fire. Therefore the righteous don’t need to be afraid, because the prophet has said: They will be saved, even if it requires fire. My brothers, these things are coming soon; there will be blood, fire, and smoke here, covering the face of this land. It will happen to mortal people in this life if they reject the Holy One of Israel. However the righteous won’t be destroyed, because those who fight against Zion are who will be cut off” (CofC, 1 Nephi 7:4, emphasis added).
[3] “Then the Angel told me: You’ve seen that if the Gentiles repent, it will turn out well for them. You also know about the Lord’s covenants with the house of Israel. And you’ve also heard that whoever doesn’t repent must perish. As a result, if the Gentiles harden their hearts against the Lamb of God, I will afflict them. Because the time will come, says the Lamb of God, when I’ll bring about a great and awe-inspiring work among mankind, one that will be everlasting — one way or the other — either to convince them, resulting in peace and life eternal; or to give them up to their hard hearts and blind minds, bringing about their slavery and temporal and spiritual destruction, under the accuser’s enslavement which I’ve spoken about” (CofC, 1 Nephi 3:26, emphasis added).
[4] “And Enoch wept and cried unto the Lord again, saying, When shall the earth rest? And Enoch beheld the Son of Man ascend up unto the Father, and he called unto the Lord, saying, Will you not come again upon the earth? For inasmuch as you are God, and I know you, and you have sworn unto me and commanded me that I should ask in the name of your Only Begotten, you have made me, and given unto me a right to your throne, and not of myself, but through your own grace. Wherefore, I ask you if you will not come again on the earth. And the Lord said unto Enoch, As I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfill the oath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah. And the day shall come that the earth shall rest. But before that day, the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth. And great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve. And righteousness will I send down out of Heaven. Truth will I send forth out of the earth to bear testimony of my Only Begotten, his resurrection from the dead, yea, and also the resurrection of all men. And righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out my own elect from the four quarters of the earth unto a place which I shall prepare, a holy city, that my people may gird up their loins and be looking forth for the time of my coming. For there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem. And the Lord said unto Enoch, Then shall you and all your city meet them there, and we will receive them into our bosom. And they shall see us, and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other; and there shall be my abode. And it shall be Zion which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made, and for the space of a thousand years shall the earth rest” (RE Genesis 4:22, emphasis added).
[5] “ . . . And then, when Lot had entered into Zoar, the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah, for the angels called upon the name of the Lord for brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And thus they overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. But it came to pass that when Lot fled, his wife looked back from behind him and became a pillar of salt” (RE Genesis 7:43, emphasis added).
[6] “Sing, O you heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, you lower parts of the earth. Break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree therein. For the Lord has redeemed Jacob and glorified himself in Israel. Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer and he that formed you from the womb: I am the Lord that makes all things, that stretches forth the heavens alone, that spreads abroad the earth by myself, that frustrates the tokens of the liars and makes diviners mad, that turns wise men backward and makes their knowledge foolish, that confirms the word of his servant and performs the counsel of his messengers, that says to Jerusalem, You shall be inhabited — and to the cities of Judah, You shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof; that says to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up your rivers; that says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd and shall perform all my pleasure; even saying to Jerusalem, You shall be built — and to the temple, Your foundation shall be laid.
Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him (and I will disarm the loins of kings to open before him the two leaved gates, and the gates shall not be shut): I will go before you and make the crooked places straight, I will break in pieces the gates of brass and cut asunder the bars of iron, and I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel my elect, I have even called you by your name. I have surnamed you, though you have not known me. I am the Lord and there is none else, there is no God besides me. I girded you, though you have not known me, that they may know from the rising of the sun and from the west that there is none besides me. I am the Lord and there is none else. I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil. I the Lord do all these things. Drop down you heavens from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness; let the earth open and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it. Woe unto him that quarrels with his Maker. Let the potsherd quarrel with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashions it, What are you making? Or your work, He has no hands? Woe unto him that says unto his father, What have you begotten? Or to the woman, What have you brought forth? Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel and his Maker: Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, you command me. I have made the earth and created man upon it. I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. I have raised him up in righteousness and I will direct all his ways; he shall build my city and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, says the Lord of Hosts. Thus says the Lord: The labor of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia, and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto you, and they shall be yours; they shall come after you, in chains they shall come over and they shall fall down unto you. They shall make supplication unto you, saying, Surely God is in you, and there is none else, there is no God. Truly you are a God that hides yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior. They shall be ashamed and also confounded, all of them; they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols. But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you shall not be ashamed nor confounded, worlds without end” (RE Isaiah 15:17-18, emphasis added).
[7]“Question: What is the Root of Jesse spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter [Isa. 5:4]?Answer: Behold, thus says the Lord: It is a descendant of Jesse as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the Priesthood and the keys of the Kingdom, for an ensign and for the gathering of my people in the last day” (RE T&C 129:3, emphasis added).
[8] “Although David was a king, he never did obtain the spirit and power of Elijah and the fullness of the Priesthood; and the Priesthood that he received and the throne and kingdom of David is to be taken from him and given to another byte he name of David in the last days, raised up out of his lineage” (TPJS., p.339, emphasis added).
[10] “Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was, and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones. And God saw these souls, that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them and he said, These I will make my rulers. For he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good. And he said unto me, Abraham, you are one of them; you were chosen before you were born” (RE T&C 6:1, emphasis added).
[11] “From the farthest part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me. The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously. Fear, and the pit, and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall come to pass that he who flees from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that comes up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare. For the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison; and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his elders gloriously” (RE Isaiah 7:2, emphasis added).
[12] “ . . . However, after many days their dead remains were piled up on the ground and covered with a thin layer of earth. The stench from it was so bad people didn’t go in to reoccupy Ammonihah for many years. It was called Desolation of Nehors, because those who had been killed practiced Nehor’s beliefs; and their lands remained uninhabited . . .” (CofC, Alma 11:5, emphasis added).
[13] “Now you may think that I’m being foolish. But I tell you great things are accomplished by ordinary, simple things. And simple methods, in many instances, prove the wise are wrong. The Lord God can use anything to accomplish His great and eternal purposes. And by very simple methods the Lord proves the wise wrong and accomplishes the salvation of many souls. Now it has been wisdom in God for these things [scriptures] to be kept safe until now. Because they’ve increased our people’s memory and convinced many of the error of their ways and brought them to the knowledge of God, for the salvation of their souls [the small smooth stone to Goliath’s head?]. Indeed, I tell you: If it weren’t for the things contained in the records on these plates, Ammon and his companions wouldn’t have convinced so many thousands of the Lamanites of their ancestors’ false traditions. It was these records and their content that brought them to repentance; that is, they let them know of the Lord who is God and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer. And who knows whether they might turn out to be instruments in bringing many thousands more of them — and even many thousands of our stubborn fellow Nephites also, who are now hardening their hearts in sin and iniquities — to know of their Redeemer. Now I don’t fully know about that future, so I’ll stop there. It may be enough to simply say these records are kept safe for a wise purpose, a purpose that’s known to God. Because He wisely guides all His works, and His direction is straight and He moves continually in one eternal round” (CofC, Alma 17:8, emphasis added).
[14] “Now, my son, I want to discuss the thing our forefathers called a ball or Director — or rather, they called it Liahona, which translates to a compass — that the Lord provided. And no one can accomplish such intricate workmanship. It was provided to point the way for our ancestors to travel in the wilderness. And it worked for them based on their faith in God. As a result, if they had faith to believe God would make the pins point the way to go, then it happened. Therefore they saw this miracle, and many other miracles, performed by God’s power day after day. However, even though those miracles let them accomplish miraculous things, they happened by ordinary methods and they got lazy, took it for granted, and neglected to exercise their faith and diligence. So then the miracles stopped, and they didn’t make progress in their journey. Then they wandered in the wilderness, no longer traveling a direct path, and suffered hunger and thirst due to their faithlessness.
Now, my son, I want you to understand these things foreshadow coming events. As our ancestors were disinclined to pay attention to this physical compass, they didn’t advance; so it is with spiritual things. Because it’s the same thing to pay attention to Christ’s word, which will point out to you a straight path to eternal bliss, as it was for our ancestors to pay attention to this compass, which would point out to them a straight path to the promised land. I ask you: Isn’t the one symbolic of the other? Because just as surely as this Director brought our ancestors, by following the way it pointed, to the promised land, so will Christ’s word, if we follow the way it points, take us beyond this valley of tears into a much better promised land” (CofC, Alma 17:15-16, emphasis added).
Scott Roderick
12/30/24
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