Apocalypse of Nephi – 1 Nephi 22:1-31

1 And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had read these things which were engraven upon the plates of brass, my brethren came unto me and said unto me: What meaneth these things which ye have read? Behold, are they to be understood according to things which are spiritual, which shall come to pass according to the spirit and not the flesh? [This is and was a common way many interpret scripture. That scripture is not literal, but somehow only has a spiritual connotation that does not affect us in the physical realm. Usually, it is both.]

2 And I, Nephi, said unto them: Behold they were manifest unto the prophet by the voice of the Spirit; for by the Spirit are all things made known unto the prophets, which shall come upon the children of men according to the flesh. [Revelations are received in a manner that is outside our physical senses. It is heard and seen in the mind’s eye according to the Spirit of the Lord.]

3 Wherefore, the things of which I have read are things pertaining to things both temporal and spiritual; for it appears that the house of Israel, sooner or later, will be scattered upon all the face of the earth, and also among all nations. [This was unconceivable at that time to a Jew.]

4 And behold, there are many who are already lost from the knowledge of those who are at Jerusalem. [Lost Ten Tribes who were formally taken captive by the Assyrians and migrated north.] Yea, the more part of all the tribes have been led away [by the Lord]; and they are scattered to and fro upon the isles of the sea [among many nations]; and whither they are none of us knoweth, save that we know that they have been led away.

5 And since they have been led away, these things have been prophesied concerning them, and also concerning all those who shall hereafter be scattered and be confounded, because of the Holy One of Israel; for against him will they harden their hearts [will not repent]; wherefore, they shall be scattered among all nations and shall be hated of all men.

6 Nevertheless, after they shall be nursed [helped to gain strength] by the Gentiles, and the Lord has lifted up his hand upon the Gentiles and set them up for a standard, and their children have been carried in their arms, and their daughters have been carried upon their shoulders, behold these things of which are spoken are temporal; for thus are the covenants of the Lord with our fathers; and it meaneth us in the days to come, and also all our brethren who are of the house of Israel. [Interpreting Isaiah’s scripture, Nephi explains that it will be their descendants and the House of Israel that shall be carried and nourished by Gentiles in the last days.]

7 And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the house of Israel have been scattered and confounded, that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles, [The United States] yea, even upon the face of this land; and by them shall our seed be scattered.

8 And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed; wherefore, it is likened unto their being nourished by the Gentiles and being carried in their arms and upon their shoulders. [The translating of the BofM and other records just before the establishment of Zion. Most of this is yet to occur.]

9 And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles; and not only unto the Gentiles but unto all the house of Israel, unto the making known of the covenants of the Father of heaven unto Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. [A full understanding of the Everlasting Covenant and the workings of the Lord.]

10 And I would, my brethren, that ye should know that all the kindreds [races] of the earth cannot be blessed [be given the Covenant] unless he shall make bare his arm in the eyes of the nations. [Display his power to the world.]

11 Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to make bare his arm in the eyes of all the nations, in bringing about his covenants [ordinances] and his gospel [Doctrine of Salvation] unto those who are of the house of Israel. [It is these to whom the Gospel will be given when the Times of the Gentiles ends and the Times of the Gathering of Israel commences.]

12 Wherefore, he will bring them again out of captivity, and they shall be gathered together to the lands of their inheritance [Began happening about 1917 with the Balfour Declaration and the return of the Jews to Israel.]; and they shall be brought out of obscurity and out of darkness; and they shall know that the Lord is their Savior and their Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel. [This will yet occur to the great extent prophesied.]

13 And the blood of that great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads; for they shall war among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own heads, and they shall be drunken with their own blood. [Wars among nations whose purpose is world domination. Such wars will increase until the end.]

14 And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it. [This is a short abbreviation of what the Apostle John saw in Revelation.]

15 For behold, saith the prophet, the time cometh speedily that Satan shall have no more power over the hearts of the children of men; for the day soon cometh that all the proud and they who do wickedly shall be as stubble; and the day cometh that they must be burned. [The earth shall receive a literal baptism of fire and be cleansed.]

16 For the time soon cometh that the fulness of the wrath of God shall be poured out upon all the children of men; for he will not suffer that the wicked shall destroy the righteous.

17 Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power, even if it so be that the fulness of his wrath must come [A “fullness” implies the kind of destruction that lays flat everything with complete annihilation.], and the righteous be preserved, even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire. Wherefore, the righteous need not fear; for thus saith the prophet, they shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire. [It will come from the Heavens. There will be many instances including the coming forth of the Ten Tribes which will be saved from enemies by fire of heaven raining down upon them.]

18 Behold, my brethren, I say unto you, that these things must shortly come; yea, even blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke must come; and it must needs be upon the face of this earth; and it cometh unto men according to the flesh [physically] if it so be that they will harden their hearts against the Holy One of Israel. [This occurred during the time of Christ’s death and will again just before HIs coming in glory.]

19 For behold, the righteous shall not perish; for the time surely must come that all they who fight against Zion shall be cut off. [When they are ripe in iniquity there will be a complete separation of the righteous and wicked geographically.]

20 And the Lord will surely prepare a way for his people, unto the fulfilling of the words of Moses, which he spake, saying: A prophet [Jesus Christ] shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that all those who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among the people. [Shall be cut off from the chosen people of God.]

21 And now I, Nephi, declare unto you, that this prophet of whom Moses spake was the Holy One of Israel; wherefore, he shall execute judgment in righteousness.

22 And the righteous need not fear, for they are those who shall not be confounded [lose their way]. But it is the kingdom of the devil, which shall be built up among the children of men, which kingdom is established among them which are in the flesh— [This is more than a philosophy or generalization. It is an actual organized entity which seeks to gain power over all people and institutions.]

23 For the time speedily shall come that all churches which are built up to get gain [Do you know any established churches that are not rich in terms of money and real estate?], and all those who are built up to get power over the flesh, and those who are built up to become popular in the eyes of the world [How many churches abandon their former beliefs to conform to cultural changes?], and those who seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world [Signifying the pursuit of fame, fortune, and comfort.], and to do all manner of iniquity [Signifying something of a sexual sin.] ; yea, in fine, all those [churches and institutions] who belong to the kingdom of the devil are they who need fear, and tremble, and quake; they are those who must be brought low in the dust; they are those who must be consumed as stubble; and this is according to the words of the prophet.

24 And the time cometh speedily that the righteous must be led up as calves of the stall, [brought home to safety] and the Holy One of Israel [Jesus Christ] must reign in dominion, and might, and power, and great glory. [The Millennium]

25 And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth [The purpose of the 144k]; and he numbereth his sheep [The Elect], and they know him; and there shall be one fold [Church of the Firstborn] and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture.

26 And because of the righteousness [Following the will of the Lord] of his people, Satan has no power; [This is a good point to remember in our own lives as we seek to overcome the Adversary.] 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. [Satan’s power is not in his physical self, but his dominion and those that worship him. At the end of the Millennium his power will rise as he is allowed to tempt the Angels of God one last time before he is sent to Outer Darkness.]

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

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. [The children of men, all races, and religions will be offered this blessing if they repent and partake of the Everlasting Covenant of God.]

29 And now I, Nephi, make an end; for I durst not speak further as yet concerning these things. [The Spirit constrains him from saying more.]

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 [continue on this path without changing course], ye shall be saved at the last day. And thus it is. Amen. [A double amen is sealing his own words.]