The Book of Mormon
~600–592 BC

1 Nephi 14

1

And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks,—

2

if it so be that they harden not their hearts against the Lamb; aAnd if it so be that they harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, they shall be numbered among the seed of thy father; yea, they shall be numbered among the Hhouse of Israel; and they shall be a blestsed people upon the promised land forever; they shall be no more brought down into captivity; and the Hhouse of Israel shall no more be confounded;.

3

aAnd that great pit, which hath been digged for them, by that great and abominable church, which was founded by the Ddevil and his children, that he might lead away the souls of men down to Hhell; —yea, that great pit which hath been digged for the destruction of men, shall be filled by those who digged it, unto their utter destruction, saith the Lamb of God; not the destruction of the soul, save it be the casting of it into that Hhell which hath no end;.

4

fFor behold, this is according to the captivity of the Ddevil, and also according to the justice of God, upon all those who will work wickedness and abomination before him.

5

And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, Nephi, saying: Thou hast beheld that if the Gentiles repent, it shall be well with them; and thou also knowest concerning the covenants of the Lord unto the Hhouse of Israel; and thou also hast heard, that whoso repenteth not, must perish;.

6

tTherefore, wo be unto the Gentiles, if it so be that they harden their hearts against the Lamb of God:.

7

fFor the time cometh, saith the Lamb of God, that I will work a great and a marvellous work among the children of men; a work which shall be everlasting, either on the one hand or on the other; —either to the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal, or unto the deliverance of them to the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds, unto their being brought down into captivity, and also uinto destruction, both temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the Ddevil, of which I have spoken.

8

And it came to pass that when the angel had spoken these words, he saithd unto me,: Rememberest thou the covenants of the Father unto the Hhouse of Israel? I saithd unto him, yYea.

9

And it came to pass that he saithd unto me,: Look, and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose foundationer is the Ddevil.

10

And he saithd unto me,: Behold, there is,are save it be, two churches: only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the Ddevil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God, belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.

11

And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters; and she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people.

12

And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore whicho sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, whicho were the Ssaints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth wasere small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whichom I saw.

13

And it came to pass that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together multitudes upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God.

14

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, whicho were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.

15

And it came to pass that I beheld that the wrath of God was poured out upon theat great and abominable church, insomuch that there were wars and rumors of wars among all the nations and kindreds of the earth;.

16

aAnd as there began to be wars and rumors of wars among all the nations which belonged to the mother of abominations, the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold, the wrath of God is upon the mother of harlots; and, behold, thou seest all these things!—

17

And when the day cometh that the wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots, which is the great and abominable church of all the earth, whose founder is the Ddevil, then, at that day, the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people, whicho are of the Hhouse of Israel.

18

And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying,: Look!

19

And I looked and beheld a man, and he was dressed in a white robe;.

20

aAnd the angel said unto me,: Behold one of the twelve Aapostles of the Lamb!.

21

Behold, he shall see and write the remainder of these things; yea, and also many things which have been;.

22

aAnd he shall also write concerning the end of the world;.

23

wWherefore, the things which he shall write, are just and true; and behold, they are written in the book which thou beheld proceeding out of the mouth of the Jew; and at the time they proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, or, at the time the book proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, the things which were written, were plain and pure, and most precious, and easy to the understanding of all men.

24

And, behold, the things which this Aapostle of the Lamb shall write, are many things which thou hast seen; and, behold, the remainder shalt thou see;.

25

bBut the things which thou shalt see hereafter, thou shalt not write; for the Lord God hath ordained the Aapostle of the Lamb of God, that he should write them.

26

And also, others whicho have been, to them, hath he shown all things, and they have written them; and they are sealed up, to come forth in their purity, according to the truth which is in the Lamb, in the own due time of the Lord, unto the Hhouse of Israel.

27

And I, Nephi, heard and bear record, that the name of the Aapostle of the Lamb was John, according to the word of the angel.

28

And, behold, I, Nephi, am forbidden that I should write the remainder of the things which I saw and heard; wherefore, the things which I have written, sufficeth me; and I have not written but a small part of the things which I saw.

29

And I bear record, that I saw the things which my father saw, and the angel of the Lord did make them known unto me.—

30

And now I make an end of speaking concerning the things which I saw, while I was carried away in the sSpirit; and if all the things which I saw are not written, the things which I have written, are true. And thus it is. Amen.

Influences

  • 14:3 — John 1:29 (KJV)
    The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
  • 14:8 — John 18:1 (KJV)
    When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.
  • 14:10 — Acts 2:47 (KJV)
    Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
  • 14:10 — Revelation 17:5 (KJV)
    And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
  • 14:11 — Revelation 17:1 (KJV)
    And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
  • 14:11 — Revelation 14:6 (KJV)
    And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
  • 14:14 — Matthew 22:29 (KJV)
    Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
  • 14:15 — Revelation 16:1 (KJV)
    And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
  • 14:15 — Matthew 24:6 (KJV)
    And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
  • 14:16 — Revelation 17:5 (KJV)
    And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.
  • 14:20 — Revelation 21:14 (KJV)
    And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
  • 14:23 — Revelation 15:3 (KJV)
    And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
  • 14:24 — Revelation 21:14 (KJV)
    And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
  • 14:24 — Revelation 1:19 (KJV)
    Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
  • 14:25 — Revelation 21:14 (KJV)
    And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
  • 14:27 — Revelation 21:14 (KJV)
    And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
  • 14:30 — Revelation 17:3 (KJV)
    So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Notes

  • 14:1-30

    Both Joseph Smith’s father and Nephi’s father are described as having multiple dreams. In her book, Lucy Mack Smith recounts several of her husband’s visions, which were likely shared often within the family. One of these dreams is dated sixteen years before Joseph Smith obtained the plates:

    "In 1811, we moved... to the town of Lebanon, New Hampshire. Soon after arriving here, my husband received another very singular vision, which I will relate..."

    Readers have noted similarities between this account and the dream of Lehi in the Book of Mormon.

    The following outlines parallels between Joseph Smith Sr.’s dream, as recorded in Lucy Smith's Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet and His Progenitors for Many Generations, and Lehi’s dream in 1 Nephi 8, along with Nephi’s expanded description of the same vision in 1 Nephi 11-14.

    1. Both Joseph Smith's father and Lehi state they were traveling (1 Nephi 8:8; Smith, p. 58).
    2. Both mention a field (1 Nephi 8:4,9; Smith, p. 58).
    3. Both dreams compare the field to a world (1 Nephi 8:20; Smith, p. 58).
    4. Both Joseph Smith Sr. and Lehi have a guide (1 Nephi 8:5-6; Smith, p. 58).
    5. Both mention a broad road or roads (1 Nephi 12:17; Smith, p. 58).
    6. Both mention a narrow path (1 Nephi 8:20; Smith, p. 58).
    7. Both mention a stream of water (1 Nephi 8:13; Smith, p. 58).
    8. Both mention something extending along the bank of the stream (1 Nephi 8:19; Smith, p. 58).
    9. Both mention a tree (1 Nephi 8:10; Smith, p. 58).
    10. Both mention the beauty of the tree (1 Nephi 11:8; Smith, p. 58).
    11. Both trees bore fruit (1 Nephi 8:10; Smith, p. 58).
    12. Both compared the whiteness of the fruit to snow (1 Nephi 11:8; Smith, p. 58).
    13. Both Joseph Smith Sr. and Lehi ate of the fruit (1 Nephi 8:11; Smith, p. 58).
    14. Both found the fruit to be delicious (1 Nephi 8:11; Smith, p. 58).
    15. Both wanted their families to partake of the fruit (1 Nephi 8:12; Smith, p. 58).
    16. Both families came and partook of the fruit (1 Nephi 8:16; Smith, p. 58).
    17. After eating the fruit both experienced great joy (1 Nephi 8:12; Smith, pp. 58-59).
    18. Both mention a spacious building (1 Nephi 8:26; Smith, p. 59).
    19. Both indicate the building reached high into the air (1 Nephi 8:26; Smith, p. 59).
    20. Both buildings were filled with people (1 Nephi 8:27; Smith, p. 59).
    21. In both buildings the people were finely dressed (1 Nephi 8:27; Smith, p. 59).
    22. In both cases the people in the building pointed the finger of scorn at those partaking of the fruit (1 Nephi 8:33; Smith, p. 59).
    23. Both state they ignored the people in the building (1 Nephi 8:33; Smith, p. 59).
    24. Both state the meaning of the fruit is the pure love of God (1 Nephi 11:21-22; Smith, p. 59).
    25. Both state two members of the family are not present (1 Nephi 8:17; Smith, p. 59).
    26. Both mention the fall of the building (1 Nephi 11:36; Smith, p. 59)
    27. Both imply that pride was connected with the building or its inhabitants (1 Nephi 11:36; Smith, p. 59).

    For a full treatment of this subject, including a side-by-side comparison of the above references, see Jerald Tanner and Sandra Tanner, Joseph Smith's Plagiarism of the Bible in the Book of Mormon, pp. 161–163.

  • 14:10

    According to FAIR (Faithful Answers, Informed Responses), the “great and abominable church” described in the Book of Mormon should not be understood as any single historical denomination. Rather, it represents all systems or influences that lead people away from God. FAIR notes that while some early Latter-day Saint leaders offered more specific identifications, such views were later corrected or abandoned and do not reflect official Church doctrine.

    However, a review of historical statements from prominent LDS authorities demonstrates that earlier leaders did, at times, explicitly apply these terms to identifiable religious groups. For example, George Q. Cannon described those who organized persecution against the Church—including religious and political opponents—as belonging to the “mother of abominations” and the “whore of all the earth” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 25, p. 128). Orson Pratt, writing in The Seer, went further by teaching that the Roman Catholic Church was founded by the devil and that its authority derived from satanic origins (The Seer, p. 205). This line of interpretation reached a particularly explicit form in the writings of Bruce R. McConkie, who stated in the 1958 first edition of Mormon Doctrine that the Catholic Church was “the great and abominable church” described by Nephi (p. 130).

    This explicit identification was removed in later editions. In the 1966 second edition of Mormon Doctrine, McConkie instead defined the “church of the devil” in broad, non-denominational terms as any organization—religious or otherwise—that leads people away from God (pp. 137–138). This shift reflects a clear movement within LDS thought away from earlier, more specific polemical interpretations toward a more generalized and symbolic understanding of the concept.

1 Nephi 131 Nephi 15