Helaman 8

The Judges Try to Turn the Crowd Against Nephi

When Nephi finished speaking, some of the judges—men who belonged to Gadianton’s secret organization—were furious. They shouted to the crowd, 'Why don’t you arrest this man? Bring him forward and convict him for what he’s done!' 'Why are you listening to him insult this people and our law?'

Nephi had confronted them about their corrupt legal system. He said many things too numerous to record, but nothing he spoke went against God’s commands. The judges were angry because he’d exposed their dark secrets. But they were afraid to touch him themselves—they feared the people would turn against them. So instead they rallied the crowd: 'Why are you letting this man attack us? He’s condemning everyone here to destruction! He says our great cities will be taken from us, that we’ll have nowhere to live.' 'We know that’s impossible. We’re powerful, and our cities are strong. Our enemies can’t touch us.'

They stirred the people into anger against Nephi, creating a sharp division. Some shouted, 'Leave him alone! He’s a good man, and what he’s saying will come true unless we change our ways.' 'All the judgments he’s warned us about will happen. We know he’s told us the truth about our wickedness—and there’s plenty of it. He knows what’s coming for us just as clearly as he knows our sins.' 'If he weren’t a prophet, he couldn’t have known these things.'

Those who wanted to kill Nephi were held back by fear and didn’t lay a hand on him. So he started speaking again. He’d won some people over, and the rest were afraid enough to listen.

Nephi Reminds Them of the Prophets

He felt he had to keep going: 'My friends, haven’t you read how God gave one man—Moses—the power to strike the waters of the Red Sea? They split apart so our ancestors, the Israelites, could walk through on dry ground. Then the waters closed over the Egyptian armies and swallowed them.' 'If God gave that kind of power to Moses, why are you arguing about whether he’s given me the ability to know the judgments that will fall on you if you don’t repent?'

'You’re not just rejecting what I say—you’re rejecting everything our ancestors taught us. You’re rejecting Moses himself, who had such incredible power. You’re rejecting what he said about the Messiah who’s coming.' 'Moses testified that the Son of God would come. Just as he lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness, so the one who’s coming will be lifted up.' 'Everyone who looked at that serpent lived. In the same way, everyone who looks to the Son of God with faith and a humble heart will live—not just temporarily, but forever.'

'Moses wasn’t the only one who testified of these things. Every holy prophet from his time back to Abraham spoke of them.' 'Abraham saw his coming and was filled with joy. He celebrated it.' 'Abraham knew these things, but there were many before him who were called by God’s order—the order of his Son. This was to show people, thousands of years before it happened, that redemption was coming.'

'Since Abraham’s time, many prophets have testified of this. The prophet Zenas spoke boldly about it—and they killed him for it.' 'Zenock testified of it. So did Ezias, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Jeremiah predicted Jerusalem’s destruction—and we know Jerusalem was destroyed, just as he said. So if his prophecy came true, why wouldn’t the Son of God come, just as he prophesied?'

'Will you deny that Jerusalem was destroyed? Will you say Zedekiah’s sons weren’t killed—all except Mulek? You can see that Zedekiah’s descendants are right here with us. They were driven out of Jerusalem. But there’s more.' 'Our ancestor Lehi was forced to leave Jerusalem because he testified of these things. Nephi testified of them too, and so did almost all our ancestors down to today. They all testified that Christ was coming. They looked forward to his day and celebrated it.' 'He is God. He was with them, and he revealed himself to them so they knew they were redeemed by him. They gave him glory for what was still to come.'

A Final Warning

'You know all this. You can’t deny it without lying. So you’ve sinned by rejecting it all, despite the overwhelming evidence you’ve been given. You’ve received everything—signs in the heavens and on earth—as proof that it’s true.'

'But you’ve rejected the truth and rebelled against your holy God. Right now, instead of storing up treasures in heaven—where nothing decays and nothing unclean can enter—you’re piling up wrath for yourselves on judgment day.' 'Even now you’re ripening for everlasting destruction because of your murders, sexual sins, and wickedness. Unless you repent, it’s coming soon.'

'In fact, it’s at your door right now. Go to the judgment seat and look. Your chief judge has been murdered. He’s lying in his own blood. His own brother killed him—the brother who wants to take his place as judge.' 'Both of them belong to your secret organization, founded by Gadianton and inspired by the evil one who seeks to destroy souls.'