# Jacob 7

*Paraphrase*

### Sherem the Anti-Christ

After some years had passed, a man named Sherem showed up among our people. He started preaching that there was no Christ. He said all kinds of things that people wanted to hear, trying to tear down everything we believed about Christ. He worked hard to win people over, and he did turn many away from the faith. When he heard that I believed in the coming Christ, he looked for every chance to confront me.

Sherem was educated and knew our language perfectly. He used flattery and smooth words like the devil himself. He hoped to shake my faith. But I’d seen too much to be moved—angels had come to me and served me. I’d heard the Lord’s voice speaking directly to me, time and again. Nothing could shake me.

### The Confrontation

When he finally came to me, he said: “Brother Jacob, I’ve been wanting to talk with you. I’ve heard you’ve been going around preaching what you call the gospel—the teachings of Christ. You’ve led many people astray from the right path. You don’t follow the law of Moses anymore, which is God’s way. Instead, you’ve turned it all into worship of someone you say will come hundreds of years from now. I’m telling you, that’s blasphemy. No one can know things like that. No one can predict the future.“ That’s how Sherem argued with me.

But the Lord God poured his Spirit into me, and I answered every one of his arguments. I said to him, “Do you deny the Christ who will come?”

He said, “If there were a Christ, I wouldn’t deny him. But I know there is no Christ—not now, not in the past, and never in the future.” I said, “Do you believe the scriptures?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Then you don’t understand them. They testify of Christ. Every prophet who ever wrote or spoke was talking about this Christ.”

“And that’s not all. God has shown me these things himself. I’ve heard and seen them. The Holy Spirit has revealed them to me. I know that without the atonement, all of us are lost.”

He said to me, “Show me a sign through this Holy Spirit power you claim to have.”

I said, “Who am I to test God by showing you a sign about something you already know is true? You’ll just deny it anyway because you belong to the devil. But I won’t demand anything—if God strikes you down, let that be your sign. It will prove he has power in heaven and on earth, and that Christ is coming. Let your will be done, Lord, not mine.”

### Sherem’s Confession and Death

As soon as I finished speaking, the power of the Lord came upon Sherem and he collapsed to the ground. He had to be cared for over many days. Then he told the people, “Come together tomorrow. I’m going to die, and I need to speak to you before I do.”

The next day, a large crowd gathered. He spoke plainly to them, taking back everything he’d taught. He confessed that Christ was real, that the Holy Spirit had power, and that angels do minister to people.

He told them directly that he’d been deceived by the devil. He talked about hell, eternity, and eternal punishment.

He said, “I’m afraid I’ve committed the unforgivable sin. I lied to God. I denied Christ, even though I claimed to believe the scriptures—and they testify of him. Because I lied to God like this, I’m terrified of what’s waiting for me. But I confess it all to God.”

After he said this, he couldn’t speak anymore. And he died.

When the crowd saw him speak these words just before he died, they were stunned. God’s power came down on them so strongly that they fell to the ground, overcome.

This pleased me, because I had prayed to my Father in Heaven for it. He heard my cry and answered my prayer.

### Peace Returns

After this, peace and love returned to the people. They studied the scriptures and stopped listening to that wicked man’s words.

We tried everything we could think of to reach the Lamanites and bring them back to the truth. But nothing worked. They loved war and bloodshed. They hated us with an eternal hatred, even though we were their own relatives. They constantly tried to destroy us with military force. So we fortified ourselves against them with our armies and all our strength, trusting in God, the rock of our salvation. Because of this, we kept defeating our enemies.

### Jacob’s Farewell

I’m getting old now. The full history of our people is kept on the other plates of Nephi. So I’ll end this record with what I know best: Time passed quickly for us. Our whole lives felt like a dream. We were a lonely, serious people—wanderers driven out of Jerusalem, born into hardship in the wilderness, hated by our own family, which caused endless wars and conflicts. We spent our days in sorrow. I know my death is near. So I told my son Enos, “Take these plates.” I passed on to him what my brother Nephi had commanded me, and he promised to obey. Now I’m ending my writing on these plates—just a small record. To anyone reading this, goodbye. I hope many of you will read my words. Brothers, farewell.

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*Source: [The Book of Mormon](https://bookofmormon.com/paraphrase/jacob/7)*
