Wo unto Him

I want to share with you the very last words written by the prophet Nephi, the son of Nephi, the son of Helaman. As a frame of reference, this was written shortly after the resurrected Savior himself appeared to the Nephites here on the American continent about 34 to 35 A..D.

3 Nephi 29:5-9

5 Wo unto him that spurneth at the doings of the Lord; yea, wo unto him that shall deny the Christ and his works! 

6 Yea, wo unto him that shall deny the revelations of the Lord, and that shall say the Lord no longer worketh by revelation, or by prophecy, or by gifts, or by tongues, or by healings, or by the power of the Holy Ghost!

7 Yea, and wo unto him that shall say at that day, to get gain, that there can be no miracle wrought by Jesus Christ; for he that doeth this shall become like unto the son of perdition, for whom there was no mercy, according to the word of Christ!

8 Yea, and ye need not any longer hiss, nor spurn, nor make game of the Jews, nor any of the remnant of the house of Israel; for behold, the Lord remembereth his covenant unto them, and he will do unto them according to that which he hath sworn.

9 Therefore ye need not suppose that ye can turn the right hand of the Lord unto the left, that he may not execute judgment unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the house of Israel.

3 Nephi 30:1-2

1 Hearken, O ye Gentiles, and hear the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, which he hath commanded me that I should speak concerning you, for, behold he commandeth me that I should write, saying:

2 Turn, all ye Gentiles, from your wicked ways; and repent of your evil doings, of your lyings and deceivings, and of your whoredoms, and of your secret abominations, and your idolatries, and of your murders, and your priestcrafts, and your envyings, and your strifes, and from all your wickedness and abominations, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, that ye may receive a remission of your sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, that ye may be numbered with my people who are of the house of Israel.

It appears to me that in chapter 29 the prophet Nephi is mostly speaking to members of the Church.  Those who have made covenants and have fallen away -- apostates.  His warnings are very stern and straightforward.  Like a parent talking to a child who should know better.  Look at the end of verses seven and eight. "... for he that doeth this shall become like unto the son of perdition, for whom there was no mercy, according to the word of Christ!"  "... and he will do unto them according to that which he hath sworn".

Then in chapter 30, Nephi seems to be addressing non-members, those who've not yet covenanted with the Lord through baptism.  He still boldly calls them to repentance and tells them to turn from their wicked ways.  Then he invites them to come unto Christ, be baptized in His name, and be numbered with His people in His Church. 

What a way to sum up the book of Third Nephi which documents the resurrected Christ's visit to the Americas and His teachings to them.

To those who have covenant with the Lord and have fallen away, I have three words for you -- wo unto you. 

Come back to the truth before it's too late.

And to those who have not yet covenanted with the Lord by entering the waters of baptism and are not yet numbered with His people, I invite you to come unto Christ.  Come enjoy all the fruits of the Gospel available to those who have chosen to come unto Christ through baptism into His Church.  For it is only through living the Gospel of Jesus Christ that true joy and happiness is found.

That's my two cents.