The Humble Followers of Christ

"They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are THE HUMBLE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men." (2 Nephi 28:14)

Nephi is referring to the humble followers of Christ among the many churches of the last days. In other scripture, he refers to those outside the Mormon Church as saints, "Behold the formation of a church which is most abominable above all other churches, which slayeth the saints of God...for the praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God, and bring them down into captivity (1 Nephi 13:5,9). In this latter example, Nephi is speaking of the saints among the Gentile nations prior to the life and mission of Columbus. Therefore, in these two separate instances, Nephi refers to those outside the church as being acknowledged by the Lord. This should not surprise us. For the Lord to save an unrighteous Mormon and damn a righteous Methodist is an unacceptable doctrine that denies the justice of God.

Many wondered, "what will happen to those of the other churches who followed Christ their entire lives, but never joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?" Nephi makes it clear that the Lord recognizes those humble followers of Christ even if they are few in number and err because they are taught by the precepts of men. Like everyone else, they will be judged according to their works and according to that portion of light which they had received in mortality.

However, in order for these to receive all the blessings that the Lord has promised for the righteous, they must receive the ordinances of salvation. Whether in this life or the next, they must receive baptism and temple ordinances in order to enter the celestial kingdom-for baptism, performed by one with priesthood authority, is the key to entering the gate of the celestial kingdom:

"Therefore in the ordinances OF THE KINGDOM, 

the power of godliness is manifest.

"And without the ordinance thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, 
the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;

"For without this no man can see the face of God, 

even the Father, and live." (D&C 84:20-22)

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The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

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Developed by Ryan Constantine

Eat, Drink, And Be Merry, For Tomorrow We Die

"Yea, and there shall be many which shall say:

Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die;

and it shall be well with us."

(2 Nephi 28:7)

"Denying the doctrine of the premortal existence of man shrinks man's perspective. He begins to think, mistakenly, that this life is all there is; that the insignificant 'me' of a tiny 'now' is not only all there is, but all there ever was. The adversary is quick to use that 'what if' there is no purpose to life in order to induce some to act 'as if' such were the case. The resultant misbehavior only deepens the despair (see Moroni 10:22).

"Naturally, such a view tends to be accompanied by a diminished belief or a pronounced unbelief in the resurrection and a perpetuation of personality, which pushes a person's hope for the future down to nil. This 'no answer' attitude equates with a 'no answer-ability' concept that too often leads to the 'eat, drink, and be merry' outlook. Thus one dimensional mortality relentlessly promotes a one dimensional morality!" (Neal A. Maxwell, But for a Small Moment, p. 89)

"Some people think of anything else but annihilation. What a glorious prospect for the sinner! Then he could say, 'Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for to-morrow we die, and next day we will be annihilated, and that will be the end of our sorrow and God's judgment upon us.' Do not flatter yourselves that you are going to get out of it so easy. This Book of Mormon is replete all the way through with the testimonies of the servants of God that men are born to be immortal; that after the resurrection their bodies are live as long as their spirits, and their spirits cannot die. They are immortal beings, and they destined, if they commit the unpardonable sin, to be banished from the presence of God and endure the punishment of the devil and his angels throughout all eternity. I think the wicked would prefer annihilation to the suffering of such punishment. that would be an end to punishment -- and end to being. This view cannot be reconciled with the word of God." (Collected Discourses 1886-1898, ed. by Brian Stuy, vol. 4, Joseph F. Smith, Jan. 20, 1995)

"And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink and be merry; nevertheless, fear God - he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God." (2 Nephi 28:8)

"I want you to note that: 'He will justify in committing a little sin.' That cunning adversary knowing that if he could only get a man or woman to do a little wrong, that far they had gone into his territory, that far they were in his power.

"Nevertheless, fear God, he will justify in committing a little sin... Isn't that just exactly what the devil says to the children of men today as plainly as it is written here? Oh, commit a little sin, that won't do any harm, lie a little, that won't do any particular damage, the Lord will forgive that and you will only be beaten with a few stripes and at last you shall be saved in the kingdom of God. That is what he says to the man or the woman who has been taught the Word of Wisdom when he says, oh, drink a little tea, that won't hurt you; use a little tobacco, that won't make any difference: a little liquor won't do any harm. These are little things; he always does it a little at a time, not all at once. That is what I would like us to remember, my brethren, this morning. It is these insignificant insidious whisperings that betray mankind and that place us in the power of the devil." (George Albert Smith, Conference Report, Apr. 1918, p. 39-40)

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The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ
is a record of God's dealings with 
the inhabitants of ancient America

The Gathering of Israel In The Latter-Days

AN ENSIGN TO BE LIFTED TO THE NATIONS

"And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:

"None shall be weary nor stumble among them; non shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:

"Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:

"Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it." (Isaiah 5:26-29)

WHAT IS THIS ENSIGN?

The Hebrew word for "ensign" is nec (nace), meaning something lifted up, a standard, a signal, a signal pole, a banner, or a sign. It is also a standard, as in a rallying point.

The ensign referred to in this verse is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Hebrew word for hiss is sharaq (shaw-rak'). Among the possible definitions is to whistle, as to signal. In the military, a trumpet has been used to signal troops. The Church has issued the signal or invitation to the nations of the earth to gather to the Church.

"And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men.

Wherefore, he shall bring forth his words unto them, which words shall judge them at the last day, for they shall be given them for the purpose of convincing them of the true Messiah, who was rejected by them; and unto the convincing of them that they need not look forward any more for a Messiah to come (2 Nephi 25:17-18)

HOW IS THIS PROPHECY BEING FULFILLED?

Missionaries are being sent, in increasing numbers, to the nations of the earth to gather to the Church.

Elder LeGrand Richards

"Since there were no such things as trains and airplanes in that day, Isaiah could hardly have mentioned them by name, but he seems to have described them in unmistakable words. How better could 'their horses hoofs be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind' than in the modern train? How better could 'Their roaring... be like a lion' than in the roar of the airplane? Trains and airplanes do not stop for night. Therefore, was not Isaiah justified is saying 'none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken'? With this manner of transportation the Lord can really 'hiss unto them from the end of the earth,' that 'they shall come with speed swiftly." (A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, p. 236)

THE QUESTION WE SHOULD ASK OURSELVES: 

WHAT CAN EACH OF US DO TO HELP

FULFILL THIS PROPHECY?

Ensign to the Nations