42. Death

CHAPTER 42

DEATH

“No, He'·Lives, not at all!” Nephi shouted to be heard above the roar of the thunder and the cracking of the lightning.  “This actually means that you shall live!”

“How can that be?” cried He'·Lives.  “The end of the world has come!  Listen to the destruction of it!  The highways are being broken up!  The whirlwinds are carrying everything away!  The whole land is becoming deformed because of the tempests and the quaking of the earth!  Nothing can survive this!”

“The reason we can be spared from destruction, He'·Lives, is because Christ sacrificed Himself for us!  He has died!  And the very earth is mourning His death.”

“Why, Nephi, why!?  This is so awful!  Why did Christ have to die?”

“He died that all might live!  His death was essential from the very beginning, even before the world was.  Adam fell that men might be; and the Messiah came in the fullness of time to redeem the children of men from the fall.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

“Is this what Samuel, the Lamanite, prophesied would take place at His death?” asked He'·Lives.

“Yea, this is verily the sign given by Samuel,” answered Nephi.

“What happens now?”  He'·Lives wanted to know.

Nephi could give all the details about the prophecy of Samuel.

“According to the prophecy of Samuel, the sun shall be darkened and refuse to give its light unto us.  Also the moon and the stars.  There shall be no light upon the face of this land, from this time of Christ’s death, for the space of three days.  And after these three days, He shall rise again from the dead.  Yea, verily did Samuel say that at the time that Christ shall yield up the ghost there would be thundering and lightnings for the space of many hours.  The earth would shake and tremble.  The rocks upon the face of this earth, both above the earth and beneath it, which we know are solid, shall be broken up.  Yea, the rocks shall be rent in twain, and shall ever after be found in seams and in cracks, and in broken fragments upon the face of the whole earth.

“And Samuel said that there would be great tempests.  There would be many mountains laid low, like unto a valley. There would be many places which are now valleys which shall become mountains whose height is great.  Many highways shall be broken up.  Many cities shall become desolate.  And many graves shall be opened, and shall yield up many of their dead.  Many saints shall appear unto many.”

Hasai added in amazement, “Wow!  Samuel surely knew what he was talking about, didn’t he, Nephi?  I had heard all of this before, but just hadn’t considered how literally true it would all be.”

“So, this terrible tempest will eventually stop?” He'·Lives hoped.

“In a few hours,” said Nephi.

“But then we won’t have any light?” questioned He'·Lives.

“Not for three days,” Nephi replied.

Nephi, Hasai, and He'·Lives were together in the same one-room hut.  But they had to yell at one another to be heard above the cracking of the lightnings, and the thundering, and the roaring of the whirlwinds, and the shaking and the trembling of the earth.  Hasai exclaimed aloud, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

No light was seen for three days.  No candles, no torches, and no fire of any kind could be kindled because the mists of darkness were so great upon the face of the land.  Thick darkness was upon the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness.

Nephi, Hasai, and He'·Lives were among those who had not fallen.

There was great mourning and howling and weeping continually among the people.  Word came to Nephi that great were the groanings of the people because of the darkness and the great destruction which had come upon them.  Nephi was told that the city of Moroni had sunk into the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof had drowned.  He received a report that the great city of Moronihah had been covered with earth, and the inhabitants thereof were buried.  Also the city of Gilgal had been buried.  Other calamities were being reported for the cities of Onihah, Mocum, Gadiandi, Gadiomnah, Gimgimno, and Jacobugath.

The report about the city of Zarahemla was especially significant to Nephi.  The report was that the city had been burned with fire with the inhabitants thereof.  For Nephi, that was a fitting comparison to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Nephi heard a report that in one place they were heard to cry, saying: “O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and then would our brethren have been spared, and they would not have been burned in that great city Zarahemla.”

After the three days passed away, the darkness dispersed from off the face of the land.  The earth also finally ceased to tremble, and the rocks ceased to rend, and the dreadful groaning ceased, and all the tumultuous noises passed away.  The earth cleaved together again, so the mourning, and the weeping, and the wailing of the people who were spared alive ceased.  Mourning was turned into joy, and lamentations were turned into praises and thanksgiving unto the Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer.

Nephi noted that the scriptures were fulfilled which had been spoken by the prophets before him.  He noted that it was the more righteous part of the people who were saved.  Saved were those who received the prophets and didn’t stone them.  Those who had not shed the blood of the saints were spared.

But many people had been sunk and buried up in the earth, or drowned in the depths of the sea.  Several, including king Jacob and those belonging to his secret combinations had been burned by fire.  Others had fallen and been crushed to death, or had been carried away in the whirlwind, or had been overpowered by the vapor of smoke and of darkness.

Everything had occurred according to the word of the prophets who had so testified.

After many days, Nephi joined a great multitude gathered about the temple in the land Bountiful.  They marveled and wondered one with another. They showed each other the great and marvelous changes which had taken place.

Nephi taught the multitude about Jesus Christ.  This was the unmistakable sign given by Samuel concerning His death.  Nephi explained that Christ would now be risen from the dead, becoming the firstfruits of them that slept.  And by His power over death, all would enjoy the blessing of a resurrection.  This was comforting to those who had recently lost loved ones in the great destruction.

As Nephi conversed with them, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven.  They cast their eyes about, for they didn’t understand the voice.  It was not a harsh voice, or a loud voice.

Although it was a small voice, it pierced them to the center so that they began to shake.