THE SECOND BOOK OF NEFI Chapter 6

  1. And now my beloved brothers, I have read these things that you might know concerning the covenants of yhwh, that he has covenanted with all the house of Isra’el, that he has spoken unto the Y’hudim by the mouth of his holy prophets, even from the beginning, down from generation to generation, until the time comes that they shall be restored to the true assembly and fold of Elohim, when they shall be gathered81 home to the lands of their inheritance and shall be established in all their lands of promise.
  2. Behold, my beloved brothers, I speak unto you these things that you may rejoice and lift up your heads for ever because of the blessings which Adonai yhwh shall bestow upon your children. For I know that you have searched much, many of you, to know of things to come; wherefore, I know that you know that our flesh must waste away and die; nevertheless, in our bodies we shall see Elohim. Yes, and I know that you know that in the body he shall show82 himself unto those at Yerushalayim, from where we came, for it is expedient that it should be among them. For it is necessary that the great Creator allow himself to become subject unto man in the flesh and die83 for all men, that all men might become subject unto him. For as death has passed upon all men, to fulfill the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must necessarily be a power of resurrection. And the resurrection must necessarily come unto man by reason of the Fall, and the Fall came by reason of transgression. And because man became fallen, they were cut off from the presence of yhwh. Wherefore, it must necessarily be an infinite atonement; except it should be an infinite atonement,84 this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must necessarily have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.
  3. Oh the wisdom of Elohim, his mercy and grace. For behold, if the flesh should rise no more, our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell85 from before the presence of the Elohe Kedem and became HaSatan, to rise no more. And our spirits must have become like unto him and we become demons, angels to a demon, to be shut out from the presence of our Elohim, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery like unto himself; yes, to that being who beguiled our first parents,86 who transforms himself nearly unto an angel of light, and stirs up the children of men unto secret conspiracies of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.
  4. Oh how great the goodness of our Elohim, who prepares a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster, yes, that monster death and She’ol, which I call the death of the body and also the death of the spirit! And because of the way of deliverance of our Elohim, HaKodesh of Isra’el, this death of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead, which death is the grave. And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead, which spiritual death is She’ol. Wherefore, death and She’ol must deliver up its dead. And She’ol must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection87 of HaKodesh of Isra’el.88
  5. Oh how great the plan of our Elohim! For on the other hand, the pardes of Elohim must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous. And the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible and immortal; and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge, like unto us in the flesh, except it be that our knowledge shall be perfect. Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yes, even with the robe of righteousness.
  6. And it shall come to pass that when all men shall have passed from this first death unto life, insomuch as they have become immortal, they must appear before the judgment seat of HaKodesh of Isra’el. And then comes the judgment, and then must they be judged according to the holy judgment of Elohim. And assuredly as yhwh lives — for Adonai yhwh has spoken it and it is his Eternal word, which cannot pass away — that they who are righteous shall be righteous still, and they who are unclean shall be unclean still. Wherefore, they who are unclean are HaSatan and his angels, and they shall go away into everlasting fire prepared for them. And their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames ascend up for ever and ever and has no end.89
  7. Oh the greatness and the justice of our Elohim. For he executes all his words, and they have gone forth out of his mouth, and his Torah must be fulfilled. But behold, the righteous — the k’doshim of HaKodesh of Isra’el, they who have believed in HaKodesh of Isra’el, they who have endured the Tz’livot of the world and despised the shame of it — they shall inherit the kingdom of Elohim which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world; and their joy shall be full for ever. Oh the greatness of the mercy of our Elohim, HaKodesh of Isra’el. For he delivers his k’doshim from that awful monster, HaSatan, and death, and She’ol, and that lake of fire and brimstone, which is Endless90 torment. Oh how great the holiness of our Elohim! For he knows all things, and there is not anything except he knows it. And he comes into the world that he may save all men, if they will hearken unto his voice. For behold, he suffers the pains of all men, yes, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam. And he suffers this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day. And he commands all men that they must repent and be washed by immersion in his name, having perfect faith in HaKodesh of Isra’el, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of Elohim. And if they will not repent, and believe in his name, and be immersed in his name, and endure to the end, they must be damned, for Adonai yhwh, HaKodesh of Isra’el, has spoken it. Wherefore, he has given a Torah; and where there is no Torah given there is no punishment; and where there is no punishment there is no condemnation; and where there is no condemnation the mercies of HaKodesh of Isra’el have claim upon them because of the atonement, for they are delivered by the power of him. For the atonement satisfies the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the Torah given to them, that they are delivered from that awful monster, death, and She’ol, and HaSatan, and the lake of fire and brimstone, which is Endless torment. And they are restored to that Elohim who gave them breath, which is HaKodesh of Isra’el.
  8. But woe unto him that has the Torah given, yes, that has all the mitzvot of Elohim like unto us, and that transgresses them and that wastes the days of his probation,91 for awful is his state.
  9. Oh that cunning plan of the Evil One. Oh the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of Elohim, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves. Wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness92 and it profits them not; and they shall perish. But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of Elohim.
  10. But woe unto the rich who are rich as to the things of the world, for because they are rich, they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their god. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also. And woe unto the deaf that will not hear, for they shall perish. Woe unto the blind that will not see, for they shall perish also. Woe unto the uncircumcised of heart,93 for a knowledge of their iniquities shall smite them at the last day. Woe unto the liar, for he shall be thrust down to Gehinnom. Woe unto the murderer who deliberately kills, for he shall die. Woe unto them who commit whoredoms, for they shall be thrust down to Gehinnom. Yes, woe unto those that worship idols, for the demon of all demons delights in them. And in short, woe unto all those who die in their sins, for they shall return to Elohim, and behold his face, and remain in their sins.
  11. O my beloved brothers, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that holy Elohim, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally minded is death and to be spiritually minded is life Eternal. O my beloved brothers, give ear to my words. Remember the greatness of HaKodesh of Isra’el. Do not say that I have spoken hard things against you, for if you do, you will revile against the truth; for I have spoken the words of your Maker. I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness, but the righteous fear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken. O then, my beloved brothers, come unto yhwh, HaKodesh. Remember that his paths are righteousness. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lies in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is HaKodesh of Isra’el, and he employs no servant there. And there is no other way except it be by the gate, for he cannot be deceived, for Adonai yhwh is his name. And whoever knocks, to him will he open. And the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich — who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches — yes, they are they whom he despises. And except they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before Elohim, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them; but the things of the wise and the prudent shall be hid from them for ever, yes, that happiness which is prepared for the k’doshim.
  12. O my beloved brothers, remember my words. Behold, I take off my garments and I shake them before you. I pray the Elohim of my salvation that he view me with his all-searching eye. Wherefore, you shall know at the last day, when all men shall be judged of their works, that the Elohim of Isra’el did witness that I shook your iniquities from my soul, and that I stand with brightness before him and am rid of your blood.94 O my beloved brothers, turn away from your sins. Shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast. Come unto that Elohim who is the Rock of your salvation.95 Prepare your souls for that glorious day when justice shall be administered unto the righteous, even the day of judgment, that you may not shrink with awful fear, that you may not remember your awful guilt in perfectness and be constrained to exclaim, Holy, holy are your judgments, O Adonai yhwh Tzva’ot, but I know my guilt. I transgressed your Torah and my transgressions are mine; and HaSatan has obtained me, that I am a prey to his awful misery. But behold, my brothers, is it expedient that I should awake you to an awful reality of these things? Would I torment your souls if your minds were pure? Would I be plain unto you, according to the plainness of the truth, if you were freed from sin? Behold, if you were holy, I would speak unto you of holiness; but as you are not holy, and you look upon me as a teacher, it must necessarily be expedient that I teach you the consequences of sin.
  13. Behold, my soul abhors sin and my heart delights in righteousness; and I will praise the holy name of my Elohim. Come, my brothers, everyone that thirsts, come you to the waters; and he that has no money, come buy and eat, yes, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken, and come unto HaKodesh of Isra’el, and feast upon that which perishes not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.96 Behold, my beloved brothers, remember the words of your Elohim. Pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts rejoice. And behold, how great the covenants of yhwh, and how great his condescensions unto the children of men. And because of his greatness, and his grace, and mercy, he has promised unto us that our seed shall not utterly be destroyed according to the flesh, but that he would preserve them. And in future generations they shall become a righteous branch unto the house of Isra’el.
  14. And now my brothers, I would speak unto you more, but tomorrow I will declare unto you the remainder of my words. Amen.