The Provo Pillar of Fire (2 Nephi 14)

I do not own these books.  Maybe if I did I might be able to explain some of these chapters better.  I read some of this Isaiah stuff and, like many of you, just say, "What?"  I might just as well be 5 years old.

This is my pre-school (Head Start) class picture.  I was 5 years old.  This was 40 years ago.  40 years ago?!

So anywayz, in this long and lengthy 6-verse chapter of 2 Nephi 14, I'm just going to talk about the last 2 verses.  You can talk amongst yourselves and figure out who the 7 women and 1 man are, and what the reproach is that the women want taken away in the 1st verse.

 1.  And in that day, seven women shall take hold of one man, saying: We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by thy name to take away our reproach.

Now, I can sit here and think...

We must take upon ourselves the Name of Jesus Christ, so the one man must be Christ, and the women need to take upon themselves His name in order to take away their reproach.  Reproach probably means guilt in this context.  That makes sense.  Why are there 7 women?  Well, Isaiah used the number 7 to symbolize.... uh...  I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Let's talk about The Temple instead :)

This is the Provo Temple.  I took this picture while I was in the Missionary Training Center, preparing to serve a mission for The Church.  Back then the spire was this orange-ish color.  Nowadays the steeple thing is white, and the angel Moroni is standing atop, sounding his trump.  I prefer the orange-ish spire, and I'll tell you why.

When I was that 5-year old pictured above, my family went to the open house of the new Provo Temple.  That is, all of my family except me.  I had the chicken pox.  My parents dressed me in my favorite outfit, my Casper the Friendly Ghost costume, and dropped me off at my Aunt and Uncle's house.  Everyone else got to go see the temple but me.

 Wait for meeee!!!!

From that time forward it was my goal to go inside the Provo Temple.  Spanish Fork is 7 miles south of Provo, but Utah Valley is shaped like a... like a valley, and the Provo Temple was visible to me from nearly everywhere in my growing up world.  That white, shining building with its bright, orange steeple thingy on top was like a magnet to me.

Can you see it? 

From age 5 to age 20 I had a goal to get inside the Provo Temple.  We used to take rides in the car around the Provo Temple when I was a young feller.  Later, when preparing to go on a mission by working the graveyard shift at Signetics in Orem, UT, I used to park next to the temple during my lunch break at 3am.  I had some very edifying experiences there.  Sometimes I would swing through the parking lot and look inside the doors.  When I took my lunch late, I would often see people in white in the front lobby.  Many of the opposition's "don't go on a mission" attacks on me were confounded in the parking lot of the Provo Temple in the middle of the night, looking at that big white building with the big orange carrot on top.

So, what's my point?  What does this have to do with 2 Nephi 14?

2 Nephi 14: 5-6

5.  And The Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory of Zion shall be a defence.

6.  And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and covert from the storm and from rain.

Ya see kids, the Provo Temple was designed to represent the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night, which guided the children of Israel through the wilderness to the promised land.  It served the same purpose for me.  And when I was finally able to enter therein on December 20, 1986 at 10am, it and all LDS Temples really became for me a place of refuge, and a defense from storm and rain, and a shadow during the heat of the day.

Peace be with you...

The plague of pride (2 Nephi 13)

Remember after he received the 10 Commandments from The Lord how Charlton Heston Moses walked down off Mt. Horeb to find the children of Israel in open rebellion against God, and worshiping a golden calf? 

Charlton Heston Moses was pretty ticked off.  I was a little bewildered myself.  I mean, these people saw some stuff, right?

Not to mention the 10 plagues in Egypt...

So, why did the children of Israel rebel so often, and get lost in sin?  Seems pretty dumb of those folks...

Oh shoot!!!  I do the same thing!!!  Man, I hate it when I do that!!! 

WHY??? 

I'm brushin' up on lookin' down, I'm workin' on my roar.

Pride!!!

2 Nephi 13: 8-11

8.  For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen, because their tongues and their doings have been against The Lord, to provoke the eyes of His glory.

9.  The show of their countenance doth witness against them, and doth declare their sin to be even as Sodom, and they cannot hide it.  Wo unto their souls, for they have rewarded evil unto themselves!

10.  Say unto the righteous that it is well with them; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.

11.  Wo unto the wicked, for they shall perish; for the reward of their hands shall be upon them.

 

We will all receive the consequences of our own sin.  That is, unless someone else takes upon Himself those consequences.  When we repent, Christ pleads our case in love, and provides the mercy that saves us.  If we don't, Christ judges our case in love, but must abide by the justice that is necessary. 

2 Nephi 13: 13

13.  The Lord standeth up to plead and standeth to judge the people.

Photo by Steve Bloom

Did you hear about the cannibal lion who finally humbled himself?  He swallowed his pride. 

The last part of 2 Nephi 13 is about the inevitable fall that follows pride.  It talks about women who wear too much jewelry, and make a tinkling sound as they go.  I always thought these verses were pretty funny.

24.  And it shall come to pass, instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle, a rent; and instead of well set hair, baldness; and instead of a stomacher, a girding of sackcloth; burning instead of beauty.

Let's all be humble instead of bald, long-necked, stinky girls.  Isaiah is just giving a warning to Israel about pride, which is apparently what leads people toward wrong choices. 

Remember, the greatest example of humility was He who had the best reason not to be...

Next time we'll talk about the Provo Temple...

Peace be with you.

Mountain of the Lord (2 Nephi 12)

My friend Frank Bojdo visiting the Salt Lake LDS Temple from North Carolina last Summer.

Lots of people visit the SLC Temple and Temple Square every year.  I got this following info from  Wikipedia.

Tourism

Attracting 3 million to 5 million visitors a year, Temple Square is the most popular tourist attraction in Utah, bringing in more visitors than the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone National Park. By comparison, Utah's five National Parks —Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches— had a combined total of 5.3 million visitors in 2005.^[5]

Pop Quiz:  Why do they come?

A.  'Cause they wanna.

B.  'Cause it's pretty.

C.  'Cause they're architecturally interested.

D.  'Cause there's nothing else to do in Utah.

E.  Religious reasons

F.  Led here by the Spirit of The Lord

G.  Other stuff.

Answer?  Yup.

What did Isaiah have to say about it?

2 Nephi 12: 1-3

1.  The word that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

2.  And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it.

3.  And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of The Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of The Lord from Jerusalem.

Screenshot from link below

I learned as a youth, and saw in the video Mountain of The Lord, that the word Utah means "tops of the mountains".  I thought that was pretty cool.  Trouble is, it doesn't...

It isn't really known when this myth started, but I don't believe it was meant to mislead.  Myths are often just taken as truth, and were difficult to check on in the days before the internet.  The word Utah comes from the word Ute, an American Indian tribe located in the Colorado, Utah and Arizona area.  Ute came from the Spanish word Yuta, which I guess means "meat eaters".  The Ute's name for themselves was noochee, which, as is so often the case, means The People.  Are you disappointed?

So, I guess Isaiah didn't know what he was talking about.  

Oh, I wouldn't say that...

2.  And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of The Lord's house shall be established in the tops of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it.

I'd say that description fits. 

Anyways,

2 Nephi 12: 5-6

5.  O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of The Lord; yea, come, for ye have all gone astray, every one to his wicked ways.

The scattering of Israel is always a big topic with Isaiah.

6.  Therefore, O Lord, thou has forsaken thy people, the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and hearken unto soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.

"They be replenished from the east":  Had babies with gentiles.  "Please themselves in the children of strangers":  Had babies with gentiles.

The promise is that the day of The Lord will come to everyone, everywhere, and all of these issues will be righted.

This is a painting of Jonah getting chucked off of the ship that is headed to Tarshish, right before the whale eats him.  Too bad he didn't speak whale.

Anyways,

I'll close this boring post with this Tarshish thing.  Most of the rest of chapter 12 talks about how the day of The Lord will happen everywhere.  I've just always thought this next verse was interesting.

2 Nephi 12: 16

16.  And upon all the ships of the sea, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.

Taken alone, it ain't really that interesting, but if you look at the footnote, it's kinda cool.  Apparently the original Greek has this verse as:

16.  And upon all the ships of the sea, and upon all pleasant pictures.

The original Hebrew has this verse as:

16.  And upon all the ships of tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.

This verse as quoted in the Book of Mormon, which was taken from the Brass Plates that Nephi took from Laben back in 1 Nephi 4, contained both phrases.  Don't you think that's interesting.  No?  Well, I do.  Either Joseph Smith really did some good research, or he was a true prophet of God.  Joseph Smith had only 3 years of formal education.  I believe he could not have written the BOM on his own, without the gift and power of God, but that is not why I believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet.  I believe Joseph Smith was a prophet because I asked Heavenly Father whether he was or not, and whether the Book of Mormon is true or not, and The Lord told me that he was and it is through the Holy Ghost in answer to that prayer. 

Anyways, see you next time when Isaiah talks about bald and stinky women.

Peace be with you...

I Witness of Christ (2 Nephi 11)

Eye-witness testimonies always weigh heavily in courts of law.  The believability of a witness is key to one side or the other of the debate.  And, the more witnesses one particular side has, the more groovy for them.

When the debate is over which religion is true, or whether there is even a God or not, opinions and beliefs can really heat up, even become violent (a weird paradox to me).

Jesus Christ carries our burdens to Golgotha, -by Angela Johnson

My personal belief is centered in Christianity as a member of and a believer in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon.  Now, when I say I respect others, their religion or lack thereof (as long as it is based in good principles), I am telling the truth, but my belief in my own beliefs precludes any belief in other beliefs which are contrary to mine.  But, why are my beliefs my beliefs, and how did I arrive at them?

I wanted to talk about witnesses of truth in the Book of Mormon, specifically, witnesses of Jesus Christ.

Christ in Gethsemane, -by Angela Johnson

I'm in 2 Nephi chapter 11.  It's a short chapter (yippee!!!), just 8 verses.  We have several witnesses of Christ in this little chapter.

Verse 2, Isaiah and Nephi:

2.  And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul delighteth in His words.  For I will liken His words unto my people, and I will send them forth unto all my children, for he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen Him.

Verse 3, Jacob:

3.  And my brother, Jacob, also has seen Him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words are true.  Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word.  Nevertheless, God sendeth more witnesses, and He proveth all His words.

Verse 4, Moses:

4.  Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of Him.

These men of long ago gave accounts of seeing and hearing The Savior, and bore their sacred witnesses that they were speaking the truth.  I never met Nephi, Jacob, Isaiah or Moses, so why should I believe them? Why do I believe the Book of Mormon and The Bible to be the word of God?

In an earthly court of law where one witness says so and so did it, and another says he didn't do it, we may not know who to believe.  In the debate about whether God is real and Jesus is The Christ, there is a way to know the truth.

It's the Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit.  A dove is a symbol of peace, and is often used to represent the Holy Ghost, because of the New Testament accounts of Jesus' baptism....

Matthew 3: 16-17

16.  And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw The Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

17.  And lo a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Anudder from The Bible:

John 14:26

26.  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

And...

John 15:26

26.  But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

Christ walks on water, by Angela Johnson

So, when Nephi says this...

2 Nephi 11: 6

6.  And my soul delighteth in proving unto my people that save Christ should come all men must perish.

7.  For if there be no Christ there be no God; and if there be no God we are not, for there could have been no creation.  But there is a God, and He is Christ, and He cometh in the fulness of His own time.

... I don't believe Nephi thinks the argument he presented in verse 7 is so strong that the debate is over and done with, I think he is bearing his strong testimony about The Savior, and expects the Holy Ghost to teach us what The Lord would have us know.


A sculpture of the visitation of The Father and The Son to Joseph Smith in 1820, -by Angela Johnson

It is how I feel, in my chest, in my lungs, in my toes, in my mind, when I read the Book of Mormon and The Bible, when I hear the speakers at The Church's semi-annual General Conference, and they testify that God lives, Jesus is His Christ, and that They together visited a young Joseph Smith and restored the Gospel of Jesus Christ again to the earth, that gives me my belief.  When I looked at these sculptures yesterday at a Thanksgiving Point garden exhibit, I felt peace, love, joy, purpose, meaning, sense, strength, burning in my chest.  Angela Johnson's sensitive artistry really touched me.  That and many other experiences are why I believe in the existence of God the Father, in His Son, Jesus Christ, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. The Holy Ghost has told me that it is true, and I believe deeply.

Someone Hath Touched Me, -by Angela Johnson

 Amen.





Stay tuned for Isaiah.  And remember Nephi's purpose in putting Isaiah in the BOM:  to prove to us that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World.

Peace be with you...

Free To Choose Eternal Life (2nd Nephi 10)

Pictured above is my good old Pops and my niece's son, Hayden, one of Dad's great grand kids, in 2007.  Hayden had just come into the world a short time previous, and Dad would be leaving it in just a few more months.  Hayden's new baby skin is soft and pure.  Dad's skin is calloused, scarred, and dented.  Hayden has a lifetime of learning to do.  Dad has about learned everything he's going to in this life.  Hayden doesn't even know who's holding him, although he likes this picture now. 

According to the Flesh

All that up there is just my lead-in to talking about one little part of the 2nd verse of 2nd Nephi 10:

2.  For behold, the promises which we have obtained are promises unto us according to the flesh; wherefore, as it has been shown unto me that many of our children shall perish in the flesh because of unbelief, nevertheless, God will be merciful unto many; and our children shall be restored, that they may come to that which will give them the true knowledge of their Redeemer.

 

You see the expression "according to the flesh" a lot in the scriptures.  What it means is, 'as pertaining to mortality.'  You may or may not find that interesting or useful.  In this verse, Jacob references promises made to the Nephites "according to the flesh".  The promise is found in...

verse 7:

7.  But behold, thus saith The Lord God:  When the day cometh that they shall believe in Me, that I am Christ, then have I covenanted with their fathers that they shall be restored in the flesh, upon the earth, unto the lands of their inheritance. 

It's the old "gathering of scattered Israel" promise.  So, Jacob says that, though many of their descendants will apostatize from the true gospel, many of them will not only eventually begin to believe and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, but will be physically gathered in to their places of inheritance.

Some of this has happened already.  Most has yet to be fulfilled.  The cool part is that the house of Israel will eventually come unto Christ.  This is cool cuz...

2 Nephi 10:3-6

3.  Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ -for in the last night the angel spake unto me that this should be His name -should come among the Jews, among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify Him -for thus it behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God.

4.  For should the mighty miracles be wrought among other nations they would repent, and know that He be their God.

5.  But because of priestcrafts and iniquities, they at Jerusalem will stiffen their necks against him, that He be crucified.

6.  Wherefore, because of their iniquities, destructions, famines, pestilences, and bloodshed shall come upon them; and they who shall not be destroyed shall be scattered among all nations.

It's also cool cuz...
We now pause for this message from Schoolhouse Rock.

2 Nephi 10:10-13

10.  But behold, this land, said God, shall be a land of thine inheritance, and the Gentiles shall be blessed upon the land.

11.  And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles.

12.  And I will fortify this land against all other nations.

13.  And he that fighteth against Zion shall perish, saith God.

And it's important to note... In this case, "according to the flesh" means that, the house of Israel will one day be gathered and restored to the true gospel of Christ, each individual must come unto Christ, believe in Christ, and choose to follow Christ.

2nd Nephi 10: 16

16.  Wherefore, he that fighteth against Zion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free, both male and female, shall perish...

In order for this prophecy to be fulfilled, a land of freedom had to be established.  It would require a land of religious freedom for the Church of Jesus Christ to be restored and spread across the world.



A man sits in front of a Carl Bloch painting of Jesus

 Here's a few last verses.

 Reconciled:  Sweeter than syrup.

We've talked on many occasions about The Fall of Adam and Eve and their posterity (that's us), and how that means we were separated from God.  Reconcile means to be restored to good standing.

2 Nephi 10: 23-25

23.  Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves -to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.

24.  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.

25.  Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise Him through grace divine. Amen.

To be reconciled with our Heavenly Father, or brought back into His presence through the Grace of the Savior, Jesus Christ, we must reconcile ourselves to the will of God, and not keep following the dictates of our idiot, self-centered flesh.  Our spirits want heaven.  Our flesh wants pancakes.  Who wears the pants on your body, your spirit or your flesh?  Do you want heaven or pancakes? 

"Ye are free to act for yourselves
-to choose the way of everlasting
death or the way of eternal life...
reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the... flesh."

Peace be with you...

The age of innocence (2 Nephi 9, part 3)

 Innocence

This is my niece, Annie.  She was pretty young there, back in 1990.  She just turned 23 not too long ago.  She's married now, & they have 2 little boys.  Isn't it strange how time rips by, and how fast we go through the different stages of our lives?  You're a baby, you're a toddler, you're a pre-schooler, you're a high school graduate... likity split, one-two-three, bing-bang-done.

People often describe those younger-staged little ones as innocent.  It is a fitting word. 

in·no·cent: [in-uh-suhnt]

adjective

1.  free from moral wrong; without sin; pure: innocent children.

2.  free from legal or specific wrong; guiltless: innocent of the crime.

3.  not involving evil intent or motive: an innocent misrepresentation.

4.  not causing physical or moral injury; harmless: innocent fun.

In The Church, the age of becoming accountable for your own behavior is 8 years old.  Whether that 8-year old is really capable of making behavioral and moral decisions based on knowledge and consequences is often relative, and known only to his or her Heavenly Father.  All kinds of things could come in to play here:

• the child's mental health
• the child's circumstances
• the child's role models/ parenting
• the child's culture
• the child's access to learning
• etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. + a billion and 6 other things.

If a child doesn't posses the ability to understand the difference between right and wrong, how can he/she be judged to be disobedient?  Doesn't make any sense.  Ya know why?  'Cause it's dumb, that's why.  The same relativity can also apply to adults.  Hey, that's the principle of relativity.  Ha... good one...

Then there are the billions who were, and are still being, born without knowledge of the commandments of God.  The Bible was not even available to the common person before the 15th century.  If a person was in a position or geographical circumstance to attend a church or live under the tutelage of a minister or whatever, that fellow was at the mercy of that minister, who, though his intentions were often good, may have been in the least sense wrong about a lot of things, and in the most sense, a complete psychopath. 

Example

Read Flake and me in Lexington, KY, Jan 18, 1989

Flake and I taught this young woman (in her 20's) named Cathy in Lexington Kentucky back in December of '88.  She was of the Lutheran faith.  Cathy was taught her whole life up to that point that, if a child died without having been baptized, there was no hope for that child.  He or she would be consigned to "hell" forever.  Being taught this from her youth up, she didn't really question this theology.

So, here Flake and I come, he's 19, I'm 22, younger than she is, and teach her that children who die before the age of accountability (8 years old) are saved automatically through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  Cathy stopped us right there...

She said,

"Now wait a minute!!  Are you saying that children don't need baptism, because I've been taught my whole life that baptism is necessary for salvation?  I mean, this is the first I've ever heard of this..."

There was silence in the room, and both Flake and I were kind of mentally formulating our answers for the argument that was about to ensue.

She said,

"Oh, I love that!!!  You're way makes so much more sense!"

Ya see what I'm saying?  The amount of truth to which we have access can be relative, or the ability to process and act on that truth can differ gihugically.

Here's the scripture, finally...

2 Nephi 9: 25-27

25.  Wherefore, He has given a law; and where there is no law given there is no punishment; and where there is no punishment there is no condemnation; and where there is no condemnation the mercies of the Holy One of Israel have claim upon them, because of the Atonement; for they are delivered by the power of Him.

26.  For the Atonement satisfieth the demands of His justice upon all those who have not the law given to them, that they are delivered from that awful monster, death and hell, and the devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment; and they are restored to that God who gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel.

27.  But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state!

Pop Quiz

Let's reach far, real far, and assume that both the man on the right and the young girl on the left getting cussed out by her Mom have committed a sin of about the same level of seriousness.  I know, it's a bit of a silly thing.  Then, let's say that Tom Cruise and his IMF team had failed to stop the madman in MI4 from launching a nuclear ICBM at New York City, and both of these people were blown up, which one would be considered innocent before The Lord, the girl who is currently being taught about right and wrong, but hasn't reached the age of accountability, or the man who realizes his disobedience, and feels truly sorry, and is asking The Lord for forgiveness?

Right.  The interesting thing to me is, Christ suffered and died for the sins of all mankind, including those of children, whatever they might be.  That means that even the innocent sins had to be paid for by The Savior.

So remember, don't forget to remember not to forget to repent

The scriptures tell us we who are accountable must repent, and become as a little child, or we can't obtain the Kingdom of Heaven.  What does that mean, "become as a little child"?  Innocent!!  That's what that means.  Children are alive in Christ because of His Atonement without any effort of their own.  Us bigger people though, and in my case I mean that quite literally, we gotta repent when we do wrong.  Repentance, true repentance, brings forgiveness, and then Christ and His Atonement will make us innocent as well.

That remember thing, that's a big deal with me.  This next verse has been a theme song of mine on many occasions...

2 Nephi 9: 39

39.  O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, 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.

When faced with temptation to commit sin, I try to remember this verse and say...

"Wait a minute!!  Last time I sinned I felt awful.  I don't want to feel awful.  Why would I want to feel awful?  This is stupid.  I'm outta here..."

Good Gravy!!!

This chapter just has too many good things in it.  I can't do a part 4, I just can't.  I'm going to have to leave you now.  I advise you to read and glean your own wisdom from this great chapter.  I'm afraid I just can't do it justice.  Even Jacob knows he's given out pretty much all people can handle for one day.  He says...

2 Nephi 9: 54

54.  And now, my brethren, I would speak unto you more; but on the morrow I will declare unto you the remainder of my words. 

In Conclusion
I'll put down a couple of useful gems to live by as a closer.

2 Nephi 9: 29, 34, 36, 48, 51, & 52

29.  But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.

34.  Wo unto the liar, for he shall be thrust down to hell.

(I use this reference often when confronting an untruthful person who I don't necessarily want to know that I know that he's LYING!!)

36.  Wo unto them who commit whoredoms, for they shall be thrust down to hell.

(Interesting that the consequences are the same for lying and whoredoming)

48.  Behold, if ye were holy I would speak unto you of holiness; but as ye are not holy, and ye look upon me as a teacher, it must needs be that I teach you the consequences of sin.

51. (just the end of the verse...)... and let your souls delight in fatness.

52.  Behold, my beloved brethren, remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto His holy name by night.  Let your hearts rejoice.

  I'll see you in chapter 10.  Peace be with you...