Helaman 14
People in this chapter
In chapter 13 Samuel warned. In chapter 14 he testifies. Mormon tells us Samuel said a great many more things which cannot be written (v. 1), and then gives us the part he most wanted us to have: two signs, one for the Savior's birth and one for His death.
Tap any highlighted phrase to jump to the commentary that unpacks it.
Helaman 14:1-8A Day and a Night and a Day
1And now it came to pass that Samuel, the Lamanite, did prophesy a great many more things which cannot be written. 2And behold, he said unto them: Behold, I give unto you a sign; for five years more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name.
Samuel said much more than Mormon could write. What Mormon chose to keep is about Jesus Christ.
3And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day. 4Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born. 5And behold, there shall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you.
The sign of Christ's birth: on the night before He is born, there will be no darkness. The sun will set and rise as usual, but the night will stay light. A new star will also appear.
6And behold this is not all, there shall be many signs and wonders in heaven. 7And it shall come to pass that ye shall all be amazed, and wonder, insomuch that ye shall fall to the earth. 8And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall believe on the Son of God, the same shall have everlasting life.
The signs will amaze people. They point to something greater: believing in the Son of God, who gives everlasting life.
Helaman 14:9-13That Ye Might Know of the Coming of Jesus Christ
9And behold, thus hath the Lord commanded me, by his angel, that I should come and tell this thing unto you; yea, he hath commanded that I should prophesy these things unto you; yea, he hath said unto me: Cry unto this people, repent and prepare the way of the Lord. 10And now, because I am a Lamanite, and have spoken unto you the words which the Lord hath commanded me, and because it was hard against you, ye are angry with me and do seek to destroy me, and have cast me out from among you.
The Lord, by His angel, told Samuel to prepare the way of the Lord, the same mission John the Baptist had. Samuel says the people are angry with him partly because he is a Lamanite.
11And ye shall hear my words, for, for this intent have I come up upon the walls of this city, that ye might hear and know of the judgments of God which do await you because of your iniquities, and also that ye might know the conditions of repentance; 12And also that ye might know of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and that ye might know of the signs of his coming, to the intent that ye might believe on his name. 13And if ye believe on his name ye will repent of all your sins, that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his merits.
Samuel says why he climbed the wall: so the people could know of God's judgments, know how to repent, and know of the coming of Jesus Christ.
Helaman 14:14-19He Surely Must Die That Salvation May Come
14And behold, again, another sign I give unto you, yea, a sign of his death. 15For behold, he surely must die that salvation may come; yea, it behooveth him and becometh expedient that he dieth, to bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the presence of the Lord.
16Yea, behold, this death bringeth to pass the resurrection, and redeemeth all mankind from the first death—that spiritual death; for all mankind, by the fall of Adam being cut off from the presence of the Lord, are considered as dead, both as to things temporal and to things spiritual. 17But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord.
Because of Adam's fall, all people are cut off from God's presence. Samuel calls this the first death, a spiritual death. Christ's resurrection brings everyone back into the presence of the Lord to be judged.
18Yea, and it bringeth to pass the condition of repentance, that whosoever repenteth the same is not hewn down and cast into the fire; but whosoever repenteth not is hewn down and cast into the fire; and there cometh upon them again a spiritual death, yea, a second death, for they are cut off again as to things pertaining to righteousness. 19Therefore repent ye, repent ye, lest by knowing these things and not doing them ye shall suffer yourselves to come under condemnation, and ye are brought down unto this second death.
Christ's death also makes repentance possible. Those who repent are not cut off. Those who refuse to repent are cut off again from God, which Samuel calls the second death. So he pleads: repent.
Helaman 14:20-28A Sign of His Death
20But behold, as I said unto you concerning another sign, a sign of his death, behold, in that day that he shall suffer death the sun shall be darkened and refuse to give his light unto you; and also the moon and the stars; and there shall be no light upon the face of this land, even from the time that he shall suffer death, for the space of three days, to the time that he shall rise again from the dead. 21Yea, at the time that he shall yield up the ghost there shall be thunderings and lightnings for the space of many hours, and the earth shall shake and tremble; and the rocks which are upon the face of this earth, which are both above the earth and beneath, which ye know at this time are solid, or the more part of it is one solid mass, shall be broken up; 22Yea, they 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, yea, both above the earth and beneath.
The sign of Christ's death is the opposite of the sign of His birth. At His birth, a night without darkness. At His death, three days without light, with earthquakes and broken rocks.
23And behold, there shall be great tempests, and there shall be many mountains laid low, like unto a valley, and there shall be many places which are now called valleys which shall become mountains, whose height is great. 24And many highways shall be broken up, and many cities shall become desolate. 25And many graves shall be opened, and shall yield up many of their dead; and many saints shall appear unto many.
Samuel prophesied that graves would open and many saints would appear. When Jesus later visited the Nephites, He made sure this fulfillment was written down.
26And behold, thus hath the angel spoken unto me; for he said unto me that there should be thunderings and lightnings for the space of many hours. 27And he said unto me that while the thunder and the lightning lasted, and the tempest, that these things should be, and that darkness should cover the face of the whole earth for the space of three days. 28And the angel said unto me that many shall see greater things than these, to the intent that they might believe that these signs and these wonders should come to pass upon all the face of this land, to the intent that there should be no cause for unbelief among the children of men—
Samuel repeats that an angel told him these things. The signs are given so that no one will have an excuse not to believe.
Helaman 14:29-31Ye Are Free
29And this to the intent that whosoever will believe might be saved, and that whosoever will not believe, a righteous judgment might come upon them; and also if they are condemned they bring upon themselves their own condemnation. 30And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free. 31He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.
Samuel ends by saying the choice is ours. God has given us knowledge and freedom. If we are condemned, we bring it on ourselves.
In the resurrection we receive back what we chose. If we choose good, good is restored to us. If we choose evil, evil is restored.
Research trail
Sources & further study
These references support the historical, linguistic, manuscript, and contextual notes in this chapter. Scripture remains the primary text; external sources are provided so readers can inspect the research directly.
- Death, SpiritualScripture references on spiritual death, the separation from God that Samuel describes in verses 16-18.
- ResurrectionThe Church's overview of the resurrection that Christ's death brings to pass (vv. 15-17).
- Fall of Adam and EveReferences on the Fall, by which, as Samuel says, all mankind were cut off from the presence of the Lord (v. 16).
- Agency and AccountabilityThe Church's overview of agency, the gift Samuel describes in verses 30-31.
- SignHow the scriptures use signs, and the warning against seeking them.
Where this echoes in Scripture
A Day and a Night and a Day
- 3 Nephi 1:15-21There was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day... a new star did appear, according to the word.The sign of the Savior's birth, fulfilled.
- 1 Nephi 10:4Six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem, a prophet would the Lord God raise up... even a Messiah.The earlier prophecy of when He would come.
- Matthew 2:2We have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.The star seen in the Old World.
- John 3:16Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.The promise of verse 8, from the Savior's own mouth.
That Ye Might Know of the Coming of Jesus Christ
- Isaiah 40:3Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.The commission Samuel received by an angel.
- Matthew 3:1-3Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.John the Baptist, preparing the way in Judea.
- Mosiah 3:8Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning.The same titles, given by an angel to King Benjamin.
- John 1:3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.Christ the Creator.
He Surely Must Die That Salvation May Come
- 1 Corinthians 15:21-22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.Paul on the universal reach of the resurrection.
- Alma 42:9The fall had brought upon all mankind a spiritual death as well as a temporal, that is, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord.Alma's definition of spiritual death.
- Mormon 9:13Because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord.Moroni on the same universal return.
- D&C 29:41-44Which is the first death, even that same death which is the last death, which is spiritual.The Lord's latter-day explanation of the first and last death.
A Sign of His Death
- 3 Nephi 8:19-23It did last for the space of three days that there was no light seen.The sign of His death, fulfilled.
- Matthew 27:50-53The earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened.The same signs at Jerusalem.
- 3 Nephi 23:9-13How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many?The Savior has the fulfillment of verse 25 added to the record.
- 1 Nephi 19:10Three days of darkness, which should be a sign given of his death unto those who should inhabit the isles of the sea.Zenos foretold the same sign.
Ye Are Free
- 2 Nephi 2:27They are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death.Lehi's teaching on agency.
- Alma 41:3-5If their works were good in this life... they should also, at the last day, be restored unto that which is good.The law of restoration behind verse 31.
- D&C 101:78That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him.Moral agency, in the Lord's words.
- Deuteronomy 30:19I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life.Moses offers the same choice.