Mormon 9
People in this chapter
Moroni speaks to two groups. First, those who do not believe in Christ (v. 1). He asks them to imagine the day they will stand before Him, and whether they could be happy there with a guilty conscience (vv. 2-6).
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Mormon 9:1-6Can Ye Behold the Lamb of God?
1And now, I speak also concerning those who do not believe in Christ. 2Behold, will ye believe in the day of your visitation—behold, when the Lord shall come, yea, even that great day when the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, yea, in that great day when ye shall be brought to stand before the Lamb of God—then will ye say that there is no God? 3Then will ye longer deny the Christ, or can ye behold the Lamb of God? Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws? 4Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell. 5For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you.
Moroni asks unbelievers to imagine standing before Christ at the end of the world. A person full of guilt would be more miserable in God's presence than anywhere else.
6O then ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day.
Mormon 9:7-14In Him There Is No Variableness
7And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the interpretation of tongues; 8Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them.
Moroni speaks to people who say God no longer gives revelation, prophecy, or spiritual gifts. He says they have not read, or have not understood, the scriptures.
9For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing? 10And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles. 11But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.
God does not change. If He worked miracles in the past, He still works them today. Moroni's God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Creator of heaven and earth.
12Behold, he created Adam, and by Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ, even the Father and the Son; and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man. 13And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death. 14And then cometh the judgment of the Holy One upon them; and then cometh the time that he that is filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still; he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still.
After the Resurrection comes the Judgment. People will remain what they have chosen to become: the righteous stay righteous, and the filthy stay filthy.
Mormon 9:15-21God Has Not Ceased to Be a God of Miracles
15And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles. 16Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God? 17Who shall say that it was not a miracle that by his word the heaven and the earth should be; and by the power of his word man was created of the dust of the earth; and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought? 18And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles.
Moroni points out that the end has not come yet, so God is still a God of miracles. Creation itself was a miracle, and Jesus and His apostles did many mighty miracles.
19And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles. 20And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust. 21Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.
God never changes, so He is still a God of miracles. Miracles stop among people only because of their unbelief. Whoever believes in Christ without doubting can ask the Father in Christ's name and receive.
Mormon 9:22-29These Signs Shall Follow Them That Believe
22For behold, thus said Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples who should tarry, yea, and also to all his disciples, in the hearing of the multitude: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature; 23And he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned; 24And these signs shall follow them that believe—in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover; 25And whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm all my words, even unto the ends of the earth.
Moroni quotes Jesus' words to His disciples: go preach the gospel to everyone; those who believe and are baptized will be saved; and signs will follow those who believe.
26And now, behold, who can stand against the works of the Lord? Who can deny his sayings? Who will rise up against the almighty power of the Lord? Who will despise the works of the Lord? Who will despise the children of Christ? Behold, all ye who are despisers of the works of the Lord, for ye shall wonder and perish. 27O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him. 28Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God. 29See that ye are not baptized unworthily; see that ye partake not of the sacrament of Christ unworthily; but see that ye do all things in worthiness, and do it in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God; and if ye do this, and endure to the end, ye will in nowise be cast out.
Moroni asks his readers not to fight against God's work. He tells them to stop doubting, ask the Father in Jesus' name, and come to the Lord with all their heart.
Moroni warns against being baptized or taking the sacrament unworthily. Do everything worthily in the name of Jesus Christ, and endure to the end.
Mormon 9:30-37As Though I Spake from the Dead
30Behold, I speak unto you as though I spake from the dead; for I know that ye shall have my words. 31Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.
Moroni knows he will be dead when we read his words. He asks us not to condemn him or his father for their imperfections, but to learn from them and be wiser.
32And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech. 33And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record. 34But the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and also that none other people knoweth our language; and because that none other people knoweth our language, therefore he hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof.
Moroni explains that they wrote in a script called reformed Egyptian, which no one else knew. The Lord prepared a way for the record to be translated.
35And these things are written that we may rid our garments of the blood of our brethren, who have dwindled in unbelief. 36And behold, these things which we have desired concerning our brethren, yea, even their restoration to the knowledge of Christ, are according to the prayers of all the saints who have dwelt in the land. 37And may the Lord Jesus Christ grant that their prayers may be answered according to their faith; and may God the Father remember the covenant which he hath made with the house of Israel; and may he bless them forever, through faith on the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Moroni wrote so that he and his people would be free from blame for their brothers' unbelief. He prays that the Lamanites' descendants will come to know Christ, as all the faithful who lived in the land had prayed.
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.
- MiracleScriptures on miracles and their relationship to faith (vv. 15-21).
- Gifts of the SpiritThe spiritual gifts Moroni says have not been done away (vv. 7-8, 24).
- RevelationScriptures on continuing revelation, which Moroni defends in verses 7-9.
- Fall of Adam and EveBackground for Moroni's chain in verse 12: creation, Fall, and redemption through Christ.
- SacramentScriptures on partaking of the sacrament worthily (v. 29).
Where this echoes in Scripture
Can Ye Behold the Lamb of God?
- 2 Peter 3:10The elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
- Alma 12:14We would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.
- 2 Nephi 9:14We shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness.
- Revelation 7:14These are they which... have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
- 3 Nephi 27:19Nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood.
In Him There Is No Variableness
- Hebrews 13:8Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
- James 1:17The Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
- Moroni 8:18God is not a partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all eternity to all eternity.
- 1 Corinthians 15:21-22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
- Mosiah 15:2-3The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh.
God Has Not Ceased to Be a God of Miracles
- Moroni 7:35-37Has the day of miracles ceased?... Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought.
- Moroni 10:19, 24He is the same yesterday, today, and forever... if the day cometh that the power and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief.
- Matthew 13:58And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
- Matthew 21:22All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
- Acts 5:12By the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people.
These Signs Shall Follow Them That Believe
- Mark 16:15-18Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature... And these signs shall follow them that believe.
- D&C 63:9-10Faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe.
- Philippians 2:12Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
- 3 Nephi 18:28-29Whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul.
- John 6:37Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
As Though I Spake from the Dead
- 1 Nephi 1:2I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians.
- Mosiah 8:13He has wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God.
- D&C 17:1The Urim and Thummim, which were given to the brother of Jared upon the mount.
- Jacob 1:19Answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence.
- Enos 1:16He covenanted with me that he would bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time.