Moroni 10
People in this chapter
These are the last words of the Book of Mormon. Moroni has outlived his people by more than thirty-five years. He has finished his father's record, abridged the Jaredite history, and written down the ordinances and his father's teachings. Now he writes somewhat as seemeth me good (v. 1), and then he will seal up these records (v. 2).
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Moroni 10:1-7Ask God, the Eternal Father, in the Name of Christ
1Now I, Moroni, write somewhat as seemeth me good; and I write unto my brethren, the Lamanites; and I would that they should know that more than four hundred and twenty years have passed away since the sign was given of the coming of Christ. 2And I seal up these records, after I have spoken a few words by way of exhortation unto you.
Moroni writes his last words, first to the Lamanites. It has been more than 420 years since Christ's birth. He is about to seal up the records.
3Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. 4And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. 5And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
Before asking God, Moroni asks readers to remember how merciful the Lord has been to people since Adam, and to think deeply about it in their hearts.
Moroni promises that if you ask God in Christ's name, sincerely and with real intent, the Holy Ghost will show you the book is true. By the Holy Ghost you can know the truth of all things.
6And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is. 7And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.
Everything good points to Christ. God works by power according to people's faith, and He is the same always.
Moroni 10:8-19Deny Not the Gifts of God
8And again, I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them. 9For behold, to one is given by the Spirit of God, that he may teach the word of wisdom; 10And to another, that he may teach the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 11And to another, exceedingly great faith; and to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 12And again, to another, that he may work mighty miracles; 13And again, to another, that he may prophesy concerning all things; 14And again, to another, the beholding of angels and ministering spirits; 15And again, to another, all kinds of tongues; 16And again, to another, the interpretation of languages and of divers kinds of tongues.
God gives many spiritual gifts through His Spirit, such as wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, seeing angels, tongues, and interpretation. They are given to bless people.
17And all these gifts come by the Spirit of Christ; and they come unto every man severally, according as he will. 18And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ. 19And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that all these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of the children of men.
Christ never changes, so the gifts of the Spirit will never end, unless people stop believing.
Moroni 10:20-26There Must Be Faith, Hope, and Charity
20Wherefore, there must be faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity. 21And except ye have charity ye can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God; neither can ye be saved in the kingdom of God if ye have not faith; neither can ye if ye have no hope. 22And if ye have no hope ye must needs be in despair; and despair cometh because of iniquity. 23And Christ truly said unto our fathers: If ye have faith ye can do all things which are expedient unto me.
We must have faith, hope, and charity to be saved in God's kingdom. Without hope, people fall into despair, and despair comes from sin.
24And now I speak unto all the ends of the earth—that if the day cometh that the power and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief. 25And wo be unto the children of men if this be the case; for there shall be none that doeth good among you, no not one. For if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God. 26And wo unto them who shall do these things away and die, for they die in their sins, and they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God; and I speak it according to the words of Christ; and I lie not.
Moroni now speaks to the whole world. If the gifts of God ever disappear, it will be because of unbelief. Anyone who does good does it by God's power.
Moroni 10:27-29One Speaking out of the Dust
27And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust? 28I declare these things unto the fulfilling of the prophecies. And behold, they shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the everlasting God; and his word shall hiss forth from generation to generation. 29And God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true.
Moroni says every reader will see him at God's judgment bar. There God will ask whether they listened to the words of this man, who speaks like a voice from the dust.
Moroni 10:30-33Come unto Christ, and Be Perfected in Him
30And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing. 31And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.
Moroni invites everyone to come to Christ, hold on to every good gift, and avoid every evil and unclean thing.
Quoting Isaiah, Moroni calls on Zion to wake up, put on beautiful clothes, and grow, so that God's covenants with Israel may be fulfilled.
32Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. 33And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.
We come to Christ, give up ungodliness, and love God with all our heart. Then His grace is enough to make us perfect in Him and holy, through His blood shed for our sins.
Moroni 10:34Before the Pleasing Bar of the Great Jehovah
34And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen.
Moroni says farewell. He will soon rest in paradise until his spirit and body are reunited in the Resurrection, and he will meet his readers at the judgment.
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.
- Book of MormonThe Church's overview of the Book of Mormon and of gaining a testimony of it through Moroni's promise.
- Spiritual GiftsExplains the gifts of the Spirit listed in verses 8-18 and how to seek them.
- GraceThe Church's teaching on the grace of Christ that Moroni says is sufficient for you (v. 32).
- Moroni, Son of MormonA summary of Moroni's life, his writings, and his return as an angel to Joseph Smith.
- JehovahScriptures showing that Jehovah is the premortal Jesus Christ, the name Moroni uses in verse 34.
Where this echoes in Scripture
Ask God, the Eternal Father, in the Name of Christ
- James 1:5If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not.
- John 16:13When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.
- Luke 2:19But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
- D&C 9:8You must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right.
- Joseph Smith-History 1:33He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni.
Deny Not the Gifts of God
- 1 Corinthians 12:4-11Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
- D&C 46:11-26For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.
- James 1:17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.
- Hebrews 13:8Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
- Moroni 7:37It is by faith that miracles are wrought... wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief.
There Must Be Faith, Hope, and Charity
- Moroni 7:41-42Ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection.
- 1 Corinthians 13:13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
- Mormon 2:13-14Their sorrowing was not unto repentance... they did not come unto Jesus with broken hearts and contrite spirits.
- Ether 12:28Faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me, the fountain of all righteousness.
One Speaking out of the Dust
- Isaiah 29:4Thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.
- 2 Nephi 26:16Their speech shall be low out of the dust... and their speech shall whisper out of the dust.
- 2 Nephi 33:11You and I shall stand face to face before his bar.
- 2 Nephi 29:2My words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people.
Come unto Christ, and Be Perfected in Him
- 3 Nephi 12:48I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.
- Ether 12:27My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me.
- 2 Nephi 25:23It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.
- D&C 20:31-32Sanctification through the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is just and true.
- Isaiah 52:1-2Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem.Quoted in verse 31.
Before the Pleasing Bar of the Great Jehovah
- Alma 40:12The spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest.
- John 5:22For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.
- Acts 10:42It is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
- 3 Nephi 15:5Behold, I am he that gave the law, and I am he who covenanted with my people Israel.
- Joseph Smith-History 1:30-33He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni.