1 AND it came to pass that there was a voice heard among all the inhabitants of the earth, [ It was one that was heard by both the righteous as well as the unrighteous. This demonstrates the power with which it was delivered. You did not have to be righteous to hear the voice. It was audiable in nature and not just the feeling of the spirit. One morning while studying I felt the impression of how exhausted they would have been, physically and mentally. The righteous saints would have been waiting for this moment for years, and would have been weary from many years that have passed as they have been persecuted because of their belief. It would have worn them down. On the other hand how nervous and afraid, and exhausted would those who have recognized that the prophecies of Samuel were coming to pass, it was here now, the three days of destruction where only the beginning of the suffering that they were about to experience because they had not repented. They would have not slept well either and so this group would have been exhausted as well. ] upon all the face of this land, crying:

2 Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, [ Why does the devil take so much delight in this destruction?  In Moses 7:25-26 Enoch describes Satan in this very manner as well. There is no doubt Satan knows perfectly well what it takes for the Lord to destroy the wicked, so he takes pleasure in leading his mortal subjects to that destruction.  It seems he also takes additional pleasure in destroying natural Israel. Satan recognizes that the destruction of the moral body stops all earthly progression, repentance is harder on the other side so in a sense he (Satan) is winning the battle with that soul. Satan is still angry that he had not been chosen by the Father to be sent to earth (Abraham 3:27–28) so it is his mission to destroy everything that he can. ] because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; [ The reason why satan is delighted is because he has caused that their mortal probation is over. ] and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen! [ They did not repent and as a result are left in a ungodly standing at death. The Lord provides us with the reason why he destroyed them – see verse 5 repeated in verses 7,8 & 9 answers 1 & 2 ]

[ Why did/does the Lord destroy the wicked? Answers in verses 5-10 (3 Nephi 9:5 reason 1 & 2; vs 9 = reason 3; vs 10 = reason 4 NOTE: These sections outline the city and their respective destruction. ]

3 Behold, that great city Zarahemla have I burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof.

4 And behold, that great city Moroni have I caused to be sunk in the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof to be drowned.

5 And behold, that great city Moronihah have I covered with earth, and the inhabitants thereof, to hide their iniquities and their abominations from before my face, [ (1) first reason why the Lord destroyed them. So another way of saying that might be I had no choice but to remove them from the earth because if he were going to come to the earth and they were there to see his face they would be burnt up. So in a way he is really sparing them while it may not seem so, in the Lord's terms he simple moved them to another classroom. The Lord is preparing the people to become a covenant people - to see his face. To do that he must destroy the wicked (Satan based cultures, and influences from their midst). He repeats this message again in verses 9 and 11. ] that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come any more unto me against them. [ (2) second reason why the Lord destroyed them. ]

6 And behold, the city of Gilgal have I caused to be sunk, and the inhabitants thereof to be buried up in the depths of the earth;

7 Yea, and the city of Onihah and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Mocum and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Jerusalem and the inhabitants thereof; and waters have I caused to come up in the stead thereof, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come up any more unto me against them.

8 And behold, the city of Gadiandi, [ Means “my-good-fortune.” The last part of the name, -IANDI or -ANDI, remains unexplained. ] and the city of Gadiomnah, [ Most likely the name is composed of גד gād, “fortune, luck, riches,” and with a second element, either -IOMNAH or -OMNAH, depending of whether the “i” is read as the 1st common singular possessive suffix or as part of the next element. The -OMNAH/IOMNAH remains unexplained, unless related to AMMON, OMNI. ] and the city of Jacob, and the city of Gimgimno, [ This may be related to ancient EGYPTIAN gmgm “smash, tear up, break,” One might also compare Akkadian gumgumšu, a type of altar = Sumerian GI.GÚM.GÚM.ŠÚ.A ] all these have I caused to be sunk, and made hills and valleys in the places thereof; and the inhabitants thereof have I buried up in the depths of the earth, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up any more unto me against them.

9 And behold, that great city Jacobugath, [ Skousen has Jacob-Ugath in his Yale edition. Which would point to the possibility that perhaps the location is identical with JAREDITE city of OGATH. Jacob Ugath in Printer's Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, with hyphen added later in PC, and Jacobugath in 1830 and subsequent editions.[Skousen, ATV, 5:3329-3331; Printers Manuscript, 378 line 10; cf. FARMS Book of Mormon Critical Text, 2nd ed., III:1024 n. 196. Jacob HEBREW יעקב yaʿăqōb "Protector; Betrayer; Who seizes by the heel; Supplanter" (Genesis 25:26)] Skousen has Jacob-Ugath in his Yale edition.[Skousen, The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text (Yale Univ. Press, 2009), 589.]] which was inhabited by the people of king Jacob, [ The apostate king chosen as king by those members of the secret combination (3 Ne 7:9) that was established after the collapse of the central government circa 29-30 B.C. Jacob was outspoken leader against all who testified of Christ 3 Ne 7:10. Jacob was once outnumbered by the Nephite tribes who were against him so he took his band and they built a city to the North 3 Ne 7:11-13. ] have I caused to be burned with fire because of their sins and their wickedness, which was above all the wickedness of the whole earth, because of their secret murders and combinations; for it was they that did destroy the peace of my people and the government of the land; [ (3) Third reason why the Lord destroyed them. If they cannot have a peaceful government, a place for his people to worship him then he will destroy them so that the people can worship him. The way the secret oaths and combinations control the gospel of Christ and the establishment of Zion is to control the freedoms that would allow faith and religion to exist once in political power. This can only be done by the control of governments. ] therefore I did cause them to be burned, to destroy them from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me any more against them.

10 And behold, the city of Laman, and the city of Josh, and the city of Gad, and the city of Kishkumen, have I caused to be burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof, because of their wickedness in casting out the prophets, [ (4) Fourth reason why the Lord destroyed them. ] and stoning those whom I did send to declare unto them concerning their wickedness and their abominations. [ One might conclude from the facts previously presented that there was considerable persecution against those who were righteous and the members of the church, which there is not a lot of detail to that persecution but they were most likely either killed or driven from the cities as well. We know that is 3 Ne 7:19 Lehi was stoned, and we only know that as we know that Nephi raised him from the dead. There are a few other general remarks on persecution in 3 Ne 10:12, 15 as well but not very many details. It is safe to say that it did involve at least 15 cities in the destruction so it must have been pretty widespread. ]

11 And because they did cast them all out, that there were none righteous among them, I did send down fire and destroy them, [ Same as the justification that was employed against Sodom and Gomorrah in Gen 18:22-23; Abraham plead with the Lord to spare them and the Lord said he would if Abraham could find one righteous person - he could not and hence they were all destroyed. ] that their wickedness and abominations might be hid from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among them might not cry unto me from the ground against them.[ The Lord often takes vengenance out on those who have taken the blood of his prophets, Deut. 32:43, 2 Kings 9:7) which D&C (cf. D&C 136:36) ]

12 And many great destructions have I caused to come upon this land, and upon this people, because of their wickedness and their abominations.

13 O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous [ Why does the Lord not just destroy the whole batch? The Lord spared the righteous – in order to give them a chance to repent in this life. Note that he did not say that they were spared because they were righteous, but because they where more righteous - suggesting to me that they were among those who did have some sense of right and wrong, those who might be able to change their ways for good verse those who wer for all accounts hopeless to change. Why is that so important, to be able to repent in this life? Answer found in vs 21 –see also See/read Moses 1:39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. In addition God needs the hands of righteous men and women to save those who are trying to learn what they need to do to repent. ] than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, [ Why does the Lord call on this group to repent – after all they were the more righteous ones, they were spared? You would think that he would be on the otherside calling those who were just slain to repent. The answer is he wants to invite them to enter into a new level of righteousness so watch how he is going to do that – with covenents. “Repentance” literally means to 'change” or to turn away from - a change of mind - a fresh view about God~ about oneself~ and about the world. ] and be converted, that I may heal you? [ How does heal us?  What do we have to do to be healed? Keep the commandments – yes but Why does the Lord give us commandments then? Gives us a principal that will make us better…let us learn to live it…Covenant with him covenant/promise relationship. ]

14 Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come [ "If ye will" this requires the use of our agency, we are the ones who must act, and do, we must repent, change, come unto him, believe in him if the process is going to work because he stands with open arms ALWAYS WAITING FOR US! ] unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, [ Mercy is the time required for the individual to develop the kind of character God has, it is what makes God -God. So mercy will act over time in order for you to satisfy the demands of justice, or a time when you have developed the character that makes God God, if you have exercised faith unto repentance, which is the change of your character. Can you imagine being there and saying to yourself “yea right, what mercy, or if this is mercy I don’t want any part of it”. If we put ourselves in this position, most everyone who had just endured three hours of un-mitigated hell on earth as all of nature convulsed would be reflecting on the tender mercies of the Lord at this time. So, the Lord needs to make it very clear to them that while He had just destroyed the wicked, those who had survived were the more righteous. He is assurring them of who they are and who is in control. ] and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me. [ How do we come unto him? – by repenting of our sins and then entering into covenants with him (1) first step/covenant is baptism. He is really going to begin now to teach them how to come unto him…that is why they were spared after all. ]

[ Transistion to a message of hope…

Verses 15 – 18 are designed to show the positive side of God, Not the judgmental which he has already accomplished. Lord instructs them who he is (v15 the creator), (v17 the one who grants sonship to God, the redeemer), (v18 the light and light of the world). ]

15 Behold, I am Jesus Christ the son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, [ Again the Lord identifies himself as the creator, this is a pretty standard message as a place where he always starts. So here he is identifing his role in the pre-mortal world. What signifigance does that message have here and as a place where he almost always starts his introduction? Most likely it would re-affirm that he is not here to destroy but to continue to build his kingdom. If he is the creator then he can certainly fix anything that is broken, since he creator it in the first place. Lastly as the creator he has all power, such that things do not happen without his allowing them to happen - he is the one who is in control. Why is it so important for us to understand and believe that God is the creator? How does that provide power in our lives? How hard is it to see something that you have built destroyed? Even something as simple as a sand castle…] and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name. [ How was the Fathers name glorified with the works of Jesus Christ? He brought about the atonement which enables our Heavenly Father's children to be saved, to receive his glory through eternity. Without this none of us would have been able to return to the presence of the Father. ]

16 I came unto my own, and my own received me not. And the scriptures concerning my coming are fulfilled. [ He will repeat this same message when he comes the second and final time. Only this time all will know exactly who he is. ]

17 And as many as have received me, [ How do we receive him? (give our agency unto him as our master) that we will do his will, take upon us his name, accept the atonement, make other sacred covenants with him. ] to them have I given to become the sons of God; [ What does it mean to become the sons of God and why is that important? We become his spiritual sons and daughters when we receive him in faith and make covenants with him. ] and even so will I to as many as shall believe on my name, for behold, by me redemption cometh, [ his role as a mortal was to work out the atonement. the Savior adds his own testimoney that thru him men can be redeemed from the dead - 'To redeem” to repurchase something that you previously possed and subsequently lost by paying all indemnities associated with its repossession ] and in me is the law of Moses [ What is the Law Of Moses? (1) The Ten Commandments – or the laws to preserve a tranquil society; (2) a collection of civil and religious laws that taught holiness, purity, justice, and obedience (3) sacrifices and related ordinances of purification including burnt offerings, peace offerings, sin and trespass offerings. ] fulfilled. [ The Nephites taught their children to look to Christ, not the law for salvation. They spoke so much of Christ’s Atonement because they knew it was paramount to all other doctrines. Their sacrifices were meaningful only because of the sacrifice Christ would make. They recognized it as the only event that could save them. When the Atonement was complete and Christ came to the Americas, the Nephites were prepared to accept this long-awaited higher law because of their attitude toward it. After the destruction following the death of Christ, the righteous Nephites heard His voice proclaiming the end of the law: and “I am he that gave the law, and I am he who covenanted with my people Israel; . . . therefore it hath an end” (3 Nephi 15:5). After this proclamation, the people of Nephi immediately abandoned the law of Moses and adopted the higher law. The Book of Mormon records them living in a united order in peace for three hundred years. Christ brought an end of social, economic, and racial separation, and the people “had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift” (4 Nephi 1:3). This new life and law were a gift from heaven, given through Christ’s Atonement. ]

18 I am the light [ That which stimulates and allows vision. ] and the life of the world. I am Alpha and Omega, [ First and last letters of the greek alphabet – used to imply eternal nature of Jesus as a member of the Godhead. ] the beginning and the end. [ Having reference to the atonement Jesus is both the one who opened the the doors to atone for our sins and the finisher applied to the salvation of men. Christ has now given them instruction as to who he really is and his role in the pre-mortal world vs 15, his role in the mortal world vs 17, and now his role in the post-mortal world. Having finished telling them who he is he begins to call them to come unto him and now begins to tell them how this is to be done. ]

19 And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings. [ Done away with because he fulfilled the Law Of Moses, they were meant as a type for his atoning sacrifice – now they must offer a broken heart and a contrite spirit see v20 Having been to Tulem there is a temple there patterned after the temple of soloman. There is a hugh sacrifice area were a whole crowd could see the sacrifice taking place. This is a pretty signifigant change for these people. ]

20 And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. [ The Hebrew word for "sacrifice" is (korban le-hakriv) and is from the root which means "to come near to, to approach, to become closely involved in a relationship with someone". Interestingly enough, by the Lord asking us to offer a broken heart and a contrite spirit, he is asking us to offer the very things that Jesus himself offered. In Gethsemane, his spirit was crushed. That's the meaning of the word contrite is crushed. So that happens in Gethsemane to the savior. How does he die on the cross? Well, if you read Elder Talmadge's book, Jesus the Christ, Elder Talmadge says he died of a broken heart. He died of a ruptured heart, however medically you want to describe that. So the very things that Jesus himself offered as part of his atonement are the very things that now we must offer after the shedding of his blood. We must offer the broken heart in the contrite spirit. We must in a sense relive Gethsemane and Golgotha in our own lives. What is a broken heart and a contrite spirit? Figurative of the voluntary sacrifice of one’s own will to do the will of the Lord. The heart is considered to mean his entire soul, the center of both spiritual and physical well-being. the words “sacrifice of a broken heart and contrite spirit” never appear explicitly in the New Testament, Jesus used that phrase, found in the Psalms, to emphasize the point that adherence to the essential part of the law of sacrifice—one which had existed from ancient times and with which the righteous Nephites and Lamanites most likely would have been familiar—had now been fulfilled and superseded. The requirement to sacrifice “a broken heart and a contrite spirit” is repeatedly stated in the Book of Mormon, not only by Jesus and Moroni after Christ’s coming (3 Nephi 12:19; Mormon 2:14; Ether 4:15; Moroni 6:2), but also by the early Nephite prophets, Lehi and Nephi, long before Christ’s birth (2 Nephi 2:7; 4:32). Moreover, this crucial phrase can be found in the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms, and therefore may have been included on the plates of brass that Lehi’s family brought out of Jerusalem. Old Testament references to this principle include Psalm 51:17, which states that “[t]he sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart.” Psalm 34:18 declares that “[t]he Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” The great Old Testament prophet Isaiah, when speaking messianically, declared that the Lord’s mission was to “bind up the brokenhearted” (Isaiah 61:1). How does this new commandment compare with the old law of burnt offerrings? The Nephites are now being given a higher law – the law of sacrifice (personal vs burnt offerings. ] And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, [ We pray for a lot of things that we think will help us save ourselves, but until we admit our helplessness and simply, broken heartedly ask Christ to save us, we are not asking the important thing. There is power in simply asking for mercy. Remember the powerful words in Matthew 7:8, “For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf”: “Salvation cannot be bought with the currency of obedience; it is purchased by the blood of the son of God (Acts 20:28).” (“The Gift of Grace,” April 2015 General Conference). Those who believe in salvation by obedience alone believe in self-sufficiency. “It has been truly said that the greatest of all Christian sins is the sin of self-sufficiency,” said George Reynolds and Janne M. Sjodahl in Commentary on the Book of Mormon, (edited and arranged by Philip C. Reynolds, 7 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1955-1961], 4). ] him will I baptize with fire [ Note the Lord will be the one to baptize us with fire and with the Holy Ghost. 3 Ne 12:1. somehow the Lord is involved in this process as there seems to be a difference between the gift of the Holy Ghost and what happens later in the Baptism of Fire and of the Holy Ghost. Moses 6:60. ] and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, [ What do we know about the Lamanites after their baptisms? The Lamanites who repented See Hela 13:1 They did observe strictly to keep the commandments according to the law of Moses and Hela 15:5 “are in the path of their duty, and they do walk circumspectly before God, and they do observe to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments according to the law of Moses”. ] because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, < [ The promises and fruits of becoming born again through the baptism of fire and reception of the Holy Ghost are great and powerful. The baptism by fire is a transformation of the whole being. It is to become purified and cleansed without spot. It is to become a Son or Daughter of God. When we are baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost we receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ and are transformed in his nature and in his holiness. Our dispositions are fundamentally changed. The experience of being baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost is unmistakable. Here is a list of descriptions throughout scripture of this transformation and its fruit. Become born again (John 3:3) Mighty change in your heart (Alma 5:14) Cleansed from all unrighteousness (Alma 7:14) Changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness (Mosiah 27:25) Being Redeemed of God (Mosiah 27:25) Become the Sons and Daughters of God (Mosiah 27:25) You are blessed to enjoy the words of eternal life in this world (Moses 6:59) Become sanctified from all sin (Moses 6:59) You know God (1 John 4:7) Overcome the world (1 John 5:4) Receive the Lord’s image in your countenance (Alma 5:14) Be filled with the Holy Ghost (Alma 36:24) Have the wicked spirit rooted from our breast (Alma 22:15) Receive great joy (Alma 22:15; Mosiah 4:3) Garments are washed white, purified until they are cleansed from all sin (Alma 5:21) Sufficiently humble (Alma 5:27) Stripped of pride (Alma 5:28) Stripped of envy (Alma 5:29) Bring forth works meet for repentance (Alma 5:54) Sing the song of redeeming love (Alma 5:9) Illuminated by the light of the everlasting word (Alma 5:7) Quickened in the inner man (Moses 6:65) Receive a remission of sin (3 Nephi 12:1) You have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually (Mosiah 5:2) Willing to be obedient to everything the Lord commands (Mosiah 5:5) Become spiritually begotten (Mosiah 5:7) Will not have a mind to injure one another (Mosiah 4:13) Filled with the pure love of Christ (Moroni 7:48) Filled with hope and perfect love (Moroni 8:26) You cannot deny the power of God (Moroni 10:32) You become holy, without spot (Moroni 10:33) The promises of transformation in the spirit are so great it brought King Lamoni’s father to be willing to give up all that he possessed, even all of his kingdom to receive this transformation. ] and they knew it not. [ Why would they not know it? Here he is speaking of the entire group – so because they were all keeping the commandments they were being blessed daily and line upon line so to speak they were becoming sanctified – it was not an all at once or some great sensational event but rather a consistent movement towards godliness. A inward spiritual baptism and not an outward physical one, as they would have known an outward physical baptism when it was performed, but the sanctifying effect of the Holy Spirit is not some outward performance that people see. With the previous contrast given in v. 19 when compared with v. 20, the Lord doesn't want outward sacrifices anymore, those which people can see and witness. Instead, he wants an inward sacrifice, one which people cannot see or witness. Considering the description and power of the blessing of receiving the mighty change, how could someone receive this great blessing and not even know it? Perhaps there is a different reading of this scripture that could be considered. Instead of reading it as they did not realize they had experienced a baptism of fire, a careful reading suggests another way of understanding this scripture. What if they were very aware of being changed in the spirit and transformed – that they knew something powerful and life changing had happened to their being, but what they didn’t know was what to call it. The Lamanites experienced the miraculous conversion of the spirit. What they didn’t understand, perhaps, is that this thing was the doctrine of Christ. It was the power of the Holy Ghost. ]

21 Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, [ What is the Savior telling these people who have suffered so much destruction? The Lord reiterates that his primary purpose is to save the world, not destroy it as he has had to do, nonetheless he states it for the record. Redemption ~ 1. Repurchase of captured goods or prisoners; the act of procuring the deliverance of persons or things from the possession and power of captors by the payment of an equivalent; ransom; release; as the redemption of prisoners taken in war; the redemption of a ship and cargo. 2. Deliverance from bondage, distress, or from liability to any evil or forfeiture, either by money, labor or other means. 3. In theology, the purchase of God's favor by the death and sufferings of Christ; the ransom or deliverance of sinners from the bondage of sin and the penalties of God's violated law by the atonement of Christ. Who and what does Christ redeem us from? ] to save the world from sin. [ The redemptive work of Jesus Christ is his sacrificial work that delivers us from sin. ]

22 Therefore, whoso repenteth [ Repent of what specifically? First their sins, second; those things that do not render them as little children. In other words if they are not willing to change their ways to listen and try as a little child will then nothing else will change - hence they need to repent of that attitude. ] and cometh unto me as a little child, [ I have always just read over this part as kind of a foot note of what to do, but in essence the Lord is teaching us the qualities that we need to have along with repenting of sin we need to walk in a different path going forward. What are the qualities here that we need here in order to obtain these blessings? A little child is dependant on his parents and others for life itself, he is not ready to take life on by himself. He is teachable; he wants to learn, to become like his mother and father. He loves his parents with a great amount of love. He will often mimick the action sof his parents as best he can in an effort to become like them. He believes that there is nothing that his parents cannot do they are all powerful and have all knowledge - and to him they do. ] him will I receive, [ He will take him in. Why? Because he is free from sin since he has repented. Two; he wants to be there he is like a little child in that he is striving to be like his parents. ] for of such is the kingdom of God. [ Or the kingdom of God is made of of those who are free from sin through repentance, and those that act like Gods children, wanting to be like him and do what they can to become llike him. ] Behold, for such [ Those who repent of sin and act like Gods children. ] I have laid down my life, [ He had the power to decide when he left thsi world. ] and have taken it up again; [ With the power to decide when he would lay down his life came the power to resurrect himself. So he maintained that same power from life to death of the mortal body to resurrection. ] therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved.