Book of Mormon ~ Helaman chapter 9

Taught by Sue G.

Helaman 9 

Five men will now run to the judgement seat to see if Nephi's words are true.  They talk as they run, saying that if it is true they will become believers.  They will be accused by the people of being the ones who murdered the chief judge. You will see much speculation, jumping to conclusions and misinformation which will quickly cloud the simple fact that Nephi is a prophet of God.  Satan uses the same methods today to confuse the simple fact that the Gospel is true and that God exists.

We will see that the wicked will believe almost anything else in order to avoid facing the truths that God exists and he does have prophets on earth. 

First, some of the corrupt government officials who heard what Nephi said from his garden tower and tried to incite the people to grab Nephi, now wonder where the 5 men are whom they sent to check out Nephis statement that their chief judge was dead. What these 5 men tell these government officials is not what they want to hear.

How can you know that someone is a prophet?

What is the difference between 

predictions and prophecies?

How can you tell that a prophecy is actually from God

Deuteronomy 18:22

What did Nephi say occured?

Helaman 8:27-28 

What did the Nephites do to see whether Nephi's 

prediction was true?

What does Helaman 9:3 testify about Nephi?

Testimony of Elder Boyd K. Packer some weeks before the Last April , I left the office one Friday afternoon thinking of the weekend conference assignment  I waited for the elevator to come down from the fifth floor.  As the elevator doors quietly opened, there stood President Joseph Fielding Smith. There was a moment of surprise in seeing him since his office is on a lower floor.  As I saw him framed in the doorway, there fell upon me  a powerful witness of God that sweet voice of Spirit that is akin to light, that has something to do with pure intelligence, affirming to me that this was the prophet of God.  I need not try to define that experience to Latter-day Saints.  That kind of witness is characteristic of the Church.  It is not something reserved to those in high office.  It is a witness not only available but vital to every member.

How quickly these wicked judges twist the facts in an attempt to keep the people from believing that Nephi is a true prophet which would ruin their power over them.  They claim that the whole thing is an elaborate plot set up by Nephi and another man to fool the people into thinking that he is a prophet so that he can gain power and control over them himself.

Much to the disappointment of these judges who were trying to discredit Nephi, the five men who were set free came to his defense.

It is often the case that wicked people assume that all people think basically the same way they do since they will accept bribes themselves. These judges assumed that everyone including Nephi will accept bribes if offed enough money.

Nephi now tells these men that the real reason they are trying to frame him is they do not want to believe that God inspired him to know that the chief judge had just been murdered.  If they believe that God inspired him on this matter, they would have to believe that what he said about their wickedness is also true.  They don't want to believe.

As the intensity of this situation continues to increase, Nephi tells these men that he has yet another sign to show them.  He tells them in great prophetic detail what will happen when they confront the murderer of the chief judge.

We would hope that all these people would humble themselves and believe the obvious, that Nephi truly is a prophet of God.  The evidence is irrefutable to the rational mind.

Upon seeing Nephi's knowledge of secret and hidden things, there were those who wanted to proclaim him to be God.  This is understandable given the universal acknowledgment of certain characteristics of God.  Elder Neal A Maxwell taught that omniscience is one of the characteristics of God.

The Lord in a revelation for John Whitmer spoke of that which was in the latters heart, which only the Lord and John Whitmer knew, witnessing that God was omniscient concerning the needs of that individual. (D&C 15:3)

Paul said to the Saints at Corinth, (1 Corinthians 3:20)

Hence omniscience is one of the characteristics of the living God as we read in Helaman 9:41 and D&C 6:24