Nephi declares the universality of God’s love in the context of some future events that he had seen in a vision. Jesus would appear to his descendants. They would subsequently be destroyed, but their words would be preserved to come forth in a future time. People who try to hide the truth or to profit from it are not in harmony with God, who “worketh not in darkness” and who “doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world” (2 Nephi 26:23-24).
Chapter Outline
- Jesus will appear to Nephi’s descendants. Four generations later, they will be destroyed (v. 1-11).
- The Jews and the Gentiles must be convinced that Jesus is the Christ (v. 12-13).
- Nephi’s descendants will “whisper out of the dust” (v. 14-16).
- God doesn’t work in darkness (v. 17-23).
- Jesus invites all to come unto Him (v. 24-33).
My Takeaways
- God will guide me through my life experiences if I will follow His instructions.
- God anointed Jesus to bring us back to Him.
- God will carry our words to those who need them, and they will listen.
- When we’re doing the Lord’s work, our motives matter.
- God loves all of His children and invites us all to come to Him.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Jesus Will Appear to Nephi’s Descendants – 2 NEphi 26:1-11
The Words Which He Shall Speak…Shall Be the Law – 2 Nephi 26:1
1 And after Christ shall have risen from the dead he shall show himself unto you, my children, and my beloved brethren; and the words which he shall speak unto you shall be the law which ye shall do. (2 Nephi 26:1) For Nephi, obedience was not a static concept. To obey was not simply…
❖ Jesus Is the Christ – 2 Nephi 26:12-13
That Jesus Is the Very Christ – 2 Nephi 26:12-13
12 And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God; 13 And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost;…
He Manifesteth Himself…unto Every Nation – 2 Nephi 26:12-13
12 And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God; 13 And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost;…
Working Mighty Miracles – 2 Nephi 26:12-13
12 And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God; 13 And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost;…
❖ Out of the Dust – 2 Nephi 26:14-16
Out of the Dust
What do you do when you feel like you’re not being heard or understood? In the middle of a prophecy about the restoration of the gospel, just before introducing the symbolism of a sealed book, the prophet Isaiah shared an image which became meaningful to the writers of the Book of Mormon: Thou shalt be…
❖ God Doesn’t Work in Darkness – 2 Nephi 26:17-23
What Is a “Flaxen Cord?” – 2 Nephi 26:22
Nephi prophesied that, in the last days, the devil would lead people “by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever” (2 Nephi 26:22). It’s clear from the context that the “flaxen cord” described here was not strong. I envision a person with a very thin thread wrapped…
The Lord God Worketh Not in Darkness – 2 Nephi 26:23-24
23 For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness.24 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth…
Stumbling Blocks
A stumbling block is anything that causes you to lose your balance and stop moving forward. The removal of plain and precious truths from the scriptures was a stumbling block to many. So was pride. God can help us overcome every stumbling block we face.
❖ He Invites Everyone to Come Unto Him – 2 Nephi 26:24-33
What Is Priestcraft?
Is it okay to do the right things for the wrong reasons? Near the end of his writings, Nephi issues a serious warning: We must not participate in priestcraft. Here is his description of what that means: Behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they…
“Come Unto Me” – 2 Nephi 26:25
In 2 Nephi 26, Nephi asks a series of rhetorical questions to illustrate the universality of the Savior’s love: “Doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me?” (2 Nephi 26:25) “Hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship?” (2 Nephi 26:26) “Hath he…
Bond and Free – 2 Nephi 26:33
33 For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come…
How Are We “All Alike Unto God?”
Today, I’ve been pondering two closely related scriptures: He invited them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile (2 Nephi…
Old Testament Foundations
“From Darkness to Light”
Jesus came to bring light to those who walk in darkness. No wonder He told Paul that his mission was “to turn [people] from darkness to light.” We all pass through periods of darkness, but we will receive the Savior’s perfect light as we follow Him.
“My Spirit Will Not Always Strive with Man”
There is a cryptic passage near the beginning of the book of Genesis. After listing ten generations from Adam to Noah, the author quotes the Lord as saying: My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. Genesis 6:3 What does that mean? It sounds like…
New Testament Parallels
The Friend
At the Last Supper, Jesus urged His disciples to love each other as He loved them. He explained that we demonstrate that love by making sacrifices, and He gave an extraordinary example: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 Earlier in the meal, Peter had vowed to lay…
The Bond of Perfectness and Peace
Charity is the bond of perfectness because it holds together all other Christlike attributes, making us more complete. It is the bond of peace because it helps us become more united. No wonder Mormon and Paul taught that all things must fail without it!
Church History Connections
“I Have Not Spoken in Secret”
Isaiah emphasized to his people that the Lord had communicated very clearly what they needed to know. “I have not spoken in secret,” he said; “from the beginning, from the time that it was declared have I spoken; and the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me” (Isaiah 48:16, 1 Nephi 20:16). Nephi added his own…
Invite
The Savior has introduced Himself multiple times with a variation of the following statement: I came unto my own, and my own received me not. 3 Nephi 9:16 (See also Doctrine and Covenants 6:21, 10:57, 11:29, 39:3, 45:8.) He knows what it is like to be rejected by the very people He is trying to help.…
Privilege
I’ve been thinking today about a passage from Alma’s sermon to the people of Ammonihah. Speaking of people who receive “holy callings” from God, he said: And thus they have been called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of…
All Posts Referencing 2 Nephi 26
- Accepted of the Lord (9/6/2025)
- These Truths (7/4/2025)
- “The Laborer Is Worthy of His Hire” (4/10/2025)
- “I Will Drink of the Fruit of the Vine with You” (3/27/2025)
- “All Men [and Women] Everywhere” (3/1/2025)
- Your Awful Situation (11/22/2024)
- For Our Welfare and Happiness (9/3/2024)
- Equal Rights, Shared Responsibilities (6/4/2024)
- Stumbling Blocks (3/13/2024)
- Nephi’s Vision and Nephi’s Prophecy (3/12/2024)
- Jesus Is the Christ (1/7/2024)
- The Title Page and Nephi (1/4/2024)
- No Darkness (12/2/2023)
- Charity (9/3/2023)
- “From Darkness to Light” (8/5/2023)
- The Bond of Perfectness and Peace (6/23/2023)
- Out of the Dust (9/15/2022)
- Milk and Honey (3/25/2022)
- Abram and Lot: No Strife (2/10/2022)
- “My Spirit Will Not Always Strive with Man” (2/1/2022)
- The Living Christ and the Book of Mormon (12/26/2021)
- The Friend (12/24/2021)
- The Healer (12/22/2021)
- “I Have Not Spoken in Secret” (9/24/2021)
- Invite (4/14/2021)
- Privilege (6/20/2020)
- “He Hath Lied Unto Us” – Alma 10:28, Alma 12:3 (6/12/2020)
- “Will Ye Persist in Supposing That Ye Are Better One Than Another?” – Alma 5:54 (6/4/2020)
- “I Have Spoken Unto You Plainly” – Alma 5:43 (6/3/2020)
- “From the Dust” – 2 Nephi 33:13 (3/6/2020)
- “Revealed…Manifest…Loosed” – 2 Nephi 30:17 (3/1/2020)
- “Come Unto Me” – 2 Nephi 26:25 (2/28/2020)
- Internalizing Isaiah (2/27/2020)
- What Is a “Flaxen Cord?” – 2 Nephi 26:22 (2/25/2020)
- What Does It Mean to “Dwindle in Unbelief?” (1/26/2020)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Affirm? (12/28/2019)
- Would God Lead Us Into Temptation? (12/5/2019)
- What Do We Know About God’s Love for Us? (12/2/2019)
- How Are We “All Alike Unto God?” (9/24/2019)
- What Is Pride? (9/2/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Inclusiveness? (7/21/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Racism? (4/29/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the Resurrection? (4/21/2019)
- What Is Priestcraft? (4/9/2019)
- What Do Book of Mormon Prophets Teach Us About Coming Unto the Savior? (2/13/2019)
- How Does the Savior Invite Us to Come Unto Him? (2/12/2019)
- That Jesus Is the Very Christ – 2 Nephi 26:12-13 (10/20/2018)
- The Words Which He Shall Speak…Shall Be the Law – 2 Nephi 26:1 (10/19/2018)
- Bond and Free – 2 Nephi 26:33 (8/13/2017)
- He Manifesteth Himself…unto Every Nation – 2 Nephi 26:12-13 (8/12/2017)
- Working Mighty Miracles – 2 Nephi 26:12-13 (10/19/2016)
- Except They Should Have Charity – 2 Nephi 26:29-31 (3/27/2016)
- He Hath Given It Free For All Men – 2 Nephi 26:27-28 (3/16/2015)
- The Lord God Worketh Not in Darkness – 2 Nephi 26:23-24 (3/15/2015)