what i believe: a sign was given

(I've talked before about my belief in the Book of Mormon, a book translated by Joseph Smith in the 1800s. To learn more about it, you can read my previous post here.)

If you'll recall, the Book of Mormon talks mostly about the Nephites and the Lamanites, who lived in the Americas during biblical times. In general, we think of the Nephites as the more righteous group and the Lamanites as the more wicked ones, although that does flip-flop once or twice throughout the book when the Nephites became prideful. The story I'm talking about right now is one of those times. Most of the Nephites had become very wicked, bad people. One man, Samuel, was a Lamanite. He was a prophet called by God to preach to the Nephites. He told them they needed to repent and turn again to God. The Nephites were upset (who likes being called to repentance? I know I don't) and they drove him out of their city. The Lord told him to go back, and so he did. He climbed on a wall, and preached and prophesied. He prophesied about the birth of Christ, saying:

Behold, I give unto you a sign; for five years more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name. And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day. Therefore there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night...And behold, there shall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you....and it shall come to pass that ye shall all be amazed, and wonder, insomuch that ye shall fall to the earth. (Helaman 14: 2-5, 7)

Many of the Nephites believed Samuel, and they repented and were baptized by Nephi, a Nephite prophet. Lots of people didn't believe Samuel, however, and tried to persuade the believers that it wasn't reasonable to believe in Christ or his coming at Jerusalem.

Things started to get bad for the believers. It had been almost five years since Samuel had prophesied and people were saying that the time for the sign had passed, and it wasn't going to happen (see 1 Nephi 1: 6). The unbelievers set a day, that if the signs that Samuel had prophesied about did not come (the night with no darkness and a new star specifically), all the believers in Christ would be put to death.

Nephi was sad, and prayed and "cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people" (3 Nephi 1: 11). As he was praying, he heard the voice of the Lord. I have to quote it because it's such a powerful scripture:

Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the ^asign be given, and on the ^bmorrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be ^cspoken by the mouth of my holy prophets. (3 Nephi 1:13)

And it happened.

15 And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of the ^asun there was ^bno darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came.

16 And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who ^afell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great ^bplan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand.

17 And they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth from the ^awest to the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth.

18 For they knew that the prophets had testified of these things for many years, and that the sign which had been given was already at hand; and they began to fear because of their iniquity and their unbelief.

19 And it came to pass that there was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day. And it came to pass that the sun did rise in the morning again, according to its proper order; and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be ^aborn, because of the ^bsign which had been given.

20 And it had come to pass, yea, all things, every whit, according to the words of the prophets.

21 And it came to pass also that a new ^astar did appear, according to the word. (3 Nephi 1: 15-21)

The righteous Nephites lives were spared. The words of a prophet came true; Christ was born in Bethlehem, just as it had been foretold. But one of the best parts of this story is this: that when the wicked Nephites were saying that the time for the sign had passed, the righteous Nephites didn't just agree with them and decide Samuel was a liar. They kept believing."They did watch steadfastly for that day and that night and that day which should be as one day as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith had not been in vain" (3 Nephi 1: 8). Their faith did not waiver, even in the face of persecution, even with the possibility that they might lose their lives for their faith. They believed.

I believe. I believe that Christ was born of Mary. I believe that he was literally the Son of God, the only begotten of the Father in the flesh; the words Isaiah spoke were true.

For unto us a ^achild is ^bborn, unto us a ^cson is given: and the ^dgovernment shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, ^eCounsellor, The ^fmighty ^gGod, The ^heverlasting Father, The Prince of ⁱPeace (Isaiah 9: 6).

I believe a sign was given.

(art credit:she shall bring forth a son, liz lemon swindle)