319 Mormon Bids Farewell to a Once Great Nation

Mormon 67; Mormon 8:23; Moroni 1
O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you! Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. But behold, ye are fallen, and I mourn your loss. Mormon 6:1718

Mormon knew he was getting old and that the Nephites would soon fight their last battle against the Lamanites. He did not want the Lamanites to destroy the sacred records of his people, so he hid part of them in the Hill Cumorah and gave the rest to his son, Moroni. Mormon gathered all the Nephites to the land of Cumorah for the last battle. (See Mormon 6:6.) The fighting was fierce, and by the end the Lamanites had killed all but 24 of the Nephites (see Mormon 6:11).

As Mormon looked at the tens of thousands who had been killed, he cried out:

"O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! ... how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!

"Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen" (Mormon 6:1718).

Mormon then wrote to the Lamanites of the latter days, telling them to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. He told them to stop waging war, to be baptized, and to receive the Holy Ghost. He said if they would do these things, they would be blessed in the Day of Judgment. (See Mormon 7:1, Mormon 7:35, Mormon 7:8, Mormon 7:10.)

The Lamanites hunted and killed the remaining Nephites, including Mormon. Only Moroni was left. (See Mormon 8:23; Moroni 1.)

Summary

Mormon gathered his people to the land of Cumorah for one last battle with the Lamanites. Because the Lord had commanded him to protect the records of his people, Mormon hid in the Hill Cumorah all but a few plates. He gave these last records to his faithful son, Moroni. Nearly all of the Nephites were killed during the final battle. Mormon was filled with sorrow, for he knew the Nephites were destroyed because they rejected Jesus Christ. He wrote to the Lamanites of the latter days to tell them to repent and believe in Jesus. Eventually the Lamanites killed the remaining Nephites, including Mormon. Only Moroni survived.

Artist, Arnold Friberg

© 2002 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA