The Sealed Book from the Mormon Plates

Acts of the Three Nephites

CHAPTER 3

1 Around two hundred years since the coming of Christ among the Nephites, many of my people began to divide into classes, and began to organize churches for themselves, for the purpose of obtaining riches, prestige, and glory among their brothers.

 

2 It so happened that after two hundred and ten years had passed, that there were many churches professing to be the Church of Christ among my people, yet they suppressed most of their gospel, and modified the principal doctrines and ordinances to fit to a more liberal way of living, in such a way that they tolerated all sorts of iniquities and promiscuities because of the easy path their leaders presented to their members, because they get a profit by encouraging the people from setting aside the principles of equality between brothers, because until then the true Church kept all things in common among the members, each making profit in their business, but not for themselves, but for the collective good of all the brethren under the solemn covenant of the united order, according to his desires and needs.

 

3 And these churches multiplied greatly, because of the iniquity and power of Satan that took hold of their hearts to the point of rejecting our preaching, because we were among them. Nevertheless, they threw us into prison; but its walls could not withstand the power of God that was with us and as soon as we were chained in chains, the fetters were broken. We were thrown into the fire, but we emerged unharmed before their eyes; in wild animal pits, but we played with the beasts in the same way a child plays with a lamb; and we left without any scratch before the eyes of the multitude that observed us.

 

4 Nevertheless, the people hardened their hearts, and attacked the people of Jesus; but the people of Jesus did not retaliate against the attacks, because they obeyed his teaching, of not to throw your gifts before those who despise them. And so they were degenerating in unbelief and iniquity from year to year, until two hundred and thirty years passed; and then there was a great division among the people.

 

5 And it came to pass at the beginning of these days, that there arose a people called the Nephites, and they were true believers in Christ; and there were three distinct tribes among them, whom the Lamanites called Jacobites, and Josephites, and Zoramites; because of the three disciples of Christ, for we individually ministered, each among one of these tribes, from which we descended; and all the men, women, and children who formed the people of the Church were called Nephites; independent of the tribe they belonged to; being I, Jonah, a descendant of the tribe of Joseph, one of the sons of Nephi, who was the chief disciple of the Lord.

 

6 In this way, we instituted a single identification for the people of the church, without removing the tribes that composed them, so that their Church continued on the earth, just as in the days of our ancestors when they left Egypt. For although they were twelve distinct tribes, having different patriarchal designations from one another, they were recognized only by the peoples around, as the nation of Israel.

 

7 For how much we prevailed, the Church of Christ, after he was present among his people, as the Nephite nation, until two hundred and sixty years and the people of the Church began to become proud, by virtue of their great riches; to the point of the richest they no more be willing to share their profits with the poorest, because they already resented in dividing their assets; and were vain among their brethren, the Lamanites that congregated with us. And from then on, we, the disciples, who were to remain on earth while there was the Church of Christ among the Nephites, began to suffer for the sins of the world.

 

8 Behold, here in this expression, "the disciples began to suffer for the sins of the world1" hides the great mystery of our ministry and existence among men on earth. For it was written by our poets and historians what was passed on to them by the culture of the peoples who lived with us during these two hundred and sixty years, having their children and their children's children heard some report from the past, of that we were brought to death more than once, but we were left unharmed in all cases.

(1) RLDS 3Nephi 13:51 / LDS 3Nephi 28:38

 

9 Claiming, therefore, that on the occasion of our call to remain on this earth, Jesus Christ said that "we would never taste death," but the fact is that we were told on this occasion by the voice of the Lord that "if you die in me, you will not taste the death1."
(1) RLDS D&C 42: 12f / LDS D&C 42: 46

 

10 And because of these words also it is said to this day among the Nephites: "If they were mortal or immortal from the day of their transfiguration1, nobody knows; for they themselves reported that they were caught up into heaven, but did not know whether they were cleansed from mortality to immortality2, only argued among their acquaintances that their bodies have undergone a transformation3 so that they do not prove the bitterness of death4 every time they were thrown into the fire or stoned to perish. " Therefore, although we are killed at all times, we do not suffer the pains of death or their agonies; except "for the sins of the world5."

(1) RLDS 3Nephi 13:29 / LDS 3 Nephi 28:17 | (2) RLDS 3Nephi 13:49 / LDS 3Nephi 28:36 | (3) RLDS 3Nephi 13:50 / LDS 3Nephi 28:37 | (4) RLDS D&C 42:12f / LDS 42:47 | (5) RLDS 3Nephi 13:51 / LDS 3Nephi 28:38

 

11 I speak of this, because of the iniquity and unbelief that increased among the Nephite people from time to time, and of the many times that the three of us were taken out of the midst of the people and regarded as slain by those who knew us. This happened for the first time one hundred years after the coming of Christ, when all the disciples had already gone to the paradise of God except us three1, but the whole first generation of those who saw Jesus had died2.

(1) RLDS 4Nephi 1:15-16 / LDS 4Nephi 1:14 | (2) RLDS 4Nephi 1:21 / LDS 4Nephi 1:18

 

12 My father was one of the disciples of Jesus Christ, the one who resurrected his brother Timothy1, and who was still alive on the occasion of everyone already have died, except us three2. And the church was living a period of peace and justice among its people, but as soon as the Lord transferred us again, behold, one of my brethren gave continuity to our father's record.

(1) RLDS 3Nephi 3:60; 9:4 /LDS 3Nephi 7:19; 19:4 | (2) RLDS 4Nephi 1:15-16, 22 / LDS 4Nephi 1:14, 19

 

13 Now, whether we die or not, we do not know for sure. Nevertheless, what happens to us is that we do not suffer the pains of death, which are forgetfulness when passing through the veil, but behold, we remember all things both in this dwelling and in the other, and so we must remain until all things be fulfilled, when then Jesus comes among his people in the last days, just as he came among the Nephites, and we will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye, of the mortality, that is, of this mortal state in which we are being delivered to death at all times, to immortality1.

(1) RLDS 3Nephi 13:19 / LDS 3Nephi 28:8

 

14 And in this transitory state of being and not being in the world, we must remain, going and coming, in a partial and continuous transformation of what we are to be at the last day, so that Satan will not have power over us and so little acknowledge us among the children of men, and that we may not be held back by the rulers of the earth until the day of judgment, when we will then go through a complete transformation so that we may no longer leave the presence of God1.

(1) RLDS 3Nephi 13:52-53 / LDS 3Nephi 28:39-40

 

15 Nevertheless, the lack of references by the ancient prophets in their writings to this procedure which Jesus Christ used with us, who are the three disciples that should remain in the land, does not appear to exist in any previous account in the history of the gospel, from the beginning until now; except the account that was shown to us, when we were caught up, and we saw a book written by an apostle of the Lord, whose name was John; the one of whom the Lord Jesus had told us: "Behold, I know your thoughts, and you desire what John, my beloved, who has accompanied me in my ministry before I was condemned by the Jews, desired of me."

 

16 And after we were caught up and transfigured before the throne of God, we were shown all the unspeakable things of the mysteries written by this apostle John1; but because of the order which we have received in heaven, we do not report anything, for how much, we ministered among all inhabited earth, and we have recorded the things which we have seen and heard of the revelations written by him, to be revealed, when at last these things begin to occur again between the children of men2.
(1) RLDS 3Nephi 13:24-27 / LDS 3Nephi 28:12-15 | (2) RLDS 3Nephi 13:28 / LDS 3Nephi28:16

 

17 For how much it is difficult to explain this great mystery which surrounds us, when we ourselves are beginning to understand. The fact is that after a hundred years that have passed since we were removed from our brethren, that is, two hundred and ten years from the time that Christ came among his people, we were considered dead among our kindred, and behold, the Lord brought us back among this people on more than one occasion, for how much there was no more peace and righteousness between them.

 

18 It was when the people began to divide into classes, and they began to organize churches for themselves, for the purpose of obtaining riches, prestige and glory among their brethren, as I mentioned earlier in this record. Yea, even among those who are remnants of the tribes that each of us was responsible for, who are Jacobites and Josephites and Zoramites.