Helaman - Relevant Warning for our day

The entire Book of Mormon was “compiled” for our day. The book of Helaman is especially relevant for our day—even prophetic. We should read the Book of Mormon, especially Helaman anticipating relevance. (In book of Mormon it is not hard to discover)

Are we prepared for Large Dangers and miss the small dangers in our lives?

“When you are full in the sail and caught in the gale, below of the dangers below”
Book of Alma shows an increasing Lamanite threat culminating at the end Alma
Helaman shows the threats that come from within

The Lamanite Danger
External
Recognizable
Dominant
Danger can end extremely quickly (i.e. cold war)

The Nephite Danger
Subtle, upward, rising threats
Internal (Organized Crime 80s,90s)
(or unrecognized external) Radical Islam 00’s
Can grow extremely rapidly

Mormon shows how big of a threat Gadianton Robbers are. (Helaman 2:13,14)

4 Headed Serpent
1) Corruption of Law
2) Secret Combinations
a. The word in our day for Combinations is ORGANIZATIONS.
b. Combine or come together in secret to do organized,combined evil
3) Materialism ( This is the BIG head)
4) Spiritual Dwindling
a. Values of nation are lost

Wilcox says currently our nation has all 4
Iniquity in the world is rising and the church is a few steps behind it

1) Corruption of Law

The corruptness of the law actually started back in Alma 10:17 and Alma 10:26,27
(Materialism obscures lawyers, which obscures laws and breeds secret, which erodes values

Wilcox read from “A World Split Apart” Commencement Address Delivered At Harvard University June 8, 1978 By Alexander I. Solzhenitsyn. He also recommended

Also mentioned an the commencement address --"Exhausted West" by the same author as worthy of review. ( available online)

“Western society has chosen for itself the organization best suited to its purposes and one I might call legalistic. The limits of human rights and rightness are determined by a system of laws; such limits are very broad. People in the West have acquired considerable skill in using, interpreting, and manipulating law (though laws tend to be too complicated for an average person to understand without the help of an expert). Every conflict is solved according to the letter of the law and this is considered to be the ultimate solution.”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/776305/posts

“But should I be asked, instead, whether I would propose the West, such as it is today, as a model to my country, I would frankly have to answer negatively. No, I could not recommend your society as an ideal for the transformation of ours. Through deep suffering, people in our own country have now achieved a spiritual development of such intensity that the Western system in its present state of spiritual exhaustion does not look attractive”

Many things are legal, but are not ethical.


The righteousness of the Nephites and Lamanites changed over
v.34 dwindle in unbelief
grow in wickedness
v.35 spirit withdrew
support Gadianton Robbers

v.36 ease and willingness to believe
v.34 grow exceedingly in knowledge
v.36 pour out spirit
v.37 lamanites hunt robbers

2) Secret Combinations

3 Satanic lessons as learned by Cain
1) How to Murder for Money, How to Exchange Life for profit.
Cain killed abel for flocks.
Pornography, Drugs, Alcohol are a slow death for money
Slavery, especially child slavery
Robber Barons
2) How to get away with it. You can sin and not pay.
3) You don’t need to be your brothers keepersEvery man prospers according to their own geniusLaw of the jungle ( dog eat dog world)No responsibility to brothers, sisters, the world

Gospel is the opposite
1) God exchanged his Life for the Spiritual Wealth of all of us
2) Truth will make you free. Mercy
3) Love Neighbor as Self




3) Materialism

Helaman 3 Pride
v. little pride
v.24 great prosperity
v.33 pride into people, in the church
v.34 lifted up in pride
v.36 exceedingly great pride
v.36 grow upon them day to day
Hel 4:12 pride and riches
Hel 6:17 Set hearts on riches
Seek gain to be lifted up
Began murdering, robbing, plundering for gain
Hel 6:35 Heart hardened
Spirit withdrew
v.33 Pride of heart
v36 Great pride of heart

Book of Mormon never gives problems without solutions, lessons.
Hel 6:20-30

Satan is always trying to get hold of our hearts and make it cold and kill it.
An interesting study is the study of the word Heart in the book of Helaman

We need to take hold of something in our hands to protect our hearts
i.e. Iron Rod,Sword,Compass,Shield,Lamp

Wilcox shared that Boyd K. Packer is one of greatest examples of yielding heart. He gave 100%-- everything I have and ever will be.

Yielding hearts bring sanctification


4) Spiritual Values

Wilcox thanked the class for feeling that truth is pulled out of him every week, rather than having to push it out. More on spiritual values next week