Have you ever been ridiculed because of your beliefs? Consider how much faith a person would need to remain true and faithful even if it meant being imprisoned or sentenced to death. Believing Nephites and Lamanites experienced this very challenge as the time drew near for Samuel’s prophecies concerning the coming of Jesus Christ to be fulfilled. As you read 3 Nephi 1, try to imagine what non-believers might have said to the believers and how difficult it must have been to have remained faithful in those days. Most of us are familiar with the story of the Savior’s birth in Bethlehem, but the events that occurred among the Book of Mormon people at the time of Christ’s birth are just as significant.
Understanding the Scriptures
3 Nephi 1
| Charge (v. 2) | Responsibility |
| Stead (v. 3) | Place |
| Wrought (v. 4) | Done |
| Vain (vv. 6, 8) | Useless, foolish |
| Uproar (v. 7) | Disturbance |
| Every whit (vv. 20, 25) | Every small part |
| Endeavoring (v. 24) | Attempting |
| Expedient (v. 24) | Necessary |
| Jot or tittle (v. 25) | Smallest part |
| Holds (v. 27) | Forts |
| Dissenters (v. 28) | People who stopped believing and joined the enemy |
| For themselves (v. 29) | Selfish, rebellious |
| Rising generation (v. 30) | Youth |
Studying the Scriptures
Do activity A or B as you study 3 Nephi 1.
Make a Journal Entry
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1.
Write what you think someone living at that time might have written in his or her journal after the events in 3 Nephi 1:1–21. Describe the situation—the hopes, fears, and reactions this person may have had.
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2.
Explain what we can learn about the Lord and His prophets from such an experience.
Conversions
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1.
List at least four different groups of people referred to in 3 Nephi 1:22–30 and describe how the signs of Christ’s birth affected each group’s testimony and conversion.
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2.
What does this teach you about the importance of signs in the conversion process?
