2 Nephi 27-28

2 Nephi Lesson 12: 2 Nephi 27-28
Day 1: Read 2 Nephi 27:1-5; Isaiah 29:6-10 with footnotes
1. Nephi quotes again extensively from Isaiah in 2 Nephi 27, inserting his commentary and related prophecies. Read the chapter heading for Isaiah 29. According to this note, who will speak as a voice from the dust? From 2 Nephi 27:1, when will these prophecies of Isaiah have their fulfillment?



2. Isaiah 29:9 is quoted in 2 Nephi 27:4. The prophecy states that men will be “drunken but not with wine.” According to 2 Nephi 27:1, with what will they be drunken? How will this cause them to “stagger”? (Hint: use 2 Nephi 27:5)



3. What will happen to all the nations that fight against Zion?



Day 2: Read 2 Nephi 27:6-14; D&C 5:5-15; Luke 12:3; “The Testimony of Three Witnesses” found after the Introduction to the Book of Mormon in the front of the book.
4. What is contained in the sealed portion of the Nephite records?




5. How can we read the Book of Mormon “upon the housetops” today? What will happen when we do?




6. How did Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris receive their witness of the plates?



Day 3: Read 2 Nephi 27:15-23; JS-H 1:64-65; Ether 4:6-7
7. According to 2 Nephi 27:16, why did “the learned” want to read the book? Use the footnote for 16a to give a name to this kind of motivation.



8. In what way(s) does the passage in JS-H 1:64-65 fulfill this prophecy from Isaiah and Nephi?




9. From 2 Nephi 27:23, what is Jehovah a God of? Use Ether 4:6-7 to help list the steps Gentiles will need to take in order to receive the sealed portion of scripture.




Day 4: Read 2 Nephi 27:23-35; Isaiah 29:13-24; JS-H 1:19
10. How do people today draw near to the Lord with their lips but remove their hearts far from Him?



11. What is the marvelous (astonishing!) work of the Lord today? List specific things you consider astonishing.


12. What role does pride play in trying to hide our works of darkness from the Lord? How does considering ourselves as “potter’s clay” keep us humble?



Day 5: Read 2 Nephi 28:1-6; Mormon 8:23, 26-32
Note: One way of looking at 2 Nephi 28 is as a playbook for Satan’s “game plan.” As such, it is also a commentary on 2 Nephi 27.
13. Without giving specific names of denominations, list ways in which churches today “contend with each other.”



14. Why would a church “deny the power of God” or teach that God is “not a God of miracles”?



15. Moroni, writing in Mormon 8:26-32, describes the day when the Book of Mormon will come forth. What does Moroni identify as a motivator for the contentions and false doctrine of the latter days?


Day 6: Read 2 Nephi 28:7-15; 3 Nephi 29:4-7
16. Of the two “false and foolish” doctrines outlined in 2 Nephi 28:7-8, which do you think is potentially most harmful? Why?



17. How many times is the word “pride” used in verses 11-15?


18. Read 3 Nephi 29:4-7. What is the fate of those who deny Christ for gain, or “pervert the way of the Lord”?



Day 7: Read 2 Nephi 28:16-32
19. According to 2 Nephi 28:19-20, what does Satan want to “stir up” in us?


20. From 2 Nephi 28:21-23, give two main categories of deceit Satan uses against us.



21. Use the last three verses of 2 Nephi 28 to list the main points of the Lord’s plan for us.