Abinadi and the name of Christ

In this post, Lord Wilmore identifies angels as the source of the name of Christ in the Book of Mormon. The name, Jesus Christ, is special sacred knowledge revealed by angels and recorded in holy writ. The post mentions Abinadi as an example. In Mosiah 15:21, Abinadi says:

And there cometh a resurrection, even a first resurrection; yea, even a resurrection of those that have been, and who are, and who shall be, even until the resurrection of Christ—for so shall he be called.

At this point, Abinadi reveals the name of Christ to king Noah and his priests as if they don't know. Really? The Book of Mormon has mentioned Jesus Christ numerous times before this point. But what we need to keep in mind (and what makes the Book of Mormon so complex) is that it was put together long after these events from different sources, some of them being abbreviated. There are several subtle details that are easily missed, but demonstrate another case of both complexity and internal consistency of the Book of Mormon.

Abinadi's use of the name, Christ

Abinadi enters the scene in Mosiah 11 and in Mosiah 12 he starts his sermon. Not once is Christ mentioned by name until Mosiah 15:21. "Christ - for so shall he be called" signifies an introduction. After this, Abinadi mentions Christ by name 7 times in the remaining 25 verses of his sermon. We have seen some posts before demonstrating how many details Joseph Smith would need to keep in his mind and get straight, had he made this up. Making sure to mention Christ by name only after an introduction in the middle of the sermon (actually more towards the end), is another one of those. These details are sometimes so subtle that nobody even thinks about it. I didn't until very recently.

Zeniff's people's knowledge of Christ

Not only does Abinadi not mention Christ by name until Mosiah 15:21. He is not mentioned at all among the people of Zeniff. Abinadi started preaching during the reigh of King Noah, Zeniff's son. Unlike Noah, Zeniff seemed a righteous king. But even though Mormon quotes directly from Zeniff's writings in Mosiah 10 and 11, Christ is not mentioned at all. It is obvious that his name was not common knowledge among the people of Zeniff and Noah. How can that be? Surely, Christ is mentioned multiple times just a few chapters earlier in Mosiah. King Benjamin gave the people a new name. The name was Christ. They entered into a covenant and were born by Him becoming his sons and daughters.

But this is all just another demonstration of the complex, yet consistent narrative of the Book of Mormon, including subtle details. Zeniff and his group had already left Zarahemla when King Benjamin addressed the people. The reason is the Book of Mormon not always being chronological and Mosiah 9 starting with a flashback. In fact, Abinadi revealed the name of Christ to King Noah and his people in the land of Nephi a few decades before king Benjamin revealed the name of Christ to his people in Zarahemla. The reception could not have been more different. Here is the result from King Benjamin's speech

And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters. (Mosiah 5:7)

King Noah on the other hand, says

7 And he said unto him: Abinadi, we have found an accusation against thee, and thou art worthy of death.
8 For thou hast said that God himself should come down among the children of men; and now, for this cause thou shalt be put to death (Mosiah 17)

The "new name" that King Benjamin would give his people indicates that the name of Christ was not common knowledge among the people of Zarahemla at the time. In that case, it is reasonable to conclude that it was not common knowledge decades earlier either, as Zeniff and his group went up to the Land of Nephi. That explains why Zeniff never mentioned Christ and Abinadi had to introduce him by name. 

Access to the small plates of Nephi

Is it really reasonable to think that the people of Zarahemla, led by a righteous king, did not know Christ by name? Then why is "Christ" found multiple times in the Book of Mormon prior to these events in Mosiah? We need to keep in mind that everything prior to Mosiah in the Book of Mormon is taken from the small plates of Nephi. They were considered sacred and contained sacred knowledge revealed by angels. Nephi has this to say about them:

And an account of my making these plates shall be given hereafter; and then, behold, I proceed according to that which I have spoken; and this I do that the more sacred things may be kept for the knowledge of my people. (1 Nephi 19:5)

Since Nephi has just mentioned the large plates, I assume "more sacred" is in comparison with them. Perhaps the small plates, for this reason, were not copied and distributed among the people and the name of Christ was not taught and generally known in Zarahemla until King Benjamin gave his speech. Similarly, the people of Zeniff and Noah had no access to the small plates of Nephi that were in King Benjamin's possession, and had to learn the name of Christ from Abinadi (who might have learned it from an angel?).

It all makes sense and remains consistent, but we need to study deep and pay attention to the details to realize it. 

A reasonable question to ask about all this is what "Christ" is doing in the Book of Mormon at all, being a Greek translation of the Hebrew, "Messiah". Obviously, Christ is just the English translation (because that is considered his name in English) of an unknown word/name in the Nephite language. We don't know what that was. We only know that it was considered sacred, it was only revealed on certain occasions and it had special transforming power.

Remembering in the Book of Mormon

The word, remember, has been discussed on this blog before. I think this is the latest one, with references to previous posts. It is worth bringing up because the connotation in the scriptures is slightly different from our modern understanding of it. This is especially seen when the scriptures talk about God remembering something. With our modern understanding of the term, the all-knowing God should never have to remember anything, so this whole concept may seem strange.

Bibliical scholar, Matthew R. Schlimm explains

We usually talk about remembering impersonal objects: concepts, ideas, facts, where we put something, where we heard something, or how a joke goes. In the Bible, the verb zakhar is linked more to people than objects. God remembers people, as well as relationship concepts, like covenants. As we will see, people are also called to remember God. Finally, while the basic meaning of zakhar is “remember,” we’re not talking about momentarily recalling a fact. The verb relates to reflection that usually leads to action. As one scholar puts it, “God’s remembering has to do with his attention and intervention, whether in grace or judgment.” Another scholar goes even further, saying, “When God is challenged to ‘remember’ the meaning is better taken as ‘pay attention to.’” So, while “remember” often works to translate zakhar, there are times when it means “reflectively call to mind and act accordingly.”

Out of curiosity, I searched through the Book of Mormon to find examples of God remembering someone or something. I found many, but to my surprise, every single time God is remembering in the Book of Mormon, it is his covenants or his covenant people. No exceptions. I will not quote all the scriptures here but they are found in

• 2 Nephi 29 (several times)
• 1 Nephi 19 (several times)
• Mormon 8:21-23
• 3 Nephi 16:11-12
• Mormon 5:20-21
• 2 Nephi 3 (several times)
• 3 Nephi 29:3
• 3 Nephi 20:29
• Ether 4:15
• 1 Nephi 17:40
• Mormon 9:37

For instance, 3 Nephi 29:3 states

And ye need not imagine in your hearts that the words which have been spoken are vain, for behold, the Lord will remember his covenant which he hath made unto his people of the house of Israel.

Every time God remembers in the Book of Mormon, the wording is similar: It is always about covenants and his covenants people. Consider this example in 1 Nephi 19

15 Nevertheless, when that day cometh, saith the prophet, that they no more turn aside their hearts against the Holy One of Israel, then will he remember the covenants which he made to their fathers.

16 Yea, then will he remember the isles of the sea; yea, and all the people who are of the house of Israel, will I gather in, saith the Lord, according to the words of the prophet Zenos, from the four quarters of the earth.

17 Yea, and all the earth shall see the salvation of the Lord, saith the prophet; every nation, kindred, tongue and people shall be blessed.

18 And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that perhaps I might persuade them that they would remember the Lord their Redeemer.

Notice that the Holy One of Israel remembers the covenants and his people in verses 15 and 16 and that Nephi writes this to persuade his people to remember Him in return. When people remember or are admonished to remember something in the Book of Mormon, there is more variation. Often they remember God, but it can also be certain words for instance. Helaman 5 contains a good illustration of the point made in the quote from Schlimm, that "the verb (remember) relates to reflection that usually leads to action". 

5 For they remembered the words which their father Helaman spake unto them. And these are the words which he spake:

6 Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God;

In the verses that follow until verse 12, the word "remember" is used 13 more times. The sons of Helaman are urged to remember their forefathers, the words of King Benjamin, the words of Amulek and to build their foundation on the rock of their redeemer. After all this, we read about the effect on the sons of Helaman

And they did remember his words; and therefore they went forth, keeping the commandments of God (Helaman 5:14)

Because they remembered, they went forth and kept the commandments. When God remembers his covenants, he offers his gospel, restores his church brings forth the Book of Mormon, enables the blessings of the temple, etc. When we remember Him or the things we have been taught, it should also lead to action on our part. We should go forth keeping the commandments like the sons of Helaman.

Hearing His voice

Recently, the Prophet has invited us to hear Him like the boy Joseph Smith did. I want to contextualize this by looking at how the scriptures invite us to hear God and how He has spoken to people in the past. I have picked up several learning points that I have divided into sections of this post.

A still small voice

It is likely that the account of the prophet Elijah was found on the brass plates. One of the most well-know stories about Elijah is found in 1 Kings 19:11-13

11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle

The last part, where Elijah wrapped his face, signifies God's presence. It was the still, small voice that came from the Lord. The Book of Mormon also talks about this still small voice. 

And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul (Helaman 5:30)

And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn. (3 Nephi 11:3)

The last one is from the Savior's visit to the Nephites. It is interesting to notice that there is quaking and burning, just like the Elijah account, but they are internal instead of external. The still, small voice causes the frame to quake and the heart to burn. Another possible allusion to Elijah is found in 1 Nephi 17:45.

ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder.

Compared to Elijah the events are reversed. God first tries with his still, small voice. But since they are "past feeling", he must resort to the thunder and earthquakes instead. The prophet Zenos, who Nephi quotes in 1 Nephi 19, seems to indicate that this marks the difference between the righteous and wicked. 

For thus spake the prophet: The Lord God surely shall visit all the house of Israel at that day, some with his voice, because of their righteousness, unto their great joy and salvation, and others with the thunderings and the lightnings of his power, by tempest, by fire, and by smoke, and vapor of darkness, and by the opening of the earth, and by mountains which shall be carried up.

The thunder and tempest also comes from God, but only those who hear his voice are able to withstand those things. The next section describes a people who didn't. 

The fate of those who refuse to hear his voice

Another well-known account combining God's voice with thunder and lightning is Moses on Mount Sinai. There is a clear connection to Elijah. 1 Kings 19 and Exodus 20 both take place on Mount Horeb. Horeb is just another word for Sinai, or there may be two adjacent summits with two different names, as some scholars believe. In any case, 1 Kings 8:9 states that Moses got the commandments at Horeb and 1 Kings 19:8 states that Elijah was at Horeb when God manifested himself with a still, small voice. According to that verse, Horeb is the Mount of God. There are several other parallels. For instance, both Moses and Elijah fasted there for 40 days. Elijah cause the Jordan River to part in 1 Kings 2, like Moses the Red Sea. Moses' succcessor was Joshua, which means Yahweh saves, whereas Elijah's successor was Elisha meaning El (God) saves.

The Mount of God is easily associated with the temple and from a Latter-Day Saint perspective there is further connection in the fact that both Moses and Elijah appeared in the Kirtland temple in 1836 to restore Priesthood keys, just as they had appeared together on the Mount of Transfiguration.

When God speaks to Moses, it doesn't say that he does so in a still, small voice. To the contrary, we get the impression that it is the thundering and lightening signifying his presence. So in that context, it is surprising that God was not found in the storm, earthquake or fire when appearing to Elijah. I don't know the reason for this difference, when there are so many parallels. But in the story of Moses, it is not just about him, but also the whole people of Israel.

18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. (Exodus 20)

The children of Israel were afraid and did not want to listen. This is why the psalmist refers to them when he writes

7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,

8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness (Psalm 95)

I will get back to the part marked with green. "The provocation" and "day of temptation" are references to the children of Israel. The psalmist goes on to remind us that they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years instead of "entering into His rest" in the promised land. All because they did not hear his voice. As we just saw in Exodus 20, they did not want to hear his voice. They wanted Moses to take care of that part, he could just tell them later what God said. Similarly, if we do not seek to hear God's voice, hearing what the Prophet says will not help. The words of the Prophet are the words of God and to recognize them as such we must learn to hear Him. Then we can hear God's word and will through the prophet as well as directly and personally to us. This is why the prophet does not say "hear me", but rather "hear Him".

This quote from Psalm 95 has been discussed several times on this blog and is also referred to several times in all the other standard works, especially the bold part. Here are some examples from the Doctrine and Covenants.

And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts (D&C 29:7)

Hearken, O ye people of my church, and ye elders listen together, and hear my voice while it is called today, and harden not your hearts (D&C 45:6)

And even so will I cause the wicked to be kept, that will not hear my voice but harden their hearts, and wo, wo, wo, is their doom. (D&C 38:6) 

We need to hear his voice while it is called today. Tomorrow he may call us and invite us to his rest, but if we have not familiarized with his voice we don't recognize it and respond, and will not "enter in". Not because the gates have closed right in front of us, but because we are still wandering mindlessly around in the wilderness. 

Jacob also alludes to Psalm 95.

5 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts.
6 Yea, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts; for why will ye die? (Jacob 6)

"why will ye die" is further reference to the children of Israel. Jacob urges his people not to be like their forefathers, who refused to hear his voice and died in the wilderness as a consequence, instead of entering into his rest.

"My sheep hear my voice"

Back to the green marking in Psalm 95. There is a shepherd/sheep analogy often linked to hearing his voice. 

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (John 10:16)

This is referenced and expanded on in 3 Nephi 15 and 16. One fold and one shepherd is a result of the gathering of Israel. Hearing his voice is a prerequisite. When the shepherd calls and we don't respond, there can be no gathering. 

21 And he that will hear my voice shall be my sheep; and him shall ye receive into the church, and him will I also receive. (Mosiah 26:21)

Alma teaches this very clearly

37 O ye workers of iniquity; ye that are puffed up in the vain things of the world, ye that have professed to have known the ways of righteousness nevertheless have gone astray, as sheep having no shepherd, notwithstanding a shepherd hath called after you and is still calling after you, but ye will not hearken unto his voice!...
57 And now I say unto you, all you that are desirous to follow the voice of the good shepherd, come ye out from the wicked, and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things; and behold, their names shall be blotted out, that the names of the wicked shall not be numbered among the names of the righteous, that the word of God may be fulfilled, which saith: The names of the wicked shall not be mingled with the names of my people...
60 And now I say unto you that the good shepherd doth call after you; and if you will hearken unto his voice he will bring you into his fold (Alma 5)

We are called upon by the good shepherd who wants to gather us into his fold. The gathering consists of each sheep coming "out from the wicked" and being "separate". He has called and is still calling, so it is up to us to listen, hearken and follow his voice. It is for our own good. He will lead us to safety and good pasture. If we have not learned to recognize his voice, there can be no gathering. On the other hand, when we hearken to his voice and gather, we are ready for the next step: Seeing his face.

Hearing his voice leads to seeing his face

In this section we will see how the scriptures teach that hearing his voice enables us to eventually see his face. We return again to the Exodus to draw a lesson from the ancient Israelites. We learned in chapter 20 that they were afraid and did not want to hear God's voice. This is what happened in chapter 19

5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him.

8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.

9 And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord.

10 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,

11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

I have marked some with purple also to highlight another point: When the good shepherd calls and invites us into his fold, we respond to this invitation by entering into a covenant with him. The gathering of Israel is the gathering of a covenant people. At Horeb/Sinai, Israel promised to obey his voice ("all that the Lord hath spoken we will do"), but as we saw in chapter 20, at the end of the day, they did not even want to hear it. Too bad because this would have enabled them not only to hear him but also seeing him. The Lord comments on this in D&C 84

19 And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.
20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.
21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;
22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.
23 Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God;
24 But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory.

Hearing his voice is a preparatory step, often involving priesthood ordinances and covenants, that will enable us to one day see the face of God.

66 Behold, that which you hear is as the voice of one crying in the wilderness—in the wilderness, because you cannot see him—my voice, because my voice is Spirit; my Spirit is truth; truth abideth and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound.
67 And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.
68 Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will. (D&C 88)

There might be subtle allusions to the Exodus here too. The "wilderness" and admonition to "sanctify yourselves" as the children of Israel were asked, are possible clues. All these references are pointing us to a story where there are lessons to be learned. The children of Israel refused the invitation to hear him. As a consequence, the higher priesthood was taken away from them and they wandered and eventually died in the wilderness without entering into his rest. Similarly, in the wilderness of our lives, the good shepherd calls us and invites us to him and his fold through covenants administered by the Mechizedek Priesthood that has been restored. If we learn from the mistakes of Israel of old and, as a latter-day people of Israel, hear his voice instead of hardening our hearts and sanctify ourselves, we will enter into his rest and behold his face. In this context, the Prophet's invitation to us today to "hear Him" is absolutely crucial.

Angels declaring the time of the coming of Christ

In this post, Lord Wilmore demonstrates that angels are the source of the name of Christ. I just realized that angels also are the source of the timing for the coming of Christ. This is special, sacred knowledge not normally revealed, except in special circumstances by holy angels. Considering all cases of the timing of the coming of Christ in the Book of Mormon certainly leads to this conclusion. The first time this is brought up in the Book of Mormon is 1 Nephi 10:4

Yea, even six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem, a prophet would the Lord God raise up among the Jews—even a Messiah, or, in other words, a Savior of the world.

There is no mention of any angel here. But in 1 Nephi 19:8, Nephi repeats this and reveals the source of information

And behold he cometh, according to the words of the angel, in six hundred years from the time my father left Jerusalem.

2 Nephi 25:19 may be more ambiguous

For according to the words of the prophets, the Messiah cometh in six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem; and according to the words of the prophets, and also the word of the angel of God, his name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Here we have the source of both the name of Christ and the timing of his coming. The timing is "according to the words of the prophets", but "the word of the angel" is added indicating where the prophets got their knowledge in the first place.

Even though the 600-year prophecy is repeated a few times, there is no count-down in the Book of Mormon. I am speculating here, but I believe that this was information only contained on the small plates and not generally revealed and distributed to the people. The time of Christ's coming is only mentioned in unclear terms after the Book of Omni when the small plates were full and only the large plates continued. Not until Samuel the Lamanite prophesied 5 years before his coming, was a specific time mentioned again.

King Benjamin brings it up without a specific time stamp but with the assurance that these are the words of an angel.

2 And the things which I shall tell you are made known unto me by an angel from God...
5 For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay...

The topic is brought up again in Alma 13:24-25

24 For behold, angels are declaring it unto many at this time in our land; and this is for the purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word at the time of his coming in his glory.
25 And now we only wait to hear the joyful news declared unto us by the mouth of angels, of his coming; for the time cometh, we know not how soon. Would to God that it might be in my day; but let it be sooner or later, in it I will rejoice.

This one might seem strange. Alma says he does not know when Christ will come. Had he not read the small plates? A careful reading suggests that Alma was talking about Christ's coming to the Nephites. The 600 year prophecy was about Christ's coming to earth, i.e. his birth at the land of their fathers. In verse 24 above, we read about the people in "our land" receiving "his word at the time of his coming in his glory". This must be referring to his appearance to the Nephites. Alma probably knew from 2 Nephi 26:1 that it would happen sometime after his death and resurrection, but he didn't know when. Even though he probably knew about the 600 year prophecy, he was not giving away too much. 

Another puzzling statement here is "would to God that it might be in my day". If Alma knew that Christ's coming to earth was yet 82 years away and Christ would appear to the Nephites after that, how could it possibly be in his day? The answer is simple: Alma knew that was not the case. "Would to God" in the Book of Mormon means "I know it is not the case but I wish it were". This expression is used twice elsewhere in the Book of Mormon (Jacob 1:8 and Alma 39:7) and we can see from both of those verses that this is what is meant.

Then, finally, we get to Samuel the Lamanite.

2 And behold, he said unto them: Behold, I give unto you a sign; for five years more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name...
9 And behold, thus hath the Lord commanded me, by his angel... (Helaman 14)

I might have missed something, but as far as I know, these are all the occasions where the Book of Mormon mentions the time of the coming of Christ. Every time, angels are the source of information. They are messengers bringing sacred knowledge in special circumstances. Before the coming of Christ, this sacred knowledge included his name and the time of his coming.

Matthew 24:36 is interesting in this context

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

This is of course talking about the second coming. The time of his second coming is also special, sacred knowledge. When the angels don't know, nobody knows! Perhaps, one day they will and perhaps they will also bring this sacred knowledge to prophets. But I expect and am content with never knowing the time before it actually occurs, "quickly" (D&C 39:24) and "like a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2).