The second chapter of Helaman marks the emergence of the Gadianton band
E-mail story
It's easy. Send a link to the story you were just reading to a friend. Just fill out the form on this page and we'll send it along.
Your name and e-mail address are transmitted to the recipient. Otherwise, it is considered private information; see Privacy policy.
Rise of secret combinations in modern age a sign of times
The second chapter of Helaman marks the emergence of the Gadianton band, an ominous development in Nephite history, as Mormon explains in verse 13: "And behold, in the end of this book ye shall see that this Gadianton did prove the overthrow, yea, almost the entire destruction of the people of Nephi."
The Gadianton robbers are an example of secret combinations, warned against in the Book of Mormon. In A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Council of the Twelve listed the rise of secret combinations in the modern age as one of the major signs of the times preceding the Christ's Second Coming. He wrote:
"From the day of Cain, who slew his brother Abel, to the present, there have always been secret combinations whose members have reveled in carnal deeds and sought power and dominion over others by evil means. Through the ages these have taken many forms and borne many names. There are powers and forces and combinations of nations and kingdoms where freedom is denied today. Some of these are as autocratic and deny freedom of worship as forcefully as any of the ancient empires. Some profess to be godless; others mandate the worship of a particular God. Some have political philosophies that run counter to gospel principles; others wage wars against neighboring nations to spread and impose their views upon the minds of men. There are those who would control, govern, and enslave the whole world if they could.
"Moroni warns us that `whatsoever nation shall uphold [theseT secret combinations,' whose goal is to `get power and gain . . . shall be destroyed.' He says these combinations seek `to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries,' and to bring `to pass the destruction of all people,' for they are `built up by the devil who is the father of all lies.' (Ether 8:22-25.) They are part of the church of the devil and will be overthrown when the Lord comes to take vengeance on the ungodly."
