Gadianton Robbers and Money

On this, the eve of September 11th, I am reminded of lessons impressed upon me 8 years ago shortly after the Trade Center's fall. With two weeks of not being able to work and then when I returned to work having a lengthened commute, I had extra time to study and ponder the scriptures. I remember one day late that September, riding the train into the city, reading The Book of Mormon and realizing that just before the coming of the Lord, terrorists known as Gadianton Robbers roamed the land. A passage I read tonight brought this to mind. "There were a certain number of dissenters from the people of Nephi... and also a certain number who were real descendents of the Lamanites, being stirred up to anger by them, or by those dissenters, therefore the commenced a war with their brethren. And they did commit murder and plunder; and then they would retreat back into the mountains, and into the wilderness and secret places, hiding themselves that they could not be discovered, receiving daily an addition to their numbers. Now behold, these robbers did make great havoc, yea, even great destruction among the people of Nephi" (Helaman 11.24-25,27).

This leads to another warning given by Samuel the Lamanite only a few years before the birth of Christ. He cautioned, "And it shall come to pass, saith the Lord of Hosts, yea, our great and ture God, that whoso shall hide up treasures in the earth shall find them again no more, because of the great curse of the land, save he be a righteous man and shall hide it up unto the Lord" (Helaman 13.18). Not that I hid a treasure chest full of gold doubloons in my backyard and can no longer find them, but no treasure map will bring my 401K back from the red.

I take these two things, the rise of terrorists and the humbling of a wealthy nation, as signs that we are in the latter-days.