The Faith of Nephi and Lehi Facilitates Baptism of Fire and the Holy Ghost for 300 Lamanites

The prophet Moroni made the observation that “it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites, that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost” (Ether 12:14). The record of this event is found in Helaman 5. That account tells us that the brothers Nephi and Lehi (great-grandchildren of Alma the Younger) went on something like a preaching tour to both Nephites and Lamanites. They preached with “such great power and authority” (Helaman 5:18) that thousands of people were convinced to repent and be baptized. After arriving in a certain region controlled by Lamanites, they were “cast into prison many days without food” (Helaman 5:22). At this point, a mob or perhaps an organized army of about 300 angry Lamanites went into the prison to execute Nephi and Lehi. At some point in this operation of trying to slay the two brothers, and it might have been before they had even touched Nephi and Lehi or it might have been when Nephi’s and Lehi’s heads were on the chopping block, “Nephi and Lehi were encircled about as if by fire, even insomuch that they durst not lay their hands upon them for fear lest they should be burned. Nevertheless, Nephi and Lehi were not burned; and they were as standing in the midst of fire and were not burned.” (Helaman 5:23). Nephi and Lehi then started preaching to the mob and there was an earthquake right at that moment. Then the mob was “overshadowed with a cloud of darkness, and an awful solemn fear came upon them.” (Helaman 5:28). Then they heard a voice from heaven that pierced them to the soul telling them three times to stop the operation of executing the brother prophets and to repent. For added dramatic effect, God caused some more earthquakes that were big enough to be felt but not so big that the prison building would fall over.

God certainly had the attention of the mob and they were in a frame of mind where they were willing to make some drastic changes to their attitudes and belief structure. One of the members of the mob, Aminadab, a Nephite dissenter, happened to see Nephi and Lehi through the cloud of awful, solemn, and fearful darkness. He saw their faces shining and he saw that they were talking to someone, but he couldn’t see who they were talking to. The narrative doesn’t tell us how much time passed by from the moment that the cloud of darkness descended to the moment that Aminadab shouted to the rest of the mob to look at Nephi and Lehi. It could have been a few minutes, it could have been hours, it could have been an entire day or even longer. Well, the rest of the mob was impressed when they saw Nephi and Lehi’s shining faces. They asked Aminadab what to do to get rid of the cloud of darkness. He recommended, with certainty,  that they “repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ, who was taught unto you by Alma, and Amulek, and Zeezrom; and when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you.” (Helaman 5:41).

All the members of the mob “did begin to cry unto the voice of him who had shaken the earth; yea, they did cry even until the cloud of darkness was dispersed.” (Helaman 5:42). The narrative does not tell us how much time they spent in prayer. I imagine that it was not just a couple of minutes, probably somewhere closer to an hour or more. I wouldn’t be surprised if three days went by from the time the cloud of darkness descended to this time when it dispersed because that would match the three days that Alma the Younger was in hell, the three days that Jonah was in the belly of the whale, the three days that Jesus was in the spirit world, and the three days of darkness in the Americas after Jesus was crucified. However long the mob was under the cloud of darkness, it was long enough for them to go from having every intention to carry out two murders to offering a sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit to God and Christ. After his crucifixion, Christ told the surviving Nephites and Lamanites that “whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.”

The baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost that the reformed mob members experienced included the following elements:

§  A pillar of fire encircled each of the men

§  The entire prison looked like it was on fire, but it didn’t burst into flames

§  They were “filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory” (Helaman 5:44)

§  Their hearts were filled with the Holy Spirit and with fire

§  They were able to speak with the tongue of angels and spoke marvelous words

§  They heard the voice of God saying “Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world.” (Helaman 5:47)

§  Angels come down from heaven to minister to them

The point is that the 300 Lamanites were baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost because, according to Moroni’s commentary, of the faith of Nephi and Lehi. Christ explained that it was because of their own faith in him. Putting the two together, I would say that it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi in the first place that provided the setting for the Lamanites to exercise their own faith to be baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost.

Faith is a covenant where God dictates the terms, defines the objective, and provides the evidence that the covenant exists. Then it is up to the individual to do the work and undergo the trials of the covenant. After that, God fulfills his part of the covenant. The account in Helaman 5 does not specify the faith-covenant given to Nephi and Lehi. However, it was very likely that they were acting within the framework of a faith-covenant. The elements of that faith-covenant would possibly have been:

§  The objective was to baptize the Lamanites by fire and the Holy ghost

§  Nephi and Lehi were instructed by God to go to a particular city to preach the gospel; they were told that they had to be willing to lay down their lives for this covenant and they knew that they would be required to suffer and sacrifice themselves in some way even if their lives were not ultimately required

§  The evidence was a revelation consisting only of words to their minds, a vision, or an angelic message, along with a witness from the Holy Ghost

§  Nephi and Lehi showed their faith by works by going to the city in question to preach

§  God did his part by allowing Nephi and Lehi to be put into prison where they would be in contact with the group of people that God wanted to baptize with fire

§  Nephi and Lehi endured the trial of near failure by being put into prison, starved, and then nearly executed

§  After the mob attempted to kill them, they had a visit from either Christ himself or an angel and had a conversation with that being; the conversation included Nephi and Lehi asking for the whole faith-covenant to be a success so that in spite of the murderous disposition of the mob and the suffering that they had received in prison, that the members of the mob would be baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost

§  Nephi and Lehi’s works, sacrifice, suffering, obedience, and intercession created the conditions for the members of the mob to exercise their own faith and reach a state of being of having a broken heart and contrite spirit

§  The covenant was fulfilled by God when he baptized the reformed mob members by fire and the Holy Ghost

All of this information is nice to know. But what does it mean for me? How action can I take with this understanding? My question is this – is it possible for me as a priesthood holder to enter into a faith-covenant with God where I can facilitate the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost for other people? The answer coming to my mind right now is “yes, it is possible.” I’ll have to ponder on this to understand how to put it into practice, test it out, and write about it later.

Lorenzo Snow's Personal Account of the Baptism of Fire and the Holy Ghost

The following account is taken from “Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow”, by Eliza R. Snow, pages 7-9.

I was baptized by Elder John Boynton, then one of the Twelve Apostles, June, 1836, in Kirtland, Ohio.  Previous to accepting the ordinance of baptism, in my investigations of the principles taught by the Latter-day Saints, which I proved, by comparison, to be the same as those mentioned in the New Testament taught by Christ and His Apostles, I was thoroughly convinced that obedience to those principles would impart miraculous powers, manifestations and revelations.  With sanguine expectations of this result, I received the baptism and ordinance of laying on of hands by one who professed to have divine authority; and, having thus yielded obedience to these ordinances, I was in constant expectation of the fulfillment of the promise of the reception of the Holy Ghost.

The manifestation did not immediately follow my baptism, as I had expected, but, although the time was deferred, when I did receive it, its realization was more perfect, tangible and miraculous than even my strongest hopes had led me to anticipate.

Some two or three weeks after I was baptized, one day while engaged in my studies, I began to reflect upon the fact that I had not obtained a knowledge of the truth of the work—that I had not realized the fulfillment of the promise ‘he that doeth my will shall know of the doctrine,’ and I began to feel very uneasy.  I laid aside my books, left the house, and wandered around through the fields under the oppressive influence of a gloomy, disconsolate spirit, while an indescribable cloud of darkness seemed to envelop me.  I had been accustomed, at the close of the day, to retire for secret prayer, to a grove a short distance from my lodgings, but at this time I felt no inclination to do so.  The spirit of prayer had departed and the heavens seemed like brass over my head.  At length, realizing that the usual time had come for secret prayer, I concluded I would not forego my evening service, and, as a matter of formality, knelt as I was in the habit of doing, and in my accustomed retired place, but not feeling as I was wont to feel.

I had no sooner opened by lips in an effort to pray, than I heard a sound, just above my head, like the rustling of silken robes, and immediately the Spirit of God descended upon me, completely enveloping my whole person, filling me, from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, and O, the joy and happiness I felt!  No language can describe the almost instantaneous transition from a dense cloud of mental and spiritual darkness into a refulgence of light and knowledge, as it was at that time imparted to my understanding.  I then received a perfect knowledge that God lives, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and of the restoration of the holy Priesthood, and the fulness of the Gospel.  It was a complete baptism—a tangible immersion in the heavenly principle or element, the Holy Ghost; and even more real and physical in its effects upon every part of my system than the immersion by water; dispelling forever, so long as reason and memory last, all possibility of doubt or fear in relation to the fact handed down to us historically, that the ‘Babe of Bethlehem’ is truly the Son of God; also the fact that He is now being revealed to the children of men, and communicating knowledge, the same as in the Apostolic times.  I was perfectly satisfied, as well I might be, for my expectations were more than realized, I think I may safely say in an infinite degree.

I cannot tell how long I remained in the full flow of the blissful enjoyment and divine enlightenment, but it was several minutes before the celestial element which filled and surrounded me began gradually to withdraw.  On arising from my kneeling posture, with my heart swelling with gratitude to God, beyond the power of expression, I felt—I knew that He had conferred on me what only an omnipotent being can confer—that which is of greater value than all the wealth and honors worlds can bestow.  That night, as I retired to rest, the same wonderful manifestations were repeated, and continued to be for several successive nights.  The sweet remembrance of those glorious experiences, from that time to the present, bring them fresh before me, imparting an inspiring influence which pervades my whole being, and I trust will to the close of my earthly existence.

The Middle of The Way – The Baptism of Fire and the Holy Ghost

The prophet Nephi described the beginning of The Way as repentance and baptism in water. Repentance is a phase of spiritual development that maps to the altar of sacrifice in the tabernacle of Moses. Baptism in water is an event of spiritual development that maps to the laver in the tabernacle of Moses. Nephi says that the next major milestone of spiritual progression is baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost.

13) Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins [corresponds to the altar of sacrifice], witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water [corresponds to the laver or wash basin], according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.

17) Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do [in this sense, Christ himself is The Way, see John 14:6]; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost [the entrance to the Holy Place of the tabernacle of Moses].

18) And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life [from baptism, through the Holy Place, past the table of showbread and the sacred lampstand/menorah, through the veil, into the Holy of Holies]; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive.

19) And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path [or entered into that phase of spiritual development represented by the Holy Place in the tabernacle], I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.

20) Wherefore, [what follows next are three steps that take you to the presence of God] ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ [step 1], having a perfect brightness of hope [step 2], and a love of God and of all men [step 3 – note that steps 2 and 3 are hope and love, which is charity, so it seems reasonable that step 1 is actually faith so that steps 1, 2 and 3 are faith, hope and charity]. Wherefore, [what follows next are three steps that take you to the presence of God from another perspective] if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ [represented by the table of showbread], and endure to the end [represented by entering the Holy of Holies], behold, thus saith the Father [or, at that point, this is what the Father will say to you, and it is an oath or a promise, no longer conditional on passing through covenant trials]: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Nephi 31:13, 17-20)

If we map Nephi’s language onto the layout of the tabernacle of Moses, it would look something like this:

Based on Nephi’s description of The Way and how it seems to map onto the layout of the tabernacle of Moses, the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost is a transition from a telestial life to a terrestrial life. It is like being born into a terrestrial state. Other prophet-writers use phrases to describe this step of spiritual development such as ‘born again’, ‘born of God’, ‘born of the spirit’, and ‘born of Christ’.

When someone receives the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, he may or may not understand it. Jesus told the Nephites – “And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.” (3 Nephi 9:20). There are two ways in which it may be true that someone has this experience and knows it not. One is that he has the experience, is very aware of something spiritual happening, but doesn’t know what it is. The other is that the experience is so subtle that he is not aware of it. In this second case, the way you can tell if you have been baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost is if you experience the after-effects.

Joseph Smith explained the effects of being baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost, which he calls the first Comforter:

There are two Comforters spoken of. One is the Holy Ghost, the same as given on the day of Pentecost, and that all Saints receive after faith, repentance, and baptism. This first Comforter or Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence. It is more powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge, of a man who is of the literal seed of Abraham, than one that is a Gentile, though it may not have half as much visible effect upon the body; for as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and body are only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence; while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost. In such a case, there may be more of a powerful effect upon the body, and visible to the eye, than upon an Israelite, while the Israelite at first might be far before the Gentile in pure intelligence. (TPJS, p. 150-151)

Apparently a person who is not descended from Abraham will have a more noticeable experience with the Holy Ghost than someone who is descended from Abraham. Notice how he explained that the emotional affects of the Holy Ghost are calm and serene, which are very subtle emotions. However, the Holy Ghost’s primary purpose is to impart knowledge or information, not sentiment. You may know if you have been baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost if you are learning the things of God. Joseph Smith further explained how to recognize the effect of the Spirit:

The Spirit of Revelation is in connection with these blessings [the first and second Comforters]. A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.,) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus. (TPJS, p. 151)

The apostle Paul does a fair job at contrasting the difference between someone who is still in the state of a natural man and someone who has been baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost and is thus able to learn the things of God:

7) But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory [note that this is information or knowledge, not emotion]:

8) Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9) But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

10) But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

11) For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12) Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God [in other words, they learned things about God and his works that they could not have understood if they hadn’t been already been baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost].

13) Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

15) But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

16) For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:7-16)

The Holy Ghost has another primary purpose, and that is to sanctify a person by delivering the power of the atoning blood of Christ. Jesus explained – “Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.” (3 Nephi 27:20). The word ‘sanctified’ comes from a Latin root that has the exact same meaning as the word ‘holy’, which comes from a Germanic root. A saint is the same as a holy person. To be sanctified has the same meaning as to be made holy. The words ‘holy’ and ‘sanctified’ describe a state that is equivalent to a celestial state. So we have this gospel algebra: holy = sanctified = celestial. As long as I am at it, the word ‘heavenly’ is the Germanic equivalent of the word ‘celestial’, which comes from a Latin root. So our gospel math now looks like this: holy = sanctified = celestial = heavenly. What is the point of that, you may ask. After being baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost and transitioning from a telestial state to a terrestrial state, the Holy Ghost imparts knowledge and power to assist you to be sanctified, or to transition to a celestial state. Alma the Younger describes people who become sanctified, or celestial, through priesthood service:

Now they [people who serve in the priesthood], after being sanctified [made holy or celestial] by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceedingly great many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God. (Alma 13:12)

Perhaps you are wondering how I found the equation holy = sanctified = celestial = heavenly? The key was in these passages from Doctrine and Covenants 88:

2) Behold, this is pleasing unto your Lord, and the angels rejoice over you; the alms of your prayers have come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded in the book of the names of the sanctified, even [‘even’ means ‘equivalent’] them of the celestial world [so the sanctified are those who are of the celestial world].

25) And again, verily I say unto you, the earth abideth the law of a celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation, and transgresseth not the law—

26) Wherefore, it shall be sanctified [the earth, by keeping the celestial law will be sanctified, or made fit for the celestial kingdom] (D&C 88:2, 25-26)

I first realized that celestial = sanctified. Then with a little study of root words I found out that celestial = heavenly and sanctified = holy.

To summarize, by the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost you become “a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17), being born into a terrestrial state of spirituality. You may or may not be aware of the actual moment of that transition. Some people experience that transition as an event where they know something spiritually powerful is happening. Others are not aware that God has affected the transition for them. However, the after-effects are similar for both groups of people. The Holy Ghost reveals information, wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge, especially revealing to “you all things what ye should do” (2 Nephi 32:5) until Christ “shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh” (2 Nephi 32:6). The Holy Ghost also applies “the atoning blood of Christ” (Mosiah 4:2) so that you may be sanctified and enter into “the celestial world” (D&C 88:2).