The Know

After reporting in detail the many natural disasters that followed Christ’s death, Mormon invited his audience to “see and behold if … all these things are not unto the fulfilling of the prophecies of many of the holy prophets” (3 Nephi 10:14). Book of Mormon prophets like Nephi and Samuel the Lamanite as well as extrabiblical prophets such as Zenos and Zenock had prophesied of natural disasters following the death of Christ long before they occurred.1 Other biblical and extrabiblical traditions, especially those related to certain words of Isaiah and Enoch, may also have prophetically anticipated these very events recorded in the Book of Mormon, which may also parallel the disasters connected with Christ’s Second Coming.

The natural disasters reported in 3 Nephi 8–10 included fires that burned down many cities.2 The Old Testament contains a few stories in which God sends down fire from heaven as a judgment,3 and Isaiah prophesied, “Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with … the flame of devouring fire” (Isaiah 29:6; compare 66:15–16). Fire was often associated with the imagery of God’s presence and glory.4

One prominent feature in the natural disasters at Christ’s death was the great storm, or “great and terrible tempest,” which was accompanied by whirlwinds (3 Nephi 8:5–6, 12). Isaiah also suggested that this was another form of judgment that God could sometimes send: “Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with … storm and tempest” (Isaiah 29:6). Job and Ezekiel both described God as appearing within storms or whirlwinds, and many other Old Testament passages describe God with storm imagery.5

In conjunction with the great storm, Mormon reported that there had been “exceedingly sharp lightnings” and “terrible thunder” (3 Nephi 8:6–7). Here he may again have recalled Isaiah, who said, “Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder … and great noise” (Isaiah 29:6). Several Old Testament passages describe God sending thunder and lightning or as having a thunderous voice and presence.6

Mormon’s additional recounting of “exceedingly great quaking of the whole earth” could have been see as a fulfillment of Isaiah’s further statement, “Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with … earthquake” (3 Nephi 8:12; Isaiah 29:6). In fact, the earthquake in 3 Nephi was very likely the cause of the other disasters, potentially triggering a volcanic eruption, flooding, and storms.7 The divine presence and voice of God are described in the Book of Mormon and Old Testament as shaking the earth.8

Third Nephi also describes extreme terraforming, whether by earthquake, volcano, landslides, or other processes, so that “the whole face of the land was changed” and many cities were buried.9 This could correlate with Isaiah’s prophecy that “every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.”10 It may have also recalled Old Testament stories and imagery of mountains melting or the earth opening to swallow the wicked (Numbers 16:3; Psalm 97:5).

Moreover, the destructions in 3 Nephi included the flooding of cities that were drowned in the sea.11 Though Old Testament prophecies of flooded cities are lacking, the best-known natural disaster in the Old Testament ––Noah’s flood ––is a noteworthy parallel (Genesis 6–9). The Lord is also poetically described as the provider of rain and as building upon or conquering primeval waters as part of the creation process.12 Similarly to the account of Noah’s flood, some of the Nephite civilization was covered in water because of wickedness, but it was the prelude to a new creation.13

Finally, the unnamed disaster in 3 Nephi is that of a volcanic eruption, which would have an extreme tephra output and could explain the three days of darkness.14 Though volcanoes are not explicitly mentioned in the Old Testament, the book contains several descriptions of mountains shaking, burning, melting, and being surrounded by clouds of darkness, like the events at Sinai.15 Some scholars have even argued that ancient Israelites associated Jehovah with volcano imagery.16

In addition to these biblical correlations, some intriguing parallels can be found between these destructions and extrabiblical literature. John W. Welch has noted that of the twenty giants (or Watchers) named in the Old Testament pseudepigraphal work named after Enoch (see 1 Enoch 6:7), sixteen have names that correspond to the rendition of Zenos’s prophecy of these destructions in 1 Nephi 19:11–17.17

Table 1. Similarities between destructions prophesied by Zenos and apocryphal giants’ names

Eight of these named powers could correspond not only to the verbiage used by Nephi but also to the disasters themselves: clouds, thunder, lightning, fire from the sky, the sea, the earth, mountains, and volcanic ash. These connections demonstrate the antiquity of the idea that God’s destructive visitations can occur through natural disasters.18 It is thus possible that Zenos, Zenock, Nephi, or even Samuel could have been informed by not only Old Testament writings but also by Enochic traditions recorded on the brass plates.19

The Why

The many associations in 3 Nephi between natural disasters and God’s judgments and His powerful presence accords well with biblical understandings and helps affirm the array of ancient Israelite backgrounds that were known to Mormon and which intricately stand behind the Book of Mormon itself. However, though natural disasters may have been closely associated with God’s judgments in ancient scripture, both the Bible and Book of Mormon also suggest that using those remonstrations is not God’s preferred method of communication.

After Elijah called down fire from heaven in his contest with Baal’s false prophets, God showed Elijah that that the fullest measure of His presence was not in the wind, earthquake, or fire—it was in the “still small voice” that came after (1 Kings 19:11–12). The Nephites had a similar experience when they heard the gentle voice of God coming out of the darkness, after they had witnessed the wind, earthquake, fire, and much more: “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.”20 This accords with other scriptural passages that discuss the various tones, timbres, and volumes of God’s penetrating voice and His preference for soft communication, only speaking loudly when necessary.21

In the latter days, the Second Coming is prophesied to include fire, lightning, storms, flooding, terraforming, and earthquakes.22 Modern prophets have noted strong parallels between Nephite civilization and the latter days, which most likely would include its natural disasters as well.23 Yet readers should be cautious not to ascribe all natural disasters to God’s punishment, or assume that all victims of such disasters are more wicked than others. Jesus’s own life shows that sometimes the righteous suffer as well. Joseph Smith taught concerning the Second Coming that “it is a false idea that the Saints will escape all the judgments, whilst the wicked suffer— … So that it is an unhallowed principle to say that such and such have transgressed because they have been preyed upon by disease or death, for all flesh is subject to death; and the Savior has said, ‘Judge not, lest ye be judged.’”24

Nonetheless, “the righteous need not fear” (1 Nephi 22:17). These natural occurrences simply confirm the reality of prophecy and thus show that prophesied blessings are real as well. In fact, one of Mormon’s primary goals throughout his account generally but especially in recounting the natural disasters is confirming the reality of prophecy.25 Mormon knew that prophetic prediction was one of the ways in which God and His prophets had demonstrated authority to ancient Israelites and Nephites, and thus he know that our reading about the fulfillment of ancient prophecies can strengthen faith today.26