Before the Jaredites ever arrive in the promised land, they are warned by the Lord “that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them.” (Ether 2:8.) This promise is particularly significant because the Book of Mormon literally documents the fulfillment of the promise and warning in the case of both the Jaredites and the Nephites. Moroni inserts this promise and later records its tragic fulfillment for the benefit of this generation. He says:
And this cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God—that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done.Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written. (Ether 2:11-12.)