Samuel’s Preaching and Prophecies

Chances for Repentance

Helaman 13:30–32

The riches of the people will become cursed, and poverty will sweep the land.

Yea, behold, the anger of the Lord is already kindled against you; behold, he hath cursed the land because of your iniquity. And behold, the time cometh that he curseth your riches, that they become slippery, that ye cannot hold them; and in the days of your poverty ye cannot retain them. And in the days of your poverty ye shall cry unto the Lord; and in vain shall ye cry, for your desolation is already come upon you, and your destruction is made sure; and then shall ye weep and howl in that day, saith the Lord of Hosts.

Helaman 13:32–37

At that time, the people will regret their wicked ways, but in large part it will be too late.

And then shall ye lament, and say:

“O that I had repented, and had not killed the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out.”

Yea, in that day ye shall say:

“O that we had remembered the Lord our God in the day that he gave us our riches, and then they would not have become slippery that we should lose them; for behold, our riches are gone from us.

“Behold, we lay a tool here and on the morrow it is gone; and behold, our swords are taken from us in the day we have sought them for battle.

“Yea, we have hid up our treasures and they have slipped away from us, because of the curse of the land.

“O that we had repented in the day that the word of the Lord came unto us; for behold the land is cursed, and all things are become slippery, and we cannot hold them.

“Behold, we are surrounded by demons, yea, we are encircled about by the angels of him who hath sought to destroy our souls.

“Behold, our iniquities are great. O Lord, canst thou not turn away thine anger from us? And this shall be your language in those days.”

Helaman 13:38

Opportunities for repentance and reform are passing.

But behold, your days of probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; yea, for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head.

Helaman 13:39

Repentance will turn away the anger of the Lord.

O ye people of the land, that ye would hear my words! And I pray that the anger of the Lord be turned away from you, and that ye would repent and be saved.