In this, we come to know that there is more than one antichrist.
So the better question is "What is an antichrist?" Again, John answers that an antichrist is he who is a liar [and one] that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son. (1 John 2:22)
President Benson taught that one of the ways that the Book of Mormon teaches about us about Christ is by exposing His enemies, i.e., antichrists. Antichrists take many forms. As John says, everyone who denies Christ is antichrist. But I think it goes deeper than that. Based on the antichrists mentioned in the Book of Mormon, an antichrist isn't just a person who doesn't believe in Christ, but one who preaches against Christ and denies Him publicly with the goal of justifying his own beliefs and behaviors, leading others astray in the process. The antichrists of the Book of Mormon all teach false doctrine. A careful reading of the letters of John in the New Testament show that the Apostle was warning the Saints of his day about just such false teachers.
The first antichrist mentioned in the Book of Mormon was a man named Sherem. Sherem preached in direct opposition to the teachings of the Prophet Jacob. His primary theme was that there would be no Messiah and that no man could no of something happening so far in the future, not even Jacob. The implication was that there is no such thing as prophecy and therefore, Jacob was not a prophet.
Sherem was a well-educated and charismatic man and many of the Nephites were led away by his sophistry. When he had sufficient celebrity, he confronted Jacob personally. He told him that he was a liar, teaching people of a coming Christ was leading them away from the Law of Moses (which in itself was a lie since Jacob and the Nephites were living the Law of Moses.)
When Jacob corrected Sherem's errors, he confounded him at every turn. He finally asked Sherem point blank if he denied the coming of Christ. Sherem answered that if there should be a Christ, I would not deny him: but I know that there is no Christ, neither has been, nor ever will be.(Jacob 7:9)
What Sherem was trying to do, among other things, was to discredit Jacob as a prophet. This would give him carte blanche to do his evil and build up a church unto himself for profit. He must have felt he was on safe ground because, under the law of witnesses, the proof of the truthfulness of a prophet is that his prophecies come true. Since Jacob's prophecies were hundreds of years in the future, there was no way, Sherem thought, that this test of proof could be achieved. Then he made his big mistake; he asked Jacob to show him a sign that Jacob's source of information - the Holy Ghost - was a reality.
Jacob refused to tempt God but he told Sherem that if he (Sherem) was struck down, he could take it as a sign from God. No sooner had Jacob finished speaking than Sherem fell to the ground, struck down by the power of God. One thing I noticed that I hadn't before is that Sherem was cared for and fed, etc., by the people for many days! Talk about ministering! Sherem ultimately confessed that he had lied and acknowledged both God and his prophet before he died. A lesson here is to be careful what you wish for!
Jacob was firmly established as a prophet, and by recording this story on the plates, he added credibility to other Nephite prophets who would follow him.
I am grateful to have a living prophet at the head of this Church today. I believe that this current pestilence was known to God and that through a prophet and apostles, God prepared us for the necessary social distancing more than a year before we would need it. I am looking forward to a Church service with my family and a lesson on the Parable of the Olive Tree given by my son. I have prepared a primary lesson for my great-grandchildren. Because we've been doing this since January 1919, it is no great challenge to continue to do it now. If there are any Sherems out there who require a sign as to the validity of Russel M. Nelson's prophecies, he need look no further than the state of the world today. Remember: if we are prepared, we have no need to fear, no matter what else is happening in the world.
Ye Shall Not Fear
© March 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings
Buntin Danielson
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