People of all nations who are “proud and lofty” shall be “brought low” (2 Nephi 12:12) and their “lofty looks” (2 Nephi 12:11) shall cease, for at the day of the Lord—the Second Coming—His glory will smite them. Verses 13–22 describe some of the status symbols of the day, including commodities acquired by the most wealthy, the high mountains and hills of false worship and apostate religion, the manmade defenses of towers and walls, and beautiful crafts or pleasure ships. In summary, the haughty and proud will fall, and their worldly treasures shall crumble away in the presence of the Lord’s coming (see 3 Nephi 25:1; Malachi 4:1).
President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency suggested that learning to be humble is essential preparation for the great day of the Second Coming of the Lord, when the Savior will be exalted among the nations:
“I began to read in 2 Nephi 12 and thought: ‘The Lord is speaking to me. What is it He wants to tell me directly?’ Then I came to a verse in the Isaiah passages that jumped out as if it were already underlined: ‘And it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day’ (2 Ne. 12:11).
“This is describing a day when the Savior will come, a day we all look for and want our students to prepare for. This scripture says that in that day, all of us who thought we were special and wonderful will seem smaller, and the Lord will be exalted. We will see better who He is, how much we love Him, and how humble we should be. …
“… I understood why Isaiah told me it would be helpful to foresee the day when the Lord would be exalted and to know how much I depend upon Him. We need Him, and the faith we have in Him makes us see Him as great and exalted and ourselves as small and dependent” (“The Book of Mormon Will Change Your Life,” Ensign, Feb. 2004, 10–11).