Nephi next goes on to focus on social attitudes that lead people away from the Holy Spirit. In these three verses he expresses concerns about hedonism, fatalism, popularism, rationalizing, criticism, permissivism, leniency, imprudence, and arrogance. As you read his words, it is apparent that Nephi understood and knew the ways of the devil and that he had particular concern and worries about how these tactics would unfold. Nephi’s treatise on Satan’s tools is actually pretty amazing.
Ask yourself, "How did Nephi know that this is the way Satan works?" Nephi knew the ways of the devil because he grew up in Jerusalem at a time when the state of Jerusalem was very wicked—things were really bad. Nephi’s father was a prophet who spent his days in Jerusalem preaching repentance and trying to correct this corrupt and evil society. Nephi knew what it was like to live in a society that was ripening for destruction. How about in his own life? Nephi had challenges that arose because people—even those in his own family—objected to his teachings of the Lord. Nephi had also seen a vision. He saw the Tree of Life, but he also saw the great and spacious building and the river of filthy water. He knew the temptations that accost individuals. He also knew the meaning of all these things. Lehi saw the big picture, but Nephi asked to see these things with more specificity. This tells us something about Nephi’s personality. Nephi was in the details. Nephi was an administrator. He was a king. He was trying to run a city. He was a builder. Nephi was doing many things that Lehi was never asked to do. So, Nephi saw the urgency of the situation when he saw the specifics of Satan’s influence.
As you read, seek to be sensitized to the workings of Satan’s tools and his influence on the doctrine and philosophies of man. Once again, referring to Figure 2, consider the phrases Nephi used to describe the tactics of Satan and their practical meanings and manifestations.
When Nephi pointed out that "many … shall say" (28:8), he was describing a type of populism—whatever the majority agrees upon can’t be all that bad or whoever yells the loudest must be right. This is always problematic. Long ago, Exodus 23:2 commanded, "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil."
According to Nephi, the wicked will continue in outward and inward acts of sin, but will say, "nevertheless, fear God" (28:8). Here Nephi is warning that, even though the wicked don’t really believe in God, they go through the appearances of being righteous. The sinner desires to save face and appear to be good to those in society who continue to hold onto standards of moral behavior. The wicked want to continue in immoral behavior while also feigning that what they are doing is good for themselves as well as good for society.
Nephi prophesied that in the last days, sinners’ attitudes would be reflected in the following statements: "[God] will justify in committing a little sin"; "God will beat us with a few stripes"; and "at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God" (28:8). This is justification and rationalization in committing sin, and should be averted. Attitudes of leniency and a philosophy of freedom from responsibility are reflected in these statements. We all desire freedom, and we all appreciate the gift of agency. However, part of personal freedom and agency requires personal responsibility and accountability for the consequences of our choices. We can choose, but we cannot choose the consequences for the choices we make. To believe that we will somehow be saved in the kingdom of God in our sinful state is self-deception.
Isaiah, like Nephi, also described a society that would tolerate and even encourage people who lay traps to ensnare others and ruin their reputations and livelihoods, a society that is willing to ignore the enormous negativity that results from this type of contentious behavior. To do this, one has to participate in deception, criticism, cold-heartedness, and persecution. One has to rely on others believing or accepting the lies, perhaps by justifying that "everyone does it." This is the atmosphere described by Nephi with the phrases, "lie a little," "take advantage of one because of his words," and "dig a pit for thy neighbor."
Continuing on, Nephi warns that, in order to sound reasonable and intelligent while, at the same time, attempting to gain acceptance for ignoring and even promoting sinful behavior, some sinners may take a sort of legalist approach to sin. The reasoning that if there is no legally enforceable damage, then it can’t be a problem, assumes too much about the goodness and completeness of public law.
How can someone get away with teaching false, vain, and foolish doctrines (28:9)? How is outright lying even possible? False, foolish, and imprudent statements and behavior can be accepted in a society that accepts the philosophy of moral relativism where what is true and what is wrong is determined exclusively by the individual—not with any consideration for God or for one’s duties to society.
And so Nephi’s long list of the ways of the Devil continues with many more examples that are revealing and arresting. In general, these tactics ignore the fact, or even the possibility, that there is truth and that there are falsehoods, or that certain behaviors are moral and other behaviors are not, or that some things are just flat-out wrong.
From Nephi’s list, it is apparent that Satan has a lot of tools in his bag.
Book of Mormon Central, "How Does the Devil Lead Us Astray? (2 Nephi 28:21)," KnoWhy 55 (March 16, 2016).