Unbelief in the Majesty of Christ, robs many otherwise upright people of the knowledge pertaining to "greater things" (Ether 4:4-13) which God has in store for them, if only they repent and turn to Him. When Moroni was in the process of making an abridgment of King Mosiah's translation of the Jaredite Records found upon the Twenty-four Gold Plates of Ether, the Lord in instructing him to seal up the interpretation thereof (King Mosiah's interpretation of the things which in vision the Brother of Jared saw) said: "For they shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord." (Ibid., 4:6)
"And in that day that they shall exercise faith in Me, saith the Lord, even as the Brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in Me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the Brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all My revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the Heavens and the Earth, and all things that in them are." (Ibid., 4-7) At the same time, the Lord further said: "Come unto Me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show you greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief." (Ibid., 4:13)
We can understand more fully the tragedy of the Nephites' destruction, and in it see fulfilled the words of Father Lehi: "Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of Jerusalem shall keep His commandments, they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the Land of their Inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever. But, behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the Lord-having a knowledge of the creation of the Earth, and all men, knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the Creation of the World; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by His infinite goodness into this precious Land of Promise-behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of Him that is just shall rest upon them." (II Nephi 1:9-10)
The Sacred Record shows how literally fulfilled were Lehi's words, as also it reveals that the great things which the Brother of Jared saw on the mount were made known to the Nephites at Christ's command: "And after Christ truly had showed Himself to His people, He commanded that they should be made manifest." (Ether 4:2) That is, the full record.
Moroni wrote: "I have written upon these plates the very things which the Brother of Jared saw; and there never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest to the Brother of Jared." (Ibid., 4:4)
The Nephites had knowledge of these things, we (Latter-day Saints) do not. Nevertheless, and in spite of our present slothfulness wherein is neglect of righteous living, we are promised that they will be made known unto us when in faithfulness we come unto the Lord. (Ibid., 4:6-7) These things which the Brother of Jared saw, were made known to the Nephites when they were righteous, after the visit to them of the Resurrected Redeemer. When the Nephites began to fall away from belief in Him, He took the record of these things from them, and commanded that it be hid up. (Ibid., 4:3) The promise of the Lord is sure. That knowledge will be given to us when our belief in Him, and our faith and our works of righteousness, are like unto the Nephites of that generation.
Remember this, God does not show forth His glory nor His might, unto the working of His works, unto men who do not believe that He is. "For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them...." Also, "And I, Moroni...said...I know that Thou workest unto the children of men according to their faith." (Ibid., 12:29)
Wo be unto them that deny and deride the gifts of God, and therein die with that lie on their lips, for they also deny Christ unto Whom they must come or they cannot be saved. (See I Nephi 13:40)
The destruction of the Nephites also confirms Moroni's prophetic utterance. Although his words of prophecy were written by him sometime after the Nephites' tragic end we may see in them a warning to us not to let indifference and unbelief rob us of our faith in God, nor let indolence and slothfulness dim our vision wherein we see Everlasting Life and eternal rest in the Kingdom of God. Moroni's words are to us and to all mankind: "And now I speak unto all the ends of the Earth-that if the day cometh that the Power and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief. And wo be unto the children of men if this be the case; for there shall be none that doeth good among you, no not one. For if there be one among you that doeth good, he shall work by the Power and gifts of God." (vv. 24-25) In a word, that was the Nephites' transgression. They were destroyed because of unbelief which led to all manner of iniquity.