Before the Appearance of Christ

It is truly amazing to me that the Nephites were clearly and indisputedly shown the sign of Christ's birth and yet, just a few short years later, Satan had convinced the Nephites that the sign was a trick and the people had fallen into unrighteousness. Right before the appearance of the Savior, there were so many signs and wonders but Satan had again stepped up his efforts to deceive the people. In 3Nephi7, it talks about the many miracles performed by Nephi. In verses 19 and 20, it says "And in the name of Jesus did he cast out devils and unclean spirits; and even his brother did he raise from the dead...And the people saw it, and did witness of it, and were angry with him because of his power." I think the real lesson for us is that Satan will try to deceive us and will step up his efforts when he sees that we are on the verge of something really important spiritually. He will try to get us to believe that our promptings are just a trick of the mind and he will do whatever he can to steer us away from the right course. If we listen to him, then we will be filled with regret like those in 3Nephi8:24 who cried, "O that we had repented before this great and terrible day."