Helaman 2:13

And behold, in the end of this book ye shall see that this Gadianton did prove the overthrow, yea, almost the entire destruction of the people of Nephi.

One more warning, and the warning could not be plainer. Secret combinations were the downfall of the Nephites. Mormon put many details about the Gadianton Robbers in his book to tell us plainly the danger we face today.

Second Nephi 26:22

And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever.

Secret combinations are a unique theme of the Book of Mormon. Yet they are not unique in history. They have been around since the beginning. Nephi foretold of a "great and abominable church," which is the heart of the secret combinations. This post-first-century collusion of evil men altered the Bible as it was being compiled. I believe one reason for the alterations was to remove all references to their secret combination and all secret combinations like it. Because the Book of Mormon was untouched by the "great and abominable church", those references and prophecies survived. A key message of the Book of Mormon is to warn us of the secret combinations, which are all around us even now.

Second Nephi 10:15

Wherefore, for this cause, that my covenants may be fulfilled which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh, I must needs destroy the secret works of darkness, and of murders, and of abominations.

The secret works of darkness, which are the secret combinations, are designed by Satan to thwart the Lord's purposes in keeping his covenants with his children. What are those covenants? To save us and exalt us based on repentance, faith in Christ, partaking of the ordinances of salvation, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. If Satan can get us to turn our backs on the Lord, stop repenting, give up on Christ, ignore or refuse the ordinances, harden our hearts against the Spirit, and stop trying, he has blocked God's power and grace in our lives. He wins when God loses. Secret combinations promote all of these sins and bind the adherents to Satan by oaths. An important part of God's work among men is to destroy the secret combinations before they destroy his children.

Second Nephi 1:7

Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.

Even though the general population may become wicked and bring a curse on America, it will always be a land of promise for the righteous. The righteous may suffer from the curse brought about by wickedness, but they will be spared from the worst.

First Nephi 22:14

And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it.

It is hard to fathom the total collapse of the world order that we have known for most of recorded history. The great and abominable church is not just a church, or even a group of churches. It is governments and congresses and commissions and ministries and secret combinations. It is all powers, principalities, dominions, and worldly organizations that are not Zion. The world will be hard to recognize when these institutions are gone.