Jesus is the Savior of the world, and not just of the inhabitants of this world, but of worlds without number. It is well known what happened in Jerusalem on the day that He died, but what of elsewhere across the globe among others of His people?

While Jesus was hanging on the cross in Jerusalem, it happened that “…about the sixth hour [and] there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened…”
(Luke 23:44-45).

And then it happened. “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, saying, Father, it is finished, thy will is done, yielded up the ghost.” (Matthew 27:50 JST). He was dead.

There followed immediately an earthquake in Jerusalem that caused the rocks to rend and the veil of the holy temple to be ripped apart from top to bottom. That cataclysm of nature was of sufficient power that the Roman guard standing by His cross “…feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.” (Matthew 27:54). The earth itself, it seems, bore witness of Jesus the Christ. Now that was Jerusalem.

On that day, and on the other side of the world, the voice of the earth was great and terrible beyond all description! At the moment Jesus died, “…there arose a storm such an one as never had been known in all the land.” (3 Nephi 8:5) – hurricane force winds, tornados, thunder and lightning of such magnitude that it seemed that the earth would rip itself apart! Great cities caught fire and burned; others were sunk into the depths of sea – and still others buried by huge mountains of earth. All across the continent the face of the land heaved, buckled and twisted violently until “…the face of the whole earth became deformed…” (3 Nephi 8:17). Now you know that most earthquakes last only minutes, but this convulsion went on for “…about the space of three hours…” (3 Nephi 8:19)

And all across the land people died; carried away by the whirlwinds, drowned in the sea, crushed by the earth, or in the more wicked places, consumed by the fires. Sixteen major cities were reduced to rubble or ash. “…the whole face of the land was changed…” (3 Nephi 8:12).

Jesus gave up the ghost in Jerusalem and He entered the paradise of God, where he remained over three days. In Jerusalem and its environs, all that is spoken of at that time is the great mourning of the disciples over the Master’s death, but in the America’s, oh, it was far – far worse! Over that same three days, the land was covered with a vapor of darkness so thick and so palpable that “…there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars…” (3 Nephi 8:22)

And the earth continued to rend and groan, and in the midst of all that the cries of the survivors rent the darkness. “…there was…great howling and weeping among all the people continually, [yea,] great were the groanings of the people…O, that we had repented…” they cried. (3 Nephi 8:23-24)

And then, out of the darkness there came a voice…