1 Nephi Chapter 14

14:8-17 - "Rememberest thou the covenants of the Father unto the house of Israel?"
This passage describes a lot of the destruction that will come during the last days.  At the end of this passage, it says, "at that day, the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel."
It seems that the point of this passage is to show us that the Lord uses us as instruments in His hands, preparing the world for the 2nd Coming while preparing us.



14:14 - "...armed with righteousness..."
In the Old Testament, Melchizedek was known as the "King of Righteousness."  This can, in one sense, then mean that if we are armed with righteousness, we are armed with the Priesthood.  It makes sense, since the power of the Priesthood is contingent upon our righteousness.  There's a lot that we can do (and must do) to help others, but we need to cleanse ourselves in order to be effective instruments in the Lord's hands.



14:14 - Covenant people armed with righteousness and with the power of God.
Nephi saw that it was upon all the face of the earth.  The gospel will continue to spread until it fills the whole earth and everybody has an opportunity to hear the gospel (Isaiah 54:1-4).