Nephi foresaw three factors, which lead even well-intentioned early Christians away from the pure truths and ordinances of the gospel. He taught that: Important teachings would become neglected. The divine process of making covenants, such as baptism by immersion by those in authority, would change so drastically as to produce deleterious consequences. As a result, words and explanations in the foundational texts would lose their meaning or their significance, as their relevance was no longer apparent.