2 Nephi 29:1-3

Chapter 29

Many gentiles shall reject the Book of Mormon—They shall say: We need no more Bible—The Lord speaks to many nations—He will judge the world out of the books thus written. About 559–545 B.C.

¹ BUT behold, there shall be many—at that day when I shall proceed to do a marvelous work among them, that I may remember my covenants which I have made unto the children of men, that I may set my hand again the second time to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel; ² And also, that I may remember the promises which I have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father, that I would remember your seed; and that the words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed; and my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel; ³ And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible!  A Bible!  We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.

2 Nephi 29:1-3 (Emphasis mine)

14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

Isaiah 29:14 (Emphasis mine)

11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

Isaiah 11:11 (Emphasis mine)

26 ¶ And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:

Isaiah 5:26 (Emphasis mine)

22 Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

Isaiah 49:22 (Emphasis mine)

10 ¶ Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.

Isaiah 62:10 (Emphasis mine)

The Lord has changed from third person to first at this point.  It has been suggested that, at this point, it is like Nephi(1) is receiving “dictation” from the Lord and he is writing down His words.

The Lord begins to talk about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.  He will do a “marvelous work among” man.  He says he will remember (according to some scholars, a better word usage here might be “renew”) the promises made to Nephi and his father. 

Moroni(2) reminds that “…the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust?   I declare these things unto the fulfilling of the prophecies.  And behold, they shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the everlasting God; and his word shall hiss forth from generation to generation.” (Moroni 10:27-28). 

Louis Midgley observes:

“… [T]he Book of Mormon shows a clear link between the ways of remembrance or forgetfulness and the blessings or cursings associated with the covenant people of God. Since one of the main purposes of the Book of Mormon, as stated on its Title Page, is to show that God remembers the covenants he has made with his people (see also 1 Nephi 19:15-16; 2 Nephi 29:1-2; 3 Nephi 16:11), it is especially appropriate that the renewal of covenants includes a commitment to "always remember him, and keep his commandments," as the faithful affirm their willingness to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ (Moroni 4:3).” [1] (Emphasis mine)

In verse 3 we read one of the most quoted scriptures by critics of the Church: “A Bible!  A Bible!  We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.” 

There are critics who like to claim we don’t believe in the Bible.  This is not true, and there are critics who make this claim know it’s false 

“Of course, Latter-day Saints believe in the Bible, but it is sometimes stated by some not of our faith that we do not. In fact, we love the Bible and believe its teachings. It holds a special place in our religion that cannot be filled by any other book. On the day the Church was organized, the Lord affirmed the Bible's truthfulness (D&C 20:11), and the Book of Mormon itself bears testimony of the Bible and commits us to it (1 Nephi 13:20–23; 2 Nephi 29:2–13). With many other Christians we have faith that the Bible's ancient writers were inspired, and we reject the trends in modern society that devalue it and its teachings.” [2] (Emphasis mine)

Another criticism is that the Bible contains everything we need.  There has been no and will be no further revelation and scriptures from God.  To hold up the Book of Mormon as scripture is blasphemous.  We don’t need it. 

Press coverage at the time of the publication of the Book of Mormon fulfilled Nephi(1)’s prophecy.

“Nephi predicted what the reaction of the world would be to the claims of the Book of Mormon: ‘Many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible’ (2 Nephi 29:3). The moment the book was presented for sale this prophecy began to be fulfilled, when the most eminent newspaper of the region, The Rochester Daily Advertiser of Rochester, New York, published the following opinion:

          BLASPHEMY
          Book of Mormon, Alias the Golden Bible
          The Book of Mormon has been placed in our hands. A viler imposition was never practiced. It is an evidence of fraud, blasphemy, and credulity, shocking to both Christians and moralists.” [3]   (Emphasis mine)

“In Missouri, which the Latter-day Saints called Zion, more news articles on the Book of Mormon appeared. TheMissouri Intelligencer, published in Columbia, carried an article which contained a fascinating statement: ‘We hope the people hereafter will be satisfied with the bible God has given us, and the religion it reveals, without the addition of the “Book of Mormon.”' " [4] (Emphasis mine)

During his great vision, Nephi(1) was told:  “[t]hou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God.” (Emphasis mine) (1 Nephi 13:24).  As time passed, many plain and precious truths were lost from the Bible. 

Hugh Nibley commented:

“It is unmerited [the claim we don’t need anything other than the Bible] because all the words of Jesus in the Bible can be read in half an hour, though Jesus' actual sermons often lasted for many hours: What good Christian would be such a fool as to walk out on the Lord while he was speaking? It is also unwarranted because the purported words of Jesus are found in the church writers of the early period. If such men insist on quoting sayings which they actually believe were uttered by the Master, what greater folly can there be than refusing to give them serious attention? Yet it was not until another great papyrus find in Egypt at the turn of the century that serious attention was given.” [5] (Emphasis mine)

Robert L. Millet, and Noel B. Reynolds wrote:

“There are many needs for revelation beyond the Bible. For one thing, many facts remain unreported in the New Testament. For example, on the Mount of Transfiguration and for forty days after his resurrection, Jesus instructed his apostles (see Matthew 17:1—13; Acts 1:1—3). Although the Bible is silent on what happened during these events, Latter-day Saint revelations disclose that Jesus taught his apostles important principles, gave them priesthood authority, and endowed them with spiritual gifts on these occasions. Likewise, the Gospel of John reports that Jesus told the Jews that he had ‘other sheep’ besides them and that these others would also ‘hear’ his voice (see John 10:16). The Book of Mormon reveals how these words of Jesus were literally fulfilled (see 3 Nephi 15:11—24; 16:1—3).

Furthermore, Latter-day revelation provides answers to many practical and doctrinal questions that arise out of the biblical text. From the Bible, many views can be entertained concerning such matters as the nature of God, the purposes of life, the rules of marriage and divorce, and the possibilities for repentance and salvation after death. Complete answers to questions like these are not always found in the Bible alone. Without further revelation, answers to these and similar questions that have been asked over the years remain unsatisfactory.

“In addition, Latter-day Saints can see that history has not always been kind to the records of Christianity. Certain plain and precious things have been lost. For example, the apostle Paul wrote other letters that no longer exist (see 1 Corinthians 5:9; Ephesians 3:3), and it is widely believed that Matthew, Mark, and Luke may have relied on an earlier, now missing documentary source as they wrote their Gospels. Latter-day Saints assume that these lost records would be of great value to all Christians. These losses can be attributed, at least in part, to the problems of apostasy and division described in the New Testament itself (see Acts 20:29; 1 Corinthians 11:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:3). Latter-day Saints believe that at least some of these losses have been compensated for by the word of God contained in scriptures brought forth in these latter days.” [6] (Emphasis mine)

---

[1] "O Man, Remember, and Perish Not" (Mosiah 4:30), Louis Midgley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 10, 2012.

[2] Some LDS Perspectives on the Bible, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 10, 2012.

[3] Introduction to an Unknown Book, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 10, 2012.

[4] In the Press: Early Newspaper Reports on the Initial Publication of the Book of Mormon, Donald Q. Cannon, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 10, 2012.

[5] The Illusive Primitive Church, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 10, 2012.

[6] 4. Does God speak to his children in ways other than through the Bible? Robert L. Millet, and Noel B. Reynolds, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 10, 2012.