3 Nephi 18:1-7

Chapter 18

Jesus institutes the sacrament among the Nephites—They are commanded to pray always in His name—Those who eat His flesh and drink His blood unworthily are damned—The disciples are given power to confer the Holy Ghost. About A.D. 34.

1 And it came to pass that Jesus commanded his disciples that they should bring forth some bread and wine unto him.

The Savior sent His disciples to get bread and wine. He was ready to institute the Sacrament among the Nephites.

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.

“And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;

“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28).[1]

He commanded the multitude to sit while waiting for the disciples to return.

When they returned, He took the bread and broke it apart and blessed. He gave the bread to the disciples and had them eat the bread. When they had eaten the bread, He commanded the disciples to give bread to the multitude.

When the multitude had eaten the bread, He spoke again to the disciples. One would be ordained and will receive the power to break and bless the bread to be given to church members. All who believe will be baptized in His name.

“The twelve Nephite disciples received authority to baptize directly from the resurrected Jesus and not from earlier scripture or the community of believers (3 Nephi 11:21–26; 12:1). The specific granting of divine authority to mortals is a recurrent element in the resurrected Lord’s ministry at the Book of Mormon’s climax (3 Nephi 18:5, 36–37; 20:4; 4 Nephi 1:5).”[2]

He commanded them to observe this ordinance, “even as I have done” (3 Nephi 18:6).

“We bind ourselves through the covenant made in partaking of the sacrament. Through partaking of the bread, we remember the body of Christ and his providing the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 11:24; compare 3 Nephi 18:6—7).”[3]

They were commanded to eat the bread “… in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen” (Moroni 4:3).

“Now these Nephites ate the sanctified bread in remembrance, not of the broken body or of the suffering of the Lord, but of the unforgettably glorified physical body, ‘which I have shown unto you’ (3 Nephi 18:7). Their sacrament was, quite literally, a sacrament of ‘shew’ bread, of the bread of life that had been shown to them, the bread of a resurrected being which they had not only seen but also touched and whose hands had touched them.”[4]

“Significantly, when Jesus visited His disciples in the Americas, He also instituted the sacrament among them. In doing so, He said: ‘This shall ye always observe to do,’ and ‘it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me.’ Again, at the outset of the Restoration, the Lord instituted the ordinance of the sacrament, giving instructions to us similar to those He gave His earlier disciples.”[5]

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[1] “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and brake it, and blessed it, and gave to his disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is in remembrance of my body which I give a ransom for you…

“For this is in remembrance of my blood of the new testament, which is shed for as many as shall believe on my name, for the remission of their sins.

“And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall observe to do the things which ye have seen me do, and bear record of me even unto the end” (JST Matthew 26:22, 24-25).

[2] The Historical Case against Sidney Rigdon’s Authorship of the Book of Mormon, Matthew Roper and Paul J. Fields, Mormon Studies Review 23/1 (2011): 118.

[3] The Stumbling Blocks of First Corinthians, Monte S. Nyman, Reprinted by permission from The New Testament and the Latter-day Saints (Orem, Utah: Randall Book Company, 1987), 249—62, Maxwell Institute website.

[4] Seeing Third Nephi as the Holy of Holies of the Book of Mormon, John W. Welch, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 19/1 (2010): 48.

[5] The Sacrament and the Atonement, Elder James J. Hamula, October 2014 General Conference.

3 Nephi 17:11-25

The Savior, seeing the people desired Him to say, told the congregation to bring their children to Him. In His mortal ministry, He emphasized the deep level love He felt for children.

“Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.

“But Jesus said, Suffer [GR Allow, Permit] little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:13-14).[1]

“And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.

“But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:13-14).

He had them gather around Him. He told the multitude to knell. And here begins one of the most sacred and spiritually powerful events in the Book of Mormon.

He begins His prayer, telling His Father, “I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel” (3 Nephi 17:14).

It is interesting to note the sons of Mosiah and Alma₂ were also troubled about the wickedness of the Nephites. They knew first-hand the consequences of sin, having been among “the very vilest of sinners” (Mosiah 28:4).

“Now [the sons of Mosiah] were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble” (Mosiah 28:3).

“For it was the cause of great sorrow to Alma to know of iniquity among his people; therefore his heart was exceedingly sorrowful because of the separation of the Zoramites from the Nephites” (Alma 31:2).

He then knelt and prayed. Mormon tells us “the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him” (3 Nephi 17:15). Why did Mormon choose not to share these words with us?

“On each of the three days, Jesus spoke words that could not be written (3 Nephi 17:15; 19:32, 34; 26:6), perhaps not only because he said so many things or because language was inadequate, but also because the things they saw and heard were too sacred.”[2]

I favor the latter explanation.

Mormon quotes from the record.

“The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father;

“And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father” (3 Nephi 17:16-17).

After He finished His prayer, he stood. The joy of the congregation was so great, they were overcome by the Spirit. He told them to stand.

When they stood, He told them, “And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full” (3 Nephi 17:22). He wept with joy.

Like He did in Jerusalem, He took the children and blessed them.

“But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

“And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:14-16).

“Are there any better insights to a personality than the direction of inner longings? The Nephite record shows an eternal being still needing the solace and strength of prayer. There the resurrected Savior is seen still shouldering the emotional burden of caring for all peoples, and the Godhead operating as a council of companionship … Third Nephi stresses that during his American ministry Jesus called upon his Father in ‘great and marvelous’ prayers (3 Nephi 17:16–17) … [H]e appealed for future blessings on innocent children (3 Nephi 17:21) and faithfulness on the part of their parents (3 Nephi 17:17).”[3]

He prayed for the children and He wept again.

He then turned to the congregation and told them to see their children.

Then the miracle occurred.

“And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them” (3 Nephi 17:24).

“While we do not learn what the children may have taught the adults when their tongues were loosened, the parents could not have escaped noticing how precious the children were to Jesus or how much these children needed to be taken into account. It would have been difficult indeed for adults to ever overlook these children, having been witnesses of the events of those three days. Even if only offered a brief glimpse, Jesus’s hearers were privileged to see how children should be prized and instructed. Moreover, to observe Jesus’s teaching and then to be taught by children may have focused the parents’ attention on the qualities of the children that made them such ready pupils. Their unabashed openness, tenderness, and desire to please Jesus were tangible models to emulate. The adults could see what it looked like to become, as mentioned earlier, ‘as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him’ (Mosiah 3:19).”[4]

“And the multitude did see and hear and bear record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see and hear, every man for himself; and they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls; and they did consist of men, women, and children” (3 Nephi 17:25).

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[1] “Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them, saying There is no need, for Jesus hath said, Such shall be saved.

“But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (JST Matthew 19:13-14).

[2] Seeing Third Nephi as the Holy of Holies of the Book of Mormon, John W. Welch, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 19/1 (2010): 49.

[3] Imitation Gospels and Christ’s Book of Mormon Ministry, Richard Lloyd Anderson, Reprinted by permission from C. Wilfred Griggs, ed., Apocryphal Writings and the Latter-day Saints (Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1986), Maxwell Institute website.

[4] The Savior and the Children in 3 Nephi, M. Gawain Wells, Maxwell Institute website.

3 Nephi 17:4-10

After Christ told the multitude He would be leaving to visit the lost ten tribes, he looked at the Nephites assembled. They were in tears and he discerned they wanted Him to remain with them longer.

“Christ’s expansive emotions are also etched in tears of joy. Modern fabrications can picture the triumph of the Resurrection but offer no basis for the weeping of a glorified being. Even the canonical Gospels cautiously disclose Jesus’ mortal tears—only at the triumphal entry and at the raising of Lazarus, though Paul knew of Jesus’ tears in trial, probably Gethsemane (Hebrews 5:7). The sorrow of Lazarus’ family and friends precipitated Jesus’ sorrow (John 11:35–36). Jesus’ empathy for his Nephite Church was similar. Twice their tears of love and gratitude are mentioned (3 Nephi 17:5, 10), and twice his responsive ‘compassion’ (3 Nephi 17:6–7). In the midst of their prayers and full faith, and the blessing of their children, Jesus himself wept after exclaiming, ‘And now behold, my joy is full’ (3 Nephi 17:20–22). In daily life such joyful tears are the release of the long strain of expectation, the fulfillment of hope. One would hardly expect Jesus to lack the emotions expressed by idealistic mortals. So a significant dimension of Third Nephi is the Lord of experience. Christ’s character there has substance and actuality.”[1]

Seeing the multitude, He was filled with compassion towards them. He asked them to bring the sick and afflicted to Him.  He would heal those brought to Him.

“[D]uring Christ’s visit to the Nephites in the land Bountiful, beyond the healing he provided to the ‘lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner’ (3 Nephi 17:7), he taught his disciples that they must minister to the unworthy with the hope that ‘they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them’ (3 Nephi 18:32).”[2]

He also perceived they desired to see what He had done among the Jews. It was through their faith they would be healed. “For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith” (2 Nephi 27:23).

Here we see the importance of faith.  With faith, Christ told them they would be healed because of their faith.  If they had no faith “God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith” (Ether 12:12).

After the Savior told them to bring the sick forward, they did so.  “For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases” (Mosiah 3:5).

He would heal all who were afflicted. “The multitude also included a number of people who were sick, lame, dumb, and blind (see 3 Nephi 17:9). When Jesus healed the sick, at least some of them ‘were brought forth unto him’ (3 Nephi 17:9). In other words, they had to be taken to him by others. It is unlikely that these sick and afflicted, some of whom were dependent on others to get around, would have been present at a chance meeting of curious survivors. It is more likely that they were brought by loving relatives to an announced religious gathering at the temple.”[3]

All who were healed, as well as those who were healthy, fell at the Savior’s feet and worshiped Him.  Many came forth and kissed His feet and bathed them with their tears.

“And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

“And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment…

“Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.” (Luke 7:37-38, 45).

“Throughout His mortal life the Savior taught that we should care for one another and help one another. He healed the sick, caused the lame to walk, restored sight to the blind, and unstopped the ears of the deaf. He taught the people the gospel. He blessed the people and performed many mighty miracles.

“There are opportunities everywhere to help those in need. I submit to you that at some time in our lives, each of us will be poor in some way and will need the help of another person. For ‘are we not all beggars?’”[4]

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[1] Imitation Gospels and Christ’s Book of Mormon Ministry, Richard Lloyd Anderson, Reprinted by permission from C. Wilfred Griggs, ed., Apocryphal Writings and the Latter-day Saints (Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1986), 53-107.

[2] “According to Their Language, unto Their Understanding”: The Cultural Context of Hierophanies and Theophanies in Latter-day Saint Canon, Mark Alan Wright, Studies in the Bible and Antiquity 3 (2011): 60.

[3] The Great and Marvelous Change: An Alternate Interpretation, Clifford P. Jones, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 19/2 (2010): 57.

[4] His Arm Is Sufficient, Sister Barbara Thompson, April 2009 General Conference.

3 Nephi 17:1-3

Chapter 17

Jesus directs the people to ponder His words and pray for understanding—He heals their sick—He prays for the people, using language that cannot be written—Angels minister to and fire encircles their little ones. About A.D. 34.

The Savior had finished His words to the Nephites.  He looked around and told them His time is at hand.  He did perceive the people were weak. 

“But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?

“Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk” (Luke 5:22-23).[1]

He perceived they did not understand the words He had been commanded to speak to them. We see this has happened in the past with His teachings.  “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now” (John 16:12).

“Behold, ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth” (D&C 50:40).

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;

“And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours” (D&C 78:17-18).

“It seems to me that as chapter 17 begins, the Lord basically wants to leave at this point, that is, to end day one. But there is a problem. They don't want him to leave. Let's read verses 1—7: ‘Behold, now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked round about again on the multitude, and he said unto them: Behold, my time is at hand. I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time’ (3 Nephi 17:1—2).

“By the way, I hadn't thought about this until this time, but what does that indicate about him? Notice his ability to perceive their weakness. He is a perceptive teacher. Notice he says, ‘I know you can't understand everything I have said. I know you don't fathom all of this.’ I remember very well at the October 1972 general conference, President Harold B. Lee said the same thing. He referred to this incident and said, basically, ‘Look, I know you can't grasp it all, but go home and think on these things. We will come back in six months and do this again.’”[2]

Jesus told the Nephites to go home and ponder the words He has spoken.  Pondering the scriptures is essential to gain a full understanding of what they offer us.  “If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works” (Proverbs 20:12).

“For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot” (1 Nephi 11:1).

“And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children” (2 Nephi 4:15).

“And it came to pass that [Nephi₂] went his way towards his own house, pondering upon the things which the Lord had shown unto him” (Helaman 10:2).

“Why do many active members of the church not love the scriptures? We believe it is because they haven't learned to ponder them. To ponder, according to Webster, means ‘to weigh in the mind; to think or consider especially quietly, soberly, and deeply.’ After a lengthy discourse, the Savior told the Nephites they needed time to ponder and pray about what he was saying: ‘I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time. Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand’ (3 Nephi 17:2–3). He has repeated this counsel in our time: ‘My friends, I leave these sayings with you to ponder in your hearts, with this commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall call upon me while I am near—Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you’ (D&C 88:62–63). So when we don't understand and appreciate the scriptures, the Lord's counsel is to ponder and pray about them. More specifically, we are to ponder first and then to pray. As the Lord says, ‘You must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right’ (D&C 9:8).”[3]

They were also instructed to ask the Father, in His name, to not only understand His words, but to prepare their minds for tomorrow.

“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments” (Ezra 7:10).

“Wherefore the decree hath gone forth from the Father that they shall be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked” (D&C 29:8).

                           

“Eternal principles will take root in us as we take time not only to read the teachings of the prophets and the scriptures but also to ponder them in the spirit of prayer. Nephi, for example, took time to sit and ponder. By so doing, he was exposed to doctrinal pearls (see 1 Nephi 11:1). Take the time to do what the Lord has directed us to do: “Treasure these things up in your hearts, and let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds” (D&C 43:34). In a world that increasingly demands more of our time, it is essential that we take time to ponder in our homes, so that we may understand divine doctrine and its principles. As the Savior said, “Go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon these things … that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow” (3 Nephi 17:3).”[4]

By doing this, they will be ready to hear His words tomorrow.

“When the Savior appeared to the people of the Book of Mormon, He gave us a great example about not waiting to administer relief to those who have lost a sense of happiness and joy. Having taught the people, He saw that they were unable to understand all His words. He invited them to go to their homes and ponder the things that He had said to them. He told them to pray to the Father and prepare themselves to come again on the morrow, when He would return to teach them.”[5]

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[1] “But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?

“Does it require more power to forgive sins than to make the sick rise up and walk” (JST Luke 5:22-23).

[2] The Doctrine of the Risen Christ: Part 1, Robert L. Millet, Maxwell Institute website.

[3] Pondering the Word, Dennis Packard and Sandra Packard, Maxwell Institute website.

[4] Today Is the Time, Walter F. González, October 2007 General Conference.

[5] Doing the Right Thing at the Right Time, without Delay, Elder José L. Alonso, October 2011 General Conference.

3 Nephi 16:10-20

The Savior continues teaching about the Gentiles.

They day will come when they will sin against and reject His Gospel and “be lifted up in the pride of their hearts” (3 Nephi 16:10).

“Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.

“And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts.

“For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.

“O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world?

“Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?

“Yea, why do ye build up your secret abominations to get gain, and cause that widows should mourn before the Lord, and also orphans to mourn before the Lord, and also the blood of their fathers and their husbands to cry unto the Lord from the ground, for vengeance upon your heads?

“Behold, the sword of vengeance hangeth over you; and the time soon cometh that he avengeth the blood of the saints upon you, for he will not suffer their cries any longer” (Mormon 8:35-41).

They will lie, deceive, become hypocrites, and murder. Moroni saw this day. “Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth; there shall be murders, and robbing, and lying, and deceivings, and whoredoms, and all manner of abominations; when there shall be many who will say, Do this, or do that, and it mattereth not, for the Lord will uphold such at the last day. But wo unto such, for they are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity? (Mormon 8:31).

Priestcrafts will again become part of their religion. “He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion” (2 Nephi 26:29).

Their sins will be done in secret. “There will come a time—we call it the fulness of the Gentiles—when the Lord will turn, on a preferential basis, the blessings of the gospel to those we know as the Jews. And why will it happen? Because, as it said in 3 Nephi 16:10, the Gentiles will sin against that gospel.”[1]

When this day comes, the gospel will be brought to the House of Israel. “But behold, it shall come to pass that they shall be driven and scattered by the Gentiles; and after they have been driven and scattered by the Gentiles, behold, then will the Lord remember the covenant which he made unto Abraham and unto all the house of Israel” (Mormon 5:20).

“We are not to sit like bags of sand but receive a fulness—nothing left out, ‘every needful thing,’ in short, all that one is able to receive. The Lord has much to say about fulness. If I could do more than I am doing, or carry more than I am carrying, and learn more than I am learning, etc., I am quite literally rejecting the fulness. This is a situation ominously set forth in 3 Nephi 16:10—11 where, speaking of the church in our day, the Lord says, ‘If they shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, sayeth the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them and I will bring my gospel unto them’—i.e., another branch of Israel, the descendants of Lehi. Is the phasing out or neglecting of certain temple activities a rejection of the fulness? That is not for me to decide.”[2]

The House of Israel will be shown the Gentiles have no power over them. He will remember His covenant with Israel and they will come to a knowledge of the gospel. “And this is according to the prophecy, that they shall again be brought to the true knowledge, which is the knowledge of their Redeemer, and their great and true shepherd, and be numbered among his sheep” (Helaman 15:13).

Should the Gentiles repent and return to the Lord, they will be numbered among the house of Israel. “And then at that day will they rejoice and give praise unto their everlasting God, their rock and their salvation? Yea, at that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine? Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God” (1 Nephi 15:15).

“Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham…

“And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:7, 29).

Those who are of the house of Israel will not “go through among them, and tread them down” (3 Nephi 16:14).

Should the Gentiles reject Christ, the house of Israel will go among them “and shall tread them down” (3 Nephi 16:15). “And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver” (Micah 5:8).

As for Lehi’s descendants, the Father commanded Him to give this land to them. “And behold, this is the land of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it unto you” (3 Nephi 15:13).

The Savior told the Nephites the words of Isaiah will be fulfilled (see Isaiah 52:8-10).[3]

“Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing, for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

“Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

“The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of God” (3 Nephi 16:18-20).

Who are these “watchmen?” The guide to the scriptures tells us the “watchmen” are “[t]o be vigilant, to guard. A person who watches and obeys is ready and prepared. Watchmen are leaders who are called by the Lord’s representatives to have specific responsibility for the welfare of others. Those called as leaders have a special responsibility to also be watchmen to the rest of the world.”

“And set watchmen round about them, and build a tower, that one may overlook the land round about, to be a watchman upon the tower, that mine olive trees may not be broken down when the enemy shall come to spoil and take upon themselves the fruit of my vineyard.

“Ought ye not to have done even as I commanded you, and—after ye had planted the vineyard, and built the hedge round about, and set watchmen upon the walls thereof—built the tower also, and set a watchman upon the tower, and watched for my vineyard, and not have fallen asleep, lest the enemy should come upon you?

“And behold, the watchman upon the tower would have seen the enemy while he was yet afar off; and then ye could have made ready and kept the enemy from breaking down the hedge thereof, and saved my vineyard from the hands of the destroyer” (D&C 101:45, 53-54).

“And now it came to pass that after Alma had made an end of speaking unto the people of the church, which was established in the city of Zarahemla, he ordained priests and elders, by laying on his hands according to the order of God, to preside and watch over the church” (Alma 6:1).

Noah’s priests confronted Abinadi about Isaiah 52:8-10.  “[One of Noah’s priests quoted the] verses in detail later. The priest went on to quote [Isaiah 52:8-10], apparently intent on baffling Abinadi. Perhaps the priest was suggesting that ‘watchmen’ sing and are joyful because all is well in Zion. The text gives us no hint of the priest’s immediate motives here except to reveal his general attempt to somehow gather evidence that will discredit Abinadi so that the society could be rid of him…

“What of the watchmen who see eye to eye, those whose feet are beautiful? Abinadi: The time shall come that the salvation of the Lord shall be declared to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. [He exults!] Yea, Lord, thy watchmen shall lift up their voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. ([Mosiah] 15:28–29; v. 29 quotes Isaiah 52:8)”[4]

“Look at [Mosiah 15:]22: ‘Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice’—they are quoting this, but if they were really aware of what they are doing, they'd see that in Ezekiel 33:6—7, it says that the watchmen are sent to declare a warning voice and that Abinadi is a perfect example of what that is supposed to be. But [the priests] say, ‘No, your news is bad, and we don't like bad news.’ It is kind of like Samuel's story in Helaman 13. If someone comes and says everything is fine and you are all right, you accept him. But if he testifies of your iniquities, you run him out of town.”

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[1] The Doctrine of the Risen Christ: Part 3, Robert L. Millet, Maxwell Institute website.

[2] A House of Glory, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute website.

[3] The wording in 3 Nephi 16:18-20 is identical to the wording in Isaiah.

[4] “What Meaneth the Words That Are Written?” Abinadi Interprets Isaiah, Ann Madsen, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 10/1 (2001): 7, 12.

3 Nephi 16:6-9

Once the gospel is taken to the Gentiles, they will be blessed through their faith in Christ.

“And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations.

“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land; and I beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them.

“And the angel said unto me: Knowest thou the meaning of the book?

“And I said unto him: I know not.

“And he said: Behold it proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew. And I, Nephi, beheld it; and he said unto me: The book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews, which contains the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets; and it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass, save there are not so many; nevertheless, they contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles” (1 Nephi 13:19-23).

“And now, I would prophesy somewhat more concerning the Jews and the Gentiles. For after the book of which I have spoken shall come forth, and be written unto the Gentiles, and sealed up again unto the Lord, there shall be many which shall believe the words which are written; and they shall carry them forth unto the remnant of our seed” (2 Nephi 30:3).

They will receive their testimony through the Holy Ghost. “For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do” (2 Nephi 32:5).

“There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true” (John 5:32).

“For what man knoweth things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11).

“And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5).

Because of Israel’s lack of belief in the Savior, the truth will come to the Gentiles.  They will have the fullness of all things made known to them.  “[The Book of Mormon] is my word to the Gentile, that soon it may go to the Jew, of whom the Lamanites are a remnant, that they may believe the gospel, and look not for a Messiah to come who has already come” (D&C 19:27).

There will be Gentiles who do not accept the Savior. “And they that believe not in him shall be destroyed, both by fire, and by tempest, and by earthquakes, and by bloodsheds, and by pestilence, and by famine. And they shall know that the Lord is God, the Holy One of Israel” (2 Nephi 6:15).

“O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell” (2 Nephi 28:15).

“And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity” (Ether 2:9).

They will scatter the house of Israel.  “And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten” (1 Nephi 13:14).

“And it shall come to pass, that those who have dwindled in unbelief shall be smitten by the hand of the Gentiles” (2 Nephi 26:9).

“And also that a knowledge of these things must come unto the remnant of these people, and also unto the Gentiles, who the Lord hath said should scatter this people, and this people should be counted as naught among them—therefore I write a small abridgment, daring not to give a full account of the things which I have seen, because of the commandment which I have received, and also that ye might not have too great sorrow because of the wickedness of this people…

“And also that the seed of this people may more fully believe his gospel, which shall go forth unto them from the Gentiles; for this people shall be scattered, and shall become a dark, a filthy, and a loathsome people, beyond the description of that which ever hath been amongst us, yea, even that which hath been among the Lamanites, and this because of their unbelief and idolatry” (Mormon 5:9, 15).

They have been cast out from among the Gentiles. 

Because of the mercies of the Father to the Gentiles as well as His judgement on the house of Israel, He will have caused them to be smitten, afflicted, slain and cast out.  They will be hated by the Gentiles.  “And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten” (Jeremiah 23:40).

“All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?

“All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it” (Lamentations 2:15-16).

3 Nephi 16:1-5

Chapter 16

Jesus will visit others of the lost sheep of Israel—In the latter days the gospel will go to the Gentiles and then to the house of Israel—The Lord’s people will see eye to eye when He brings again Zion. About A.D. 34.

After telling the Nephites they were the other sheep referred to in Jerusalem (see John 10:16), he told them there were other sheep that are not in this land nor the land of Jerusalem.

“And the God of our fathers, who were led out of Egypt, out of bondage, and also were preserved in the wilderness by him, yea, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, yieldeth himself, according to the words of the angel, as a man, into the hands of wicked men, to be lifted up, according to the words of Zenock, and to be crucified, according to the words of Neum, and to be buried in a sepulchre, according to the words of Zenos, which he spake concerning the three days of darkness, which should be a sign given of his death unto those who should inhabit the isles of the sea, more especially given unto those who are of the house of Israel” (1 Nephi 19:10).

“And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (2 Nephi 21:12).

“And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee” (1 Kings 11:31).

The Savior was referring to the lost ten tribes. “And the king of Assyria did carry away Israel unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes” (2 Kings 18:18).

“But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate” (Zechariah 7:14).

“And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews” (2 Nephi 29:13).

“After this vision closed, the heavens were again opened unto us; and Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north” (D&C 110:11).

They had not yet heard His voice, nor had He appeared to them.

He had been commanded by the Father to minister to them so that they will hear His voice and become part of His fold.

“During his visit to the Nephites, the Lord again referred to the lost tribes of Israel when he declared, ‘I shall go unto them [his “other sheep”], and . . . they shall hear my voice’ (see 3 Nephi 16:1–3). When those records come forth, we will have a third witness to the divinity of Christ. The Lord revealed that another purpose of that record will be to combine with other records to show ‘unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever’ (2 Nephi 29:14; see Abraham 2:8). Doctrine and Covenants 133:30–32 teaches that the lost tribes will bring their ‘rich treasures’ to Ephraim and will thus receive a crown of glory. While these treasures could refer to the records of the lost tribes, they could also include the genealogical records that will be brought to the temples of Ephraim and enable the lost tribes to receive their ordinances, the crowning ones being their endowments and sealings for themselves and their dead ancestors.”[1]

He commanded the Nephites to write all His sayings after He is gone. “And after it had come forth unto them I beheld other books, which came forth by the power of the Lamb, from the Gentiles unto them, unto the convincing of the Gentiles and the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the Jews who were scattered upon all the face of the earth, that the records of the prophets and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are true” (1 Nephi 13:39).

“Wherefore, he shall bring forth his words unto them, which words shall judge them at the last day, for they shall be given them for the purpose of convincing them of the true Messiah, who was rejected by them; and unto the convincing of them that they need not look forward any more for a Messiah to come, for there should not any come, save it should be a false Messiah which should deceive the people; for there is save one Messiah spoken of by the prophets, and that Messiah is he who should be rejected of the Jew” (2 Nephi 25:18).

The record will be made available to the Gentiles.

“And after the house of Israel should be scattered they should be gathered together again; or, in fine, after the Gentiles had received the fulness of the Gospel, the natural branches of the olive tree, or the remnants of the house of Israel, should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer” (1 Nephi 10:14).

This fullness will be brought to them through the Gentiles.  They will be scattered through the Earth.  This knowledge will be brought to them so they will know Him.

“And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand [IE covenanted] to give it to your fathers.

“And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.

“And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed” (Ezekiel 20:42-44).

“Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.

“I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: he will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness” (Micah 7:8-9).

“[T]he Jesus of the Book of Mormon here indicates that his words in the New Testament can only be understood if taken in their plain sense: his sheep include those who have actually, physically, heard his voice. Earlier in the text, he explains that stiffneckedness and unbelief kept his Old World hearers from this truth (3 Nephi 15:18), and in 3 Nephi 16:4 he offers two different methods whereby those at Jerusalem could still receive knowledge about these “other sheep”—and by extension about the timely fulfillment of his eschatological prophecies as well—either by asking the Father in Jesus’s name or by eventually receiving the Nephite record of his postresurrection visit to them.”[2]

“And then will I gather them in from the four quarters of the earth; and then will I fulfil the covenant which the Father hath made unto all the people of the house of Israel” (3 Nephi 16:5).

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[1] Other Ancient American Records Yet to Come Forth, Monte S. Nyman, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 10/1 (2001): 58.

[2] “Saving Christianity”: The Nephite Fulfillment of Jesus’s Eschatological Prophecies, Heather Hardy, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 23 (2014): 32-33.

3 Nephi 15:13-24

Continuing His words, the Savior, He told the Nephites He had not received a commandment from His Father to tell the Jews about the Nephites. Earlier, Mormon wrote, “I am Mormon, and a pure descendant of Lehi. I have reason to bless my God and my Savior Jesus Christ, that he brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, (and no one knew it save it were himself and those whom he brought out of that land) and that he hath given me and my people so much knowledge unto the salvation of our souls” (3 Nephi 5:20).

He also had not received a commandment to tell the Jews about the ten tribes. What He told the Jews was, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now” (John 16:12).

He told them, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” (John 10:16).

We learn it was because of their unbelief and the fact they were so bullheaded, He was commanded not to say anything more than this.

“While acknowledging the difficulty of the prophecy as given, the Jesus of the Book of Mormon here indicates that his words in the New Testament can only be understood if taken in their plain sense: his sheep include those who have actually, physically, heard his voice. Earlier in the text, he explains that stiffneckedness and unbelief kept his Old World hearers from this truth (3 Nephi 15:18), and in 3 Nephi 16:4 he offers two different methods whereby those at Jerusalem could still receive knowledge about these ‘other sheep’—and by extension about the timely fulfillment of his eschatological prophecies as well—either by asking the Father in Jesus’s name or by eventually receiving the Nephite record of his postresurrection visit to them.”[1]

The Savior was commanded to tell the Nephites they were separated from the Jews because of their sin. “For thou didst separate them from among all the people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God” (1 Kings 8:53). It is for this reason, they were not told of the Nephites.

It is for this reason, the other tribes were separated from them and why they weren’t told anything about them.

“It may seem a strange claim that Jesus’s Old World prophecies were fulfilled on the other side of the world, in a manner that would have been impossible for his original audience to verify; but Jesus speaks in the Book of Mormon of a similar misunderstanding when he tells his Nephite disciples that ‘ye are they of whom I said, “Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd”’ (3 Nephi 15:21;17 cf. John 10:16). This identification of the Nephites as Jesus’s ‘other sheep’ demonstrates that, so far as the Book of Mormon is concerned, Jesus prophesied on at least one occasion in Jerusalem of events that would transpire in the New World, even though his original hearers could neither understand nor even imagine the prophecy being fulfilled in such a manner.”[2]

The Jews did not understand His words about the Gentiles receiving the gospel through them. “But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). He would only manifest Himself through the Holy Ghost.  “And it came to pass after my father had spoken these words he spake unto my brethren concerning the gospel which should be preached among the Jews, and also concerning the dwindling of the Jews in unbelief. And after they had slain the Messiah, who should come, and after he had been slain he should rise from the dead, and should make himself manifest, by the Holy Ghost, unto the Gentiles” (1 Nephi 10:11).

The Nephites have now heard His voice and seen Him.  They are His sheep. “Behold, I say unto you, that the good shepherd doth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ; and if ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd, to the name by which ye are called, behold, ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd” (Alma 5:38).

They will be numbered “among those whom the Father hath given me” (3 Nephi 15:24). “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).

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[1] “Saving Christianity”: The Nephite Fulfillment of Jesus’s Eschatological Prophecies, Heather Hardy, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 23 (2014): 31-32.

[2] Ibid., 31.