Christ continues His teachings about Isaiah by telling them
to listen carefully to his teachings. In the Father’s due time, these words
(the Book of Mormon) will go to the Gentiles. “And no one need say they shall
not come, for they surely shall, for the Lord hath spoken it; for out of the
earth shall they come, by the hand of the Lord, and none can stay it; and it
shall come in a day when it shall be said that miracles are done away; and it
shall come even as if one should speak from the dead” (Mormon 8:26).
Whoever will accept His words, repents, and is baptized will
be saved. He told the multitude to search the prophets as they testify of His
words.
“Then he said unto them, O fools [GR unwise], and slow of
heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
“Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to
enter into his glory?
“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded
unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:25-27).
“Israel’s redemption and the fruits of the gentiles are
foretold in Isaiah 54, which is then quoted in its entirety by the Savior (see
3 Nephi 22). Together, the children of the desolate (the covenant gentiles) and
the children of the married wife (the Israelites) will bring forth stakes of
Zion in the last days. The Lord’s mercy will be shown through the maintenance
of his covenant of peace (see 3 Nephi 22:10), and righteousness will reign. The
Savior concludes his profound Covenant People Discourse in 3 Nephi 23 by
admonishing his followers to search the words of Isaiah, who foretold these
marvelous things.”[1]
This applies to us today. When Christ told the Nephites to “search
the prophets,” He was telling them to search the scriptures. We have been told
by Church leaders the only way we can fully know the words of the Lords is
through searching our scriptures.
We have been blessed with abundant scriptures to know the
will of the Lord. It’s up to us to take advantage of those blessings.
Christ then informed the multitude there were other scriptures
they should write but hadn’t.
The Savior then asked Nephi to bring Him the records he had.
“And it came to pass that Nephi, he that kept this last record, (and he kept it
upon the plates of Nephi) died, and his son Amos kept it in his stead; and he
kept it upon the plates of Nephi also” (4 Nephi 1:13).
Nephi did this. He laid them before the Lord.
After He had reviewed the records, He told them Samuel, the
Lamanite was commanded to testify that, when Christ died, many saints would be
resurrected, appear to many, and attend to them.
He asked, “Was it not so?” (3 Nephi 23:9). Nephi responded
Samuel had prophesied these words and they had been fulfilled.
Christ than asked why these words had not been written in
the record that is was fulfilled. Nephi added that to the record. “And many
graves shall be opened, and shall yield up many of their dead; and many saints
shall appear unto many” (Helaman 14:25).
This event also occurred in Israel.
“And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints
which slept arose [GR who had died],
“And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went
into the holy city, and appeared unto many” (Matthew 27:52-53).
“During the second day of his visit to the Nephites, the
Savior quoted and discussed the writings of Isaiah and Micah, and expounded to
them all the scriptures they had received (3 Nephi 23:6). He then stated there
were other scriptures they should write, which they had not. The Lord asked
Nephi to bring forth the records which had been kept. He reminded Nephi he had
commanded Samuel to testify that many would arise from the dead and appear to
many at the time of his resurrection and noted this had not been recorded (3
Nephi 23:7—13). Accordingly, the missing scripture was added to the record.
“On the surface, this account seems straightforward enough.
The Savior shows his concern that the scriptures be complete, and a prior
omission is rectified. But what was omitted? Was it a record of the prophecy,
or a record of the fulfillment of the prophecy? And we are led to ask why
Mormon selected this tiny dialogue, out of what must have been an extensive and
interesting discussion, for inclusion in his abridgment.
“Some Latter-day Saint authors believe that it was the
fulfillment of the prophecy, rather than the prophecy itself, that had not been
recorded … Indeed, the recorded words of the Savior, ‘How be it that ye have
not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did
minister unto them?’ seem to say this…
“The Savior then asked Nephi to bring Him the records he
had. ‘And it came to pass that Nephi, he that kept this last record, (and he
kept it upon the plates of Nephi) died, and his son Amos kept it in his stead;
and he kept it upon the plates of Nephi also’ (4 Nephi 1:13).”[2]
[1] The
Disciple as a Scholar – Covenant Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Victor L.
Ludlow, Maxwell Institute website.
[2] The
Missing Scripture, D. Lynn Johnson, Maxwell Institute website.
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