Christ calls upon the Gentiles to come to Him.
“And again, more blessed are they who shall believe in your
words because that ye shall testify that ye have seen me, and that ye know that
I am. Yea, blessed are they who shall believe in your words, and come down into
the depths of humility and be baptized, for they shall be visited with fire and
with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins.
“Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven” (3 Nephi 12:2-3).
“Although the Book of Mormon contains the fulness of the
gospel in the scriptural sense of that phrase, it does not contain nor purport
to contain all revealed knowledge. In addition to teaching the gospel message
and the associated ‘great plan of happiness’ (Alma 42:8) in plainness and
clarity, Book of Mormon prophets invite us to look forward to additional
precepts, teaching, truths, and even scriptures to be revealed in the Lord's
due time, ‘line upon line,’ through God's prophets by means of the Holy Ghost.”[1]
When they do, they will see greater things. This will be
knowledge withheld because of their unbelief. If you reference back to Moroni’s
words, some of this knowledge is to be had in the Book of Mormon (for example,
see Mormon 8:16, 28).
“Today, surrounded by so much information, we might think
that navigating millions of web pages will give us all that we need to know. We
can find good and bad information on the web, but information alone is not
enough. God has given us another source for greater knowledge,6 even knowledge
sent from heaven. Our Heavenly Father can give us such knowledge when we
navigate the celestial web in our hearts and minds.”[2]
“Although Latter-day Saints frequently use the term gospel
to refer generally to all truths to be learned through the restoration, there
is a much narrower meaning found in the scriptures. The gospel is the good news
of Christ’s atonement, and its first principles and ordinances include faith,
repentance, baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost. This is the gospel as it is
set forth in the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 10:14; 15:13–14; 3 Nephi 27:13–21;
Ether 4:18)…”[3]
When Israel comes to the Lord, He will manifest the great
things the Father has in store for them.
“God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea,
by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, that has not been revealed since the
world was until now;
“Which our forefathers have awaited with anxious expectation
to be revealed in the last times, which their minds were pointed to by the
angels, as held in reserve for the fulness of their glory;
“A time to come in the which nothing shall be withheld,
whether there be one God or many gods, they shall be manifest.
“All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall
be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of
Jesus Christ” (D&C 121:26-29).
All of this would have come to them had they believed. Their
unbelief prevented them from receiving this knowledge.
When Israel rips their veil of unbelief, great and marvelous
which have been hid from the foundation of the world from them will be made
clear. “But the words which are sealed he shall not deliver, neither shall he
deliver the book. For the book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the
revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the own due time of
the Lord, that they may come forth; for behold, they reveal all things from the
foundation of the world unto the end thereof” (2 Nephi 27:10).
They must call upon the Lord with a broken heart and
contrite spirit. “And he called [the Nephite twelve] by name, saying: Ye shall
call on the Father in my name, in mighty prayer; and after ye have done this ye
shall have power that to him upon whom ye shall lay your hands, ye shall give
the Holy Ghost; and in my name shall ye give it, for thus do mine apostles”
(Moroni 2:2).
When that day comes, the Father will remember the covenant
made with Israel.
Then, he will unfold the words of John in Revelation. “Wherefore,
the things which he shall write are just and true; and behold they are written
in the book which thou beheld proceeding out of the mouth of the Jew; and at
the time they proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, or, at the time the book
proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, the things which were written were plain
and pure, and most precious and easy to the understanding of all men.” (1 Nephi
14:23).
When they see these things, Israel will know “the time is at
hand that they shall be made manifest in very deed” (Ether 4:16).
“As Moroni abridged the records of the Jaredites, the Lord
told him that the revelations written by John would be understood when the
sealed portion of the Book of Mormon plates comes forth.”[4]
At the time the Book of Mormon goes forth, “the work of the
Father has commenced upon all the face of the land” (Ether 4:17). “And behold,
this is the thing which I will give unto you for a sign—for verily I say unto
you that when these things which I declare unto you, and which I shall declare
unto you hereafter of myself, and by the power of the Holy Ghost which shall be
given unto you of the Father, shall be made known unto the Gentiles that they
may know concerning this people who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, and
concerning this my people who shall be scattered by them” (3 Nephi 21:2).
“Following his abridgment of the Savior’s teachings in America,
Mormon advised his readers ‘that when the Lord shall see fit, in his wisdom,
that these sayings [in the Book of Mormon] shall come unto the Gentiles
according to his word, then ye may know that the covenant which the Father hath
made with the children of Israel, concerning their restoration to the lands of
their inheritance, is already beginning to be fulfilled’ (3 Nephi 29:1; compare
21:1-7). His son Moroni added, after discussing the great vision of the Brother
of Jared: ‘When ye shall receive this record ye may know that the work of the
Father has commenced upon all the face of the land’ (Ether 4:17).”[5]
All ends of the Earth are called to repent. “Now this is the
commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized
in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that
ye may stand spotless before me at the last day” (3 Nephi 27:20).
“And he hath said: Repent all ye ends of the earth, and come
unto me, and be baptized in my name, and have faith in me, that ye may be saved”
(Moroni 7:34).
We are to come to Him, believe His gospel and be baptized in
His name.
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say
unto thee, Except a man be born again [GR from above, anew], he cannot see the
kingdom of God.
“Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is
old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”
(John 3:3-5).
Those who do not believe will be damned. Signs will follow
those who believe in His name.
Those who were faithful to His teachings at the last day,
will be lifted up and dwell in His kingdom for ever.
“O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth
the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer” (Psalms 31:23).
“And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the
blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold,
they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold
out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may
dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that
these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it” (Mosiah 2:41).
[1] The
Book of Mormon Contains the “Fulness of the Gospel,” a Research Report prepared
by the FARMS Research Department.
[2] Learning
with Our Hearts, By Elder Walter F. González, October 2012 General Conference.
[3] One
Small Step, John A. Tvedtnes and Matthew Roper, FARMS Review 15/1 (2003): 148.
[4] Other
Ancient American Records Yet to Come Forth, Monte S. Nyman, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 10/1
(2001): 54.
[5] The
Gathering of Israel in the Book of Mormon: A Consistent Pattern, Robert L.
Millet, Maxwell Institute website.
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