The book Nephi saw in his vision had been changed by the
great and abominable church. Many plain and precious things were “taken away
from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God” (1 Nephi 13:28). Note
Nephi’s choice of words - “taken away from the book.” Nephi is telling us those
things that are lost from the book were intentionally removed. Only after the
loss of the plain and precious things did the book go to the nations and
gentiles.
Apparently, this was a problem as early as Peter’s time. He
wrote, “As also in all [Paul’s] epistles, speaking in them of these things; in
which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and
unstable wrest [GR twist, distort], as they do also the other scriptures, unto
their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16). Peter was complaining that Paul’s words
had been distorted along with other scripture. It didn’t take long after Christ’s
death for the loss of plain and precious things to begin.
“This stage could have occurred simply by altering
the meaning of the things taught by the Lord without necessarily
changing the words themselves. This change in understanding was the fundamental
problem Nephi saw, for the things that would cause many to stumble were those
things ‘taken away out of the gospel’ (1 Nephi 13:29).”[1]
Nephi saw the gentiles went “forth out of captivity” (1
Nephi 13:30) into this, the promised land. Lehi had been promised “his seed
should have for the land of their inheritance” (1 Nephi 13:30). Nephi’s
descendants will mix with the Lamanites. His descendants that had mixed with
the Lamanites, along with those who were “pure” Lamanite will be spared from
destruction. Jacob taught:
“And now, this commandment they observe to keep; wherefore,
because of this observance, in keeping this commandment, the Lord God will not
destroy them, but will be merciful unto them; and one day they shall become a
blessed people.
“Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives
love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children;
and their unbelief and their hatred towards you is because of the iniquity of
their fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of
your great Creator?
“O my brethren, I fear that unless ye shall repent of your
sins that their skins will be whiter than yours, when ye shall be brought with
them before the throne of God.
“Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, which is the word
of God, that ye revile no more against them because of the darkness of their
skins; neither shall ye revile against them because of their filthiness; but ye
shall remember your own filthiness, and remember that their filthiness came
because of their fathers” (Jacob 3:6-9).
There are critics of the Church who claim the Book of Mormon
is racist, that the Lamanites are inferior to the Nephites. They obviously
ignore evidence like that that is found in Jacob’s words. Speaking against the
practice of the Nephites having more than one wife and concubines, Jacob compares
the Nephites to the Lamanites. Some of his words:
[W]herefore, because of this observance, in keeping this
commandment, the Lord God will not destroy them, but will be merciful unto
them; and one day they shall become a blessed people.
[T]heir husbands love their wives, and their wives love
their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children.
[T]heir unbelief and their hatred towards you is because of
the iniquity of their fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in
the sight of your great Creator?
[T]heir skins will be whiter than yours, when ye shall be
brought with them before the throne of God.
There are too many critics who don’t let truth and facts get
in the way of their beliefs.
Nephi saw that the great and abominable church would take
things from the Bible. Those responsible for losing these plain and precious
things would not do this accidentally. It would be an intentional effort on
their part to remove these things from the gospel.
Nephi would later write, “And the Gentiles are lifted up in
the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because of the greatness of their
stumbling block, that they have built up many churches; nevertheless, they put
down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own
wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain and grind upon the face
of the poor” (2 Nephi 26:20).
But, the Lord promised that they not remain in a state of
blindness. John Welch writes…
“[T]he Book of Mormon commits Latter-day Saints to the view
that much of the gospel of Jesus Christ was preserved among the Gentiles. In
particular, Nephi records that the spirit and power of God was still with some
of the Gentiles (1 Nephi 13:12, 13, 16) and that they still had an important
book, which may not have been complete, but still is said to be ‘of great worth’
to the remnant of his peoples (1 Nephi 13:23). Nephi was assured that God would
not leave the Gentiles in a ‘state of awful blindness’ (1 Nephi 13:32) but that
the Nephite record and other books would come forth precisely to establish the
truth of the records of the prophets and apostles which the Gentiles still had
and to make known ‘the plain and precious things which have been taken away’ (1
Nephi 13:40). Although these records in the hands of the Gentiles will not be
perfect, they will still be of great worth and will be amenable to
corroboration.”[2]
The day will come when Christ will appear to Nephi’s
descendants and minister to them. They will record His teachings, which will
contain plain and precious things.
After the Nephites are destroyed, and the Lamanites “dwindle
in unbelief” (1 Nephi 13:35), the Book of Mormon will come forth to the
gentiles through the power of God. Nephi would explain to his brothers, “And
after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work
among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed; wherefore, it
is likened unto their being nourished by the Gentiles and being carried in
their arms and upon their shoulders” (1 Nephi 22:8).
The gospel will be written in the Book of Mormon record. Christ
would tell the Nephites, “And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be
baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit
the kingdom of God. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine,
and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against them” (3 Nephi 11:38-39).
Those that seek Zion will have the gift of the Holy Ghost. They
must also endure to the end. “And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth
and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end,
behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall
stand to judge the world” (3 Nephi 27:16). Those that do this “shall be lifted
up at the last day” (1 Nephi 13:37) and will be saved in the kingdom of God.
Nephi saw the Lamanites and the Bible come to them “from the
mouth of a Jew” (1 Nephi 13:38).
“But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a
Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And
what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what
do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the
pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation
unto the Gentiles?
“O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient
covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have
not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon
your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people.
“Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible,
and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews” (2
Nephi 29:4-6).
As Mormon ended his record, he extended the following
invitation to the Lamanites.
“Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and
lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in
this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the
Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles unto you.
“For behold, this is written for the intent that ye may
believe that; and if ye believe that ye will believe this also; and if ye
believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works
which were wrought by the power of God among them” (Mormon 7:8-9).
In addition to the Book of Mormon, other records will come
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” (1 Nephi 13:39). Ezekiel
also prophesied of additional records.
“The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
“Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick [HEB wood.
Wooden writing tablets were in common use in Babylon in Ezekiel’s day], and
write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then
take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and
for all the house of Israel his companions:
“And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall
become one in thine hand.
“And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying,
Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
“Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take
the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel
his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make
them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand
before their eyes” (Ezekiel 37:15-20).
These records will bear witness that the Bible is true.
John Tvedtnes wrote about these additional records.
“Since the publication of the Book of Mormon in 1830, many
more documents have been discovered, some of them discussed in this chapter and
some in earlier chapters of this work. While the documents that were discovered
are not all scriptural, they nevertheless lend support to the concept that
records were hidden up to come forth in the last days. It is as the Psalmist
declared: ‘Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look
down from heaven’ (Psalm 85:11).”[3]
These records will also restore the plain and precious
things taken away from the Bible. They will go to all people testifying that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Only by coming to
Christ can we be saved. “And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way;
and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be
saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ,
and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen” (2 Nephi 31:21)
[1] Some Personal Reflections, John Welch,
Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed February 27, 2013.
[2] Modern Revelation: A Guide to Research about
the Apostasy, John W. Welch, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute.
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