2 Nephi 30:1-5

Chapter 30

Converted gentiles shall be numbered with the covenant people—Many Lamanites and Jews shall believe the word and become a delightsome people—Israel shall be restored and the wicked destroyed. About 559–545 B.C.

1 And now behold, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you; for I, Nephi, would not suffer that ye should suppose that ye are more righteous than the Gentiles shall be. For behold, except ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall all likewise perish; and because of the words which have been spoken ye need not suppose that the Gentiles are utterly destroyed.

2 For behold, I say unto you that as many of the Gentiles as will repent are the covenant people of the Lord; and as many of the Jews as will not repent shall be cast off; for the Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe in his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel.

3 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.

4 And then shall the remnant of our seed know concerning us, how that we came out from Jerusalem, and that they are descendants of the Jews.

5 And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them; wherefore, they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their fathers.

The Lord had ceased to speak to Nephi at the end of Chapter 29.  Nephi makes this clear in verse 1, where he wrote, “I would speak unto you; for I, Nephi…” (2 Nephi 30:1). 

There are those who believe they are “better” than other people are.  Some in the Church believe they are more righteous because they are part of the restored Gospel.  Nephi warns against this attitude. 

If we don’t keep the commandments and follow Christ’s teachings, we are no better off than those who don’t have the restored Gospel.  If they fail to repent, these people will perish the same as those who are wrapped in the chains of hell.

During His ministry, Christ taught:

“There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilæans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

“And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilæans were sinners above all the Galilæans, because they suffered such things?

“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

“Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:1-5).

The Lord has His covenant people.  If the Gentiles repent, they will be a part of the covenant people.  In his epistle to the Galatians, Paul told them:

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

“And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).

If the Jews fail to repent, they will be cast off.  The covenant cannot save them.  Repenting and believing in Christ is required for their salvation.  John the Baptist taught:

“As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

“For behold, and lo, he shall come, as it is written in the book of the prophets, to take away the sins of the world, and to bring salvation unto the heathen nations, to gather together those who are lost, who are of the sheepfold of Israel;

“Yea, even the dispersed and afflicted; and also to prepare the way, and make possible the preaching of the gospel unto the Gentiles;

“And to be a light unto all who sit in darkness, unto the uttermost parts of the earth; to bring to pass the resurrection from the dead, and to ascend up on high, to dwell on the right hand of the Father,

“Until the fullness of time, and the law and the testimony shall be sealed, and the keys of the kingdom shall be delivered up again unto the Father;

“To administer justice unto all; to come down in judgment upon all, and to convince all the ungodly of their ungodly deeds, which they have committed; and all this in the day that he shall come;

“For it is a day of power; yea, every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth;

“And all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (JST Luke 3:4-11).

The Book of Mormon tells us of the day when the Jews will accept Christ.  Hugh Nibley explains that repentance is an individual act.

”You do not have to wait for the group to change, for the society to repent, nor do you have to change your ways to comply with theirs; the individual is free to ignore the multitude, and only he is free. Only an individual can repent. Repent is a reflexive verb—you can't repent somebody else or force anybody else; you just repent. The clear rule for assuring desirable change is set forth in 2 Nephi: ‘As many of the Gentiles as will repent are the covenant people of the Lord; and as many of the Jews who will not repent shall be cast off; for the Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe in his Son’ (2 Nephi 30:2).”[1]

Nephi returns to prophesies about the Jews and Gentiles. 

After the Book of Mormon is written, it will be sealed.  Sealing of documents, etc. was a common practice.  John Welch writes about this.

“More specifically, the Book of Mormon is indeed a binding document, a legal warning, a proclamation, a testament, covenant, and contract. Its provisions are about covenants of the Lord. It has much to do with rights of land possession, and it contains the terms and conditions that the owner of the land of promise requires those who occupy that land to obey. In other words, the religious and secular spheres were not widely separated in antiquity, and the Book of Mormon presents sacred materials often by using legalistic forms or concepts. These factors may well explain why Nephi would associate this legal form, typically used for legal contracts, with the final presentation of the Nephite records.

“Moreover, the process of sealing up the Nephite records served several practical and religious purposes. To keep the record pure, Nephi and his posterity were instructed that the records should be ‘sealed up to come forth in their purity’ (1 Nephi 14:26). As further protection against destruction, the Lord instructed his scribes to seal up the writings in a book so that ‘those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not have them, for they seek to destroy the things of God’ (2 Nephi 26:17). Prophetically, Nephi reported that the book would be dedicated to the Lord, ‘sealed up again unto the Lord’ (2 Nephi 30:3).”[2]

When the Book of Mormon goes forth, it will go to the descendants of the Lamanites.  They will learn about how their ancestors left Jerusalem and came to the New World.  They will also learn they are descendants of the Jews.

Then, the gospel will be taught to them and “they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their fathers” (2 Nephi 30:5).

At the very beginning of the Book of Mormon, we read:

“Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile … Which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations.” (Book of Mormon Title Page)

Mormon’s last words written in the Book of Mormon is addressed to the descendants of the Lamanites and the house of Israel.

“And now, behold, I would speak somewhat unto the remnant of this people who are spared, if it so be that God may give unto them my words, that they may know of the things of their fathers; yea, I speak unto you, ye remnant of the house of Israel; and these are the words which I speak…

“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.

}And ye will also know that ye are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; therefore ye are numbered among the people of the first covenant; and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, and are baptized, first with water, then with fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the example of our Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgment.  Amen” (Mormon 7:1, 9-10).

Richard Rust explains the structure of the Book of Mormon.

“In its overall structure, the Book of Mormon begins and ends with concern for the Lamanites receiving the gospel. Reiterating the main points from the title page, Nephi says that through the Book of Mormon the Lamanites shall know they are of Israel and through it ‘they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ’ (2 Nephi 30:5; see 30:1-6). Then toward the end, Mormon says much the same thing: ‘Know ye that ye are of the house of Israel. . . . Know ye that ye must come to the knowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and believe in Jesus Christ’ (Mormon 7:2, 5).”[3]

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[1] Change out of Control, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute.

[2] Doubled, Sealed, Witnessed Documents: From the Ancient World to the Book of Mormon, John Welch, Maxwell Institute.

[3] The Book of Mormon, Designed for Our Day, Richard Dilworth Rust, Maxwell Institute.