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.

3 Nephi 15:8-12

The Savior reminds the Nephites He is the law and the light.

“And as surely as the Lord liveth, will he gather in from the four quarters of the earth all the remnant of the seed of Jacob, who are scattered abroad upon all the face of the earth.

“And as he hath covenanted with all the house of Jacob, even so shall the covenant wherewith he hath covenanted with the house of Jacob be fulfilled in his own due time, unto the restoring all the house of Jacob unto the knowledge of the covenant that he hath covenanted with them.

“And then shall they know their Redeemer, who is Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and then shall they be gathered in from the four quarters of the earth unto their own lands, from whence they have been dispersed; yea, as the Lord liveth so shall it be” (3 Nephi 5:24-26).

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid” (Psalms 27:1).

“The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory” (Isaiah 60:19).

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).

“Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Ephesians 5:14).

We are to look to Him and endure to the end. Our reward will be eternal life. “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

“[D]uring his sermon to the Nephite remnant, Jesus admonishes the congregation to “look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live” (3 Nephi 15:9). Christ's use of the words look and live in this way suggests a connection back to the stories of the brazen serpent and the Liahona and points to Jesus as the true type adumbrated in each.”[1]

“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Mark 13:13).

“Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20).

“The Savior's coming to the Nephites out of darkness and great destruction is a miracle of light, establishing order where previously there had been chaos: After the earth ‘did cleave together again, that it stood’ (3 Nephi 10:10), a Man descends out of heaven ‘clothed in a white robe’ (3 Nephi 11:8) and declares, ‘I am the light and the life of the world’ (3 Nephi 11:11). In a series of unforgettable instructions, the Savior teaches the gathered multitude to be ‘the light of this people’ (3 Nephi 12:14), to realize that ‘the light of the body is the eye’ (3 Nephi 13:22), that ‘I am the law, and the light’ (3 Nephi 15:9), and that they should hold up their light ‘that it may shine unto the world’ (3 Nephi 18:24). Then he causes the ‘light of his countenance’ to shine upon his disciples, ‘and behold they were as white as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus’ (3 Nephi 19:25).”[2]

The Nephites have been give commandments. “Therefore come unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (3 Nephi 12:20).

He commanded them to keep His commandments.  “[T]his is the law and the prophets, for they truly testified of me” (3 Nephi 15:10). “For behold, did not Moses prophesy unto them concerning the coming of the Messiah, and that God should redeem his people? Yea, and even all the prophets who have prophesied ever since the world began—have they not spoken more or less concerning these things” (Mosiah 13:33).

He next turned to the Twelve and they are to be a light to the people.

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[1] “Look to God and Live,” Kristian S. Heal, director of CPART, Maxwell Institute website.

[2] The Book of Mormon, Designed for Our Day, Annual FARMS Lecture, 27 February 1990, Richard Dilworth Rust, Maxwell Institute website.

3 Nephi 15:1-7

Chapter 15

Jesus announces that the law of Moses is fulfilled in Him—The Nephites are the other sheep of whom He spoke in Jerusalem—Because of iniquity, the Lord’s people in Jerusalem do not know of the scattered sheep of Israel. About A.D. 34.

The Savior has finished the Sermon at the Temple.

Looking at the multitude, he told them the things he taught the Nephites were taught to the Jews before his death and resurrection.

“The resurrected Jesus explicitly reenacts in the New World many of the teachings and performances he first presented in his mortal ministry (3 Nephi 15:1; 17:8), but the Nephite enactment is more than mere repetition. The faith he encounters there stands in sharp contrast to the Jews’ prior scorn (3 Nephi 9:16), enabling him to offer the Nephite community his surpassing favor.”[1]

He tells them blessings come through doing His will. 

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
“For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

“For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was” (James 1:22-24).

Those who do His word will be raised up at the last day.  “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day” (John 6:39).

“And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be” (1^st Nephi 13:37).

“Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people” (Mosiah 23:22).

“And if thou art faithful in keeping my commandments, thou shalt be lifted up at the last day. Amen” (D&C 5:35).

The Savior perceived some wondered about the law of Moses.  Should they continue to obey it.  They did not understand what was meant when He said old things had passed away. “Therefore those things which were of old time, which were under the law, in me are all fulfilled.

“Old things are done away, and all things have become new” (3 Nephi 12:46-47).

They should not be surprised when he said the old things had passed away and been replaced by new things. “In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away” (Hebrews 8:13).

He declared the law of Moses is fulfilled.  Abinadi had taught king Noah and his priests about the law of Moses and its fulfillment.

“And now ye have said that salvation cometh by the law of Moses. I say unto you that it is expedient that ye should keep the law of Moses as yet; but I say unto you,
“And moreover, I say unto you, that salvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses.

“And now I say unto you that it was expedient that there should be a law given to the children of Israel, yea, even a very strict law; for they were a stiffnecked people, quick to do iniquity, and slow to remember the Lord their God;

“Therefore there was a law given them, yea, a law of performances and of ordinances, a law which they were to observe strictly from day to day, to keep them in remembrance of God and their duty towards him.

“But behold, I say unto you, that all these things were types of things to come” (Mosiah 13:27-31).[2]

The Savior tells the multitude He gave the Jews the law of Moses.  He covenanted with Israel.  He has fulfilled the law and it has come to an end. “Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away” (Alma 34:13).

He did not destroy the prophets.  “[F] or as many as have not been fulfilled in me, verily I say unto you, shall all be fulfilled.”

He made sure they understood when He said old things passed away, He did not destroy what has been spoken and have not yet come.

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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): 51.

[2] Even though the Nephites had the words of available to them, we don’t know how widespread his teachings were among the Nephites.

3 Nephi 14, Part IV (21-28)

The Savior lets it be known that mere faith is not enough. We are expected to the will of the Father.[1] “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:17).

“Other examples of escalation could be given, showing that in the experience of this ascent a fundamental unity of the sermon is found. Just as the Sermon on the Mount begins on a mountain, it ends by talking about the wise man who builds upon that mountain, by not only hearing but actually patterning his house of righteousness after God’s holy house. Progressively, through these stages of ascent, there comes first fulfillment of the law amidst the people of Israel, next perfection of each individual, and finally hearing the Lord himself say, ‘Enter,’ not ‘Depart’ (3 Nephi 14:21–23).”[2]

The day will come when many will say to the Lord, “have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” (3 Nephi 14:22). “Or do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say—Lord, our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth—and that he will save you?” (Alma 5:17).

These will be those who act in the Lord’s name without His authority. He will command them to depart from Him. “For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?” (Mosiah 5:13).

“For behold, in my name are they called; and if they know me they shall come forth, and shall have a place eternally at my right hand.

“And it shall come to pass that when the second trump shall sound then shall they that never knew me come forth and shall stand before me.

“And then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, that I am their Redeemer; but they would not be redeemed.

“And then I will confess unto them that I never knew them; and they shall depart into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angel” (Mosiah 26:24-27).

“First among those among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord” (D&C 112:26).

“One might ask, how does God recognize which of his children are loyal to their covenant with him? Christ himself answers that question. In his sermon at the temple in Bountiful, the Lord repeats what he said to his listeners in the Old World: ‘Ye shall know them by their fruits’ (3 Nephi 14:16; Matthew 7:16; emphasis in original). Covenant keepers can be recognized by what they become. To those who have entered into the covenant relationship but not fulfilled its requirements, he will say, ‘I never knew you’ (3 Nephi 14:23; Matthew 7:23; emphasis in original).”[3]

He closes the Sermon at the Temple with the parable of the house on sand or rocks. Those who accept Christ and His teachings are wise people who builds his house upon the rocks.  Those who reject Christ’s teachings are foolish people who builds their house upon the sand.

When bad weather comes, the house built upon the rocks can withstand the wind, rain, and floods that hit the house.  The house built uopn the sand cannot withstand the forces of nature and the house is destroyed.

“It is interesting to notice that the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew against both houses! Living the gospel does not mean that we will everlastingly escape adversity. Rather, it means that we will be prepared to face and endure adversity more confidently.”[4]

“Brothers and sisters, none of us would knowingly construct our homes, places of work, or sacred houses of worship on sand or rubble or without appropriate plans and materials. Let us accept the Savior’s invitation to come unto Him. Let us build our lives upon a safe and a sure foundation.”[5]

When troubles arise in our lives, our faith in Christ will help us withstand all the pressures working against us.

“Right after the people partook of the sacrament, witnessing their willingness to keep the commandments which he had given them (18:10), Jesus promised them that if they would keep that covenant, they would be built upon the rock. Their promise was to remember him always and to keep the commandments which he had just given them, namely in the sermon in 3 Nephi 12–14. By declaring that they will then be ‘built upon my rock’ (18:12), Jesus referred back to 3 Nephi 14:25–26 (and even further back to 3 Nephi 11:39). Likewise, his warning that “whoso among you shall do more or less than these are not built upon my rock” (18:13) echoed 3 Nephi 11:40, ‘Whoso shall declare more or less than this... is not built upon my rock.’

“Jesus then continued, ‘But [they] are built upon a sandy foundation; and when the rain descends, and the floods come, and the winds blow, and beat upon them, they shall fall’ (18:13), words mentioned previously at the end of the sermon in 3 Nephi 14:27–28 and anticipated in 11:40. Coming at the beginning of this day in chapter 11, then at the culmination of the sermon in chapter 14, and finally at the end of this day in chapter 18, these words draw together and encase everything that happened on that day, emphasizing the need to both hear and do the words of the Lord (14:24).”[6]

3 Nephi 14 ends with this parable. Matthew tells us the people were “astonished” by the Savior’s teachings.  He taught the Jews as one who has been given authority, unlike the scribes. 

These statements were not necessary.  At the Sermon at the Temple, the people were hearing the resurrected Savior.  Matthew’s statements were not necessary.

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[1] Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. [For the day soon cometh, that men shall come before me to judgement to be judged according to their works.] (JST Matthew 7: 30-31).

[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): 45.

[3] Treaties and Covenants: Ancient Near Eastern Legal Terminology in the Book of Mormon, RoseAnn Benson and Stephen D. Ricks, Maxwell Institute website.

[4] Faith in Adversity, Elder Rafael E. Pino, April 2009 General Conference.

[5] A Sure Foundation, Bishop Dean M. Davies, April 2013 General Conference.

[6]Worthy of Another Look: Reusages of the Words of Christ, John W. Welch, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 22/1 (2013): 65-66.

3 Nephi 14, Part III (13-20)

The Savior next counsels the Nephites there is a wide gate and broad path leading to destruction. Many will follow this path.

In contrast, the gate to eternal life is strait and narrow. Few will follow this path. “Broad is the gate, and wide the way that leadeth to the deaths; and many there are that go in thereat, because they receive me not, neither do they abide in my law” (D&C 132:25).

Strait is an interesting word. First, look at the etymology of the word. “’[N]arrow, strict’ (late 13c.), from Old French estreit, estrait ‘tight, close-fitting, constricted, narrow’ (Modern French étroit), from Latin strictus, past participle of stringere (2) ‘bind or draw tight’ (see strain (v.)). More or less confused with unrelated straight (adj.). Related: Straightly.”

“Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (Luke 13:24).

“Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able” (3 Nephi 27:33).

Here, the Savior is telling us the path to heaven is very narrow, as is the gate. The smaller the path, the harder it is to follow. In a sense, it would be easier to follow the wide path. It not only is easy to follow, but it will be well traveled.

The narrow path offers more opportunities to get lost if we do not follow it closely. As few will follow this path, we have to rely on the Lord to guide us as we travel this path.

The Savior warned the Nephites against false prophets.  Frequently, false prophets appear to be the Lord’s servant.  This is done to deceive the faithful.  We are to watch out for these servants of the devil.

Scriptures have made this very clear. “Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark…

“Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up…

“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 28:9, 12, 15).

“Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart” (Jeremiah 14:14).

“The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us” (Micah 3:11).

“And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11).

“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate [GR unfit, worthless]” (Titus 1:16).

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1).

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

So, how do we recognize the false prophets.  We are told we will know them by their fruits. 

“For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

“Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth” (Colossian 1:5-6).

“To live as economic equals may be the most difficult form of at-one-ment to achieve. At least we might infer as much after observing the rich ruler fail his final test of discipleship—to give his wealth to the poor (see Luke 18:18–22). In the Book of Mormon, during that singular season when the Lord's people did achieve perfect at-one-ment, their drift toward separateness was signaled early on by their divisions into economic classes (see 4 Nephi 1:24–26). Because economic at-one-ment is so difficult to achieve, the poor are always with us (see John 12:8; Mosiah 4:16–21).

“Speaking in parables, the resurrected Jesus compared our works to the fruit of a tree. He taught that only a good tree produces good fruit: ‘Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them’ (see 3 Nephi 14:16–20).”[1]

“One might ask, how does God recognize which of his children are loyal to their covenant with him? Christ himself answers that question. In his sermon at the temple in Bountiful, the Lord repeats what he said to his listeners in the Old World: ‘Ye shall know them by their fruits’ (3 Nephi 14:16; Matthew 7:16; emphasis added). Covenant keepers can be recognized by what they become. To those who have entered into the covenant relationship but not fulfilled its requirements, he will say, ‘I never knew you’ (3 Nephi 14:23; Matthew 7:23; emphasis added). Conversely, how do his followers know that he is their God? God manifests that he knows them by fulfilling his covenant promises, as illustrated in the following passage: ‘And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth; and he numbereth his sheep, and they know him; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture’ (1 Nephi 22:25). From this passage we learn that an important aspect of God's knowing his people in this covenant agreement is for God to gather his children under his care so that he can care for and protect them.”[2]

A good tree brings froth good fruit; a decayed tree brings froth degenerate fruit.  “Therefore, if a man bringeth forth good works he hearkeneth unto the voice of the good shepherd, and he doth follow him; but whosoever bringeth forth evil works, the same becometh a child of the devil, for he hearkeneth unto his voice, and doth follow him” (Alma 5:41).

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[1] “No Poor Among Them,” Lindon J. Robison, Maxwell Institute website.

[2] Treaties and Covenants: Ancient Near Eastern Legal Terminology in the Book of Mormon, RoseAnn Benson and Stephen D. Ricks, Maxwell Institute website.