Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Lesson 4: 1 Nephi 12-14

The Great Vision[1]

Like Abraham, Nephi was spiritually ambitious; he wanted to know the mysteries of God (1 Nephi 2:16; Abraham 1:2).  He wanted to see what his father had seen.  His desire was realized; he joined Adam, Enoch, the brother of Jared, and the Apostle John as one of the very few men God has ever granted a panoramic vision of things to come.

While still a youth, prior to his marriage, Nephi was "caught away in the Spirit of the Lord" into "an exceedingly high mountain" where he briefly conversed with the Spirit [the Holy Ghost?] face to face (1 Nephi 11:1, 11; compare 2 Nephi 4:25). The Spirit was soon replaced by an angelic guide who explained to Nephi all that followed.

The vision spanned well over three thousand years, from the birth of Jesus to the celestialization of the earth.  However, Nephi was forbidden to write that portion of the revelation reserved for John the Revelator (1 Nephi 14:24-25; 2 Nephi 4:25).9

He was shown the same things his father had seen:  the tree of life, the rod of iron, the river, the spacious building, and so forth.  These symbols reappear as the different scenes of the vision unfold, binding together its component parts like the recurring themes of a symphony.

Nephi first beheld Mary, "most beautiful and fair above all other virgins" (1 Nephi 11:15) "carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time" (1 Nephi 11:19; compare Luke 1:35).  When he beheld the virgin again, she was bearing the infant Son of God in her arms.  His baptism, ministry, and crucifixion followed. (1 Nephi 11:20-33.) These redeeming events were revealed in the context of the rod of iron and the tree of life or fountain of living waters which symbolize the love of God as embodied in the mission of Jesus Christ (1 Nephi 11:25).

In the vision, after Jesus' death the proud world-represented by the spacious building-was arrayed against the Apostles and the Church.  In time, the building collapsed, signifying the end of all nations that fight against God. (1 Nephi 11:34-36.)

Nephi next beheld ancient America (1 Nephi 12).  He saw the wars and general wickedness of Lehi's posterity end in the devastating destructions accompanying Jesus' crucifixion-an example of the "mist of darkness" (1 Nephi 12:4).

These upheavals were followed by the ministry of the resurrected Savior, the era of righteousness, the final destruction of the Nephite nation in the fifth century, and the long period of spiritual darkness thereafter (1 Nephi 12:6-23).  In these latter scenes the river of filthy water, the mists of darkness, and the spacious building return again like so many somber themes.

Europe, Asia Minor, and the Middle East as they were in the early centuries of the Christian era were then seen by Nephi (1 Nephi 13).  He beheld the "formation of a great church" which his angelic guide described as "most abominable above all other churches" (1 Nephi 13:4-5).  Historically, this diverse "church" consisted of those vicious elements of Judaism, heathenism, apostate Christianity, and civil government which persecuted, tortured, and slew the Saints of God both before and after the passing of the ancient church.  But it is yet to be destroyed.  It exists today among the nations of the earth and will continue to "fight against the Lamb of God" (1 Nephi 14:13) almost until the end of the world.

Nephi then saw the discovery of America, its settlement by the Gentiles, the revolutionary war, and the white man's prophesied depredations against the Lamanites (1 Nephi 13:1-19).  He saw the Gentiles bring the Bible to America-the land of Joseph.  But "plain and most precious" doctrines and ordinances had been lost when certain inspired writings were "taken away" and "kept back" by that "abominable church" (1 Nephi 13:26, 32).  Because of this, the Gentiles, blessed temporally, stumbled spiritually (1 Nephi 13:25-30).

However, their spiritual blindness was not to continue.  Many of the "plain and most precious" things lost to them were to be recovered in the writings of the forefathers of the very peoples being "smitten" by the Gentiles.

The Church of Jesus Christ, established among the Gentiles in America, would be the instrument through which the Book of Mormon and other latter-day scriptures would restore those "most precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb" (1 Nephi 13:32) which had been deliberately omitted from the Christian canon of scripture.  The combined testimonies of these new witnesses for the true Christ and the true gospel would lift the mists of spiritual darkness enveloping the world.  Thus, in due time, righteous Israel-Jew and Gentile-would be saved (1 Nephi 13:31-42).

The final scenes of Nephi's vision pertained to these latter days (1 Nephi 14).  Repentant Gentiles were adopted into the house of Joseph and all Israel was gathered to "no more be confounded" (1 Nephi 14:2).

Nephi saw the great and abominable church fall during the climactic judgments poured out upon the nations prior to Christ's world advent.  The anti-Christ church, "the whore of all the earth," would fight against Zion no longer (2 Nephi 10:16).

The "marvelous work" of the latter days was to be "everlasting" in its consequences; the choice between salvation and damnation would be final and irrevocable (1 Nephi 14:7).  For, in the final analysis there have been but two paths lying before the family of God.  All walk one or the other (2 Nephi 2:27-29).

Such is the "opposition in all things" (1 Nephi 2:11), so essential to the plan of salvation.  We first encountered it in our premortal estate (D&C 29:39; Abraham 3:27-28).  It was there that the "two churches" came into being.  They constituted the opposing powers in the war in heaven, a war which rages with ever-increasing intensity as we approach the end of telestial time.  Nephi's angelic guide summed up this ongoing cosmic struggle between good and evil when he stated:  "Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth" (1 Nephi 14:10)

Between now and the last judgment, billions of men and women will be transferring their memberships from one church to the other!  Those who repent, bow the knee, and confess that Jesus is the Christ will be numbered with the church of the Lamb of God (Mosiah 27:31; D&C 76:110-11).10

Those who absolutely refuse to repent will remain "filthy still"; they will retain their memberships in the church of the devil.  They are sons and daughters of Perdition, suffering the damnation of the second death. (Alma 12:12-18; D&C 88:35.) Happily, the vast majority of the human family will eventually repent and obtain a measure of salvation in one of the "many mansions" comprising the Father's kingdom (John 14:2; D&C 76).

Nephi saw that enemies of the Lord's latter-day work would arise in every nation.  But the "saints of the church of the Lamb" and the scattered "covenant people of the Lord" would be "armed with righteousness and with the power of God" (1 Nephi 14:14; compare D&C 45:66-69).  The "wrath of God" (divine justice) would then be poured out upon the "abominable church" as wars swept through the nations belonging to it.

This condition will mark the beginning of the final phase of the Father's work in fulfilling his covenant with Abraham (1 Nephi 14:16-17; compare 3 Nephi 16:5, 17-20; 3 Nephi 20:11-13). Nephi ended his account of the vision at that point.

1 Nephi 12 Reading Insights

1 NEPHI 11:29; 12:8-10 

Two groups of church leaders to be on the earth at the same time[2]

Nephi saw in his vision that there were to be two sets of church leaders on the earth at the same time shortly after the death and resurrection of the Savior. (1 Nephi 11:29, 33; 12:1, 8-10.) However, the Lord had already provided that the apostles on the eastern continent (headed by Peter, James, and John) were to preside over the twelve Nephite disciples in the day of judgment. (1 Nephi 12:9.) Concerning this prophecy by Nephi outlining the relationship between these two groups of church leaders, President Joseph Fielding Smith has written:

In fulfillment of this prophecy [3 Nephi 12:8-10], when the Savior came to the Nephites, he chose twelve men and gave them authority to minister in his name among the Nephites on this American continent in all the ordinances essential to their salvation. These twelve went forth healing the sick, performing many miracles, and administering the ordinances as they had been commanded to do. The fulness of the gospel, with the power and the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, was given to the Nephites the same as it was to the Church on the Eastern Hemisphere. Moreover, the Lord informed the Nephites that the law that had been given to Moses, including the offering of sacrifices by the shedding of blood, had been done away in him.

While in every instance the Nephite Twelve are spoken of as disciples, the fact remains that they had been endowed with divine authority to be special witnesses for Christ among their own people. Therefore, they were virtually apostles to the Nephite race, although their jurisdiction was, as revealed to Nephi, eventually to be subject to the authority and jurisdiction of Peter and the Twelve chosen in Palestine.

According to the definition prevailing in the world, an apostle is a witness for Christ, or one who evangelizes a certain nation or people, "a zealous advocate of a doctrine or cause." Therefore, in this sense, the Nephite Twelve became apostles, as special witnesses, just as did Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the dispensation of the fulness of times. (Doctrines of Salvation [Bookcraft, 1954], 3:158-59.)

 1 Nephi 13 Reading Insights

1 NEPHI 13:4-9, 28; 14:9-17 

Possible meanings of the terms "church of the devil" and "great and abominable church"[3]

The terms "church of the devil" and "great and abominable church" are apparently used with two senses in the Book of Mormon.

1. All churches that are not the true church of Christ are false churches, and they thus represent the "church of the devil" to the extent that they contain error and lead people away from the true church and its saving principles and ordinances. As the Lord stated in the New Testament: "He that is not with me is against me." (Matthew 12:30.)

2. The "mother of abominations" (1 Nephi 14:9) that is "most abominable above all other churches" (1 Nephi 13:5) and is described in detail (1 Nephi 13:1-9, 26-29; 14:10-17; 22:13-14) as being the source of religious persecution and bigotry after the ministry of Christ (1 Nephi 13:26-28) might refer to the "mother" church from which other so-called Christian churches have protested or rebelled.

 Elder Bruce R. McConkie has defined these terms:

The titles church of the devil and great and abominable church are used to identify all churches or organizations of whatever name or nature -- whether political, philosophical, educational, economic, social, fraternal, civic, or religious -- which are designed to take men on a course that leads away from God and his laws and thus from salvation in the kingdom of God.

Salvation is in Christ, is revealed by him from age to age, and is available only to those who keep his commandments and obey his ordinances. These commandments are taught in, and these ordinances are administered by, his Church. There is no salvation outside this one true Church, the Church of Jesus Christ. There is one Christ, one Church, one gospel, one plan of salvation, one set of saving ordinances, one group of legal administrators, "One Lord, one faith, one baptism." (Eph. 4:5.)

Any church or organization of any kind whatever which satisfies the innate religious longings of man and keeps him from coming to the saving truths of Christ and his gospel is therefore not of God.

Hence, we find our Lord saying, "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." (Matt. 12:30.) And hence we find Alma inviting the wicked to repent and join the true Church of Christ and become the sheep of the Good Shepherd. "And now if ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd, of what fold are ye?" he asks. "Behold, I say unto you, that the devil is your shepherd, and ye are of his fold; and now, who can deny this? Behold, I say unto you, whosoever denieth this is a liar and a child of the devil." (Alma 5:39; Jos. Smith 2:19.)

Iniquitous conditions in the various branches of the great and abominable church in the last days are powerfully described in the Book of Mormon. (2 Ne. 28; Morm. 8:28, 32-33, 36-38; D. & C. 10:56.) Nephi saw the "church which is most abominable above all other churches" in vision. He "saw the devil that he was the foundation of it"; and also the murders, wealth, harlotry, persecutions, and evil desires that are part of this organization. (1 Ne. 13:1-10.)

He saw that this church took away from the gospel of the Lamb many covenants and many plain and precious parts; that it perverted the right ways of the Lord; that it deleted many teachings from the Bible; that it was "the mother of harlots"; and finally that the Lord would again restore the gospel of salvation. (1 Ne. 13:24-42.)

Similar visions were given to John as recorded in the 17th and 18th chapters of Revelation. He saw this evil church as a whore ruling over peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues; as being full of blasphemy, abominations, filthiness, and fornication; as having the name, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT. THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH"; as drunken with the blood of the saints; as revelling in wealth and the delicacies of the earth; as making merchandise of all costly items and of "slaves, and souls of men." And then John, as did Nephi, saw the fail and utter destruction of this great church whose foundation is the devil.

In this world of carnality and sensuousness, the great and abominable church will continue its destructive course. But there will be an eventual future day when evil shall end, "and the great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall be cast down by devouring fire." (D. & C. 29:21; Ezek. 38; 39; 1 Ne. 22:23; Rev. 18.) Before that day, however, desolations will sweep through the earth and the various branches of the great and abominable church "shall war among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own heads, and they shall be drunken with their own blood." (1 Ne. 22:13-14; 14:3.)

The resurrected Christ gave to the Nephites this test whereby they might distinguish the true Church from any other: 1. It would be called in his name, for "how be it my church save it be called in my name?" he said. 2. It would be built upon his gospel, that is, the eternal plan of salvation with all its saving powers and graces would be had in it. 3. The Father would show forth his works in it, meaning that miracles, righteousness, and every good fruit would abound in it. 4. It would not be hewn down and cast into the fire as must surely come to pass with the great and abominable church. "If it be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil, verily I say unto you, they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and they are hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence there is no return." (3 Ne. 27:4-12.) (Mormon Doctrine [Bookcraft, 1966], pp. 137-39.)

Great And Abominable Church[4]

The phrase "great and abominable church," which appears in an apocalyptic vision received by the Book of Mormon prophet Nephi 1 in the sixth century B.C. (1 Ne. 13:6), refers to the church of the devil and is understood by Latter-day Saints to be equivalent to the "great whore that sitteth upon many waters" described in Revelation 17:1. This "whore of all the earth" is identified by Nephi's brother Jacob as all those who are against God and who fight against Zion, in all periods of time (2 Ne. 10:16). Nephi did not write a detailed account of everything he saw in the vision, as this responsibility was reserved for John the apostle, who was to receive the same vision; however, Nephi repeatedly refers to its content and teachings, using various images and phrases (1 Ne. 13:4-9, 26-27, 34; 14:1-4, 9-17).

Like John, Nephi and Jacob describe persecutions that evil people will inflict on God's people, particularly in the last days. The angel who explained the vision to Nephi emphasized that this great and abominable church would take away from the Bible and "the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord" (1 Ne. 13:26), causing men to "stumble" and giving Satan "great power" over them (1 Ne. 13:29; D&C 86:3; Robinson, "Early Christianity," p. 188). Though many Protestants, following the lead of Martin Luther, have linked this evil force described in Revelation 17 with the Roman Catholic church, the particular focus of these LDS and New Testament scriptures seems rather to be on earlier agents of apostasy in the Jewish and Christian traditions (see A. Clarke, Clarke's Commentary, Vol. 6, pp. 1036-38, Nashville, Tenn., 1977).

When Nephi speaks typologically rather than historically, he identifies all the enemies of the Saints with the church of the devil (1 Ne. 14:9-10; 2 Ne. 10:16). They are those from all nations and all time periods who desire "to get gain, and…power over the flesh, and…to become popular in the eyes of the world,…who seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world, and to do all manner of iniquity" (1 Ne. 22:23). Other scriptural terms related to the great and abominable church include "Babylon" and the "great harlot" (Rev. 17:5; 1 Ne. 22:13; D&C 1:16). Images of pride, greed, and covenant abandonment are associated with these terms, in sharp contrast to the church of God. The scriptures are consistent in warning people to flee from the church of evil and find refuge in the church of God (Jer. 51:6; Rev. 18:4; 1 Ne. 20:20; D&C 133:14; see also P. Minear, "Babylon," in Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, 1:338, Nashville, Tenn., 1962). The Book of Mormon image of a great and abominable church complements the biblical images of Babylon and the harlot.

The fate of the great and abominable church is described in both ancient and modern scriptures (Jer. 51:37; Rev. 18:21; 1 Ne. 14:15-16; 22:14; D&C 1:16): Though the nations of the earth will gather together against them, "the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth" are promised redemption even if it requires power sent down from heaven, as if by fire (1 Ne. 14:14; 22:17). When Jesus Christ returns, he will claim his own and reject those who have opposed him (Mal. 4:1-3; 2 Thes. 2:6-10; 1 Ne. 22:23-26; see Jesus Christ: Second Coming of Jesus Christ). As the Savior institutes his millennial reign, great will be the fall of Babylon, the harlot, and the great and abominable church (Rev. 18; 2 Ne. 28:18), for every knee will bow and every tongue confess, with thankfulness, that Jesus is the Christ (Isa. 45:23; Mosiah 27:31).

Bibliography

Nibley, Hugh W. "The Passing of the Primitive Church: Forty Variations on an Unpopular Theme." In CWHN 4:168-208.

Nibley, Hugh W. "Prophecy in the Book of Mormon: The Three Periods." In CWHN 7:410-35.

Robinson, Stephen E. "Warring Against the Saints of God." Ensign 18 (Jan. 1988):34-39.

Robinson, Stephen E. "Early Christianity and 1 Nephi 13-14." In The Book of Mormon: First Nephi, The Doctrinal Foundation, ed. M. Nyman and C. Tate, pp. 177-91. Provo, Utah, 1988.

 1 NEPHI 13:12 

The man "wrought upon" by the Spirit of God[5]

This prophecy apparently refers to the coming of Christopher Columbus to the continent that was later called the American continent. Abundant evidences exist that indicate Columbus was "wrought upon" by the Spirit of God as was shown unto Nephi. In his book Columbus, Don Quixote of the Seas, Jacob Wasserman quotes directly from the writings of Columbus as follows:

From my first youth onward, I was a seaman, and have so continued until this day. ... The Lord was well disposed to my desire, and he bestowed upon me courage and understanding. ... Our Lord with provident hand unlocked my mind, sent me upon seas, and gave me fire for the deed. Those who heard of my emprise called it foolish, mocked me, and laughed. But who can doubt but that the Holy Ghost inspired me? (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1930, p. 18.)

Later in his book, Wasserman quotes from a letter written to King Ferdinand by Columbus wherein he said, "I came to your majesty as the emissary of the Holy Ghost." (Page 46.)

 1 NEPHI 13:20-23 

The record of the Jews[6]

The book that Nephi beheld in vision and which "proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew" and contained "a record of the Jews" (1 Nephi 13:23) is evidently our present Old Testament. Reynolds and Sjodahl indicate in the following statement the appropriateness of these terms in referring to the Old Testament.

The prophet is here speaking of the Old Testament, as it was to appear through the labors of Ezra and his associates and successors.

When Lehi left Jerusalem, the so-called canon of the Old Testament, as we know it, was not yet completed. The five books of Moses, undoubtedly, had been collected and written on one roll, numerous copies of which must have been in existence. The writings of the prophets, such as Joshua, the Judges, Samuel, Kings down to the reign of Zedekiah, and the prophecies of Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, Micah, and parts of Jeremiah, and their contemporaries, Joel, Amos and Jonah, must have existed in separate volumes, and individual collectors may have owned more or less complete sets. The Book of Job, some of the Psalms, the Proverbs, the Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes were also known, even if not generally accepted as sacred scripture. There were also books by authors whose names are mentioned in the Bible, but whose writings have not come down to us. The collection of Laban, known in the Book of Mormon as the Brass Plates, must have been unusually complete, judging from the contents. It must have been a very valuable librry. Such libraries must have been owned by prominent individuals.

Ezra undertook the work of collecting all the sacred writings that existed at his time. This work included not only the discovery of copies in various places, the rejection of those that were not authentic and the copying of manuscripts the contents of which could not otherwise be secured, but also the correction of the text, after careful examination of the variations that must have been found. It was this work that was shown to Nephi in his vision of the Old Testament, and therefore, he, very properly, says he beheld it coming "out of the mouth of a Jew."

This expression appears still more significant when we recall the fact that Ezra, after the completion of the Pentateuch, gathered the people and read it to them and expounded it for seven days, and submitted it to them for their acceptance (Nehemiah 8:1-18; 9:3). Then it, literally, proceeded out of the mouth of a Jew. This took place about 445 B.C., about 150 years after the exodus of Lehi.

The canon was gradually completed by the addition of the writings of Ezra, Nehemiah, and the prophets who lived during and after the exile, Ezekiel, Daniel, Obadiah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The canon as thus completed was accepted by our Lord Himself, and it is, in this remarkable vision. called, on that account, "The Book of the Lamb of God" (1 Nephi 13:38). (Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 4:262-63.)

 1 NEPHI 13:23 

The Old Testament is not complete[7]

Nephi, who was acquainted with the writings contained on the brass plates of Laban, was permitted to see the contents of the latter-day Old Testament, and he concluded that it did not contain as many promises and covenants as were contained on the brass plates. Thus it should not be surprising to hear of prophets whose writings appeared on the brass plates (such as Zenos, Zenock, Neum and Ezias-see 1 Nephi 19:10 and Helaman 8:19-20) but which are not found in our Old Testament.

Scholars of the Bible have long been aware that the Bible was not a complete book in and of itself. Concerning the incompleteness of the Bible, Elder Mark E. Petersen has said: ... the Bible itself admits that it is an incomplete record and does not contain all of God's word. It mentions other books of scripture which are not within its covers and therefore are not available for study by anyone seeking the full truth of the gospel.

Moses spoke of the "Book of the Covenant," which we do not have. He also mentions the "Book of the Wars of Israel," which has never been found. ...

The "Book of Jasher," referred to by Joshua, is not in the Bible. The same is true of the "Book of the Acts of Solomon," referred to in First Kings.

The books of Nathan and Gad, both of whom were prophets and seers, are missing. ...

Ahijah and Iddo were prophets and seers likewise. Would their works not inspire modern people if they were available? But where are they? Can we say that our Bible is actually complete without them?

The "Book of Jehu" is mentioned in the Old Testament but is not included in it. Isaiah wrote a second book known as the "Acts of Uzziah," but where is it? ...

"The Sayings of the Seers," another book of sacred writings, is referred to in the Bible. Where is it now? ...

Paul wrote letters, in addition to those we have in our Bible, and speaks of them. He wrote a third letter to the Corinthians, and at least another one to the Ephesians. Where are they? He also wrote an Epistle to the Laodiceans, but it is not in our possession. Is the Bible then complete? Does it contain all of God's word?

Jude wrote another Epistle in addition to the one in the New Testament. He also mentions a volume of scripture known as the "Prophecies of Enoch" to which he evidently had access, but which we do not have today.

Then there is the matter of the Savior's teachings. He lived an intensive and full life during the three years of his public ministry. He preached to multitudes repeatedly. He conversed with individuals almost constantly, and gave many intimate instructions to the Twelve.

Can anyone say that his three years of instruction are contained in the Bible? May they be read in the few hours it takes to peruse what he said in the four Gospels? Can three years of the Savior's eloquent teachings be condensed into three hours of reading material? The Apostle John says twice in his Gospel that not a fraction of the Savior's ministry is recorded.

Much as we love it, sincerely as we believe it, can we in all truth say that the Bible is complete, that it contains all of God's word, or even the full text of the Savior's instructions? (Conference Report, April 1964, pp. 18-19.)

 1 NEPHI 13:24-28 

Plain and precious truths taken from the Bible[8]

The angel clearly teaches Nephi that the book that "proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew" (the Bible) contained, the plainness of the gospel until after it came into the hands of a great and abominable church. In fact, the angel seems to indicate that this church is called an abominable church because it has taken away "from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious." (1 Nephi 13:26.)

Thus, apparently the first part of our present Bible (the Old Testament) is incomplete because of deletions. and changes made by some of the wicked "pastors" of the house of Israel (see 1 Nephi 21:1), and the second part of our Bible (the New Testament) has been altered and changed because of the influence of "a great and abominable church." One purpose for the coming forth of the Book of Mormon is to restore these plain and precious truths that have been deleted or altered in the "stick of Judah."

The Book of Mormon Describes the Bible[9]

In three ways the Book of Mormon by implication rejected the conventional ideas of what the Bible is supposed to be: (1) by its mere existence it refuted the idea of a "once-for-all" word of God; (2) by allowing for the mistakes of men in the pages of scripture it rejected the idea of an infallible book; (3) and by its free and flexible quotations from the Bible it rejected the idea of a fixed, immutable, letter-perfect text.

But beyond that, the Book of Mormon contains certain explicit statements about the Bible that are most enlightening. It claims that many precious things are to be restored in the due time of the Lord by the bringing forth of long-lost writings, specifically of holy writings that had been anciently hidden away "to come forth in their purity" in the last days. It describes the ancient and "original" state of both the Old and the New Testaments in terms that invite the closest inspection by biblical students. Fundamentalists and higher critics have been equally scandalized by the Book of Mormon, which on the one hand neither assumed that the Old Testament was a single book written without error by the very finger of God, nor on the other allowed the verdict of the higher critics, that it was only a thing of human shreds and patches. Today both theories are being modified, with the students of the past generation of higher critics reluctantly conceding the essential unity of the Old Testament, while the fundamentalist sects make a great to-do about searching the "original" documents as if the true meaning and the true text were still in doubt. The picture of the original Old Testament that is beginning to emerge is very much like that which confronts us in the pages of the Book of Mormon. There Nephi, looking far into the future, is shown a vision of the Gentiles bringing "a book" to the remote descendants of his father in the New World, and is told, "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, . . . also . . . many of the prophecies of the holy prophets" (1 Nephi 13:23).

This is our Old Testament, but such a book was quite strange to Nephi, and the angel explains that "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 . . . unto the house of Israel; wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles" (1 Nephi 13:23). The only scriptures Nephi knew were a collection of writings, more extensive indeed than what is contained in our Old Testament, but not conflicting with it.

When Lehi eagerly examined the plates which his sons had brought down from Jerusalem, he discovered that they contained (1) "the five books of Moses," (2) "the prophecies of the holy prophets, from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah," (3) "and also a record of the Jews from the beginning," including a genealogy of the whole line of Joseph, embracing Lehi's own forefathers (1 Nephi 5:11-14). These writings are designated in modern Jewish terminology as the Tanach, i.e., the Torah, the Prophets, and the Historic and other writings.

These are the elements of Nephi's Bible, and of ours, which, he assures us, contains an authentic record as far as it goes, and "many of the prophecies of the holy prophets," but by no means all.

Specifically, what has been rendered untenable was the popular sport of cutting up every chapter in the Bible into sections each of which is ascribed to a different author. Instead of that we find today "a significant perception that beneath all its variety of form and of idea, the Old Testament has a deep unity." Important in this shift has been the new view of the prophets. It was the fashion "a generation ago . . . to suppose that in the Old Testament we have a dualism of two irreconcilable conceptions of religion, the prophetic and the priestly," emphasizing "a contrast between bad priests and good prophets." The evolutionary formula required that the prophets, being spiritually advanced, should have a deep antipathy to the primitive formalities of the Temple. But now we know that there is "no definite line of demarcation" between the various aspects of Old Testament religion, and "that the evolutionary view of the Old Testament prophets cannot be accepted; . . .every stress must be laid on continuity." That is to say, from the beginning Israel has had only one gospel.

Which brings us back to our original proposition that "they have taken away . . . many parts . . . that were most precious" and that these are to be restored by the bringing forth of "other books" and records. There is no better illustration of both these points to date than the Dead Sea Scrolls. By furnishing us with older texts of the Bible than any heretofore known, they show very clearly that present misunderstanding of the scriptures is not due to corruptions of the text but rather to serious omissions and deletions.

words of Jesus; that "when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel" (1 Nephi 13:24). Repeatedly (four times) Nephi uses the peculiar and vivid expression "proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew," or "proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew" (1 Nephi 14:23). It was word of mouth, or, to use the strictly literal equivalent, it was in the form of logia.

The most significant texts being discovered today are the lost Logia, or mouth-utterances, of Jesus, now recognized as the oldest form and substance of the gospel message. From these the Gospels were constructed.

Through the centuries that followed their loss, according to Nephi, "because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble" (1 Nephi 13:29). What word could more aptly express the situation of Bible readers down to the present day: they walk, but as they walk, they stumble--they do not agree on what they read, and they never have agreed, and today the whole scholarly world is by its own admission stumbling around in the dark, looking for some "new integrating pattern" and wondering what can possibly be "the point of the entire Johannine corpus" (C.H. Dodd). It is remarkable that Nephi does not mention corruptions or insertions in the text but keeps hammering away at that one fatal defect, the precious things which "they have taken away." Finally Nephi has good news--in his own due time the Lord is going to bring forth writings which were "sealed up to come forth in their purity," those writings of John which Nephi himself was forbidden to duplicate (1 Nephi 14:26-27).

Nephi's view of the New Testament, then, rests on two basic propositions. Proposition number one is that the Bible has come down to the world in a mutilated form:

"For behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away. . . .

"Because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble" (1 Nephi 13:26, 29).

Proposition number two is that the Lord will put an end to this state of things by the bringing forth of more information:

"I will be merciful unto the Gentiles in that day, insomuch that I will bring forth unto them, in mine own power, much of my gospel, which shall be plain and precious" (1 Nephi 13:34).

Every step of Nephi's account of the New Testament writings can be discerned in the emerging pattern of New Testament studies today: (1) Its original form was the spoken word or logia; (2) clearly understood only in their original Jewish-Christian setting; (3) transmitted at an early time, "by the hand of the apostles" (i.e., in written form) to the Gentiles (see 1 Nephi 13:24-26); (4) who proceeded in the various churches to reinterpret and delete much of the record (1 Nephi 13:27). (5) After the damage was done the New Testament went forth "unto all the nations of the Gentiles" (1 Nephi 13:29). It is a fact that while ancient manuscripts of the New Testament are found all over the Old World in many languages, they all represent the same mutilated families of texts. That is why we are still looking for the original. (6) Because of the deficiencies in the known writings, the churchmen have never been able to understand them or agree about what they mean, and today they stand in as great perplexity as ever; in other words, they "stumble." (7) Finally we are assured that there are unspoiled documents hidden away, awaiting that time when they shall "come forth in their purity."

And indeed, for the first time in history, scholars are in our own day beginning to put their hopes quite frankly in the possible discovery of such documents. (8) To these points we might add the peculiar role of John in Nephi's account--the only New Testament character mentioned in the Book of Mormon--since John is today by far the most important as well as the most baffling and mysterious figure in the search for the original Christian message.

What are the Apocrypha? They are a large body of writings, Jewish and Christian, existing alongside the Bible, each of which has at some time or other been accepted as true revealed scripture by some Christian or Jewish group. Where do they come from? The actual manuscripts are as old as our Bible manuscripts and are sometimes written by the same hands, but their contents betray widely scattered sources, some of which are orthodox and some of which are not.

Consider the case of the Book of Enoch. "Nearly all the writers of the New Testament were familiar with it. . . . It is quoted as a genuine production of Enoch by St. Jude [in the New Testament], and as scripture by St. Barnabas. . . . With the earlier fathers and apologists it had all the weight of a canonical book;" yet, "from the fourth century of our era onward it fell into discredit; and under the ban of such authorities as Hilary, Jerome, and Augustine, it gradually passed out of circulation, and became lost to the knowledge of Western Christendom." By what authority do Hilary, Jerome, and Augustine, who disagreed widely among themselves on scriptural matters, put under the ban a writing that the early church accepted and treasured as scripture? Here we see that later church leaders, none of whom claimed to be the head of the church, actually removed "many precious things" from the record.

But if the authority of those who condemned various "Apocrypha" is dubious, their reason for doing so is not far to seek. For the basic premise of the Jewish and Christian doctors alike from the fourth century on is that prophecy and revelation have forever ceased. In such a case, the only hope of certitude lay in the possession of an absolutely infallible book of scripture. This allows no place for the proposition that a writing might be partly true and partly false: every syllable of the word of God must be absolutely perfect and above suspicion, for if it is not, if one allows that there might be any inaccuracy whatever in the Bible, then we are in the intolerable position of never being exactly sure whether any particular verse of the Bible is reliable or not. Such was the argument of St. Augustine, and such has remained the position of Christendom since his day.

Since the Christian world had for centuries taken a uniform stand against the Apocrypha, is it any wonder that Joseph Smith's double outrage of adding to the word of God while proclaiming the possibility of error in it brought the roof down on his head? The indiscretion of the Book of Mormon was followed by a statement of principle regarding the Apocrypha which was received as a revelation in 1833: "Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you concerning the Apocrypha--There are many things contained therein that are true, and it is mostly translated correctly; there are many things contained therein that are not true, which are interpolations by the hands of men. . . . Therefore, whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth; and whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom; and whoso receiveth not by the Spirit, cannot be benefited" (D&C 91).

The first part of this revelation is a clear statement of the very position taken by Christian scholars today not only regarding the Apocrypha but the Bible as well. Now we rub our eyes when we read in leading Protestant journals: "It needs to be repeated in the strongest possible manner that the hope of absolute certainty based on an Infallible Book . . . is a delusion," or that "God's plan for the human race obviously does not include what is called an `infallible' volume of Scripture. . . . The Bible . . . was never brought into complete harmony by any central authoritative `Board of Editors'"; or Father Hebert's declaration that "the inadequacy of the doctrine of the inerrance of Scripture has demonstrated itself. It is too narrow to fit the facts; it cannot be carried through . . . without . . . special pleading"; or E.C. Blackman's that "The Word of God is in the words of the Bible, but is not to be identified with them. . . but interpreted out of them."

Section 91 also has a message for those Latter-day Saints who wonder why the Church has not been forward in officially recognizing and adopting such works as the Dead Sea Scrolls. We do recognize them. Here it is explicitly declared that there is benefit to be derived from the study of these works by those who are enlightened by the Spirit. But on a purely intellectual basis, their study can only lead, as it has, to endless squabbling and confusion. The Prophet was told to leave those who wanted the Apocrypha to read them for themselves, with the distinct understanding that they are full of precious things mingled with interpolations by the hands of men. This today is the recognized condition of the Apocrypha, and the policy of the Church towards them has always been the same.

The student who goes to encyclopedias and handbooks to learn about the Apocrypha is soon puzzled to discover that no two "official" lists are the same. One authority will consider the subject of Apocrypha adequately treated with the discussion of the fourteen apocryphal books of the Bible, while another will list hundreds of interesting titles. Why is there no agreement? Because everything seems to overlap; all these works seem to be forever swapping the same basic ideas and expressions among themselves, so that once we have determined which of the writings are the oldest, we can pretty well rule all the others out as mere repetition. Only, since every apocryphal writing is a composite, no one knows for sure which is really the oldest and who is borrowing from whom. Take the case of the Book of Enoch, for example.

We have seen that the early Christian and patristic writers accepted this work as authentic scripture down to the fourth century, when the great doctors of the church put it under the ban, and it disappeared completely. The eccentric Scotchman James Bruce brought to England from his famous expedition to the headwaters of the Nile in 1773 an Ethiopian text of the Book of Enoch. This can be checked against Greek fragments of Enoch, one of which, acquired by the eccentric Irishman Chester Beatty in 1930 (Beatty made his money in Utah copper) is a thousand years older than the Ethiopian documents. And now the Hebrew sources of the Book of Enoch, centuries older than the Greek fragments, have finally turned up in Cave IV at Qumran.

Though "it comes from many writers and almost as many periods," its value lies in the fact that "some of its authors--and there were many--belonged to the true succession of the prophets." How would such men dare to prophesy in the name of Enoch? They had to, according to R.H. Charles, because the doctors of the Jews gave them no alternative. The latter "could tolerate no fresh message from God, and so, when men were moved by the Spirit of God to make known their visions . . . they could not do so openly, but were forced to resort to pseudonymous publication." Even so, Charles himself recognized that part of the book at least may well go back to very early times. After all, all the prophets do have much the same message, and the now recognized practice of the prophets of giving out the words of their predecessors as their own receives its first clear statement and justification in the Book of Mormon, wherein Nephi explains his policy: "For I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning" (1 Nephi 19:23). This peculiar and interesting attitude that viewed past events as living again in Israel's present experience is highly characteristic of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but was generally ignored by scholars before their discovery.

We cannot dismiss these other works with a smile, because each book is a mixture of things, and they all overlap. One part of 3 Enoch, for example, sounds very Christian and had accordingly been given a title of its own, The Similitudes of Enoch. "Many scholars have held that the work has been interpolated by a Christian editor, and in particular they have found references to the Son of Man to be accretions, and have accordingly removed them." That is a good illustration of how the experts work, removing from the ancient texts whatever they think does not belong there. Third Enoch contains, for example, remarkable parallels to the teachings of Paul. Should these "many precious things" be removed? It is the Dead Sea Scrolls that have taken away the license of the learned to cut and slash as they pleased, for they have shown that many concepts formerly held to be uniquely Christian were familiar to Jews before the time of Christ.

Particularly close ties have been noted between 3 Enoch and a very old work called the Book of Jubilees, known in one version as the Lepto-Genesis or Little Genesis, which scholars suggested years ago was the remnant of a lost book of Abraham from which our own Genesis accounts were taken. Now among the first of the Dead Sea Scrolls to be discovered was one that now goes by the name of the Genesis Apocryphon, the largest part of which is labeled by its editors as the Book of Abraham, the other parts being books of Lamech and Noah. These books are so close to Jubilees as to give "the impression of having possibly been a source on which the writer of Jubilees drew." Jubilees itself is so full of Christian stuff that it has been declared to be of all Jewish Apocrypha the one presenting Christian apocalyptic ideas "in their most complete form." The astonishing mixture and overlapping of Jewish and Christian elements in the Enoch writings would thus seem to be something far more fundamental than a mere Christian re-editing of the texts.

What we wish to point out here is that the first section of Nephi's book is an abridgment of his father's writings. It is really Lehi's book, and it follows the testament form in every particular: The story of the patriarch's perplexities and wanderings, his journey to heaven and eschatological discourse, and his blessings and admonitions to each of his sons are thoroughly typical in every respect, so that it would be perfectly proper to distinguish the first part of 1 Nephi from that hero's account of his own "reign and ministry" by calling it "The Testament of Lehi," it being by Nephi's own account a separate work from his own (1 Nephi 1:16-17). Read along with the other old Jewish testaments, it gives an overpowering impression of authenticity, which may someday be demonstrated by the impartial verdict of an electronic computer.

The Book of Mormon Foretells the History of the Biblical Text[10]

We now turn our attention to point four.  The most extensive statement in all of the scriptures about the history of the Bible is found in chapter 13 of 1 Nephi.  It is given to Nephi in vision, with the assistance of an angel as an interpreter-sort of a guided tour accompanying a panoramic view of the Bible through the centuries.  This vision, given to Nephi about 600 B.C. shows him what would happen to the biblical text.  By heavenly vision Nephi was made aware of the facts before they occurred.  A vision or inspired prophecy can be more accurate than reading about the matter after the fact.  Prophecy is history in reverse.  When a prophecy is inspired of the Lord, things made known by that prophecy can give a more accurate view than would a historical record written by researchers and scholars who might not write by the Spirit.  Today we are able to ascertain by historical search most of the things of Nephi's prophecy, but not all.  That there was tampering with the Bible text in the second and third centuries a.d. is evident to many biblical scholars.  Marcion and others are known to have done this.  But modern textual critics do not realize how extensive the changes really were.  It is my belief and faith that, with time and by historical research, every detail of Nephi's prophecy and vision concerning the history of the Bible text will be proven and verified.  Research will someday provide the details of persons, time, and place.  If we believe this account in the Book of Mormon, however, we do not have to wait for that future time in order to know the general outline and to understand just what the Bible is and exactly what has happened to the Bible text.  We can know it now as surely and accurately as we know anything from the scriptures.  And we know it because of our faith and confidence in the Book of Mormon.  Later discoveries will only confirm what we already knew and were told in the revelations.

The words to which I refer are found in 1 Nephi 13:13-42.  Nephi beheld that a people whom he identifies as Gentiles established a government in this land of America and that through the power of God they became politically free and independent of all other nations.  We recognize them as the early European colonists in America.  He beheld that these Gentiles carried a book with them which they had brought from the nations of Europe (1 Nephi 13:13-20).

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 13:21-23.)

We note that the early settlers of America, including the Puritans or Pilgrims, and also early Catholic settlers, brought with them the Bible-the record of the Jews.  Those on the Mayflower brought a Geneva Bible, and there is today in the Harvard University library a copy of a Geneva Bible which made its way to America on the Mayflower.  This was the same translation that was used by Shakespeare and came before the King James Version was in wide circulation.  These were Protestant Bibles.  Many of the Catholic immigrants to America brought the English version of the Vulgate, known as the Rheims-Douai version, which was translated into English in 1582, a few years before the King James Version and at about be same time as the other Protestant Bibles were coming into being.

In Nephi's vision the angel describes the Bible as a record of the Jews, noting that it contains (1) the covenants of the Lord to the house of Israel, (2) many of the prophecies of the holy prophets, that (3) it is a record similar to the plates of brass, only smaller, and also (4) is a record of the gospel of the Lord as taught by the Twelve Apostles (1 Nephi 13:23-24).

After establishing beyond question with Nephi that the early American settlers of the seventeenth century had a Bible, the angel then proceeded to explain to him that the Bible he saw in their hands was not the same as when it was originally written by the Jews.  The words of the angel are given thus:

And the angel of the Lord said unto me:  Thou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God.

Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God.

And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away. (1 Nephi 13:24-26; italics added.)

The angel's words are plain and to the point:  When the biblical records were originally written by the Jewish prophets and apostles, they contained the fulness of the gospel.  When these records went to the Gentiles, some valuable plain and precious things were taken out of them.  That this reduction was deliberate and not simply caused by carelessness or by the difficulties encountered by transcription and translation is further emphasized by the angel:

And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men.

Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God.  (1 Nephi 13:27-28.)

If the foregoing words say anything, they say that the alteration of the text was deliberate and intentional and extensive and for unholy and wicked purposes.  It is plain also that the corruption of the text was not simply a matter of interpretation, or an awkward rendering of a few passages.  It was not simply "lost in the translation."  The words of the angel specify that "many plain and precious things are taken away" from and "out of" the "book of the Lamb of God"  (1 Nephi 13:26, 28, 29, 32, 34).  He also said that "many covenants of the Lord are taken away." (Italics added.) This explanation gives us to understand why the Bible in its reduced form--]the Protestant and Catholic versions of the seventeenth century--is smaller than the plates of brass, as noted in verse 23.  This comparative expression by the angel gives us a clue as to just how much has been "taken away" and lost to our present Bible.  The plates of brass contained a record beginning with the five books of Moses down to Jeremiah--only a portion of the time period of the Old Testament and none of the New--yet the reduced version of the whole Bible--the Bible with which we are acquainted, containing both the Old and New Testaments--is "not so many" as the record on the plates of brass.

The angel then continues to explain to Nephi the history of the Bible.  After many plain and precious things are taken out of the Bible, it then--in its reduced form-goes throughout the nations of the Gentiles (evidently Europe), and eventually to America and then to the Lamanites.  Here are the exact words of the prophecy:

And after these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest-because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God-because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them (1 Nephi 13:29; italics added).

The changes and losses made the Bible not so easy to understand, and thus there are many interpretations and disputations about what is required for salvation.

According to the sequence and the declaration of this prophecy, speaking of things to come as though they had already happened, it is seen that the nations of the Gentiles--the Roman Empire, the Mediterranean world of the early centuries after Christ--never did have a complete Bible, for it was reduced and altered before it was distributed among them.  Unfortunately, there are no original copies of the Bible manuscripts available today for comparison.  The earliest known manuscripts of the New Testament are dated two centuries or more after the time of the Apostles, except for very small fragments.  The persecutions against Christianity in the first and second centuries seem to have helped destroy the manuscripts of that time.  It appears self-evident from this remarkable vision given to Nephi that the earliest complete New Testament texts available today--among which are the Vaticanus, the Alexandrinus, and Sinaiticus (all fourth century a.d.)-are of such a date that they represent the text in its reduced and altered form, not in its original state.  When Constantine made Christianity the state religion of the Empire at about a.d. 313, he ordered Eusebius to prepare fifty copies of the New Testament.  The great uncials-Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, etc.-are possibly survivors of this order.

Alteration to the Text Was Early

In order for an alteration to have widespread effect, the text would have to be tampered with early enough that multiple copies were not already extant.  In other words, the alteration had to be early and by a person or persons having access to very early records and first-generation copies.  This is what we today would call an "inside job."  We should not be too surprised that this could happen, for in our own dispensation and with our own scripture, we have had a similar thing.  We have suffered the loss of 116 pages of translation from the gold plates-what would have been the book of Lehi in the Book of Mormon.  We also lost the earliest official history of the Church from 1830 to 1838 through the perfidy of the then Church historian, John Whitmer.  Having such a parallel in our own history, Latter-day Saints should be able to visualize the kinds of things that can happen to a sacred record, and that 1 Nephi 13 says did happen to the Bible centuries ago.  The Book of Mormon was written for our day.  It is written for our learning and understanding.  Does it not seem apparent that Nephi's vision has been preserved by the Lord because he wants us to know these very things and have these views about the Bible?  The vision was not for Nephi alone, but for us also.

Lack of an Adequate Manuscript

That the problem with the text of the Bible is much larger than translation of language or the misplacement of a few words was repeatedly taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith.  We are dealing with a matter of transmission (which includes copying, translating, revising, editing, interpreting, adding to, and taking from) and not simply translation of language alone.  Note several statements from the Prophet Joseph:

From sundry revelations which had been received, it was apparent that many important points touching the salvation of men, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled (1832).1

I am now going to take exception to the present translation of the Bible in relation to these matters [the books of Daniel and Revelation].  Our latitude and longitude can be determined in the original Hebrew with far greater accuracy than in the English version.  There is a grand distinction between the actual meaning of the prophets and the present translation (1843-44).2

There are many things in the Bible which do not, as they now stand, accord with the revelations of the Holy Ghost to me (1843-44).3

I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers.  Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors (1843-44).4

These and other statements by the Prophet show that he regarded problems in the present text of the Bible to be the result not only of translation of language, but also a loss of actual text, and a willful changing and editing of the text in ancient times.  As Moroni asked: "Why have ye transfigured the holy word of God. . . ? " (Mormon 8:33).  These expressions give us a broader understanding of what is meant by the eighth article of faith:  "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.  "Although he used the word translated, the Prophet obviously had in mind a wider meaning, such as the term transmitted; for as his own statements illustrate, there was more involved than mere translation of languages.  From the words of Joseph Smith and also the vision of Nephi, we can see that the intended meaning of the eighth article is, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God, as far as it is transmitted correctly.  " Editing, adding to, taking from, as well as translating, have all contributed to the present condition of the Bible.

With this point firmly in place, we can see that the real condition of the Bible is not that we lack capable men or women who can read and translate from the ancient languages.  The problem is the absence today of an adequate, complete, and accurate manuscript to translate.

Prophecies of the Restoration of Lost Material

I have noticed that whenever the Lord predicts a loss or a falling away, he also speaks of a restoration, a return of that which is lost.  This is true not only of priesthood and of church organization, but also of scripture.  As we see with the words of the angel to Nephi:

Neither will the Lord God suffer that the Gentiles shall forever remain in that awful state of blindness, which thou beholdest they are in, because of the plain and most precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, whose formation thou hast seen (1 Nephi 13:32).

The loss of so many plain and precious parts has rendered some doctrinal things in the Bible obscure and ambiguous.  Also, the purposes of God are not so well discerned in the Bible as they were originally.

After explaining that the Gentiles in America will take the Bible to the Lamanites, the angel showed Nephi that the lost and missing parts will be restored:

And after it [the Bible) had come forth unto them [the Lamanites] 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.

And the angel spake unto me, saying:  These last records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall establish the truth of the first, which are of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved. (1 Nephi 13:39-40.)

The "other books" and "last records" spoken of in these two verses no doubt include the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible.  The "other books" could also include the record of the ten tribes that will yet come to us.  These books, which are our standard works, do indeed make known many passages that are lost and also tell of whole books that are missing from the Bible.  They also clarify many doctrinal concepts.  Furthermore, they declare that the Bible is a divinely inspired record and that its fundamental message, though presently incomplete, is true.  In spite of its loss, the Bible is still a testimony of the existence of God and of the mission of Jesus Christ as Redeemer of the world.  It just does not testify as effectively as it would if it were precise and complete.  A similar prophecy, telling of a loss and then a restoration of Moses' writings, is found in Moses 1:40-41.

The angel continues the theme of restoration by stating that the "words of the Lamb" of God, who is Jesus Christ, shall be established and "made known in the records of thy seed [the Book of Mormon], as well as in the records of the twelve apostles of the Lamb [New Testament]; wherefore they both shall be established in one; for there is one God and one Shepherd over all the earth" (1 Nephi 13:41).  Every significant doctrinal question raised at the Nicene Council in A.D. 325, and in church councils and debates in the past sixteen hundred years of the apostasy, has been answered in the Book of Mormon and other latter-day revelation.

Additional Scripture Yet to Be Restored

The Book of Mormon not only confirms and certifies the truth of the biblical records, but by its very existence it shows that the Bible is not the complete source for the word of God.  It makes clear that the Jewish record once had more books and that even the books we do have are reduced in size in some instances.  We understand that these will eventually be restored to their original purity.  We now have thirty-nine books in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New, making a total of sixty-six books in all.  In our present Church Sunday School curriculum, we take one year to study the Old Testament and another to study the New Testament.  At BYU we use two semesters on the undergraduate level to go through the Old Testament and two more semesters to study the New Testament.  There are also graduate-level advanced courses with another seven hours for Old Testament and six hours for the New.

With the clearer insight concerning the Bible and the promise of eventual restoration, we will someday have to take a much longer time to study the Bible when we have it in its complete and restored form.  I can mentally visualize that at some future semester at BYU, the Religion offering for the Bible will contain courses not only in the present two Old Testament courses, 301 and 302 (two hours each), but a semester in Brass Plates 303 (five hours), with an emphasis on the prophecies of Joseph in Egypt.  We now have Old Testament 304 specializing in Isaiah.  When the plates of brass are restored, we will need Old Testament 305, Zenock; 306, Zenos; and 307, the prophecies of Neum (each with three credit hours).  At this rate, it could involve a student four years just to take the beginning courses in the Old Testament alone.  Instead of the present thirteen hours in an Old Testament offering, there could be as many as forty credit hours with undergraduate and graduate offerings.  An equal enlargement would be necessary with the New Testament.  And we did not even mention courses in Lost Tribes 101, 102, and 103 - three courses of two hours each, using as the text the record yet to come forth giving their history and an account of the Savior's visit to show his resurrected body to them (3 Nephi 17:4).

The Book of Mormon curriculum will likewise have to be enlarged.  We will not only need the two beginning courses, 121 and 122, presently in the curriculum, but when the time of restitution really descends upon us, there probably will be courses in Book of Mormon 123, Readings from the 116 Lost Pages (two hours); Book of Mormon 124, The Twenty-four Gold Plates of Ether (four hours); 125, 126, and 127, The Sealed Plates containing a revelation "from the beginning of the world until the end thereof " (five hours each).  Advanced courses might read as follows: 531, The Large Plates of Nephi, Mosiah; 532, Large Plates, Alma; 533, Large Plates, Helaman; and so on through the entire collection.  This is in contrast to our offering today of a four-hour survey course on Book of Mormon, and a four-hour upper-division course, and eight hours of graduate course work in Book of Mormon, making sixteen in all.  At some future day there will be so many records available on the Book of Mormon alone that we could sensibly have forty to fifty information-packed semester hours in the Book of Mormon and a like number of biblical course selections.  And all this because of the restoration of records that are mentioned in the Book of Mormon that are yet to be made available to us.

All of these records, being sacred and being translated by the power of God, will contain the truth and will shed additional light on man's origin and man's history in the world and his early culture and high civilization.  These new records will also confirm what we already know in the scripture we now have.  Thus, there will be a need also on this campus for revised courses about the Ancient World and revised courses in American history before a.d. 1600.  There will be a need also for revised courses in ancient civilization and in the origin of language, origin of writing, and the origin of man.  Present courses on these subjects will no doubt be seen as inadequate and even erroneous in light of revealed knowledge.

The Law of Witnesses Is Operative with the Book of Mormon

It is not only desirable that the Book of Mormon should substantiate the Bible and supply certain missing parts, it is absolutely necessary for eternal justice.  It appears that in the economy of God there must be more than one witness for the truths that are taught to mankind.  Without a second or third witness, the law cannot be binding and valid in the day of judgment

The law of witnesses is stated in Deuteronomy 19:15 as follows:  "At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established."  This principle is referred to by Jesus in Matthew 18:16:  "Take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established."  Paul likewise alludes to this law in 1 Timothy 5:19; 2 Corinthians 13:1; and Hebrews 10:28.

We have an interesting account of Jesus invoking the law of witnesses in John 5:31.  The whole episode of John 5 is an encounter between Jesus and the Jewish rulers, with legal implications.  Jesus says, "If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true."  In plainer terms, the meaning is this:  "If I am the only witness, my witness is not legally valid and binding."

Jesus then established John the Baptist as a witness for him (verses 32-34).  He further declares that he has more witness than the testimony of John.  He identifies this further witness as the testimony of his divine works; the testimony that the Father has given of him (verse 37), and also the testimony of the scriptures (verse 39), especially those things written by Moses (verses 45-47).  A short time later in John chapter 8, the Pharisees verbally attack Jesus and say:  "Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true [that is, not legally valid]" (John 8:13).  Jesus replies:

I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.

It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.

I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.  (John 8:16-18)

An honest, candid reader with only a fourth-grade education can see that the Old and New Testaments teach that God himself establishes his truth in the earth by virtue of the law of witnesses and leaves men without excuse.  The concept is clear and open and without argument or equivocation.

It must be equally clear to any reader that since Jesus invokes his Father as his second witness in John 8:18, the Father and the Son must be two separate men; otherwise, they are not two witnesses and could not fulfill the requirement wherein Jesus says, "I am one witness and the Father is the other witness."

We thus have this eternal and divine principle showing that God uses witnesses to establish his word.  And so in like manner we have been given the Book of Mormon to establish the truth of the Bible-not just the truth of the Bible as history and as a cultural record, but to establish the greatest truth that the Bible was intended to declare, and that is to prove that the testimony of Jesus Christ contained in the scriptures is true and correct.

President Brigham Young gave this instruction: There is not that person on the face of the earth who has had the privilege of learning the Gospel of Jesus Christ from these two books, that can say that one is true, and the other is false.  No Latter-day Saint, no man or woman, can say the Book of Mormon is true, and at the same time say that the Bible is untrue.  If one be true, both are; and if one be false, both are false.5

President Heber J. Grant adds this: All my life I have been finding additional evidences that the ... Book of Mormon is the greatest witness for the truth of the Bible that has ever been published.6

The Time Is Right for a Second Witness to the Bible to Appear

Most of the Christian world today professes to hold the Bible in high esteem as a religious record-both the Old Testament and the New Testament.  Our Jewish brethren profess a belief in the Old Testament as a record of their fathers.  Yet it seems evident that the Bible has suffered neglect at the hands of millions who, while having certain reverence for the Bible as a religious record, have multiple doubts about its inspiration and historical accuracy.  We do not have to go very far to find biblical adherents who at the same time doubt the story of creation in Genesis (the Garden of Eden story), who hold the fall of man as a myth, who systematically reject the miracles of the Old and the New Testament, and who look upon Jesus Christ as a great teacher of ethics but hesitate to think of him as the divine and literal Son of God, and doubt that he rose from the grave with a tangible, physical, immortal body.

Millions professing faith in the Bible do not believe in the gift of prophecy, the ministry of angels, or the blessings of continued revelation.  This is a great contradiction and inconsistency, but many seem to be in that situation.  President Brigham Young had noticed this same tendency among the people and is reported to have said:  "We take this book, the Bible, which I expect to see voted out of the so-called Christian world very soon, they are coming to it as fast as possible, I say we take this book for our guide."7

At another time President Young declared: The Bible is true.  It may not all have been translated aright, and many precious things may have been rejected in the compilation and translation of the Bible; but we understand, from the writings of one of the Apostles, that if all the sayings and doings of the Savior had been written, the world could not contain them.  I will say that the world could not understand them.  They do not understand what we have on record, nor the character of the Savior, as delineated in the Scriptures.8

The way in which churches vote out the Bible is simply that they continue to use it for an ethical guide, but stop believing what it teaches historically and doctrinally.

We are in the habit of using the Bible to prove the Book of Mormon is true, but as we have seen in various passages used in this article, the opposite should be the case.  We should gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon by the Spirit and use it to prove that the Bible is true.  The Book of Mormon has come to us directly through the intervention of heavenly beings and revelation.  One of its purposes, as declared by the Lord himself in D&C 20:11, is to prove to the world that the "holy scriptures [the Bible] are true."

Elder Bruce R. McConkie has written: There is, however, one great difference between the Bible and the Book of Mormon that shows why some people can disbelieve the Bible and let the matter drop, but disbelieving the Book of Mormon, they find themselves compelled to arise in wrath and defame the Nephite record.  It is that people who believe the Bible, as they suppose, can also believe any creed of their choice and belong to any church that suits them.  But belief in the Book of Mormon presupposes the acceptance of Joseph Smith as a prophet as well as membership in the church organized by him....

Further, the Bible is difficult to interpret and understand, and reasonable men, approaching it wholly from an intellectual stand-point, can reach divergent conclusions on almost all doctrines-hence, the many contending sects in Christendom.  The Bible [because it has been flawed by man] is indeed the perfect tool to support every conceivable doctrinal view.  But the Book of Mormon is otherwise; this American scripture sets forth the doctrines of salvation in simplicity and plainness so that reasonable men, even from an intellectual standpoint, can scarcely disagree.  This leaves religionists in the position where they must freely accept or openly oppose the Nephite scripture.  There is no middle ground, no readily available gray area, no room for compromise.9

It appears that the time is right in the history of mankind for the Book of Mormon to come forth from the Lord as another witness for the LORD Jesus Christ to sustain and support the truths already taught in the Bible.  This has a double effect-first, it blesses the believer and guides him to the truth, and second, it leaves the unbeliever without excuse on the day of judgment.

We live in a materialistic and humanistic society in which it is popular to place one's trust in the learning of man, in worldly norms, and in physical comforts.  Such a lifestyle does not require prayer, faith, sacrifice, or obedience to divine laws.  It does not call for or expect, or even want, divine intervention.  In such an environment, the things of God can be easily disregarded and neglected.  In 2 Nephi 29:8-14, we read that the testimony of two nations is a witness for God.  We are given to understand in that chapter that we will eventually have three major written sources of scripture:  the record of the Jews-the Bible, which is a testament of Jesus Christ; the record of the Nephites-the Book of Mormon, which is another testament of Jesus Christ; and the record of the ten tribes-a third testament of Jesus Christ--three witnesses to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ: that he is the literal Son of God, that he shed his blood for atonement, died, and that he rose from the grave in splendor and physical perfection.  And we are further invited to consider the fact that out of these records we shall be judged of God for our eternal salvation.

Proving the Bible Is True[11]

                    As declared by revelation, one of the key reasons the Lord gave us the Book of Mormon is to prove that the Bible is true. Lehi repeats this prophecy, recorded by Joseph of Egypt, to his own son Joseph: “But a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins--and not to the bringing forth my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them” (2 Nephi 3:11). Nephi was instructed by an angel relative to the destiny of various scriptural records. He was shown how plain and precious things would be taken from the Bible before it would go forth to the nations of the earth. He was shown how the Book of Mormon and other scriptural texts would sustain it. “These last records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles,” he was told, “shall establish the truth of the first, which are of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved” (1 Nephi 13:40).

                    Commentary on such passages is generally confined to the illustrations as to how the Book of Mormon is a second witness to the Bible. As true as this is, prophecy about the Book of Mormon goes far beyond this. If the Book of Mormon simply repeated Bible doctrines, it could very persuasively be argued that it was not needed or that it was simply an uninspired reproduction of genuine scripture. However, it does more than that. In the brass plates, the Book of Mormon prophets had much of the scripture of the Old World. Further, Christ in his visit to the Nephites quoted many other Old Testament texts to the Nephites and shared with them those truths which constitute the heart of the New Testament. The role of the Book of Mormon reaches beyond simply repeating these things. The Bible, for instance, teaches the principle of revelation. The Book of Mormon evidences the principle of revelation simply because it is one. The Bible testifies of a God of miracles; the Book of Mormon evidences the principle because of the miraculous manner in which it came forth. Joseph Smith simply could not have produced the book on his own. Nor does the suggestion that someone else was the author of the book answer to the impossibility of the task. The Bible teaches of the importance of angels as messengers for God. The Book of Mormon is evidence that Moroni and other angels have indeed come to the earth and have done so in our day.

                    Not only is the Book of Mormon a perfect witness of such Bible doctrines as revelation, miracles, and the visitation of angels, but it is the source through which many of the plain and precious things taken from Bible texts have been restored. The reasons for this are twofold: first, as already noted, the Old and New World prophets had many texts in common. The records in the possession of the Book of Mormon prophets were preserved from the corruption and tampering that became the common lot of their companion texts in the Old World. Secondly, through the Spirit of revelation much was added to the understanding of those in the New World. Classic illustrations of the purity of doctrine found in the Book of Mormon and lost to its Old World counterpart would be the testimony that “the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father” (1 Nephi 13:40), that the Father and the Son are separate and distinct, that the Father is a personal being, and that he literally begot a son. These are all truths basic to the plan of salvation and also truths entirely lost to the so-called Bible-believing world. Similarly, the doctrine of grace, or the role of Christ as Savior, has also been restored in a simple and pure manner in the Book of Mormon. How plain the doctrine: “No unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end” (3 Nephi 27:19).

                    In the meridian dispensation missionaries went into all the world testifying of the reality of the resurrection of Christ. Paul speaks of over five hundred brethren who saw him in his resurrected state (see 1 Corthinians 15:6). In the Book of Mormon we read that more than 2,500 Nephites were permitted to behold and touch the resurrected Christ (see 3 Nephi 11:15; 17:25). We are left to ask how many others could be added to their ranks if we had accounts of the other flocks that he visited after his labors in the New World. Suffice it to say that the corporeal resurrection of Christ was one of the best-attested-to events in earth’s history. It is upon the reality of the resurrection of Christ that the whole Christian message must rest. If Christ overcame death, he is the Promised Messiah. If he did not, then we yet await the coming of the Son of Man and surrender any notion that salvation could come in and through Jesus of Nazareth.

                    Not unlike the meridian dispensation, the great weight of the testimony born by the missionaries of our day also rests on tangible evidence. We were not present when the Father and the Son appeared to Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove, nor were we present when Moroni gave him charge over the gold plates. But we have our own copy of the Book of Mormon. In no other dispensation have people been so favored by circumstances as to possess personal copies of the scriptures. We can take them into our homes to read, study, and ponder. The honest investigator can stop at every great doctrine taught, at every great truth restored, and ask the question: Could Joseph Smith have written that? Having completed the book and asked and answered the question scores of times, having pondered and prayed and listened to the prompting of the Spirit, the seeker will know with perfect surety that the book is true. And if the book is true, then Joseph Smith must of necessity be a prophet, one called of God for this age and generation. And if Joseph Smith is a prophet, then The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must indeed be the only true and living church on the face of the whole earth.

                    Faith in the Book of Mormon constitutes a perfect measure of a man’s or woman’s spiritual integrity. In all gospel dispensations, to accept Christ has required acceptance of the principle of revelation. This is inherent in the very idea of a dispensation-a period in which the witness of Christ and the saving principles of his gospel are revealed anew. It is that new and pure witness that must be accepted if one is to obtain salvation. In all but the first dispensation, the living voice was ultimately rejected in the name of reverence for the words of prophets long dead. In reality, those words had been so gilded with tradition that they no longer conveyed their original spirit and meaning. So it was, for instance, in the meridian dispensation. Those who chose to follow Christ did so against the orthodoxy of the day, the governing doctrine of which was tradition. Christ, as is the case in all dispensations, forced a choice between the living voice and a profession of reverence for the words of prophets long dead.

                    For our day the Book of Mormon represents the voice of revelation as it defies the fundamental tenant of Christian orthodoxy: that the heavens are sealed and that God no longer speaks directly to man. To accept the Book of Mormon requires the same kind of faith and courage that was required to accept Christ in the meridian dispensation. Thus that ancient record becomes the measure of spiritual integrity. The Book of Mormon, which is foremost a witness for Christ, is too often rejected in the name of reverence for the Savior. Yet so it was during the days of his mortal probation, when he and his followers were rejected by the orthodoxy of the day in the name of loyalty to Moses and other prophets who were dead. It is as difficult for modern Jew or Gentile to part with their traditions and entertain the possibility that God speaks as it was for those of ancient times to suppose that Christ was the fulfillment of the law of Moses. In all of this, the genius of the Lord becomes evident, for the cost of discipleship remains unchanged. It demands the same price in faith and courage today that it commanded anciently.

 1 NEPHI 13:40 

Definition of "gentiles"[12]

The word gentile has been used with varying meanings, as indicated in this statement by Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

In the days of Abraham, the term [gentile] was used to refer to those nations and peoples who had not descended from him, with the added assurance that all Gentiles who should receive the gospel would be adopted into the lineage of Abraham and be accounted his seed. (Abra. 2:9-11.) The Prophet taught that those so adopted became literally of the blood of Abraham. (Teachings, pp. 149-150.) In the days of ancient Israel, those not of the lineage of Jacob were considered to be Gentiles, although the Arabs and other races of Semitic origin who traced their lineage back to Abraham would not have been Gentiles in the strict Abrahamic use of the word.

After the Kingdom of Israel was destroyed and the Ten Tribes were led away into Assyrian captivity, those of the Kingdom of Judah called themselves Jews and designated all others as Gentiles. It is this concept that would have been taught to Lehi, Mulek and the other Jews who came to the Western Hemisphere to found the great Nephite and Lamanite civilizations. It is not surprising, therefore, to find the Book of Mormon repeatedly speaking of Jew and Gentile as though this phrase marked a division between all men; to find the United States described as a Gentile Nation (1 Ne. 13; 3 Ne. 21); and to find the promise that the Book of Mormon would come forth "by way of the Gentile." (Title page of Book of Mormon; D. & C. 20:9.)

Actually, of course, the house of Israel has been scattered among all nations, and Joseph Smith (through whom the Book of Mormon was revealed) was of the Tribe of Ephraim. At the same time the Prophet was of the Gentiles, meaning that he was a citizen of a Gentile nation and also that he was not a Jew. Members of the Church in general are both of Israel and of the Gentiles. Indeed, the gospel has come forth in the last days in the times of the Gentiles and, in large measure, will not go to the Jews until the Gentile fulness comes in. (D. & C. 45:28-30.)

Having in mind the principle that Gentiles are adopted into the lineage of Israel when they accept the gospel, and that those who fail to believe the truths of salvation (no matter what their lineage) lose any preferential status they may have had, it is not inappropriate in our day to speak of members of the Church as Israelites and unbelievers as Gentiles. (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 310-11.)

 1 NEPHI 13:40 

The "last records"[13]

The "last records" referred to in 1 Nephi 13:40 would include the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and any future scriptures that are yet to come forth from the true church of Jesus Christ. One purpose of the coming forth of these latter-day scriptures is to "establish the truth of the first" records referred to by the angel -- our present Bible. This is one reason why Latter-day Saints refer to the Book of Mormon as a "second witness of the Bible" that helps to restore many of the essential doctrines and ordinances of the gospel.

1 Nephi 14 Reading Insights

1 NEPHI 14:20-22, 27 

The apostle John seen by Nephi[14]

The apostle John referred to here is the same apostle in the New Testament who is also known as John the Beloved (John 21:20) and John the Revelator. He is the author of the Gospel of John (John 21:24), the book of Revelation (Revelation 1:19), and the three epistles of John, which appear shortly before Revelation in the New Testament.

The Ministry and Works of John the Beloved[15]

Commentary on 1 Nephi 14:18-30

21.  He shall see and write] John the Apostle, the beloved disciple of our Master, would be given a similar (if not identical) vision.  The Apocalypse or book of Revelation would cover things past present, and future in revelation to John's day.  Indeed, the Apocalypse would provide a panoramic vision (although veiled with symbolism) of things as they will be, even forward to the time of the final celestialization of the earth.

23.  They are written in the book] John's revelation would be contained in the Bible.

23.  The things which were written were plain and pure] Having prophetic vision and a seer's insight, Joseph Smith said:  "The book of Revelation is one of the plainest books God ever caused to be written" (Teachings, p. 290).  Such, however, is seldom the consensus today of those of the household of fault who seek to extract meaning from the book.  Not only is John's apocalyptic style (with numbers, beasts, plagues, demons, angels, and astral phenomena) difficult for us to comprehend, but, as Nephi's guide explains, the book of Revelation has been subject to the same scriptural conspiracy as the rest of the canon; the corruption of the text through planned and intended removal of precious parts has rendered John's work "a sealed book" at best to the religious world.  If indeed the book was "easy to the understanding of all men" before the removal of certain parts, one can but imagine how vital and significant those things removed must have been!

24.  The remainder shalt thou see] We are left to assume that Nephi's vision continued, and that this noble prophet was able to witness all things future, even to the consummation of the designs of God on earth.  These things would not, however, be written on the golden plates,  They would be recorded by another, even John the Revelator (verse 25).

26.  And also others ... have written them] This seems to be a specific reference to the vision had by the brother of Jared and the record made and sealed up by him (see Ether 3:22-27).  When the day comes--no doubt it will be millennial-that the people of the earth rend the veil of unbelief that covers the hearts and minds of even many of the faithful, then shall the panoramic vision given to Nephi, as well as those given to Adam, Enoch, Noah, Mahonri Moriancumer, Abraham, Moses, Joseph Smith, and others, be opened to all the obedient (2 Nephi 27:10-11; Ether 4:6-7, 15).

28.  I have written but a small part] How very often is this the case!  How very often are seers restricted by either divine decree (things "not lawful for man to utter") or simply by human limitations (not possible to utter) from putting into words all that they have experienced (see Joseph Smith History 1:17; 3 Nephi 17:16-17; 3 Nephi 19:31-34; D&C 76:115-16).  "I could explain a hundred fold more than I ever have of the glories of the kingdoms manifested to me in vision, were I permitted," Joseph Smith stated, "and were the people prepared to receive them" (Teaching, p. 305).

29.     I saw the things which my father saw] This statement by Nephi is strong evidence for the fact that Lehi's dream was far more extensive in scope than what is contained in Nephi's abridged account in 1 Nephi 8. Further, Nephi had now demonstrated the power of the law of witnesses:  the truth of Lehi's dream-vision was corroborated by another of like spiritual stature.

Some Final Thoughts on Today’s Lesson[16]

“In case you hadn’t noticed it, in the last days discipleship is to be lived in crescendo. Our adversities and extremities will merely bring out the strong simplicities and the reassuring realities of the gospel. Likewise, brisk challenges to basic beliefs, and some afflictions, will aid in the development of even greater convictions concerning these basic beliefs. Though it will be the key doctrines which are assailed, after the dust of this dispensation has settled it will be the key doctrines which will have prevailed. (Ensign, November 1985, p. 15.)

“What we mortals encounter as the unforeseen, God has already seen, such as how the oil deposits of this earth would shape the latter-day conflicts among nations.… He has anticipated the impact of continental drifts on the frequency and intensity of latter-day earthquakes. He … also knows where and when, in latter days, the seas’ tidal waves will heave themselves savagely “beyond their bounds.” (D&C 88:90.) (Ensign, November 1987, p. 31.)

“Today, the assembled agonies of the world pass in reminding review on the nightly news. (Ensign, May 1988, p. 8.)

“The last days will be rampant with the cardinal sins, just “as in the days of Noah.” Society in the days of Noah, scriptures advise, was “corrupt before God” and “filled with violence.” (Genesis 6:11–12; Moses 8:28.) Corruption and violence--sound familiar? Both of these awful conditions crest because of surging individual selfishness. When thus engulfed, no wonder men’s hearts in our day will fail them because of fear. (See Luke 21:26; D&C 45:26.) Even the faithful can expect a few fibrillations. (Ensign, November 1990, p. 14.)

“The challenge is surviving spiritually in a deteriorating “wheat and tares” world. [D&C 86:7.] Granted, occasionally a few defectors or dissidents may try to vex us as they hyperventilate over their particular concerns, but it is the engulfing effects of that189deteriorating world on Church members which is the “clear and present danger.” “Evils and designs” really do operate through “conspiring [individuals] in the last days.” (D&C 89:4.) The Lord has even announced, “Behold, the enemy is combined.” (D&C 38:12.) (Ensign, May 1993, p. 76.)

“Even during these difficult times, members “armed with righteousness” can do so many things. (1 Nephi 14:14.) We can have love at home, even though the love of many waxes cold in the world. (See Matthew 24:12.) We can have inner peace even though peace has been taken from the earth. (See D&C 1:35.) … We can stand fast “in holy places,” even though in the world “all things shall be in commotion.” (D&C 45:32; 88:91.) (Ensign, May 1993, p. 79.)

“In the days ahead, “all things shall be in commotion” (D&C 88:91). We may even have nostalgia for past days of obscurity (see D&C 1:30). Amid a drumroll of developments, complex and converging world conditions will bring both trials and opportunities. Faithful Church members, however, will sense the crescendo in it all, even while being carried forward on the crest of breathtaking circumstances. (Ensign, November 1993, p. 20.)”

---

[1] Cheesman, Paul R., Monte S. Nyman, and Charles D. Tate, Jr., eds. Book of Mormon Symposium Series. Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1988-1995, pp. 89-90.

[2] Ludlow, Daniel H. A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City, Utah: Desert Book, 1976.

[3] Ludlow, Daniel H. A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City, Utah: Desert Book, 1976.

[4] Ludlow, Daniel H., ed. Encyclopedia of Mormonism. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992, p. 569, Dennis A. Wright.

[5] Ludlow, Daniel H. A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City, Utah: Desert Book, 1976.

[6] Ludlow, Daniel H. A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City, Utah: Desert Book, 1976.

[7] Ludlow, Daniel H. A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City, Utah: Desert Book, 1976.

[8] Ludlow, Daniel H. A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City, Utah: Desert Book, 1976.

[9] The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley. 10 volumes, Since Cumorah, Part 1, Chapter 2, pp 38-40.

[10] Cheesman, Paul R., Monte S. Nyman, and Charles D. Tate, Jr., eds. Book of Mormon Symposium Series. Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1988-1995, pp. 202-215.

[11] McConkie, Joseph Fielding, and Robert L. Millet. Joseph Smith: The Choice Seer. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1996, Chapter 30.

[12] Ludlow, Daniel H. A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City, Utah: Desert Book, 1976.

[13] Ludlow, Daniel H. A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City, Utah: Desert Book, 1976.

[14] Ludlow, Daniel H. A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City, Utah: Desert Book, 1976.

[15] Fielding, Robert L. Millet, and Brent L. Top (vol. 4). Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon. 4 vols. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1987-1992, PP. 113-115.

[16] Maxwell, Cory H., ed. The Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1997.