1 Nephi 13

MDC Contents			1 Nephi 13:1 1 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld many nations and kingdoms. 1 Nephi 13:2 2 And the angel said unto me: What beholdest thou? And I said: I behold many nations and kingdoms. 1 Nephi 13:3 3 And he said unto me: These are the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles. The shifting of the context here from the descendants of Nephi to the world in general further indicates that the vision is taking place conceptually outside of geography. While Nephi will see later that there are many waters between these Gentiles and his seed (see verse 10), to this point it is still not clear where his seed are located. The vision is still dealing with future events, and now moves past the dwindling of Nephi's seed to the story of their reintroduction to the gospel. 1 Nephi 13:4 4 And it came to pass that I saw among the nations of the Gentiles the formation of a great church. It is always uncertain to ascribe time to a vision, since they are not necessarily precise in such things. Were we to do so, the formation of this church would follow the dwindling of Nephi's people, pinned in time to approximately 400 AD. If we could assume that the general structural order is correct, even it times are not, that would place the foundation of the great and abominable church after 400 AD. 1 Nephi 13:5 5 And the angel said unto me: Behold the formation of a church which is most abominable above all other churches, which slayeth the saints of God, yea, and tortureth them and bindeth them down, and yoketh them with a yoke of iron, and bringeth them down into captivity. 1 Nephi 13:6 6 And it came to pass that I beheld this great and abominable church; and I saw the devil that he was the founder of it. One of the great games of LDS theology is to play "pin the tail on the church" and attempt to specifically correlate the text with an known institution. This is an idea with a long underground current. Making a correlation between any church and the "great and abominable church" is no longer en vogue in official doctrine. Where Bruce R. McConkie might have declared it to be the Roman Catholic church in the first edition of Mormon Doctrine, subsequent editions take a more universal view of the nature of the "church of the devil". "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." (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.137 CHURCH OF THE DEVIL). A more modern compilation of LDS information, including doctrinal positions, is found in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism. In that text, the definition is likewise universal rather than specific: "The phrase "great and abominable church," which appears in an apocalyptic vision received by the Book of Mormon prophet Nephi 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)." (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.2, GREAT AND ABOMINABLE CHURCH). That same source indicates that Nephi's words were not meant to define a particular organized entity: "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, andpower over the flesh, andto 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)." (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.2, GREAT AND ABOMINABLE CHURCH). Nevertheless, the pronouncements of the leaders of the church have not always been so ecumenical: "The Lord has told us in the scriptures that in the last days there will be two churches. John the Revelator spoke of the great church with worldly power that had under its dominion and leadership the kings of the earth--he spoke of it as Babylon, the Mother of Harlots; and Nephi spoke of it as the great and abominable church. I am not going to say what that church is, though I have a very definite and clear idea. But I want to say that those scriptures also tell us that the other church is a weak church, a church to whose assistance God has to come in order to preserve it. We certainly are not the great church, for no kings are tied to the chariot wheels of our Church. We are the other church." (J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Conference Report, April 1949, p.162). While Elder Clark might have a broad definition in mind, the implication is clear that he would identify one if pressed. Such reticence to name the church can easily be seen as attempt at a conciliatory presentation, when the private belief was to identify a particular location. It might be tempting to ascribe this interpretation to the influence of early American anti-Catholic feeling. It is certain that this played a part in the individual interpretations of this passage, but cannot be used to define official belief. Indeed, there is good evidence that the more universal approach also had its adherents at an earlier time: "Although the great "mother of abominations" has not gathered together in multitudes upon the face of the earth among all the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles to fight against the Lamb of god and his Saints, yet there has been enough fulfilled to show that the balance will be accomplished. Has this great and abominable power, under the name of "the mother of harlots," popularly called Christendom, fought against the Saints in this country? Let the history of this Church answer that question; let the scenes we have passed through in the land of Missouri testify; let the tribulation this people had to endure in the state of Illinois bear witness. We will not refer to persecutions in Utah, for here we have had but little, compared with scenes we have past through in former years. Suffice it to say multitudes have been gathered together--under the influence of what? Under the influence of that great and abominable church or system called "the mother of harlots." (Journal of Discourses, Vol.7, p.184, Orson Pratt, July 10, 1859). By focusing on the persecutions of the Saints, Orson Pratt must necessarily provide a greater context for the "great and abominable church" than a single organization, as the persecution against the Saints could never be seen as a Roman Catholic persecution. Orson Pratt is even more clear that he opens the interpretation to a larger spectrum: "Since the Church with its authority and power has been caught away from the earth, the great mother of harlots with all her descendants has blasphemously assumed the authority of administering some of the sacred ordinances of the gospel. They have blasphemed the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, by using it without authority in their ministrations. They have dishonored the name of Christ, by calling their powerless, apostate, filthy and most abominable churches, the Church of Christ. The whole Romish, Greek and Protestant ministry, from the pope down through every grade of office, are as destitute of authority from God, as the devil and his angels. The Almighty abhors all their wicked pretensions, as He does the very gates of hell. (Orson Pratt Divine Authenticity of BofM, No. 2 (1850), p.18 - p.19). Elder Pratt opens up the "church of the devil" to all non-LDS Christian religions. Modern definitions have spread that idea even further. What can we say further about the "great and abominable church"? In Nephi's vocabulary, the word "church" should be out of place. "Church" as a translation for the Greek "ecclesia" is a New Testament concept. The concept of an initiated and localized congregation is also post-New Testament in the Bible, with the Hebrew faith gathering in Synagogues, another inheritance from the Greek word which has the meaning of gathering together. The religious worship of the Hebrews would be difficult to shoehorn into our notion of a "church". Nevertheless, Nephi is found using the word one time outside of the phraseology accompanying the "great and abominable church": 1 Nephi 4:26 "And he, supposing that I spake of the brethren of the church, and that I was truly that Laban whom I had slain, wherefore he did follow me." This is ultimately a question of the nature of the translation of the Book of Mormon. Either the presence of the word "church" in this passage is a remnant of Joseph's hand in the translation, or Nephi is using a term which later becomes our "church" in a very different context. Certainly Nephi would understand the religious organization of his own time and land, and would not conflate what we would term synagogue and church. This difference in understanding should underlie our perception of the "great and abominable church". In Nephi's terms and conceptions, he really had no ready label with which to classify what became the great churches. He must have meant something else. The correlation of the "great and abominable" church with any particular institution should be seen as a culturally influenced attempt to make sense of this verse, and that past interpretations have fallen victim to cultural prejudices in naming that organization. As an aside, it should be noted that there is a true "church" in the Book of Mormon prior to New Testament times, but this comes directly as a result of Alma's pioneering efforts, and is demonstrably a different organizational force than the communal religion practiced up to that time. 1 Nephi 13:7 7 And I also saw gold, and silver, and silks, and scarlets, and fine-twined linen, and all manner of precious clothing; and I saw many harlots. 1 Nephi 13:8 8 And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the gold, and the silver, and the silks, and the scarlets, and the fine-twined linen, and the precious clothing, and the harlots, are the desires of this great and abominable church. If we separate the attempt to identify an organization from the description of the nature of the great and abominable church, these verses do not point to a hierarchy in love with finery (though there have been many such throughout history) but to a general tenet of the church of the devil, that is, that the love of the fine things constitute "the desires of this great and abominable church" (verse 8). When we are pulled into a similar love of the finery and trappings of the world, we are similarly under the sway of the powerful pull of the church of the devil. These verses come not as identifiers, but as warnings. 1 Nephi 13:9 9 And also for the praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God, and bring them down into captivity. Here the division between the saints of God and the world is made clear. The world is the wide representation of a life which is not in harmony with God, yet which is nevertheless prevalent and powerful. The church of the devil attempts to be aligned more to the ways of the world than to the ways of God. Of such a division is the strife between good and evil, a primordial battle between Good and Evil, God and Satan, the saints and the world. 1 Nephi 13:10 10 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld many waters; and they divided the Gentiles from the seed of my brethren. While this verse does not provide any hints as to whether Nephi knew of the ultimate destination of his family, verse 12 clearly delineates a promised Land. 1 Nephi 13:11 11 And it came to pass that the angel said unto me: Behold the wrath of God is upon the seed of thy brethren. This is a fairly generic verse, and marks time before the next spiritually important event. All we are told is that the "wrath of God is upon the seed of thy brethren". We are left to wonder what the nature of that wrath is. It is undeclared. It may or may not be related to specific events prior to the discovery of the New World. It is most likely that it is a generic indication that all was not perfect, and that bad things happened to those people. Certainly there is enough in the history of the world to support that generality. 1 Nephi 13:12 12 And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land. This is easily recognized as a reference to the voyage of Columbus. While modern history now points to others as the true "discoverers" of the New World (the Vikings), it is nevertheless true that for the then civilized world, Columbus was the first, and hence the apt figure for this event in vision. 1 Nephi 13:13 13 And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters. 1 Nephi 13:14 14 And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten. The indigenous peoples of the New World might consider "many multitudes" to be an understatement of the immigration of Old World peoples to the New World. It is also a matter of know history that in the inevitable conflict between the two worlds, the Old World settlers were the clear victors. 1 Nephi 13:15 15 And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the land for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain. Once again the possibility arises that Nephi is describing a skin color, and attaching value to it. This verse is probably one of the most difficult to exegesize into a more palatable modern interpretation, as the "white, and exceedingly fair and beautiful" certainly all sound like references to physical appearance. However, the analysis that the white/dark dichotomy applies to righteousness also fits here, but only as a precursor to the verse which follows. It could not be said in any good conscience that the Gentiles who conquered the Americas were virtuous. It also cannot be said that they were overly white, as skin tones go. Nor, of course, would the genetic stock from Israel produce the Northern European whiteness of skin. The white and beautiful are still best seen as indicative of receptiveness to the Lord. In this verse, the function is to set up the next important aspect of the invaders - that they were to be the means whereby the gospel would be returned to Nephi's descendants. 1 Nephi 13:16 16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them. These are the people who are white and beautiful. The reference in vision is to the important events, not to all of the future history. These particular people have the power of the Lord with them, and as a people so endowed, qualify for Nephi's use of white and beautiful. 1 Nephi 13:16 16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them. 1 Nephi 13:17 17 And I beheld that their mother Gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them. Verse 16 is repeated to give the context for the "mother Gentiles" mentioned in verse 17. While the early vision concentrated on Nephi's descendants, the redemptive section of the vision shifts contexts to the events of the North American continent, and the story of the founding of the United States. Very clearly there is a large amount of the history of the New World which is being summarily dismissed from the vision. The reason is that the vision is concentrating on the crucial events which tell the essential story, that is the fall and redemption of Nephi's seed. The events of the creation of the United States, the location and atmosphere into which Joseph Smith is born, are critical to that redemptive process. 1 Nephi 13:18 18 And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle. 1 Nephi 13:19 19 And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations. The delivery out of captivity and delivery out of the hands of all other nations very clearly refers to the wars of independence, certainly including the war of 1812. The vision does not care to describe the political events of the wars, nor to be precise about them, but to discuss their most salient results - that there was a country delivered by the hand of God out of the control of all other nations. This is the description of the conditions of the United States when Joseph Smith is born. 1 Nephi 13:20 20 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land; and I beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them. 1 Nephi 13:21 21 And the angel said unto me: Knowest thou the meaning of the book? 1 Nephi 13:22 22 And I said unto him: I know not. 1 Nephi 13:23 23 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. Linguistic note: The obvious reference in these verses is to the Bible. In describing the Bible, the Book of Mormon text uses the term "book." While this term certainly correctly connotes to the modern reader the meaning of the text, it is unclear what the term would have been that Nephi understood from the angel. Nephi would certainly have been familiar with the term scrolls, and perhaps there was a collective term for the accumulated writings of the law and prophets. Nevertheless, our text uses none of those terms, but rather the more modern "book." This is another indication that in the process of translation, there is a shift in ideas and terminologies based upon Joseph's understanding and world. The word "book" is definitely not out of place, it is simply not likely to have the precise meaning that the word on the gold plates would have had. Historical note: When the angel is describing the Bible to Nephi, he helps Nephi understand what it is by relating it to a known sacred record, the brass plates. The interesting note in verse 23 is that the Bible "is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass, save there are not so many." The clear statement is that the brass plates contain more information that does the Bible. While we have little of the brass plates in the Book of Mormon, we have enough to know that there are prophets included in the brass plates, such as Zenos and Zenock, which are not present in the Bible. 1 Nephi 13:24 24 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. 1 Nephi 13:25 25 Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God. 1 Nephi 13:26 26 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 a 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 13:27 27 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. 1 Nephi 13:28 28 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. Historical analysis: Verse 28 contains the scriptural basis of the eighth article of faith's qualification that we believe the Bible "as far as it is translated correctly." This set of verses is also a part of the fuel which feeds the folk tradition that there have been conscious, and at times malicious alterations of what we have as the Biblical text. This latter assertion has very little evidence to support it, for all that it has been widely held frequently circulated with various supporting "facts." The story of the development and preservation of Biblical texts is well known, and there are sufficient copies of most texts to allow scholars to provide reasonable reconstructions of what may or may not have been added into the texts. To be sure, scholarship has invented its own agenda in this arena, and some of the modern work on reconstruction has done more to "take away precious parts" than all previous scribes. Nevertheless, the overwhelming evidence is that the scriptures as we have them have had a reasonably faithful transmission, and that there is little evidence which can be amassed for the "intentional alteration" idea. What then are these verses talking about? It is important to remember that these verses are precisely in the same prophetic vein as the discussion of the foundation of the United States. The historical reality of the foundation of the United States as a nation independent required both the war of Independence, and the war of 1812, but only a single conflict is mentioned. The nature of this type of vision is one of condensation of detail into the essential information. The essential information of the establishment of the United States is more important that the historical details which led to it. Likewise, these verses are setting up an important fact which is much more important than the nature of the Biblical text. To understand the import of these verses, we need to return to verses 25 and 25: "24 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. 25 Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God." The first important clue that this is a condensation of reality comes in verse 24 where the angel notes that the book proceeds from the mouth of a Jew. Note the singular. This is a clear inaccuracy. Anyone familiar at all with the Bible, and certainly Nephi familiar with the brass plates to which the Bible had been compared, would know that the there are multiple authors of what has been collected into the Bible. The singular is used because the details of the reality are not important. What is important is the source, and the subsequent history of that source. For the angel, the essential data required about the source is first, that it comes from the chosen people, to whom the covenants and promises have been make, and second, that it is a true record (which is the function of verse 25). Note the nature of the change that occurs in verses 26 and 27: "26 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 a 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. 27 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." The true record, with the true witness of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, encounters the great and abominable church. It is after this encounter that plain and precious parts are taken away. Note that in addition to plain and precious parts of the book, there are also covenants that have been taken away? What is happening here? When it was fashionable to equate the great and abominable church with the Roman Catholic church, these verses would feed the folklore stories of hidden manuscripts in the vaults of the Vatican with heavy deletions. These things do not exist, and should be relegated to the archives of folklore. What is really happening in these verses is the condensation of the great apostasy into a few short verses, and defined by its most salient effect, the diminished understanding of the gospel as contained in the Bible, and the loss of covenants. As with the wars, the prophetic vision is not attempting to discuss particular events, but to describe the general occurrences which lead to the ultimate redemptive vision of Nephi's people. The essential reality is the apostasy, not the textual transmission of the Bible itself. Thus in verse 28: "28 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." The plain and precious things are taken away from the book directly through the manipulation of the great and abominable church. From an historical standpoint, this involves a long process, including the early Hellenization of the Jewish Christian movement. The angel is describing the result of a long process, not specific details. 1 Nephi 13:29 29 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. The angel is very clear in this verse about the effect of the loss of the plain and precious parts. An apostasy occurs. Men stumble. Satan has power over them. Why is this related to the removal of "plain and precious things" from the book? Because the book is a symbol of the true gospel. Of course the true gospel could never lead to these consequences. From a symbolic standpoint, only the corruption of the source is sufficient explanation, as the source could not be bad. Thus in these verses the angel both confirms the truth of the gospel and describes the apostasy from it. 1 Nephi 13:30 30 Nevertheless, thou beholdest that the Gentiles who have gone forth out of captivity, and have been lifted up by the power of God above all other nations, upon the face of the land which is choice above all other lands, which is the land that the Lord God hath covenanted with thy father that his seed should have for the land of their inheritance; wherefore, thou seest that the Lord God will not suffer that the Gentiles will utterly destroy the mixture of thy seed, which are among thy brethren. Historical/narrative analysis: This verse provides us information about a lost revelation to Lehi. According to this the angel, by the time Nephi is viewing this vision the Lord has already convenanted with Lehi that the world Nephi sees in vision shall be the new land of inheritance for is posterity. This is the first indication in the chronological text that the Lehite band would have had an idea of where they were going. Nephi's account does not explicitly mention this, but the statement of the angel makes it clear that Lehi has received this confirmation from the Lord. The record of that revelation/covenant is lost, and preserved only here. 1 Nephi 13:31 31 Neither will he suffer that the Gentiles shall destroy the seed of thy brethren. The import of verses 30 and 31 are to return the vision to its major theme, which is the future history of Nephi's posterity. While the Gentiles become dominant, they do not entirely destroy the remnants of the seed of the Nephites and Lamanites (though not so named at this point). 1 Nephi 13:32 32 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. The image of verse 32 is the Gentile world in apostasy. Of course this could not happen if the full truth were available to them. The machinations of the great and abominable church, and the loss of the plain and precious parts of the book are the symbols used to define the nature of the apostasy. Because the apostasy is due to error rather than intent, the restoration of the truth is capable of saving them. 1 Nephi 13:33 33 Wherefore saith the Lamb of God: I will be merciful unto the Gentiles, unto the visiting of the remnant of the house of Israel in great judgment. Historically it is clear that the Gentiles were favored when judgement fell on the house of Israel. As a vision of the future this is an accurate depiction. As a reason for the future it is less satisfying. 1 Nephi 13:34 34 And it came to pass that the angel of the Lord spake unto me, saying: Behold, saith the Lamb of God, after I have visited the remnant of the house of Israel--and this remnant of whom I speak is the seed of thy father--wherefore, after I have visited them in judgment, and smitten them by the hand of the Gentiles, and after the Gentiles do stumble exceedingly, because of the most plain and precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, which is the mother of harlots, saith the Lamb--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, saith the Lamb. The judgement phase is perhaps better explained here as the just deserts of the remnant of the house of Israel represented by Lehi's seed. Their judgement is the entry of the Gentiles, and the domination by the Gentiles. To place this event in its redemptive place, the messenger notes that the function of placing the Gentiles in this position is to bring forth the Gospel through them. Note the repetition of the phrase "plain and precious." That which was lost is being restored to them. The truth they desired and lacked will be given to them. 1 Nephi 13:35 35 For, behold, saith the Lamb: I will manifest myself unto thy seed, that they shall write many things which I shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious; and after thy seed shall be destroyed, and dwindle in unbelief, and also the seed of thy brethren, behold, these things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles, by the gift and power of the Lamb. 1 Nephi 13:36 36 And in them shall be written my gospel, saith the Lamb, and my rock and my salvation. The theme of the vision to this point has been the eventual dwindling of the righteous Lehites, and the rise of the Gentiles. Into this rather bleak recitation of the future history of Nephi's seed comes what must have been a miraculous revelation to Nephi. The Lord would come to his seed, prior to the time of their ultimate dwindling into unbelief. Those blessed descendants would write of the Savior, and it would be their writings that would redeem the Gentiles! In a single verse, the supposed redemption of Nephi's people (which is yet to come in the vision) takes a wonderful turn, and his descendants become the means of the redemption of the Gentiles. For all the domination that they descendants of Lehi would suffer at the hands of the Gentiles, they would yet be the means of redemption for the Gentiles. 1 Nephi 13:37 37 And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be. Verse 37 is an aside, which while given to Nephi in vision, is directed to the modern audience of the Book of Mormon. Without question the Lord knew that this experience would be available to the future generation of Gentiles, and this verse is directed to them. 1 Nephi 13:38 38 And it came to pass that I beheld the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the book of the Lamb of God, which had proceeded forth from the mouth of the Jew, that it came forth from the Gentiles unto the remnant of the seed of my brethren. Here begins the redemptive sequence for Nephi's posterity. After their years of dwindling in unbelief, the Gentiles will return the favor of redemption, and bring the gospel back to the remnant of the seed of Nephi's brethren. 1 Nephi 13:39 39 And after it had come forth unto them I beheld other books, which came forth by the power of the Lamb, from the Gentiles unto them, unto the convincing of the Gentiles and the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the Jews who were scattered upon all the face of the earth, that the records of the prophets and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are true. Verse 38 specifically mentions only the Bible. However, the Lord has noted that the seed of Nephi will write words which shall come to the Gentiles (verses 35 and 36). Certainly the Book of Mormon is one of the other books. The Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price also certainly qualify among those other books which will come forth. 1 Nephi 13:40 40 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. The function of these new books is not to replace, but restore the lost plain and precious parts. They are not part of a new gospel, but of a lost one that is being restored. 1 Nephi 13:41 41 And they must come according to the words which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb; and the words of the Lamb shall be made known in the records of thy seed, as well as in the records of the twelve apostles of the Lamb; wherefore they both shall be established in one; for there is one God and one Shepherd over all the earth. The role of the Book of Mormon is clearly stated here. It will stand side by side with the Bible to establish the record of the words of the Lamb, and the records of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 1 Nephi 13:42 42 And the time cometh that he shall manifest himself unto all nations, both unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles; and after he has manifested himself unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles, then he shall manifest himself unto the Gentiles and also unto the Jews, and the last shall be first, and the first shall be last. This verse sums up the vision of redemption. Christ stands as the central redemptive figure, and his coming and providing the true gospel is the saving grace for all men. This comes in stages, however. In the first instance his mission was to the house of Israel. They were the first. The gospel is then allowed to be preached to the Gentiles, and in this they were the last. After the initial acceptance of the truth, both the house of Israel and the Gentiles fall from the truth, and come to a point where they are believers, but in a corrupted version of the gospel, a version which cannot save them. Into this picture comes Christ again, with a new revelation, a restoration of those things which are lost. He does this directly through the record of his visit to the Americas which is published to the Gentiles, providing them with the keys to the lost plain and precious parts of the gospel. In this the Gentiles become the first, thus the last shall be first. The Gentiles are then the ones to bring the redemption to the remnants of the house of Israel, and in this they are the last. Thus those who once were first are now the last to receive the gospel.
			by Brant Gardner. Copyright 1998