Moroni Finishes His Record, Part 2

Ether taught the people "of all things," and made clear all things from the beginning of man (Ether 13:2).  He taught the people that after this land had been baptized it became "a choice land above all other lands" (ibid.).  The Lord requires the inhabitants of this land to serve him, or be swept off and replaced by another people (ibid.).  

What is "this land" from and about which Ether spake and Moroni wrote?  These two prophets were separated by over a thousand years and yet appear to be writing from the same land.  Where is "this land?" 

"And that [this land] was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord" (Ether 13:3).

"This land" is the place of the New Jerusalem.  This new Jerusalem is to come down out of heaven.  In spite of the meso-American insistence of many scholars and leaders as a setting for the Book of Mormon, where is it that the Lord taught the New Jerusalem is to be built?  Why the disparity? 

Ether had seen in vision the time of Christ and the Jerusalem from which Lehi came, and a future time when a different, new Jerusalem would be built upon "this land" (Ether 13:4-5).  He explained that the Jerusalem of Christ and of Lehi should be built up again, and "become a holy city of the Lord" (ibid.).  The New Jerusalem will be built up "upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph" (Ether 13:6).

"For as Joseph brought his father down into the land of Egypt, even so he died there, wherefore, the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph that they should perish not, even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph that he should perish not.

"Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away" (Ether 13:7-8).

The story of Joseph in bringing his father Israel out of Jerusalem into Egypt is a type of that which was to occur in the last days.  In mercy, the Lord brought "a remnant of the seed of Joseph" out of the land of Jerusalem to this land (typified by Egypt).  They have been scattered and trodden under foot, but not utterly destroyed.  It is upon this land that they have been "confounded."  They shall yet inherit this land, which is a land of their inheritance.  When they do, the Gentiles will be trodden under foot (3 Ne. 16:15).  The remnant will begin building the new Jerusalem where they "shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away."

"And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things have become new" (Ether 13:9).

After all things have become new, "then cometh the New Jerusalem" (Ether 13:10).  The Lord will bring again Zion, and "blessed are they who dwell therein" (ibid.).  Those who are this city's inhabitants are those whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb.  Repentant Gentiles will be numbered among the group (3 Ne. 16:13).  Then cometh the Jerusalem of old, whose inhabitants are also clean (Ether 13:11).

"And when these things come, bringeth to pass the scripture which saith, there are they who were first, who shall be last; and there are they who were last, who shall be first" (Ether 13:12).

Why is Moroni forbidden to write more at this point (Ether 13:13)?  The fact that the Lord instructed Moroni to not go any further than he already had invites inquiry.  For, he was "about to write more," but was forbidden.  

This indicates that the pattern of successive events laid out by Moroni in Ether 13:1-12 is very much worth our attention.  It means that the teachings of this prophet Ether were indeed "great and marvelous" (ibid.).  How is it then, that the people "esteemed him as naught, and cast him out"?   

So Shall It Be

"And he said: Thus saith the Lord God - Cursed shall be the land, yea, this land, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, unto destruction, which do wickedly, when they are fully ripe; and as I have said so shall it be; for this is the cursing and the blessing of God upon the land, for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance" (Alma 45:16).

Nephi, quoting Isaiah, prophesied saying:

"And then, O house of Israel, behold, these shall come from far; and lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.

"Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for they shall be smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.

"But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me - but he will show that he hath not.

"For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?  Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.

"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

"Thy children shall make haste against thy destroyers; and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee" (1 Ne. 21:12-17).

The Lord will make an end of all nations (D&C 87:5-6).  Destruction will come upon this land from the east.  It's inhabitants shall be smitten, driven, and taken captive.  It's as though none shall escape it.  Men's hearts shall fail them (D&C 45:26).  Men will curse God and die (D&C 45:32).  The Gentiles will then be trodden under foot by a remnant of the house of Israel (3 Ne 16:13-15).  Then Isaiah's words shall be fulfilled, and the Lord shall bring again Zion (3 Ne. 16:17-20).

The Lord will soon make bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and as I have said so shall it be.

The Preservation of Scripture

Mormon explained the reason it was expedient that he should make a record upon plates.  He said that God willed it because of the prayers of some who had gone before him, "who were the holy ones" (3 Ne. 5:14).  These records were to be preserved through time.  They were to be used as tools to bring others to Christ.  

Because of their faith, God heard the words of their prayers, and preserved a record that would benefit their posterity.  These "holy ones," like Enos, were promised that whatsoever thing they should ask of God, it should be given them.  This is a promise always extended to those who are saved (Hel. 10:4-10; 2 Chron. 1:7; D&C 7:1-8).  Their faith was unshaken, they knew how to pray and receive answers, and God covenanted with them that the records would be preserved (Enos 1:11-18).

The Gentiles were last, but now are first.  Israel was first, and shall be last.  The Gentiles are called as bearers of the record for the first part of this latter-day winding up scene, and the remnant will soon receive it.  And not just the remnant upon this land, but "all the remnant of the seed of Jacob" shall be gathered in, and shall be restored to a knowledge of Christ (3 Ne. 5:23-26).

Who Are You?

The message of repentance in the scriptures was often to a religious crowd who considered themselves the Lord's people and who thought they were righteous (Luke 18:9-14).  

One of the reasons we may feel the Book of Mormon's message of repentance doesn't apply to us as "faithful" Latter-day Saints is because our lives, by and large, are in harmony with the principles taught from our pulpits and in our Sunday schools.  We keep the commandments and fulfill our callings.  Although we acknowledge in word that the message of repentance still applies to us as much as anyone, we are often perplexed about what it is we must repent of.

Besides serious transgressions, one of the things we must repent of are our misconceptions, and false traditions; or, what the Book of Mormon calls "unbelief." 

God's prophets mourn our state of unbelief because it causes us to not "search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be" (2 Ne. 32:7).  Because of that unbelief and stiffneckedness the Spirit stops the utterance of prophets when they might otherwise desire to share more about God's plan (ibid.).

King Benjamin taught that unbelief is a result of failing to read and understand God's word (Mosiah 1:5).  Because men fail to search the scriptures they "dwindle in unbelief" and fail to believe the truth when it is taught to them "because of the traditions of their fathers" (ibid.).  Dwindling in unbelief disables men so that they cannot understand the word of God.  This lack of understanding hardens men's hearts (Mosiah 26:3).  

In order for us to repent of and conquer unbelief we must come into contact with the "light of the glory of God" (Alma 19:6).  This encounter will cast away unbelief and dispel the clouds of darkness (ibid.).  For the majority of Latter-day Saints this encounter will begin to occur as we search the scriptures, but particularly the scriptures of the restoration.  We can choose to have this encounter with light and truth and begin to peel away the dark scales of unbelief, or we can choose not to receive the light.  Those who choose not to receive the light will be deceived, for they will not have the light required to discern between true and false messengers.  They will not be prepared for the "test" that Heber C. Kimball prophesied would overcome us in our day.         

In order for you to begin to remove the condemnation under which you labor you must take the Book of Mormon seriously.  

In order for you to begin to take the Book of Mormon seriously (or to not "treat it lightly") you must understand its message.  

In order for you to begin to understand the message of the Book of Mormon, it is vital for you to dismiss false notions about who "My people, O House of Israel" are, and who "the Gentiles" are.  

The truth of the matter is disconcerting for many people when presented with it, and so they choose not to search out the matter.  They think that those who would voice an opinion contrary to their traditions are "mad" (Mosiah 13:4).  Why is it that when a prophet declares the truth about the scriptures the religious are angry with him?  Must a man be a false prophet because his message angers you?  Must a prophet's message make you feel good about yourself?   

A proud man will usually choose to remain blind even when presented with light and truth because it salves his conscience to retain a false identity.  Doing so allows him to retain his pride, and believe in the message that "all is well" (2 Ne. 28:21).  But the Lord has made it clear that we have to shed false traditions and become humble and accept truth if we will be saved (Alma 32:15-16). 

The Latter-day Saints are the Gentiles of the Book of Mormon, and the Gentiles to whom it was written.  It was written for those Gentiles who are its readers, not those who are not its readers.  It was written in clarity that the Gentiles might understand the mission we've been called to perform.  The book defines our role.

Joseph Smith knew he was the "Gentile" who was chosen to begin the latter-day work (Title Page).  He referred to the rest of the Saints as "Gentiles" in the Kirtland Temple dedicatory prayer, which he received by revelation (D&C 109:60).  Throughout the Book of Mormon the writers are persistent and consistent in their use of the term.

Without explaining the entire issue, it's important to be presented with the idea so that it may be searched out.  Those who look into the matter will begin to see it clearly.  From beginning to end, European descendants are the "Gentiles" of the Book of Mormon, nobody else.  Unless you are a Latter-day Saint who also happens to be Native American, you are not the "remnant" or the "House of Israel" spoken of in the Book of Mormon.      

Don't let prejudices, misunderstandings, and false traditions deter your search.  Never mind what you think your Patriarchal blessing tells you about the meaning of "the House of Israel" in the Book of Mormon.  Those first or last sentences about lineage in your blessing no more help you understand the Book of Mormon than does the term "High Priest," as we use it today, help us to understand Alma 13.  They're almost wholly different.  Those things will all become clear as you discard false traditions and put off unbelief.  It doesn't matter if you descend from the House of Israel way back when, you are a "Gentile" to the Book of Mormon writers.     

Once you can understand your identity, the prophecies and messages of the Book of Mormon will begin to become very real to you.  The Book, as a whole, will begin to make much more sense.  You will be able to see more clearly, in order that a more thorough repentance may begin to take place.  It will be a precious gift, opening up to your view the fulness of the Gospel.  But not until we can put off "unbelief."  If we fail to understand our identity and the message of the Book of Mormon, we are dwindling in unbelief.

Many of our ideas about the scriptures are correct, but misapplied.  Many of our precepts are true and scriptural, but misunderstood.  It is true that the repentant Gentiles will ultimately be numbered among "the House of Israel" (2 Ne. 10:18).  We've gotten too far ahead of the game, however, in assuming that we've already made it.  We haven't.  The House of Israel will very soon receive the Book of Mormon and the fulness of the Gospel.  They haven't received it yet, but they will soon.  It will be brought unto them by the kings and queens of the Gentiles, who will act as nursing fathers and mothers to them (2 Ne. 10:9).