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.

This verse, among other things, prophesies that eventually the Nephites and Lamanites will be determined more by belief than by blood lineage. We tend to think about the remnants of Lehi’s family has Lamanites only, sometimes forgetting that they were mixed toward the end of the Book of Mormon. It is also evident that the Lord keeps His covenants, particularly the covenants He has made with His prophets who don’t break the covenant. Lehi was promised this would be a land for his inheritance. The Lord will keep that promise, even though many of Lehi’s posterity are not worthy recipients of that blessing at this time. (The same could also be said of the Abrahamic covenant.) So, as powerful as the gentiles will become, they won’t be allowed to destroy Lehi’s seed, because that would break the covenant. In fact, this and the next few verses are as much about the Gentiles as they are about the seed of Lehi. This particular verse assures Nephi that even though the covenant Nephites will be destroyed, Nephi’s blood descendents will be preserved.

In a strange kind of way this is a bit like the atonement. Everyone will be resurrected, but only those who make and keep covenants with the Lord will be exalted. Lehi’s seed will continue in the land, but really it will only be a promised land to those who keep the covenants. They are the ones who receive the promise that they will prosper in the land. Interesting. I need to think about that type a bit more.

• 2 Nephi 3:3
• Alma 45:14 (10–14)
• 4 Nephi 1:17, 35–39