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.

I think I understand the first shall be last and the last shall be first, but what I’m curious about is when it talks about Christ manifesting Himself. It says first to the Jews, then to the Gentiles; after that it will be first to the Gentiles, then to the Jews. I think the first manifestation of Christ (as Christ) was during His mortal ministry. I don’t know about the first manifestation to the Gentiles, but I think the next manifestation Gentiles was at the restoration of the Church in the latter days, and the manifestation to the Jews is yet to happen. So if these were personal manifestations, when was the first manifestation to the Gentiles?

Another way to take this is the first manifestation of the Lord to the Jews was as Jehovah in the Old Testament. Then He was manifest to the Gentiles by the Jews during the New Testament. In the latter days, He first manifested Himself to the Gentiles (Joseph Smith being first), then to the Jews by the Gentiles. That would be just the kind of symmetry we could look for in the Lord’s plan.

• 1 Nephi 15:13 (13–20)

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 scriptures found in the Book of Mormon are consistent with those of the Bible. This is because they have the same source: Jesus Christ. He speaks through His prophets as a single, consistent voice and message. One of the important aspects of the New Testament and the Book of Mormon is that they both contain teachings directly from the Savior himself. The farther you get from a source, the more likely you are to get interpretation based on personal experience.

• Ezekiel 37:17
• Ephesians 4:5–6
• 2 Nephi 31:21

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 pattern of establishing testimony by two or three witnesses goes back at least to the Law of Moses. Deuteronomy 19:15 talks about establishing a matter of iniquity by the mouth of two or three witness, but the Lord has used this pattern consistently in establishing truth. The Book of Mormon is sub-titled, “Another Testament of Jesus Christ,” and for good reason. One of the main purposes of the book is to “establish the truth of the first (the Bible),” in testifying of Christ. With these two books or records combined with the Doctrine & Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, the testimony is not only firmly established, as mandated in the Law of Witnesses, but is established in different dispensations, as well as by different cultures and traditions. This has the added benefit of making much of the Gospel plain and easier to understand the way the Lord intended. In practical teaching terms, if you can come at a concept from various angles, you stand a better chance of getting the point across to more people. All this is helpful and serves to establish the Bible as the word of God.

• Deuteronomy 19:15
• 2 Corinthians 13:1
• 1 Nephi 11:29
• 1 Nephi 12:9
• 2 Nephi 29:6–8, 12
• D&C 6:28

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.

These other records that are to come forth to basically bear testimony of the truthfulness of the Bible include not only the Book of Mormon, but also the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. All these books bear witness of each other. There is no inconsistency between them. “We believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal, and we believe that He will he reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of Heaven. (Article of Faith 1:9)

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.

Both the Bible and the Book of Mormon are needed to grasp the fullness of the gospel. They support each other. This verse along with preceding verses tells us that the Gentiles will be the means of getting both of these records into the hands of the remnant of the seed of Lehi, thus helping to fulfill the covenants He made with Lehi.

• 2 Nephi 29:6 (4–6)
• Mormon 5:15
• Mormon 7:8 (8–9)

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.

This talks of some of the blessings in store for those who strive to spread the gospel. Missionary work is highly regarded by the Lord, and He rewards well those who help Him bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (see Moses 1:39). This is His work and His glory, and those who help him with it are blessed. They are blessed not just for this life, but if they add in enduring to the end, then the blessings are eternal as well.

• Isaiah 52:7 (7–10)
• 1 Nephi 14:14
• 2 Nephi 31:20–21
• 2 Nephi 32:2–3
• Jacob 5:75 (70–76)
• 3 Nephi 20:40
• 3 Nephi 27:16
• D&C 21:9

1 Nephi 13:35–36

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.

36 And in them shall be written my gospel, saith the Lamb, and my rock and my salvation.

Of course, these verses refer to the recording and hiding up of The Book of Mormon. It will be a record of the ministry of Christ (both personal and through his prophets) among the children of Lehi. As such, it contains the gospel of Jesus Christ and becomes another witness for Him.

verse 35

• 2 Nephi 29:1 (1–2)

verse 36

• 3 Nephi 11: 39 (38–39)
• 3 Nephi 27:21

1 Nephi 13:33–34

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.

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.

I suppose if the Gentiles had the fullness of the gospel from the beginning, things may have been much different. In other words, instead of smiting the remnant of Lehi’s seed they might have tried to gather them in. The gospel has that effect on people—they seem to be more peaceable. However, the Lord needed them to smite the Lamanites, so he used these gentiles who were on a land quest to do the smiting. The gentiles, who were unaware that they acted out of ignorance, couldn’t really be punished for playing that role. When they were done and the Lord’s purpose was accomplished, then He revealed much of His gospel to the Lamanites through the gentiles in His mercy.

• 1 Nephi 14:1 (1–3)
• 2 Nephi 26:20

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.

After promising to Nephi that the Gentiles would not be allowed to destroy his seed, nor that of the Lamanites, the Lord makes a promise in their behalf. He promises that the Gentiles will not remain in ignorance of the gospel. After all, they came to that state of ignorance through no fault of their own. As it says here, the plain and most precious parts of the gospel had been held back by that abominable church discussed earlier (see vs. 4–9). So the Lord, in his mercy, will spare the gentiles and provide the means for them to gain the necessary knowledge for returning to Him. This comes by way of the Restoration, through Joseph Smith, and all the things related to it (scriptures, ordinances, priesthood, etc.)

1 Nephi 13:31

31 Neither will he suffer that the Gentiles shall destroy the seed of thy brethren.

The Lord has all this worked out to the last detail how He will fulfill His covenant with the seed of Abraham, including everyone’s role and their limits. We don’t always see it, probably because we are in the middle of fulfilling those prophesies connected with the covenant, but when the Lord says He is bound when we do what He says (D&C 82:10), He means it. Here is an example of how because of Abraham’s righteousness, whole generations and populations will be preserved in spite of their own ignorance or wickedness. A very similar covenant was made with Lehi. Because of his faithfulness, his posterity would be preserved (see 2 Nephi 4:7).

• 2 Nephi 4:7
• 2 Nephi 10:18 (18–19)
• Jacob 3:6 (5–9)
• Helaman 15:12 (10–17)

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

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.

So here are the consequences of all these plain and precious testimonies being taken from the Bible. A great many do stumble because the testimony is not plain. Some of it is just plain hard to get. If you don’t understand something, it’s much easier to be deceived, or at least be influenced by someone else’s opinions. It takes a lot of effort and study to understand the gospel from just the Bible alone. I’ve known people who come amazingly close, but it takes dedication and serious study. That’s why The Book of Mormon is so important. As a second witness of Christ, unfiltered by multiple translations, still containing those plain and precious testimonies of Christ, it makes understanding the Bible and the Atonement much easier. The two testaments together clarify much and make the gospel easier to understand.

• D&C 76:75 (71–79)

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.

The plain and precious parts of the Bible that were removed before it became generally available surely had to do with Jesus Christ. Surely the Old Testament alone was more direct in its testimony of Christ than it is now. What could be more precious than the Atonement and a testament to Christ’s role in that? Most of the references to that found in the Old Testament are hidden in symbolism, which by definition, is not plain. Amulek specifically mentions Zenos, Zenok, and Moses in their testimonies. (Alma 34:6–7) Jacob told Sherem that if he believed the scriptures but not in Christ, he didn’t understand them, “for they truly testify of Christ . . . that none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ.” (Jacob 7:9–11) The Pearl of Great Price is a great example of how detailed the ancient scriptures might have been. The book of Moses is much more specific and detailed than any of the five books credited to him in the Old Testament. And we don’t even have a Book of Abraham in the Old Testament. Many plain and precious things were surely taken away from this book, but many were originally just not included either.

• 1 Nephi 14:23
• Jacob 7:9–11
• Alma 34:6–7

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.

For so many years during the Great Apostasy the clergy was the only source of knowing anything about God’s covenant. The general population had to learn it from the priests because there were no scriptures generally available, and not that many people knew how to read anyway. Monks laboriously copied The Bible by hand. This is why I believe the printing press to be one of the most important inventions in history. It changed the way people thought and how they learned. Even at that it was centuries before reading became common. Anyway, with the people depending completely on the priests for their spiritual knowledge, they were at the priests’ mercy. Some of these priests abused that power “that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men,” as this verse says. Christ did the same kind of thing, but for a much different reason. He spoke in parables so that only those who were spiritually in tune and prepared for the truth could find it. In that way He protected those who were not ready to accept it by making it so they were no accountable for the truth. That is way different from perverting the right ways of the Lord in order to blind eyes and harden hearts.

• Matthew 13:13–17

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 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.

Given the history of Christianity, this formation of “that great and abominable church” is most likely after the Great Apostasy is complete. It is described as being “most abominable above all other churches,” not because the members were necessarily more wicked than any other church, but because they pretended to be the church of God. Some outside government may have imposed the actual formation of this church, but the members themselves laid the foundations. Clearly the early Christians had apostatized. Most of the New Testament is written to stop or prevent this Great Apostasy. So the real formation of the great and abominable church took place before the formation of the organization of what would become the Catholic Church. That’s why it’s not right to simply label a single church as the great and abominable one spoken of in this chapter. That was just an official organization attached to what had already been formed.

It is interesting, however, that this church was “most abominable above all other churches” (emphasis added). That includes churches that blatantly and openly worship Satan? Yes. I think this is true because this one is so deceptive. It may talk of Christ and the Atonement (or at least part of it), but they have changed or removed the ordinances and covenants that make the full benefit of that Atonement available. Some promise great and eternal blessings, but they have not authority or ability to deliver on those promises. They have enough truth to give hope, but not enough to deliver the object of that hope. The most plain and precious parts have been removed, thus causing confusion and even deception. In short, they are counterfeits of the true church of God. The deception is what makes them more abominable than other churches. They took this beautifully simple gospel and made it complex and political. So now people have a hard time comprehending that the gospel is simple. There has to be more to it than believing and acting faithfully on that belief, they reason. So, much like the ancient Jews, they “look beyond the mark” (Jacob 4:14), and they suffer the consequences. In this case, though, maybe they fall short of the mark and try to make more of it than there is.

• Isaiah 24:5
• Matthew 7:21–23
• Matthew 21:43
• John 6:66
• Jacob 4:14
• Mormon 8:33
• Moses 1:41

1 Nephi 13:24–25

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 Bible, as originally set forth, was not just a history, but a manual for returning to Heavenly Father. It still is that, of course, but just not as complete or accurate. Our eighth Article of Faith states that we believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. Wouldn’t it be nice to have no need of that clause about correct translation? Of course, we would still need the Book of Mormon as a second witness of Christ, but I think a book with pure doctrine in it, like the Bible originally had, would be more difficult to misinterpret. And yet it has been, which has resulted in the scripture we have today.

• 2 Nephi 29:4 (4–6)
• D&C 3:16
• Articles of Faith 1:8

1 Nephi 13:21–23

21 And the angel said unto me: Knowest thou the meaning of the book?

22 And I said unto him: I know not.

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.

This is an obvious reference to the Bible. There is an interesting phrase in verse 23 that says the record of the Jews referred to is like the plates of brass, “save there are not so many.” There are likely several reasons for this. One reason could be that they are two different records, kept by two different groups of people: the house of Judah and the house of Joseph. They were both royal lineages, so both would have kept official records. But they could easily have been completely different histories after the time of Moses. In fact, it’s possible that each tribe kept an official record of their particular tribe. For example, the brass plates obviously contained a genealogy of Joseph, who was sold into Egypt. The record of the Jews (or Judah) wouldn’t necessarily contain that to any great detail. Another reason the brass plates contained more records than the Bible would be that some records were just lost in the course of all the Jews went through in their history. Another reason could be that scribes and translators purposely left things out for one reason or another. The brass plates obviously had records of Zenos and Zenock, which are not in the Bible. But we don’t know why these important testimonies of Christ are not in the Bible. It could be any of the reasons just outlined, or something entirely different. We do know, though, that even though the Bible does not contain as many writings as the brass plates, it was and is still of great worth to the Gentiles. It has served well as the link to the covenants the Lord has made with His chosen people.

• Ezekiel 37:16–17
• 1 Nephi 5:10 (10–22)
• 2 Nephi 3:12
• 2 Nephi 29:6 (4–12)

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.

I believe that based on what we have been studying, the early settlers of this country kept the commandments as best they knew how. That’s not to say that all of them kept all the commandments all the time, nor does it say that there weren’t wicked people among them. However, the majority must have done the best they could. They didn’t have the fullness of the gospel, but just this book, which was obviously the Bible. And here are those words, so often said in The Book of Mormon, and always associated with keeping the commandments; the gentiles “did prosper in the land.”

1 Nephi 13:18–19

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.

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.

Here Nephi makes it quite clear that this land was divinely established. The Lord fights the battles of His people. Of course, He does that for the people’s benefit, but I think he also knows that this is His fight as well. Here are these Gentiles, coming to what would become America, and even though they don’t understand the true reason for coming and doing this, they establish an environment where the gospel in its fullness can be restored. Heavenly Father has a definite vested interest in the success of that establishment. His work and glory, at least on this earth, depends on it. Consider how difficult it was for the saints to start the Church here, where it was legal and supposedly tolerated to do so. Then imagine the opposition to starting, or rather, restoring the Church in another country. This was the last place on earth where it could realistically have happened. That’s not to say the Lord couldn’t have created the right environment someplace else, but this was the best place to do it. So, the Lord fights the battles of His people. That was the case here, where Satan tried to use other government to ruin this country’s establishment.

• 1 Nephi 17:35
• 2 Nephi 10:10–16
• 3 Nephi 21:4
• Ether 2:12

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.

In the idea I have suggested in verse 16, Satan sees too late that this land has been preserved, not just ignored by the Lord. So now that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has a place to be restored, Satan does all he can to prevent it. So he stirs up the people in the homeland to battle against the settlers, and we have the real reason for fighting the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, etc.