2 Ne 30:2 as many of the Gentiles as will repent are the covenant
people of the Lord
The difference between Jews and Gentiles, which was
so important to the Jews of Christ’s day, is abolished with the gospel of Jesus
Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek…for ye are
all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise (Gal 3:28-9). Those Gentiles
who repent and receive Christ as their Savior will become the covenant people
of the Lord. They are effectively adopted into the house of Israel. Conversely,
those Jews who reject Christ will be cast off as though no promises were ever
made to them.
The
significance of being adopted into the house of Israel begins with the promises
made to Abraham. Because of Abraham’s
great faith and obedience, even that he would offer his son Isaac, the Lord
promised him, That in blessing I will bless thee,
and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as
the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of
his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed (Gen
22:17-8). Those who understand the true meaning of the promise of eternal life
and eternal increase understand that seed multiplied as the stars of the heaven
is an eternal and not merely a mortal promise. Thy
seed shall possess the gate of his enemies, means that the Lord will
bless them, prosper them, and protect them from political oppression. In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed
is fulfilled in several respects. First, the house of Israel will do the
genealogy and temple work for the dead and perform temple ordinances for the
returning ten tribes, becoming saviors on mount Zion, And
there shall they (the 10 tribes) fall down
and be crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the
Lord, even the children of Ephraim (DC 133:32). Second, the Savior of
the world and most of the prophets were to come through the lineage of Israel.
Third, the gospel will be brought to the world primarily through the house of
Israel. Fourth, the world has been blessed by the contributions to art,
science, inventions, industry, philosophy, politics, etc. made by the
descendants of Abraham.
Other promises
related to the covenant made with Abraham are to be had in the temple of God.
John the Revelator explained that those who are sanctified by Jesus Christ are
made kings and priests unto God (Rev 1:6).
This phrase could be rendered kings and priests in the house of Israel for it
is through the house of Israel that the Lord establishes his church and reigns
in his kingdom, for now and for all time. All of these promises that are part
of the Abrahamic covenant are available to every member of the church. They are
promises with incredible eternal consequence which are often under appreciated.
Joseph Smith
taught that there was an actual spiritual transformation which purges out the
old blood, “the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the
old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none
of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy
Ghost.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 150) See also Rom
9:6-8, DC 103:17, and the Bible Dictionary on “Adoption.”
2 Ne 30:3-5 the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them (the
remnant of our seed)
“In
its overall structure, the Book of Mormon begins and ends with concern for the
Lamanites receiving the gospel. Reiterating the main points from the title
page, Nephi says that through the Book of Mormon the Lamanites shall know they
are of Israel and through it ‘they shall be restored
unto the knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ’
(2 Nephi 30:5; see 30:1-6). Then toward the end, Mormon says much the same
thing: ‘Know ye that ye are of the house of Israel.
. . . Know ye that ye must come to the knowledge of your fathers, and repent of
all your sins and iniquities, and believe in Jesus Christ’ (Mormon 7:2,
5). At the physical center of the book is the narrative of the conversion of
the Lamanites. This central part begins with the decree of the king of the
Lamanites that Ammon and his brethren should be free to preach the word of God
throughout all the land, and ends with gratitude by these great missionaries
for the thousands of Lamanite souls ‘brought to
behold the marvelous light of God’ (Alma 26:3). The narrative high point
of the book is the ministry of the resurrected Savior. While discoursing to
both the Lamanites and Nephites before him, Jesus as well speaks to their
descendants, saying that the Book of Mormon ‘shall
come forth of the Father, from [the Gentiles] unto
you’ (3 Nephi 21:3). He confirms the prophecies of Isaiah that in the
last days the children of Lehi will be gathered both physically and
spiritually. ‘Then is the fulfilling,’ he
says, ‘of the covenant which the Father hath made
unto his people, O house of Israel’ (3 Nephi 20:12).” (FARMS: Review
of Books, vol. 2-1990, Richard D. Rust “The Book of Mormon, Designed for
Our Day”, p. 16)
We see the Father fulfilling
this covenant as the missionaries have success preaching the gospel among the
descendants of the Nephites and Lamanites in Central and South America. The
Book of Mormon is the history of their ancestors and it rings true to them.
Nevertheless, these missionary successes have come relatively recently—as the
following quotes explain.
Spencer W. Kimball
“This
year (1947) the Uruguayan Mission has been opened, and today with that mission
and Brazil and Argentina, we have in South America 169 missionaries working
among the Lamanites. This, of course, is in fulfilment of the dreams of the
brethren and particularly the promise and prayer of Elder Melvin J. Ballard
when on the 25th of December in 1925 he stood on the banks of El Rio de La
Plata at Buenos Aires, and under the weeping willow trees there, blessed South
America. He said this, among other things:
‘…I turn the key, unlock, and open the door
for the preaching of the gospel in all these South American nations, and
rebuke, and command to be stayed, every power that would oppose the preaching
of the gospel in these lands. And we do bless and dedicate these nations, and
this land for the preaching of the gospel’ (The Improvement Era, April, 1926, pp.
575, 576.)” (Conference Report, Oct. 1947, p. 18)
After Elder Ballard blessed
the land for the preaching of the gospel, the rate of growth of those who have
been restored unto the knowledge of their fathers,
and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ is staggering:
“Church
members in Latin America, especially in Mexico, Central America, and western
South America, regard themselves as being among the descendants of the Nephites
and Lamanites described in the Book of Mormon and hence as heirs to the great promises
contained in that volume. In no other area was there greater Church growth
during the third quarter of the twentieth century: Church membership in Latin
America skyrocketed from less than 9,000 in 1950 to over 650,000 just three
decades later. In 1950 only .8 percent of all Latter-day Saints lived in Latin
America, while by 1980 the figure had reached 16.4 percent.” (Richard O. Cowan,
The Church in the twentieth Century, 1985, p. 270)
President Kimball, while
still an apostle, described the success of earlier missionary efforts amongst
the Indians of North America:
Spencer W. Kimball
“There
was a period back in 1875-6 when there were great numbers of Indians who came
into the Church. There was Chief Poko-Tel-Lo from the Snake River, who, with
his entire band, was baptized into the Church, and they left Salt Lake City
going back to their homes determined to refrain from all evil practices. The
old chief said that the other Indians were interested, and there would be many
who would be baptized. There were fifty from the north who came down. Chief
Alma with twenty-two of his people from the Salmon River country came down and
were baptized into the Church. The chief made the prediction that there would
be hundreds and thousands of the Indians come into the Church. Orson Pratt
baptized fifty-two and blessed nine papooses down at Mount Pleasant in June of
that year. In July there were eighty-five of Kanosh's band who were baptized
into the Church, and the following year there were forty-one men and thirty-nine
women, Indians, baptized down at Kanab. It seems that there were a great many
baptisms also up in the Malad country. I quote from The Deseret News of July
22. 1875:
‘.
. . Yesterday we met with Brother G. W. Hill, who has charge of a colony of
several hundred Indians, mostly of the Shoshone, Bannock, and Pah Ute tribes.
They are Indians who have come forward and demanded to be baptized. The
location is in Malad Valley, Idaho Territory. . . . They declare their
intention to wander about no more, but to lead industrious lives, at peace with
all their fellow creatures, refraining from stealing and from all manner of bad
practices, and abide by the conditions of their baptism, which are that they
shall cease every species of wrongdoing. Elder Hill has baptized about three
hundred since last spring.’” (Conference Report, Oct. 1947, p. 17)
2 Ne 30:6 they shall be a pure and delightsome people
“In
earlier editions of the Book of Mormon this phrase read ‘white and a
delightsome people.’ The manuscript
that the Prophet prepared for the 1840 edition was changed to ‘pure’ rather
than ‘white.’ In the theological sense
the difference is slight, ‘white’ being the symbol of purity (see Alma 5:24;
Mormon 9:6; Revelation 19:8).” (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book
of Mormon, vol. 1, p. 356)
Hugh Nibley
“White
means delightsome if you consider the various meanings of white. Next he says
that the Jews ‘shall also become a delightsome
people.’ Were the Jews black? This is using white and delightsome in the
broadest sense, as against the dark and uncivilized.” (Teachings of the Book
of Mormon, Lecture 22, p. 357-8)
2 Ne 30:7 the Jews which are scattered also shall begin to believe
in Christ
One of the most consistent
signs which is to precede the Lord’s fulfillment of the promises made to the
fathers regarding the restoration of the house of Israel is this sign—that the
Jews shall be persuaded to believe in Christ.
This sign is given in numerous other passages, 2 Ne 9:2, 2 Ne 10:7, and
2 Ne 25:16. As Nephi explains, when this happens, the
Lord will set his hand…to restore his people and proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men
(2 Ne 25:17).
2 Ne 25:16 states, they (the Jews) shall be
persuaded to believe in Christ, the Son of God. One could argue that the
Jews of today have not yet accepted Christ in sufficient numbers to fulfill
this prophecy. Such an interpretation misunderstands the difference between the
way Nephi used the term, “Jews,” and the way that we sometimes use the term,
“Jews.” If we think of the “Jews” as that group of people which recognizes its
heritage, accepts the religion of Judaism, and is returning in vast numbers to
the Holy Land, the scripture doesn’t make sense. That group of people is not
turning to Christ as their Messiah in any great numbers. When the Savior comes
again there will be some of this group which ask, What
are these wounds in thine hands and in thy feet (DC 55:68), signifying
that they have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
However, if we understand the way in which Nephi uses the term,
“Jews,”—to mean anyone of the house of Israel—this prophecy makes a lot more
sense (see 2 Ne 9:1-2). In that sense, all those of Nephite and Lamanite descent
who have accepted the Book of Mormon and the gospel of Jesus Christ have
fulfilled this prophecy. All those who lived in Europe and America, who
unknowingly are of the blood of Israel, and accepted the gospel have fulfilled
this prophecy. The blood of Israel has been scattered all over the earth. Those
who accept the gospel are either adopted into the house of Israel or belong to
it by birthright, even if they did not realize their own lineage. This is what
Nephi was speaking of when he said, And it shall
come to pass that the Jews which are scattered also shall begin to believe in
Christ (2 Ne 30:7).
2
Ne 30:9 with the breath of his lips shall he slay
the wicked
Nephi
again quotes from Isaiah. In the next seven verses, he quotes the words of
Isaiah as taken from Isa 11:4-9. See also 2 Ne 21:4-9.
The
word of the Lord is likened to a two edged sword. When the Lord comes again to
slay the wicked he will do it with the spoken word. He will command the
elements and the angels to destroy the wicked and His word will be obeyed.
Therefore, it is literally the breath of his lips
which will slay the wicked at His Coming. And out of
his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he
shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (Rev 19:15). This harsh judgment
upon the wicked is contrasted to the loving care He will give to the righteous
in that day, with righteousness shall he judge the
poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth.
2
Ne 30:10 the Lord God shall cause a great division
among the people
When
the Lord comes again, he will send his angels throughout the earth to create
this great division among the people. This is the time of the gathering of the
wheat and the tares. It is the hour of reckoning for the ten virgins. It is the
day of the Lord’s indignation, for this was the day
of vengeance which was in my heart (DC 133:51).
‘the harvest is the end of the world; and the
reapers are the angels.
As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so
shall it be in the end of this world.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall
gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be
wailing and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matt 13:39-42)
‘And until that hour there will be foolish
virgins among the wise; and at that hour cometh an entire separation of the
righteous and the wicked; and in that day will I send mine angels to pluck out
the wicked and cast them into unquenchable fire.’ (DC 63:54)
2
Ne 30:12 then shall the wolf dwell with the lamb
William Phelps
“When these days come, every thing will
be in its place. The beasts of the field, and the fowls of the air, instead of
feeding upon flesh, will feed upon the herb and the grain, as was given them in
the beginning. Then man will not shed the blood of his fellow man, nor beast
the blood of its fellow beast, nor fowl the blood of its fellow fowl; but the
Spirit of the Lord will be poured out upon all flesh, the curse be taken from
off the earth, when it will become an inheritance for the poor and the meek,
when their will be peace thereon and good will towards man.” (The Evening
and Morning Star, vol. 2, no. 13, June 1833, p. 102)
Orson F. Whitney
“Prophets have predicted and poets have
sung, all down the ages, of a time to come when the earth would rest; when man
would cease his inhumanity to man, when they would beat their swords into
plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; when nation would not rise
against nation, neither would they learn war any more; when the animal kingdom
would subsist solely upon the vegetable kingdom, when the lion would eat straw
like the ox, the lion and the lamb lie down together and a little child lead
them; when peace would spread her white wings over this planet and grim-visaged
war, smoothing his wrinkled front, should sit at her feet and learn wisdom for
a thousand years.” (Collected discourses 1868-1898, ed. by B.H. Stuy,
vol. 4, Orson F. Whitney, Aug. 12 1894)
Joseph Smith
“In pitching my tent we found three
massasaguas, or prairie rattlesnakes, which the brethren were about to kill,
but I said, ‘Let them alone--don't hurt them! How will the serpent ever lose
his venom, while the servants of God possess the same disposition, and continue
to make war upon it? Men must become harmless, before the brute creation; and
when men lose their vicious dispositions and cease to destroy the animal race,
the lion and the lamb can dwell together, and the suckling child can play with
the serpent in safety.’ The brethren took the serpents carefully on sticks and
carried them across the creek. I exhorted the brethren not to kill a serpent,
bird or an animal of any kind during my journey unless it became necessary in
order to preserve ourselves from hunger.” (History of the Church, vol.
2, pp. 71-2)
Hugh Nibley
“In Paradise, as everybody knows, all
creatures lived together in peace. So too, in Zion when it is restored to the
earth, the lion shall lie down with the lamb. God's other creatures are an
important part of the picture of heaven. A marvelous statement by Joseph
Smith on this subject gives us a flash of insight into an amazing future:
‘John learned that God glorified Himself by saving all that His hands had made,
whether beasts, fowls, fishes or men; and He will glorify Himself with them.’ Brigham
Young said: ‘The millennium consists in this, every heart in the Church and
kingdom of God being united in one. . . . All things else will be as they are
now, we shall eat, drink, and wear clothing. Let the people be holy . . . and
filled with the Spirit of God, and every animal and creeping thing will be
filled with peace; the soil of the earth will bring forth in its strength, and
the fruits thereof will be meat for man.’” (Approaching Zion, p. 13)
2
Ne 30:14 the sucking child shall play on the hole of
the asp
This
verse uses some unfamiliar terms. The words, “asp” and “cockatrice”, mean a
poisonous snake. Nothing could be more terrifying for a parent than to find
their child playing around the den of poisonous serpents. In the Millennium, it
won’t matter for the sting of the serpent is gone. When Satan is bound for 1000
years, his earthly symbol, the serpent, will no longer strike. For they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain
(v. 9).
2
Ne 30:15 the earth shall be full of the knowledge of
the Lord, as the waters cover the sea
During
the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ, missionary work will continue to spread
the gospel. The message will reach to many more than it had prior to the Second
Coming, for every ear shall hear it, and every knee
shall bow, and every tongue shall confess (DC 88:104). The Lord will
also fill the world with knowledge long since hidden:
‘Yea, verily I say unto you, in that day when the Lord shall
come, he shall reveal all things—
Things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew,
things of the earth, by which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof—
Things most precious, things that are above, and things that are
beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven’ (DC
101:32-34).
Not
only will the knowledge of the gospel be spread during the Millennium, but the
number of people with a personal knowledge of their Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, will increase. In other words, those who had exhibited great faith in
their Lord but were not privileged to see His face in mortality will receive
that privilege during the Millennium. Therefore, their faith will be dormant in
that thing (Alma 32:34) for it will be replaced with the knowledge of the Lord (Ether 3:19).
Joseph Fielding Smith
“The gospel will be taught far more
intensely and with greater power during the millennium until all the
inhabitants of the earth shall embrace it. Satan shall be bound so that he
cannot tempt any man. Should any man refuse to repent and accept the gospel
under those conditions then he would be accursed. Through the revelations given
to the prophets we learn that during the reign of Jesus Christ for a thousand
years, eventually all people will embrace the truth. Isaiah prophesied of the
millennium as follows: [Isa 11:6-9 quoted]
“This chapter in Isaiah Moroni quoted
to the Prophet Joseph Smith and said to him it was about to be fulfilled. If
the knowledge of the Lord covers the earth as the waters do the sea, then it
must be universally received. Moreover, the promise of the Lord through
Jeremiah is that it will no longer be necessary for anyone to teach his
neighbor, ‘. . . saying, Know the Lord: for they
shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the
Lord.’ (Answers to Gospel Questions, vol. 1, p. 111)
2
Ne 30:17 There is nothing which is secret save it
shall be revealed
There
are many indiscretions, small and large, which our friends, family, and ward
members never know about. Unless we repent of these little secrets, they will
become common knowledge in the Millenium, for there
is no work of darkness save it shall be made manifest in the light. The
implications of this doctrine are frightening, but other scriptures confirm the
principle.
‘And the rebellious shall be pierced with
much sorrow; for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their
secret acts shall be revealed.’ (DC 1:3)
‘can ye imagine yourselves brought before the
tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a
remembrance of all your guilt, yea, a perfect remembrance of all your
wickedness, yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of
God?’ (Alma 5:18)
Spencer W. Kimball
“My young folks, since the Lord said, ‘Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in
heaven is perfect’ (Matthew 5:48), it would be well if all of us would
take frequent inventory to see if hidden away under the rugs and in the corners
of our lives there might be some vestige of hypocrisy and ugliness or error. Or
could there be hidden under the blankets of personal excuse and rationalization
some small eccentricities and dishonesties? Are there any cobwebs in ceilings
and corners which we think will not be noticed? Are we trying to cover up the
small pettinesses and the small gratifications we secretly allow
ourselves-rationalizing the while that they are insignificant and
inconsequential? Are there areas in our thoughts and actions and attitudes
which we would like to hide from those we respect most? Are we certain that all
of our innermost secrets are kept confidential? The Lord revealed in 1831, ‘The rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow; for
their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts
shall be revealed.’ (D&C 1:3.)
“Would a frequent house cleaning be in
order for all of us?” (BYU Speeches, February 25, 1964, p. 21)
Bishop Robert L. Simpson
“To him who says: ‘I am lucky, I didn't
get caught,’ I say, how unfortunate; for his other foot is already in motion
for the next treacherous step.” (Conference Report, Apr. 1969, p. 86)
Spencer W. Kimball
“If men's secret acts shall be revealed
it is likely that their secret thoughts will also be revealed, for the
iniquities of the rebellious shall be spoken from the housetops.
“The one who harbors evil thoughts
sometimes feels safe in the conviction that these thoughts are unknown to
others and that they, like acts in the dark, are not discernible. The
Revelator, John, seemed to clear this matter when he wrote:
And I saw the dead, small
and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was
opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things
which were written in the books, according to their works. (Rev. 20:12.)
“And in the last days an angel will ‘sound his trump, and reveal the secret acts of men, and
the thoughts and intents of their hearts.’ (D&C 88:109.)
“Accordingly, men's deeds and thoughts
must be recorded in heaven, and recording angels will not fail to make complete
recordings of our thoughts and actions. We pay our tithing and the bishop
records it in his book and gives us a receipt. But even if the entry fails to
get in the ward record, we shall have full credit for the tithes we paid. There
will be no omissions in the heavenly records, and they will all be available at
the day of judgment. President John Taylor emphasized this:
‘Man sleeps the sleep of death, but the
spirit lives where the record of his deeds is kept. Man sleeps for a time in
the grave, and by and by he rises again from the dead and goes to judgment; and
then the secret thoughts of all men are revealed before him with whom we have
to do; we cannot hide them; it would be in vain then for a man to say, ‘I did
not do so and so’; the command would be, unravel and read the record which he
has made of himself and let it testify in relation to these things, and all
could gaze upon it.’” (Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 108-9)
2
Ne 30:18 all things which have been revealed unto
the children of men shall at that day be revealed
This
is the good news about the new openness of the Millenium. Even though all
wickedness will be revealed, all righteousness will also be revealed. This
includes all the prophecies given to men since the days of Adam: the sealed
portion of the Book of Mormon, the interpretation of the facsimiles of Abraham,
revelations concerning the other worlds that Moses, Abraham, and Enoch saw, the
scriptures of the 10 tribes, the things revealed to the prophet Joseph Smith
that were too sacred for a wicked world, etc. We may learn more of the history
of this earth than we ever imagined, and we may even learn who actually killed
John F. Kennedy.
‘Yea, verily I say unto you, in that day
when the Lord shall come, he shall reveal all things—
Things which have passed, and hidden things
which no man knew, things of the earth, by which it was made, and the purpose
and the end thereof—
Things most precious, things that are
above, and things that are beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the
earth, and in heaven’ (DC 101:32-34).