A Book Carried Forth Among the Gentiles

 1 Nephi 13:20 - 29, NC 1 Nephi 3 par. 21

And I beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them. And the angel said unto me, Knowest thou the meaning of the book? And I said, I know not. 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. 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 fullness of the gospel of the Lamb, of whom the twelve apostles bare record; and they bare record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God. Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the gentiles, according to the truth which is in God. 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 the most abominable of 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. 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. 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 most precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God. And after these plain and precious things were taken away, it goeth forth unto all the nations of the gentiles.

The Stick of Joseph in the Hand of Ephraim, 1 Nefi 3 par. 21

And I beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them. And the angel said unto me, Do you know the meaning of the book? And I said, I know not. And he said, Behold, it proceeds out of the mouth of a Y’hudi — and I, Nefi, beheld it. And he said unto me, The book that you behold is a record of the Y’hudim, which contains the covenants of yhwh which he has made unto the house of Isra’el; and it also contains many of the prophecies of the holy prophets. And it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass, except there are not so many. Nevertheless, they contain the covenants of yhwh which he has made unto the house of Isra’el; wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Goyim. And the angel of yhwh said unto me, You have beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Y’hudi. And when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Y’hudi, it contained the fulness of the besorah of the Lamb, of whom the twelve emissaries bore record; and they bore record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of Elohim. Wherefore, these things go forth from the Y’hudim in purity unto the Goyim, according to the truth which is in Elohim. And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve emissaries of the Lamb from the Y’hudim unto the Goyim, you see the formation of that great and abominable church, which is the most abominable of all other churches. For behold, they have taken away from the besorah of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of yhwh have they taken away. And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of yhwh, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men. Wherefore, you see that after the book has gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and most precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of Elohim. And after these plain and precious things were taken away, it goes forth unto all the nations of the Goyim.

I must confess that in the myriad of times I have either read or heard this verse being read that I had envisioned the Bible, an incomplete and error ridden scriptural text, among the early American gentiles and that was the end of the story.   

I considered that all I had to learn from this part of Nephi's vision was that the Bible, through the centuries, had become a corrupted text.

With our little Book of Mormon study group we have come to believe that everything God had the prophets include in the text of the Book of Mormon is included for teaching purposes.

So, I would like to repent and look into what Nephi is sharing here a little deeper.

Was Nephi seeing in the first part of this section of his vision the mission of the early Apostles to the gentiles?

For Nephi to be able to understand the words of his father Lehi concerning the gentiles and the role of repentant gentiles in assisting to restore the House of Israel in the last days wouldn't he necessarily need to witness the time when the Lord changed directions with respect to ministering the gospel from the Jews to the gentile nations?

Didn't that ministry begin with the original twelve bearing record to the gentiles of the fullness of the gospel of the Lamb according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God?

Doesn't this verse clearly show that God planned this change in direction to occur by stating Wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the gentiles, according to the truth which is in God?

Did this event in world history begin to fulfill what the Lord declared to the Nephites when He spoke of other sheep belonging to His fold?

And they understood me not, that I said, They shall hear my voice, and they understood me not that the gentiles should not at that time hear my voice, that I should not manifest myself unto them save it were by the holy ghost... (3 Nephi 15:11 - 16:3, NC 3 Nephi 7 par. 3)

What does it mean that the Lord would not manifest Himself to the Gentiles save it were by the Holy Ghost?

The Lord further told the Nephites that they had both seen Him and heard His voice.

What is going on here?

Didn't the Prophet Joseph, a gentile, both see and heard the Lord?

How is what happened to Joseph different than what happened to the Jews at Jerusalem during the life of the Lord or the Nephites or the other sheep the Lord visited during His ministry following His resurrection?

I have an opinion on the matter but, even if it is correct, I'm sure that it is only part of the answer.

Abinadi described the dual nature of the Lord to King Noah and his priests.

And now Abinadi said unto them, I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men and shall redeem his people. And because he dwelleth in flesh, he shall be called the Son of God; and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son — the Father because he was conceived by the power of God, and the Son because of the flesh, thus becoming the Father and Son (and they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of Heaven and of earth), and thus the flesh becoming subject to the spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God — suffereth temptation and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people. ( Mosiah 15:6 - 9, NC Mosiah 8 par. 6)

Abinadi boldly declared that Christ is both the Father and the Son.

As the Son He dwelt in the flesh; which scripturally I interpret to mean that He condescended to become mortal (in the flesh).

Abinadi declares that the Lord subjected the flesh (His mortal existence?) to the will of His Father.

Would subjecting the flesh to the will of the Father have also entailed performing the atonement?

The Lord declared to Pilate that it was for that cause He came into the world or became mortal. (John 18:33 - 38, NC The Testimony of John 10 par. 7)

By subjecting the flesh (using His mortality?) to complete the atonement Christ becomes the Father as well doesn't He?

As the Son, Christ was mortal and he could be heard and seen by both the righteous and the wicked the pure and the profane the unrepentant and the penitent.

His mission was to the House of Israel and not to the Gentiles so those who both saw and heard him in mortality, the House of Israel, didn't need the power of the Holy Ghost to do so.

Following His role change from Son to Father after completing the atonement and subjecting the flesh to the Father's will Christ was no longer accessible like He was during His mortality.

Now for an individual to see Him and hear His voice in person they would have to apply to the conditions of His doctrine which includes the Father bestowing the Holy Ghost on someone who has exercised faith in Christ by repenting and being baptized as He declared to the Nephites.

The Lord would only manifest Himself to the Gentiles who did not see Him or hear Him in mortality if they received the Holy Ghost.

Even the unrepentant saw Him and heard Him in mortality as the Son.

As the Father, it is only the penitent who qualify to have Him manifest Himself to them.

Is it possible that this is the reason that the angel declared to Nephi concerning the book when it first went forth in purity that, "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"?

When the book first went forth among the gentiles did it contain everything the gentiles needed to know in order to receive the Holy Ghost so that the Lord could manifest Himself to them by the power of the Holy Ghost?

At that point in history was it possible for the gentiles who received these things given in their purity to understand the promises of the Lord to the House of Israel and their place in these promises?

What is entailed in the "fulness of the gospel of the Lamb"?

That is what the gentiles initially received from the mouth of the Jew.

Why would God want the title of the Lamb used here instead of for example the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Why would the Book of Mormon be said to contain a fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ but this other book, in the beginning, contained a fulness of the gospel of the Lamb?

Wouldn't both texts contain the same doctrine?

Is it possible that the title "gospel of the Lamb" is used because it contained eye witness accounts of those who walked with the Lord in this mortal life as the "Lamb"?

I believe that all Nephite prophets saw the Lord's ministry in vision just as Nephi and Lehi did but is it different to have an eyewitness account of someone walking beside the Lord through His mortal life?

The “book of the Lamb of God” is later identified as the record we know as the New Testament. Altered, limited, with plain and precious materials removed, nevertheless called the “book of the Lamb of God.” Acceptance of this New Testament book, notwithstanding its limitations and omissions, is akin to Christ referring to the Temple of Herod as His “Father’s house” despite the fact that it had been profaned.

 

Although Christ called Herod’s Temple His Father’s house, He did not commune with His Father there. Christ visited with angelic ministers on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17: 1-3), in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22: 43), in the wilderness (Matt. 4: 11), and alone while apart from others.  But there is no record of Him entertaining angels while in Herod’s Temple. Though the Temple had been profaned and was unworthy to receive such visitors, Christ still honored the site and referred to it in sacred terms. This is a great key to understanding Christ’s language here.

 

The “book of the Lamb of God” is revered and held in extraordinary esteem, as is evidenced by the terminology used in this revelation to Nephi. Nevertheless the book is corrupted, changed, with many plain and precious things removed.

 

Can the book that has come to the “seed of Nephi’s brethren” be said to be less than a fullness? Can the book be called “the book of the Lamb of God?” If it can be called “the book of the Lamb of God” can it also be said to contain a fullness?

______________________________

[Here’s a modern detour in question-asking: Do you focus on the book’s value and worth by calling it the “book of the Lamb of God” or do you focus on the book’s failings by saying many plain and precious things have been removed?  If you do the one are you “positive” and “hopeful” and “Christ-like?” And if you focus on the other are you “negative” and “judgmental” and “un-Christ-like?” Is Nephi being fair and accurate by including the book’s limitations? Or is he just another crank, tearing down the good works and valuable intent of others?  Should he repent of his negativity? Ought we be offended?

 

These kinds of questions are more a reflection of our own insecurities and foolishness than they are helpful to understanding Christ’s “strange act” unfolding before our disbelieving eyes.  (D&C 101: 93-95.)]

______________________________ (1 Nephi 13:38, Denversnuffer.com, 2 July 2010)

If I am to be truthful I have to state that I had previously viewed the New Testament negatively and judgmentally which I agree reflected my own insecurities and foolishness.

If I consider the restoration don't I need to consider that the book of the Lamb of God, although it did not contain a fulness of the gospel of the Lamb by the time of the prophet Joseph, contained light and truth sufficient to inspire a 14 year old boy to open the heavens?

Shouldn't I also consider that, although incomplete, this scriptural text inspired Martin Luther to begin the reformation?

Shouldn't I consider that this text enlightened the eyes and understandings of the founding fathers of the United States to form a government protective of the principles of agency?

Shouldn't I consider that the words of this text caused the gentiles to be wrought upon, in the first instance, by the Spirit of the Lord to leave their gentile homes to come to this land?

Aren't there many many things that occurred in the history of the world that were beneficial that were brought about by people inspired by the words of the book of the Lamb, however incomplete it had become?

Isn't all of this part of the Lord's plan over two millennia to put in place what He wants in order to fulfill His promises to the original Fathers, from Adam?

Is any of this a demonstration that God through faith can take an individual, even with no more than a tattered remnant of Their word, to a higher plane where They can more fully communicate with that individual?

Does any of this demonstrate how important faith is in receiving knowledge and gifts from heaven?

It has been good for me to look deeper into what Nephi is communicating here.