The Book of Mormon Challenge - Enos, Jarom, Omni, Words of Mormon

Here is the chart for the books of Enos, Jarom, Omni, and the Words of Mormon. Each book has one chapter.



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Here are the Excel files with all the details:

Enos Analysis
Jarom Analysis
Omni Analysis
Words of Mormon Analysis

Here are files that have the highlighted PDF chapters:

Enos Highlighted Chapter
Jarom Highlighted Chapter
Omni Highlighted Chapter
Words of Mormon Highlighted Chapter

These books cover many years of history. There are also multiple authors among them. They also feature good testimonies of Christ. They are great!

A Thought from the Book of Jacob

In my analysis post, I see that Jacob chapter 4 merits further investigation. (Again, not that the others don't, but the chart peaks my curiosity.)

Upon further investigation, I notice that Jacob 4 begins with one of my favorite sets of verses in the Book of Mormon. Here they are with comments:

1 Now behold, it came to pass that I, Jacob, having ministered much unto my people in word, (and I cannot write but a little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates) and we know that the things which we write upon plates must remain;

Here we see that it is difficult for Jacob, and probably the other prophets in the Book of Mormon, to engrave their prophesies on plates. Because they knew that the engravings they made would stand for all time, they had to chose their words carefully and probably couldn't erase them if they made a mistake.

2 But whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us, or concerning their fathers—

Jacob and the other prophets knew that using other media at the time to record their prophesies would just disintegrate and become unreadable, so they used what they knew would last. I believe that this verse also reveals who the Book of Mormon was written to. To their children. I also believe that we are included in that category. They wanted us, the peoples of the latter-days to know about them, to have a small degree of knowledge concerning them. Think of all the peoples that have lived on the Americas that we don't know about their names, families, lives, or God's dealings with them. We are blessed to have these records in our hands. So, what was their purpose for all of the hard work, labor, and sacrifice to write down these passages? And how did they feel about it? Let's read on...

3 Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents.

So, when I read this scripture for my personal scripture study one day, it really hit me. How do we receive the product of their words and scrifice? Do we receive them with thankful hearts? Do we look to them to learn about their testimonies of Christ with joy? Do we look on them with sorrow or contempt to read and learn about them? Now this latter question may seem to be extreme, but those were the words Jacob used. He hoped, and probably prayed, that we could have his words and receive them with thankful hearts. So, this is how I feel about daily scripture study. My goal is to always have a good attitude about the commandment and think of the new things that I can learn and opening up the conduit to feel of the Spirit that day. He will come when we do this because we read of truth about Christ and the prophets' testimonies of Him. So, what was their intent?

4 For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us.

They wanted us to know that they knew that Christ would come. Jacob knew that the words of all the prophets before him were about the fact that He would come. They had a hope of His glory. What does that mean? I think that, in part, it means that He would be the Savior and fulfill all the words He, as Jehovah, revealed to them--to live again after death, and to live with Heavenly Father again. That is what they felt. How much of a blessing it is for us to know it. So, have you read your scriptures yet today? : )

The Book of Mormon Challenge - Jacob

Here is the chart for the book of Jacob:



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Here is the Excel file with all the details:

Jacob Analysis

Here is the .zip file with all the highlighted PDF chapters:

Jacob Highlighted Chapters

Jacob is a wonderful book. He has some good practical sermons to the people. But more on that later.

Thoughts on 2nd Nephi Analysis

The first thought that comes to mind how often the Jesus Christ is mentioned in the Isaiah chapters in 2nd Nephi. There seems to be a little slump there compared to the beginning and the end of the book. However, I want to remind you of Jesus's own commandment to the Nephites (and us) about the writings of Isaiah in 3 Nephi 23:1.

"And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah."

This selection in the book of 2nd Nephi is not easy to read at times, but as I skimmed the chapter headings, I found that in 2nd Nephi, Isaiah prophesies a lot about the latter-days, which are our days, and the Millennium. They help us to be righteous and describe the fate of the wicked.

The end of the book of 2nd Nephi (i.e., chapters 25-33) is special, I believe, because of the number of times each member of the Godhead is mentioned, especially in chapters 31-33.

Chapter 31 is where Nephi testifies of the baptism of Christ and the reason He was baptized. He testifies of the need for keeping the commandments and if we do so, we'll obtain eternal life.

I believe chapter 32 is mainly about prayer. How are you doing with your prayers? With prayer we can obtain a knowledge of spiritual (and more) things. We receive our answers through scripture study and the Holy Ghost.

In chapter 33, Nephi testifies that his words are the words of Christ. It reminds me of people that say they've read the Book of Mormon and don't believe it. I'm not sure if they've truly read. I believe Nephi when he says that he (and the other prophets in the Book of Mormon) teach the words of Christ. They are His words.

I love the ending of Nephi's writings, which are also in chapter 33, "For what I seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgement bar; for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen." He says that his words will be brought before us at the judgment and that he must obey the commandments of God. So must we and if we do, we will rejoice when the words are brought before us.

The Book of Mormon Challenge - 2nd Nephi

Here are the results for the analysis of the book of 2nd Nephi:




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Here is the Excel file with all the details:

2 Nephi Analysis

In order to save time on creating individual links to the highlighted PDF chapters for the book of 2nd Nephi, I have used the .zip format to archive each PDF into one file. In order to see the PDFs, just download the file and click on it. Whether on Mac or PC you should be able to just save the files in their own folder. Let me know if there are problems.

2 Nephi Higlighted Chapters

Have a great day!

Thoughts on 1st Nephi Analysis

So, if you look at the chart of the number of times each member of the Godhead is mentioned (as a percentage per verse) you will notice that chapters 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 particularly stand out. They have more times when Nephi mentions Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost along with Jesus Christ. If we recall, the events portrayed in those chapters was a special vision that Nephi had where he saw his father's vision of the Tree of Life along with details of the future with the birth of Christ, the fate of his people, the last days, and every important event leading up to the second coming. (See 1 Nephi 6 for Nephi's description of how special these chapters (and all others) are that are in his book.)

So, by noting these special chapters, do we say that the others, like 1 Nephi 1-9, and 15-22 are not as special because they don't mention the members of the Godhead as much? I submit that they are as special. They might have a different focus or purpose, but I believe that when Mormon compiled the gold plates, he selected the accounts that were special for our day. Both authors of Helaman and Ether (which I believe are Mormon and Moroni, respectively) say that they couldn't include a hundredth part of the proceedings of the people, I believe temporally or spiritually. But they include something, all of it being their most precious accounts. Nephi and Jacob also mention this. I believe it is true for the whole book.

So how do we value it? The Nephites had a 1000-year history, and the Jaredites, even longer. The Book of Mormon is most precious. So, as I post more analyses, we need to keep these things in mind. Those are my thoughts for today. Thanks for reading!

The Book of Mormon Challenge - 1st Nephi

I had finished the Book of Mormon Challenge a while ago, but haven't posted any results or thoughts about it. I did the challenge using PDF versions of each chapter of the Book of Mormon. I highlighted each time the name of the Savior appeared in the text and reflected on His role in that chapter.

Then I thought that a good extension would be to see how much Heavenly Father is mentioned and the Holy Ghost, the two remaining members of the Godhead. I feel that I must be careful in doing this because of the sacred nature of Their names. I hope that through this analysis, I have still maintained that.

First of all, I want to say that I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. In this small way of seeing how He is mentioned and about whom testimonies are given, the Book of Mormon is so powerful. There are only a few chapters where He isn't mentioned, but some chapters mention Him 50-70 times. We will find out how this plays out.

The first book in the Book of Mormon is 1st Nephi. Each chapter has a percentage of verses where each member of the Godhead is mentioned. Notice that Jesus Christ is by far the center figure. This is true in all the chapters of the Book of Mormon.

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Here is the Excel file with all the details of how the above chart was created:

1 Nephi Analysis

1 Nephi highlighted PDFs:

1 Nephi 1
1 Nephi 2
1 Nephi 3
1 Nephi 4
1 Nephi 5
1 Nephi 6
1 Nephi 7
1 Nephi 8
1 Nephi 9
1 Nephi 10
1 Nephi 11
1 Nephi 12
1 Nephi 13
1 Nephi 14
1 Nephi 15
1 Nephi 16
1 Nephi 17
1 Nephi 18
1 Nephi 19
1 Nephi 20
1 Nephi 21
1 Nephi 22

A little break

My family and I are taking on a challenge to read the Book of Mormon and mark every time we come across certain things like Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, or other doctrines. So, to this blog, I will say goodbye for a while. Thanks for reading, friend!

2 Nephi 1:21-22

"21 And now that my soul might have joy in you, and that my heart might leave this world with gladness because of you, that I might not be brought down with grief and sorrow to the grave, arise from the dust, my sons, and be ^amen, and be determined in ^bone mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity;

"22 That ye may not be ^acursed with a sore cursing; and also, that ye may not incur the displeasure of a ^bjust God upon you, unto the destruction, yea, the eternal destruction of both soul and body."

I have heard the middle part of verse 21 quoted a number of times before. However, I didn't remember who said it and why. Lehi continues his discussion about life with his family. He is speaking to his sons, Laman and Lemuel. Lehi is about to die and he is worried about their disobedience. He says that in order that his soul might have joy for them, and that he might pass away with happiness with them, and not sorrow, he tells them to arise from the dust and be men. Arise from being idol with works of righteousness and to take on the challenge to follow the commandments and work hard to implement them in their lives. He challenges them to accomplish this by being of one heart and one mind, united in all things, so that they would not be held captive by the devil because they would be cut off from the presence of the Lord for not following the commandments.

Lehi feels that a sore cursing is imminent. This is not the first time he has mentioned it, I believe. He asks them to do things that would not incur the displeasure of a just God. God must be just with the wicked and the righteous. Lehi does not want his sons to receive the eternal destruction of both soul and body. This is a pretty heavy statement. Later we learn that Lehi blesses Laman and Lemuel's posterity so that the sin of the children and their posterity fall upon Laman and Lemuel (see 2 Nephi 4:6). With this in mind, it seems to be more realistic now and not so heavy.

I wonder if Lehi has felt these things all along or has just realized that this would happen recently, little by little. In any case, it is a testimony to us that we need to always follow the Lord.

2 Nephi 1:19-20

"19 O my sons, that these things might not come upon you, but that ye might be a choice and a ^afavored people of the Lord. But behold, his will be done; for his ^bways are righteousness forever.

"20 And he hath said that: ^aInasmuch as ye shall keep my ^bcommandments ye shall ^cprosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence."

Lehi does not want his sons and their posterity to be cursed and led by the devil for generations. He wishes them to be a choice and favored people of the Lord. These desires mirror what he has thought for many years. He has even dreamed about it. It is a part of Lehi's dream.

We turn for a moment to 1 Nephi 8. Lehi has seen his dream and is about to share it with his family. He begins by saying that he is happy for Nephi and Sam and has reason to believe that they and their posterity will be saved. In verse 4 we read, "4 But behold, ^aLaman and Lemuel, I fear exceedingly because of you..." He does not think this is the case for Laman and Lemuel. Lehi then sees the tree with the precious fruit, walks along the path to it, and partakes of the fruit. He wants to share it with his family. They all come and eat, except Laman and Lemuel. He does not find them at first. In verse 17, we read:

"17 And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel should come and partake of the fruit also; wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them.

"18 And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would ^anot come unto me and partake of the fruit."

Laman and Lemuel are discussed at the end of the chapter. In verses 35-38, we read:

"35 And ^aLaman and Lemuel partook not of the fruit, said my father.

"36 And it came to pass after my father had spoken all the words of his dream or vision, which were many, he said unto us, because of these things which he saw in a vision, he exceedingly feared for Laman and Lemuel; yea, he feared lest they should be cast off from the presence of the Lord.

"37 And he did ^aexhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words, that perhaps the Lord would be merciful to them, and not cast them off; yea, my father did preach unto them.

"38 And after he had preached unto them, and also prophesied unto them of many things, he bade them to keep the commandments of the Lord; and he did cease speaking unto them."

Lehi has spoken with Laman and Lemuel many times like this. Such exhortation and prophesies require and are much labor in the Spirit. If we know someone is not following the commandments, how much do we testify to them and exhort them to follow the commandments?

We know that the fruit of the tree is the gospel and the love of God. Laman and Lemuel did not want to be a part of that. This is what worries Lehi. Their behavior indicates that they are not converted and won't anytime soon. Lehi is about to die and is pleading desperately with them to follow the commandments and be a part of the gospel. Lehi is pulling the last card in his deck. The ace. The clincher. However, it is still up to Laman and Lemuel to follow.

In verse 20 (of 2 Nephi 1), Lehi again quotes the Lord. Inasmuch as you follow the commandments you will prosper. If you do not, you will be cut off from His presence. I wonder if we are like Laman and Lemuel, in that the Lord has to sometimes tell is straight out and several times. We have Stake Conference this week. What messages will we hear?

2 Nephi 1:17-18

" 17 My heart hath been weighed down with sorrow from time to time, for I have feared, lest for the hardness of your hearts the Lord your God should come out in the fulness of his ^awrath upon you, that ye be ^bcut off and destroyed forever;

"18 Or, that a ^acursing should come upon you for the space of ^bmany generations; and ye are visited by sword, and by famine, and are hated, and are led according to the will and captivity of the ^cdevil."

Lehi continues his laments and worries about his two oldest sons. He states that from time to time his heart has been weighed down with sorrow. In the beginning of their journey to the promised land, Lehi preached to Laman and Lemuel. He even named geological features after them to help them to remember to be steadfast (see 1 Nephi 2:10 and on). He was really sad at their behavior on the ship across the ocean so much so that he was brought to bed rest (see 1 Nephi 18:17).

Lehi also noticed that they have been neglecting the commandments for such a long time and they didn't seem about to start. He knew that the judgments of God will come upon the unrepentant whether in this life or the next. Thus, he feared that the Lord would cut them off. Imagine that you had two wayward sons. I think that it would pain me beyond anything I could imagine to watch them be cut off from the presence of the Lord and destroyed. Then, to see their lives be cursed for many generations, visited by sword and famine, hated, and led according to the will and captivity of the devil. Thus, their example being the means whereby many live in this world without the knowledge of the gospel and then sent unprepared to meet their Maker (see Alma 48:23).

So, how does this apply to us? Let us follow the Lord and not be cut off from His influence by following the commandments.

2 Nephi 1:16

"16 And I desire that ye should remember to observe the ^astatutes and the judgments of the Lord; behold, this hath been the anxiety of my soul from the beginning."

Lehi desires for Laman and Lemuel (and others whose actions have been questionable up to this point) that they observe the statutes and judgments of the Lord. A statute is a law decreed by God, or in other words, the commandments. He also wants them to observe the judgments of the Lord. What does that exactly mean? Is it saying the same as observing statutes or commandments? What do you think?

I find it interesting that Lehi states that he has been anxious about the behavior of his sons from the beginning. It seems then that Laman and Lemuel have always been a problem. Or, they started to be a problem when Lehi first told them that they were going to leave Jerusalem. It seems to me that it all depends on when "the beginning" was. However, the important point is that the current direction on the road to the Celestial Kingdom for those two is not in the right direction. Lehi is very worried about this. We shall see more in the upcoming verses.

2 Nephi 1:15

"15 But behold, the Lord hath ^aredeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his ^bglory, and I am encircled about eternally in the ^carms of his ^dlove."

As we continue with our scripture study, we come back into Nephi's record of Lehi's final discussion of the most important gospel topics with his entire family. I am inferring that they are the most important things because if you think about it, what would you say, and to whom would you speak, when you know that you are going to pass on from this life.

It is a blessing for Lehi for him to know, and as such testify, that the Lord has redeemed his soul. He has saved him from the depths of hell. It is a blessing for Lehi to have seen the glory of the Lord. It is possible that he has seen the glory of the Lord on a number of occasions. If we remember back to the first chapter of 1 Nephi, we have an account of a time, most likely the first, when he beheld His glory (1 Nephi 1:5-15):

"5 Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his ^aheart, in behalf of his people [the Jews at Jerusalem].

"6 And it came to pass as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a ^apillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much; and because of the things which he saw and heard he did ^bquake and tremble exceedingly.

"7 And it came to pass that he returned to his own house at Jerusalem; and he cast himself upon his bed, being ^aovercome with the Spirit and the things which he had seen.

"8 And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a ^avision, even that he saw the ^bheavens open, and he thought he ^csaw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God.

"9 And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his ^aluster was above that of the sun at noon-day.

"10 And he also saw ^atwelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament.

"11 And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth; and the first came and ^astood before my father, and gave unto him a ^bbook, and bade him that he should read.

"12 And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the ^aSpirit of the Lord.

"13 And he read, saying: Wo, wo, unto Jerusalem, for I have seen thine ^aabominations! Yea, and many things did my father read concerning ^bJerusalem—that it should be destroyed, and the inhabitants thereof; many should perish by the sword, and many should be ^ccarried away captive into Babylon.

"14 And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy ^apower, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who ^bcome unto thee that they shall perish!

"15 And after this manner was the language of my father in the praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen, yea, which the Lord had shown unto him."

I am particularly touched by the last part of this verse. He is encircled eternally in the arms of His love. I know that we can have an inkling of what that is in this life. There have been many times in which I have been sad, hurt, or frustrated. I have prayed for such love, calmness, and peace and have received it.

2 Nephi 1:13-14

"13 O that ye would awake; awake from a deep ^asleep, yea, even from the sleep of ^bhell, and shake off the awful ^cchains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal ^dgulf of misery and woe.

"14 Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling ^aparent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent ^bgrave, from whence no traveler can ^creturn; a few more ^ddays and I go the ^eway of all the earth."

Lehi calls to his oldest sons, and probably the sons of Ishmael, too, for them to awaken out of their deep sleep of hell. What a great metaphor. I have seen people in my life who are "sleeping." It saddens me so much that they don't realize how they sound when they talk of their ideas or plans. You know in your heart that they are not seeking what they should and are blinded by things they really want, but you realize that they aren't going to work and you feel for them. Later, when what has happened happens and they are sad and in worse shape than they were before, it is like they are in a gulf of misery and woe. There are extreme versions of this which come to pass for the few truly wicked, but I think that this scripture can apply for those righteous who are deceived.

He uses another wonderful metaphor for the reality of being ensnared by the devil. He says that those people are bound by chains. A good cross reference to this is 2 Nephi 26:22, which says:

"22 And there are also secret ^acombinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the ^bdevil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and ^cworks of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever."

If you follow the temptations of the devil, he will first bind you with a flaxen cord, by having you do little things that seem to not be really bad or forbidden, but that are not good, too. You could break free of it when you choose and the bondage is not strong. But, when we "like" it we follow those temptations more and more, thus binding ourselves further until we are bound with strong cords and chains. We are bound by the consequences of our decisions. They may be temporal or spiritual, but most likely both.

Lehi then calls again to them to awake and hear the words of your trembling parent. Who in a few days will die. It reminds me of missionaries that leave their area. They make one more effort to try and convince those they have taught and loved to get baptized or come to church. In a few days they will be gone. Lehi loves his sons very much and has pleaded with them to follow the commandments and prosper.

We must think of ourselves first here. Could it be possible that we are bound and not know it? How does our family feel about our spirituality? It is likely that if they are following the commandments, they can be a good source of advice or perspective. What do our spiritual leaders say? Think about and read from General Conference talks. Are we following their counsel?

2 Nephi 1:11-12

"11 Yea, he will bring ^aother nations unto them, and he will give unto them power, and he will take away from them the lands of their possessions, and he will cause them to be ^bscattered and smitten.

"12 Yea, as one generation passeth to another there shall be ^abloodsheds, and great visitations among them; wherefore, my sons, I would that ye would remember; yea, I would that ye would hearken unto my words."

We continue with Lehi and his prophesies concerning the land of the Americas. In verse 11, he is referring to his descendants and those that choose not to follow the commandments. He says that the Lord will bring other nations to this land and it is from the Lord their power will come. This has happened. Nations from Europe have come to colonize America. The natives were pushed out of their lands and possessions. Remember that this did not just happen in North America, but South America, too. They were scattered and smitten.

In verse 12 we see that Lehi prophesies wars and destruction for the Americas in his time and onward if the people do not repent. An interesting cross-reference given in this verse is Doctrine and Covenants 87:6. Really the entire section talks about the fact that the Civil War would take place. It counsels that the people should stand in holy places and be not moved. This is what we should do always, for more troubled times are still ahead, I believe.

2 Nephi 1:10

"10 But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in ^aunbelief, after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the Lord—having a knowledge of the creation of the earth, and all men, knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite goodness into this precious land of promise—behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true ^bMessiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is ^cjust shall rest upon them."

I believe that Lehi is prophesying through this whole chapter. He continues prophesying about his seed and all those that inherit this land. So, that means us, too. In the beginning of verse 10, the comment that "when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief" struck me. It doesn't say if, it says when. This leads me to the question, did every people that came to the Americas eventually fall into a state of unbelief (in God)? Will every people, including the ones here now, fall into a state of unbelief? Well, we do know that there were many civilizations that have lived here and all of them have suffered the consequences of their unbelief. I believe that will be so in this time, too. We are given the same promises and the same prophesies of destruction are foretold to us, in the last days (from all scriptures), as they are for the groups that have lived here. We also know that the Lord has established His church and work and they won't be destroyed any more, as they had in the past. So, I am led to think that this promise applies to all, but will be fulfilled for those who do not follow the commandments.

So, it seems that serious consequences come for those who have a certain level of knowledge and testimony and then reject the Lord. I believe that relatively only a few of us have such knowledge. However, the saying still goes, if you follow the commandments you'll be blessed. If you don't you won't.

2 Nephi 1:9

"9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a ^apromise, that ^binasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall ^cprosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall ^dkeep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their ^einheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever."

This verse is a very insightful verse. Lehi obtains a promise from the Lord regarding his people and all others who will come to possess the land of the Americas. The promise is this: inasmuch as those who are led out of the land of Jerusalem to the Americas shall keep the commandment, they shall prosper. They shall be kept from all other nations, that being all other peoples in Europe, Africa, and Asia. They shall possess the land by themselves and live off the fruits thereof. The promise is reiterated, if they keep the commandments they shall be blessed in this land and there shall be none to molest them or take away their land. They shall live safely forever.

As we will see, this is a promise of the Lord and was fulfilled to the very letter. When the Nephites were good, they prospered and lived in peace with the Lamanites. When they let pride and disobedience come into their lives, which happened on frequent intervals, the Lamanites were stirred up to war against them. So, I am led to think about when the time came that other nations came over to the Americas, for example Pilgrims from England, had the descendants of Lehi fallen into a state of wickedness so that the promise of having nations come to molest them be fulfilled? I believe so. The indigenous people of the Americas were oppressed and pushed inland, mostly by England on the north and Spain and Portugal on the south. Nephi had foreseen this (see 1 Nephi 13, specifically verse 14). Some wonder why such bad things happened to the people when Columbus and others came to the Americas. Many people nowadays blame him for it. We see from scripture that they had broken their promise with the Lord. It seems, however, that there were good pockets, too. Think of the story of the first Thanksgiving. However, generally speaking we cannot judge what happened to them as many do. The Lord has His ways and purposes. Isaiah 55:8-9 says:

"8 ¶ For my ^athoughts are not ^byour thoughts, neither are your ^cways my ^dways, saith the Lord.

"9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ^aways ^bhigher than your ways, and my ^cthoughts than your thoughts."

Modern prophets have told us that the colonization of America was one of the Lord's stepping stones for the restoration of the gospel. People came to the Americas for religious freedom. They felt that the Church of England did not worship how they were supposed to, according to the scriptures (the New Testament, in particular). Such devotion to the Lord merited the time for the restoration to take place and a marvelous work and wonder wrought (see Isaiah 29:14).

Going back to the posterity of Lehi. The Lord says "Come unto me" 66 times in the scriptures. Those that do, and repent and keep the commandments will find Him, and prosper, no matter of what origin they might be.

2 Nephi 1:8

"8 And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be ^akept as yet from the knowledge of other ^bnations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.

The verse of our post today mentions that in the wisdom of the Lord, He is keeping this land from the knowledge of other nations. Jesus briefly mentions that there are other lands with people who follow Him on them when he was preaching one day. In John 10:14-16 it says:

"14 I am the good ^ashepherd, and ^bknow my ^csheep, and am known of mine.

"15 As the Father knoweth me, even so ^aknow I the Father: and I lay down my ^blife for the sheep.

"16 And ^aother ^bsheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be ^cone fold, and one shepherd."

These sheep He mentions here are of the Americas and probably includes the isles of the sea, too. In 3 Nephi 15:11-24, Jesus explains to the Nephites about the above scripture from John and that the people to whom He spoke it at the time did not understand it. It might be that people who only believe in the Bible interpret it this way, too. Jesus explains:

"11 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he ^asaid unto those twelve whom he had chosen:

"12 Ye are my ^adisciples; and ye are a ^blight unto this people, who are a remnant of the house of ^cJoseph.

"13 And behold, this is the ^aland of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it unto you.

"14 And not at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should ^atell it unto your brethren at Jerusalem.

"15 Neither at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell unto them concerning the ^aother tribes of the house of Israel, whom the Father hath led away out of the land.

"16 This much did the Father ^acommand me, that I should tell unto them:

"17 That other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one ^ashepherd.

"18 And now, because of ^astiffneckedness and ^bunbelief they ^cunderstood not my word; therefore I was commanded to say no more of the ^dFather concerning this thing unto them.

"19 But, verily, I say unto you that the Father hath commanded me, and I tell it unto you, that ye were ^aseparated from among them because of their iniquity; therefore it is because of their iniquity that they know not of you.

"20 And verily, I say unto you again that the other tribes hath the Father separated from them; and it is because of their iniquity that they know not of them.

"21 And verily I say unto you, that ye are they of whom I said: ^aOther sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one ^bshepherd.

"22 And they understood me not, for they supposed it had been the ^aGentiles; for they understood not that the Gentiles should be ^bconverted through their preaching.

"23 And they understood me not that I said they shall hear my voice; and they understood me not that the ^aGentiles should not at any time hear my voice—that I should not manifest myself unto them save it were by the ^bHoly Ghost.

"24 But behold, ye have both heard ^amy voice, and seen me; and ye are my sheep, and ye are numbered among those whom the Father hath ^bgiven me."

And so, because of the Book of Mormon, we can see why Jesus said what He said and no more. The nations of the world would overrun this land. One might say that they have given the land a run for its money even now, but I believe that this land is still holding up. It has truly blessed the world to save this land. Even now it produces many goods for the world's consumption. It is a huge blessing. However, we are not being too careful in some areas. I still feel that the crisis that we are going through is because people are "buying" things that they cannot afford and maxing out their credit cards. When you run up this debt personally and as a country, one day it will catch up to you. Well, I hope that we can continue on no matter what happens.

2 Nephi 1:6-7

"6 Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall ^anone come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.

"7 Wherefore, this ^aland is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of ^bliberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound ^ccursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever."

Verse 6 shows to me that this land of the Americas is truly a promised and protected land of the Lord. This verse states that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord. Who has come to this land? I'm sure that there are many who came to this land that we are not currently aware of. But, there are the Jaredites, Nephites, and Mulekites from the Book of Mormon. There are Olmecs, Incas, Mayans, and Aztecs. Then there were Vikings, British, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and several other European countries. Today there are some from all nations that come to this land. I still believe that the Lord's promise of none coming to this land save by His hand is true. I even thought about myself. I was born here in this land, in the United States, in the latter days. I believe that it was also by the hand of the Lord that I came here, too. I am thankful.

Verse 7 states the promise and the accountability of those that come to this land. Those who are brought here to this land by the hand of the Lord have it consecrated unto them, that is the land was set apart to be a sacred place for them. This is the promise that was given to them that makes it a sacred land. The people that live here shall serve the Lord by keeping His commandments that He has given them. If they do so, they shall have liberty. It shall be a land of liberty or freedom. They shall never be brought down into captivity. If they ever do, it shall be because of iniquity, or because they didn't heed the commandments, and for those people, the land shall be cursed with that captivity which could come in many forms. However, again, for those who are righteous, it shall be blessed forever. I believe that this promise can come to pass personally as well as collectively. The scriptures here point us and motivate us to be more righteous.

2 Nephi 1:3-5

"3 And he also spake unto them concerning the land of promise, which they had obtained—how ^amerciful the Lord had been in ^bwarning us that we should flee out of the land of Jerusalem.

"4 For, behold, said he, I have ^aseen a ^bvision, in which I know that ^cJerusalem is ^ddestroyed; and had we remained in Jerusalem we should also have ^eperished.

"5 But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a ^aland of promise, a land which is ^bchoice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath ^ccovenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath ^dcovenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be ^eled out of other countries by the hand of the Lord."

Nephi tells us more about what his father, Lehi, said to his family. In verse 3, we see that Lehi feels that the Lord was merciful to them because he warned them to leave Jerusalem and come to another land, a promised land for their inheritance, the Americas. I think that we can learn that the Lord is merciful to us and that we need to thank Him for all those mercies that He has granted unto us. They are many. We need to ponder and search for them, because many are not obvious to us. Think about if your children noticed some of the things that you have done for them and thanked you for it, you would be so happy!

In verse 4, Lehi shares with us that the Lord showed him a vision in which Jerusalem was destroyed, and had they remained in Jerusalem, they would have been destroyed. We know that the Babylonians had taken prisoners when they invaded. However, I think that it is important to note that Lehi says that they would have perished. What a mercy the Lord had given them.

He starts out verse 5 by saying that they have had some afflictions. I think that for anyone that has traveled for 8 years in a desert, a year or two on a beach, and perhaps another year or so on the ocean, there are bound to be many afflictions. This type of journey is a life-changing experience and will be a memory they will have to keep for the rest of their lives. But notwithstanding all of that, they now had a promised land. It is a choice land. That is this land is a choice land. The Lord covenanted with Lehi that it would be a land of inheritance for his family. It will be a promised land to him and his children and all those that will be led to it, like the Mulekites (see Omni 1:12 and on), and later on, the Europeans.

I wonder how Lehi felt about his covenant with the Lord and the promised land. I think that it would be similar to how I feel about the covenants that I have made with Him. One such covenant is the covenant made at baptism. When we are baptized we promise to keep the commandments and take upon ourselves the name of Christ. I know of many that have made the covenant and some do keep it, but then some do not. Let's learn our duty and keep the covenants that we have made to be more like Jesus Christ and follow Him.