Book of Mormon Central Religious Studies Center

http://bookofmormoncentral.org/ https://rsc.byu.edu/

Nephi's Message to the "Gentiles"

Author(s): S. Michael Wilcox
Source: A Book of Mormon Treasury: Gospel Insights from General Authorities and Religious Educators
Published: Provo, UT; Religious Studies Center, 2003
Page(s): 128-143

The Religious Studies Center is collaborating with Book of Mormon Central

to preserve and extend access to scholarly research on the Book of Mormon.
Items are archived by the permission of the Religious Studies Center.
https://rsc.byu.edu/
 NEPHI'S MESSAGE
TO THE "GENTILES"

S. Michael Wilcox

And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that

Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself
unto all nations. (Book of Mormon, title page)

Chapters 25 through 33 of 2 Nephi contain Nephi's final mes-

sages. They had a profound influence on later Book of Mormon
prophets and have great relevancy today. Nephi addresses his com-
ments to three main groups of people: the Jews, the descendants of
Lehi, and the Gentiles. His commentary can be read as a unified dis-
course that serves as his final testimony; much of it contains an expla-
nation of the Isaiah chapters he has just quoted. There is a logic and
organization that flows from chapter to chapter. In this paper I will
not attempt to deal with the entire message in detail but will isolate
Nephi's teachings to and about the Gentiles in the overall context of
the broader discourse. I will focus primarily on chapters 26 and 27. In
order to do this I will first give a brief chapter-by-chapter summary of
Nephi's major points.

S. Michael Wilcox is an instructor at the Salt Lake University Institute of Religion.

128
 NEPHI'S MESSAGE TO THE "GENTILES"

NEPHI'S ORGANIZATION
Chapter 25. Nephi speaks primarily of the Jews who will eventu-
ally reject the gospel and the Savior and will slip into the darkness of
apostasy. Verses 23 through 30 contain a message to Nephi's own seed
relative to their acceptance of the Savior.
Chapter 26:1—22. Nephi speaks of Lehi's descendants and the
Gentiles. They too will eventually reject the gospel and the Savior and
will go into apostasy.
Chapter26:23—33. Nephi describes the loving nature of Christ and
notes the Savior's invitation to all the world to partake of His goodness.
In essence he asks, "How can you reject a God who is so full of mercy
and goodness and turn His gospel into darkness?"
Chapter 27. Nephi teaches that because the Jews, the Gentiles,
and Lehi's descendants are all in a state of apostasy, and because of
the loving nature of Christ, another opportunity will be given to
them to learn of the Savior and the saving principles of His gospel
through a restoration. The key to that restoration will be the Book of
Mormon. It will testify of the truths lost in the apostasy and provide
a firm witness of Jesus Christ. The majority of this chapter comes
from Isaiah 29.
Chapter 28. Nephi declares that Satan will not be idle. He will use
any weapons at his disposal to negate the Restoration and keep the
world in the darkness of apostasy. These weapons will come primarily
from the philosophies, pride, learning, and lifestyles of mankind.
Chapter 29. Satan will make a specific attack on the Book of
Mormon in an attempt to get people to reject it as well as the gospel of
Christ and the Restoration. That attack is best stated by the phrase, "A
Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more
Bible" (2 Nephi 29:3).
Chapter 30. In spite of all opposition, the light of the Restoration
will spread. The coming of the Jews, the Lamanites, and the Gentiles
to the light of the gospel will cause a great "division" between the righ-
teous and the wicked. In the end Christ will be victorious, and Satan
will have power over men "no more, for a long time" (2 Nephi 30:18).
Again, Isaiah is heavily quoted.

129
 S. M I C H A E L WILCOX

Chapters 31—32. Nephi teaches in simple terms what each individ-

ual must do to be part of the final victory of Christ. Each person must
accept the Savior, repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and then
endure to the end by following the example of Christ, specifically His
example of obedience to the Father.
Chapter 33. Nephi expresses his love for all three groups of people
and pleads with them to believe in Christ. If they have faith in Christ,
they will rejoice in Nephi's words and in the Book of Mormon.
With this overall perspective we can now examine the specifics of
Nephi's message to the Gentiles.

JESUS IS THE CHRIST

Nephi begins his message to the Gentiles by stating:
"It must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is
the Christ, the Eternal God;
"And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in
him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred,
tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders,
among the children of men according to their faith" (2 Nephi
26:12-13; emphasis added).
This is the central message of the sermon. It is also the major pur-
pose of the Book of Mormon. Moroni's statement of intent given in
the title page proclaims that the Book of Mormon is written to con-
vince "the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God,
manifesting himself unto all nations." This so closely parallels Nephi's
words that it cannot be coincidental. Nephi shows in chapter 27 that
God will use the Book of Mormon in the latter days to bear witness of
Christ's divinity to all nations, particularly the Gentile nations.
To be "convinced" that Jesus is the Christ indicates faith in Him,
which is the first principle of the gospel. Nephi stated that Christ mani-
fested Himself to "every nation" in various ways "according to their
faith" (2 Nephi 26:13). What kind of faith is convincing faith, and how
does it apply to the Gentiles?
In the Lectures on Faith, the Prophet Joseph Smith explains "that
three things are necessary in order that any rational and intelligent

130
 NEPHI'S MESSAGE TO THE "GENTILES"

being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation. First, the idea
that he [God] actually exists. Secondly, a correct idea of his character,
perfections, and attributes. Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course
of life which [one] is pursuing is according to his [God's] will." 1

Convincing faith would, by definition, lead one to life and salvation.

THE ETERNAL G O D
For the Gentiles to have convincing faith in Christ, they need to
establish and maintain the above three principles clearly in their minds.
Nephi, however, is not at all convinced that they have sufficient faith
in Christ to lead them to salvation. This is ironic in light of the fact
that the Gentile nations most frequently alluded to in the writings of
Nephi are the Christian nations of Europe and the United States. In
most places throughout Nephi's writings the terms Gentile nations and
Christian nations are interchangeable (see 1 Nephi 13; 14; 22; see also
2 Nephi 30-33).
What then do the Christian or Gentile nations lack, since most of
them already accept Christ in their own way? Nephi's own words
supply the beginnings of an answer. They must be convinced not only
of Christ's messiahship, but that He is (1) the Eternal God, (2) that He
manifests Himself to all (every nation, kindred, tongue, and people)
who believe in Him by the power of the Holy Ghost, and (3) that He
manifests Himself by mighty miracles, signs, and wonders. We are left
to ask if the Gentile Christians accept these basic truths about Christ.
What does Nephi mean by calling Christ the "Eternal God"? The
Book of Mormon witnesses several profound and basic truths about
Christ which have been largely lost by the Christian world. It teaches
that Christ is the Jehovah of the Old Testament; the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob; the Creator of the world. The brother of Jared saw
and understood the divinity and premortal nature of Jesus Christ. For
bearing testimony of Christ as God, Abinadi was burned at the stake.
King Noah told him, "Thou art worthy of death. For thou hast said
that God himself should come down among the children of men"
(Mosiah 17:7-8). Abinadi taught the true doctrine of the Savior to the

131
 S. M I C H A E L WILCOX

wicked priests, explaining why Christ was called both the Father and
the Son:
"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"
(Mosiah 15:2-3).
Amulek taught the truth concerning Christ when challenged by the
lawyer Zeezrom, who had tried to trick him through the doctrine of
the Godhead:
"Now Zeezrom saith again unto him: Is the Son of God the very
Eternal Father?
"And Amulek said unto him: Yea, he is the very Eternal Father of
heaven and of earth, and all things which in them are; he is the begin-
ning and the end, the first and the last" (Alma 11:38-39).
These pronouncements should not be confusing to those who have
a correct understanding of the Godhead. It was not confusing to
Amulek in spite of Zeezrom's attempt at confusing him. Amulek later
speaks of the judgment, when men shall "be arraigned before the bar
of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is
one Eternal God" (Alma 11:44). The Book of Mormon does not teach
that Christ and God the Father are the same being, as the creeds of
Christendom do. This is plainly seen by the Savior's own teachings in
3 Nephi, which stress the importance of Christ as a God in much the
same way that John the Beloved does in John 1. This emphasis on the
eternal nature of Christ's divinity was plainly stated by Nephi, who tes-
tified: "For if there be no Christ there be no God; and if there be no
God we are not, for there could have been no creation. But there is a
God, and he is Christ, and he cometh in the fulness of his own time"
(2 Nephi 11:7).
Elder Bruce R. McConkie pointedly and plainly testified of Christ.
In his testimony we find a full meaning to Book of Mormon truths as
they relate to Christian creeds and Nephi's statement that the Gentiles
must needs be convinced "that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God."

132
 NEPHI'S MESSAGE TO THE "GENTILES"

"Christ-Messiah is God!
"Such is the plain and pure pronouncement of all the prophets of
all the ages. In our desire to avoid the false and absurd conclusions con-
tained in the creeds of Christendom, we are wont to shy away from this
pure and unadorned verity; we go to great lengths to use language that
shows there is both a Father and a Son, that they are separate Persons
and are not somehow mystically intertwined as an essence of spirit that
is everywhere present. Such an approach is perhaps essential in reason-
ing with the Gentiles of sectarianism; it helps to overthrow the fallacies
formulated in their creeds.
"But having so done, if we are to envision our Lord's true status
and glory, we must come back to the pronouncement of pronounce-
ments, the doctrine of doctrines, the message of messages, which is that
Christ is God. And if it were not so, he could not save us." 2

We need to see Christ in his transfigured glory as the Eternal God,

much as Peter, James, and John did on the Mount of Transfiguration.
The timeliness and importance of the Book of Mormon in a world that
more and more humanizes the Savior becomes blatantly apparent.

T O ALL M E N T H R O U G H THE HOLY GHOST

Nephi also knew that the Gentiles needed to be convinced that

Christ "manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the
power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and
people" (2 Nephi 26:13). It is not difficult to understand Nephi's con-
cern in light of the Christian creeds. The Christian world largely rejects
the Book of Mormon because it claims to be another witness for
Christ. "A Bible! A Bible!" the world cries, "We have got a Bible, and
there cannot be any more Bible" (2 Nephi 29:3). The Gentiles have no
true doctrinal explanation for the vast majority of God's children
throughout the world who have not heard the message of salvation
through the atonement of Christ. At best the Christian churches con-
sign them to a purgatorial state; at worst, to hell.
Nephi spoke of "the Holy Ghost." The Christian world today
denies the gifts of the Spirit and the revelatory power of the Holy

133
 S. M I C H A E L WILCOX

Ghost. Moroni spoke of this denial after receiving the plates from his
father:
"And again I speak unto you who deny the revelations of God, and
say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophe-
cies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the inter-
pretation of tongues;
"Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not
the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not
understand them" (Mormon 9:7-8; emphasis added).
When asked by President Martin Van Buren "wherein we differed
in our religion from the other religions of the day[,] Brother Joseph said
we differed in mode of baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the
laying on of hands. We considered that all other considerations were
contained in the gift of the Holy Ghost." 3

With the loss of the priesthood through the Christian apostasy, the
gift of the Holy Ghost was also lost. Hence the Gentiles need to be
convinced that Christ manifests Himself by the testifying power of the
Holy Ghost and the confirming power of the gifts of the Spirit.

M I G H T Y MIRACLES, SIGNS, A N D WONDERS

This leads to the third teaching to the Gentiles. They need to be

convinced that Christ, the Eternal God, works "mighty miracles, signs,
and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith"
(2 Nephi 26:13). Christ-centered faith is the key to these miracles and
wonders. For the most part the Christian world denies miracles, signs,
and wonders, claiming they were done away after the first century A.D.
Nephi saw this future denial and wrote, "And they deny the power of
God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken
unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for
the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his
power unto men" (2 Nephi 28:5).
Moroni taught that the disappearance of "signs" indicates a loss of
faith:
"And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to
be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I

134
 NEPHI'S MESSAGE TO THE "GENTILES"

say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he

ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.
"And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children
of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the
right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust" (Mormon
9:19-20; emphasis added).
Signs, wonders, and miracles will accompany faith, hence Nephi's
concern that the Gentiles be "convinced" that Jesus is the Christ and
that He works "mighty miracles." The Lord's own words proclaim Him
to be a God of miracles: "I will show unto the world that I am the same
yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of
men save it be according to their faith" (2 Nephi 27:23).

THE GENTILE STUMBLING BLOCK

After Nephi details the Gentile overthrow of "the seed of my

brethren," he states that the Gentiles have "stumbled, because of the
greatness of their stumbling block" (2 Nephi 26:15, 20). An explana-
tion of the Gentile stumbling block is given by the angel who instructs
Nephi while he views the dream of his father. The angel says, "Because
of these things [plain and precious truths] 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" (1 Nephi 13:29).
Some of those losses include an understanding of the Godhead,
baptism, the Resurrection of Christ, revelation, the gift of the Holy
Ghost, the sacrament, the priesthood, the Fall, and many other essen-
tial truths pertaining to the salvation of mankind. The angel also
instructs Nephi that the "plain and precious parts of the gospel of the
Lamb . . . have been kept back by that abominable church" (1 Nephi
13:34). The Christian apostasy destroyed faith in Christ to the extent
that the Gentiles need to be reconvinced of His divinity and gospel.
Their stumbling block is the direct result of the Apostasy. Even though
they are "Christian" nations, in Nephi's mind they do not have con-
vincing faith in Christ. As Christ Himself stated to Joseph Smith,
"They teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form
of godliness, but they deny the power thereof" (JS-H 1:19). This idea

135
 S. M I C H A E L WILCOX

was spoken to Isaiah centuries before (see Isaiah 29:13) and recorded
by Nephi in 2 Nephi 27:25. Both Isaiah and Nephi clearly understood
the Gentile stumbling block.
The plain and precious truths removed by the Christian or Gentile
apostasy dealt in part with Joseph Smiths three pillars of faith: the idea
that God exists, a correct understanding of His attributes, and a knowl-
edge of the course necessary to pursue in order to please Him. These
truths were in large measure lost with the formation of the great and
abominable church. Apostasy always strikes at the foundations of faith,
seeking to replace revelation and testimony with emotional zeal, intel-
lectual bargaining, and state religion. A brief summary of conditions in
the Christian nations and churches of today will suffice to prove our
point.
Nephi prophesied of the conditions the Gentile apostasy would
bring. "They have built up many churches"; they are "lifted up in the
pride of their eyes"; "they put down the power and miracles of God";
they seek "gain and grind upon the face of the poor" (2 Nephi 26:20).
They "cause envyings, and strifes, and malice" (2 Nephi 26:21). "There
are also secret combinations . . . and works of darkness" (2 Nephi
26:22). It is not difficult to verify Nephi's words in modern society. All
these things are the results of apostasy and the loss of convincing faith.
Speaking of the conditions that existed among the Christian, Gentile
nations during World War I, Joseph F. Smith said, "Would it be pos-
sible, could it be possible, for this condition to exist if the people of the
world possessed really the true knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ?^

THE PRECEPTS A N D LEARNING OF MEN

Nephi gives a clear and repeated testimony as to the primary cause
of human, particularly Gentile, apostasy. They "preach up unto them-
selves their own wisdom and their own learning (2 Nephi 26:20; empha-
sis added). They are full of priestcrafts that stand in opposition to and
replace the priesthood of God. Nephi defines them as follows:
"Priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the
world, that they may get gain and praise" (2 Nephi 26:29; emphasis
added). Nephi then teaches that the apostate Christians of the Gentile

136
 NEPHI'S MESSAGE TO THE "GENTILES"

world proclaim that God "hath given his power unto men;... [therefore]
hearken ye unto my precept" (2 Nephi 28:5; emphasis added). He warns
that even the "humble followers of Christ... err because they are taught
by the precepts of men" (2 Nephi 28:14; emphasis added). The words of
the Savior to Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove concerning the teach-
ings of the various Christian churches echo these ideas (see JS-H 1:19).
The doctrines of men do not have the "power" to build convincing
faith; therefore, they cannot bring salvation.
The learning, pride, and precepts of men standing in opposition to
the revelations of God cause apostasy. There is an immense difference
between inquiring after religion with "all the powers of both reason and
sophistry" (JS-H 1:9) and humbly calling upon our Father in Heaven
for light and truth as did Joseph. Men in a state of apostasy set them-
selves up for a light unto the world instead of holding up the Savior's
light. "Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up," Christ taught the
Nephites (3 Nephi 18:24).
The Book of Mormon bears multiple witnesses that this aspect of
Gentile society is the principle cause of apostasy. In the allegory of the
olive tree, Zenos explains apostasy with the following words:
"Who is it that has corrupted my vineyard?
"And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: Is it not
the loftiness of thy vineyard—have not the branches thereof overcome the
roots which are good? And because the branches have overcome the
roots thereof, behold they grew faster than the strength of the roots,
taking strength unto themselves. Behold, I say, is not this the cause that
the trees of thy vineyard have become corrupted?" (Jacob 5:47-48;
emphasis added).
Ironically, the stumbling block of the Gentiles is their own learning.
This learning replaces the plain and precious truths, causing them to
stumble.

THE ATTRIBUTES OF CHRIST

To offset the "doctrine of Christ" taught by the precepts of men,
Nephi gives a beautiful description of the Savior. A correct under-
standing of His "perfections" will do much to "convince" the Gentiles

137
 S. M I C H A E L WILCOX

that Jesus is the Christ and that they must build a saving faith. Christ
describes the Gentiles in the following words: "The Gentiles . . . shall
be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all
the people of the whole earth" (3 Nephi 16:10). In opposition to the
pride of the Gentile world, Nephi, echoing the words of Isaiah,
describes the humble invitation of Christ.
"He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for
he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may
draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they
shall not partake of his salvation.
"Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I
say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth,
buy milk and honey, without money and without price.
"Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of
the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto
you, Nay.
"Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his sal-
vation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all
men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all
men to repentance.
"Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not par-
take of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privi-
leged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden" (2 Nephi
26:24-28).
With this true picture of Christ, convincing faith can be renewed.
It is also Nephi's invitation to the Gentiles to return to the simple
purity of Christ's doctrines and love. An attitude of condemnation,
exclusion, superiority, or exploitation is antithetical to the true
Christian spirit. The Christian Gentile world has largely forgotten
Christ's teaching, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35).

DRUNKEN IN INIQUITY
Nephi begins chapter 27 with a general statement of the iniquity
that will exist "in the last days, or in the days of the Gentiles, . . . all

138
 NEPHI'S MESSAGE TO THE "GENTILES"

the lands of the earth . . . will be drunken with iniquity and all manner
of abominations" (2 Nephi 27:1). According to the Revelation of John,
"The inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of
her [the great and abominable church's] fornication" (Revelation 17:2).
It is apparent that this iniquity results in large measure from the
Apostasy. This is plainly taught to Nephi during his vision as recorded
in 1 Nephi 14 and by the Prophet Joseph Smith, who records that
"grief, sorrow, and care . . . [brought on by] murder, tyranny, and
oppression [are] supported and urged on and upheld by the influence
of that spirit which hath so strongly riveted the creeds of the fathers,
who have inherited lies, upon the hearts of the children, and filled the
world with confusion." The Prophet also warns that the confusion and
oppression of apostasy are "growing stronger" and are "the very main-
spring of all corruption, and the whole earth groans under the weight
of its iniquity" (D&C 123:7). Then, in language reminiscent of the
angel's words in 1 Nephi 13:5, describing "the formation of a [great]
church" of apostasy, Joseph Smith concludes, "It is an iron yoke, it is a
strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and
fetters of hell" (D&C 123:8).

"THE FULNESS OF T H E EVERLASTING GOSPEL"

Nephi sees, however, that in spite of a world drunken in iniquity,

the love of God will be manifested. The Gentiles and all the world will
be given the knowledge necessary to have convincing faith in Christ.
In essence the world is given another opportunity to accept the gospel
in its fulness. A restoration is promised. That restoration hinges on a
book that contains "the fulness of the everlasting Gospel" QS-H 1:34).
Its pages restore the true knowledge of God—His attributes, charac-
teristics, perfections—and teach men the course they must walk in
order to know their lives are in accordance with His will. True con-
vincing and saving faith in Christ is the book's purpose and its central
theme. For this purpose the Book of Mormon will always be the main
pillar upon which the Latter-day Saints build their testimonies of
Christ.
In chapter 27, Nephi describes the Book of Mormon in detail:

139
 S. M I C H A E L WILCOX

"The Lord God shall bring forth unto you the words of a book, and
they shall be the words of them which have slumbered" (2 Nephi 27:6).
He explains in words of plainness the coming forth of the Book of
Mormon. He mentions the "three witnesses" and "a few" others
(2 Nephi 27:12-13), which we identify as the eight witnesses. He gives
special instructions to the Prophet Joseph Smith regarding the final
sealing up of the book again that the Lord "may preserve [its] words"
(2 Nephi 27:22).

THE LEARNED A N D THE UNLEARNED

By far the major thrust of chapter 27 deals with the conflict
between the "learned" and the "unlearned," between the blind and
those who see. This is a continuation of the same theme described by
Nephi in chapter 26. Nephi records that the book is "sealed." There are
several interpretations that can be gleaned from this word. Certainly in
a historical or literal context, the plates were sealed and Joseph Smith,
Martin Harris, and Professor Charles Anthon fulfilled the prophetic
dialogue between the learned and the unlearned. Parts of the Book of
Mormon plates were also literally sealed and translation was not given.
Taken in a larger symbolic context, the learned represent the "world
and the wisdom thereof" (1 Nephi 11:35). To the learned, proud,
worldly-wise Gentile society, the depth, spirit, truth, and edifying
power of the Book of Mormon are "sealed." The book will always be
sealed to the proud. "I cannot read it," the learned declare (2 Nephi
27:18). Those words have been proven true by generations of critics
who claim to see the gnat-like flaws in the Book of Mormon and can-
not see the camel-like truths when they are written "as plain as word
can be" (2 Nephi 32:7). The Book of Mormon remains "sealed" to the
stiffnecked, "for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great
knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness" (2 Nephi 32:7).
Nephi testifies that these learned people "cast many things away which
are written and esteem them as things of naught" (2 Nephi 33:2).
"Behold, ye have closed your eyes," he warns (2 Nephi 27:5). Because
of this self-inflicted blindness, many of the Gentiles continue to

140
 NEPHI'S MESSAGE TO THE "GENTILES"

"stumble," rejecting the Book of Mormon and thus failing to see the
truths necessary to obtain "convincing" faith in Christ unto salvation.
Nephi speaks of the overt opposition that the learned will mount
against the Book of Mormon and warns that "all that watch for iniq-
uity are cut off; and they that make a man an offender for a word, and
lay a snare for him . . . and turn aside the just for a thing of naught"
(2 Nephi 27:31-32; emphasis added). The Book of Mormon and
Joseph Smith have suffered this type of attack since 1830. How many
critics have tried to "disprove" the Book of Mormon because of a single
word or phrase? How many have searched it meticulously for flaws and
contradictions? How many have rejected its goodness, judging it to be
worth nothing?
In spite of the attacks, however, the Book of Mormon and Joseph
Smith will continue to be accepted by the meek and unlearned.
Humble searchers for truth will learn greater truths than the worldly
wise. They will "read a sealed book."
A great restoration of truth accompanies the Book of Mormon,
even "a marvelous work and a wonder" (2 Nephi 27:26). Nephi teaches
that the truths which proceed from the unlearned will cause "the wis-
dom of their wise and learned [to] perish" (2 Nephi 27:26). Those who
"fight against Zion and . . . distress her" are compared to "a hungry
man which dreameth, and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his
soul is empty" (2 Nephi 27:3). As Elder McConkie so graphically
stated, "What does it matter if a few barking dogs snap at the heels of
the weary travelers? Or that predators claim those few who fall by the
way? The caravan moves on." 5

To the unlearned and humble who are maimed (made spiritually

"deaf" and "blind") by the apostasy, Nephi gives a message of hope: "In
that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the
blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. . . . They also that
erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured
shall learn doctrine" (2 Nephi 27:29, 35). The stumbling block of apos-
tasy is removed for the Gentiles who are given eyes to see and ears to
hear by the Book of Mormon. It restores true sight, and with that

141
 S. M I C H A E L W I L C O X

vision, convincing faith in Christ is once again on the earth and men
are prepared for salvation.

THE FINAL VICTORY

Nephi presents a more detailed picture of Satan's opposition in

2 Nephi 28 and 29. Chapter 29, especially, speaks of a direct attack
against the Book of Mormon as a second witness of Christ. The
"learned" Gentiles say to God, "Enough! We have your words and will
not accept any more" (see 2 Nephi 29:3).
So that all men will know the final outcome of the conflict between
Satan and Christ, between the learned and the unlearned, between
apostasy and restoration, Nephi wrote chapter 30. In it he announces
that members of the Jews, the Lamanites, and the Gentiles (the three
major groups spoken of throughout his farewell), will accept the Book
of Mormon, come to Christ, lose their "scales of darkness," and be con-
vinced (2 Nephi 30:6). Nephi clearly states that the Book of Mormon
will be the key to this conversion: "And now, I would prophesy some-
what more concerning the Jews and the Gentiles. For after the book of
which I have spoken shall come forth, and be written unto the
Gentiles, and sealed up again unto the Lord, there shall be many which
shall believe the words which are written" (2 Nephi 30:3). The success
of the restoration begins with the Gentiles, who carry the Book of
Mormon to Lehi's descendants and the Jews, that they might "be
restored unto . . . the knowledge of Jesus Christ" (2 Nephi 30:5). The
last are first and the first last.
The Restoration results in "a great division" (2 Nephi 30:10), and
leads to a final separation at the Millennium when the wicked are
destroyed, and, as Nephi teaches, "Satan shall have power over the
hearts of the children of men no more, for a long time" (2 Nephi
30:18).
Although chapters 31 through 33 are discussed in other papers, it is
good to mention one thing about the last three chapters in the context
of the message to the Gentiles. Those chapters contain "the doctrine of
Christ" (2 Nephi 31:21). As if to validate his own words and restore a
plain and precious truth, Nephi gives a pure and simple explanation of

142
 NEPHI'S MESSAGE TO THE "GENTILES"

the truths of the plan of salvation and the atonement of Christ. He

shows his Gentile readers "the way" to be "saved in the kingdom of
God" (2 Nephi 31:21). Since Christ is "the way," it is not surprising to
find Nephi exhorting all mankind to "endure to the end, in following
the example of the Son of the living God" (2 Nephi 31:16). Only in
this way can the Gentiles be "convinced" that Jesus is the Christ and
find salvation through His name.

THE FINAL TESTIMONY

The Book of Mormon must always be at the center of our attempt
to convince the Gentiles, Lamanites, or Jews of the divinity of Jesus
Christ and the truths of His gospel. To try any other way is bound to
end in frustration. Nephi concludes his words with a very powerful tes-
timony of the Book of Mormon and Christ. That testimony links them
together with an inseparable unity. "And now, my beloved brethren,
and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and
believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ.
And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they
are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they
teach all men that they should do good" (2 Nephi 33:10).

NOTES
1. Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), 38.
2. Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah: The First Coming of Christ
(Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1978), 98.
3. Joseph Smith, The History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
ed. B. H. Roberts, 2d ed., rev. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1976), 4:42.
4. Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1949),
416; emphasis added.
5. Bruce R. McConkie, "The Caravan Moves On," Ensign, November 1984,
85; emphasis added.

143