America, a divine legacy.
Considering that I was a communist for 26 years and I am very proud to be Italian, I can't help but laugh thinking that I am writing this talk regarding USA like a divine legacy from God to the other nations.
Fortunately, everything is fitting well in God's plan so I feel confortable in what I will write.
The Founders fathers of this nation not only they gave their testimony of their feelings regarding this, but further they received a constitution which gave to this nation the possibility to stand out like a guide or leader for all the other nations. When the Book of Mormon was written, or better, translated, in 1830 the English empire was just at its top and nothing foresaw that in just one century the parts between England and America would have been reversed. Yet the Book of Mormon already prophesied this change and explained why this should happen in the last days, like the great prophecy on the civil war this prophecy is another proof that the book of Mormon is so valuable for the last days. Leaving aside, even though it should be considered, the great and unbelievable victory of the war for independence from a new and disorganized country like the colonies were and the powerful and well organized English empire, let's go to analyze the history and the Book of Mormon's prophecies regarding this continent, before to go to analyze the Bible's prophecies too.
The first witnesses that I am going to call to support my case are the founders Fathers of nation leader of this continent.
It is interesting to note that according to the students of History, the founders fathers used the Bible in many instances during the revolutionary war and specially when they were preparing their constitution and it was not by chance that they wanted the phrase:" in God we trust" on their coins.
John Jay's letter to Jededia Morse, February 28 1797, quoted by Norman Cousins, In God we trust, New York: Harper Brothers, 1958, p.362
"I Believe the fact to be, that except (for) the Bible there is not a true history in the world."
"Uninspired commentators have dishonored the law, by ascribing to it, in certain cases, a sense and meaning which it did not authorize, and which our Savior rejected and reproved. The inspired prophets, on the contrary, expressed the most exalted ideas of the law. They declare that the law of the Lord is perfect; that the statutes of the Lord are right; and that the commandment of the Lord is pure; that God would magnify the law and make it honorable."
The founders father were so excited that not only they begun to put Hebrew names on their new cities, but even more they wanted to replace their English language with the Hebrew language. In the book written from Cleon Skousen "the majesty of God's law" pag.23
The foundation of this trend was reflected in the widespread popularity of university courses in the Hebrew language. People wanted to read the Old Testament in the original tongue. Many colleges made Hebrew a required course. There was even a suggestion that Hebrew be adopted as the national language in place of English. As one writer states:
"During the American revolution, a movement was launched to replace English with Hebrew as the official language of the new nation." " In 1776, anything associated with the British monarchy had a bad taste to the American rebels. Hebrew. on the other hand, was held in high regard by the former British colonist, who viewed it as the mother of all languages, the key to the scriptures and the cornerstone of liberal education."
" They named their towns after those cited in the Bible such as Salem and Bethlehem, and their children were named after Biblical figures."
"Until 1817, annual commencement addresses at Harvard were delivered in Hebrew, and at Yale the language (of Hebrew) was required for freshmen. many lower schools also stressed Hebrew."
"Several members of the new congress reportedly urged that English be banned altogheter and replaced by Hebrew. Though the idea never caught on, Hebrew remained a required course at many major American universities well into the 19th century."
Irwing Wallace, et al."Hebrew: National Language of the U.S.", Parade Magazine, New York: Parade Publications, May 30 1982, p. 16
Stephen Birmingham wrote:"
From the beginning....the spirit that guided the American revolution had strong Judaic overtones. The Old Testament had become, in many ways, a revolutionary textbook. For one thing, the Puritans of colonial New England considered themselves the spiritual offspring of Old Testament characters. Like the Jews, they gave their children Old Testament names. It was to the Old Testament that the Puritans turned to find God... "In England, the Puritans had been called "Jewish fellow travelers" and they had compared their flight to America with the Jews' escape from Egypt. They called the Massachusetts Bay Colony "the New Jerusalem". There was a proposal that Hebrew be made the official language of the Colonies (it was on the regular curriculum, along with Latin and Greek, when Harvard was founded, a knowledge of the language being considered part of the equipment of a cultivated man). "John Cotton had suggest that the Mosaic Code be used as the basis for Massachusetts laws. There is a manifestation of the code, meanwhile, in the wording of the American constitution.'
Stephen Birmingham, The Grandees, New York: Harper and Roe 1971 p.146.
It is not by chance, on my opinion, why the America is and it was the best allied, even politically, for the Hebrews. Probably there are more reasons for this but regarding this we will give our opinion later.
.The founders father not only had prayers during the revolutionary war and during the meetings for the constitution, but also they studied all the other former samples of government to adopt the best one, according to their opinion. Their purpose was:"A Constitution, as John Adam said, made only for a moral and religious people..... it is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John R.Howe, The changing Political Thought of John Adams, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press 1966 p.189
Benjamin Franklin said:" Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." Howe The changing Political Though of John Adams op.cit. p 189
Samuel Adams said:" Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt." Smyth The writings of Benjamin Franklin 9:569
Thomas Jefferson declared:"There never was a more pure and sublime system of morality delivered to man than is to be found in the four Evangelists" Bergh, the writings of Thomas Jefferson 14:81
Here I need to quote again from the book of Cleon Skousen "The majesty of God's law"
"One of the highly significant developments that occurred in connection with the American resurrection of individual rights and human freedom was the discovery of a people that linked America back to Moses. These people were the Anglo Saxons.
Looking back, it seems almost providential that people suddenly became highly interested in the Angle-Saxons right at the time the American passion for independence was coming to a boil. And no American found the Angle-Saxons more significant and exciting than Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson not only studied everything he could find out about these people, who were the ancestors of most of the colonist, but he devoted many months to learning how to read the Angle- Saxons language so that he could study their ancient principles of law and government in the original text. It was his intention to graft these principles into the basic charter for the first free people in modern times. As we have mentioned earlier, Professor Gilbert Chinard, one of the distinguished biographers of Jefferson states:" Jefferson's great ambition at that time was to promote a renaissance of Angle- Saxons primitive institutions on the new continent. Thus presented, the American Revolution was nothing but the reclamation of the Angle-Saxons birthright of which the colonist had been deprived "By a long train of abuses" nor does it appear that there was anything in this theory which surprised or shocked his contemporaries; Adams apparently did not disapprove it, and it would be easy to bring in many similar expressions of the same idea in documents of the time. Charles Chinard, Thomas Jefferson, the Apostle of Americanism, Ann Arbor, Mich: university of Michigan Press 1964 pp.86-87.
Now we have to write down just a few of History regarding England.
During the first millennium there were 3 different people in England. The first on were the Celts that were in England and in some other aereas of Europe before of the time of Christ and they were defeated from Julius Caesar around 55 b.c. The Romans were the second pagan culture to occupy "Britain" for about 4 centuries when they had to leave because they had problems from the barbarians coming down from the northern Europe. The third people were the anglo Saxons according to the book "The majesty of God's law" written from Cleon Skousen: p.406
"According to the saga of the Norse King, which were transcribed from the Anglo Saxons oral history in Iceland, this people had originally lived in large numbers around the Black Sea until the first century.C. (This is the general area where the lost Tribes of Israel lived until they disappeared). According to the Anglo-Saxon tradition, they migrated en masse to the north about 65 b.c. which was the time Pompey and his roman legions began to conquer the Black Sea region. Their oral history, songs and traditions say that as a result of this migration they eventually settled in Germany and in Scandinavian countries. Whether or not the details of this history could be thoroughly established from a historical standpoint was not as important to Jefferson as the exciting fact that for centuries these people had been practicing many of the principles of government and law which God had given to Moses.
reference apocrypha to the 10 lost tribes.
After the captivity in Assyria (from about 720 to before 610 b.c.) The ten tribes of Israel tried to escape from Assyria with a strong purpose and desire:"to leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth unto a further country where never man dwelt, that they might they keep their statutes, which they never kept in their own land" 2 Esdras 13:41-42 apocrypha. When they left Assirya at the beginning first moved in a southerly direction, but after crossing the Euphrates river they went northward and later the went through an unknown country called "Arsareth". This is the account found in 2 Esdras 13:40-47
Those are the ten Tribes which were carried away captives out of their own land in the time of Oseas the king who Salmaneser the king of Assyria took captive and crossed them beyond the river; so were they brought into another land. But they took this counsel to themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the heathen, and go forth unto a further country where never man dwelt, that they might they keep their statutes, which they never kept in their own land. And they entered in at the narrow passages of the river Euphrates. For the Most High then showed them signs, and stayed the springs of the flood till they were passed over. For trough the country there was great journey, even of a year and a half, and the same region is called Arsareth. Then dwelt they there until a latter time, and when they come forth again. The Most High shall hold still the spring of the river again that they may go trough; therefore sawest thou the multitude peaceable.
Elder George Reynold wrote about this passage:
They determined to go to a country where man never dwelt, that they might be free from all contaminating influences. That country could only be found in the Nord. Southern Asia was already the seat of a comparatively ancient civilization. Egypt flourished in northern Africa, and southern Europe was rapidly filling with the future rulers of the world. They had, therefore no choice but to turn their faces northward. The first portion of their journey was not however north; according to the account of Esdras, they appear to have at first moved in the direction of their old homes, and it is possible that they originally started with the intention of returning thereto, or probably in order to deceive the Assyrians they started as if to return to canaan, and when they had crossed the Euphrates, and were out of danger from the hosts of the Medes and Persians, then they turned their journeying feet toward the polar star. Esdras states that they entered in at the narrow passages of the river Euphrates, the Lord staying the springs of the flood until they were passed over. The point on the river Euphrates at which they crossed would necessarily be in its upper portion, as lower down would be too far south for their purpose. The upper course of the Euphrates lies among lofty mountains and near the village of Pastash, it plunges trough a gorge formed by precipes more than a thousand feet in height and so narrow that it is bridged at the top; it shortly afterward enters the plains of Mesopotamia. How accurately this portion of the river answers the description of Esdras of the narrows, where the Israelites crossed!"
From the Euphrates the wandering host could take but one course in their journey northward, and that was along the back or eastern shore of the Black Sea. All other roads were impassable to them, as the Caucasian range of mountains with only 2 or 3 passes throughout its whole extent, ran as a lofty barrier from the Black sea to the Caspian Sea. To go east would take them back to Media, and a westward journey would carry them through Asia Minor to the coasts of the Mediterranean. Skirting along the Black Sea, they would pass the Caucasian range, cross the Kuban river, be prevented by the Sea of Azof from turning westward and would soon reach the present home of the Don Cossacks (in Southwestern Russia.).
How did some of the anglo Saxons migrate to England?
Again from the precious book of Cleon Skousen "The majesty of God's law" pag 406 -407
These principles had been introduced into English culture during the fifth century a.d. when the king of Kent saw these huge "Viking" pirates with their long blond hair waving in the wind, and thought they might make excellent ground troops to fight off the Scots and other Celtic tribes that were trying to invade the south of England. He therefore hired 2 brothers, hengist and Horsa, to bring over their followers to fight for him. The Anglo-Saxon proved to be everything the king of Kent had expected of them. They cleared out the invading tribes with an organized fury that was amazing to behold. But then the king had a problem. The Anglo- Saxon wouldn't go home. They liked England. In fact, it wasn't long before the Anglos or Engel had taken over the coastal region of Britain and called it East Anglia. The Saxons, meanwhile, were establishing themselves in Essex (East Saxon land) Sussex (South Saxon land), and Wessex (West Saxon land.)
The aboriginal Celtic tribes who had invited the Anglo-Saxons over in the firsts place were horrified with this development. they fought with all their might but were gradually driven west into Wales and Ireland. According to tradition, the last great battle by the Celts was fought under King Arthur as he valiantly struggled to resist the advancing tide of Anglo-Saxons.
During all of this, the thing which impressed Jefferson the most was the fact that everywhere the Anglo Saxons went, they establish the highest order of government and law the islands of Britain had ever known. Eventually, the Anglo-Saxons were converted to Christianity, and it was then that they discovered in the Bible nearly the same laws and organizational structure which they had inherited from their ancestors.
How the Anglo- Saxons became Christians?
The story is told that Gregory I, while still a young pries and long before he became Pope in 590 a..d., happened to see some youths in the slave market of Rome who had long blond hair and were strikingly handsome. When he learned that they were prisoners from England who were being sold as slaves, he determined to send missionaries to convert these people. "Turner, The History of Anglo-Saxons 1:335-336.
The first missionary was named Augustan and he went directly to King Ethelburt who ruled all of England up to the Humber River. Augustan said he was a messenger from Rome and he had come to tell him how he could have " everlasting joy in heaven." The king was impressed, but the Anglo-Saxons pagan priests were opposed. Nevertheless Augustan was patient and persistent and gradually he gained the confidence of the people and established a foothold of Christian believers who beg to spread their influence everywhere in the country.
As some of the Anglo-Saxons were taught Latin so they could read the Bible, they were amazed to find that their own traditional laws were recorded by Moses in the Biblical books of Exodus, Levitivus, Numbers and so on. The pagan anglo-Saxons had never written these laws down but had memorized them from generation to generation right along with their poems and traditional stories that described their earliest history. It was the Anglo-Saxon King Alfred who later recorded these laws in his native language and said "The Law was first revealed in the Hebrew tongue." Turner "the history of Anglo-Saxons 2:19 and 2:95
Jefferson knew that after the French Normans took England in 1066 a.d. the law of the Anglo Saxons was step by step corrupted by elements of the Roman civil law. So his first goal was to go back to the primitive law of the Anglo-Saxons because practically this was the law of God. Now it is easier to understand why the U.s.a. are tied strongly to the Hebrew people, probably they are related, and surely they had received their constitution like Moses from God Himself.
Who were the first ones to leave Europe for North America?
Surely the people looking for religious freedom :the Pilgrims and the Puritans.
Even before the Constitution was even thought, strong was the feeling for the necessity of a religious freedom in those hearts.The Catholic church had overruled with factiousness but even with temporal power in any way, who could deny its influence in every kingdom? that it was not just spiritual influence but something like the best in politics. they decided wars (crusades). Sometimes Kings had to subdued to them like they were above them. In this way the religious freedom was denied by the baptism of the new born ( the person had no choice) and by the inquisitions that terrified Europe in the middle ages. What was the purpose of the Holy inquisition, just to keep the people straight in the catholic church. At this point I'd like to better analyze the situation in Spain the country that allowed to Christopher Columbus the trip in the new continent. Spain was the first country to send people in the new continent and specially in south America. In the Book the 100 written from Michael H. Hart. pag 357 speaking regarding queen Isabelle I we can read this interesting idea regarding the effects of the catholic culture on the new continent.
"Very early in their reign, Ferdinand and Isabelle instituted the Spanish inquisition. The inquisition was an ecclesiastical tribunal which combined the powers of judge, jury, prosecuting, attorney, and police investigators. It was notorious both for the ferocity of its punishments and for the gross unfairness of its procedures. Suspects had little or no opportunity to refute the charges against them. they were not informed of the full testimony against them, or even of the names of their accusers. Suspects who denied the charges brought against them were often subjected to gruesome tortures until they confessed. At a conservative estimate, at least 2.000 persons were burnt at the stake, during the first twenty years of the Spanish inquisition, and many times that numbers received lesser punishments.
The Spanish Inquisition was headed by the ultra fanatical monk, Tomas de Torquemada, who was the personal confessor of Isabelle. Although the Inquisition had been authorized by the Pope, it actually was under the control of the Spanish monarchs. the Inquisition was used partly to establish religious conformity, and partly to stamp out political opposition to the monarchs. In England, the feudal Lords always retained enough strength to check the power of the king. The Spanish feudal lords also had once been powerful; however, the Spanish monarchs were able to use the inquisition as a weapon against defiant feudal lords, and were thereby able to establish a centralized and absolute monarchy. They also used it to gain greater control over the Spanish clergy.
However, the principal targets of the Inquisition were those persons suspected of religious deviation, and in particular, Jews and Moslems, who had become nominally converted to Catholicism, but who continued to practice their former religions in secret.
At its inceptions, the Inquisition was not directed against professing Jews. However, in 1492, at the insistence of the fanatical Torquemada, Ferdinand and Isabelle signed a decree ordering all Spanish Jews to either convert to Christianity or leave the country within 4 months, leaving their property behind. For the roughly 200,000 Spanish Jews, this order of expulsion was a disaster, and many died before reaching a safe haven. For Spain, the loss of a high proportion of the country's most industrious and skilled tradesmen and artisans proved a severe economic setback.
When Granada had surrendered, the peace treaty provided that the Moslems living in Spain were to be permitted to continue practicing their religion. In fact, however, the Spanish government soon violated this agreement. The Moors therefore rebelled, but were defeated. In 1502, all Moslems living in Spain were forced to choose either conversion to Christianity or exile, the same choice that had been presented to the Jews ten years earlier.
Although Isabelle was a devout catholic, she never permitted her orthodoxy to interfere with her Spanish nationalism. She and Ferdinand struggled hard and successfully to insure that the Catholic church in Spain was controlled by the Spanish monarchy, rather than the Pope. This was one of the reasons why the Protestants Reformation in the sixteenth century never made any headway in Spain.
The last point to make here. In the simplest terms, one might say that the inquisition placed Spain in an intellectual strait jacket. In the centuries following 1492. most of the western Europe underwent an enormous intellectual and scientific flowering. Not so Spain. In a society where the expression of any deviant thoughts placed one in danger of arrest by the Inquisition, it is not surprising that originality was lacking. Other European countries allowed some diversity of opinion. In Spain, the inquisition permitted only a rigidly orthodox Catholicism. By 1700, Spain was an intellectual backwater compared with the rest of Western Europe. Indeed, although it is almost five centuries since ferdinand and Isabelle first established the Spanish Inquisition, and although it is over 140 years since the Inquisition was finally abolished, Spain has still not really recovered from its effects.
Furthermore, Isabella's sponsorship of Columbus's expeditions insured that most of South and Central America became Spanish colonies. This meant that Spanish culture and institutions, including the Inquisition, were established throughout a large portion of the Western hemisphere. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that just as Spain was intellectually backward compared with most of Western Europe, so the Spanish colonies in South America became intellectually less advanced than the English colonies in North America.
So why we have two different situations for the same blessed country?
The reformation's movement was the first step by which God was destroying the straight jacket of the tyranny, religious and political, the second one was something he did in the very beginning to prepare the field for a legacy or heritage to mankind. Third step the revolutionary war to allow to the new nation to start a new covenant by the new constitution. All was prepared step by step and we will see why I wrote that God was planning this from the very beginning. But why the northern part are so blessed and the southern part are always troubling?
Because this continent is blessed just if the people obey the law of God and keep His statutes and commandments, this is why the American constitution is making the difference. This nations was redeemed by the blood and has chosen God to be their own leader and making the constitution they were guided by God because They asked God light and knowledge. In South America the condition were and still are different. Northern America has freedom and economical prosperity. South America had and still it has dictatorship, revolutions, corruption and poverty. Corruption and poverty in some degree sure there are in the northern part too but the range is so wide that the evidence is clear. Like we wrote before Spain brought is culture in the south, I'd like to say Catholicism more than Spain, while in the northern part people were from Protestants reformers. when we will analyze the promises contained in the book of Mormon we will better understand why of this.
When the constitution was written these were the feelings of the founders fathers.
George Washington from the writings of George Washington 29:409
The United states enjoys a scene of prosperity and tranquillity under the new government that could hardly have been hoped for" "Our public credit stand on that high ground which three years ago it would have been considered as a species of madness to have foretold." " No one can rejoice more than I do at every step the people of this great country take to preserve the Union.... the great Governor of the Universe has led us too long and too far on the road to happiness and glory to forsake us in the middle of it."
Benjamin Franklin on the power of the prayer.
" The small progress we have made, after four or five weeks' close attendance and continual reasoning with each other....is , methinks , a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the human understanding. In this situation of this assembly, groping, as it were, in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it to happen, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of Lights to illuminate our understanding? Our prayers, Sir, were heard and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of superintending providence in our favor." From the Real Benjamin Franklin Washington d.c :National center for Constitutional Studies 1987 pp.455-456
Thomas Jefferson.
"I hold the precepts of Jesus, as delivered by Himself, to be the most pure, benevolent, and sublime which have ever been preached to men....if the freedom of religion guaranteed to us by law in theory can ever rise in practice.... truth will prevail over fanaticism, and the genuine doctrines of Jesus ....will prevail again be restored to their original purity. This reformation will advance with the other improvements of the human mind, but too late for me to witness it." From the writing of Thomas Jefferson 15:288
How we can possibly see the hand of God in all of this?
In the beginning, the earth had only one land mass and one sea. It wasn't until the time of Peleg
that the land was divided (see Genesis 10:25). This caused the American continent to be
separated and kept apart from the people who lived in and around the Middle East. Do you think
this was just by chance? I don't think it was. For me this one was another one of the great moves
in God's game against the Devil, and as we study the allegory of the olive tree as found in book of
Jacob we come to understand better why He did this.
As an aside, I feel certain that the apostle Paul knew about this prophetic allegory which was
written by the prophet Zenos, otherwise it would have been impossible for him to quote the same
principle. See for yourself: "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild
olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the
olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root
thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. 0 Well;
because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
For if God spared not the natural branches, [take heed] lest he also spare not thee. Behold
therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee,
goodness, if thou continue in [his] goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also,
if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. For if
thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature
into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural [branches], be graffed
into their own olive tree?" (Romans 11:17-24)
There is no doubt in my mind he was quoting Zenos. There are those who claim that Joseph
Smith merely copied Paul's word's into the book of Jacob when he made up the Book of Mormon,
but anyone who seriously studies both sets of scriptures will easily see that Paul's writing is only
a summation of what Zenos wrote, and not the other way around. Therefore, the Book of
Mormon is the more complete record of the prophecy, while it is the Biblical account which is
the copy of the original, which once more demonstrates that Joseph Smith didn't make up the
Book of Mormon but that he was truly a prophet of God.
Having said that, let's get back to our main subject. What was God's purpose for keeping the two
continents apart?
Going back to our analogy of chess, what makes someone a great player is their ability to foresee
the moves of the other player. Of course God knows the end from the beginning, which makes
Him one of the greatest players of the game. But if He knows the outcome before the game is
even started, what kind of a problem can there be? The answer is: the apostasy!
Through the prophets, the Lord warned us many times there would be a great apostasy. In fact, in
every dispensation there has always been an apostasy, but it was prophesied there would be a
GREAT apostasy that would occur after the fullness of the gospel had been preached to every
nation. This was because of the roaring lion which Peter warned of. Remember we discussed that
even though Satan, as a player in this deadly game, was defeated, still he stubbornly refused to
give up and tried to kill as many people of God as he could.
The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the keystone of salvation, but it is based on accepting Christ as
our personal Savior through baptism and the ordinances of the gospel. It's true that everyone will
be resurrected because of the Atonement, and therefore, everyone will receive some form of
salvation whether they believe in Jesus or not. But to be exalted, which is the grand purpose of
God's plan, means that we not only have to believe in Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer, but we
also have to follow Him and obey His commandments.
But how was Satan going to bring about this great apostasy? In 1 Nephi 13:24-29 we're told, "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 Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear 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 most abominable above all other churches; for behold,
they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious;
and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away. 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 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; and after it goeth forth unto all
the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the
Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest--because of the many plain and
precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding
of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God--because of these
things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do
stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them."
This is how the Devil was able to orchestrate the great apostasy or falling away from God's plan
of exaltation. And, in hindsight, we can see that it was a brilliant move on Satan's part. Then what
could God do to counter this move? Like any good chess player, God already had a plan to
correct this situation long before the Devil carried out his plan. We read in 1 Nephi 13:32-34:
"Neither will the Lord God suffer that the Gentiles shall forever remain in that awful state of
blindness, which thou beholdest they are in, because of the plain and most precious parts of the
gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, whose formation thou
hast seen. Wherefore saith the Lamb of God: I will be merciful unto the Gentiles, unto the
visiting of the remnant of the house of Israel in great judgment. And it came to pass that the angel
of the Lord spake unto me, saying: Behold, saith the Lamb of God, after I have visited the
remnant of the house of Israel--and this remnant of whom I speak is the seed of thy
father--wherefore, after I have visited them in judgment, and smitten them by the hand of the
Gentiles, and after the Gentiles do stumble exceedingly, because of the most plain and precious
parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, which is
the mother of harlots, saith the Lamb--I will be merciful unto the Gentiles in that day, insomuch
that I will bring forth unto them, in mine own power, much of my gospel, which shall be plain
and precious, saith the Lamb."
It's clear that God knew what Satan would do long before Satan knew what he would do. Here is
what the book of Mormon says about this topic in 1 Nephi 13:39-41: "And after it had come forth
unto them I beheld other books, which came forth by the power of the Lamb, from the Gentiles
unto them, unto the convincing of the Gentiles and the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and
also the Jews who were scattered upon all the face of the earth, that the records of the prophets
and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are true. And the angel spake unto me, saying: These last
records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall establish the truth of the first, which are
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which
have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people,
that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all
men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved. And they must come according to the words
which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb; and the words of the Lamb shall be made
known in the records of thy seed, as well as in the records of the twelve apostles of the Lamb;
wherefore they both shall be established in one; for there is one God and one Shepherd over all
the earth."
This prophecy is interesting because it states that those records which will come forth lastly
SHALL ESTABLISH THE TRUTH OF THE FIRST. Of course, there is no doubt that the Bible
is the first record. But why should there be a need to establish the truth of the Bible in the first
place, unless it has lost something during the centuries?
Now we have two records. The first is the Bible, which was corrupted during the apostasy by
false teachers and priests, and the second is the Book of Mormon that came forth uncorrupted in
the last days, the purpose of "which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great
things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord,
that they are not cast off forever-- And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS
is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations."
There are those who feel that the Bible itself has the same purpose, so they question the need for
a second witness. That would be true IF the Bible wasn't corrupted. But there are those who
cannot accept the idea that it was corrupted or that there has been an apostasy, or falling away
from the truth. If that is true, then what about the words of Paul about the purpose of the church
as recorded in Ephesians 4:12-13: "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness
of Christ."
According to the Bible, the purpose of the Christ's church is to bring the saints into a unity of the
faith. But look at the state of the Christian world today. There is no unity among them. Even
among just the Protestant churches there are hundreds of different denominations. Granted, they
all start from the same basic belief in the Bible, Jesus Christ, and the doctrine of salvation by
faith, but after this they are divided on hundreds of other issues.
Can we say with certainty that the church of Christ has achieved its goal? Not even the skeptics
of Mormonism will agree to that. Therefore, it is clear to me that there needs to be something
restored so that the true teachings of Christ can be taught in a way that achieves the unity of the
faith spoken of by Paul. And, in fact, this restoration was prophesied by Peter in Acts 3:20-21:
"And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must
receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his
holy prophets since the world began."
For me the most interesting part of this prophecy is where Peter states "SPOKEN BY THE
MOUTH OF ALL HIS HOLY PROPHETS SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN." This clearly means
that from the beginning, when the world first began, it was foreseen by God and foretold by each
and every prophet of God since then, that there would be a restitution of all things. But if
someone doesn't believe that anything was lost, then how can there be a restoration? So they are
then left in a quandary. If they are right, then all the prophets of God are wrong, in which case,
how can they claim to believe in the words of the Bible? They can't have it both ways.
But how could God counter the Devil's move to corrupt the scriptures? We're told in 2 Nephi 1:8
"And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other
nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an
inheritance."
More than that, the scriptures which these people had would also be subjected to corruption by
the same church that corrupted the Bible.
Therefore, God deliberately kept this land apart from the others for the sake of preserving an
accurate record of His words which could be brought forth at a later time to restore that which
was lost. This was explained in Jacob in 5:13-14: "And these will I place in the nethermost part
of my vineyard, whithersoever I will, it mattereth not unto thee; and I do it that I may preserve
unto myself the natural branches of the tree; and also, that I may lay up fruit thereof against the
season, unto myself; for it grieveth me that I should lose this tree and the fruit thereof. And it
came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard went his way, and hid the natural branches of the tame
olive-tree in the nethermost parts of the vineyard, some in one and some in another, according to
his will and pleasure."
If Joseph Smith made up the Book of Mormon from his own imagination, and still was able to
connect all these scriptures together, he would have to have been the most amazing man in all of
history. I have spent all my life trying to understand everything in the Bible and Book of
Mormon, sacrificing much in the way of time, effort, meditation, and prayer, and at my age I still
couldn't do one tenth of what Joseph Smith accomplished with the Book of Mormon. More than
that, I have the support of a computer and a large library of books on all the related topics while
Joseph Smith had nothing! But if he translated the Book of Mormon through revelation from
God, as he declared, then he is not an remarkable genius. Rather he is merely an inspired prophet
of God.
Now let's go to quote the prophecies contained in the book of Mormon referring more clearly to the American continent. Even I I repeat some of them don't be bored it is necessary to be more clear.
that the land was divided (see Genesis 10:25). This caused the American continent to be
separated and kept apart from the people who lived in and around the Middle East. Do you think
this was just by chance? I don't think it was. For me this one was another one of the great moves
in God's game against the Devil, and as we study the allegory of the olive tree as found in book of
Jacob we come to understand better why He did this.
As an aside, I feel certain that the apostle Paul knew about this prophetic allegory which was
written by the prophet Zenos, otherwise it would have been impossible for him to quote the same
principle. See for yourself: "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild
olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the
olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root
thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. 0 Well;
because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
For if God spared not the natural branches, [take heed] lest he also spare not thee. Behold
therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee,
goodness, if thou continue in [his] goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also,
if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. For if
thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature
into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural [branches], be graffed
into their own olive tree?" (Romans 11:17-24)
There is no doubt in my mind he was quoting Zenos. There are those who claim that Joseph
Smith merely copied Paul's word's into the book of Jacob when he made up the Book of Mormon,
but anyone who seriously studies both sets of scriptures will easily see that Paul's writing is only
a summation of what Zenos wrote, and not the other way around. Therefore, the Book of
Mormon is the more complete record of the prophecy, while it is the Biblical account which is
the copy of the original, which once more demonstrates that Joseph Smith didn't make up the
Book of Mormon but that he was truly a prophet of God.
Having said that, let's get back to our main subject. What was God's purpose for keeping the two
continents apart?
Going back to our analogy of chess, what makes someone a great player is their ability to foresee
the moves of the other player. Of course God knows the end from the beginning, which makes
Him one of the greatest players of the game. But if He knows the outcome before the game is
even started, what kind of a problem can there be? The answer is: the apostasy!
Through the prophets, the Lord warned us many times there would be a great apostasy. In fact, in
every dispensation there has always been an apostasy, but it was prophesied there would be a
GREAT apostasy that would occur after the fullness of the gospel had been preached to every
nation. This was because of the roaring lion which Peter warned of. Remember we discussed that
even though Satan, as a player in this deadly game, was defeated, still he stubbornly refused to
give up and tried to kill as many people of God as he could.
The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the keystone of salvation, but it is based on accepting Christ as
our personal Savior through baptism and the ordinances of the gospel. It's true that everyone will
be resurrected because of the Atonement, and therefore, everyone will receive some form of
salvation whether they believe in Jesus or not. But to be exalted, which is the grand purpose of
God's plan, means that we not only have to believe in Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer, but we
also have to follow Him and obey His commandments.
But how was Satan going to bring about this great apostasy? In 1 Nephi 13:24-29 we're told, "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 Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear 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 most abominable above all other churches; for behold,
they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious;
and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away. 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 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; and after it goeth forth unto all
the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the
Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest--because of the many plain and
precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding
of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God--because of these
things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do
stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them."
This is how the Devil was able to orchestrate the great apostasy or falling away from God's plan
of exaltation. And, in hindsight, we can see that it was a brilliant move on Satan's part. Then what
could God do to counter this move? Like any good chess player, God already had a plan to
correct this situation long before the Devil carried out his plan. We read in 1 Nephi 13:32-34:
"Neither will the Lord God suffer that the Gentiles shall forever remain in that awful state of
blindness, which thou beholdest they are in, because of the plain and most precious parts of the
gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, whose formation thou
hast seen. Wherefore saith the Lamb of God: I will be merciful unto the Gentiles, unto the
visiting of the remnant of the house of Israel in great judgment. And it came to pass that the angel
of the Lord spake unto me, saying: Behold, saith the Lamb of God, after I have visited the
remnant of the house of Israel--and this remnant of whom I speak is the seed of thy
father--wherefore, after I have visited them in judgment, and smitten them by the hand of the
Gentiles, and after the Gentiles do stumble exceedingly, because of the most plain and precious
parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, which is
the mother of harlots, saith the Lamb--I will be merciful unto the Gentiles in that day, insomuch
that I will bring forth unto them, in mine own power, much of my gospel, which shall be plain
and precious, saith the Lamb."
It's clear that God knew what Satan would do long before Satan knew what he would do. Here is
what the book of Mormon says about this topic in 1 Nephi 13:39-41: "And after it had come forth
unto them I beheld other books, which came forth by the power of the Lamb, from the Gentiles
unto them, unto the convincing of the Gentiles and the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and
also the Jews who were scattered upon all the face of the earth, that the records of the prophets
and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are true. And the angel spake unto me, saying: These last
records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall establish the truth of the first, which are
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which
have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people,
that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all
men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved. And they must come according to the words
which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb; and the words of the Lamb shall be made
known in the records of thy seed, as well as in the records of the twelve apostles of the Lamb;
wherefore they both shall be established in one; for there is one God and one Shepherd over all
the earth."
This prophecy is interesting because it states that those records which will come forth lastly
SHALL ESTABLISH THE TRUTH OF THE FIRST. Of course, there is no doubt that the Bible
is the first record. But why should there be a need to establish the truth of the Bible in the first
place, unless it has lost something during the centuries?
Now we have two records. The first is the Bible, which was corrupted during the apostasy by
false teachers and priests, and the second is the Book of Mormon that came forth uncorrupted in
the last days, the purpose of "which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great
things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord,
that they are not cast off forever-- And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS
is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations."
There are those who feel that the Bible itself has the same purpose, so they question the need for
a second witness. That would be true IF the Bible wasn't corrupted. But there are those who
cannot accept the idea that it was corrupted or that there has been an apostasy, or falling away
from the truth. If that is true, then what about the words of Paul about the purpose of the church
as recorded in Ephesians 4:12-13: "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness
of Christ."
According to the Bible, the purpose of the Christ's church is to bring the saints into a unity of the
faith. But look at the state of the Christian world today. There is no unity among them. Even
among just the Protestant churches there are hundreds of different denominations. Granted, they
all start from the same basic belief in the Bible, Jesus Christ, and the doctrine of salvation by
faith, but after this they are divided on hundreds of other issues.
Can we say with certainty that the church of Christ has achieved its goal? Not even the skeptics
of Mormonism will agree to that. Therefore, it is clear to me that there needs to be something
restored so that the true teachings of Christ can be taught in a way that achieves the unity of the
faith spoken of by Paul. And, in fact, this restoration was prophesied by Peter in Acts 3:20-21:
"And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must
receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his
holy prophets since the world began."
For me the most interesting part of this prophecy is where Peter states "SPOKEN BY THE
MOUTH OF ALL HIS HOLY PROPHETS SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN." This clearly means
that from the beginning, when the world first began, it was foreseen by God and foretold by each
and every prophet of God since then, that there would be a restitution of all things. But if
someone doesn't believe that anything was lost, then how can there be a restoration? So they are
then left in a quandary. If they are right, then all the prophets of God are wrong, in which case,
how can they claim to believe in the words of the Bible? They can't have it both ways.
But how could God counter the Devil's move to corrupt the scriptures? We're told in 2 Nephi 1:8
"And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other
nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an
inheritance."
More than that, the scriptures which these people had would also be subjected to corruption by
the same church that corrupted the Bible.
Therefore, God deliberately kept this land apart from the others for the sake of preserving an
accurate record of His words which could be brought forth at a later time to restore that which
was lost. This was explained in Jacob in 5:13-14: "And these will I place in the nethermost part
of my vineyard, whithersoever I will, it mattereth not unto thee; and I do it that I may preserve
unto myself the natural branches of the tree; and also, that I may lay up fruit thereof against the
season, unto myself; for it grieveth me that I should lose this tree and the fruit thereof. And it
came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard went his way, and hid the natural branches of the tame
olive-tree in the nethermost parts of the vineyard, some in one and some in another, according to
his will and pleasure."
If Joseph Smith made up the Book of Mormon from his own imagination, and still was able to
connect all these scriptures together, he would have to have been the most amazing man in all of
history. I have spent all my life trying to understand everything in the Bible and Book of
Mormon, sacrificing much in the way of time, effort, meditation, and prayer, and at my age I still
couldn't do one tenth of what Joseph Smith accomplished with the Book of Mormon. More than
that, I have the support of a computer and a large library of books on all the related topics while
Joseph Smith had nothing! But if he translated the Book of Mormon through revelation from
God, as he declared, then he is not an remarkable genius. Rather he is merely an inspired prophet
of God.
Now let's go to quote the prophecies contained in the book of Mormon referring more clearly to the American continent. Even I I repeat some of them don't be bored it is necessary to be more clear.
1 Nephi 13:12
12 And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.
1 Nephi 13:13
13 And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters.
1 Nephi 13:14
14 And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten.
1 Nephi 13:15
15 And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the land for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain.
1 Nephi 13:16
16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them.
1 Nephi 13:17
17 And I beheld that their mother Gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them.
12 And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.
1 Nephi 13:13
13 And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters.
1 Nephi 13:14
14 And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten.
1 Nephi 13:15
15 And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the land for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain.
1 Nephi 13:16
16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them.
1 Nephi 13:17
17 And I beheld that their mother Gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them.
1 Nephi 13:18
18 And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle.
1 Nephi 13:19
19 And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations.
18 And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle.
1 Nephi 13:19
19 And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations.
1 Nephi 13:30
30 Nevertheless, thou beholdest that the Gentiles who have gone forth out of captivity, and have been lifted up by the power of God above all other nations, upon the face of the land which is choice above all other lands, which is the land that the Lord God hath covenanted with thy father that his seed should have for the land of their inheritance; wherefore, thou seest that the Lord God will not suffer that the Gentiles will utterly destroy the mixture of thy seed, which are among thy brethren.
30 Nevertheless, thou beholdest that the Gentiles who have gone forth out of captivity, and have been lifted up by the power of God above all other nations, upon the face of the land which is choice above all other lands, which is the land that the Lord God hath covenanted with thy father that his seed should have for the land of their inheritance; wherefore, thou seest that the Lord God will not suffer that the Gentiles will utterly destroy the mixture of thy seed, which are among thy brethren.
1 Nephi 22:7
7 And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the house of Israel have been scattered and confounded, that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles, yea, even upon the face of this land; and by them shall our seed be scattered.
7 And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the house of Israel have been scattered and confounded, that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles, yea, even upon the face of this land; and by them shall our seed be scattered.
2 Nephi 1:5
5 But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord.
2 Nephi 1:6
6 Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.
2 Nephi 1:7
7 Wherefore, this land 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 liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.
2 Nephi 1:8
8 And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.
2 Nephi 1:9
9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper 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 keep 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 inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever.
2 Nephi 1:10
10 But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, 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 Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them.
2 Nephi 1:11
11 Yea, he will bring other 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 scattered and smitten.
5 But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord.
2 Nephi 1:6
6 Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.
2 Nephi 1:7
7 Wherefore, this land 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 liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.
2 Nephi 1:8
8 And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.
2 Nephi 1:9
9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper 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 keep 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 inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever.
2 Nephi 1:10
10 But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, 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 Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them.
2 Nephi 1:11
11 Yea, he will bring other 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 scattered and smitten.
2 Nephi 10:20
20 And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off; nevertheless, we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance; but we have been led to a better land, for the Lord has made the sea our path, and we are upon an isle of the sea.
2 Nephi 10:21
21 But great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea; wherefore as it says isles, there must needs be more than this, and they are inhabited also by our brethren.
2 Nephi 10:22
22 For behold, the Lord God has led away from time to time from the house of Israel, according to his will and pleasure. And now behold, the Lord remembereth all them who have been broken off, wherefore he remembereth us also.
20 And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off; nevertheless, we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance; but we have been led to a better land, for the Lord has made the sea our path, and we are upon an isle of the sea.
2 Nephi 10:21
21 But great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea; wherefore as it says isles, there must needs be more than this, and they are inhabited also by our brethren.
2 Nephi 10:22
22 For behold, the Lord God has led away from time to time from the house of Israel, according to his will and pleasure. And now behold, the Lord remembereth all them who have been broken off, wherefore he remembereth us also.
Ether 2:7
7 And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people.
Ether 2:8
8 And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fullness of his wrath should come upon them.
Ether 2:9
9 And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fullness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fullness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.
7 And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people.
Ether 2:8
8 And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fullness of his wrath should come upon them.
Ether 2:9
9 And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fullness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fullness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.
There is no need of comment this book is the best witness for this country, to be a chosen country a blessed country a divine legacy or heritage from God Himself, there is just a problem against the book of Mormon :prejudices!!
So I have no choice I have to call to testify the Bible my key witness: it is reliable, everybody trusts on it,in every court you have to raise your hand on it and swear to tell the truth in God's name, and above all everybody accept it like:"The word of God!"
Genesis 49:22
22 ¶ Joseph [is] a fruitful bough, [even] a fruitful bough by a well; [whose] branches run over the wall:
Genesis 49:23
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot [at him], and hated him:
Genesis 49:24
24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty [God] of Jacob; (from thence [is] the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
Genesis 49:25
25 [Even] by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
Genesis 49:26
26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
22 ¶ Joseph [is] a fruitful bough, [even] a fruitful bough by a well; [whose] branches run over the wall:
Genesis 49:23
23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot [at him], and hated him:
Genesis 49:24
24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty [God] of Jacob; (from thence [is] the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
Genesis 49:25
25 [Even] by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
Genesis 49:26
26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
This land has 2 distinctive caracteritsics a land more blessed of Palestine (thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors) and unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills
Deuteronomy 33:13
13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD [be] his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
Deuteronomy 33:14
14 And for the precious fruits [brought forth] by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,
Deuteronomy 33:15
15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
Deuteronomy 33:16
16 And for the precious things of the earth and fullness thereof, and [for] the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let [the blessing] come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him [that was] separated from his brethren.
Deuteronomy 33:17
17 His glory [is like] the firstling of his bullock, and his horns [are like] the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they [are] the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they [are] the thousands of Manasseh.
13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD [be] his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
Deuteronomy 33:14
14 And for the precious fruits [brought forth] by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,
Deuteronomy 33:15
15 And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills,
Deuteronomy 33:16
16 And for the precious things of the earth and fullness thereof, and [for] the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let [the blessing] come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him [that was] separated from his brethren.
Deuteronomy 33:17
17 His glory [is like] the firstling of his bullock, and his horns [are like] the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they [are] the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they [are] the thousands of Manasseh.
It seems that the scripture is referring to the most rich country and blessed in the world and even better " His glory [is like] the firstling of his bullock, and his horns [are like] the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth" This is what America is doing right now in the world his power is the horn of unicorns.
That this country promised to Joseph and his descendants was not the Palestine is easily proven by the Bible itself.
Joshua 17:14
14 ¶ And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me [but] one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I [am] a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?
14 ¶ And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me [but] one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I [am] a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?
The tribe of Joseph even referring to his blessing didn't see the fulfillemtn in Palestine of this prophecy and this is in the Bible, this is scripture.
Isaiah 18:1
1 ¶ WOE to the land shadowing with wings, which [is] beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:
1 ¶ WOE to the land shadowing with wings, which [is] beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:
Zephaniah 3:10
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, [even] the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, [even] the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.
Micah 4:1
1 ¶ BUT in the last days it shall come to pass, [that] the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
Micah 4:2
2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
1 ¶ BUT in the last days it shall come to pass, [that] the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
Micah 4:2
2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
In the last days, according to this scripture the Temple or House of the Lord will be on the top of the mountains. The only church today having temple is the Church of Jesus Christ lds and its main temple is found in Temple square in salt lake city.
The temple in Utah fulfills this prophecy. (Utah is a Ute Indian word, meaning the "tops of the mountains". Utah was not the name the Mormon church chose for the state, but was given by the US government). As Isaiah foretold, millions from all nations visit it each year, and the prophet speaks from within or near to it. This must be a particularly important prophecy, since the prophet Micah repeated it so we have 2 witnesses.
Isaiah 2:2
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, [that] the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isaiah 2:3
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 2:4
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Isaiah 2:5
5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, [that] the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isaiah 2:3
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 2:4
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Isaiah 2:5
5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
This is why this country is a legacy of God, maybe I was unable to make you understand my point but believe me I am not an American, and even though those things are sacred for the lds people they should be sacred even for all others American, no matter what religion they profess, because this legacy was obtain for everybody and the founders fathers had no religious background, most of them were just Americans and they wanted this country free in all way but specially in religious freedom I love the word the Jefferson wrote:
"I hold the precepts of Jesus, as delivered by Himself, to be the most pure, benevolent, and sublime which have ever been preached to men....if the freedom of religion guaranteed to us by law in theory can ever rise IN PRACTICE.... truth will prevail over fanaticism, and the genuine doctrines of Jesus ....will prevail again be restored to their original purity. This reformation will advance with the other improvements of the human mind, but too late for me to witness it." From the writing of Thomas Jefferson 15:288
America is a chosen land just because the garden of Eden was there at the beginning, the place in which God manifested Himself to Adam.
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