Nephi is having a vision of the things that will come to pass in the future, specifically as pertaining to his seed. When we left off last time, his guide, the angel, had just told him that the missing portions of the Lord’s word would be hid up until it is time for them to be revealed.
36. And in them (the hidden books) shall be written my gospel, saith the Lamb, and my rock and my salvation.
37. And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.
A number of things strike me as I read this. First, the gospel is referred to as the Lord’s “rock.” Rocks are sure and solid, often forming foundations. Truly, the gospel is a rock unto us, giving us stability in times of turmoil and giving us the foundation we need to keep us strong in our trials.
As I read about those who seek to bring forth Zion, I was reminded of just how hard it is to stand as a witness for the Lord at times. Bringing forth Zion is not easy, but here, the Lord is reminding us that He will help us in our every endeavor along these lines. He will give us the Holy Ghost to help us, and if we remain true to our tasks, we will be richly blessed and will be beautiful to those we have helped and influenced.
38. And it came to pass that I beheld the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the book of the Lamb of God, which had proceeded forth from the mouth of the Jew, that it came forth from the Gentiles unto the remnant of the seed of my brethren.
Again, this refers to the Holy Bible. We do believe that the Bible is a true book and was written by men of God.
39. 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.
These other books are the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and other scriptures that we have not yet been given. It has been promised to us that additional books of scripture will be provided when the time is right, and when the Ten Tribes return, they will bring their records with them as well.
40. 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.
All of the books will work together to testify of Jesus Christ because they all contain truth. The Bible and the Book of Mormon work hand in hand, as do the other books of scripture. We cannot read just one and think that we have all the knowledge we need. We must study all of them in order to learn all we need to know.
From today’s reading: what books of scripture do you most frequently read? Can you work some of the others into your study schedule as well?
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