The Book of the Lamb of God

When the angel showed Nephi the vision of the Americas around the time of the Revolutionary War, Nephi observed, “I beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them.”  The angel asked, “Knowest thou the meaning of the book?”  He then explained, “The book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews, which contains the covenants of the Lord; … and it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass” (1 Nephi 13:20-23).  Clearly this is the Bible that was so prominent among the early settlers of America.  The angel later explained, “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” (1 Nephi 13:28).  So here the angel gave the Bible a different name: he called it “The Book of the Lamb of God.”  A few verses later Nephi repeated it: “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” (1 Nephi 13:38).  Why is that an appropriate title?  The phrase “Lamb of God” actually only appears in one chapter in the Bible: “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).  John (the Baptist) used the phrase one more time in describing Jesus a few verses later.  While the exact phrase is not very common, the idea of Jesus as a lamb is seen throughout the Bible.  When Abraham took Isaac for the sacrifice, he said these profound words: “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8).  Indeed God did provide a lamb—the Lamb—as an offering for all the world, and that is the main story of the New Testament.  In Isaiah, the Savior was likewise referred to of as a lamb: “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).  In the New Testament, Peter spoke of “the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19).  And the book of Revelation is full of references to the “Lamb” and His great power.  The righteous will overcome “by the blood of the Lamb” just as we are to triumph through our faith in Him (Revelation 12:11).  Ultimately the Bible is about Jesus, the Lamb that came down from heaven, and how we can trust in Him and receive strength through His sacrifice.  Perhaps if we thought on this angelic title more often we would remember that the Bible is first and foremost a testimony of the Savior.