Every Nation, Kindred, Tongue, and People

The scriptures are replete with references to the fact that the whole world will eventually hear the gospel and know the truth.  John saw “another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6).   Nephi wrote that “all the earth shall see the salvation of the Lord… every nation, kindred, tongue and people shall be blessed” (1 Nephi 19:17).  He also recorded that God will manifest himself to “every nation, kindred, tongue, and people” (2 Nephi 26:13).  King Benjamin taught in his great discourse at the end of his life that “the time shall come when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people” (Mosiah 3:20).  Abinadi testified to the priests of King Noah that “every nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye and shall confess before God that his judgments are just” (Mosiah 16:1).  Alma taught his son Helaman that the plates of brass (the Bible) “should go forth unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people” (Alma 37:4).  And finally in our dispensation, the Savior revealed that “this gospel shall be preached unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (D&C 133:37).  So when will this take place?  Does it mean that literally we have to have missionaries in every nation?  I’m not sure, but given the Internet today, in one sense we literally are in all the nations of the earth, or at least those with access to the Internet.  The Lord is taking His gospel to the world in ways that would never have been foretold, and assuredly these promises in the scriptures will be fulfilled through means that we never would have imagined.