A Knowledge of Our Fathers

One of the prophecies of the Book of Mormon is that those of the house of Israel in the latter days, and in particular the seed of Lehi, will come to the knowledge of their fathers and to the Redeemer in the latter days.  Nephi told his brothers, “And at that day shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are the covenant people of the Lord; and then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him; wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved” (1 Nephi 15:4).  He foresaw that his seed millennia later would know both of their ancestry and of the Savior.  The Lord similarly told Joseph of Egypt that in the latter days a seer (Joseph Smith) “shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers.”  In particular, it would be the Book of Mormon and Bible which would bring that knowledge to them: “That which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord” (2 Nephi 3:7,12).  Nephi wrote again towards the end of his life that the remnant of his seed would know concerning their fathers and the Savior: “And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them; wherefore, they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their fathers” (2 Nephi 30:5).  In the latter days the descendants of the Nephite and Lamanite people would know where they came from and would come to know their Savior. 

               The Lord declared in our dispensation that this was indeed one of the major reasons for the Book of Mormon itself.  He revealed that “for this very purpose are these plates preserved, which contain these records—that the promises of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to his people; And that the Lamanites might come to the knowledge of their fathers, and that they might know the promises of the Lord, and that they may believe the gospel and rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ, and be glorified through faith in his name, and that through their repentance they might be saved” (Doctrine and Covenants 3:19-20).  And of course, though these passages specifically speak to those literal descendants of Lehi coming to the knowledge of their fathers, the Book of Mormon was written for all the house of Israel to come to the knowledge of our fathers and to our Savior.  Moroni declared in the title page of the book: “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.”  While coming to a knowledge about our fathers is important, surely the most important interpretation of the phrase is to come to the same knowledge that our fathers had, namely a knowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, and that through Him we can come to salvation.  The Book of Mormon shows us that our fathers, the prophets and peoples of old from Abraham to Jeremiah, from Nephi to Moroni, knew Jesus Christ and came to salvation through His gospel.  Mormon’s invitation in his final words in the Book of Mormon are surely for all of us today: “Know ye that ye must come to the knowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God” (Mormon 7:5).  The exhortation of the Book of Mormon is for all of us to come to the same knowledge as our fathers—“that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent” (Mosiah 3:17).