Nephi's Witness of Sacred Books

One of the themes of Nephi’s writings is the importance of holy books.  We see this of course in the beginning of his story as he risked his life to obtain a book—the brass plates—to preserve the commandments of the Lord for their future civilization.  Shortly after that, in the great vision he had of the last days, he beheld sacred books among the Gentiles in America: “I beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them.”  The angel explained to him, “The book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews, which contains the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets;… wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles.”  After learning from the angel about the importance of this book—the Bible—and its destiny in the latter days, Nephi saw more: “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” (1 Nephi 13:20-23,39).  These were likely the sacred books of the Restoration, including the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine and Covenants, and Nephi saw the important role they would play in the latter days to convince the world that the testimony of the Bible is indeed true.  Nephi’s vision of the latter days doesn’t highlight computers or cars or airplanes or cell phones or spacecrafts or any of the other marvels of technology that we have now. Rather, what he saw and explained to us was of far more importance than all of those things: he saw sacred books that would shape the destiny of the world.

               Nephi also spoke other places of the sacred books that would be of great importance in the last days.  He beheld the apostle John and how he would write the book of Revelation: “The Lord God hath ordained the apostle of the Lamb of God that he should write them” (1 Nephi 14:25).  He also highlighted some of the books of the Old Testament to his brothers and to us: “And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning” (1 Nephi 19:23).  He showed he was serious about this by engraving 13 chapters from the book of Isaiah for us.  Then in his final words to us about the last days, in each chapter from 2 Nephi 26-30, he referenced sacred books that would come forth in our time.  Of the Nephite civilization he recorded, “For thus saith the Lord God: They shall write the things which shall be done among them, and they shall be written and sealed up in a book” (2 Nephi 26:17).  That book which was partially sealed, we have today in part in the Book of Mormon: “And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall bring forth unto you the words of a book, and they shall be the words of them which have slumbered” (2 Nephi 27:6).  Nephi commented on its importance in these words: “And the things which shall be written out of the book shall be of great worth unto the children of men, and especially unto our seed, which is a remnant of the house of Israel” (2 Nephi 28:2).  Some day we will also have the sealed portion and Nephi described its power and destiny: “And the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ; and all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the earth” (2 Nephi 27:11).  Nephi also wrote of other sacred books which would come forth: “For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written” (2 Nephi 29:11).  Nephi testified that the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the sealed book from the Nephites, and many other sacred texts would all be of great importance in the last days, so much so that they will play a role even in our own judgment.  Surely we would do well to pay more heed to these sacred texts that the Lord just might open up and reference as we stand before Him in the final day of reckoning for our works on earth.  If we have not paid enough attention here, we just might hear these words “at the bar of God” as Moroni warned us: “Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written?” (Moroni 10:27)