A Revelation Which Was Sealed

After the brother of Jared’s initial encounter with the Savior on the mount Shelem in which the sixteen stones were made to glow and the prophet received two interpreters, he also received an incredible vision of the past and future. Moroni recorded, “And when the Lord had said these words, he showed unto the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be; and he withheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth…. therefore the Lord could not withhold anything from him, for he knew that the Lord could show him all things.” After this marvelous vision that he received, the brother of Jared was told this: “Write these things and seal them up; and I will show them in mine own due time unto the children of men” (Ether 3:25-27). The brother of Jared wrote the contents of this vision, and they were kept hidden until the visit of the Savior among the Nephites: “And after Christ truly had showed himself unto his people he commanded that they should be made manifest.” As Moroni wandered alone after the destruction of the Nephites, he too was privileged to read this supernal vision from the brother of Jared. For some reason, he was commanded to write a copy on his plates instead of including the brother of Jared’s words directly with the Book of Mormon record: “Behold, I have written upon these plates the very things which the brother of Jared saw; and there never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared. Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he commanded me that I should seal them up” (Ether 4:2,5). This is the origin of the sealed portion of the plates that Joseph was not permitted to translate—they contained Moroni’s transcription of the brother of Jared’s vision of “all things” that were and would be unto the end of the world.

                The Savior told the brother of Jared that in His “own due time” the children of men will receive this record, so when will this be? Clearly it is contingent upon the righteousness of the children of men: “They shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord.” We must be clean before the Lord, and we must also have the same level of faith as the brother of Jared: “And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are” (Ether 4:6-7). Nephi recorded more information about this book and when it would come forth: “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. And behold the book shall be sealed; and in the book shall be a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof.” He confirmed that it would not be given unto the children of men at the same time as the rest of the Book of Mormon because “of the wickedness and abominations of the people.” Nephi gave further details: “For the book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the own due time of the Lord, that they may come forth; for behold, they reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof.” He then gave this promise about its coming forth: “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 27:6-11). That will be an incredible day!

                The fact that the Savior gave this greatest of all revelations to the righteous Nephites after His coming among them is perhaps an indication of when we might receive the same record. If this pattern holds, then we likely won’t receive it either until after His coming among us when wickedness will be taken from the earth. Only those who are righteous will remain for the millennial day, and perhaps that last description from Nephi is a scene from what will happen in the Millennium. This sacred revelation will be read by the power of Christ to all who remain on the earth, even from the house tops. Whether it be then or sooner, we can prepare now in doing what the Lord commanded: repent of our iniquity, become clean before the Lord, and exercise the kind of faith that the brother of Jared did.