The Twelve Apostles of the Lamb

One of the messages of Nephi in the Book of Mormon is that the Savior indeed called twelve apostles and gave them power. We see a hint of this in the very first chapter when Lehi had a vision of the Lord. Nephi recorded, “And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day. And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament” (1 Nephi 1:9-10). These twelve were not named specifically as apostles, but it appears that is who they were. In Nephi’s vision shortly thereafter, though, he did learn specifically about the apostles who would be called in the time of the Savior. He recorded, “And I beheld that he went forth ministering unto the people, in power and great glory; and the multitudes were gathered together to hear him; and I beheld that they cast him out from among them. And I also beheld twelve others following him.” He later clarified who those twelve were: “I saw the multitudes of the earth, that they were gathered together to fight against the apostles of the Lamb; for thus were the twelve called by the angel of the Lord.” He saw that many had “gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb” and gave this warning from the angel: “The great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Thus shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (1 Nephi 11:28-29, 34-36). The Book of Mormon testifies boldly that those who fight against the twelve apostles of the Savior will suffer severe consequences.

                As Nephi’s vision continued he learned more about the twelve apostles. Testifying of their power and authority the angel said to him, “Thou rememberest the twelve apostles of the Lamb? Behold they are they who shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel” (1 Nephi 12:9). Nephi also recorded that the “twelve apostles bear record” of “the fulness of the gospel of the Lord.” The words of the Bible would “go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles.” Nephi testified simply, “The records of the prophets and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are true” (1 Nephi 13:24, 26, 39). In other words, the New Testament, given to us largely through the apostles, is true. The Book of Mormon does not replace the Bible; rather, it bears testimony boldly of its truthfulness, and Nephi witnessed that the account of the Savior’s life therein is true. Nephi also wrote about one specific apostle: “And I looked and beheld a man, and he was dressed in a white robe. And the angel said unto me: Behold one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Behold, he shall see and write the remainder of these things; yea, and also many things which have been. And he shall also write concerning the end of the world. Wherefore, the things which he shall write are just and true.” Nephi confirmed who this was, “And I, Nephi, heard and bear record, that the name of the apostle of the Lamb was John, according to the word of the angel” (1 Nephi 14:19-23, 27). Thus we have an explicit endorsement of the words of John, particularly of those in the book of Revelation. One cannot believe the Book of Mormon without believing in the twelve apostles of the Lamb and their witness of the Savior in the New Testament.