The Book of Mormon Curtain Call

In the same podcast I referenced yesterday, Hank Smith highlighted the “curtain call” that Moroni does in the final verses of Moroni 10. Apparently first written about by Grant Hardy, Moroni symbolically brings several of the Book of Mormon prophets back in the final scene by quoting them, similar to how in a play the major characters come back on stage after the final scene to be celebrated. Here are the references that Hank Smith mentioned:

 “The Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust?” (v27) This reminds us of Nephi’s words: “I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from the dust: Farewell until that great day shall come” (2 Nephi 33:13).

·        “And God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true. And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing” (v29-30). Mormon similarly said this: “By faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing;… God will show unto you, with power and great glory at the last day, that they are true” (Moroni 7:25, 35).

·        “And awake, and arise from the dust” (v31). This is a direct quotation of Lehi’s words to his sons: “Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling parent” (2 Nephi 1:14).

·        “O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever” (v31). This is a quotation of Isaiah which the Savior also recited to the Nephites: “Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes” (3 Nephi 22:2). It also appears to be a reference to Isaiah 52:1 which says, “Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.”

·        Moroni invited us, “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him” (v32). This reminds us of the words of Amaleki: “And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption” (Omni 1:26). Both gave us a powerful invitation to come unto the Savior.

·        “And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God” (v34). Enos similarly wrote, “And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer” (Enos 1:27). Jacob also said, “Finally, I bid you farewell, until I shall meet you before the pleasing bar of God” (Jacob 6:13).

Here are some others I would also add:

·        “And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (v19). We remember this because Nephi was the first to say it: “For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world” (1 Nephi 10:18). Nephi also repeated this several other times in his writings.

·        “All these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of the children of men…. If the day cometh that the power and gifts of God shall be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief” (v19, 24). I wonder if here Moroni wasn’t referring to the words of the Savior he recorded in connection with the story of the brother of Jared: “Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief. Come unto me, O ye house of Israel, and it shall be made manifest unto you how great things the Father hath laid up for you, from the foundation of the world; and it hath not come unto you, because of unbelief. Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness….” Here the Savior was making promises about the gifts and knowledge that would come if unbelief was done away. We have to rend our own unbelief so that the “power and gifts of God” can come to us.

·        “And wo unto them who shall do these things away and die, for they die in their sins, and they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God; and I speak it according to the words of Christ; and I lie not” (v26). This sounds like a reference to the words of Jacob who taught, “And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins.

·        The only person that Moroni explicitly quoted was the Savior Himself: “And Christ truly said unto our fathers: If ye have faith ye can do all things which are expedient unto me” (v23). His father had essentially said the same thing: “And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me” (Moroni 7:33). The original quotation is actually not in our text of the Book of Mormon, but presumably this was one of the teachings of the Savior to the Nephites when He ministered to them. 

And so, in his “curtain call,” Moroni masterfully brought in the words of Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, Enos, Amaleki, Isaiah, Mormon, and the Savior to finish the Book of Mormon. Together they all bear a powerful witness of the Savior Jesus Christ and His gospel.