Manifesting Himself Unto All Nations

In the Title Page of the Book of Mormon, Moroni wrote that one of the book’s purposes was this: “And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.” The word manifest, according to the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary, means to be “Plain, open, clearly visible to the eye or obvious to the understanding; apparent.” The Savior of course made Himself manifest to the Nephites in person when He visited them as a resurrected Being: “Soon after the ascension of Christ into heaven he did truly manifest himself unto them” (3 Nephi 10:18). But that it not how He manifests Himself generally to all the nations, and there seem to be two main ways that the Savior manifests Himself unto us as described in the Book of Mormon. One is precisely through the Book of Mormon and words of the scriptures. Moroni said this when speaking of the promised land: “Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written” (Ether 2:12). The Savior is manifest to us—His mission and character and power become clear to us—by that which is written, namely the testimony of the prophets and the Savior Himself in the Book of Mormon. Nephi, as part of his vision, also said this: “And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks” (1 Nephi 14:1). The Lamb of God will manifest Himself to the Gentiles in word, which surely includes the words of the Book of Mormon that are sent forth to gather His people to Him.

                The Book of Mormon also emphasizes that the Savior is manifest to us by the power of the Holy Ghost. He said to the Nephites when He came among them, speaking of what He had said to those in Jerusalem, “And they understood me not that I said they shall hear my voice; and they understood me not that the Gentiles should not at any time hear my voice—that I should not manifest myself unto them save it were by the Holy Ghost” (3 Nephi 15:23). So the Savior would manifest Himself to the Gentiles through the Holy Ghost, but not in person. Jacob wrote about the atonement of Christ and attaining unto “a perfect knowledge of him” and then said this, “For the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls” (Jacob 4:12-13). The truths about the Savior are manifested plainly by the Spirit. And Moroni famously wrote in his final chapter, “I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. And whatsoever thing is good is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but acknowledgeth that he is” (Moroni 10:4-6). By the power of the Holy Ghost we can know not only that the Book of Mormon is true but we will be led to acknowledge “that he is.” Through the Holy Ghost the truths about the Savior will be made manifest unto us.

                Nephi summarized what will happen in the last days in these words, “And the time cometh that he shall manifest himself unto all nations, both unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles; and after he has manifested himself unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles, then he shall manifest himself unto the Gentiles and also unto the Jews, and the last shall be first, and the first shall be last” (1 Nephi 13:42). Though to a small number the Savior has manifested Himself in person, to most in our days He will manifest Himself through the words of holy writ and the Holy Ghost. Through the Book of Mormon and the power of the Spirit we can know indeed that “Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.”