The Dawn of a Great Day for the Lamanite People
Book of Mormon Notes - Monday, April 15, 2024, Mormon 7
What is the remnant (see also here) of the house of Jacob?
The remnant of the house of Jacob is also called the seed of Lehi (1 Nephi 13:34), the Nephite’s seed (2 Nephi 28:2), and the seed of Joseph (Alma 46:23). The Lord taught the Nephites in Bountiful that if the latter-day Gentiles would not repent after receiving so many blessings of the Restoration of the Gospel, then a aremnant of the house of Jacob shall go forth among us and shall be in the midst of us “as a lion among the beasts of the forest,” and “as a young blion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both ctreadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.” (3 Ne. 20:16)
Some suppose that the latter-day remnant are the descendants of the Lamanites and Nephites who become members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But who are the latter-day descendants of the Lamanites and Nephites? There is an interesting Church history essay or entry on “Lamanite Identity” that helps to shed light on the answer to this question. This answer is intriguing:
While some early Latter-day Saints speculated about which specific groups were the descendants of Book of Mormon peoples, most considered the Native Americans broadly as heirs to Book of Mormon promises.7 Ideas of European superiority were widespread in Joseph Smith’s day, and many found the claim of a vital religious role for other ethnic groups, including American Indians, challenging. Early Latter-day Saints, however, were eager to see the Lord’s promises fulfilled and to take the Book of Mormon record to the Lamanites.
The entry on Lamanites in the Joseph Smith Papers confirms this answer:
Lamanites - Summary
A term used in the Book of Mormon to refer to the descendants or followers of Laman, as well as those who later identified themselves as Lamanites because they did not believe in the religious traditions of their ancestors.1 According to JS and the Book of Mormon, Lehi and Sariah, Nephi’s parents, and their family migrated from Jerusalem to America around 600 BC. 2 After Lehi’s death, his family divided into two main groups, one led by Laman and the other by his younger brother Nephi. 3 These two main groups were called Lamanites and Nephites, respectively. 4 The Lamanites and others who did not belong to the church of God were the only people who survived the final battles described in the Book of Mormon. 5 Early church members viewed contemporary American Indian tribes as the descendants of the Lamanites. 6 Since the Book of Mormon was written in part “to the Lamanites,” some of the first missionaries were sent to preach the gospel and establish the church among the American Indians. 7 See also “House of Israel.”
Thus the clearest answer to the question of who the remnant of Jacob is that shall be in the midst of us “as a lion among the beasts of the forest,” and “as a young blion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both ctreadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver,” is the American Indians. (See also Ronald W. Walker’s “Seeking the Remnant”)
There are currently over five million Native Americans in the United States of America.
Is the all of the remnant of the house of Jacob? I don’t think so. Consider the indigenous peoples of Canada.
What about indigenous peoples of the entire Western Hemisphere?
In a revelation to given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt, and Leman Copley, at Kirtland, Ohio, May 7, 1831, the Lord declared:
But before the great day of the Lord shall come, aJacob shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall bblossom as the rose. (D&C 49:24)
I’ve wondered why, when we in the Church speak of the latter-day Lamanites, we often refer to our Latino brothers and sisters, and not only to Native Americans of North America. The Gospel Topics essay or entry on “Lamanite Identity” continues:
Missionaries taught people of indigenous ancestry in the Americas and in the Pacific that they were the descendants of the Nephites and Lamanites. After receiving the gospel, converts in these regions embraced the way the Book of Mormon connected them with a lost heritage and a promised future, especially in contrast to the difficult, sometimes oppressive conditions under which they lived.10 Saints who identified as Lamanites regularly worked on their own or in cooperation with Church initiatives to advance spiritually and temporally and help fulfill the prophecy that “before the great day of the Lord shall come … the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose.”11
The last footnote in this paragraph, footnote 11, is also helpful:
Doctrine and Covenants 49:24. Many Latin American, American Indian, and Pacific Islander Latter-day Saints in the mid-20th century associated Lamanite identity with educational aspiration. During that period, the Church opened schools in Latin America and the Pacific. The Church also launched various educational programs intended to assist American Indians in the United States. See also J. Thomas Fyans, “The Lamanites Must Rise in Majesty and Power,” Ensign, May 1976, 12–13.
J. Thomas Fyans’ talk leads us back to Elder Spencer W. Kimball’s October 1947 talk that is all about our responsibility to preach the Gospel to the Lamanites. This is a fascinating talk. Kimball mentions sixty million people in the Americas “who have some of the blood of Israel in their veins and who must hear the gospel.” Kimball in turn quoted Wilford Woodruff from his Conference Report in April 1898 (p. 57) in which he quoted the Prophet Joseph Smith:
On Sunday night the Prophet called on all who held the Priesthood to gather into the little log school house they had there. It was a small house, perhaps 14 feet square. But it held the whole of the Priesthood of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who were then in the town of Kirtland, and who had gathered together to go off in Zion’s camp. . . . When we got together the Prophet called upon the Elders of Israel with him to bear testimony of this work. When they got through the Prophet said, “Brethren, I have been very much edified and instructed in your testimonies here tonight, but I want to say to you before the Lord, that you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother’s lap. You don’t comprehend it.” I was rather surprised. He said, “It is only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America—it will fill the world.” Among other things he said, “It will fill the Rocky Mountains. There will be tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints who will be gathered in the Rocky Mountains, and there they will open the door for the establishing of the Gospel among the Lamanites, who will receive the Gospel and their endowments and the blessings of God. This people will go into the Rocky Mountains; they will there build temples to the Most High. They will raise up a posterity there, and the Latter-day Saints who dwell in these mountains will stand in the flesh until the coming of the Son of Man. The Son of Man will come to them while in the Rocky Mountains.”
Elder Kimball also spoke of South America, quoting Elder Melvin J. Ballard’s blessing of South America:
And now, oh, Father, by authority of the blessing and appointment by the President of the Church, and by the authority of the holy apostleship which I have, I turn the key, unlock, and open the door for the preaching of the Gospel in all these South American nations, and do rebuke and command to be stayed every power that would oppose the preaching of the Gospel in these lands; and we do bless and dedicate these nations of this land for the preaching of thy Gospel. And we do all this that salvation may come to all men, and that thy name may be honored and glorified in this part of the land of Zion.” (Melvin J. Ballard, Crusader for Righteousness, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966, p. 81; italics added.)
Elder Kimball proclaimed:
I believe that the interest generally is spreading and increasing and that we are on the dawn of a great day for the Lamanite people.
Thus, as far as I understand, the remnant may include sixty million people or more who are spread out from the northernmost territories of Canada to the bottom tip of Chile and Argentina, as well as the Pacific Islands. But these are conjectures:
Just as the history of the northern ten tribes of Israel after their exile in Assyria is a matter of speculation rather than knowledge, the history of the Lamanites after the close of the Book of Mormon record is a matter of speculation. The Church asserts that all members are part of the covenant house of Israel either by descent or adoption but does not take a position on the specific geography of the Book of Mormon or claim complete knowledge about the origins of any specific modern group in the Americas or the Pacific.14 Whatever the historical particulars, the Church continues its efforts to help realize the hopes of Book of Mormon prophets that the covenants of the Lord might be extended to all the lost sheep of Israel.
Nevertheless, Elder Kimball spoke frequently of the latter-day Lamanites in speeches such as “The Lamanite” and “Church Growth and Lamanite Involvement.” For these and other reasons I was impressed when Elder Larry J. Echohawk, a member of the Pawnee Nation, gave his talk in the October 2012 General Conference entitled “Come unto Me, O Ye House of Israel.” Elder Echohawk’s invitation to study the Book of Mormon was unique:
I exhort all people to read the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
I especially ask the remnant of the house of Israel, the descendants of the people of the Book of Mormon, wherever you may be, to read and reread the Book of Mormon. Learn of the promises contained in the Book of Mormon. Follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. Make and keep covenants with the Lord. Seek for and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Elder Echohawk echoed (pun intended) Mormon’s invitation to the Lamanites of the latter days to believe in Christ, accept His Gospel, and be saved. As far as I understand Mormon’s invitation and prophecies, the Lamanites will, in large numbers, accept Mormon’s invitation, embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ, blossom as the rose, and gather to build Zion and the New Jerusalem. Penitent Gentiles will join them. But as far as I can tell, even though the Lord mercifully extends his invitation of repentance to the Gentiles, it doesn’t appear as though the latter-day Gentiles will respond to well. For example, consider this statement by Bruce R. McConkie:
Except for a few who are the humble followers of Christ, the Gentiles will not repent. They will revel in their abominations and sin against the restored gospel, and they will be burned by the brightness of our Lord’s coming while the righteous-here called the remnant of Jacob-shall abide the day. And then, in the prophetic imagery it will be as though the remnant of Israel overthrew their enemies as a young lion among the flocks of sheep.” (Bruce R. McConkie, Millennial Messiah, p. 248; see also p. 242; Mortal Messiah 4:334-35.)
Yikes.
Whoever the latter-day Lamanites are - Native Americans, Indigenous Peoples of South and Central America, Canada, and the Pacific Islands, etc. - we want to join with them because they will repent, come unto Christ, and build the New Jerusalem. For members of the Church of Jesus Christ who receive patriarchal blessings, our blessings also contain a declaration of lineage that connects us to a particular tribe. Thus we may already be a part of the remnant of Jacob. More important than lineage, however, is that those who repent, become humble followers of Christ, and embrace the covenants and ordinances of His Gospel, will be part of the remnant of Israel that overthrows our enemies as a young lion among the flocks of sheep. Such blessings are obviously conditional upon our repentance and obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
With all of these things as a background, consider Mormon’s direct address to the latter-day remnant of the house of Jacob:
And now, behold, I would speak somewhat unto the aremnant of this people who are spared, if it so be that God may give unto them my words, that they may know of the things of their fathers; yea, I speak unto you, ye remnant of the house of Israel; and these are the words which I speak: (Mormon 7:1)
I find it significant that Mormon knows that only God could protect, preserve, and transmit the records that contain his words to the various people in his latter-day audience. It is truly a miracle.
Mormon wanted the latter-day remnant to know four things in particular:
Know who you are: Know ye that ye are of the ahouse of Israel. (Mormon 7:2)
Know what do do: Know ye that ye must come unto repentance, or ye cannot be saved. (Mormon 7:3)
Be peacemakers: Know ye that ye must lay down your weapons of war, and delight no more in the shedding of blood, and take them not again, save it be that God shall acommand you. (Mormon 7:4)
Know your ancestors, repent, and believe in Jesus Christ: Know ye that ye must come to the aknowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and bbelieve in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the cvictory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up. (Mormon 7:5)
Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ. He testifies that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was slain by the Jews, gained victory over death, and brought to pass the resurrection and the redemption. Then Mormon delivers his invitation to the remnant:
Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the agospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles bfrom the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles cunto you. (Mormon 7:8)
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is contained in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and the Bible and the Book of Mormon go hand in hand to bring souls unto Christ. In fact, as other Book of Mormon prophets such as Nephi also testified, those who truly believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ as contained in the Bible will believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ as contained in the Book of Mormon:
For behold, athis is bwritten for the intent that ye may cbelieve that; and if dye believe that ye will believe this also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them. (Mormon 7:9)
Furthermore, those of the remnant who study the Book of Mormon will know who they are and be blessed if they live the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
And ye will also know that ye are a aremnant of the seed of Jacob; therefore ye are numbered among the people of the first covenant; and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, and are baptized, first bwith water, then with fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the cexample of our Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgment. Amen. (Mormon 7:10)