Suddenly, we have a new narrator, the prophet-historian and military leader Moroni, son of Mormon. Mormon grew old and battle-weary, and he commissioned his son Moroni to finish his record. When Moroni began the task, he thought that he only had a few things to write. Moroni survived the great and tremendous battle at Cumorah. He also escaped from the subsequent attacks of the Lamanites. Moroni’s aging father Mormon, however, was hunted down and killed along with the rest of the Nephites who had escaped into the country southward.
If Mormon was in his mid seventies when the Lamanites hunted down and killed him, Moroni must have been about thirty, forty, or fifty years old when he began to inscribe upon the plates to finish the record of his father. He was a mid-single, in modern LDS vernacular. Moroni accomplished this work under duress and in very difficult circumstances:
And my father also was killed by them, and I even aremain balone to write the sad tale of the destruction of my people. But behold, they are gone, and I fulfil the commandment of my father. And whether they will slay me, I know not. (Mormon 8:3)
Moroni’s life was spared in response to his father’s earnest prayer:
But behold, my son, I recommend thee unto God, and I trust in Christ that thou wilt be saved; and I pray unto God that he will spare thy life, to witness the return of his people unto him, or their utter destruction; for I know that they must perish except they repent and return unto him. (Mormon 9:22)
At first, Moroni seems to suggest that he will only write a few things before hiding the record in the earth again. His earliest entries on the plates sound like those of a man who is resigned to his fate as a lone survivor, like Ether (and Coriantumr) of the Jaredite nation before him. When Moroni first began to write upon the plates, he must have been weighed down with immense grief and sorrow:
Behold, my father hath made athis record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the bplates, but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and chow long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not. (Mormon 8:5)
Moroni writes the fulfillment of Alma’s prophesy. Just as Alma had prophesied, the Nephites were completely destroyed four hundred years after the coming of Jesus Christ:
Alma:
And these are the words: Behold, I perceive that this very people, the Nephites, according to the spirit of revelation which is in me, in four hundred years from the time that Jesus Christ shall manifest himself unto them, shall dwindle in unbelief. (Alma 45:10)
Moroni:
Behold, afour hundred years have passed away since the coming of our Lord and Savior. (Mormon 8:6)
Remember that Alma made his prophesy concerning the destruction of the Nephites in secret to his son Helaman, and the prophesy was not made known until it was fulfilled, because Mormon and Moroni had unique custody of the records in which the revelation was recorded.
Moroni could hardly believe what he had witnessed, even though he knew that the prophesy would be fulfilled. He was awestruck by the rapid downfall and destruction of his people. He acknowledged that the Nephites were destroyed by the hand of the Lord. He sorrowed that the Lamanites were also at war with one another. There were only Lamanites and robbers left. The Lord even removed His Three Beloved Nephites from the land when the wickedness was too great. However, Mormon and Moroni saw and received the Three Nephites in their ministry before they left.
Even in his grief, Moroni extends a marvelous promise to his latter-day audience:
And whoso receiveth athis record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of bgreater things than these. Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would make all things known unto you. (Mormon 8:12)
Like most of the preceding prophets, Moroni knew much more than the Lord permitted him to tell. We often speak of Moroni’s promise (Moroni 10:3-5) at the very end of the Book of Mormon, but we ought also to ponder this early promise. As I understand it, to receive this record, the Book of Mormon, means to truly study it, cherish it, and live up to its precepts. Whether Moroni referred to the entire Book of Mormon or only to his father’s book, the principle is the same.
Sometimes I am puzzled by the Book of Mormon prophets concerns about the imperfections in the book, because I agree with Joseph Smith that the Book of Mormon the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and that a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book. Whenever I hear anyone complain about or attempt to condemn the Book of Mormon, whether for perceived imperfections or otherwise, I know that the greater things will be withheld from that person.
The Book of Mormon, and the Book of Mormon within the Book of Mormon are already great. What greater things could there possibly be? There is much much more to come:
And all this ye shall observe to do as I have commanded concerning your teaching, until the fulness of my scriptures is given. (D&C 42:15)
And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people;
But behold the plates of Nephi do contain the more part of the things which he taught the people.
And these things have I written, which are a lesser part of the things which he taught the people; and I have written them to the intent that they may be brought again unto this people, from the Gentiles, according to the words which Jesus hath spoken.
And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them.
And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation.
Behold, I was about to write them, all which were engraven upon the plates of Nephi, but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people. (3 Nephi 26:6-11)
I’m sure that many of us are eager to receive the greater things, but the Lord in His wisdom knows when we are ready:
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. (John 16:12)
After a brief explanation of his circumstances, Moroni introduces himself as the son of Mormon who was a descendant of Nephi. He introduces himself as the person who was about to hide up the records unto the Lord. Then he presents valuable information about the plates and about the person who will bring forth the plates in the last days:
And I am the same who ahideth up this record unto the Lord; the plates thereof are of no worth, because of the commandment of the Lord. For he truly saith that no one shall have them bto get gain; but the record thereof is of cgreat worth; and whoso shall bring it to light, him will the Lord bless.
For none can have power to bring it to light save it be given him of God; for God wills that it shall be done with an aeye single to his glory, or the welfare of the ancient and long dispersed covenant people of the Lord. (Mormon 8:14-15)
Elsewhere in the scriptures we read that “the aglory of God is bintelligence, or, in other words, clight and truth,” (D&C 93:36). Jesus Christ is the Light and the Life of the world, and He is therefore the glory of God. As children of God, we are also part of the glory of God (See, e.g. 1 Corinthians 11:7). We also know that God’s work and glory are to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39) But Moroni teaches us another aspect of the glory of God, namely, “the welfare of the ancient and long dispersed covenant people of the Lord.” The ancient and long dispersed covenant people of the Lord certainly includes the entire House of Israel, especially the Jews and the Lamanites.
When Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith as an angel, he reiterated the importance of working with an eye single to the glory of God:
By this time, so deep were the impressions made on my mind, that sleep had fled from my eyes, and I lay overwhelmed in aastonishment at what I had both seen and heard. But what was my surprise when again I beheld the same messenger at my bedside, and heard him rehearse or repeat over again to me the same things as before; and added a caution to me, telling me that Satan would try to btempt me (in consequence of the indigent circumstances of my father’s family), to get the plates for the purpose of getting crich. This he forbade me, saying that I must have no other object in view in getting the plates but to glorify God, and must not be influenced by any other dmotive than that of building his kingdom; otherwise I could not get them. (Joseph Smith - History 1:46)
Because we know that Joseph Smith received and translated the plates, we also know that Joseph Smith accomplished that work for the glory of God and with the pure motive of building the Kingdom of God, and no other motive.
We can study the Book of Mormon with the same pure motive, and remember how the Lord blessed the Prophet Joseph Smith, just as Moroni prophesied:
And blessed be ahe that shall bring this thing to light; for it shall be bbrought out of darkness unto light, according to the word of God; yea, it shall be brought out of the earth, and it shall shine forth out of darkness, and come unto the knowledge of the people; and it shall be done by the power of God. (Mormon 8:16)
I know that the Prophet Joseph Smith brought this thing, the Book of Mormon, to light. I know that he brought it ought of darkness unto light, out of the earth, so that it could shine forth out of darkness, and come to our knowledge. I know that Joseph Smith accomplished this work by the power of God.