A Civil War, Ancient and Modern

Book of Mormon Notes - Saturday, October 28, 2023, Alma 52

As I was pondering why Mormon includes so many fascinating details - geographical, military strategy, names, places, cities, fortifications, war councils, and so forth - in his abridgment of this portion of the large plates of Nephi, and as I also considered that the major battles were between the good guys (the Nephites) in the North, and the bad guys (the Lamanites) in the South, and that, in my opinion, all of these battles took place in the region of the earth that is now called the United States of America, I couldn’t help but think of how these battles especially foreshadow the American Civil War.

Certainly Mormon, who knew the prophesies regarding the last days, including the prophesies regarding the Promised Land, foresaw the conflicts of which the Prophet Joseph Smith prophesied:

I prophesy, in the name of the Lord God, that the commencement of the ^adifficulties which will cause much bloodshed previous to the coming of the Son of Man will be in South Carolina.

It may probably arise through the slave question. This a ^avoice declared to me, while I was praying earnestly on the subject, December 25th, 1832. (D&C 130:12)

Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls;

And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place.

For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations.

And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war.

And it shall come to pass also that the remnants who are left of the land will marshal themselves, and shall become exceedingly angry, and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation. (D&C 87:1-5)

Ye hear of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great wars in far countries, but ye know not the hearts of men in your own land. (D&C 38:29)

And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them, and they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming until the end of the earth. (D&C 45:26)

Ye hear of wars in foreign lands; but, behold, I say unto you, they are nigh, even at your doors, and not many years hence ye shall hear of wars in your own lands. (D&C 45:63)

If it is true that Abraham Lincoln read the Book of Mormon - he requested the Book of Mormon from the Library of Congress, kept it for 8 months, and returned it only seven days after issuing the first draft of the Emancipation Proclamation to his cabinet - I can only imagine what he must have felt, or what the Lord may have revealed to him while reading about Moroni, Lehi, Teancum, and the victories of the Nephites in the North over their Lamanite enemies in the South.

Whether or not Lincoln read the Book of Mormon, and whether or not the action of the Book of Mormon took place in North America, Mormon certainly knew that the last days would be a time of great upheaval, conflict, and war. Moreover, Mormon understood Nephi’s exhortation to include only the most plain and precious things upon the plates. Mormon and his son Moroni lived in a time of great conflict themselves, and neither of them had time to fill the plates with anything trivial. Therefore, we must constantly inquire as to why the Lord inspired Mormon, or any of the Nephite prophet-historians and abridgers, to include the passages that they included.

Like the difficult Isaiah chapters, the “war chapters” are there fore a reason, and these reasons will always elude the casual reader of the Book of Mormon. And unlike the small plates of Nephi which were written by Nephi and his successors, and unlike the many directly quoted sermons, speeches, proclamations, letters, and other texts in the early portion of Mormon’s abridgment of the large plates of Nephi, in these “war chapters” we are blessed to listen for more of Mormon’s own voice from the dust, a voice that whispers to us as clearly as it does from Mormon’s own book in the Book of Mormon. Mormon, a sober young man turned military leader and prophet-historian, did not abridge such a large portion of the Nephite records about the wars and contentions of his people merely to make the gold plates heavier.

In the 26th year of the reign of the judges, only 66 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, the Lamanite armies were surprised to find their leader Amalickiah dead in his own tent. This was a great way to begin the new year for the Nephites, but the Lamanites feared to face Teancum and his armies without Amalickiah. The tyrant was deposed, and the hero, Teancum, had prevented further Lamanite invasions into the northern Nephite territories.

But more heads of the Lamanite hydra soon appeared, first Ammoron, the brother of Amalickiah and the new Lamanite tyrant, and also the fierce warrior Jacob. Moroni, Lehi, Teancum and the Nephite armies faced constant and intense opposition from their enemies.

I’ve noticed that Mormon often emphasizes how bloodthirsty and fierce the Lamanites were, and how much blood they shed and desired to shed, in contrast to Moroni’s desire to defend his people without bloodshed. Like Moroni, Lincoln loathed bloodshed, but like Moroni, he was compelled to defend the Union by the cost of many lives:

Fondly do we hope ~ fervently do we pray ~ that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword as was said three thousand years ago so still it must be said 'the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.'

Fortunately for the Nephites, their leaders were as wise and as valiant as the Lamanites were ruthless and fierce. Teancum wisely refrained from attempting to attack the much more numerous Lamanite armies in their fortresses before receiving more assistance from Moroni and his armies. Like Moroni, Teancum led the Nephites with courage and wisdom in the East while Moroni organized the defensive war efforts in the West in order to come to Teancum’s aid. Moroni and Teancum also wisely held Lamanite prisoners as a ransom for any Nephites that had been taken prisoner. Can you imagine that a newly-wed farmboy in his early twenties concocted even this small portion and this elaborate story in a vast record? If you can, then I don’t think that you have read the Book of Mormon carefully enough or with real intent to know that it is true, because it is true, and Joseph Smith translated it by the gift and power of God.

To be continued…