Mormon Prepares His Latter-Day Audience for Christ's Second Coming

Book of Mormon Notes - Monday, August 14, 2023, Alma 5

In keeping with my idea to keep shorter Book of Mormon notes sparked by my daily study, today I would just like to mention that an insight about Mormon’s editing process occurred to me this morning.

I’ve been trying to pay attention to the passages that Mormon quotes directly. I may have been mistaken about the heading to Alma chapter 5. At first I assumed that Mormon wrote it. That may still be true. But Alma probably wrote them:

Another unusual feature of the record of Alma, in addition to its length, is its large number of superscriptions. These superscriptions were part of the manuscript and were printed in the 1830 first edition of the Book of Mormon and should not be ignored. They appear over chapters 1, 5, 7, 9, 17, 21, 36, 38, and 39 of the book of Alma in the 1981 edition of the Book of Mormon. Professor Sidney B. Sperry has explained, “The fact that they are found over the chapters enumerated and over no others would seem to indicate that Mormon took them from Alma’s original text” (203). The fact that with the exception of the introductory superscription to the record of Helaman at Alma chapter 45, there are no other superscriptions in that part of the record of Helaman, would also lend support to the idea that these superscriptions came from Alma’s own hand.

One notable difference between the 1830 and the 1981 editions of the book of Alma is that the 1981 edition added the phrase “comprising chapters . . .” to some of the original superscriptions to designate current chapter divisions. As the superscriptions appear at natural divisions in the record of Alma, they will indicate the remaining divisions of this study of the doctrine of testimony in Alma’s writings. In his record, Alma sets forth the most detailed pattern in all the standard works of the principles that govern testimony. It is interesting to note that over a third of the Book of Mormon references to testimony are found in the record of Alma.

But what occurred to me this morning is that Mormon’s editing process included piecing together many direct quotations from prior prophets and kings, from sermons, letters, proclamations, and so forth. But Mormon chose to include Nephi’s small plates in their entirety. Why?

And the things which are upon these plates ^apleasing me, because of the prophecies of the coming of Christ; and my fathers knowing that many of them have been fulfilled; yea, and I also know that as many things as have been ^bprophesied concerning us down to this day have been fulfilled, and as many as go beyond this day must surely come to pass—

Wherefore, I chose ^athese things, to finish my ^brecord upon them, which remainder of my record I shall take from the ^cplates of Nephi; and I cannot write the ^dhundredth part of the things of my people. (Words of Mormon 1:45)

Mormon was pleased with Nephi’s small plates specifically because of the prophecies of the coming of Jesus Christ. This is why he chose them. The Book of Mormon record testifies of Jesus Christ. That is its primary purpose. But it also testifies of the coming of Jesus Christ, His first coming. And Mormon wrote this record for people like us who he knew would live long after Christ’s first coming.

Then notice the next line, “my fathers knowing that many of them have been fulfilled.” Mormon deliberated chose Nephi’s small plates because they prophesied of Christ’s coming, and then Mormon was able to show through other later prophets how those prophesies were fulfilled. If Mormon was pleased because of Nephi’s prophesies concerning the coming of Christ, many of which prophecies he knew had been fulfilled, and their fulfillment had been recorded, then we can be sure that one of Mormon’s main criteria for selecting direct quotations of sermons, letters, proclamations, and so forth was that these records contained prophesies concerning the coming of Christ.

Then look at what Mormon chooses to quote directly, including King Benjamin’s speech, the words of Abinadi, and now Alma’s great sermon in Alma 5 - each one of these contains prophesies concerning the coming of Christ.

If I imagine Mormon in his cave or hall of records, with plates piled up all around him, then I wonder how he organized all of those plates, how he studied them, and how he prioritized which things to include as direct quotations from previous prophets. As I study the Book of Mormon it seems like Mormon weaves the narrative around these direct quotations from other prophets. The main features of the Book of Mormon, therefore, are the direct quotations from Nephi, Isaiah, Jacob, Enos, King Benjamin, Abinadi, Alma, and so forth. But Mormon also gives us the context for each of these direct quotations. Here is one prophesy and testimony from Alma 5 to illustrate my point:

Yea, thus saith the Spirit: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand; yea, the Son of God cometh in his ^aglory, in his might, majesty, power, and dominion. Yea, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, that the Spirit saith: Behold the glory of the ^bKing of all the earth; and also the King of heaven shall very soon shine forth among all the children of men. (Alma 5:50)

This is Alma’s testimony about 80 years before the first coming of Jesus Christ, and Mormon quotes Alma directly, no abridgment. The emphasis is on the doctrine of repentance and the testimony of Christ’s First coming, which Alma prophesied would be soon. And this is exactly what King Benjamin had prophesied in his message that was delivered to him by an angel:

For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the ^aLord ^bOmnipotent who ^creigneth, who was, and is from all ^deternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a ^etabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty ^fmiracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the ^gblind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases. (Mosiah 3:5)

Of course, this testimony of Christ’s coming was also the crux of Abinadi’s message which was also the crux of Isaiah’s message, which was also the crux of Nephi’s message:

And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that ^aGod himself shall ^bcome down among the children of men, and shall ^credeem his people. (Mosiah 15:1)

And

And behold this thing shall be given unto thee for a ^asign, that after thou hast beheld the tree which bore the fruit which thy father tasted, thou shalt also behold a man descending out of heaven, and him shall ye witness; and after ye have witnessed him ye shall ^bbear record that it is the Son of God. (1 Nephi 11:7)

This brings us back to Lehi’s vision and Nephi’s vision of the Tree of Life - a symbol also in Alma’s sermon - and it also points us forward to Christ’s First coming in the Old World and in the New World among the Nephites. Mormon is very much focused on Christ’s coming as a future event for many of the prophets and the people who preceded him, and the passages that he quotes directly from prior prophets prove it. But these prophecies and testimonies of Christ’s coming also include detailed descriptions of Christ’s life and ministry.

But my point is no simply that Mormon was pleased by Nephi’s writings because they testified of the coming of Christ, although that is important. My point is that Mormon carefully selected these direct quotations from prior prophets concerning the coming of Jesus Christ because he knew that his latter-day audience would live in a time that anticipated the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in a way that is similar to the way that these ancient Nephites anticipated the First coming of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon builds up to this climactic event, Jesus Christ descending from Heaven to appear to and minister to the faithful Nephites:

And now it came to pass that there were a great multitude ^agathered together, of the people of Nephi, round about the temple which was in the land ^bBountiful; and they were marveling and wondering one with another, and were showing one to another the ^cgreat and marvelous change which had taken place.

And they were also conversing about this Jesus Christ, of whom the ^asign had been given concerning his death.

And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a ^avoice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a ^bsmall voice it did ^cpierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.

And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they ^aunderstood it not.

And again the third time they did hear the voice, and did ^aopen their ears to hear it; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came.

And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them:

Behold my ^aBeloved Son, ^bin whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.

And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they ^asaw a Man ^bdescending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.

And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:

Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. (3 Nephi 11:1-10)

Remember what the angels who were present at Christ’s ascension into Heaven had promised?

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:9-11)

And remember that this very similar to a vision that Lehi had seen?

And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a ^avision, even that he saw the ^bheavens open, and he thought he ^csaw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God.

And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his ^aluster was above that of the sun at noon-day. (1 Nephi 1:8-9)

And of course these visions point us forward to Joseph Smith’s First Vision:

But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him! (Joseph Smith-History 1:16-17)

I don’t think that it is accidental that Christ’s First Coming among the Nephites as recorded in Third Nephi has been repeatedly emphasized in recent General Conference messages as well. Jesus is coming. He is coming soon. The time cometh, and is not far distant. Behold the glory of the ^bKing of all the earth; and also the King of heaven shall very soon shine forth among all the children of men.

Mormon saw Christ’s First Coming in retrospect, and he saw Christ’s Second Coming in the future. But he also communed with the Lord personally and directly. This is one reason why I think that the climax of Christ’s appearance in Third Nephi is a kind of prelude to the Christ’s personal appearance to the Brother of Jared in the Book of Ether. Everything, as I read it, builds up to that.

This is not to say that Mormon’s narrative and teachings that are interspersed between these direct quotations are not important. Rather, it is to suggest that Mormon may have kept a special pile of plates, and that this special pile of plates, or plates book-marked in a special way, served as the core for his narrative. And they may constitute the core of his narrative, not just because they testify of Christ’s First Coming and the fulfillment of the prophesies of Christ’s First Coming, but because all of these things foreshadow and point forward to Christ’s Second Coming in a way that was meant to prepare Mormon’s latter-day audience for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, an event that is not far distant, when the King of Heaven shall very soon shine forth among all the children of men.