In 1 Nephi 22, Nephi tells his brothers that someday, far in the future, gentiles would take over the land his family had settled into, scattering the remnants of his family. Nothing in the Book of Mormon says the family came to an empty land, and so, given sociological studies of population growth, we understand Lehi’s family mingled and intermarried, converted and warred with those who were already here. His family, and the others who came from other places, would find themselves overtaken by the gentiles who would come.
However, God never forgets His children, and so Nephi also told them that God would eventually bring them a wonderful gift:
8 And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed; wherefore, it is likened unto their being nourished by the Gentiles and being carried in their arms and upon their shoulders.
9 And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles; and not only unto the Gentiles but unto all the house of Israel, unto the making known of the covenants of the Father of heaven unto Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. (1 Nephi 22)
This marvelous work was the restoration of the gospel, which happened in 1820 in a small village called Palmyra. A young boy, puzzled by the claims of so many churches to be the only true church, encountered a scripture in the Bible that told him to take his questions to God, so he did. In response, he was told not to join any of the churches, because none of them was entirely correct.
In time, after many years of preparation, training, and maturing, Joseph would lead the restoration of the true gospel. This would, appropriately, include some additional scriptures, clarifying a Bible that had been pieced together and retranslated many times. The Bible often refers to scriptures we no longer have, and prophets whose teachings have been lost. We understand that what has been chosen by men for canonization is not always complete and we know translation, when not done by a prophet, is subject to the errors of mortal men.
The Book of Mormon, kept as a single unit, rather than a collection of individual manuscripts, and translated by a prophet, eases some of these challenges. It does not replace the Bible. Instead, it testifies of it, just as the Bible testifies of the Book of Mormon. Look at these scriptures in the Bible:
4 And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust. Isaiah 29:4 KJV
The Book of Mormon was hidden in the ground by Moroni, prior to his departure into hiding when his life was threatened.
14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. (Isaiah 29:14)
16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and dwrite upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. (Ezekiel 37)
The Stick of Judah is the Bible. The Stick of Ephraim is the Book of Mormon. Early manuscripts, including the Bible, were often rolled into tight scrolls known as sticks.
The scriptures of the restoration testify of the Savior and of the Bible. They don’t subtract from it…they enhance and enrich it, providing the testimony of people far away that yes, there really was a Savior and He really was God’s Son—a Savior for everyone, not just Israel.
For more on the Restoration of the Gospel, visit Joseph Smith: Prophet of God.
The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.
