The subject of THE “remnant” is too great to undertake in a post here. I’ve attended meetings lasting two days in which the subject was the sole matter being discussed. I’ve had discussions, read a manuscript, exchanged emails and spent years on this subject with people who know more about the details than do I. Therefore my conclusion is that it exceeds the parameters of this venue.
Identification of the “remnant” was critical to Joseph Smith. Although we’ve discarded the issue, it was of central concern to the early Brethren. So much so that the “remnant” was what drove the movement westward near the “borders of the Lamanites” The first missionaries were sent to the “Lamanites” as part of the Restoration’s concern with the promised “remnant” of the Book of Mormon people. (See D&C 32: 2.) The Saints were required to move west to be near these people as part of locating Zion. (D&C 54: 8.)
Identification of the “remnant” was critical to Joseph Smith. Although we’ve discarded the issue, it was of central concern to the early Brethren. So much so that the “remnant” was what drove the movement westward near the “borders of the Lamanites” The first missionaries were sent to the “Lamanites” as part of the Restoration’s concern with the promised “remnant” of the Book of Mormon people. (See D&C 32: 2.) The Saints were required to move west to be near these people as part of locating Zion. (D&C 54: 8.)
The Book of Mormon is filled with promises addressed to the “remnant” of those people. Modern revelation promises they will blossom as a rose. (D&C 49: 24.)
The first Temple built in the west after the exodus was in St. George to be near the suspected “remnant” to be reclaimed. The first company in that Temple’s first session included a Chief from the Hopi tribe. Brother Nibley was partial to the Hopi as the “remnant” or at least a part of the “remnant” and he wrote a good deal about them.
This is an important subject. Worthy of study. But it is too great a subject for treatment in a limited venue like this. To do it justice would require this forum to become devoted to that subject for many days. By the time it was finished, I doubt anyone would still be reading. So I’ll just reaffirm the subject is important, and there are many passages in the Book of Mormon dealing with the “remnant” of the Book of Mormon people. Promises extended to them have not yet been fulfilled. But all those promises will be fulfilled. As they are, the role of those people will change from what we see it today into something much more central to the Church.
I accept that it’s too big a topic for you to address on your blog, but if you’ll allow those of us who don’t know very much at all to make a few comments, it might help us all to get deeper into noticing what is out there to be noticed.
For example, (this is really fun!) notice the beginning of Moroni 7, verses 1-4. Almost all of us miss the fact that this isn’t Moroni speaking, but rather Mormon. And notice who he says he’s speaking to! And this was at a time when the Nephites had become almost completely corrupt:
1 And now I, Moroni, write a few of the words of my father Mormon, which he spake concerning faith, hope, and charity; for after this manner did he speak unto the people, as he taught them in the synagogue which they had built for the place of worship.
2 And now I, Mormon, speak unto you, my beloved brethren; and it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and his holy will, because of the gift of his calling unto me, that I am permitted to speak unto you at this time.
3 Wherefore, I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient chope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven.
4 And now my brethren, I judge these things of you because of your peaceable walk with the children of men.
So, he was speaking to a group which he called “my beloved brethren” who had entered into the rest of the Lord in this life!
The Lord has ALWAYS led away the righteous before a people were destroyed. In the Book of Mormon and in the D&C, He actually tells us the names of who these people are! Anyone interested? This is incredibly fun, because it’s right before our eyes.
yes Kisi, who r these brethren?
OK, this is my opinion, of course, but I think the scriptures are quite plain.
First read D&C 49:8 “Wherefore, I will that all men shall repent, for all are under sin, except those which I have reserved unto myself, holy men that ye know not of.” This can’t be referring to John the Beloved or the three Nephites or Enoch and his people, because we know of them. So, the Lord has “holy men” whom we know not of that He as “reserved”.
Next, we know from the scriptures that He has always given the righteous a chance to be led out before a people were destroyed. The entire Book of Mormon is an example of this — three examples of this, actually: Lehi’s group, the Mulekites, and the Jaredites. We seem to automatically assume that just because the Nephites were destroyed, that no one was led away first. Moroni 7: 1-4 shows that this is not true. Mormon says that he was permitted to speak to a group who, if I understand correctly, had all received the Second Comforter — as they had “entered into the rest of the Lord” in this life. This seems to suggest that he was talking to people who had already been led away.
Now read D&C 86: 8-11
8 Therefore, thus saith the Lord unto you, with whom the priesthood hath continued through the lineage of your fathers—
9 For ye are lawful heirs, according to the flesh, and have been hid from the world with Christ in God—
10 Therefore your life and the priesthood have remained, and must needs remain through you and your lineage until the restoration of all things spoken by the mouths of all the holy prophets since the world began.
11 Therefore, blessed are ye if ye continue in my goodness, a light unto the Gentiles, and through this priesthood, a savior unto my people Israel. The Lord hath said it. Amen.
So, we have people living on the earth who have never lost the priesthood, and who will be a light to the Gentiles, and ultimately a savior to Israel. Sounds maybe like THE Remnant, sort of, no?
Now read 4 Nephi 1: 35-38, which talks about wickedness was starting to creep back into their Zion society. (This post is too long if I include it, so you’ll have to look the rest of the scriptures up. Sorry.)
As Denver has pointed out, it’s very difficult to engrave on metal plates, so Mormon was never going to be writing extra words just hear himself talk. Every word has meaning. So why did Mormon tell us in two verses in a row that the believers consisted of “Nephites, and Jacobites, and Josephites, and Zoramites”? Maybe for emphasis? And note, that he tells us that the Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites willfully rebelled.
Now turn to D&C 3: 16-20
I had to read this one about 6 times before my eyes opened to see it. You’re reading verses 16 and 17 and thinking automatically that the testimony of the Savior is going to come to these people, the Nephites, Jacobites, Josephites, and Zoramites via the Book of Mormon, right? Nope. First of all, we thought all these guys got destroyed anyway? Who are we talking about here, in D&C 3 in 1828?!
Anyway, when the Lord says, “through the testimony of their fathers–“, He can’t be referring to the Book of Mormon, because as you read on in verses 18-20, He explains that “these plates [were] preserved” for the Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites — those who dwindled in unbelief. So … think on, and have fun reading these verses however many times it takes you. Hopefully, less than it took me.
There are 3 Native American tribes whose own descriptions of their history tell you that they are descendants of the Ammonites/Anti-Nephi Lehis — two of the three of them are the Hopis and the Tarahamara Indians. I can’t remember the third tribe.
I’m excited to hear what anyone thinks about all of this.
I’m interested to hear more about this. I have not studied this topic yet. What are some books/articles that would be a good place to start?
And Kisi, by all means… keep commenting. Fascinating!
I do love this topic :) We know from Helaman 3: 9-12 that “many of the people of Ammon, who were Lamanites by birth, did also go forth into this land”, meaning the Land Northward. This was around 46 B.C., so this might be when and how some of these people referred to in D&C 3 were “led away”, or we might have them being led away towards the end of 4 Nephi or at the time of Mormon, or all three. We just know from D&C 3 that the Lord had righteous Nephites, Jacobites, Josephites, and Zoramites still on the earth and still holding the priesthood, which they had/have never lost as it was passed down through them by their fathers, at least up to the time of Joseph Smith receiving this revelation, 1838. And since it says in D&C 86:11 “Therefore, blessed are ye if ye continue in my goodness, a light unto the Gentiles, and through this priesthood, a savior unto my people Israel. The Lord hath said it. Amen”, we know the Lord has at least given them a chance to continue on until now.
There is also another group of Native Americans who live high up in the horrible desert mountains of Mexico. They have claim to have prophets and say they have the priesthood and say that the Savior has walked and talked with them always, but until a few years ago, they didn’t realize just exactly “who” He was. He always appeared to them as a Maracamé (“one who sees the spirits”, or in other words, a Holy Man). But several years ago, according to them, He told them that He is, by the way, Jesus Christ, and that they should go and gather the Native American peoples and get them to return to the ceremonies He had given them.
The terrible place where these people live reminds me of Jacob 5 where the Lord of the vineyard planted trees in the poorest spots of ground and even poorer spots of ground, but they brought forth much fruit. (verses 21-23).
As this is a somewhat older post I’m not sure anyone will read this comment (if posted of course) but in reading 1 Nephi 13 I found it fascinating that 9 times “the seed of thy brethren” is used but at the end of verse 30 it says “…God will not suffer that the Gentiles will utterly destroy the mixture of thy seed, which are among thy brethren”.
Then in verse 31 it refers back to seed of thy brethren.
Since there are no accidents in the BoM it really caught my attention. One of the references given are those in D&C 3 which have been referred to in above comments.
Then in verses 33 & 34 it refers to the remnant of the house of Israel.
There must be a reason for these differentiations which cause me to think remnants. I’m excited to search and pray more on this.