Rod Meldrum Archives — Denver Snuffer

3 Nephi 21: 4:

“For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth from them unto a remnant of your seed, that the covenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of Israel;“

Christ attributes the wisdom of this plan to “the Father.”

The gentiles will be set up “in this land.” What land has become a land for free people “by the power of the Father?” The most common answer is the United States. That is the conclusion of Meldrum and Porter in their book Prophecies and Promises – The Book of Mormon and the United State of America.

The “wisdom of the Father” decrees that the gentiles will receive the record and the land where Christ visited the Nephites. Why is it wise for this to be the case?

From the gentiles, who inherit the record, the record will “come forth from them unto a remnant of your seed.” The gentiles receive it first, then it will come from them to the “remnant.” Who are the gentiles? Do the Latter-day Saints have the record? Even though they are in possession of the record, they are nonetheless called “gentiles”

Note that the “covenant of the Father” is the reason for these events to unfold. Why is the unfolding history of the remnant, gentiles and house of Israel to fulfill “the covenant of the Father?” What was/is Christ’s role in the process? If Christ is directly involved, why is it nevertheless the “covenant of the Father?”

Christ refers to the objects of the covenant as “his people” – the Father’s people. This is an important transition in the description. These people belong to the Father! Immortality and eternal life is a family affair. Christ’s harvest of souls is for the glory of the Father. If there were any doubt of Christ’s motivation and selfless service, His comments here remove that doubt.

From what source does the gentile freedom come?

If gentile freedom is based on the Father’s power, how vulnerable is their hold on freedom if they rebel and reject the Father? How much credit can the gentiles take for establishing their land of freedom? To whom should gratitude flow for the gentile freedom?

The backdrop Christ gives to our history is wholly based on the Father’s will, covenants and design for mankind. We tend to question how involved the Father and His Son are in the daily events of life. From Christ’s statement here, how involved are they?

I used to view the subject of where the events in Book of Mormon took place as one of those trivial matters (2 on my earlier scale). However, I’ve found that FARMS has become quite animated about the subject. They are quite critical of the North American model. This has somewhat raised the subject’s importance in my view.

There are two views. One is that the events took place in Central America. The other is that they occurred in North America. The best explanation of the Central American setting is John Sorenson’s book: An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, published by FARMS. The best defense of the North American setting is Bruce Porter and Rod Meldrum’s book Prophecies and Promises – The Book of Mormon and the United States of America. FARMS gave a very critical review of the Porter/Meldrum book.

I used to think this subject was unimportant enough to allow it to remain undecided. After reading both sides’ arguments, I am inclined to believe it has more significance if you accept Bruce Porter and Rod Meldrum’s view. If you accept their view, then Joseph Smith knew something more about the Book of Mormon’s events than Sorenson advances. Also the fit of Book of Mormon prophecies into a highly focused unfolding of events also follows. In fact, the D&C comes into sharper focus when you accept the Porter/Meldrum view.

I am inclined to now view this as an important or very important issue (7 or 8 on my earlier scale). I think everyone ought to read those two books and decide the subject for themselves. Since the Sorenson book was written first, and the Porter/Meldrum book is somewhat a response to it, I think they should be read in that order.