1 AND it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld many nations and kingdoms. [ The view in the vision is changing from the view of just his brethren to a view that includes all of the nations of the world. ]

2 And the angel said unto me: What beholdest thou? [ Why would the angel ask such a question? This is a common pattern when they angel try's to make sure that the recipient of the message is getting the key points, or what the angel is trying to get across. Remember that Lehi did not see the filthy water so this angel is making sure that Nephi gets the key points of the vision but asking questions, and then responding to the answer. ] And I said: I behold many nations and kingdoms.

3 And he said unto me: These are the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles. [ Now the teaching point from the angel - this way there is no misunderstanding as to who the kingdoms are that Nephi is seeing. "the Gentiles", the Hebrew term "goyim" is translated to both "nations" and "Gentiles" in the KJV. The context of "Gentiles" is generally more exclusive as "Israel" isn't among the "Gentiles", but "nations" is generally all-inclusive. Often in the Book of Mormon we see the references to the Jews and The Gentiles. sometimes it is difficult to understand whom the text is speaking to. Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles provided help with this challenge: “Both Lehi and Nephi divide all men into two camps, Jews and Gentiles. The Jews were either the nationals of the kingdom of Judah or their descendants; all others were considered to be Gentiles. Thus, we are the Gentiles of whom this scripture speaks; we are the ones who have received the fulness of the gospel; and we shall take it to the Lamanites, who are Jews, because their fathers came from Jerusalem and from the kingdom of Judah” (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith [1985], 556). Elder McConkie also identified one gentile who would greatly assist in the Restoration: “Joseph Smith . . . was the Gentile by whose hand the Book of Mormon came forth, and the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . . . are the Gentiles who carry salvation to the Lamanites and to the Jews” (The Millennial Messiah [1982], 233).]

4 And it came to pass that I saw among the nations of the Gentiles [used in this context means all those who are not of Israel] the formation of a great church. ["a great church", a "church", from the Greek "ecclesia", or a synagogue, from the Greek "sunagoge", is a group of people and not an ecclesiastical organization. The "church" spoken of here is compared to the Great and Spacious Building which is in direct reference to the kind of people that are in the building. ]

5 And the angel said unto me: Behold the formation of a church which is most abominable above all other churches, [ Notes that it says "churches" it is plural indicating multiple churches existing outside of the "great and abominable church" proper. So does this suggest that there are some churches that are doing good and are not considered evil at least in comparison to the great and abominable church, their heart is in the right place they just do not understand yet? Hence they are trying to do good not evil. Is the difference those who fight against the Lamb of God and those who do not? Who is this church? The definition of who it is is found in 1 Ne 14:8-10. Chapters 13-14 identify the abominable church and it's practices. The behavior of those that belong is outlined in the following verses. So this church is based on behavior - not religion. "church" in our modern definition is usually equated with some sort of ecclesiastical edifice or religion as opposed to the people, here the reference to this "church" is a direct reference to "the kingdom of the devil". So in this case a church because it is the definition of the people who belong to it, their beliefs.] which [1] ^bslayeth the saints of God, [ How and where did this abominable church slay the saints? ] yea, [2] and tortureth them and bindeth them down, [ How did the abominable church bind the saints? Passing laws on how and where and what they could worship. ] and [3] yoketh them with a yoke of iron, and bringeth them down into captivity. [ the yoke of captivity is that they become subjects to the church, they are not taught to get or seek revelation on their own, to develop a relationship with God but rather their only change of any relationship with God is by staying in good standing in the church, and whatever the church teaches they must do.]

6 And it came to pass that I beheld this great and abominable church; and I saw the devil that he was the founder of it.

7 And I also saw gold, and silver, and silks, and scarlets, and fine-twined linen, and all manner of precious clothing; [ Focused on material or worldly things. ] and I saw many harlots. [ Symbolic - those who have many lovers, and then the are the actual harlots who trade sex for money and power, to get their own gain. Immorality usually follows perversion, apostasy, power and wealth. Temple context - the law of chastity. Here and verse 8. ]

8 And the angel spake unto me, saying: [4] Behold the gold, and the silver, and the silks, and the scarlets, and the fine-twined linen, and the precious clothing, and the harlots, are the desires of this great and abominable church. [ How does the desires of the church make it corrupt? First the desires are all world based, not eternal based. Hence they will do whatever is necessary to protect what they value, money and linen before right; it is all for the power, the prestige of the world. Knowing there inner thoughts and purpose help us understand the reason why they do what they do, and act as they act. ]

9 [5] And also for the praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God, [ What is the church looking for here? Power ! Prestiage! The same as those who are in the great and spacious building] and bring them down into captivity. [ How are those that follow or belong to this abominable church in captivity? ]

10 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld many waters; and they divided the Gentiles from the seed of my brethren. [ To this point his vision has been of the whole earth now it begins to focus down on his brethren. They are physically separated by the Ocean ]

11 And it came to pass that the angel said unto me: Behold the wrath of God is upon the seed of thy brethren. [ Remember this land was to be theirs (the Nephites) if they were righteous; now they have not been and God meets out his wrath upon them. ]

12 And I looked and beheld a man [ And who is the Man? President Ezra Taft Benson identified this man among the Gentiles as Christopher Columbus, symbolic of the early explorers and settlers as well. “God inspired ‘a man among the Gentiles’ (1 Nephi 13:12) who, by the Spirit of God was led to rediscover the land of America and bring this rich new land to the attention of the people in Europe. That man, of course, was Christopher Columbus, who testified that he was inspired in what he did. “‘Our Lord,’ said Columbus, ‘unlocked my mind, sent me upon the sea, and gave me fire for the deed. Those who heard of my enterprise called it foolish, mocked me, and laughed. But who can doubt but that the Holy Ghost inspired me?’ ( Jacob Wasserman, Columbus, Don Quixote of the Seas, pp. 19–20.)” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 577). Why did Nephi focus on Columbus and not Martin Luther, George Washington, or others who played important roles in preparing the way for Joseph Smith? One potential answer seems to be found in history. Columbus didn’t just discover America; he discovered the highway to America. By unlocking the secret of the trade winds, he made travel between Europe and the New World predictable and commercially feasible. And that changed everything. This discoverer unlocked what the Lord had locked away— the Promised Land of the Americas—and set in motion a series of events that would culminate with Joseph Smith and the Restoration. ] among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land. [ The Nephite land of promise is discovered by the Gentiles. ]

13 And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, [Captivity from What? See vs 5 Oppression from the abominable church, the torture, the killing of the saints, the yoke designed to bring them into captivity. The captivity of the Kings who ruled over them in France, England and Spain - Kings like James I of England - under which there was no semblance of freedom. ] upon the many waters.

14 And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles upon the land of promise; [not just one group of Gentiles came but there were many that came to the Nephite land of promise] and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten. [there is little doubt that from Columbus in the North to the Spaniards in the south that after they had reached the new world the brethren of Nephi were scattered]

15 And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, [ They were brought here because of the spirit that they had in them, their righteousness] that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the land for their inheritance; [ So what was once the land for Nephi and his brethren is at least shared at this point. The Gentile are righteous enough that they receive this land as their inheritance. So two thing s have happened here 1) Lamanites are punished for their wickedness, 2) Lord establishes Gentiles in the New World for his righteous purposes. ] and I beheld that they were white, and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they [ "before that they " in 1830 edition How could Joseph Smith have known? Biblical Hebrew begins subordinate clauses with prepositions plus a word that translates as that, such as in Ezekiel 40:1: "after that the city was smitten." Such a use of that in English is awkward and therefore rare. Yet it appears frequently in the Book of Mormon, another evidence of Hebrew influence. It was even more frequent in the 1830 edition, but many of the thats were dropped from later editions to read more smoothly.(The Maxwell Institute - Hebrew Background of the Book Of Mormon; John A. Tvedtnes) ] were slain.

16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them. [The power that protected, sustained, and inspired the American Continental Army also prophesied of their delivery to freedom. In particular, certain events of nature helped fulfill Nephi’s prophecy that “the power of the Lord [would be] with them.” President Joseph F. Smith linked the establishment of the United States of America with the Restoration of the gospel: “This great American nation the Almighty raised up by the power of his omnipotent hand, that it might be possible in the latter days for the kingdom of God to be established in the earth. If the Lord had not prepared the way by laying the foundations of this glorious nation, it would have been impossible (under the stringent laws and bigotry of the monarchical governments of the world) to have laid the foundations for the coming of his great kingdom. The Lord has done this” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 409).]

17 And I beheld that their mother Gentiles [ England, Britain... the places from which they came. ] were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them. [The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.]

18 And I beheld that the power of God was with them, [ These early settlers had God on their side, he wanted them to establish the American continent with good and humble people. ] and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle. [ Those who were part of the great and abominable church or kingdom. ]

19 And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations. [ Divine intervention was also significant in the American victory in the Revolutionary War. Just as the Lord protected and sustained Israel anciently, he also provided for those appointed to accomplish his purposes in the American struggle for independence. It had come time to establish a nation where the gospel could be restored, where the Church of Jesus Christ could flourish in a climate of religious freedom, and from where the gospel could be carried to all nations. Inspired and sacrificing leaders, 1 sustained by a power beyond themselves, would establish a remarkable new form of government. The time had come for the American colonists to gain their independence from England in order for Nephi’s prophecy of a people “delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations” to be fulfilled and for the gospel to be restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. ]

20 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land; [on account of their righteousness, so many more did follow.] and I beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them.

21 And the angel said unto me: Knowest thou the meaning of the book? [Angel trying to make sure the message that he is delivering is complete and understood by Nephi. So here we have the Angel putting the vision on pause so to speak; and the angel explaining to Nephi more detail about the book - it's purpose...]

22 And I said unto him: I know not. [ Why would Nephi have not recognized the need for the book? Remember Nephi went back to get the record from Laban see 1 Ne 3:20 So the Book must have been a little strangle to Nephi because he did not understand what it was or it's purpose. So the Angel recognizes this and goes on to explain so that he does comprehend. At this point Nephi knows only of his records the ones they got from Laban which contain the 5 books of Moses, the prophecies from the beginning to Zedekiah and the record of the Jews see 1 Ne 5 11-14 Moses was a Levite not a Jew]

23 And he said: Behold it [ The prophecies found in the Old Testament of the Bible. ] proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew. [ Note the use of words here "Mouth of a Jew" this is repeated 4 times by the Angel - Mouth of a Jew. What does this mean? It means as it was spoken by the Jew, the quotation of the Jew - Logia - or mouth-utterances. the quotations of the apostles and Jesus, know as the mouth -utterances. We know this from modern day findings. see Nibly Since Cummorrah pg 24. From lectures On Faith we learn that the first prophets actually knew Adam and Eve and heard from them first hand, and then wrote from what they had heard first hand. Lamech (the father of Noah), Methuselah, Enoch, Jared, Mahalaleel, Cainan, Enos, Seth, and Adam, were all living at the same time, and beyond all controversy were all preachers of righteousness - Lectures On Faith Lecture 2 The Bible come to us from who? The Jews. ] And I, Nephi, beheld it; and he said unto me: The book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews, which contains the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets; and it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass, [ This is the first mention of covenants in the Book Of Mormon, and it comes as a part of Nehpi's vision. So we are speaking of the old testament here - since the new testament did not exist in the brass plates. ] save there are not so many; [ So the brass plates contained more information than the bible as per the angel. The Book of Mormon references other prophets that are not spoken of in the bible, so one can conclude that their writings were also contained in the plates of brass. ] nevertheless, they contain the covenants of the Lord, [ So the reason why these books are of such great worth are because they contain the covenants that God has made with the House of Israel. Here we have direct linkage that the success or failure of the latter-day gentiles is related to whether they understand and keep the covenants that the Lord has given. ] which he hath made unto the house of Israel; wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles. [ So these gentiles that are coming to the new land believe in and value the bible. ]

24 And the angel of the Lord said unto me: Thou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel [ Temple context - the Law of the Gospel. It will be mentioned 7 times between here and the end of verse 36. ] of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God.

25 Wherefore, these things [ The old testament and the new testament? ] go forth from the Jews in purity [ So they were still pure when they left the hands of the Jews, the apostles. Whatever the Jews may have done wrong the did try their best to make record of the laws of God and their dealings with him - they were a chosen people. ] unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in God.

26 And after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, [ The new testament was written by the hand of members of the twelve apostles of Christ. In essence the change seems to occur right after or very quickly after the New Testament leaves the hands of the Apostles. ] from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; [ Elder Bruce R. Mc Conkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles defined the great and abominable church: “The titles church of the devil and great and abominable church are used to identify all . . . organizations of whatever name or nature—whether political, philosophical, educational, economic, social, fraternal, civic, or religious—which are designed to take men on a course that leads away from God and his laws and thus from salvation in the kingdom of God” (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 137–38). “Actually, no single known historical church, denomination, or set of believers meets all the requirements for the great and abominable church: it must have formed among the Gentiles; it must have edited and controlled the distribution of the scriptures; it must have slain the Saints of God, including the Apostles and prophets; it must be in league with civil governments and use their police power to enforce its religious views; it must have dominion over all the earth; it must pursue great wealth and sexual immorality; and it must last until close to the end of the world. No single denomination or system of beliefs fits the entire description. Rather, the role of Babylon has been played by many different agencies, ideologies, and churches in many different times. . . . “Can we, then, identify the historical agency that acted as the great and abominable church in earliest Christianity? Such an agent would have had its origins in the second half of the first century and would have done much of its work by the middle of the second century. “This period might be called the blind spot in Christian history, for it is here that the fewest primary historical sources have been preserved. We have good sources for New Testament Christianity; then the lights go out, so to speak, and we hear the muffled sounds of a great struggle. When the lights come on again a hundred or so years later, we find that someone has rearranged all the furniture and Christianity has become something very different from what it was in the beginning” (Stephen E. Robinson, “Warring against the Saints of God,” Ensign, Jan. 1988, 38–39). ] for behold, they [ Of the great and abominable church. ] have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; [ Or by holding back of precious gospel concepts intentionally, designed to keep the people ignorant of gospel truths deemed inconvenient to church exploits. Let's look at the task that St, Augustine and other had as they brought the bible forward. They believed that all revelation had ceased, so the Bible needed to have all uncertainties removed. This is according to what they deemed as infalliabilities or uncertainties, and many time they did not agree. But none the less this is how they pick and choose what to include and what to leave out , like the apocrypha. So they proceed to decide what is good and bad on their own - not realizing what they really needed to accomplish the task was revelation from God but since that did not exist in their minds it was not available to be asked for.

Comparing the current Old Testament with the Dead Sea scroll text Professor Albright said "Our Hebrew text has suffered much more from losses than from glosses" se Since Cummorah Nibly pg 23 . The finding of the Dead sea scroll brings this point to light. considerable amount of material is missing from the new testament. Note what is not being said - that what we have is corrupt, no it is just that much is missing. ] and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away. [ Covenant making process is also missing. ]

27 [ Now the why. ] And all this have they done that [1] they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, [ Make the ways of the Lord conform to the plans of men. So these here are planned. ] that they [2] might blind the eyes [ the farther we are removed from the trueth the less we see the power and influence of God in our lives.so the less we see of God's influence the blinder we become. See 2 Peter 1:9 the opposite of blindness is the ability to see; as we acquire the attributes of God we see things, spiritual things And the less blindness exists in their lives. ] and [3] harden the hearts of the children of men. [the heart is where conversion takes place, if our heart can be influenced to want the things of the things of this world only then there will be no room in the in so to speak for conversion to Christ- a hard heart will not let the spirit influence it]

[Look at the pattern here it is an exact replica of the mist of darkness which satan cause to come on the perople trying to make it to the tree as seen in 1 Ne 12:17 he blinds the eyes, then he can harden their hearts and then lead them along his path and away from the Lord's path to return to him.]

28 Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain [ In Hebrew means that path that is laid out before you. So he is saying you need to find the path. ] and precious [ In Hebrew these are considered your betrothal gifts, or the gifts that are given you to help prepare you and bring you to the bridegroom. ] things taken away from the book, [ Elder Jeffery R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained the meaning of “plain and precious”: “Elements . . . missing from the Bible were both ‘plain and most precious.’ They were plain in their simplicity and clarity, being easy to ‘the understanding of . . . men’; they were precious in their purity and profound worth, their saving significance and eternal importance to the children of God” (Christ and the New Covenant [1997], 5).] which is the book of the Lamb of God.

29 And after these plain and precious things were taken away [“Apparently the original manuscripts of the Bible disappeared very early.This seems particularly true of the New Testament. Sir Frederic Kenyon,one of the greatest textual scholars of the early twentieth century commented thus: ‘The originals of the several books have long ago disappeared.They must have perished in the very infancy of the Church; for no allusion is ever made to them by any Christian writer.’ Kenyon’s statement is particularly important to us because it means that for centuries there has not been an original Bible manuscript to guide the reader. Even in the early decades of the original Christian church, the original texts seem to have been absent. . . .] it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest—because of the many plain and precious things [ This is truth, knowledge that was taken out. They were taken out of the bible by the scribes in order for the scribes to gain power. This is why the Saviour spoke so boldly to these scribes who were a big part of the reason why the people did not know what to really look for in the Messiah, because they were removed(altered). This is one of the ways that Satan gains control over man. ] which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God—because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them. [ o in esence one of the ways that Satan gains control over man is by removing the plain and precious truths - the knowledge of what God is and what we need to do to have a character like his. Once this happens then there is really no way for u to alter our character to become like Gods because we are trying to hit the wrong mark, one that is not true or correct. “The angel [in 1 Nephi 13:21–29] makes it clear that he is not talking about subtle accidents of hand and eye, resulting in a few misplaced letters or words—the unplanned errors of copyists. He pointedly ascribes these changes to the planned editorial work of designing men [see 1 Nephi 13:27–28]. . . . “As we read the words of the angel, we discover that the world never has had a complete Bible, for it was massively—even cataclysmically—corrupted before it was distributed. Of course, in addition to the major willful corruption of the Bible in the early Christian era, the manuscripts have also continued to suffer the gradual and relatively mild changes, due to errors of hand and eye, that the scholars talk about. Thus there have been two processes at work: (1) a major, sudden, and deliberate editorial corruption of the text and (2) a gradual promulgation of variants that has occurred as a natural consequence of copying and translation” (Robert J. Matthews, A Bible! A Bible! [1990], 74–75). I suppose that there is a great deal of content speaking just as it does here about satans plan and what he is trying to do that was taken out of the bible. ]

30 Nevertheless, thou beholdest that the Gentiles who have gone forth out of captivity, and have been lifted up by the power of God above all other nations, upon the face of the land which is choice above all other lands, [ This land is choice above all of the other lands. See D&C 3:19-20 The blessing are associated with the land. God decides who comes to this land, he protects it from being over run, he leads certain groups to it, but in th ened the blessing and promises are tied to THE LAND. So we might look at another way. The land is blessed by the Lord, the people who come can be blessed or wiped out, they each have a choice but the land, it is a land of promise as the Lord has plans for the land, and what the Lord decides to do will happen. You can be a part of his purpose or you will suffer the consequences, but in the end the Lord will have his way. ] which is the land that the Lord God [ Hebrew - Yahweh ( or Jehovah which means "to become" or "to exist") translated as Lord; Elohim translated as God ("the Gods") which together the words mean "He will cause Gods to be". ] hath covenanted with thy father that his seed should have for the land of their inheritance; wherefore, thou seest that the Lord God will not suffer that the Gentiles will utterly destroy the mixture of thy seed, [ Intermarriage with the Lamanites? Intermariage with the Gentiles? ] which are among thy brethren.

31 Neither will he suffer that the Gentiles shall destroy the seed of thy brethren.

32 Neither will the Lord God [ Hebrew - Yahweh ( or Jehovah which means "to become" or "to exist") translated as Lord; Elohim translated as God ("the Gods") which together the words mean "He will cause Gods to be". ] suffer that the Gentiles shall forever remain in that awful state of blindness, [ 1st Ed. BofM has "woundedness"] which thou beholdest they are in, because of the plain [ In Hebrew means that path that is laid out before you. So he is saying you need to find the path. ] and most precious [ In Hebrew these are considered your betrothal gifts, or the gifts that are given you to help prepare you and bring you to the bridegroom. ] parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, whose formation thou hast seen.

33 Wherefore saith the Lamb of God: I will be merciful unto the Gentiles, unto the visiting of the remnant of the house of Israel in great judgment. [ Interesting to note that what is merciful to one (the Gentiles) is really judgement to another (Israel) - So one action accomplished two purposes. ]

34 And it came to pass that the angel of the Lord spake unto me, saying: Behold, saith the Lamb of God, after I have visited the remnant of the house of Israel—and this remnant of whom I speak is the seed of thy father—wherefore, after I have visited them in judgment, and smitten them by the hand of the Gentiles, and after the Gentiles do stumble exceedingly, because of the most plain and precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, which is the mother of harlots, saith the Lamb—I will be merciful unto the Gentiles in that day, insomuch that I will bring forth unto them, in mine own power, much of my gospel, which shall be plain and precious, saith the Lamb.

35 For, behold, saith the Lamb: I will manifest myself unto thy seed, [ What does the Lord do to complete this task? both thru his prophets and with a personal visitation some six hundred years after they leave Jerusalem, and finally through the translation of this record for them in the latter days. ] that they shall write many things which I shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious; and after thy seed shall be destroyed, and dwindle in unbelief, and also the seed of thy brethren, behold, these things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles, [ The Nephite record will be preserved, hid in a hillside until a later time , then come forth. Buried by Moroni and preserved some 14 centuries. So God is going to come visit the people on this land and they will keep a record of it so that those who will read it later will be able to know and understand for themselves. This record will be for both the remnant, those who are left behind as well as the gentiles who will come upon the land. ] by the gift and power of the Lamb. [ The whole translation process was one that involved many a miracle, from the Urimm and Thummin to the process itself, coming forth from an unlearned boy. The lost pages the list goes on. ]

36 And in them shall be written my gospel, saith the Lamb, and my rock and my salvation.

37 And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, [ This is an interesting reference here as Zion in the old testament usually means the mount or by extension the city of Jerusalem. Here he references the gathering place of the pure in heart (3 Ne 16:16-18, 2 Ne 26:29-31; 28:20-21; 24] for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up [ Exhalted. ] at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.

38 And it came to pass that I beheld the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the book of the Lamb of God, which had proceeded forth from the mouth of the Jew, that it [ The bible. ] came forth from the Gentiles unto the remnant of the seed of my brethren.

39 And after it had come forth unto them I beheld other books, [ Nephi see these other books. books is plural, So we could conclude that it means the BofM and D&C and PofGP and include conference reports.... It might even imply the sealed portion of the plates, but when you read in Ether 4:4-7 the time when the sealed portion will come forth is in a time when the Gentiles have repented and are clean, which will most likely not happen until Christ's reign on the earth during the millennium. Other related passages are 2 Ne. 29:12-14, 2 Ne. 30:15-18, Ether 4:13-17 and possibly Mormon 8:25-26. How could Joseph Smith have known this? What are the Books that we know of that are being referenced here ?] which came forth by the power of the Lamb, from the Gentiles unto them, unto the convincing of the Gentiles and the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the Jews who were scattered upon all the face of the earth, that the records of the prophets and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are true.

40 And the angel spake unto me, saying: These last records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, [ Book Of Mormon, D&C, Pearl of Great Price and Joseph Smiths translation of parts of the bible. ] shall establish the truth of the first, [ "the first" is a reference to the new testament. What are the purposes of the Book of Mormon? That God is consistent, that God has a plan, the Bible. So by having additional sources of truth we have corroborating witnesses so to speak. see also Mormon 7:8–9; D&C 20:8–12. What are some doctrines that are difficult to understand in the Bible but plain and precious in the Book of Mormon? the Atonement, resurrection, and baptism. These doctrines are taught clearly in the Book of Mormon. For example, Alma 11:42–45, which teaches plain and precious truths about the Atonement and resurrection, or 3 Nephi 11:21–26 and Moroni 8:11–12, which teach plain and precious truths about baptism.) How does the Book of Mormon help make the Bible more understandable to us and how does it increase our testimony of the Bible? "these last records" includes the Book Of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Joseph Smith Translation. To which all of these records will help bear witness of the Lamb of God and make more clear the writings of the New Testament. ] which are of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved.

41 And they must come according to the words which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb; and the words of the Lamb shall be made known in the records of thy seed, as well as in the records of the twelve apostles of the Lamb; wherefore they both shall be established in one; for there is one God and one Shepherd over all the earth.

42 And the time cometh that he shall manifest himself unto all nations, [ Speaking primarily here of his manifestation thru the scriptures as that is the train of context at this point in the vision and the purpose of the Books. ] both unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles; and after he has manifested himself unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles, then he shall manifest himself unto the Gentiles and also unto the Jews, and the last shall be first, [ The last = the Gentiles; shall be given the restored Gospel will be given first. ] and the first shall be last. [ The first = chosen Israel; shall be the last to receive the gospel. So the Lord is dealing at the present time with the Gentiles first and Israel second that will change in the second coming. ]