1 BUT, behold, in the last days, or in the days of the Gentiles— [ Continuing on from 2 Ne. 26:14-33 where Nephi defined the last days as the time when the Book of Mormon would come forth. Now he further defines it as a time when the gentiles come forth, this helps provide two reference points as to when the time of the last days will be. ] yea, behold all the nations of the Gentiles and also the Jews, both those who shall come upon this land and those who shall be upon other lands, yea, even upon all the lands of the earth, behold, they will be drunken with iniquity and all manner of [ The day of the Gentiles is not a good day. ] abominations— [ Is a broader term and covers every thought, deed, and attitude that is offensive to a God who “cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance” (Alma 45:16; D&C 1:31). All mankind is guilty of abominations. Whether we call it sin, iniquity, wickedness, evil, or what have you, it is all abomination; it is all reflective of a carnal mind and, therefore, of ungodliness. ]

2 And when that day shall come they shall be visited of the Lord of Hosts [ What exactly does “host” mean? The phrase “Lord of Hosts” is the same as the “Lord of Sabaoth.” “The Lord of Sabaoth was a title of Jehovah; the hosts were the armies of Israel (1 Sam. 17:45), but also included the angelic armies of heaven” (Bible Dictionary, “Sabaoth,” ] , with thunder and with earthquake, and with a great noise, and with storm, and with tempest, and with the flame of devouring fire.

3 And all the nations that fight against Zion, [ the old testament version Isa 29:8 has "Ariel". Nephi omits this and inserts "Zion" to make it fit the Gentile context. His use of "Zion" instead of "Ariel" isn't a problem as the title "Ariel" is employed by Isaiah in the
very next verse, cf. Isa. 29:8. See also D&C 84:2 for an equation of Mount Zion with New Jerusalem. ] and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision; yea, it shall be unto them, even as unto a hungry man which dreameth, and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his soul is empty; or like unto a thirsty man which dreameth, and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite; yea, even so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion.

4 For behold, all ye that doeth iniquity, stay yourselves and wonder, for ye shall cry out, and cry; yea, ye shall be drunken but not with wine, ye shall stagger but not with strong drink.

5 For behold, the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. For behold, ye have closed your eyes, and ye have rejected the prophets; and your rulers, and the seers hath he covered because of your iniquity.

[ Quoting fragments from Isa 29:11-12 these words are used to parallel the writings of the Lehites being manifested and the rejected by the Gentiles.]

6 And it shall come to pass 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". ] shall bring forth unto you [ Nephi has be talking about how bad the gentiles will be and now he prophecies of what can change all of that, something that will com eforward to instigate change. ] the words of a book, [ The words or characters that are upon the plates of gold. Those words will need to be translated through revelation. So what we are getting here is the distinction that these are the words, the prophecies of these ancient prophets. It is not just their book(the physical book), but their thoughts. ] and they shall be the words of them which have slumbered. [ We need to be careful in our reading here, What is coming forth is "the words of a book", not a book itself. The words that it contains have been lost for some time. From here to verse 20 Nephi is careful to clearly state if he is speaking of "the Book" which he will sometimes do, and the words of the book which he will do as well. ]

7 And behold the book shall be sealed; [ A sealed book in the Hebrew language means that it is an encrypted book. It is encrypted on purpose as it was a tradition of the prophetic in the house of Israel. How is it encrypted and what does that mean? You will get a story of Lehi and his family leaving Jerusalem, you get a story of Nephi and the plates, or building the boat... With encryption the way the story is told is designed to tell a much more ancient story. With a sealed book we should look for the Prophetic past, the Prophetic Present and the Prophetic Future. (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdAKVw1rI_w ) So the story that you take away from the book of mormon all depends on your approach to the story. So if I approach the book of mormon with Genesis and the creation in mind I will get a different story than it I just take it from the prophetic present I will just see the story of Nephi and alma, and lehi... And if I look at it from the prophetic future I will see the cycle of prophecy or the beginning of the earth to the end of the earth. In the Israelite Prophetic, a sealed book is a record that is not only encrypted but kept from our understanding until the time is right or the people are prepared. There are traditionally 4 levels of interpretation: 1. Peshat - Literal meaning; 2. Remez - Symbols, Allegory, Metaphor, prophetic hints; 3.D'rash- Drawing from similar teachings from earlier teachings; 4.sod-The mystical meaning or those things regarding the council in heaven. In the prophetic tradition a sealed text is one story that conceals stories and teaching within the story itself. It may conceal a story of the past, or conceal a story of the present or a story of the future, or conceal a story regarding the Heavens/Ascension/Translation and it may conceal many of these all at the same time. Regarding the quantity of plates that are still sealed up, H. Donl Peterson, a professor emeritus of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University, stated: We are not told specifically how many of the Book of Mormon plates were sealed, but Elder Orson Pratt stated that it was two- thirds of them. This figure has been widely accepted because of the popularity of Elder Pratt's writings (see Journal of Discourses 3:347). David Whitmer, one of the three special witnesses who actually saw the plates is reported to have said that "about the half of the book was sealed" (Poulson 2). Elder George Q. Cannon wrote that one-third of the plates were sealed (25), while the Prophet Joseph Smith simply stated, "The volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed" (History of the Church 4:537). If the highest estimate is correct and two-thirds of the plates were sealed, that would mean there are the equivalent of 1,062 pages sealed since there are 531 pages in the current Book of Mormon. That would make a total of 1,593 possible pages had the whole set of plates been translated. Since Moroni engraved the sealed-portion plates as well as 51 pages in the Book of Mormon, his total of 1,113 pages written would be about 70 percent of the total plates delivered to Joseph Smith. If the smaller estimate is correct, then the numbers would be lower with about 266 pages sealed, making a total of 797 pages. Moroni would then have written 317 pages, or approximately 40 percent of the plates handed to Joseph Smith (see Peterson 47). However much Moroni wrote, he clearly fulfilled a very important writing assignment, possibly even larger than father. This quotation excerpted from pages 242-243 of the _Fourth Nephi Through Moroni, From Zion to Destruction, Papers from the Ninth Annual Book of Mormon Symposium_, 1994, Edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. Regarding the contents of the still sealed portion, it is largely a matter of speculation. This verse states "in the book shall be a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof". We know from Moroni's comments in Ether 4:4 and Ether 5:1 that he had access to the 24 gold plates of Ether, from which he made the abridgement. In Ether 4:6-7 the Lord offers the full account to the Gentiles when and if they are clean before him. Thus, we might assume they are part of the sealed portion or that Moroni transcribed them in full onto the sealed portion of the plates. We might also assume from Alma 37:3-7 that the sealed portion contains the Brass Plates from Laban. Both Moroni and Nephi commented on the contents of the sealed part of the plates; they both gave similar testimonies that supplement each other. Nephi, quoting Isaiah, said that the sealed portion contained "a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof" (2 Nephi 27:7; see v. 10). Moroni described the sealed portion more specifically, saying it contained the vision shown unto the brother of Jared of "all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be . . . unto the ends of the earth" (Ether 3:25). Thus the sealed portion will establish once and for all that God does know all things from the beginning and has revealed them periodically to his prophets so that the people will not give credit to idols or men for his great works on the earth (see 1 Nephi 19:23; 20:3-7; Isaiah 48:3-7). (Monte S. Nyman, "Other Ancient American Records Yet to Come Forth," in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, vol. 10, num. 1, 2001, pp. 57,58). ] and in the book shall be a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof.

[ From here to verse 20 Nephi will be teaching us using Isaiah 29:11-12 as the reference. ] 8 Wherefore, because [ The reason why. ] of the things which are sealed up, the things which are sealed shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and abominations of the people. Wherefore the book shall be kept from them.

9 But the book [ The gold plates themselves. ] shall be delivered unto a man, [ Joseph Smith. ] and he [ Joseph Smith. ] shall deliver the words of the book, [ Will translate the words from the book to the scribe. ] which are the words of those who have slumbered in the dust, and he [ Is this the scribe? ] shall deliver these words unto another; [ Would this be the delivery to Martin Harris? Or is it the delivery to the printer? ]

10 But the words [ The characters that are on the gold plates. ] which are sealed [ Those that are hidden, or protected. ] he [ Joseph Smith. ] shall not deliver, [ Will not translate. ] neither shall he deliver the book. [ Nor the plates of gold, the physical book. ] For the book shall be sealed [ The rest of the book is hidden for a reason. ] by the power of God, and the revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the own due time of the Lord, [ At some point in the future the Lord will revelat the portion that is sealed but not yet. ] that they may come forth; for behold, they reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof. [ This is a little like what Moses was told. God told him that he could not show him all things and allow him to remain on the earth. (Moses 1:5) ]

11 And the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ; and all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the earth.

[ Refenece to the 3 witnesses and the the 8 witnesses of the book of mormon. ]

12 Wherefore, at that day when the book shall be delivered unto the man of whom I have spoken, the book shall be hid from the eyes of the world, that the eyes of none shall behold it save it be that three witnesses shall behold it, [ Who were Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer. ] by the power of God, besides him to whom the book shall be delivered; and they shall testify to the truth of the book and the things therein.

13 And there is none other which shall view it, [ The book, the gold plates themselves. ] save it be a few [ The 8 witnesses and Mary Whitmer who all saw the gold plates from which came the Book of Mormon was translated. We've got various people who see the plates, but the vast, vast majority of the human population, no access to the plates. They're only going to get the words. ] according to the will of God, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men; for 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 said that the words of the faithful should speak as if it were from the dead.

14 Wherefore, 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". ] will proceed to bring forth the words of the book; and in the mouth of as many witnesses as seemeth him good will he establish his word; and wo be unto him that rejecteth the word of God!

[ Verses 15-18 the exchange between Martin Harris and Professor Charles Anthon. ]

15 But behold, it shall come to pass 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". ] shall say unto him to whom he shall deliver the book: [ Joseph Smith. ] Take these words [ The translation of the book. ] which are not sealed and deliver them to another, [ Martin Harris. This is a broader scope could be a missionary, or a member giving them to another. ] that he may show them unto the learned, [ Charles Anthon in New York City specifically, but "the learned" is plural, suggesting that the intellectuals of the world may have this attitude. We can be learned in all kinds of different ways. One may think that they are learned because they understand the Bible and for that reason they will reject the words of Mormon. ] saying: Read this, I pray thee. [ Is this not something that missionaries do every day of the week? Members as well, give the Book Of Mormon to one and ask them to read it. ] And the learned shall say: [ Charles Anthon specifically, but "the learned" is plural, suggesting that the intellectuals of the world will have this attitude. ] Bring hither the book, [ The actual plates. Is this not a general response today. "Give me the plates. I want proof. I want evidence. Show me that there's a material artifact. You give me actual intellectual evidence, then I'll read your words." We need to remember that while the plates may convince, they alone will not convert; it is the spirit found in the words that will convert. ] and I will read them. [ I will translate them myself. So we can re-render verse 15 as: Take these words, the Book of Mormon. Deliver them to missionaries. They'll take them to the learned, the world, and the learned will say, "Well, bring hither the book”, the plates, because we will believe hard cold evidence. ]

16 And now, because [ The reason for the learned to act the way that they will. ] of the glory of the world and to get gain will they [ The learned of the world. ] say this, and not for the glory of God.

17 And the man shall say: [ Whether it's a missionary or Martin Harris or whatever. ] I cannot bring the book, for it is sealed. [ The man shall say, "I can't bring the book it's sealed." What wait a minute, if this book is so important where ias all of the additional evidence? What does it imply that it is sealed(hidden)? How is it sealed? If you do not want to open it, read it, study it at least give it a chance then yes it is sealed because We've never dug up a sign that says, "Welcome to Bountiful" well maybe that is not true - there is one of them in Davis county; but i don;t think we have found a cave where Nephi wrote on the wall, "Nephi was here." There is not any remains of the plates, nothing. There is no exact proof for the unbeliever. However to those who will open the book and study from it they can testify of the truth that it contains, they do so not with the empirical proof needed by the world, but with the spiritual evidence needed by one who seeks truth. ]

18 Then shall the learned say: I cannot read it. [ Or Fine, you won't give me evidence. You won't play the scientific game. Forget it. Then this book is not worth my time. ]

19 Wherefore it shall come to pass, 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". ] will deliver again the book and the words thereof to him that is not learned; [ Specifically Joseph Smith; but then in light of "the learned" from above we are talking about one who is open, they don't know everything, they are willing to read, and study, listen and learn. ] and the man that is not learned shall say: I am not learned.

20 Then shall the Lord God say unto him: [ The man that is not learned. ] The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work; [ It is interesting to note that throughout the scriptures God says that he is “able” whereas the best we can do is be “willing” When we partake of the sacrament, we witness that we are “willing” to take upon us Christ’s name, not that we are “able.” ] wherefore thou shalt read the words [ Referring to the man that is not learned in vs 19. God's response to Joseph is, yeah, you are not a scholar. Put the plates on the other side of the table. Read the words. This is not a scholarly affair. It's not an academic endeavor. This is not a technical translation. This is I'm giving you the words. You give those words to the world, and the world won't have access to the plates. They've got to deal with the words alone. ] which I shall give unto thee.

21 Touch not the things which are sealed, for I will bring them forth in mine own due time; for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work. [ compare with vs 23, 29:9; Ezek 34:11-16; D&C 52:11; D&C 88:73. ]

22 Wherefore, when thou hast read the words which I have commanded thee, and obtained the witnesses which I have promised unto thee, then shalt thou seal up the book again, [ Can you picture Nephi saying here what on earth is God doing? Why on earth would God give us the words without any decisive evidence(be able to show the plates to the world)? What kind of crazy move is that, especially in the modern scientific era? Does God not recognize what's going on? The answer will come in the next verse "to save men according to their faith". Or I am not going to give you scientific proof of these things, that is not how I work. I will give you witnesses, I will give you the words, ] and hide it up unto me, that I may preserve the words which thou hast not read, until I shall see fit in mine own wisdom to reveal all things unto the children of men.

23 For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; a [ This is often used by anti's to show that Joseph was really stealing from Pauls writings. Nephi appears to be paraphrasing Isaiah when he writes God's declaration: "For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday today and forever." (2 Ne. 27:23) Joseph never outright says this is from Isaiah; we only know Nephi is paraphrasing Isaiah because the preceding verses happen to match Isaiah 29. Without announcing it, the Book of Mormon claims to be restoring lost portions of Isaiah 29 that are now gone from the traditional canon. This is possible because Isaiah's more complete writings were available to the Nephites on the plates of brass. This would mean that Paul isn't the originator of the phrase "God is the same yesterday, today and forever." Rather, Paul would be quoting the lost Isaiah. The Nephites aren't stealing a futuristic phrase centuries before it existed; Paul is the one using the phrase centuries after the Nephite authors were reading the unblemished Isaiah on the brass plates. ] and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.

24 And again it shall come to pass that the Lord shall say unto him that shall read the words that shall be delivered him:

25  Forasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, [ Kind of the same words that were given to the prophet Joseph Smith in the sacred grove. ] but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear towards me [ The ways of man seem to be the norm on the earth with just a few exceptions. ] is taught by the precepts of men—

26 Therefore, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, yea, a marvelous work and a wonder, [ This phrase "marvelous work" included the following definitions of what it means: 1) Events that God will use to sift the world( 1 Ne. 14:7); 2) Bare forth the arm of the Lord (1 Ne.22:8); 3)Two latter day Messiahs - One real and one fake( 2 Ne. 25:17-18); 4)The marvelous work will cause the wisdom of the world to perish (2 Ne. 27:26); 5)All of the records of Israel will testify of these things (2 Ne. 29:1,3,7,13,14); 6) Will bear record that Gos is the same yesterday, today, and forever(3 Ne.21:9); 7)The three Nephites and John The Beloved have a role to play in the marvelous work of the last days (3 Ne. 28:31,29,33) ] for the wisdom of their wise and learned shall perish, [ This will come at a time when the antichrist is in power, his power will be so over powering that even the elect will have been deceived. But as the Lord bares forth his power to the earth he will also unleash the truths that have been overshadowed by the antichrist. ] and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid.

27 And wo unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel [ This is Isaiah language (Isaiah 29:15). “Counsel” is usually a positive word in our religious discussions, but here the, “counsel” refers to secret conversations or conspiracies. ] from the Lord! And their works are in the dark; and they say: Who seeth us, and who knoweth us? And they also say: Surely, your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay. But behold, I will show unto them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that I know all their works. For shall the work say of him that made it, he made me not? Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, he had no understanding? [ The general idea is that just as ancient Israel rebelled against the Lord; the present day church are doing likewise in rebelling against him. And the Lord will do a great and marvelous work which will be used to confound them. ]

28 But behold, saith the Lord of Hosts: I will show unto the children of men that it is yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field; [ Orson Hyde, in his dedicatory prayer in Jerusalem, said: “Grant, therefore, O Lord, in the name of Thy well-beloved son, Jesus Christ, to remove the barrenness and sterility of this land, and let springs of living water break forth to water its thirsty soil. Let the vine and the olive produce in their strength, and the fig-tree bloom and flourish. Let the land become abundantly fruitful when possessed by its rightful heirs; let it again flow with plenty to feed the returning prodigals who come home with a spirit of grace and supplication; upon it let the clouds distil virtue and richness, and let the fields smile with plenty. Let the flocks and the herds greatly increase and multiply upon the mountains and the hills. …” (DHC, vol. 4, p. 457. Italics added.) ] ; and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest.

29 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. [ We need to remember that this will not take place if we're defending the words always on intellectual grounds, trying to show that it's defensible. If that is all that we are doing we have missed the boat, that is not how the blind will see. ]

30 And the meek also shall increase, and their joy shall be in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

31 For assuredly as the Lord liveth they shall see that the terrible one is brought to naught, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off;

32 And they that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught.

33 Therefore, thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.

34 But when he seeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.

35 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.