1 Nephi 19

Nephi is making the large and small plates. Once again, I find it helpful to write the word "small" where he says "these plates," and "large" where he says "first plates" or "other plates."

There will come a sad day when those who deny or criticize the Book of Mormon will realize that what they have actually been doing is denying Christ. There is no doubt that Nephi knows what he is writing is true. His last words will be his testimony that what he has written are the words of Christ and in this chapter he says that any weakness is not in the truth, but in his ability as a mortal to write about eternal things. If you can sense the surety of his belief, you can sense the truth that is in the Book of Mormon.

Nephi quotes three prophets we know nothing about, Zenos, Neum, and Zenock. Their writings were on the brass plates, but we don't have them. Zenos makes an interesting prophecy about the Jews. He says the Jews in Jerusalem will scourged by all people because they crucify their God and they turn their hearts aside and reject the signs, wonder, power, and glory of God. Because they "depised" Christ, they "will wander in the flesh and perish, and become a hiss and a byword, and be hated among all nations." There is no doubt as to the fulfillment of that prophecy. But, Zenos says that when the Jews no longer turn their hearts against Christ, he will remember the promises he made to Abraham and their other prophets, and will gather all the house of Israel, and through Israel, all the world will come see the that salvation is in Christ and all people will be blessed. If the Book of Mormon was a fraud, I wonder if Joseph Smith would have made the connection between condemning the Jews, which would be easy, and the fulfillment of the ancient covenants made to Israel regarding the last days.

Nephi issues a challenge that many in the church find very difficult, he tells us that to be more fully persuaded that Jesus is the Christ and Redeemer, we should read the words of Isaiah. Are you up for it?