Ye are Laying the Foundation of a Great Work

This is an answer to a question I had as I read 3 Nephi 21:22-29. I marveled as I read the passage about the “great work” which the Father would commence after the building of the New Jerusalem. I wondered, “how can that be, I thought we were gathering the world now?” But the passage is very clear and leaves little room for re-interpretation as “imagery.”

The great work the Father will do, to gather scattered Israel in, commences after New Jerusalem is built. We Gentiles have a role to assist in that work in assisting in the building of the city, but the Nephite’s descendants will be major players in that work.

So, to restate, I wondered, “what are we doing now then?” Then Spirit whispered to me in response, a passage from D&C 64:33. The verse reads, “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.” There’s more on this in the surrounding scriptures, but the context is clear. Out part of the Father’s great work in gathering in scattered Israel is we’re laying the foundation upon which that work will take place.

My prayers have always been that, “rather than be the mighty tree on the top of the hill, Lord I’m content to be the best bush I can be on the side of it.” Well, the foundation of a building is pretty important. I'm grateful for the opportunity to contribute.

A Case for the Ohio River Valley

I think one of the archeological evidences for Book of Mormon events occurring here in North America are the fortresses described in 3rd Nephi. This is the time of the Great Siege I wrote about a year ago. There is evidence among the Hopewell ruins in the Ohio River valley which I think fit well with what happens in the Book of Mormon.

From it, we get the sense Zarahemla is to the West and Bountiful is to the East. Between them is the “center of the land” where the Nephites and Lamanites go to outlast the Gadianton Robbers. Next to Zarahemla is the Sidon River. Here’s how I see the match.

Zarahemla to the West: Havana Hopewells. The older Hopewell sites are along the West side of the Mississippi and run South to Florida. The ruins in the Appalachian mountains aren’t considered Hopewell because they use a different mode of burial. Interestingly enough, the mode these people use is more like how the Egyptians did it than the Hopewells. I’m just sayin’.

Bountiful to the East: Ohio Hopewells. The archaeological evidence shows the Hopewells migrated East and then began to shrink towards upstate New York. There, the last of their culture disappears around 450-500 AD. Cumorah anyone?

The Center of the Land: Crab Orchard Culture. This is the interesting part. In Southern Illinois there is an escarpment running the length of the state. If you look at the Ohio River to the East and where it joins the Mississippi to the South and with the Mississippi to the West, you see a bowl. Running in a line forming the rim of the bowl is the escarpment and all along it are the ruins of ancient fortresses. Picture yourself… you have wide rivers that are impassable by armies on three sides: East, South and West. Along the North side you have the escarpment and at the top of it, running its full length are these fortresses. It would be a great place for a large population to outlast an enemy.

Obviously, I don’t know for certain, but it’s a compelling match of what’s described in the Book of Mormon with what exists unmistakably in the archeology. Even the timing is right. Is it? It seems like it to me. The Meso-America advocates will disagree, but that’s what makes it fun to debate these things.

Helaman 6 - The Rise of the Secret Combinations

At the end of chapter five, a miraculous event occurs: the converted Lamanites give back to the Nephites all the lands they’d taken from them. It ushers in a period of unprecedented prosperity for both peoples. They have free run of both nations. Then an interesting role reversal occurs: the Lamanites become more righteous than the Nephites. They are the ones who send missionaries to reclaim the other.

While this happens, Nephi and Lehi leave for the northern lands as missionaries. We’re given no geographic markers for where this land is. For me, it’s a quandary since lately I’ve been in the Heartland camp when it comes to where the Lamanite and Nephite nations existed. For those who are wondering, that means I think there’s a compelling case for the Book of Mormon events transpiring here in the North American continent, particularly in the Ohio River valley and adjoining areas of the Upper Mississippi river basin. Yet this undefined "northern lands" could be that area too, which is an argument for the Nephites and Lamanites being in Mesoamerica. Anyway, it’s fun to contemplate.

While they are gone: they leave in the 63rd year and return in the 69th, things go from bad to worse for the Nephites. Like a cancer, the Gadiantons spread from the more wicked parts of the Nephites, my guess is the big cities, until all are seduced into the band. This is a huge warning to us. We must be engaged in protecting ourselves and families as the Lamanites were from the seductive voices of the adversary. The siren voices of the world are compelling if we let them steal the stage.

That it happened to the Nephites is a warning that it can happen to us too. We should be grateful Mormon shows us how to make a positive difference in this fight.

Alma 25-28 - The End of the Mission

I must admit, the previous post was a lot of fun to write and contemplate. If you haven’t read it and are interested in knowing how I roll, reading it will give you a good idea. Now, on with the rest of the Book of Mormon story…

Many of the unconverted Lamanites, mostly Nehors, are so angry with the Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s they begin to make war again on them, again. With the death of the king, things go from bad to worse. Other than be destroyed, their only recourse is to flee to the Nephites and beg for their mercy and protection. This is what Ammon begs the new king to choose. He agrees to it on one condition, that Ammon inquire of the Lord to get His will in the matter.

Ammon does ask and the answer comes back a resounding “yes!” He's told to get this people out because Satan has such great hold upon the hearts of the Lamanites. Talk about an act of faith! They leave behind everything they can’t carry and flee into the wilderness just on Ammon’s assurance this is what the Lord wants them to do. Their best hope is becoming slaves to the Nephites. They flee. When they get to the wilderness dividing the two nations, they wait.

It’s while they're here, Alma meets them. The rest of the story is well known. It begins a theme that continues throughout the rest of the Book of Alma. Ever after when Lamanites seek asylum amongst the Nephites, they do so by renouncing war and burying their weapons in the ground as proof of their intent. It sets an interesting context for a tradition I read about that exists among the Hopi indians, that their ancestors did this same thing long ago. I’ve wondered if the two are related.

Mosiah 19-20 - The End of Noah

This section covers decades of time. It covers the subjugation of the people of Noah, his death by fire and the reign of his son, Limhi. There are a few things that pique my interest in this story.

One of the standout aspects is we are shown just how despicable and low Noah and his priests were. When the kingdom is being overrun, Noah persuades those near him to abandon their wives and flee from the invading Lamanites. He suffers death by fire at the hands of those who followed him, when he orders them to not go back to their families.

His priests are not much better. Rather than return home, they flee when Noah is killed, forever abandoning their own families. Later, they kidnap twenty-four Lamanite daughters for new wives and then steal food from the Nephites. What surprises me is when they re-unite with the Lamanites, the king doesn’t just kill them, but it’s a different culture.

Another thing I found interesting is the manner which the Nephite men use their wives and children to try and save their lives. They place their women and children in front of them to plead for their lives to the approaching Lamanites. It sounds strange to us, yet there is a precedent in the Bible. Jacob does something similar when he meets his brother Esau for the first time after going to get a wife. (See Genesis 33:2)

The last thing I’ll mention is, for me, the most interesting. It’s how the people who fled with Noah recount his death to the Nephites who went looking for them. The men of Gideon find them preparing to return to Nephi when they tell the story in a ceremony. What kind of ceremony? Mormon makes no mention of it, so it wasn't unusual to him. But who in our day knows what this is? It seems obvious to me if Joseph Smith was making this up, he’d explain it, but he doesn’t. The story goes right on without a word of explanation on why a ceremony would be used in this manner. It’s a mystery.