The Book of Mormon tells us that ancient America, like modern America, was originally characterized by the pursuit of freedom and the exercise of faith in God - in other words, there was freedom and faith in ancient America.
Through extensive genetic, archeological and scriptural research, some have come to identify North America - specifically, the American heartland - as the location for Book of Mormon events. I believe this to be the case. The FIRM Foundation has produced an online article about the scriptural basis for Nephi's promised land being found in North America. You can see more information about this in my article about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.
I'll leave most of the job of proving the ancient location of America to these articles, but for now, let it suffice me to point out these words of Nephi, connecting his homeland with that of latter-day America - a land free of the kings of Europe and the military dictatorships of South and Central America:
Ancient America's Founding Fathers
Like latter-day America, ancient America had founding fathers who eschewed political power.
The Land of Nephi
Nephi tells us of his reluctance to be king, or to give his people a king:
"And it came to pass that they would that I should be their king. But I, Nephi, was desirous that they should have no king; nevertheless, I did for them according to that which was in my power." (2 Nephi 5:18)
(see the whole account of the establishment of the land of Nephi in 2 Nephi 5:5-19)
Alma the Elder Refused to Be Made King Over the Land of Helam
Following his missionary efforts, an incredible baptism experience (see Mosiah 18), and their hasty flight from the armies of king Noah, Alma's converts sought to make him their king. Alma refused, preferring not to establish any kind of government other than what must have been an occasional "town hall meeting". His reasons for refusing are surprisingly personal. The following was his response:
(see Mosiah 23:7-9)
King Mosiah's Reasons for Establishing the Reign of the Judges
King Mosiah, the son of king Benjamin, proposed to his people that they abolish the reign of kings and institute in their place a characteristically American solution to the need for government: a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people". He gave the following as his reasons for doing this:
Government of the People, for the People, and By the People in Ancient America
Mosiah's solution to the need for government was to establish a system of judges - a chief judge, who was the executive officer, a system of higher and lower judges that were elected by the voice of the people.
Checks and Balances in Ancient America
Mosiah also instituted another American feature of government: a system whereby the higher and lower judges could "check" each other in the use (or abuse) of their powers:
It defies reason to think that king Mosiah could establish so complex a system of government as that described in Mosiah 29 and not leave them a set of instructions for its management - a constitution! While, admittedly, we do not have a parchment copy or any body of written text in the Book of Mormon that really adds up to a constitution, I still posit that they had one in ancient America. There are evidences of it all over the Book of Mormon.
Alma the Younger, the Nephites' first chief judge, describes how the government operated after king Mosiah's passing:
"Now it came to pass that in the first year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, from this time forward, king Mosiah having gone the way of all the earth, having warred a good warfare, walking uprightly before God, leaving none to reign in his stead; nevertheless he had established laws, and they were acknowledged by the people; therefore they were obliged to abide by the laws which he had made." (Alma 1:1)
The laws of Mosiah established the following:
God-given Just Laws and Principles of Government in Ancient America
Note that the people at the time of Helaman recognized that they had trampled under their feet laws which God had commanded Mosiah to give them. Whenever a government - be it a king over a monarchy or a president of a republic - can be said to be just, it is because its laws come from God.
King Mosiah emphasized the importance of incorporating the judgement and principles of God in government:
Some of the principles of government exemplified by the Nephites were:
America: A Promised Land, Both Anciently and in Latter Days
America is a special place. God has only ever allowed righteous people to settle here. Concerning Nephi and his family, the Lord said:
The Promised Land Promise
"And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands." (1 Nephi 2:20)
Following their arrival in the promised land, Nephi's father, Lehi, said essentially the same thing:
America's Promised Land Covenant
Whether they knew it or not, the same promise - and the same curse - applied to the pilgrims, who came to America in search of religious freedom.
Throughout the history of the settlement and establishment of the United States, the officers of the people have often done things such as dedicate the land or the establishment of their settlement to the glory of God. Our founding fathers sought to learn from the Bible the proper form of government and prayerfully consulted both God and scripture frequently as they worked out what form of government the United States should have. I believe that, although these men did not have priesthood authority, they did have the authority of the people. The Lord said this about the use of the sealing power, but I believe it applies under any sphere of authority when men act for the glory of God:
"...whatsoever those men did in authority, in the name of the Lord, and did it truly and faithfully, and kept a proper and faithful record of the same, it became a law on earth and in heaven, and could not be annulled, according to the decrees of the great Jehovah. This is a faithful saying. Who can hear it?" (Doctrine and Covenants 128:9)
The Founding Fathers believed that in establishing a constitution, they and the whole nation were making a covenant with God. They believed that the constitution was a covenant between the people, the government, and God. They believed that when the people forsook God or the government exceeded constitutional limits, the covenant would be breached and that ungodly authority thus exercised was to be resisted. This sense of duty to resist ungodly authority in no small part inspired the Revolution.
Ensign, September 1989, Lynn D. Wardle: Seeing the Constitution as a Covenant
In another article on the FIRM foundation's website, they show us how the reign of the judges sought to protect the same things that the preamble to our constitution does. To quote from the FIRM article:
1. The Promised Land and its people under covenant - "We the People of the United States...for the United States of America",
2. Posterity - "to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity",
3. Prosperity - "establish justice...and promote the general welfare", and
4. Security - "provide for the common defense...insure domestic tranquility", and this they did by ordination as their sacred covenant with God.
In other words, in writing the preamble and ratifying the Constitution, our Founding Fathers made exactly the same covenant with God as the ancient inhabitants of America!
See the FIRM article
As a result of their motivation to make and keep covenants with God in the promised land, they were blessed with the protections of divine providence - a thing which is clearly evidenced in revolutionary history.
As a result of their obedience to the covenant constitution, this nation grew to become the most powerful economic and military influence of its time. The promised land promise was fulfilled, both by man and by God.
America's Promised Land Covenant in Breach
God has insisted that those who live in America will keep His laws, or be swept off when they are fully ripe for destruction:
"Wherefore, I will consecrate this land unto thy seed, and them who shall be numbered among thy seed, forever, for the land of their inheritance; for it is a choice land, saith God unto me, above all other lands, wherefore I will have all men that dwell thereon that they shall worship me, saith God." (2 Nephi 10:19)
"Thus saith the Lord God—Cursed shall be the land, yea, this land, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, unto destruction, which do wickedly, when they are fully ripe; and as I have said so shall it be; for this is the cursing and the blessing of God upon the land, for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance." (Alma 45:16)
This statement given by the Lord and applying to the violation of spiritual laws, also applies when a government begins to violate its God-given constitution:
In its day, the wickedness of of the city of Ammonihah preceded its destruction by only a few short years.
Great wickedness at the time of Helaman led to great civil unrest, and, very nearly brought about their destruction before they repented.
Whereas once they were a "nation under God, indivisible", they became no longer a nation under God, a nation that grew more and more divisible! A nation under God is naturally united in the pursuit of a common interest - one that motivates self-discipline as the primary driving force behind order in society. A nation no longer under God has such variegated and diverse definitions of morality, of freedom, and of important causes that its people can never be united in anything. Such a nation will, at best, be a dysfunctional one. Such a nation cannot remain as it is and continue to be a nation for much longer. The Book of Mormon shows us Nephites, Lamanites, and Jaredites who all ended up like this.
The people of Ammonihah made this mistake, and with dire consequences:
The Book of Mormon isn't real clear on why there appeared to be no armies in Ammonihah when they were most needed - this was, after all, a city that bordered with the Lamanite territories. My guess is that the armies of Ammonihah were on furlough that day while the government debated its latest shutdown. The Lamanites knew this, which is why they chose that day to attack. In the meantime, a desperate bailout effort by the Nephites failed. Sound familiar?
We often wonder why it is that the Bible seems to prophesy so little about America in the latter days. But the Book of Mormon is, among other things, a sort of "family scrapbook" - an opportunity for America to look in the mirror and see her ancient self as she existed among the Nephites, before she was reincarnated by the declarations and sacrifices of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and their fellow patriots. The Book of Mormon shows us very clearly the faith and freedom and prosperity of ancient America. It shows us very clearly the sins and mistakes and failures of ancient America. It shows us very clearly the consequences of these things - things that are happening in our time, things that will continue to devolve unless we as a nation repent and turn back to our God.
Israel has always been promised a place if they would call on the name of the Lord, and America has always been a place where they who answer to the name of the Lord could go and be secure and free and prosperous. But these two promised lands are only safe havens to righteous and God-fearing people. When either can be said to have turned from their God, these two lands each become cursed and once again require healing that only the Lord can give. Anciently, the Lord appeared to king Solomon of Israel - America's sister nation under God - and told him:
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
The ancient prophets of America gave us the Book of Mormon by way of a call to repentance. By the power of revelation from God, they foresaw our day - a day when the same sins and missteps would once again bring about disorder and destruction in America. Before Moroni died, he buried their words - words they hoped would whisper forth out of the dust, having a familiar spirit, words they hoped would guide the restoration of the fulness of the gospel in the latter days. It was their great hope that the day would come when, among the Gentiles, there would once again be faith and freedom in America. It was their hope to tell us their story and thereby offer us some possibility of avoiding their fate.
Let us heed their warning; let us come once again unto Christ! Let us come unto that God who came to save us, and let us plead with Him once again to forgive our sin and heal our land!
Biblical Reasons Why Everyone Should Want to Read the Book of Mormon
The Coming Forth of The Book of Mormon
Through extensive genetic, archeological and scriptural research, some have come to identify North America - specifically, the American heartland - as the location for Book of Mormon events. I believe this to be the case. The FIRM Foundation has produced an online article about the scriptural basis for Nephi's promised land being found in North America. You can see more information about this in my article about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.
I'll leave most of the job of proving the ancient location of America to these articles, but for now, let it suffice me to point out these words of Nephi, connecting his homeland with that of latter-day America - a land free of the kings of Europe and the military dictatorships of South and Central America:
"But behold, this land, said God, shall be a land of thine inheritance, and the Gentiles shall be blessed upon the land. And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land..." (2 Nephi 10:10-11)
During the translation, the Lord told Joseph Smith the following about the Nephites' faith and prayers concerning latter-day America:
During the translation, the Lord told Joseph Smith the following about the Nephites' faith and prayers concerning latter-day America:
"Yea, and this was
their faith—that my gospel, which I gave unto them that they might
preach in their days, might come unto their brethren the Lamanites, and also all that had become Lamanites because of their dissensions. Now,
this is not all—their faith in their prayers was that this gospel
should be made known also, if it were possible that other nations should
possess this land; And thus they did leave a blessing upon this land in their prayers, that whosoever should believe in this gospel in this land might have eternal life; Yea, that it might be free unto all of whatsoever nation, kindred, tongue, or people they may be." (Doctrine & Covenants 10:48-51, emphasis added)
It should be noted that Joseph Smith received this revelation while he was living in Harmony, Pennsylvania in 1829.
It should be noted that Joseph Smith received this revelation while he was living in Harmony, Pennsylvania in 1829.
Ancient America's Founding Fathers
Like latter-day America, ancient America had founding fathers who eschewed political power.
The Land of Nephi
Nephi tells us of his reluctance to be king, or to give his people a king:
"And it came to pass that they would that I should be their king. But I, Nephi, was desirous that they should have no king; nevertheless, I did for them according to that which was in my power." (2 Nephi 5:18)
(see the whole account of the establishment of the land of Nephi in 2 Nephi 5:5-19)
Alma the Elder Refused to Be Made King Over the Land of Helam
Following his missionary efforts, an incredible baptism experience (see Mosiah 18), and their hasty flight from the armies of king Noah, Alma's converts sought to make him their king. Alma refused, preferring not to establish any kind of government other than what must have been an occasional "town hall meeting". His reasons for refusing are surprisingly personal. The following was his response:
"But he said unto them: Behold, it is not expedient that we should have a king; for thus saith the Lord: Ye shall not
esteem one flesh above another, or one man shall not think himself
above another; therefore I say unto you it is not expedient that ye
should have a king. Nevertheless, if it were possible that ye could always have just men to be your kings it would be well for you to have a king. But
remember the iniquity of king Noah and his priests; and I myself was
caught in a snare, and did many things which were abominable in the
sight of the Lord, which caused me sore repentance..."
(see Mosiah 23:7-9)
King Mosiah's Reasons for Establishing the Reign of the Judges
King Mosiah, the son of king Benjamin, proposed to his people that they abolish the reign of kings and institute in their place a characteristically American solution to the need for government: a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people". He gave the following as his reasons for doing this:
- "...[it] would cause [the king] and also this people to commit much sin."
- "...[having a king] would cause wars and contentions among you, which would be the cause of shedding much blood and perverting the way of the Lord, yea, and destroy the souls of many people..."
- "...because all men are not just it is not expedient that ye should have a king or kings to rule over you. For behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction!"
Government of the People, for the People, and By the People in Ancient America
Mosiah's solution to the need for government was to establish a system of judges - a chief judge, who was the executive officer, a system of higher and lower judges that were elected by the voice of the people.
"Therefore, choose you by the voice of this people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord. Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people
to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and
make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people." (Mosiah 29:25-26)
Checks and Balances in Ancient America
Mosiah also instituted another American feature of government: a system whereby the higher and lower judges could "check" each other in the use (or abuse) of their powers:
"And now if ye have judges, and they do not judge you according to the law which has been given, ye can cause that they may be judged of a higher judge. If
your higher judges do not judge righteous judgments, ye shall cause
that a small number of your lower judges should be gathered together,
and they shall judge your higher judges, according to the voice of the
people." (Mosiah 29:28-29)
In ancient America, there were "kingmen" who sought to challenge the checks and balances - the system of judges - and once again impose a king. This caused multiple incidents of great civil unrest, ranging from the coup of "king" Amlici to the patriotic resurgence of Pahoran and Captain Moroni and their forces.
Ancient American Constitution
In ancient America, there were "kingmen" who sought to challenge the checks and balances - the system of judges - and once again impose a king. This caused multiple incidents of great civil unrest, ranging from the coup of "king" Amlici to the patriotic resurgence of Pahoran and Captain Moroni and their forces.
Ancient American Constitution
It defies reason to think that king Mosiah could establish so complex a system of government as that described in Mosiah 29 and not leave them a set of instructions for its management - a constitution! While, admittedly, we do not have a parchment copy or any body of written text in the Book of Mormon that really adds up to a constitution, I still posit that they had one in ancient America. There are evidences of it all over the Book of Mormon.
Alma the Younger, the Nephites' first chief judge, describes how the government operated after king Mosiah's passing:
"Now it came to pass that in the first year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, from this time forward, king Mosiah having gone the way of all the earth, having warred a good warfare, walking uprightly before God, leaving none to reign in his stead; nevertheless he had established laws, and they were acknowledged by the people; therefore they were obliged to abide by the laws which he had made." (Alma 1:1)
The laws of Mosiah established the following:
- a system of wages for compensating judges and guidelines for how the courts of law operated (Alma 11:1-3)
- guidelines for the use of the death penalty (Alma 1:13-14)
- a description of their monetary system (Alma 11:4-19)
"And
now it came to pass that the people were more angry with Amulek, and
they cried out, saying: This man doth revile against our laws which are
just, and our wise lawyers whom we have selected. But
Amulek stretched forth his hand, and cried the mightier unto them,
saying: O ye wicked and perverse generation, why hath Satan got such
great hold upon your hearts? Why will ye yield yourselves unto him that
he may have power over you, to blind your eyes, that ye will not
understand the words which are spoken, according to their truth? For
behold, have I testified against your law? Ye do not understand; ye say
that I have spoken against your law; but I have not, but I have spoken
in favor of your law, to your condemnation. And
now behold, I say unto you, that the foundation of the destruction of
this people is beginning to be laid by the unrighteousness of your
lawyers and your judges. And
now it came to pass that when Amulek had spoken these words the people
cried out against him, saying: Now we know that this man is a child of
the devil, for he hath lied unto us; for he hath spoken against our law.
And now he says that he has not spoken against it." (Alma 10:24-28)
The only way there could arise such a misunderstanding between Alma and Amulek and the people of Ammonihah is if Alma and Amulek are holding the laws of Ammonihah up to the standard set by the laws of Mosiah. They assert that laws made and revered locally are in violation of the "laws of Mosiah" - a thing for which they condemned the lawyers and judges of Ammonihah.
In order to truly understand the value of what's happening here, we need to remember who Alma the Younger and Amulek are. Alma had served as the first chief judge. As I have already shown, during his tenure, Alma demonstrated an intimate familiarity with the "laws of Mosiah". It had been his job to implement them, first under the supervision of Mosiah, and then in his absence after he died. If any Nephite knew what a corrupt law was, it was Alma the Younger! I have no doubt that, during Amulek's lengthy stay, prior to beginning their ministry together in Ammonihah, Alma the Younger had taught Amulek both the gospel and the law. So when these people accuse Alma and Amulek of reviling against their law, they are accusing their first judge, one of their founding fathers and a framer of their constitution!
These lawyers and judges persecuted and even killed people for believing the words of Alma and Amulek, and then imprisoned the two missionaries - one of them an expert in constitutional law - for calling their laws unconstitutional! Does anyone beside me see the perverseness of this?
Helaman, the son of Helaman who was the son of Alma the Younger, tells us that, in their wickedness, the people of his time had also begun to operate their government at variance with these "laws of Mosiah":The only way there could arise such a misunderstanding between Alma and Amulek and the people of Ammonihah is if Alma and Amulek are holding the laws of Ammonihah up to the standard set by the laws of Mosiah. They assert that laws made and revered locally are in violation of the "laws of Mosiah" - a thing for which they condemned the lawyers and judges of Ammonihah.
In order to truly understand the value of what's happening here, we need to remember who Alma the Younger and Amulek are. Alma had served as the first chief judge. As I have already shown, during his tenure, Alma demonstrated an intimate familiarity with the "laws of Mosiah". It had been his job to implement them, first under the supervision of Mosiah, and then in his absence after he died. If any Nephite knew what a corrupt law was, it was Alma the Younger! I have no doubt that, during Amulek's lengthy stay, prior to beginning their ministry together in Ammonihah, Alma the Younger had taught Amulek both the gospel and the law. So when these people accuse Alma and Amulek of reviling against their law, they are accusing their first judge, one of their founding fathers and a framer of their constitution!
These lawyers and judges persecuted and even killed people for believing the words of Alma and Amulek, and then imprisoned the two missionaries - one of them an expert in constitutional law - for calling their laws unconstitutional! Does anyone beside me see the perverseness of this?
"...they began to remember the prophecies of Alma, and also the words of Mosiah; and they saw that they had been a stiffnecked people, and that they had set at naught the commandments of God; And that they had altered and trampled under their feet the laws
of Mosiah, or that which the Lord commanded him to give unto the
people; and they saw that their laws had become corrupted..."
In other words, the Nephites had a constitution!
In other words, the Nephites had a constitution!
God-given Just Laws and Principles of Government in Ancient America
Note that the people at the time of Helaman recognized that they had trampled under their feet laws which God had commanded Mosiah to give them. Whenever a government - be it a king over a monarchy or a president of a republic - can be said to be just, it is because its laws come from God.
King Mosiah emphasized the importance of incorporating the judgement and principles of God in government:
"Therefore I will be your king the remainder of my days; nevertheless, let us appoint judges,
to judge this people according to our law; and we will newly arrange
the affairs of this people, for we will appoint wise men to be judges,
that will judge this people according to the commandments of God. Now it is better that a man should be judged of God than of man, for the judgments of God are always just, but the judgments of man are not always just. Therefore, if it were possible that you could have just men to be your kings, who would establish the laws
of God, and judge this people according to his commandments, yea, if ye
could have men for your kings who would do even as my father Benjamin
did for this people—I say unto you, if this could always be the case
then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over
you. (Mosiah 29:11-13)
What it Means to Be America
What it Means to Be America
Some of the principles of government exemplified by the Nephites were:
- Democracy - " they knew that according to their law that such things must be established by the voice of the people." (Alma 2:3)
- Charity rather than Welfare - king Benjamin: "...ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need... And they did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted... And thus they did establish the affairs of the church" (Mosiah 4:16, Alma 1:27-28, emphasis added)
- Liberty - "...I desire that this land be a land of liberty... Therefore, it came to pass that they assembled themselves together in bodies throughout the land, to cast in their voices concerning who should be their judges, to judge them according to the law which had been given them; and they were exceedingly rejoiced because of the liberty which had been granted unto them." (Mosiah 29:32,39)
- Justice - "[the Lord] had appointed just men to be their teachers, and also a just man [king Benjamin] to be their king" (Mosiah 2:4)
- Equality - "I [king Benjamin] have not commanded you to come up hither that ye should fear me, or that ye should think that I of myself am more than a mortal man. But I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind; yet I have been chosen by this people... I, whom ye call your king, am no better than ye yourselves are; for I am also of the dust... " (Mosiah 2:10-11,26)
- Limited Government - " I [king Benjamin again] have been suffered to spend my days in your service... and have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you... And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne..." (Mosiah 2:12,14)
- Religious Freedom - "And it came to pass that king Mosiah granted unto Alma that he might establish churches throughout all the land of Zarahemla... And it came to pass that king Mosiah sent a proclamation throughout the land round about that there should not any unbeliever persecute any of those who belonged to the church of God..." (Mosiah 25:19, 27:2)
- Separation of Church and State - "Now king Mosiah had given Alma the authority over the church... the people stood and testified of their iniquity in abundance. Now there had not any such thing happened before in the church...Alma ...caused that they should be brought before the king... But king Mosiah said unto Alma: Behold, I judge them not; therefore I deliver them into thy hands to be judged..." (Mosiah 26:8-12)
- Defense of the Constitution from Enemies Domestic - "But behold, Pahoran would not alter nor suffer the law to be altered; therefore, he did not hearken to those who had sent in their voices with their petitions concerning the altering of the law." (Alma 51:3)
- Allegiance - "And it came to pass that Moroni commanded that his army should go against those king-men, to pull down their pride and their nobility and level them with the earth, or they should take up arms and support the cause of liberty." (Alma 51:17)
- Patriotism, One Nation Under God - "[Captain Moroni writing to chief judge Pahoran] And except ye grant mine epistle, and come out and show unto me a true spirit of freedom, and strive to strengthen and fortify our armies, and grant unto them food for their support, behold... I will come unto you, and if there be any among you that has a desire for freedom, yea, if there be even a spark of freedom remaining, behold I will stir up insurrections among you, even until those who have desires to usurp power and authority shall become extinct. Yea, behold I do not fear your power nor your authority, but it is my God whom I fear; and it is according to his commandments that I do take my sword to defend the cause of my country... I [chief judge Pahron responding to Moroni] am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart. I, Pahoran, do not seek for power, save only to retain my judgment-seat that I may preserve the rights and the liberty of my people. My soul standeth fast in that liberty in the which God hath made us free. And now, behold, we will resist wickedness even unto bloodshed. We would not shed the blood of our brethren if they would not rise up in rebellion and take the sword against us... See that ye strengthen Lehi and Teancum in the Lord; tell them to fear not, for God will deliver them, yea, and also all those who stand fast in that liberty wherewith God hath made them free." (Alma 60:25-28), Alma 61:9-11, 21)
America: A Promised Land, Both Anciently and in Latter Days
America is a special place. God has only ever allowed righteous people to settle here. Concerning Nephi and his family, the Lord said:
The Promised Land Promise
"And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands." (1 Nephi 2:20)
Following their arrival in the promised land, Nephi's father, Lehi, said essentially the same thing:
"...notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord... there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord. Wherefore, this land
is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they
shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it
shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be
brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for
if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever... Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper
upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other
nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so
be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the
face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take
away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever." (2 Nephi 1:5-9)
By way of warning to those who stray, rebel against God, and dwindle in unbelief, Lehi continues:
"But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief,
after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the
Lord—having a knowledge of the creation of the earth, and all men,
knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of
the world; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all
the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his
infinite goodness into this precious land of promise—behold, I say, if
the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the
true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them. Yea, he will bring other nations
unto them, and he will give unto them power, and he will take away from
them the lands of their possessions, and he will cause them to be scattered and smitten. Yea, as one generation passeth to another there shall be bloodsheds, and great visitations among them" (2 Nephi 1:10-12)
This he said to his sons, whose descendants disobeyed God's commandments and eventually caused the destruction of their society. The ancient inhabitants of America left us the Book of Mormon in no small part because they wanted to show us the consequences of the mistakes they made. They wanted to show us what became of three nations who disobeyed God and became extremely wicked. This prophecy of Lehi became true of their descendants whom the pilgrims met when they came to America. Early American history unfortunately embodies the unwitting fulfillment of Lehi's prophecy.
America's Promised Land Covenant
Whether they knew it or not, the same promise - and the same curse - applied to the pilgrims, who came to America in search of religious freedom.
Throughout the history of the settlement and establishment of the United States, the officers of the people have often done things such as dedicate the land or the establishment of their settlement to the glory of God. Our founding fathers sought to learn from the Bible the proper form of government and prayerfully consulted both God and scripture frequently as they worked out what form of government the United States should have. I believe that, although these men did not have priesthood authority, they did have the authority of the people. The Lord said this about the use of the sealing power, but I believe it applies under any sphere of authority when men act for the glory of God:
"...whatsoever those men did in authority, in the name of the Lord, and did it truly and faithfully, and kept a proper and faithful record of the same, it became a law on earth and in heaven, and could not be annulled, according to the decrees of the great Jehovah. This is a faithful saying. Who can hear it?" (Doctrine and Covenants 128:9)
The Founding Fathers believed that in establishing a constitution, they and the whole nation were making a covenant with God. They believed that the constitution was a covenant between the people, the government, and God. They believed that when the people forsook God or the government exceeded constitutional limits, the covenant would be breached and that ungodly authority thus exercised was to be resisted. This sense of duty to resist ungodly authority in no small part inspired the Revolution.
Ensign, September 1989, Lynn D. Wardle: Seeing the Constitution as a Covenant
In another article on the FIRM foundation's website, they show us how the reign of the judges sought to protect the same things that the preamble to our constitution does. To quote from the FIRM article:
1. The Promised Land and its people under covenant - "We the People of the United States...for the United States of America",
2. Posterity - "to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity",
3. Prosperity - "establish justice...and promote the general welfare", and
4. Security - "provide for the common defense...insure domestic tranquility", and this they did by ordination as their sacred covenant with God.
In other words, in writing the preamble and ratifying the Constitution, our Founding Fathers made exactly the same covenant with God as the ancient inhabitants of America!
See the FIRM article
As a result of their motivation to make and keep covenants with God in the promised land, they were blessed with the protections of divine providence - a thing which is clearly evidenced in revolutionary history.
As a result of their obedience to the covenant constitution, this nation grew to become the most powerful economic and military influence of its time. The promised land promise was fulfilled, both by man and by God.
America's Promised Land Covenant in Breach
God has insisted that those who live in America will keep His laws, or be swept off when they are fully ripe for destruction:
"Wherefore, I will consecrate this land unto thy seed, and them who shall be numbered among thy seed, forever, for the land of their inheritance; for it is a choice land, saith God unto me, above all other lands, wherefore I will have all men that dwell thereon that they shall worship me, saith God." (2 Nephi 10:19)
"Thus saith the Lord God—Cursed shall be the land, yea, this land, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, unto destruction, which do wickedly, when they are fully ripe; and as I have said so shall it be; for this is the cursing and the blessing of God upon the land, for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance." (Alma 45:16)
This statement given by the Lord and applying to the violation of spiritual laws, also applies when a government begins to violate its God-given constitution:
"And again, verily I say unto you, that which is governed by law is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same. That which breaketh a law, and abideth not by law,
but seeketh to become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin,
and altogether abideth in sin, cannot be sanctified by law, neither by
mercy, justice, nor judgment. Therefore, they must remain filthy still." (Doctrine and Covenants 88:34-35)
In other words, a government that makes laws to protect those who indulge in sin seeks to "become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin". A government that violates its God-given constitution breaks the law of the land, the law of God concerning it - a law that is no less spiritual than any other commandment found in scripture. In such a government, there can be no mercy, no justice, and no righteous judgement. In other words, a government that does not operate upon God-given principles is a filthy one.
In its day, the wickedness of of the city of Ammonihah preceded its destruction by only a few short years.
Great wickedness at the time of Helaman led to great civil unrest, and, very nearly brought about their destruction before they repented.
Whereas once they were a "nation under God, indivisible", they became no longer a nation under God, a nation that grew more and more divisible! A nation under God is naturally united in the pursuit of a common interest - one that motivates self-discipline as the primary driving force behind order in society. A nation no longer under God has such variegated and diverse definitions of morality, of freedom, and of important causes that its people can never be united in anything. Such a nation will, at best, be a dysfunctional one. Such a nation cannot remain as it is and continue to be a nation for much longer. The Book of Mormon shows us Nephites, Lamanites, and Jaredites who all ended up like this.
The people of Ammonihah made this mistake, and with dire consequences:
"And they said also: We will not believe thy words if thou shouldst prophesy that this great city should be destroyed in one day. Now they knew not that God could do such marvelous works, for they were a hard-hearted and a stiffnecked people." (Alma 9:4-5)
"...behold, the armies of the Lamanites had come in upon the wilderness side, into the borders of the land, even into the city of Ammonihah, and began to slay the people and destroy the city. And now it came to pass, before the Nephites could raise a sufficient army to drive them out of the land, they had destroyed the people who were in the city of Ammonihah..." (Alma 16:2-3)
The Book of Mormon isn't real clear on why there appeared to be no armies in Ammonihah when they were most needed - this was, after all, a city that bordered with the Lamanite territories. My guess is that the armies of Ammonihah were on furlough that day while the government debated its latest shutdown. The Lamanites knew this, which is why they chose that day to attack. In the meantime, a desperate bailout effort by the Nephites failed. Sound familiar?
We often wonder why it is that the Bible seems to prophesy so little about America in the latter days. But the Book of Mormon is, among other things, a sort of "family scrapbook" - an opportunity for America to look in the mirror and see her ancient self as she existed among the Nephites, before she was reincarnated by the declarations and sacrifices of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and their fellow patriots. The Book of Mormon shows us very clearly the faith and freedom and prosperity of ancient America. It shows us very clearly the sins and mistakes and failures of ancient America. It shows us very clearly the consequences of these things - things that are happening in our time, things that will continue to devolve unless we as a nation repent and turn back to our God.
Israel has always been promised a place if they would call on the name of the Lord, and America has always been a place where they who answer to the name of the Lord could go and be secure and free and prosperous. But these two promised lands are only safe havens to righteous and God-fearing people. When either can be said to have turned from their God, these two lands each become cursed and once again require healing that only the Lord can give. Anciently, the Lord appeared to king Solomon of Israel - America's sister nation under God - and told him:
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
The ancient prophets of America gave us the Book of Mormon by way of a call to repentance. By the power of revelation from God, they foresaw our day - a day when the same sins and missteps would once again bring about disorder and destruction in America. Before Moroni died, he buried their words - words they hoped would whisper forth out of the dust, having a familiar spirit, words they hoped would guide the restoration of the fulness of the gospel in the latter days. It was their great hope that the day would come when, among the Gentiles, there would once again be faith and freedom in America. It was their hope to tell us their story and thereby offer us some possibility of avoiding their fate.
Let us heed their warning; let us come once again unto Christ! Let us come unto that God who came to save us, and let us plead with Him once again to forgive our sin and heal our land!
Biblical Reasons Why Everyone Should Want to Read the Book of Mormon
The Coming Forth of The Book of Mormon
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