3 Nephi 19-22

3 Nephi 19

The crowd disperses and starts to spread the news that Jesus was there and will be back in the morning. “Even all the night it was noised abroad concerning Jesus…and there were many, yea, an exceedingly great number, did labor exceedingly all that night, that they might be on the morrow in the place where Jesus should show himself unto the multitude.” (vs. 3) I like to picture this – a family hearing life changing news, that they can see and hear Jesus tomorrow. And so they abandon sleep, drop everything, and travel all night to be there in the morning. 

In the morning the people are gathered in the place that Jesus said he would return. The 12 disciples that Jesus chose among the Nephites are leading out until Jesus arrives, and they split the crowd into 12 groups. They preach to their groups and pray with their groups, and they are baptized. The disciples are filled with the Holy Ghost and surrounded by fire, and all the people watch as angels come down to minister to the disciples. Wow! And then, Jesus appears in the midst of the crowd.

The first thing that Jesus does after He appears is to have the people kneel down and pray again. Then Jesus prays for the people, and the experience is so miraculous that no one can write or speak the words that Jesus spoke, and everyone was filled with the Holy Ghost. Jesus tells them that the experience is possible because of their incredible faith which was more than He had seen among the Jews.

 

3 Nephi 20-22

I’ll be honest – I’ve been stuck on these chapters for weeks. This is thick stuff, and I have no idea how to sum it all up briefly (and frankly I don’t fully understand it all anyway). Let’s just say that Jesus is quoting a lot of Isaiah and prophesying about the future, and in large part He is speaking about our time (or thereabouts – a little before our time and lots that hasn’t happened yet, either).

Here are a few highlights:

• The House of Israel -- i.e. the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel – were scattered & lost in Biblical times. The Lord has promised to gather them, and that promise will be fulfilled through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our day as people from all nationalities and faiths unite in his restored church (hence, the emphasis on Missionary work in our church!). See 20:12-13, 29-31, 40, 21:22, 26-28
• When the words that Jesus is speaking to the Nephites in these chapters are available to read by the descendants of the Nephites, that is a sign the Lord has started gathering His people. In other words – when the Native Americans and the people of South America have the Book of Mormon given to them by the Gentiles, the gathering as begun! I think that’s so cool!! See 21:1-7, 26-28
• Note: Gentiles is a Biblical term for people who are not part of the House of Israel, or descendants of Israel/Jacob, or to put it more simply, people who are not Jews. When the Book of Mormon talks about Gentiles it usually/generally means the Christian people of North America and Europe. 21:2-3, 5-6
• Isaiah and ALL prophets have testified of Christ. See 20:23-24
• The spreading of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and even Joseph Smith) are alluded to. In the “last days” the church will be established and the Lord will mercifully gather the House of Israel. See 21:9-11, 22, 26-28, all of Chapter 22