Of the 522 pages in the present edition of the Book of Mormon, more than 515 were either written or abridged by four men: Nephi, Jacob, Mormon, and Moroni. Four of the remaining seven pages were written by two additional writers—Enos and Jarom. All of these major writers of the Book of Mormon fully understood that their writings were primarily for the people of future generations, rather than for the people of their own day.
That each of these writers understood that the records were designed primarily for future generations is made clear in the following quotations:
Nephi: “The Lord God promised unto me that these things which I write shall be kept and preserved, and handed down unto my seed, from generation to generation….” (2 Nephi 25:21.)
Jacob: “For he [Nephi] said that the history of his people should be engraven upon his other plates, and that I should preserve these plates and hand them down unto my seed, from generation to generation.” (Jacob 1:3.)
Enos: “Wherefore, I knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve our records, I cried unto him continually…that he would preserve the records; and he covenanted with me that he would bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time.” (Enos, verses 15-16.)
Jarom: “And as these plates…are written for the intent of the benefit of our brethren the Lamanites,…it must needs be that I write a little….” (Jarom, verse 2.)
Mormon: “…I would speak somewhat unto the remnant of this people who are spared,…that they may know of the things of their fathers; yea, I speak unto you, ye remnant of the house of Israel….” (Mormon 7:1.)
Moroni: “I write a few more things, that perhaps they may be of worth unto my brethren, the Lamanites, in some future day….” (Moroni 1:4.)
Through the power of vision and prophecy, these writers were shown the people of our day, for whom they were writing their records. Thus, from the voluminous records at their disposal, they were able to select those principles and experiences which would be most useful in helping us to meet our challenges and solve our problems. An effect of these visions of the future is indicated by Moroni in the following statement:
“Behold, the Lord hath shown unto me great and marvelous things concerning that which must shortly come, at that day when these things shall come forth among you.
“Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.” (Mormon 8:34-35.)
The following brief quotations show the extent to which Moroni saw our day in vision. Concerning the conditions which would exist in the world at the time of the publication of the Book of Mormon, Moroni expressed the following thoughts in Mormon chapter 8:
“It shall be said that miracles are done away. (verse 26.)
“It shall come in a day when the power of God shall be denied. (verse 28.)
“There shall also be heard of wars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes. (verse 30.)
“There shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth;…murders…robbing…lying…deceivings…whoredoms, and all manner of abominations. (verse 31.)
“There shall be many who will say, Do this, or do that, and it mattereth not, for the Lord will uphold such at the last day. (verse 31.)
“There shall be churches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be forgiven of your sins. (verse 32.)
“Ye do walk in the pride of your hearts…and your churches…have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts. (verse 36.)
“Ye do love money…more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted. (verse 37.)
“Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? (verse 38.)
“Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life? (verse 39.)
“Why do ye build up your secret abominations to get gain?” (verse 40.)
Many purposes can and have been listed for the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, including the following list of reasons prepared by B.H. Roberts:
First, to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord has done for their fathers.
Second, to teach them the covenants the Lord made with their fathers, that the remnants may know that they are not cast off forever.
Third, to convince both Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, and that He manifests Himself to all nations.
Fourth, to bring the knowledge of a Saviour to the remnant of the house of Israel on the western hemisphere, through the testimony of the Nephites and Lamanites as well as through the testimony of the Jews, that they might more fully believe the Gospel.
Fifth, to bring to the Jews the testimony of the Nephites that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; that they might have the testimony of the Nephites as well as that of their fathers that Jesus is their Messiah.
Sixth, to be a witness for the truth of the Bible, to establish its authenticity and its credibility by bringing other witnesses than those of the Eastern world to testify to the same great truths that are contained in the sacred pages of the Bible.
Seventh, to restore to the knowledge of mankind many plain and precious truths concerning the Gospel which men have taken out of the Jewish Scriptures, or obscured by their interpretations.
Other students and scholars have suggested the following additional reasons for the publication of the Book of Mormon:
1. To help the people of this generation solve their problems.
2. To convince mankind that every person must be judged of his works.
3. To prepare the faithful for the second coming of Jesus Christ, and for the millennial reign.
4. To test the faith of this generation and to help the faithful.
5. To provide mankind with secrets of national survival.
Unfortunately, many members of the Church read the Book of Mormon as though it were simply a history book. The major writers of the Book of Mormon did not intend it to be a history book at all. In fact, Jacob said that his brother Nephi commanded him that he “should not touch, save it were lightly, concerning the history of this people.” (Jacob 1:2.) The Book of Mormon was written to include principles which would help us solve our problems.
Each time we read a story or incident in the Book of Mormon, we should ask ourselves these questions: Why did Mormon (or Nephi, etc.) select this particular story or event to include in the records? What principle is contained in this account which would help us understand and solve our problems?
The following are major areas of interest to us:
1. Advantages and disadvantages of different methods of government.
2. Causes and effects of war (The answers to such questions as, Under what conditions is war justified? Should we disarm if any enemy is preparing to come to battle against us? Etc.)
3. Secrets of national survival (The Book of Mormon includes principles which can help a righteous people preserve themselves from their enemies.)
4. Evils and dangers of secret combinations which are built up to get power and gain over the people.
5. Inherent weakness of priestcraft, and a warning for us against those who set themselves up as teachers of the truth but who are not concerned with the welfare of Zion.
6. Reality of the devil, and an indication of some of the methods he uses.
7. Wise and proper uses of wealth.
8. Plain and precious truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
9. Reality and divinity of Jesus Christ and His atonement.
10. Major aspects of the gathering of the House of Israel in the last day.
11. Purposes and principles of missionary work.
12. Warnings against pride, indifference, procrastinations, dangers of following false traditions, hypocrisy, unchastity, etc.
The prophets of the Book of Mormon have given us sound principles and excellent advice which we can use in meeting our problems today. It is up to us to learn these principles and to apply them in our lives.
Daniel H. Ludlow, “
The Book of Mormon Was Written for Our Day,” Instructor, July 1966, pp. 265-66