(Isa. 29:4, 11; Eth. 4:4–6; 3 Ne. 26:9–10; Millennial Messiah, McConkie, 114; History of the Church, 4:537)
What is in the sealed portion of the Gold Plates? _________________________ v.7; Eth. 1:3; 3:25, 27
How will it be made available to us? ________________________________________________ v.11
When will we receive it? _____________________________ Eth. 4:6–7; 2 Ne. 30:17; 3 Ne. 26:8–10
The people of Limhi brought to Mosiah a record, “engraven on plates of ore” (Mosiah 21:27), which record Mosiah translated, by the aid of “two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow,” and which gave an account of the Jaredites, (Mosiah 28:11–19.) In translating this record Mosiah kept from going forth to the people that particular part forbidden by the Lord to be revealed until after he was lifted up upon the cross (Ether 4:1). These sacred revelations given to the Brother of Jared were kept from the Nephite people, as well as many other things, until after the resurrection of Christ (Alma 63:12). After the appearing of the Savior to the Nephites, the vision of the Brother of Jared was revealed to the Nephites. When Moroni made his abridgment of the record of Ether, he copied on his record the vision of the Brother of Jared (Ether 4:2–7).
At the command of the Lord, however, Moroni also sealed up the greater things in this vision and also the interpreters—which were the same “two stones” had by the Brother of Jared—so that this vision should not be made known even in our day among the Gentiles, in the day of their wickedness (2 Ne. 27:8); it could not be revealed “until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord.” (Ether 4:6.) So we today do not have the fulness of the account written and sealed up by the Brother of Jared and again sealed by Moroni. This part of the record the Prophet Joseph Smith was forbidden to translate. We have, then, received but the “lesser part” (3 Ne. 26:8–11).
(Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation: Sermons and Writings of Joseph Fielding Smith, ed. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954–1956], 3:224–25.)
Now the Lord has placed us on probation as members of the Church. He has given us the Book of Mormon, which is the lesser part, to build up our faith through our obedience to the counsels which it contains, and when we ourselves, members of the Church, are willing to keep the commandments as they have been given to us and show our faith as the Nephites did for a short period of time, then the Lord is ready to bring forth the other record and give it to us, but we are not ready to receive it. Why? Because we have not lived up to the requirements in this probationary state in the reading of the record which had been given to us and in following its counsels.
(Joseph Fielding Smith, Conference Report, Oct. 1961, 19–20.)
I have had many people ask me through the years, “When do you think we will get the balance of the Book of Mormon records?” And I have said, “How many in the congregation would like to read the sealed portion of the plates?” And almost always there is a 100-percent response. And then I ask the same congregation, “How many of you have read the part that has been opened to us?” And there are many who have not read the Book of Mormon, the unsealed portion. We are quite often looking for the spectacular, the unobtainable. I have found many people who want to live the higher laws when they do not live the lower laws.
(Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball,ed. Edward L. Kimball [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982], 531–32.)
When, during the Millennium, the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon is translated, it will give an account of life in the premortal existence; of the creation of all things; of the fall and the Atonement and the Second Coming; of temple ordinances, in their fulness; of the ministry and mission of translated beings; of life in the spirit world, in both paradise and hell; of the kingdoms of glory to be inhabited by resurrected beings; and many such like things.
(Bruce R. McConkie, CES Symposium, Aug. 1984, 1.)
Note that there are two parts of the book which were to be brought forth: the words of those that have slumbered and a revelation of God from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof. The King James Version “vision of all” (Isa. 29:11) had reference to the second part, the revelation of the world from the beginning to the end. This revelation was given to the brother of Jared. As the Nephite prophet Moroni abridged the Jaredite records, he stated that the Lord “showed unto the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be” and that the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to “write these things and seal them up; and I will show them in mine own due time unto the children of men” (Ether 3:25, 27). Thus, the King James Version “version of all” could also be referring to this account of all the inhabitants of the earth.
(Monte S. Nyman, Symposium on the Old Testament[Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1983], 126.)