In Mosiah 3:1 we find an expression, “that which is to come”:
And again my brethren, I would call your attention, for I have somewhat more to speak unto you; for behold, I have things to tell you concerning that which is to come
According to John Tvedtnes, the words “that which is to come” refer specifically to Christ and not to future events in general. This becomes clear as we read the rest of Mosiah 3, which is devoted to a message delivered to Benjamin by an angel. The entire message concerns the coming of Jesus Christ… . Even more interesting is the fact that throughout the rest of the Book of Mormon, the phrase “that which is to come” and similar phrases overwhelmingly refer to the coming of Christ and not just the general future. (See for example, Mosiah 4:11, 5:3,18:2; Alma 5:48, 21:8, 58:40; Helaman 6:14,8:23) [John A. Tvedtnes, “That Which Is to Come,” in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, pp. 245-250]
Chiasmusevidence of Authorship
According to John Welch, the presence of chiasmus may prove something about the authors of the passages which make up the chiasmus. Although one cannot be certain to what extent inspiration provided these authors with the form as well as the content of these passages… . A fine example of chiasmus appears in the midst of the words spoken by the angel to King Benjamin:
O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it. And again my brethren, I would call your attention, for I have somewhat more to speak unto you;
A. for behold, I have things to tell you concerning
B. that which is to come
C. And the things which I shall tell you
D. are made known unto me by an angel from God
E. And he said unto me: Awake
F. and I awoke, and behold he stood before me.
E’ And he said unto me: Awake
D’ and hear the words
C’ which I shall tell thee
B’ for behold, I am come
A’ to declare unto you the glad tidings of great joy.
This may be a case in which either the angel or Benjamin used chiasmus in order to speak to the people “after the manner of their own language” (D&C 1:24), or this elevated structure may have come entirely from the angel and then may have become a pattern that subsequent Nephite writers chose to accentuate.
Welch notes that many indications demonstrate that “the ancient concern for language and its features in many periods may have far surpassed our own modern verbal skills.” The appearance of chiasmus in the Nephite texts is therefore evidence of the skill of these authors. [John W. Welch, “What Does Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon Prove?” in Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited, pp. 208-209]