of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue. The Prophet Nephi, early after his father, Lehi, left Jerusalem taking all his family into the wilderness with him, said:
And behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records, [the Plates of Laban] that we may preserve unto our children the language of our fathers;
And also that we may preserve unto them the words which have been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets, which have been delivered unto them by the Spirit and power of God, since the world began, even down unto this present time. (1 Ne. 3:19-20)
Over 500 years later, Alma, the High Priest of the Church of Christ, exhorted the people of Ammonihah to repent, and called the scriptures to verify his utterances:
... Behold, the scriptures are before you; if ye will wrest them it shall be to your own destruction.
And now it came to pass that when Alma had said these words unto them, he stretched forth his hand unto them and cried with a mighty voice, saying; Now is the time to repent, for the day of salvation draweth nigh;
Yea, and the voice of the Lord, by the mouth of angels, doth declare it unto all nations; yea, doth declare it, that they may have glad tidings of great joy; yea, and he doth sound these glad tidings among all his people, yea, even to them that are scattered abroad upon the face of the earth; wherever they have come unto us.
And they are made known unto us in plain terms, that we may understand, that we cannot err; and this because of our being wanderers in a strange landerefore, we are thus highly favored, for we have these glad tidings declared unto us in all parts of our vineyard.
For behold, angels are declaring it unto many at this time in our land; and this is for the purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of man to receive his word at the time of his coming in his glory. (Alma 13:20-24)
(The word, wrest, used in Alma's quote, means (1) to turn; twist; especially, to pull or force away by violent wringing or twisting. (2) To twist from its natural order or proper use or meaning by violence; to distort. (Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary)
Yet another 500 years and Moroni declared:
And God also declared unto prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come. (Moro. 7:23)
Already come among them.
Wherefore, the prophets, and the priests, and the teachers, did labor diligently, exhorting with all long-suffering the people to diligence; teaching the law of Moses, and the intent for which it was given; persuading them to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he already was. And after this manner did they teach them. (Jarom 1: 11 )
Elsewhere we say, that they looked forward to Christ even as we look back. Both visions of Him are equally efficacious.
In addition to the words of Nephi, Alma, and Moroni we have just quoted, the following passages from the Book of Mormon will enlighten us concerning the declaration and the promise made in this verse: