Mormon is nearing the reason for which he writes, which is the appearance of the Savior to those gathered in Bountiful. He identifies himself as “a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” He further notes that “I have been called of him to declare his word among his people.” In the Book of Mormon, the word disciple is used where a modern writer would use apostle. This is Mormon’s introduction of himself as an apostle, and one who has received a command to write so that future readers would know this message.
Mormon’s commission was to make “a small record” of the Nephites from the time Lehi left Jerusalem to his own day. He does that by working with what we call the large plates of Nephi. He declares that he will also write “the things which I have seen with mine own eyes.”