Obviously, not all of the population was present for Christ’s visit to the Nephites. Many had to be taught the gospel, invited to repent, and were baptized (see v. 1). Presumably, the overwhelming majority were personal witnesses of the risen Lord and helped in the missionary work from AD 34 to AD 36 which resulted in the conversion of every soul.
It is not by coincidence that the Nephites were all converted and had no contentions among them prior to them having all things common among them. Division, contention, and pride are the collective antithesis of a Zion community. All three had to be rooted out for Zion to prosper. The attempts to establish Zion among the early saints were hampered by just this problem. Of the early saints, the Lord said, they…are full of all manner of evil, and do not impart of their substance as becometh saints, to the poor and afflicted among them; And are not united according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom; And Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom (DC 105:3-5).
Marion G. Romney
“The time will come when the joyful living which prevailed among these Nephites and the people of Enoch will prevail upon the whole face of this earth. It will come when people do as these people did-become ’converted unto the Lord.’” (BYU Speeches of the Year, 1960, p. 9)
Spencer W. Kimball
“[As a guide to becoming a Zion Society] First, we must eliminate the individual tendency to selfishness that snares the soul, shrinks the heart, and darkens the mind….Second, we must cooperate completely and work in harmony one with the other. There must be unanimity in our decisions and unity in our actions…Third, we must lay on the altar [of] sacrifice whatever is required by the Lord. We begin by offering a ’broken heart and contrite spirit.’ We follow this by giving our best effort in our assigned fields of labor and callings. We learn our duty and execute it fully. Finally we consecrate our time, talents, and means as called upon by our file leaders and as prompted by the whisperings of the Spirit.” (Conference Report, Apr. 1978, p. 123 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 466)