Millennium

The remainder of Third Nephi and the first chapter of Fourth Nephi recounts the words which Jesus spoke to the assembled Nephites, the miracles he performed, the ordinances he carried out, and the sublime impact he left on the people. Reflecting upon these things, we discover an abundance of parallels to the blessed state of the millennial utopia, which will be ushered in with the climactic second coming of Jesus Christ.

Over many millennia, prophets have directed man's attention to the latter days when all the covenants of the Lord will be fulfilled which he made to the House of Israel. Indeed, when the Savior comes in his glory, "all things shall be fulfilled...." (D&C 45:16.) The Book of Mormon account seems to foreshadow the fulfilling of the covenant made to Abraham. The record states at one point, for example, "the Lord did bless them in all their doings...." (4 Ne. 1:18,11.) This was a fulfillment the ancient promise that the Lord "shall command the blessing...in all that thou settest thy hand unto...." (Deut. 28:8.) Also during this period of Lehite history, "the people were as numerous almost, as it were the sand of the sea" (Morm 1:7), which reflects the ancient covenant that Abraham's seed will be multiplied "as the sand which is upon the sea shore..." (Gen. 22:17).

The scriptures say that in the millennium "all things shall become new...." (D&C 101:24,25.) Will the Lord present higher teachings to us like he did to the Nephites? Explaining why he was replacing the law of Moses with a higher law, Jesus declared to the Nephites, "Old things are done away, and all things have become new." (3 Ne. 12:47.) At that time, the law of Moses had been fulfilled in him. (3 Ne. 15:8,9.) With his second coming, the Abrahamic covenant will be fulfilled. Concerning that time, the Lord said, "I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah...." (Jer. 31:40,31,32.)

Speaking of the millennium, Isaiah said, "Since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him." (Isa. 64:3,4.)⁽¹⁾ A similar statement was made in the Nephite account. It says, "The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father." (3 Ne. 17:16.)

During the millennium, "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord..., [and] all things shall be made known unto the children of men. There is nothing which is secret save it shall be revealed. All things which have been revealed unto the children of men shall at that day be revealed." (2 Ne. 30:15-18; Isa. 11:9.) In antiquity as well, great and marvelous things were revealed to the Nephites after Christ's appearance. (3 Ne. 26:16,18.) What is now referred to as the "sealed portion" of the Book of Mormon, namely the writings of the brother of Jared, were "made manifest" at that time. (Ether 4:2-5; 5:1.) These records will come forth in our day too. The Lord promised that once we have become sanctified as a people, he will manifest to us "the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto [us] all [his] revelations...." (Ether 4:7,14,15.)⁽²⁾

Considering that the redemption of the New Jerusalem will usher in millennial-type conditions among those who dwell there, might we expect that great things will be brought forth at that time as well--before the world as a whole enters into the millennium? We know that only those "whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb..." will dwell in Zion (Ether 13:10); and sanctification is the prerequisite to receiving, for example, the brother of Jared's writings (4:7). No longer will the Lord need to conceal his precious truths in parable form. Isaiah confirms this timing saying that the Lord will speak in a veiled way only "until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, and the Lord have removed men far away...." (Isa. 6:11,12.)

Because the earth will be "full of the knowledge of the Lord," apparently missionary work will eventually become obsolete as we know it. (2 Ne. 30:15-18.) "They shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me...," said the Lord. (Jer. 31:34 = Heb. 8:11.) Yet at the time of his coming, not all of the righteous who survive will have already come into his fold. Joseph Fielding Smith said, "There will be millions of people, Catholics, Protestants, agnostic, Mohammedans, people of all classes, and of all beliefs, still permitted to remain upon the face of the earth, but they will be those who have lived clean lives, those who have been free from wickedness and corruption.⁽³⁾ Therefore, at least an initial proselyting effort will be instigated.⁽⁴⁾ In Book of Mormon history, Jesus charged the Nephite disciples: "Therefore, go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the earth." (3 Ne. 11:41.) After only about three years, "the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land...." (4 Ne. 1:1,2.)

The Nephite record proclaims that not only did Christ "teach the people for the space of three days," but "he did show himself unto them oft." (3 Ne. 26:13.) This seems to foreshadow the fact that during the millennium, the Lord himself will reign personally upon the earth. (Rev. 20:4.)

The healing that will occur in the millennium will not just be spiritual. "The ^a.eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ^b.ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the ^c.lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing." (Isa. 35:5,6.) Similarly, when Christ ministered among the Nephites, he "healed all their sick, and their ^c.lame, and ^a.opened the eyes of their blind and ^b.unstopped the ears of the deaf...." (3 Ne. 26:15.)

A hallmark of the millennium will be that "because of the righteousness of [God's] people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth." (1 Ne. 22:26.) This same type of condition was evidenced in the period of Nephite history following the Savior's appearance to them. "...There were [no] envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness [among them]...." (4 Ne. 1:16; compare D&C 45:58.) "They had all things common among them, every man dealing justly one with another." (3 Ne. 26:19.) Also, "there were no contentions in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people." (4 Ne. 1:15-18; compare 2 Ne. 30:15,18.) "There were no...Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God." (4 Ne. 1:17; compare Ezek. 37:22,27.) "...Surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God," the Nephite record proclaims. (4 Ne. 1:16; compare 2 Ne. 8:11 = Isa. 51:11.)