It is confusing to some members of the church to understand how the word Gentile is used by the Savior and the prophets of the Book of Mormon. We have a cultural heritage of considering ourselves the House of Israel and the non-members as Gentiles. This is also true, in a sense, but the title of this post is referring to who the Book of Mormon writers refered to as Gentiles and we will use this book with some corroborating evidence from the Doctrine and Covenants to sort this mystery out.
The very title page of the Book of Mormon gives us an important clue. This was penned by Moroni and it states the purpose of the book that his father Mormon painstakingly compiled:
Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites–Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile--Written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation–Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed–To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof–Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile–The interpretation thereof by the gift of God.
So the book is written for three groups of people; the Lamanites (the Nephites having been all destroyed), the Jews and also to the Gentiles. It also says that the book will come forth by the Gentiles. So the Book is for the whole world and the introduction states the purpose “which is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever–And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations.”
So this paragraph should be all the evidence one needs to determine who are the Gentiles that the Book of Mormon authors referred to. It is the people who first received the book and were inheritors of the restoration. The Gentiles would then be charged with taking the message of the restoration of the covenants of the Lord and the fullness of the good news to the other groups. Even though those who received the book and covenant had the blood of scattered Israel in their veins and even though we receive a spiritual inheritance through our patriarchal lineage, we are still considered the Gentiles in the eyes of the Book of Mormon prophets.
Nephi reports what his father Lehi taught regarding what he learned about this from his visions:
And after the house of Israel should be scattered they should be gathered together again; or, in fine, after the Gentiles had received the fulness of the Gospel, the natural branches of the olive tree, or the remnants of the house of Israel, should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer. (1 Nephi 10:14)
So this reinforces the idea that the Gentiles (wild branches) would receive the fullness of the gospel and then the remnant of the house of Israel (natural branches) would receive the gospel and come unto their redeemer who is Christ and be grafted unto their mother tree.
Laman and Lemuel didn’t understand this part about the Gentiles and their younger brother Nephi explained it to them in plainness:
And now, the thing which our father meaneth concerning the grafting in of the natural branches through the fulness of the Gentiles, is, that in the latter days, when our seed shall have dwindled in unbelief, yea, for the space of many years, and many generations after the Messiah shall be manifested in body unto the children of men, then shall the fulness of the gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles unto the remnant of our seed— (1Nephi 15:13)
There are many more scriptures from the Book of Mormon all the way to the end that reinforce this concept so much so that it is beyond dispute or rational argument who the prophets of the Book of Mormon referred to as Gentiles. It is us! Those in the land of promise who would receive the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the convents and gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here are the words of Mormon regarding who the Gentiles would be:
6 And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people;
7 But behold the plates of Nephi do contain the more part of the things which he taught the people.
8 And these things have I written, which are a lesser part of the things which he taught the people; and I have written them to the intent that they may be brought again unto this people, from the Gentiles, according to the words which Jesus hath spoken.
9 And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them. (3 Nephi 26:6-9)
Notice that Mormon is repeating what Jesus taught about how the Gentiles would first receive “these things” which is referring to the very words he was compiling which is the Book of Mormon. Who received the book first and what group of people has spread this message far and wide? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are the Gentiles spoken of in reference to receiving the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the gospel.
To finish let me leave you with some revelations given to the Prophet the restoration Joseph Smith regarding who the Gentiles might be:
And again, I command thee that thou shalt not covet thine own property, but impart it freely to the printing of the Book of Mormon, which contains the truth and the word of God–Which is my word to the Gentile, that soon it may go to the Jew, of whom the Lamanites are a remnant, that they may believe the gospel, and look not for a Messiah to come who has already come. (D&C 19:26-27)
The Book of Mormon is the word of the Lord to the Gentiles and then in the future would go to the other groups.
That through your administration they may receive the word, and through their administration the word may go forth unto the ends of the earth, unto the Gentiles first, and then, behold, and lo, they shall turn unto the Jews. And then cometh the day when the arm of the Lord shall be revealed in power in convincing the nations, the heathen nations, the house of Joseph, of the gospel of their salvation. (D&C 90:9-10)
Again here we see the gospel is to go to the Gentiles first and then to Jews and then the heathen nations as well as the house of Joseph which lineage the Lamanites belong to.
I will end with the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland temple which was the first temple in this dispensation. Joseph said that he received this dedicatory prayer by the spirit of prophecy and revelation:
Now these words, O Lord, we have spoken before thee, concerning the revelations and commandments which thou hast given unto us, who are identified with the Gentiles. But thou knowest that thou hast a great love for the children of Jacob, who have been scattered upon the mountains for a long time, in a cloudy and dark day. We therefore ask thee to have mercy upon the children of Jacob, that Jerusalem, from this hour, may begin to be redeemed; (D&C 109:60-62)
Despite the blood of Israel running in the veins of those who first accepted the Book of Mormon and the restoration, they were still “identified with the Gentiles” because that’s how the Book of Mormon prophets referred to them.
There are at least 4 groups or time periods of Gentiles referenced in the Book of Mormon.
1. The non-Jewish people who first accepted the original Gospel shortly after the Savior died.
2. The Europeans who were led to the promised land.
3. The descendants of these Europeans who would receive the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the gospel. (I would submit that we are this 3rd group of Gentiles.)
4. The current inhabitants of the world who do not have the gospel who are not Jews or Lamanites or who are not members of the lost tribes of Israel.
Many of the warnings of the Book of Mormon prophets apply to this 3rd group of gentiles who would actually be receiving and reading the Book of Mormon and establishing the “Holy Church of God” since the first 2 groups of Gentiles would not even have access to the book however some of Nephi’s warnings do appear aimed at this 4th group as well, especially 2 Nephi 29 where he states the Gentiles will say “A Bible, a Bible we have got a Bible and there cannot be anymore Bible.”
In a future post we will examine the various Gentile warnings and use the scriptures to see which group they may apply to. This is a key to understanding the message of the Book of Mormon which surely is another testament of Jesus Christ.