Question
Gramps,
In 1 Nephi 10:11 it says that after His resurrection, Christ “should make himself manifest…unto the Gentiles”. What people is this referring to? The Nephites are of the house of Israel, so I don’t think it is referring to them. Did He visit another gentile nation?
Brady
Answer
Dear Brady,
Most of this chapter is Lehi teaching his children about things the Lord had revealed to him. These things cover millennia. He begins by telling what will befall the Jews up through the coming of Christ (verse 3), then several verses cover Christ’s mortal ministry (verses 4-11). Which brings us to the verse you ask about. After mentioning in passing both the crucifixion and apostasy, Lehi begins to talk about the Gentiles. Specifically, he says that the Lord would “make himself manifest, by the Holy Ghost, unto the Gentiles.” That phrase, “by the Holy Ghost” is critical. It informs us that the Lord would not go personally to the Gentiles (see Matthew 15:24), but that they would receive his gospel through the Apostles and other priesthood-holders, and by the witness of the Holy Ghost. If we follow the footnote for “manifest”, we see in 3 Nephi 15 that the Lord himself confirms that this is how the Gentiles receive the gospel:
23 And they understood me not that I said they shall hear my voice; and they understood me not that the Gentiles should not at any time hear my voice—that I should not manifest myself unto them save it were by the Holy Ghost.
In subsequent verses of 1 Nephi 10, Lehi compares Israel to the scattered branches of an olive tree, including that Israel would be gathered again after the Gentiles receive the fullness of the gospel (something we know happened through Joseph Smith). This allegory can be found repeated both in the Book of Mormon (e.g. 1 Nephi 15 and Jacob 5) and in Romans 11. We know from the history of the restoration that the Lord did not appear personally to large groups of people as he did after his resurrection in both the old and new worlds, rather, he appeared to the prophet Joseph Smith and it has been through the Holy Ghost that people receive testimony of Christ and his gospel.
I hope that clarifies the meaning of this scripture and the important role of the Holy Ghost in bearing witness of our Savior.
Gramps
