“I Beheld a Man”

Brant Gardner

Nephi’s apocalyptic vision shows him John the beloved, affirming that part of John’s mission would be to record his own vision of the world’s end. Although Nephi’s vision emphasizes the perspective peculiar to his descendants, it is not limited to them. As part of their context, Nephi sees end-time events that include the Old World. In contrast, John’s vision is global, without differentiating hemispheres. Why would Nephi’s vision be more explicit than John’s? I speculate that John, as a child of the Old World only, received a view of the whole world’s future without much reference to geography, let alone another hemisphere. In fact, since Yahweh intended to keep the New World from the knowledge of the Old for a time, John may not have seen events in the New World at all. In contrast, Nephi had lived in both hemispheres and was concerned for the future of both. Thus, Nephi had a reason to understand what was happening in the Old World while John had no corresponding reason for seeing what was happening in the New.

Second Witness: Analytical & Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 1

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