This Land

Where is This Land and why? We should know about these important two words.

You will see that Jesus Christ and Russell M. Nelson, both speak of the house of Joseph in “this land” of America. As the resurrected Jesus Christ appears to the Nephites of the Book of Mormon, he confirms that they are truly a remnant of the House of Joseph. He instructs the Twelve Disciples whom he has chosen (3 Nephi 13:25) as follows: “Ye are my disciples, and ye are a light unto this people, who are a remnant unto the House of Joseph. And behold, this is the land of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it unto you” (3 Nephi 15:12-13).

Here you will find the significance of the words, “THIS LAND” in our Scriptures and from the teachings of Prophets and Apostles and the Lord Himself. I believe This Land means:
The Land of Joseph
The Land of First Inheritance
The North County of Cumorah
The Heartland of the United States
The Land of the New Jerusalem
The Promised Land
The Land and City of Zarahemla
The Land of Bountiful
The Plains of the Nephites
The Land Choice above all others,
and many other names!

I believe the significance of these two words, “This Land“, are indicative of a specific location in the world where we as the Children of Christ must understand this as a sacred location. Can you think of any reason the Lord would use the words, This Land so many times, unless He was trying to emphasize a place in the world that is truly a place where His people could be protected from the rest of the world? The Lord made covenant with people on This Land, so it is vital we all know where This Land is actually located.

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I emphasize a quote by Pres Hinckley who said, “I should like to say a few words about America…No land is without its beauty, no people without their virtues, and I hope that you who come from elsewhere will pardon my saying a few words concerning my own native land, America…surely this is a good land, a choice land, a chosen land. To me it is a miracle, a creation of the Almighty.” Emphasis added.  Gordon B. Hinckley Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled”, BYU Speeches of the Year, October 29, 1974, pp. 267-68 ) Pres. Hinckley didn’t say America is the only choice land, but America is the choice land the Lord chose for the restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or the kingdom of God on the earth in the Last Days. That makes sense.

Choice because it was a Land of Liberty

Elder Nelson said, “The Book of Mormon reveals the inheritance of Joseph, son of Israel, who was not forgotten when land was distributed to the tribes of Israel. This was promised in the Abrahamic covenant…  Josephs inheritance was to be a land choice above all others. Choice because it was chosen to be the repository of sacred writings on golden plates from which the Book of Mormon would one day come. Choice because it would eventually host the world headquarters of the Restored Church of Jesus Christ in the latter days. And it was choice because it was a land of liberty for those who worship the Lord and keep His commandments.” Russell M Nelson President, Quorum of 12 June, 2016 Provo Missionary Training Center.

An additional more complete quote from Elder Nelson in 1992 and 1993 here. “The Book of Mormon reveals that Joseph, the son of Jacob who was once sold into Egypt, foresaw the Prophet Joseph Smith and his day (see 2 Ne. 3:6–21) and noted that there would be many similarities in their lives. Centuries later, the Prophet Joseph stated, “I feel like Joseph in Egypt.” (The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, ed. Dean C. Jessee, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1984, p. 409; spelling modernized.) The Book of Mormon reveals that the inheritance of Joseph, son of Israel, was not forgotten when, as promised in the Abrahamic covenant, land was distributed to the tribes of Israel. Joseph’s inheritance was to be a land choice above all others. (See Ether 13:2, 8.) It was choice not because of beauty or wealth of natural resources, but choice because it was chosen. It was to be the repository of sacred writing on plates of gold from which the Book of Mormon would one day come, choice because it would eventually host world headquarters of the restored church of Jesus Christ in the latter days.” A TREASURED TESTAMENT By Elder Russell M. Nelson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles JULY 1993 Adapted from an address given 25 June 1992 at a seminar for new mission presidents, Missionary Training Center, Provo, Utah.

Land of Joseph

“Certain lands were given to Israel for an inheritance in time and in eternity. America is the land of Joseph; it was the home of Nephite Israel, who were of Joseph, for a thousand years, and it is the headquarters of the Church in this final dispensation in which the church and kingdom of God are in the hands of Ephraim.” Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p. 511

The United States continue to buy the land of Joseph, and become nursing fathers unto his children… And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the house of Israel have been scattered and confounded, that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles: yea, even upon the face of this land; and by them shall our seed be scattered. [American Colonists].” THE EVENING AND THE MORNING STAR Vol. 1 Page 62 Independence, MO January 1833, No. 8. Editor Oliver Cowdery

“To his steady drum roll about the Indian and his destiny, Phelps added his view of the land west of the Missouri settlements, which he called the “Far West.” Wasn’t this, the editor wondered, the land of the covenant, where the Book of Mormon Jaredites and Nephites had once roamed before meeting their destruction? While the world would never prize the area because of its want of timber and mill seats, Deity had a different view. This land was Zion, he argued, the land of Joseph, the receptacle of “the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills.” In a few sentences, Phelps wove together some of the images that Joseph Smith had been using when speaking of the western Zion and the soon-to-be redeemed Indian” Quoted in Seeking The “Remnant”: The Native American During The Joseph Smith Period by Ronald W Walker: Evening and the Morning Star 1 (October 1832): 137] Phelps was citing Deuteronomy 3313-17. The editor later would help select Mormon settlement sites in Daviess County and may have had a role in choosing the name of the region’s most prominent town, Far West, thus giving another expression to his fascination with the western region.

“The Book of Mormon tells us that America is a land of promise, a land choice above all other lands. Nephi said that whosoever should possess it must serve the God of the land or they would be swept off. And we have read in the Book of Mormon of the nations that have been swept off because they ceased to worship the God who had led them and their forefathers here to this land. We have a great responsibility as citizens in this land, for the Lord said that he would fight its battles and be its king, if we will just serve him. So it’s appropriate at this time that we express our appreciation for this great land. I like the words Moses used when he gave a blessing to the twelve tribes of Israel. When he blessed Joseph, he promised him a new land in the utmost bowels of the everlasting hills (see Deut. 33:15). Now that isn’t in Jerusalem because they don’t have everlasting hills over there, and the prophets have never predicted a regathering of all nations to the land of Israel. But they have predicted the gathering of Israel to this land of America, which is the land of Joseph. And we are the only people in the world who know what that land is that Moses promised to Joseph. It was so great in his eyes as he received the revelations of the Holy Spirit that in describing the land, he used the word “precious” five times in just four verses…We have so much to be grateful for. We are not here by chance. We are here because of the sacrifices of our pioneer fathers who came to this choice land that the Lord, according to the Book of Mormon, had hidden away from the eyes of the world that it should not be overrun. He preserved it for us, for the day and time in which we now live here in these valleys of the mountains.” Thanksgiving LEGRAND RICHARDS of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Nov. 18, 1980 • Devotional

As Jesus continues His teachings to the Nephite disciples (3 Nephi 16:1), He says, “I have other sheep, which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem…” The heading of 3rd Nephi chapter 16 states, “In the latter days the gospel shall go to the Gentiles and then to the House of Israel.” Thus, in verses 7-8, the Lord affirms that, speaking of the land He is in (this land), “in the latter days shall the truth come unto the Gentiles…, for notwithstanding they have come forth upon the face of this land and have scattered my people who are of the House of Israel…” Then Jesus gives additional instruction to the Nephite leaders that “the Father commanded me that I should give unto this people this land for their inheritance (verse 16).” We shall see that when Jesus refers to this land, it is always in the land He was visiting in the Book of Mormon after His resurrection.

The New Jerusalem

As we move onto further teachings of Jesus to the Nephites, in 3rd Nephi:19, He again visits the Nephites (3rd Nephi 19:15) in the same place He did in chapters 11-18. In 3rd Nephi 20:14, Jesus states, “And the Father commanded me that I should give unto you this land, for your inheritance.” It is the same land He has been visiting since He appeared to them in 3rd Nephi chapter 11. He further states that the House of Jacob (verse 16), “this people will I establish in this land…and it shall be a New Jerusalem (verse 22).” We know where this sacred site is by means of latter-day revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Once again we learn in verse 28 that the Lord refers to my people, the House of Israel, as the people of this land!
The Savior continues to teach His gospel messages in 3rd Nephi 21. The chapter heading states, “the Gentiles shall be established as a free people in America.” And further, “Israel will build the New Jerusalem…” Amazing!

The Lord never varies one whit from His description of this land! Now He is declaring that this land and the New Jerusalem are exactly the same land. In 3rd Nephi 21, the Lord certifies that the remnant of the House of Jacob (verse 2) should be “established in this land,” and He “set up as a free people by the power of the Father” (verse 4). We know by the teachings of our latter-day Prophets from the beginning of the Restoration of the Gospel in 1830, that they have declared over and over again that America is the promised land, the choice land, the land of liberty, and the Lord helped the founders of this land to have the sacred Constitution as the power behind this land and its freedoms of government.

Further, the Lord magnifies His declarations about this land by saying in verse 22, “I will establish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance.” And (verse 23) “they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem.” And (verse 24) “they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem.” Can anyone doubt the words of our Savior about this land? We know where the New Jerusalem is to be built in these latter days.

Jesus returns a third time to this land in 3 Nephi 27:2. He teaches them about His name, His church, His gospel, His atonement, His sacred ordinance of baptism, and His manner of being sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost. In chapter 28, He teaches the Nephites in this land about those who can be taken to heaven without “enduring the pains of death” (verse 8) and the joy of being “in the kingdom of my Father,” and the true doctrine of the Godhead as the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost are one (verses 10-11). Then he departed this land where He had taught the Nephites or “the people of Nephi” and did preach the gospel of Christ unto all the people upon the face of the land,” this land (verse 23).
Moving forward hundreds of years, the Prophet Mormon continues the Book of Mormon record citing “continued…peace in the land (4th Nephi verses 4, 7, 13, 15, 18). No contention in the land, peace in the land (verse 20), and this condition is always in this land. By 210 AD (4th Nephi 26-27), conditions in this land began to change toward apostasy and by 4th Nephi 46, changes all “over the face of the land,” this land, continued even until verse 48 when 320 years had passed away in this land.

Mormon writes his own book, the Book of Mormon in his continued labors in this land from 322- to between 400-421 AD. Wars are dominant in the land. Lamanites and Nephites are gathered together and struggle through great conflicts and wars for decades. Mormon has gathered his people to the land of Cumorah (Mormon 6:6) and hides his records he has been working on and editing and abridging his whole life (Mormon 6:6) in this land. There is no evidence of moving of people, Nephites or Lamanites, or peoples of Lehi or the people of Nephi from the promised land or the land of liberty, the choice land to any other area of the world or the Western Hemisphere designated by the Savior in 34 AD as this land!

Mormon’s son, Moroni, takes over the records that his father has compiled for decades and which are now known as the “Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” Moroni continues his work with the sacred record of the Book of Mormon in the area of the Hill Cumorah of New York which is still and always in this land of America.

This North Country

We are so blessed to have the writings of the Prophet Ether that were abridged by the Prophet Moroni. Moroni refers to the record as “an account of those ancient inhabitants who were destroyed by the hand of the Lord upon the face of this north country” (Ether 1:1). This north country is in this land where all the events have been taking place since Lehi arrived in the promised land, which is this land where the Savior appeared to the Nephites in 3rd Nephi 11-18 and He designated his visit as being in this land.

We can now go to the flashback in time that Moroni provides, as the heading of the Book of Ether introduces us to a record very ancient from the work Moroni has been doing. The Book of Ether is a record of a people coming to “a choice land” from a time period including the Tower of Babel, and concluding approximately 200 B.C. Ether 1:38 tells us the people of Jared will “be carried forth into a land which is choice above all the earth.” Ether 1:42 states, “I [the Lord] will go before thee into a land, which is choice above all the lands of the earth.”

Chapter 2 in this wonderful ancient book speaks of the Jaredite journeys over lands and seas and is always focused on the “land of promise” which was “choice above all other lands” (verse 7) and the amazing first use of the term “this land” which Jesus used in 3rd Nephi. “We can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise and…shall serve God” (verse 9). Verse 10 further amplifies this concept by stating, “this is a land which is choice above all other lands.” Still other descriptions of this land are made in verse 12, “this is a choice land” where those who dwell herein are to “serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ.”

This ancient account continues in these chapters as the beloved Jehovah (Jesus Christ) says, “the land which I shall give you for your inheritance, for it shall be a land choice above all other lands” (verse 15). As Moroni opens chapter 6, the heading of the chapter states, “The Jaredite barges are driven by the winds to the promised land.” Verse 12 gives us the conclusion of the long journey on the sea, “And they did land upon the shore of the promised land. And when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land” [this land], and, in verse 13, “…they went forth upon the face of the land [this land] and began to till the earth.” This theme continues throughout the Book of Ether. Verse 18, “…they began to spread upon the face of the land” [this land]. Chapter 7 continues in the land [this land]. Verse 11, “…he [Shule] did spread his kingdom upon the face of the land…” [this land]. Verse 16, “…he [Noah] became a king over that part of the land” [this land]. Verse 23, …the “idolatry of the people was bringing a curse upon the land” [this land]. Verse 27, “he [Shule] remembered the great things that the Lord had done for his fathers in bringing them across the deep into the promised land” [this land].

We learn in chapter 9:3 that “the Lord warned Omer in a dream that he should depart out of the land” [this land] …and they “passed by the hill of Shim [this land near Cumorah], and came over by the place where the Nephites were destroyed.” As Moroni is the one writing this record, he certainly knows of this place in this land!

Much confusion continues in the wars and conflicts accounted for in this chapter. Yet in verse 13 Omer “was restored again to the land [this land] of his inheritance.” Thus we see that the wars and contentions are always in the same land. There is no indication of vast travels or abandonment of early lands of inheritance over centuries of occupation. In fact, continuing in chapter 9 verse 16, we learn that the “Lord began again to take the curse from off the land” [this land]. In verse 20, “the Lord did pour out his blessings upon this land, which was choice above all other lands.” It is still and always has been this land, which is the promised land and the choice land from generation to generation. While all of this apostacy comes after the blessings have come from the Lord, we now learn in verse 31 that the people fled “towards the land southward [still in this land] which was called by the Nephites Zarahemla.” Again Mormon was well acquainted with Zarahemla as the center of his life and for many years between 320-385 AD in the same areas identified for centuries as this land.

Ether chapter 10 continues the history and record of the Jaredites in this land. Cities were built up (verse 4), rebellions occurred (verse 8), new kings were appointed (verse 9), captivities were prevalent (verse 14), great cities were built (verse 20), the people worked in all manner of ore (verse 23), and linens (verse 24) and they made weapons of war (verse 27). They became a blessed people and they “were in a land that was choice above all lands” [still this land] (verse 28).
Chapter 11 of Ether speaks of “great war in the land” [this land] (verse 4), a “great curse should come upon the land” [this land] (verses 6-7). And yet in the days of Coriantor there “came many prophets” and they “prophesied of great and marvelous things” (verse 20), and “the Lord God would send or bring forth another people to possess the land” [this land] (verse 21).
Chapter 12 introduces the readers of this record to the Prophet Ether, after whom the book is named. His wonderful teachings on faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, carry on for 41 verses as Moroni joins him in the beautiful declarations on the power of faith.

The powerful chapter 13 reveals doctrines now known for thousands of years about sacred events pertaining to America, this land, always. The heading of the chapter, prepared for the 1980 edition of the Book of Mormon by prophets, seers, and revelators of the Scriptures Committee of the Church, declares as follows: “Ether speaks of a New Jerusalem to be built in America by the seed of Joseph.” This is one of the grand revelations of the last days.

Ether Chapter 13:

2“For behold, they rejected all the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man; and that after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof;
3 “And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord.
4 “Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land.
5 “And he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come—after it should be destroyed it should be built up again, a holy city unto the Lord; wherefore, it could not be a new Jerusalem for it had been in a time of old; but it should be built up again, and become a holy city of the Lord; and it should be built unto the house of Israel—
6 “And that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type.
7 “For as Joseph brought his father down into the land of Egypt, even so he died there; wherefore, the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph that they should perish not, even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph that he should perish not.
8 “Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away.
10 “And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel.”

Ether chapter 14 speaks in verse 1 of a “great curse upon all the land,” [this land]; “in that quarter of the land,” [this land] (verse 15); “an army went forth throughout the land” [this land] (verse 18); “all the face of the land” [this land] (verse 19); “the whole face of the land” [this land] (verse 21); “strewed upon the face of the land” [this land] (verse 22); scent…”went forth upon the face of the land” [this land] (verse 23). So the whole commotion during the final days of the Jaredites takes place in this land as the record has attested to for many hundreds of years.

The concluding chapter of the Book of Ether, chapter 15, demonstrates the final days of this civilization. Millions of the Jaredites have been slain over the course of battles and wars and the Jaredite nation is utterly destroyed. The Hill Ramah is mentioned in verse 11, and Moroni says, in Mormon 6:6, “it was that same hill where my father Mormon did hide up the records unto the Lord,” which was known as the Hill Cumorah of New York State. Verse 12 in Ether chapter 15 says, “…they did gather all the people upon the face of the land…” [this land], “for the space of four years…get all who were upon the face of the land” [this land] (verse 14). The entire civilization that had existed in this land for hundreds, even thousands of years, was now at its end, except for the Prophet Ether and the soldier Coriantumr. Coriantumr was discovered by the people of Zarahemla and the people of Mosiah around 200 B.C. in this land.

In the conclusion of Moroni’s record in Moroni 9:23, he quotes his father, Mormon who stated that “if they perish [Nephites] it would be like unto the Jaredites” because Mormon and Moroni were then in the Hill Cumorah of this land. Years before, (perhaps 500 B.C.) the Prophet Enos had heard the voice of the Lord say to him, “I have given them this land, and it is a holy land” (verse 10). This is the only place in the Book of Mormon where “a holy land” is mentioned as a definition of America. So the same Lord Jesus Christ who used the term this land in 34 AD among the Nephites had used the beautiful words this land hundreds of years before when speaking to the Prophet Enos! What a miracle!

A Land of Promise

Before the Prophet Lehi even left the ancient land of Israel, 1st Nephi 2:20 says ye “shall be led to a land of promise,” “a land choice above all other lands.” Further, in 1st Nephi 13:30, we read, “Gentiles…lifted up by the power of God…upon the face of the land which is choice above all other lands…his seed should have for the land of their inheritance…” In 1st Nephi14:2 we see the same theme spoken of again “among the house of Israel, and they shall be a blessed people upon the promised land [this land] forever.”

As the people of Lehi entered the ship about 591 B.C., “they were driven forth into the sea and were driven forth before the wind towards the promised land” [which would be this land throughout the Book of Mormon record!] (1st Nephi 18:8). Verse 22, “we sailed again towards the promised land.”

Not only have we learned of this land from the Savior and the Prophet Enos, we have many accounts of the Prophet Lehi using this term as he arrived in the Promised Land of America (about 590 B.C.). In 1st Nephi chapter 18 verse 23, Nephi states, “…we did arrive at the promised land…and we did call it the promised land.” Now in the promised land (1 Nephi 22:7) “the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles, yea, even upon the face of this land…” No nation in the Western Hemisphere qualifies as “a mighty nation,” except America which is “upon the face of this land.” Lehi begins to speak to his family “concerning the land of promise” (2nd Nephi 1:3), “a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands,” “a land for the inheritance of my seed.” “Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever” (2nd Nephi 1:5). Verse 6 refers to this land; verse 7 refers to this land; verse 9 says “I, Lehi, have obtained a land of promise…and shall prosper upon the face of this land…and shall be blessed upon the face of this land.” Further in 2nd Nephi chapter 1, Lehi says, “ye shall prosper in the land” (verse 20), and in verse 31, “dwell in prosperity long upon the face of this land,” and in verse 32, “the Lord hath consecrated this land for the security of thy people.” How grateful we are that this land is always and only the Promised Land of America.

Another significant use of this land occurs in 2nd Nephi chapter 10, where the latter-day prophets have added in Book of Mormon publications since 1980, the wonderful phrase in the heading of “America shall be a land of liberty, where no king shall rule.” In this chapter, to continue the focus on this land that Lehi brought to the text, we read the following: “this land, said God, shall be a land of thine inheritance,” (verse 10) and “this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles,” (verse 11) and “I will fortify this land against all other nations,” (verse 12), and “I will consecrate this land unto thy seed…for the land of their inheritance, for it is a choice land” (verse 19). It is stunningly clear that

Hundreds of years after the records noted in 1st and 2nd Nephi, the Book of Mosiah (1:10, this land) records Zeniff saying he had been “taught in all the language of the Nephites, and having had a knowledge of the land of Nephi, or of the land of our father’s first inheritance” (Mosiah 9:1) which is always this land. In Mosiah chapter 7 verse 9 we read, “And he said unto them: Behold, I am Limhi, the son of Noah, who was the son of Zeniff, who came up out of the land of Zarahemla to inherit this land, which was the land of their fathers, who was made a king by the voice of the people.” Zarahemla is in this land which is the land of their fathers! Two wonderful witnesses of America!

A Choice Land

Mosiah chapter 8 verse 8 states, “And they were lost in the wilderness for the space of many days, yet they were diligent, and found not the land of Zarahemla but returned to this land, having traveled in a land among many waters, having discovered a land which was covered with bones of men, and of beasts, and was also covered with ruins of buildings of every kind, having discovered a land which had been peopled with a people who were as numerous as the hosts of Israel.” What a stunning message about this land! Zarahemla, many waters, covered with bones of men, ruins of buildings of every kind, a land which had been prepared! All accounts in the Book of Mormon are related to this land, the land of promise, the land choice above all other lands, the land of inheritance, the land of the New Jerusalem, the land of Cumorah, the land of the remnant of the seed of Joseph! The testimony of America is over whelming and absolutely transparent.

Zeniff draws attention in chapter 10 verse 15 to the fact that the Lamanites years before have “arrived in the Promised Land.” Even at 120 B.C., the record in the Book of Mosiah, chapter 24, verse 23, speaks of the Lord speaking to Alma, “…get thou and this people out of this land, for the Lamanites have awakened…therefore get thee out of this land, and I will stop the Lamanites.” So all the area of Zarahemla, as described in chapter 25, is known as this land also where churches had been established throughout the land” (verse 19). To conclude the Book of Mosiah, chapter 29: 27, 32 tells us of Mosiah’s words to the people, “I desire that this inequality should be no more in this land, especially among this my people; but I desire that this land be a land of liberty.” This is now 92 B.C. and the references to this land continue whenever or wherever the prophets of God speak! They continue to be in the areas of Zarahemla and the river Sidon which is a major transportation resource in

In the Book of Alma, chapter 5, verse 5, we continue to see the prophets who were building up the church declare that their labors were under the direction of the Lord and “we were brought into this land, and here we began to establish the church of God throughout this land also.” We are only 80+ years from the birth of Christ into the world. Yet in the 500+ years since Lehi left Jerusalem, the theme of the promised land continues. Now we encounter further words from Alma in chapter 8 where he says, in verse 24, that the word of God was rejected among the people of Ammonihah “according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy; and I was in this land and they would not receive me but they cast me out and I was about to set my back towards this land forever.” Ammon was diligent in his ministry and preached the word of the Lord in the land of Ishmael, “which was the land of their inheritance” (chapter 21:18), or in other words, still in this land. Aaron and Ammon were faithful missionaries near the land of Zarahemla (chapter 22:28), “in the place of their father’s first inheritance,” and thus we see that they have been laboring in this land for 100’s and 100’s of years.

A brief account from Alma occurs in Alma chapter 37, verse 44, wherein he says to his son, Helaman, “to give heed to the word of Christ…which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land,” and in verse 45, by following this director “did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land…and the words of Christ…carry us…into a far better land of promise.” Here again, the land of promise is always in this land. As Captain Moroni enters the scene of conflicts in the land, verse 10 of Alma 46, he says “many people…seek to destroy the church of God, and to destroy the foundation of liberty, which God had granted unto them” in this land, many years before. Five hundred years before, Nephi had been told by the Lord that “this land shall be a land of liberty” (2 Nephi 1:7). Thus it was Captain Moroni who raised the “title of liberty” (Alma 46:13), “and called all the land on the north and on the south – A chosen land, and the land of liberty” (verse 17). “We are a remnant of the seed of Jacob, yea, we are a remnant of the seed of Joseph” (verse 23). “Yea, let us preserve our liberty as a remnant of Joseph…” (verse 24). This effort by Captain Moroni and other leaders of the people led to having peace in this land once again and prosperity in the church and the cause of Christians (73-72 B.C.). Great preparations were made to defend themselves by erecting small forts, throwing up banks of earth, and building walls of stone, ridges of earth, and erecting towers for observation around their cities in this land.

Land of our First Inheritance

In chapter 54 of Alma, we learn that Captain Moroni has valiantly sought to preserve the people of his day from many wars and conflicts. He says in verse 13 of this chapter, that “we will seek our land, the land of our first inheritance.” So all of this difficulty spoken of in this record has been occurring in this land. The Book of Alma concludes with Captain Moroni having spent his days in defense of freedom and liberty and the land of his inheritance, until 57 B.C., in this land.

The Book of Helaman begins in 52 B.C. and is a continued account of the Nephites and prophets before the coming of Christ. Nothing changes about this land. The account continues to center principally in the land of Zarahemla. We see in Helaman 3:12 that the vast abridgements by the Prophet Mormon are high-lighted as the people have spread north and south and east and west and they built many cities near bodies of water and many rivers as the people went forth into this land. In the fifty and first year of the reign of the judges “there was peace also, save it were the pride which began to enter into the church – not into the church of God, but into the hearts of the people who professed to belong to the church of God” (verse 33).

Any interchange between lands, whether it be Zarahemla, Bountiful, Nephi, land northward or land southward is always in the promised land, or choice land, or land of liberty, or land of inheritance in the original land defined by Lehi as this land.
The Prophet Nephi, son of Helaman, declares in Helaman 7:7, “Oh, that I could have had my days in the days when my father Nephi first came out of the land of Jerusalem, that I could have joyed with him in the promised land,” always having come to this land! As the account approaches the year 17 B.C., once again we see the power of the prayer from Nephi, “O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, yea, thy fierce anger, and cause that this famine may cease in this land” (Helaman 11:12). Always, when the prophets in the Book of Mormon seek help, it is associated with the land that Lehi entered in 589 B.C. [this land], the promised land.

As the Book of Helaman concludes with the visit of the Prophet Samuel the Lamanite (6 B.C.), we have the wondrous phrase we have been illustrating given once again in Helaman 14:20 and is very special. Knowing that Jesus will be born in just six years, Samuel gives instruction regarding the Savior’s death and resurrection also. He is going to give the sign of His death. “Behold, in that day that He shall suffer death the sun shall be darkened and refuse to give his light unto you [you here in this land]; and also the moon and the stars; and there shall be no light upon the face of this land, even from the time that he shall suffer death, for the space of three days, to the time that he shall rise again from the dead.” “And the angel said unto me that…they might believe that these signs and these wonders should come to pass upon all the face of this land” (verse 28). These Book of Mormon witnesses of the sacred and special place where the events of this holy account, this book also called Another Testament of Jesus Christ, took place, are sure and firm for all of us who delight in the coming forth of the Book in our day.

The Land of the New Jerusalem

The wonderful book of 3rd Nephi is the sacred account of the resurrected Christ to this land. In 3rd Nephi 2:9, we read that Nephi, the father of Nephi, “who had charge of the records, did not return to the land of Zarahemla, and nowhere could be found in all the land.” Clearly Zarahemla continues to be a focal point for the Book of Mormon account. The gathering places for the saints in 17-19 B.C. are Zarahemla and Bountiful (3rd Nephi 3:23). Those who were “called Nephites…did gather themselves together in this land” (3rd Nephi 3:24). Once again it is the Zarahemla-Bountiful region of this land. Verse 11 of chapter 4 takes us back over 600 years with regard to the effects of war in the land, “…there never was known so great a slaughter among all the people of Lehi since he left Jerusalem.” Since this paper opened with Jesus Christ speaking of His work in this land, we have witnesses in the Book of Mormon for thousands of years that this land is always associated with the land of promise, the choice land, the New Jerusalem, the land of inheritance and the land of liberty!

Once again the great abridger of sacred records, Mormon, tells us who is in this land; “I am a pure descendant of Lehi. I have reason to bless my God and my Savior Jesus Christ…surely He hath blessed the House of Jacob, and hath been merciful unto the seed of Joseph” (3rd Nephi 5:20-21). By the time we reach 3rd Nephi 9, we have come to A.D. 34! Christ is resurrected. He is soon going to visit the people who survive the great destructions and darkness upon the land for three days. The voice of the risen Christ is heard: “And many great destructions have I caused to come upon this land, and upon this people” (verse 12). It could not be more clear. He who declared this land a special place for the House of Israel, the house of Jacob and the house of Joseph, when He came to this land, now declares so profoundly before He appears to the Nephites, that He is now about to be with them “upon this land and upon this people” (verse 12). He declares to them that you “are a remnant of the house of Joseph…and this is the land of your inheritance” (3rd Nephi 15:12-13). Now we harken unto the words of this beloved Jesus that the paper began with. The circle is complete. For thousands of years and among tens of thousands of people, every generation, every prophet, every people that we focused upon in the Book of Mormon are in this land where the New Jerusalem will be built, where there is the promised land, the choice land, the land of liberty and the land of inheritance for Joseph.

Our latter-day scriptures of the Doctrine and Covenants and the Articles of Faith continue to place emphasis on a city of Zion, the city of New Jerusalem, a holy city, Mount Zion, and all in the context of the American Continent.

In the remarkable latter-day revelations contained in the book of Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord Jesus Christ once again introduces the sacred title this land to Joseph Smith in 1828, in Harmony, Pennsylvania while Joseph is translating the plates for the Book of Mormon. In speaking of the ancient prophets who prepared the Book of Mormon messages hundreds of years before the latter days, the Lord tells Joseph, “their faith in their prayers was that this gospel should be made known also, if it were possible that other nations should possess this land” (D&C 10:49). “And thus they did leave a blessing upon this land in their prayers, that whosoever should believe in this gospel in this land might have eternal life” (verse 50). The Lord further tells Joseph that “I will establish my church among them” (verse 53), “my gospel” (verse 62), “my doctrine” (verse 62), and “my rock” (verse 69).

In September 1830 (D&C 29) as the Church has been restored or established in this land, the Lord again says he “will gather his people” (verse 2), “declare my gospel” (verse 4), “bring to pass the gathering of mine elect” (verse 7) and “they shall be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land” (verse 8). The next time the Lord uses the term in America is Section 51 (May 1831), as the Lord says, “And I consecrate unto them this land” (verse 16), and “let them act upon this land as for years” (verse 17). In July 1831, the Lord again refers to this land in Section 57 verse 15, “concerning the gathering…those families which have been commanded to come to this land…and plant them in their inheritance.” In Section 58 (August 1831) again the Lord states “concerning this land unto which I have sent you” (verse 1). This land is referred to in verses 14, 19, 25, 34, 36, 44, 57, 59 and 61! Another time in August 1831, the term this land is used in Section 59:1, and Section 60:12.

Beyond September 1831 the Lord gives Joseph dozens of references to the sacred places and promises for this land in the Doctrine and Covenants. As he had told Enos in verse 10, around 500 B.C. in this land, “it is a holy land,” he uses that same powerful message in Section 84:59 when he says, “shall the children of the kingdom pollute my holy land? Verily, I say unto you, Nay.”

The focus on sacred places taught about in the Book of Mormon by the Savior are brought to Joseph Smith in the Restoration during the early 1830s-1840s. He speaks of “where the city Zion shall be built” (D&C 28:9), and then in 1831, in section 42, the Lord tells Joseph “the city of the New Jerusalem shall be prepared” (verse 9), “and the building up of the New Jerusalem which is hereafter to be revealed” (verse 35), “in mine own due time (it shall be revealed)” (verse 62), and ye shall “hereafter receive church covenants, such as shall be sufficient to establish you, both here [Kirtland] and in the New Jerusalem” (verse 67). In Section 45 the Lord gives further amplification of the theme surrounding the New Jerusalem as follows: “And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God” (verse 66), “and the glory of the Lord shall be there…and it shall be called Zion” (verse 67). In Section 52, received in June 1831, we learn that “upon the land of Missouri,” (verse 2) the city of Zion or the New Jerusalem will be built. In September 1832, in Section 84, the Lord reveals that “the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem” (verse 2), and further detail about the particular site is given in verse 3, as “at the temple lot,” “western boundaries of the State of Missouri,” and in verse 4 the Lord says, “that the city of New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple.” While the saints are still in Ohio in 1831, the Lord gives still more instruction about this sacred place as follows: “when he shall stand upon Mount Zion, and upon the holy city, the New Jerusalem, and they shall sing the song of the Lamb, day and night forever and ever” (D&C 133 verse 56).

Isn’t it wonderful that Zarahemla was mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants Section 125:3 as the Lord spoke to Joseph Smith about a city with that name here in America, in this land!

In the Articles of Faith, #10, we have this declaration from the Prophet Joseph Smith: “We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.” Here again the place of the New Jerusalem shall be the American continent, this land, the promised land, the land choice above all other lands, the land of liberty, the place where the Book of Mormon was prepared and after 100s of years the plates were buried in the Hill Cumorah of New York, and where the restoration of the gospel occurred in 1830.

In conclusion, let us give, with our sincere appreciation to the Lord’s Prophet of these latter days, President Russell M. Nelson, the final say about these prophetic matters revealed over 1000’s of years about America:

President Russell M. Nelson (ordained an Apostle, 1984; ordained President of the Church, January 2018)

2016 – “The Book of Mormon reveals the inheritance of Joseph, son of Israel, who was not forgotten when land was distributed to the tribes of Israel. This was promised in the Abrahamic covenant. You look in the Bible maps in the back of your Bible and you don’t see any lands reserved for Joseph. Because Joseph’s inheritance was to be a land choice above all others [see maps below].

Remnant of the Seed of Joseph

“Choice because it was chosen to be the repository of sacred writings on golden plates from which the Book of Mormon would one day come. It was choice because it would eventually host the world headquarters of the Restored Church of Jesus Christ in the latter days. And it was choice because it was a land of liberty for those who worship the Lord and keep his commandments.”

Our beloved Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, has spoken so clearly about the long-honored status of Joseph, son of Jacob, whose descendants came to the other Promised Land centuries ago. The Prophet Ether, whose Book of Ether appears in the Book of Mormon, in the late Jaredite culture era, gives us marvelous insight into the lineage of Joseph recently spoken of by President Nelson.

6 “And that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type.

7 For as Joseph brought his father down into the land of Egypt, even so he died there; wherefore, the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph that they should perish not, even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph that he should perish not.

8 Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away.

9 And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things have become new.

10 And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel.”

America is the Land of the New Jerusalem

In the closing session of the General Conference of the Church in October 2024, President Nelson gave this inspired instruction with respect to much anticipated events in these latter days: “Why are we building temples at such an unprecedented pace? Why? Because the Lord has instructed us to do so. The blessings of the temple help to gather Israel on both sides of the veil. These blessings also help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord!

“As the prophet Isaiah prophesied, and as memorialized in Handel’s Messiah, when Jesus Christ returns, “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”

“In that day “the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

“Jesus Christ will govern from both old Jerusalem and the New Jerusalem “built upon the American continent.” From these two centers, He will direct the affairs of His Church.

“In that day the Lord will be known as “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.” Those who are with Him will be “called, and chosen, and faithful.”

“Brothers and sisters, now is the time for you and for me to prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Now is the time for us to make our discipleship our highest priority.”

Rejoice Latter-day Saints! America is the land of the New Jerusalem, the Adam-ondi-Ahman and Cumorah of ancient days, the promised land, the choice land above all other lands, and the land of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this last dispensation. It fulfills all, every, completely this land raised up by God the Father to be the land of His work in preparing for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

THIS LAND References
Book of Mormon and D&C

3 Nephi 16:1 Jesus Christ
3 “ 16:8 “
3 “ 16:16 “
3 “ 20:14 “
3 “ 20: 22 “
3 “ 21: 4 “
3 “ 21:22 “
Ether 2: 9 Moroni
Ether 9:20 “
Ether 13:2 Moroni/Ether
Ether 13: 4 “
Ether 13: 6 “
Ether 13: 8 “
Enos 1: 10 Voice of the Lord
1 Nephi 22: 7 Nephi
2 Nephi 1: 5 Lehi
2 Nephi 1: 6 Lehi
2 Nephi 1: 7 Lehi
2 Nephi 1: 9 (2) Lehi
2 Nephi 1: 31 Lehi
2 Nephi 1:32 Lehi
2 Nephi 2:10 Jehovah
2 Nephi 2: 11 Jehovah
2 Nephi 2:12 Jehovah
2 Nephi 2:19 Jehovah
Mosiah 1: 10 Mosiah
Mosiah 7: 9 Limhi
Mosiah 8: 8 King Limhi
Mosiah 24:23 (2) Jehovah
Mosiah 29: 27 Mosiah
Mosiah 29: 32 Mosiah
Alma 5:5 (2) Alma the Younger
Alma 8:24 (2) “
Helaman 11:12 Nephi
Helaman 14:20 Samuel the Lamanite
Helaman 14:28
3 Nephi 3: 24 Lachoneus
3 Nephi 9:12 Jesus Christ
Doctrine and Covenants
D and C 10:49 Jesus Christ
D and C 10: 50 (2) “
D and C 29:8 “
D and C 51: 16 “
D and C 51: 17 “
D and C 57: 15 “
D and C 58:1 “
D and C 58: 14 “
D and C 58: 19 “
D and C 58: 25 “
D and C 58: 34 “
D and C 58: 36 “
D and C 58: 44 “
D and C 58: 57 “
D and C 58: 59 “
D and C 58: 61 “ D and C 59: 1 Jesus Christ D and C 60:12 Jesus Christ