In 1829, the Lord told Joseph Smith, “this
generation shall receive my word through you.”
That prophecy was fulfilled with the publication
of the Book of Mormon the following year.
Thousands of years before, the prophet Nephi
saw in a vision
that many plain and precious truths along with covenants of the Lord would be lost to the world.
The Lord, foreseeing this, prepared the way
for the Book of Mormon
to restore and “make known the plain and precious things which had been taken away”.
Some of the many “plain and precious things”
that were restored through Joseph Smith,
by way of the Book of Mormon, include truths
about the Godhead.
Some specific examples include: The premortal
Jesus appearing to the Brother of Jared,
the Holy Ghost appearing to Nephi during a vision,
and God the Father testifying of his risen son, Jesus Christ to the Nephites.
Perhaps one of the most important precious
truths lost to apostasy,
but preserved by the Book of Mormon, is the Plan of Salvation.
The Book of Mormon fleshes out the Plan’s
key aspects, such as the pre-mortal life,
the fall of Adam and Eve, the purpose of agency,
the Atonement,
and the afterlife in ways unparalleled by any other work of scripture.
Through the Book of Mormon, and other revelatory
means, Joseph Smith managed to,
as Elder LeGrand Richards declared, “ give us more revealed truth than any prophet
who has ever lived upon the face of the earth.”
And now you know why.
