7 Ways the Bible Prophesies of

the Book of Mormon

byTad Callister adapted from "A Case for the Book of Mormon" | Jun.
01, 2019
Makes You Think

A number of years ago, someone asked me, “If the Book of Mormon
is such a critical witness of the Savior, why isn’t the Book of Mormon
prophesied of by name in the Bible?”

I replied, “If Jesus Christ is our Savior—the very foundation of

Christianity—I assume He would be prophesied of in the Old
Testament.”
“He is,” the man replied.

I then asked, “Can you find the name of Jesus Christ specifically
mentioned anywhere in the Old Testament?”

He replied, in essence, “Well, the Old Testament does not mention

the name of Jesus Christ—I admit that—but it does prophesy of Him
in such a way that any reasonable person should know that it’s
referring to Jesus Christ.”

He was right—the Old Testament does not mention Jesus Christ by

name, but it does prophesy of Him with such specificity that we
ought to recognize those prophecies as speaking of Him. For
example, it prophesies that He would be born in Bethlehem
(see Micah 5:2) of a virgin (see Isaiah 7:14), that He would suffer the
sins of the world (see Isaiah 53:3–5), and that He would be crucified
(see Psalm 22:15–18). But even with all these specific references,
many, if not most, of the people in the meridian of time could not
accept that Jesus Christ was the literal fulfillment of those
prophecies. Nonetheless, the prophecies were there to be discerned
by the spiritually enlightened.

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Book of Mormon

And so it is with the Book of Mormon. The Bible prophesies of its

coming forth and its purpose not by name but by events and
descriptions that are sufficiently clear that honest seekers of the
truth who are familiar with the Book of Mormon can discern their
fulfillment. What, then, are some of these prophecies?

1. “Branches Run Over the Wall”

Jacob, also known as Israel, had 12 sons, whose descendants are
collectively known as the house of Israel. One of those sons, Joseph,
who inherited the birthright (see 1 Chronicles 5:1–2), had two sons,
Ephraim and Manasseh. Lehi was a descendant of Manasseh
(see Alma 10:3), and Ishmael (who accompanied Lehi to the
Americas) was a descendent of Ephraim.  Thus, these two families
1

that composed the first generation of the Nephite-Lamanite

civilization were direct descendants of Joseph (see 1 Nephi 6:2; 3
Nephi 10:17). Why is this important? Because the Bible prophesies
that descendants of Joseph—referring to Lehi, Ishmael, and perhaps
others (see 3 Nephi 10:17)—would leave their homeland of
Jerusalem, cross the ocean, come to a blessed land, have a great
posterity, and record their history into a book that would be given to
one who is unlearned. This book would come forth in our day and be
another witness of Jesus Christ.

2. “This Precious Land of Promise”

Genesis 49:22–26 speaks of Joseph as a “fruitful bough” and states

that certain “branches” or descendants of Joseph, referring at least
to Lehi and Ishmael (see 1 Nephi 15:12; 2 Nephi 10:22), would cross
the “wall”—likely meaning the ocean (which was a wall to the
people), and that they would find their way to a blessed land
(see Deuteronomy 33:13), which would be the land of their
inheritance (see 3 Nephi 15:12–13; 3 Nephi 16:16). These
descendants of Joseph were further promised “blessings of the
breasts, and of the womb” (Genesis 49:25), meaning they would
have a great posterity, as evidenced by the populous Nephite and
Lamanite civilizations.

The book of Deuteronomy further describes this blessed land, which

Joseph’s descendants would inherit, as “precious” on five different
occasions (see Deuteronomy 33:13–16). What was this land of their
inheritance but the precious land of the Americas, which Lehi also
referred to as “this precious land of promise” (2 Nephi 1:10;
emphasis added; see also Ether 2:7–12). If the Nephites and
Lamanites are not the descendants of Joseph as prophesied, and
their precious land is not the Americas, then where are Joseph’s
descendants who crossed the ocean, their great posterity, and their
precious land, all as prophesied in Genesis 49:22–
26 and Deuteronomy 33:13–16?

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3. “Speak Out of the Ground”

But there is more. Isaiah spoke of a people who, like the people of

Jerusalem (see Isaiah 29:2), would have an enemy “camp against”
them, “lay siege against [them] with a mount” and “raise forts
against [them]” (Isaiah 29:3). Who are those other people that are
likened to those destroyed in Jerusalem? 2

Nephi gave the answer. He used phrases similar to Isaiah’s to

describe the destruction of his own people: “The Lord God shall have
camped against them . . . and shall have laid siege against them
with a mount, and raised forts against them; and after they shall
have been brought down low in the dust, . . . the words of the
righteous shall be written” (2 Nephi 26:15). In addition, Isaiah told
us that these people would “speak out of the ground,” meaning their
records would be brought forth out of the earth. Isaiah then referred
to these records as a “book,” which is delivered to someone who is
unlearned (see Isaiah 29:1–12). What an appropriate description of
the Book of Mormon.  The Nephites were destroyed, as prophesied,
3
and their people did speak out of the ground through the golden
plates that had been buried in the earth (see 2 Nephi
26:16; Mormon 8:26). And these plates were delivered to someone
who was unlearned: namely, Joseph Smith.

4. “A Fruitful Field”

Isaiah also prophesied of a book that would come forth when

“Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field
shall be esteemed as a forest” (Isaiah 29:17). What is Lebanon, and
has it yet become a fruitful field and esteemed as a forest? And
what is the book that is to come forth in that time period? Lebanon
is a mountain range; as explained by one Bible scholar, it is
“mentioned nine times in the Bible as either part of the Promised
Land [Israel] or the northern boundary of the Promised Land.” 4

Some years ago, I traveled to the Holy Land. Knowing of the

devastation that had taken place during the Ottoman rule, I was
surprised to see the number of trees that forested the
mountainsides. I asked our guide how this could possibly be. He said
that commencing about 1900, the Israelis had planted more than
100 million trees in Israel. For years I thought that might be an
overestimation, so I researched it, and to my further surprise I
learned that more than 250 million trees have been planted since
1901.  In this way, Israel (Lebanon) has become, and is currently
5

becoming, a forest, as prophesied by Isaiah.

As Isaiah said, “in that day [when Lebanon is esteemed as a forest]

shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind
shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness” (Isaiah 29:18). If any
book meets the requirements of that prophecy, it is the Book of
Mormon. It has restored many of the plain and precious truths lost
from the Bible and thus helped the spiritually deaf and blind to hear
and see once again.

5. “The Stick of Judah and the Stick of Joseph”

No wonder Ezekiel prophesied that the stick of Judah (meaning the

record of the Jews, known as the Bible) and the stick of Joseph
(meaning the record of Joseph’s descendants, known as the Book of
Mormon) shall be joined into one stick or book, “and they shall
become one in thine hand” (see Ezekiel 37:17)—in essence,
complementary witnesses of Jesus Christ. The Lord further tells us
that these two books “shall grow together, unto the confounding of
false doctrines . . . and also to the knowledge of my covenants” (2
Nephi 3:12).

The Book of Mormon is also consistent with the law of witnesses, as

taught by Paul: “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every
word be established” (2 Corinthians 13:1). The Bible is one witness
of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon is a second witness, and the
records of the lost 10 tribes, yet to be revealed, will be at least one
more witness (see 2 Nephi 29:13).

6. “Other Sheep”

In the New Testament, Christ referred to the Book of Mormon people

when He spoke to His disciples in Jerusalem: “And other sheep I
have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they
shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd”
(John 10:16). Who were these other sheep that Christ would visit? In
at least partial fulfillment of that prophecy, the resurrected Savior
appeared to the Nephites, who heard the voice and became a part
of His fold, exactly as prophesied (see 3 Nephi 15:21–24).
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7. “The Birthright Was Joseph’s”

The foregoing prophecies of the Book of Mormon are further

confirmed by the fact that Judah, a son of Jacob, received great
blessings, “but the birthright was Joseph’s” (1 Chronicles 5:2). This
becomes significant when one realizes that Judah received the
following blessings:

· A great posterity—the Jewish race

· A promised land—the country of Israel

· The Savior—born through Judah’s lineage

· A book—the Bible, which is the record of God’s dealings with the

house of Israel, particularly the Jews, and Christ’s ministry among
them 

Did Joseph, who received the birthright, receive blessings equal to or

greater than Judah’s? He did. He received the following:

· A great posterity—including the Nephite and Lamanite civilizations

· A promised land—the Americas

· The Savior—who personally visited Joseph’s descendants and

guided their chosen prophets

· A book—the Book of Mormon, which is the record of God’s dealings

with Joseph’s descendants in the Americas and the resurrected
Christ’s personal ministry among them 
And so, just as the Savior was prophesied of in the Bible—not by
name but by events and descriptions—so too the Book of Mormon
was prophesied of in the Bible—not by name but by events and
descriptions. To those who are familiar with the Book of Mormon,
these prophecies are clear and convincing. 6

Some might claim that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon in
such a way to make it look like it was a fulfillment of the foregoing
scriptures. If that is the case, this “unlearned” boy seems to have
become more savvy and brilliant all the time—not only having read
the numerous books referred to in previous chapters but now also
becoming a master scriptorian, all by the age of 23. But of greater
consequence, if these biblical scriptures do not apply to the Book of
Mormon, then to what people and what book are they referring?