The Manifestation of God’s Power
To provide context for my thoughts today, I will quote several verses from the First Book of Nephi, starting with chapter 22, verses 10-12, “And I would, my brethren, that ye should know that all the kindreds of the earth cannot be blessed unless he shall make bare his arm in the eyes of the nations. Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to make bare his arm in the eyes of all the nations, in bringing about his covenants and his gospel unto those who are of the house of Israel. Wherefore, he will bring them again out of captivity, and they shall be gathered together to the lands of their inheritance; and they shall be brought out of obscurity and out of darkness; and they shall know that the Lord is their Savior and their Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel.”
Speaking of those who would be brought out of captivity and darkness are those who settled in and founded the United States in this land of promise, chapter 13, verse 30 says, in part, “…the Gentiles who have gone forth out of captivity, and have been lifted up by the power of God above all other nations…”. The chapter goes on to describe how the Lord will establish his gospel in the last days by bringing forth the record we know today as the Book of Mormon. Read chapter 13 for additional context and details of how the Lord will establish Zion in this land, meaning the promised land where Lehi’s family was taken after fleeing the destruction at Jerusalem.
Part of how God manifests his power is through covenants. Throughout history, God has made many covenants with individuals and nations. Abraham and Israel are some examples. The New Covenant established by Christ in his earthly ministry is another. After the Great Apostasy prophesied in the New Testament, the New Covenant was reestablished in our time through the prophet Joseph Smith. Part of that restoration was the Book of Mormon. Other parts include ancient rites and ordinances that were part of temple worship that were not expressly discussed in the Bible but are referenced in other ancient documents discovered in recent decades.
Regarding the Book of Mormon, section 84 of the Doctrine and Covenants, verse 57 says, in part, “…remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them…”. Then in, Jeremiah 31 it says, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Finally, Doctrine and Covenants 84:19-20 reads, “And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.“
There is so much packed into these verses that we should consider as vital to understanding how the Lord manifests his power and makes bare his holy arm.
So, what this all leads to are the effects of God’s power on societies that accept the Mediator of the new covenant, even Jesus Christ, along with the ordinances and covenants of His Gospel, administered under priesthood authority. I did a little research on the matter. The restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ began with the first vision Joseph Smith received in 1820. Priesthood authority was restored in 1829, and the Book of Mormon was published in 1830.
Here is a summary of the economic conditions before and after 1820 from an AI-generated response to the question: Prior to 1820, the economic landscape of the United States was primarily agrarian, with the majority of the population engaged in agriculture. The economy was characterized by small-scale farming, trade, and local craftsmanship. Key industries included agriculture, fishing, shipbuilding, and trade with Europe. Overall, American prosperity began to accelerate significantly after 1820, driven by industrialization, infrastructure development, urbanization, and government policies that promoted economic growth and expansion.
Of course, AI doesn’t mention how these innovations came about, but one thing it did say was that the United States became an economic powerhouse that eclipsed the rest of the world.
Many of the great discoveries in history are attributed to sudden inspiration and revelation. Most of the great thinkers in history were inspired by religious principles and believed in God.
When I asked Chat GPT about great scientific discoveries attributed to atheists, it listed Darwin and Einstein, two discoverers of DNA structure, and a Roman Catholic priest and physicist, Georges Lemaître, who discovered the Big Bang theory. (Apparently this particular Catholic priest was atheist, according to AI). On further research, Darwin was very religious in his early years and became agnostic over time but never denied the existence of God. Einstein made two relevant statements on the matter: “The moral and intellectual training of humanity will become the business of women and men engaged in practical life, and of practical philosophy. All the more must the foundations of their efforts be grounded in moral conviction, in ethical teaching, and in religious consciousness; for without these the civilization of modern society will not be enduring.” (Speech delivered in 1932 at the meeting of the League of Nations). “I believe in Spinoza’s God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with fates and actions of human beings.” (From his essay “The World As I See It” (1931))
I am making a point that virtually all great ideas come from God in the form of inspiration or revelation when his arm is bared and that its effect on the world is astounding. The fact or coincidence that world conditions got exponentially better at about the same time as the restoration of Christ’s church with the establishment of the New Covenant is a compelling argument that God has indeed “made bare his arm in the eyes of the nations.”