The Mulekite Homeland in the Land of Promise – Part XIV

Continued from the previous post regarding the Mulekite homeland, where they landed, where they settled, and who they were, and how numerous theorists have treated this subject erroneously; and continuing below with the list of 14 erroneous points by theorists. 
11. The Jaredites wars of annihilation and final destruction did not include all the Jaredites, only a portion of them died, thus there were survivors 
This belief is common among Mesoamerican Theorists because Jaredite survivors are essential to their Centeral America model, however the scriptures make it quite clear that all the Jaredites were destroyed except for Coriantumr and Ether in those wars, and the final, great battle. Yet, Hauck who wrote: “One thing appears certain, however—individual Jaredites survived that war,” also claimed there was a remnant of the Jaredites in Zarahemla with the Mulekites, and Sorenson claims that Jaredites lived into the Nephite era and strongly influenced their behavior, while Nibley denounces any reader who believes in this total destruction and cites numerous suggestions why there were Jaredite survivors.

In fact, Nibley uses a fallacious argument to make his point that Jaredites survived among the Lamanites when he writes: “In time descendants of Jaredite hunters and robbers would combine with Lamanite riffraff, as their ancestors did with the Mulekites, and the old Jaredite stock would survive like the Nephite, as a ‘mixture’ only” (1 Nephi 13:30.
    This argument is based on or claimed to be supported by 1 Nephi 13:30, which is clearly a misreading or misunderstanding of Nephi’s words. Nephi in this cited work is receiving a vision of the future of his seed and the seed of his brethren (Lamanites), that after the Gentiles, who have gone forth out of captivity (Americans who had been subject to King George and England) and are upon the face of the land, “which is the land that the Lord God hath covenanted with thy father and his seed should have for the land of their inheritance, that the “Lord God will not suffer that the Gentiles will utterly destroy the mixture of thy seed, which are among thy brethren.”
    The seed of Nephi, of course, are the Nephites, and the seed of his brethren, of course, are the Lamanites. Consequently, there would be a remnant of Nephi’s seed (the dissenters who joined the Lamanites over the centuries in the land of promise) mixed in with the surviving Lamanites, “and this remnant...is the seed of thy father” (1 Nephi 13:34). Thus, it cannot be concluded as Nibley so often does, that Nephi meant there were Jaredites among his Nephite seed that would be mixed with his brethren, the Lamanites.
    So let us take a look at the actual scriptures to see if there is any indication of survivors:

Ether recorded the final events of the Jaredites and the last battles of their Civil War

The record of the final destruction of the Jaredites was made by Ether while in hiding (Ether 13:14), viewing by night the evil of the Jaredites who, scattered over the whole earth (Ether 13:17), not a single one had repented of their evil. Two years after the beginning of the final battles (Ether 13:18-20), the Lord had Ether prophesy to Coriantumr that all the kingdom and all the people, including his own family would be destroyed, “every soul should be destroyed save it were Coriantumr,” and that he should live to see the fulfilling of the prophecies about another people receiving the land of promise for their inheritance who would bury him (Ether 13:21). The battles then resumed in earnest and “there began to be a war upon all the face of the land” and “every man” was involved (Ether 13:25). 
    When Coriantumr was wounded, he stopped fighting for two years, but “all the people upon the face of the land” continued to fight (Ether 13:31). A terrible curse came “upon all the land” and “every man” kept his weapon in hand for the defense of his property and family (Ether 14:1-2). In the next great battle, many thousands died (Ether 14:4). Lib’s brother Shiz came to power and sought Coriantumr and “overthrew many cities and he did slay both woman and children and he did burn the cities” in this pursuit (Ether 14:17) and a cry went forth throughout the land “Who can stand before the army of Shiz? Behold, he sweepeth the earth before him!” (Ether 14:18)
    Now we see that with the total destruction Shiz brought upon all the land, the “people began to flock together in armies, throughout all the face of the land” (Ether 14:19), and the people were divided between Coriantumr and Shiz (Ether 14:20). And “so great and lasting had been the war, and so long had been the scene of bloodshed and carnage, that the whole face of the land was covered with the bodies of the dead” (Ether 14:21), and “so swift and speedy was the war that there was none left to bury the dead, but they did march forth...leaving the bodies of both men, women, and children strewn upon the face of the land” (Ether 14:22). And the land stank with the smell of the dead, “even upon all the face of the land” (Ether 14:23). Another running battle took place and Coriantumr was again wounded and, because of the tremendous loss of life on both sides, Shiz ordered his army back to camp (Ether 14:30-31). 
    The loss of life to Coriantumr’s side included nearly two million men, plus their wives and children (Ether 15:2). Totaling everyone killed, the number could be 10 to 15 million souls—that is, if every man was married and each couple had two children, the total would be 8 million. If each couple had 4 children, the number could be 12 million. If each couple had 6 children, the total could be 16 million. Keeping in mind that the Jaredites seemed to have large families and live longer lives, the number could even be higher. Keep in mind, these figures were only Coriantumr’s side in the battles. A like number among the people of Shiz may well have been killed.

On an errand for the Lord, Ether tries to persuade Coriantumr to stop the war and seek peace 

At this point Coriantumr remembers Ether’s prophesy (Ether 15:3) and tries to reconcile a truce (Ether 15:4), but Shiz refuses, and another series of running battles ensues (Ether 14:5-10). Finally, the two opposing armies make camp and prepare for a final, last battle in which they spend four years (Ether 15:14) gathering “together all the people upon all the face of the land, who had not been slain, save it was Ether” (Ether 15:12).
    Why single out only Ether surviving if there were others not gathered in? Typically, in writing, when there is an exception it is mentioned, otherwise there is no reason to introduce the idea.
    Then, after they were “all gathered together, “both men, women and children (Ether 15:15) from “all the face of the land” (Ether 15:14), they began the last battle of the Jaredite kingdom in which all but Coriantumr and Ether were slain (Ether 15:15-30). At this point the Lord spoke to Ether and told him to “go forth” and he did, beholding “that the words of the Lord had all been fulfilled.” (Ether 15:33).
    Note the wordage Ether used: “all the land,” “upon the face of the whole earth,” “every soul destroyed,” “throughout all the face of the land,” ”upon all the face of the land,” “the whole face of the land,” ”gathered together all the people upon all the face of the land,” “all who were on the face of the land,” “they were all gathered together, with their wives and children,” “they had all fallen by the sword, save it were 52,” “they had all fallen by the sword, save it were Coriantumr and Shiz,” “the words of the Lord had all been fulfilled.” 
    A thorough reading of Chapters 13 through 15 of Ether makes it clear that all the Jaredites were destroyed— every single one except for Coriantumr and Ether. In fact, Ether uses the terms the “whole earth” the “whole land” on numerous occasions in this account to show the reader he meant every part of the land. He begins this part of his account by indicating that the Jaredites had even gone so far south in their Land Northward that they came to the Narrow Neck of Land “where the sea divides the land” (Ether 10:21). He then talks about the Jaredites building a city near the Narrow Neck, and that “the whole face of the land northward was covered with inhabitants” (Ether 10:21).

It seems hard to argue against Ether’s words, as Mesoamerican Theorists do, and claim that his following account failed to encompass the entire land, or that his numerous indications of “all the people” and “every man” did not include every living soul in the land as these Theorists try to do.
    Obviously, then, there were no more Jaredites—and Ether’s job as prophet to his people was finished. There were none left to whom he could prophesy the word of the Lord. And, thus, Ether’s record draws to a close. There is no mystery about this—the Jaredites were gone, annihilated as a people through an extensive Civil War, to the last individual except for Coriantumr, just as the Lord had told Ether.
(See the following post, “The Mulekite Homeland in the Land of Promise – Part XV,” regarding the Mulekite homeland, where the Mulekites landed, where they settled, and who they were, as well as how numerous theorists have erroneously treated this subject)