Verifying the Land of Promise – Part I

Most theorists approach their Land of Promise geographical views and opinions from one of two starting points:
1. They believe that a particular spot, area or topographic point is the Land of Promise, then go about trying to prove it; or
2. They hear, read or see something someone else has claimed to be the Land of Promise and buy into the idea without any substantial checking on the area against the descriptions listed in the scriptural record.
• Both of these approaches are doomed to failure because 1) Trying to prove a predetermined location often results in having to change, alter, or ignore descriptions from Nephi, Jacob, Mormon or Moroni because they do not match or support the chosen location;
• Letting someone else do the study and then accepted their view without fact-checking, or comparing their statements against what Nephi, Jacob, Mormon or Moroni have described, is also doomed to failure because the theorist may well have, and often does, have a hidden agenda.

Different theory locations in the Western Hemisphere, which does not include the Malay, Africa or Hawaii theories

After all, there are at least a dozen different beliefs about the site of the Land of Promise and where Lehi landed, some quite divergent in location—and of course they cannot all be correct. Nor can one simply agree with what someone has written or claims, no matter their standing, without verifying the information against the scriptural record.
    Nor should we accept what someone says, no matter their position, unless they are stating the accepted views of the church. Other than that, we are listening only to opinions, which are no different from any other.
    After all, it is one thing to read the writing of those who were in the Land of Promise, it is quite another to listen to those who were not involved in Lehi’s travels, his visions and those of Nephi, and never saw in person the Land of Promise. In the Book of Mormon we read of the Land of Promise from those who lived there, fought there, and built the cities there—compare that to what is stated and written today by those who try to interpret what those Nephites did and said.
    But we are not left to fend for ourselves in this matter, since Nephi tells us how he got to the Land of Promise and where he landed; Jacob tells us the general makeup of the Land of Promise; Mormon’s abridgement of numerous works of those who preceded him along with several insights and descriptions of what is in the Land of Promise and how it was laid out; and Moroni adds some views based on an earlier people who settled a part of this area.

Lehi wrote many things

First of all, Nephi stated of his father: “Lehi saw many things in visions and in dreams and he also hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children, of which I shall not make a full account” (1 Nephi 1:16). Lehi had many such visions, of which he saw the future of his seed on the Land of Promise (1 Nephi 8:36), and Nephi desired to see those same visions (1 Nephi 10:17), and was granted his desire (1 Nephi 11:6).
    Upon seeing all those visions, Nephi recorded them. “And it came to pass that the Lord commanded me, wherefore I did make plates of ore that I might engraven upon them the record of my people. And upon the plates which I made I did engraven the record of my father, and also our journeyings in the wilderness, and the prophecies of my father; and also many of mine own prophecies have I engraven upon them” (1 Nephi 19:1).
    Thus, in Nephi’s record we have his own statements and those of his father.
    Before looking at those visions and seeing what Nephi knew about the Land of Promise of which he wrote, we need to keep in mind that two of those on the original journey from the land of Bountiful along the shores of Irreantum to the Land of Promise were Nephi and his brother Jacob, as well as Sam and Zoram. Consequently, two of those who wrote about the location of the Land of Promise on the plates, were on the vessel that took them to this land, though one was young at the time, he grew up with the other who had built and steered the ship from the Old World to the New—the Land of Promise.
    As a result, if anyone knew where that land was, it would have been Nephi (we do not have the writings of Lehi at this point in time), who saw it firsthand, who saw it in a vision (1 Nephi 10:17) because he desired to see the same things his father had been shown (1 Nephi 11:1). In addition to seeing the birth, life, ministry and crucifixion of the Savior in those visions, he saw the world, its wisdom, accomplishments, the pride of people, and the fall, which “was exceedingly great" (1 Nephi 11:36).

Nephi was given a vision of the Land of Promise and the events that were to take place there

Most importantly, Nephi saw a vision of the Land of Promise over the centuries of its existence, seeing wars and slaughter among his people (1 Nephi 12:2), seeing many generations pass away (1 Nephi 12:3), the destruction of his land during the crucifixion (1 Nephi 12:4), the advent of the Savior among the Nephites (1 Nephi 12:6), he saw four generations of peace after Christ, then the gathering of multitudes of Lamanites against his Nephite people (1 Nephi 12:15), saw the total destruction of the Nephite nation (1 Nephi 12:19), saw the spread of the Lamanties as they were gathered together in multitudes and fought wars among themselves throughout many generations after the fall of the Nephites (1 Nephi 12:21).
    He also saw the fall of the Lamanites into “a dark, and loathsome and filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations” (1 Nephi 12:23). At this point, far into the future, Nephi is given a vision of many nations and kingdoms in the world (1 Nephi 13:1), who were the Gentiles (1 Nephi 13:3). He saw in his vision how were divided from the Land of Promise where the Lamanites dwelled (1 Nephi 13:10-11), and Nephi saw one of the Gentiles who was guided by the Spirit and crossed the many waters to the Land of Promise (1 Nephi 13:12), and he saw the Spirit of God wrought upon other Gentiles and they went forth upon the many waters (1 Nephi 13:13), who scattered the Lamanties who were driven and smitten (1 Nephi 13:14), and Nephi saw the Gentiles obtain the land for their inheritance (1 Nephi 13:15).
    In all of this, Nephi had a complete vision not only of his own land, the Land of Promise, but also the oceans that separated the Land of Promise from Europe, and the sailing of the Gentiles who came to the Americas and scattered and attacked and killed the Lamanites. He actually saw these things. The Spirit said unto Nephi, “Look!” And Nephi beheld the visions of all these events—he says he actually saw them (1 Nephi 11:8, 13, 14, 25, 34, 36; 12:1-7, 15, 19, 20-21, 23; 13:1-7, 12, 14, 16-20).
    Unlike those who write and speak about it, Nephi saw these events!
    It would seem, then, if anyone knew the size, shape, placement and description of the Land of Promise, it would have been Nephi!

Nephi’s visions covered the entire time of the Land of Promise from first landing to the coming of the conquistadors and Europeans

Now, a few years after these visions in which Nephi saw the entire Land of Promise, the seas between this land and Europe, the coming of the Gentiles, the wars upon the Land of Promise down through the last generations, etc., that he ought to know the shape, size, location and overall condition of the entire Land of Promise. Is it possible that anyone today, or for the past hundred years, had anywhere near as much knowledge of that appearance of the Land of Promise?
    Certainly, there is no recorded revelations or visions of such.
(See the next post, “Verifying the Land of Promise – Part II,” for a continuation of the difference between what the writers of the Book of Mormon specifically saw and described about the Land of Promise from living there, particularly Nephi, Jacob, Mormon and Moroni, as opposed to modern researches, theorists and others who write and speak about it).