Mulek landed in the Land North, and Lehi in the Land South

 

One of the most confusing scriptures in the Book of Mormon is the one pointing toward who landed and where did they land. There are several scriptural indications that tell us who landed where, but when considering them against pre-determined viewpoints tend to cloud the issue.

Take for instance the scripture regarding where Lehi landed and where Mulek landed.

The Land Northward and the Land Southward, or the island Jacob speaks about, was only part or South America

The scripture is really quite simple: “Now the land south was called Lehi and the land north was called Mulek, which was after the son of Zedekiah; for the Lord did bring Mulek into the land north, and Lehi into the land south” (Helaman 6:10).

So what are the Boundaries of the Land of Promise?” We have distinct scriptures regarding this question. The first is the scripture in Helaman stated above. Another is found in Alma 22, when Mormon describes the north-south relationship of the Land of Promise.

When one reads that sentence with a pre-determined attitude, such as thinking the land is an East-West direction as some modelists believe such as  Mesoamerica and also Heartland models theorists, then it is easy to get the directions wrong. So obviously, we need to interpret both the Land North one and the Land Northward as being in the north—but not the same place. How do we know this?

The Disciple Nephi tells us that “they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth from the west to the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth” (3 Nephi 1:17, emphasis added)

However, that still leaves us with two north directions—in addition we need to know if there is a difference between the two locations or if they mean the same thing. Moroni answered that question when he rent his clothes and yelled: “And it came to pass that when he had poured out his soul to God, he named all the land which was south of the land Desolation, yea, and in fine, all the land, both on the north and on the south—A chosen land, aAlma 46:17, emphasis added).

That is all the land south of the Land of Desolation, meaning all the land in the Land  Southward, Moroni called this a land of liberty—and he separated all the land in the Land southward, on the North and on the South—or into two divisions, Land North and Land South.

Thus, we see that the Land South and the Land Southward represent two distinct areas and not the same place. The same is applicable to the Land North and the Land Northward being two distinct separate locations. Every reader of the scriptural record, when looking at the geographical setting of events, should keep certain the geographical divisions in mind.

Division of the Land of Promise in the scriptural record of the Book of Mormon

• Land of Promise: That portion of the land mentioned in “after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord” (Ether 13:2) and promised to Lehi in the statement: “we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed” (2 Nephi 1:5). That is, the Land of Promise overall, sometimes referred to in the early days of the Church as the Land of Zion, is the entire Western Hemisphere, but the “Land of Promise” granted to Lehi and his posterity is that area outlined and mentioned in the scriptural record, which is a much smaller area that the overall promised land;

• Land Promised to Lehi: What we often and loosely call the Land of Promise as it is outlined in the scriptural record, and consists of the Land Northward, originally occupied by the Jaredites, and the Land Southward, initially occupied by Lehi (Nephites and Lamanites) and also the Mulekites;

• Land Southward: The area south of the narrow neck of land (south of the Land of Desolation), from the Land of Bountiful south to the Land of Nephi (the Land of Lehi) including the land of First Inheritance (where Nephi’s ship landed and they pitched their tents). This land included the Land of Lehi and the Land of Nephi, with the former at one time encompassing the entire area south of the narrow strip of wilderness except for that area called the Land of Nephi which included areas of the city of Nephi (Lehi-Nephi), Shilom, Shemlon, and later included Jerusalem, land of Middoni, etc.

• The Land South: A division of the Land Southward, from the land of First Inheritance to the narrow strip of wilderness, originally called the Land of Lehi (Helaman 6:10), and included the Land of Nephi. It is also mentioned by Moroni as a part of the land of Liberty: “he named all the land which was south of the land Desolation, yea, and in fine, all the land, both on the north and on the south—A chosen land, and the land of liberty” (Alma 46:17);

• The Land North: A division of the Land Southward, from the Land of Zarahemla (north of the narrow strip of wilderness) to the Land of Bountiful, the entire area called the Land of Zarahemla at times, though the term “Land of Zarahemla” also and most of the time refers to the small area around the city of Zarahemla and expands out to the borders as a county is larger than the city in most areas in the U.S. today (the county of Salt Lake contains the major cities of Magna, West Valley City, Murray, Cottonwood Heights, West Jordan, South Jordan, Sandy, Draper, Herriman, Lark, Bingham Canyon, Alta, Solitude, Brighton and a few municipalities such as Granite, White City, Belmont Heights, Riverton, Bluffdale, etc.—all are part of the Greater Sale Lake just like Gideon, Manti, Moroni, Lehik Morianton, Nephihah, Jershon, etc., were part of the Greater Land of Zarahemla). It also included an unnamed land between the Land of Zarahemla and the Land of Bountiful (Helaman 4:5; 3 Nephi 3:23);

• Land Northward: That area north of the narrow neck of land beginning with the Land of Desolation and including such major lands as the Land of Cumorah and the Land of Many Waters, plus many smaller lands such as the Land of Teancum, Land of Shem, Land of Antum, and “whatsoever lands we passed by” (Mormon 5:4).

Thus, the Land North is in the Land Southward from Zarahemla to Bountiful, while the Land Northward is north of the narrow neck, from Desolation to Land of Many Waters and Cumorah.

• Central America (Mesoamerica). When Hagoth built ships that carried numerous people into a “land which was northward” (Alma 63:4-5), this was a land separated from the Land that Lehi inherited, or separate from Lehi’s Land of Promise that his children inherited. This was identifiable since the same type of advanced construction was used in the building of Mesoamerica as was used in the building of South America.

• North America (Heartland and Great Lakes). After those that went northward by ship settled down, a portion of those went further, into North America, into the Great Plains or Heartland, and north as far as the Great Lakes.

Thus, the entire Western Hemisphere was filled with people. If you think of the Land of Promise in this manner, you will not have any difficulty in understanding how the land and the Location of the people was eventually accomplished.