The then-future prophet Joseph who is prophesied of in 2 Nephi 3 is generally taken to have been fulfilled by Joseph Smith Jr. However, Fundamentalist Mormon B. Harvey Allred (1870-1937) argued that it was not a prophecy fulfilled by Joseph Smith; instead, it is about a future Native American prophet. I present the following simply for those who are curious as to how one can defend such a reading of the text:
LEHI’S
PROPHECY OF THE CHOICE SEER
[2 Nephi 3:3] brings us to our
next point of discussion, namely: This mighty prophet of the Indians is the
seer spoken of throughout the third chapter of Second Nephi. Lehi says
in effect, “Your seed, Joseph, will not be destroyed. This I know because Joseph
of old received a promise that a great seer would come from his loins; and I
receive a promise that this seer will come thru my loins thru you.
You are from my loins and I am from the loins of Joseph of old.” This is demonstrated
as follows:
(a)
After telling his son Joseph that his seed will not utterly be
destroyed, Lehi then gives the reason why he knows this to be true. He says:
“For behold thou art of the fruit
of my loins; and I am a descendant of Joseph who was carried captive into
Egypt. And great were the covenants of the Lord which he made unto Joseph.”
(2
Nephi 3:4)
(b)
Lehi, after quoting from and commenting upon the prophecy of
Joseph of old, then explains how the Lord revealed that this seer and
his spokesman would come thru Lehi’s loins:
“And the Lord said unto me [Lehi]
also; I will raise up unto the fruit of thy loins; and I will
make for him a spokesman. And I, behold, I will give unto him that he
shall write the writing of thy loins, unto the fruit of thy loins; and the
spokesman of thy loins shall declare it.”
(2
Nephi 3:18)
(c)
Lehi summarizing, shows that this prophet will be of his
son Joseph’s loins:
“And now, behold, my son Joseph,
after this manner did my father of old prophesy. Wherefore, BECAUSE of this
covenant THOU art blessed; for THY seed shall NOT be destroyed, for they
shall hearken unto the words of the book. And there SHALL rise up one
mighty AMONG them, who shall do much good, both in word and in deed . .
.”
(2
Nephi 3:22-4)
Lehi says in the same breath that
his son’s lineage is not to be destroyed and that a choice seer will be raised
up among them. Since Lehi both introduces and summarizes this chapter by mentioning
these two facts ‘in the same breath,’ to propose that this choice seer is not
to come from Lehi’s lineage is to force a conclusion out of context. The
sections which follow will demonstrate more specifically the distinction
between this choice Indian Seer and other great prophets.
THE
JOSEPH OF SECOND NEPHI CHAPTER THREE IS NOT JOSEPH SMITH
Some have thought that since verse
15 indicates that this seer’s name as well as his father’s name is to be
Joseph, that this seer is Joseph Smith; but recall again that in the 1845 Proclamation,
this Indian Prophet’s name also is Joseph:
“I am Joseph . . .” (Messages
of the First Presidency 1.260)
Those who object, point also to
verses 7 and 11 to show that the seer spoken of is to bring forth ‘the
word’ unto the seed of Joseph. They suggest that this was fulfilled in the coming
forth of the Book of Mormon thru Joseph Smith and to the Indians. But note
the rest of the same scripture:
“ . . . and not to the bringing
forth my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word,
which shall have already gone forth among them.” (2 Nephi 3:11)
Joseph Smith translated only the unsealed
portion of the plates of Mormon. This translation was taken to the
Indians by Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, and others. But the result was not
the great power of convincing and of converting great numbers of them. We
suggest that that day will not come until the sealed part of the Book
of Mormon comes to the Indians and from a prophet of their own race. Then
they will in great numbers be convinced of the word (of the unsealed
portion of the Book of Mormon) that has already gone forth among them
thru Joseph Smith. Note also Parley P. Pratt’s comments on their mission to the
Indians:
“We trust that at some future day,
when the servants of God go forth in power to the remnant of Joseph,
some precious seed will be found growing in their hearts, which was sown by us
in that early day.”
(Autobiography
of Parley P. Pratt, p. 57)
A further point to show that the
prophet spoken of in 2 Nephi 3 is not Joseph Smith is as follows.
In verse 14, it is said of the prophet, “. . . they that seek to destroy him
shall be confounded.” Those who sought to destroy Joseph Smith succeeded in killing
him, whereas those who seek to destroy the prophet spoken of here will not
succeed. Speaking of this same prophet, Christ said he would be married but
healed (3 Nephi 21:10).
THE
CHOICE SEER DISTINGUISHED FROM OTHER GREAT PROPHETS
The writer, B. Harvey Allred,
speaking of the marred servant, quotes the Lord’s words from 3 Nephi. In
Chapter 20, the Lord quotes Isaiah directly, and in Chapter 21,
He gives the interpretation. Note that in accordance with Christ’s explanation,
this servant is not Christ, for Christ Himself is speaking here of a second
person:
“But behold, the life of my servant
shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he
shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I
will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of
the devil.” (3 Nephi 21:10)
Many have mistakenly confused with
Christ various other characters referred to in scriptures. Perhaps this is also
the reason Lehi in blessing his son Joseph, draws a distinction between the
Messiah and this prophet:
“ . . . the Lord God would raise
up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel; not the Messiah,
but a branch . . .”
(2
Nephi 3:5)
Recall that Lehi is speaking of
the prophecy of Joseph of old. Examining Joseph’s prophecy as found in
the Inspired Version, we see that he also speaks of Moses as possibly
being confused with the Messiah. Joseph explains:
“I have obtained a promise of the
Lord, that out of the fruit of my loins, the Lord God will raise up a righteous
branch out of my loins; and unto thee, whom my father Jacob hath named Israel,
a prophet; (not the Messiah who is called Shilo;) and this prophet shall deliver my people
out of Egypt in the days of thy bondage.”
(Inspired Version of Genesis 50:24)
Read the whole chapter, for Joseph
speaks further of the choice Seer of whom Lehi prophesies. The Lord says of
him:
“ . . .and shall be great like
unto him whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O
house of Israel, out of the land of Egypt.”
(Inspired
Version of Genesis 50:29)
THE
MAN LIKE UNTO MOSES IS THE CHOICE INDIAN SEER
We suggest that the great Seer
whom Lehi speaks of as being “great like Unto Moses” (2 Nephi 3:9) is
the same prophet spoken of by the Lord to Joseph Smith:
“Behold, I say unto you, the redemption
of Zion must needs come by power. Therefore, I will raise up unto
my people a man, who shall lead them like as Moses led the children of
Israel. For ye are the children of Israel, and of the seed of Abraham, and yet
must needs be led out of bondage by power, and with a stretched-out arm. And as
your fathers were led at the first, even so shall the redemption of Zion be.”
(D&C
103:15-8)
Zion will be redeemed under the
leadership of this great prophet who is like Moses. It will be he with his
people, the Indians, who will build the New Jerusalem. This was explained to
the Indians by the Lord:
“ . . . and they [the repentant
Gentiles] shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also
as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city which
shall be called the New Jerusalem.”
(3
Nephi 21:22-3)
(B. Harvey Allred, “Appendix,
Section III: A mighty Prophet Of the Remnant of the House of Israel Now Dwelling
on this Land,” comp., Lynn L. Bishop and Steven L. Bishop, in A Leaf in
Review, 2d ed. [Draper, Utah: Review and Preview Publishers, 1968], 245-49)
