The Book of Mormon is a prophetic book. It was written by prophets and about prophets. It was foreseen by prophets and foresees our day. It was brought forth by prophetic gifts for prophetic purposes. It speaks in a clarion voice of warning to those who would survive the last days.
The articles in this volume, brought together under one cover for the first time, approach the Book of Mormon through a variety of prophetic themes. They speak out incisively on such topics as the prophecy of Ezekiel 37, internal and external evidences of the divine origin of the Book of Mormon, literary style in the Book of Mormon, ancient temples and the Book of Mormon, and the Book of Mormon's teachings for the last days.
Most of these chapters have been previously published in scattered locations, but some appear here for the first time. Some are carefully developed papers; others are transcripts of talks; in some places they include unpolished exploratory notes. But in all of them, Nibley's points are as relevant today as they were the day they were written. The topics he discusses, like forgery, or facile attempts to attribute Book of Mormon authorship to Joseph Smith, sound as current as this morning's newspaper.
Though one may revise, refine, challenge, reexamine, and rethink points from these essays, their lasting contribution is powerful. This is basically because Nibley takes the Book of Mormon seriously: textually, historically, doctrinally, and practically. For him, the Book of Mormon means what it says, and thus his pursuit of its meaning, in word and in deed, has been not a casual curiousity but a lifetime pilgrimage.
