We read that «the first (Jews) shall be the last and the last (Gentiles) shall be the first». Along with the gathering of Israel, is a gathering of scriptures. First the Bible comes from «the mouth of a Jew» to the Gentiles and last the Book of Mormon comes through the Gentiles to the Jews. This is what Nephi gets to see. I find certain poetic beauty in all of this and I think Nephi does too. Just consider this chiasmus in 1 Nephi 13:39-42:
A unto the
convincing of the Gentiles and the remnant of the seed of my brethren,
B and also
the Jews
C who were
scattered upon all the face of the earth, that the records of the prophets and
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are true. And the angel spake unto me,
saying: These last records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles,
D shall
establish the truth of the first,
E which are
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb,
F and shall
make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them;
and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people,
G that the
Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world;
H and that
all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved.
H' And they
must come according to the words which shall be established
G' by the
mouth of the Lamb;
F' and the
words of the Lamb shall be made known in the records of thy seed,
E' as well
as in the records of the twelve apostles of the Lamb;
D' wherefore
they both shall be established in one; for there is one God and one Shepherd
over all the earth.
C' And the
time cometh that he shall manifest himself unto all nations,
B' both unto
the Jews
A' and also
unto the Gentiles
The center of the chiasmus is coming to Christ, which is the purpose of gathering. Through the gathering, when two people (Jews and Gentiles) become one, then two sets of scripture (the Bible and the Book of Mormon) do too, "for there is one God and one shepherd over all the earth".
We find this same idea of gathering of scriptures along with gathering of Israel in Ezekiel 37:15-22
15 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,and 2 Nephi 3:12-13
16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.
21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all
Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall ; and the fruit of the loins of shall ; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together, unto the of and laying down of contentions, and establishing among the fruit of thy loins, and them to the of their fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord. And out of weakness he shall be made strong, in that day when my work shall commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.
