1 Ne 10:4 six hundred years from the time that my father left
Jerusalem , a prophet would the Lord God raise up among the Jews—even a Messiah
All the great prophets prophesied of
the Messiah. The next verse says, how great a number
had testified of these things. However, when we read the Old Testament,
very few of these prophecies are plainly written. The most Messianic books are
Isaiah, Psalms, and Zecharaiah. Although many of their prophecies give detailed
descriptions of events that happened in the life of the Savior. None of these
prophets were as plain as Nephi when he said, And I
beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and
she was exceedingly fair and white…And I looked and beheld the virgin again,
bearing a child in her arms. And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of
God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! (1 Ne 11:13,20-21) The
Book of Mormon teaches that other Old Testament-era prophets were just as plain
in their descriptions of the Messiah. These prophets, Zenos, Zenock, and Neum
(see Book of Mormon Index) are not found in our Old Testament. This is another
example of the loss of those plain and precious things as spoken of in 1 Ne
13:28.
The chronology of the Book of Mormon
is entirely based upon the statement that Lehi’s departure marked 600 years
before the coming of the Messiah. This dating system was followed until the
beginning of the reign of the judges in 91 BC. The dating system from 91 BC to
the coming of Christ was based on the reign of the judges, and the dating
system after Christ’s birth was reckoned after the year of his birth as we do
today. Nonetheless, the dating system was followed exactly by the Nephites.
Remember the unbelievers were scheduled to be put to death if the sign of the coming
of the Son of God did not come as prophecied, Now it
came to pass that the ninety and first year had passed away and it was six
hundred years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem…And it came to pass that
he (Nephi) went out and bowed himself down upon
the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those
who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their
fathers. And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day;
and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying: Lift up your head and
be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the
sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world (3 Ne 1:1,11-13).