What Timeline?

Did you know the first eight books in the Book of Mormon (BOM) contain only two dates that are tied to any significant information? One of those dates is in 1 Nephi 1:4 where it mentions that Zedekiah reigned in Judah, and the other date is in Mosiah 6:4 where it mentions that King Mosiah began his reign. So, for the first 476 years there are only two dates tied to anything meaningful, and one of those dates is connected to a person in the Bible.

This information is extremely important because it’s one more piece that demonstrates that Joseph Smith created the Book of Mormon. In reality (like the Bible for example), important events are tied to a dating system, and you can find plenty of examples by reading the Old Testament.

It’s a fact that the first 116 pages to the Book of Mormon were lost, so it naturally follows that Joseph Smith would avoid trying to reproduce that section of the Book in fear of it being found. Joseph Smith continued on with the book, but did so in a very vague manner to avoid making contradictions if the missing pages were found. This is why I believe there is a rather strange lack of dates, names, and places mentioned in the first eight books. Below is a time line of dates that are mentioned in the first eight books of the BOM.

1 Nephi 1:4: “First year reign of Zedekiah” in Judah
1 Nephi 17:4: Lehi’s group spent 8 yrs in wilderness
2 Nephi 5:28: 30 yrs since group left Jerusalem
2 Nephi 5:34: 40 yrs since group left Jerusalem
Jacob 7:1,2: 55 yrs since group left Jerusalem
*124 Years pass without any date given
Enos 25: Enos says he began to be old. 179 years since left Jerusalem.
Jarom 1:5: 200 yrs since group left Jerusalem
Jarom 1:13: 238 yrs since group leftJerusalem
Omni 1:3: 282 yrs since group left Jerusalem
Omni 1:5: 320 yrs since group left Jerusalem
Mosiah 6:4: 476 yrs since group left Jrusalem. Mosiah began to reign

I challenge you to read through the first eight books and notice how infrequent new names, places and dates occur. It’s fascinating how most people don’t realize this until they make it a point to pay attention to this when they read. Notice how vague everything is. You can even challenge your institute teacher to create a timeline with people, places, and events. Trust me, it will be a rather dull timeline.