purpose of the Confrontation

Malachi 3:3 tells the purpose: to "purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord
an offering in righteousness." About the time of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, according to the Book
of Mormon, many of the inhabitants of Mesoamerica heard a voice teaching: "Ye shall offer up unto me
no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I
will accept none of your sacrifices and burnt offerings; and ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a
broken heart and a contrite spirit" (Community of Christ 3 Nephi 4:49).

The Book of Mormon has its own prediction of the Confrontation: "If the Gentiles shall hearken unto the
Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very
deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks, and harden not their hearts against the Lamb of
God, they shall be numbered among the seed of thy father; yea, they shall be numbered among the
house of Israel; and they shall be a blessed people upon the promised land for ever" (Community of
Christ 1 Nephi 3:201-203). The words "in very deed" mean a personal manifestation, and when those
words are linked with "unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks", which has not yet been fulfilled,
it is clear to me that this passage is predicting the same Confrontation predicted in Malachi 3:1-5 and
Luke 12:35-48.

Community of Christ Book of Mormon 3 Nephi 13:54-56 mentions "his coming unto the childen of
Israel" in a way suggesting that it would occur not long after the Book of Mormon was published: "And
now behold, I say unto you, that when the Lord shall see fit, in his wisdom, that these sayings shall come
unto the Gentiles, according to his word, then ye may know that the covenant which the Father hath
made with the children of Israel, concerning their restoration to the lands of their inheritance, is
already beginning to be fulfilled; and ye may know that the words of the Lord, which have been spoken
by the holy prophets, shall all be fulfilled; and ye need not say that the Lord delays his coming unto the
children of Israel; and ye need not imagine in your hearts that the words which have been spoken are
vain, for behold, the Lord will remember his covenant which he hath made unto his people of the house
of Israel." I interpret this to mean that unless the Lord manifests himself to them, his covenant with the
children of Israel cannot be fulfilled. Community of Christ Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 7:21-22 teaches
the same thing: "And I would, my brethren, that ye should know that all the kindreds of the earth can not
be blessed unless he shall make bare his arm in the eyes of the nations. Wherefore, the Lord God will
proceed to make bare his arm in the eyes of all the nations, in bringing about his covenants and his
gospel, unto those who are of the house of Israel."

Thus, the purpose of the Confrontation taught in the Book of Mormon is the same as that taught in
Malachi 3:1-5, which is concerned with the covenants of the Lord, and the same as that taught in Luke
12:35-48, which is concerned with the gospel of the Lord.

Joseph Smith Jr.'s expansion of Luke 12:35-48

King James Version Community of Christ Inspired Version
35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights
burning;		 38 Let your loins be girded about and have your
lights burning;
36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for
their lord, when he will return from the wedding;
that when he cometh and knocketh, they may
open unto him immediately.		 39 That ye yourselves may be like unto men who
wait for their Lord, when he will return from the
wedding; that, when he cometh and knocketh,
they may open unto him immediately.
37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord
when he cometh shall find watching; verily I say
unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make
them to sit down to meat, and will come forth
and serve them.		 40 Verily I say unto you, Blessed are those
servants, whom the Lord when he cometh shall
find watching; for he shall gird himself, and make
them sit down to meat, and will come forth and
serve them.
38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or
come in the third watch, and find them so,
blessed are those servants.		 41 For, behold, he cometh in the first watch of
the night, and he shall also come in the second
watch, and again he shall come in the third watch.
39 And this know, that if the goodman of the
house had known what hour the thief would
come, he would have watched, and not suffered
his house to be broken through.		 42 And verily I say unto you, He hath already
come, as it is written of him; and again when he
shall come in the second watch, or come in the
third watch, blessed are those servants when he
cometh, that he shall find so doing;
43 For the Lord of those servants shall gird
himself, and make them to sit down to meat,
and will come forth and serve them.
44 And now, verily I say these things unto you,
that ye may know this, that the coming of the
Lord is as a thief in the night.
45 And it is like unto a man who is an
householder, who, if he watcheth not his goods,
the thief cometh in an hour of which he is not
aware, and taketh his goods, and divideth
them among his fellows.
46 And they said among themselves, If the
good man of the house had known what hour
the thief would come, he would have watched,
and not have suffered his house to be broken
through and the loss of his goods.
40 Be ye therefore ready also; for the Son of
man cometh at an hour when ye think not.		 47 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto
you, be ye therefore ready also; for the Son of
man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speaketh
thou this parable unto us, or even to all?		 48 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speaketh
thou this parable unto us, or unto all?
42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful
and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler
over his household, to give them their portion of
meat in due season?		 49 And the Lord said, I speak unto those whom
the Lord shall make rulers over his household,
to give his children their portion of meat in due
season.
50 And they said, Who then is that faithful and
wise servant?
51 And the Lord said unto them, It is that
servant who watcheth, to impart his portion of
meat in due season.
43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when
he cometh shall find so doing.		 52 Blessed be that servant whom his Lord shall
find, when he cometh, so doing.
44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make
him ruler over all that he hath.		 53 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make
him ruler over all that he hath.
45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My
lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat
the menservants and maidens, and to eat and
drink, and to be drunken;		 54 But the evil servant is he who is not found
watching. And if that servant is not found
watching, he will say in his heart, My Lord
delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the
menservants, and the maidens, and to eat, and
drink, and to be drunken.
46 The lord of that servant will come in a day
when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when
he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and
will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.		 55 The Lord of that servant will come in a day
he looketh not for, and at an hour when he is
not aware, and will cut him down, and will
appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will,
and prepared not himself, neither did according
to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.		 56 And that servant who knew his Lord's will,
and prepared not for his Lord's coming, neither
did according to his will, shall be beaten with
many stripes.
48 But he that knew not, and did commit things
worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few
stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of
him shall be much required; and to whom men
have committed much, of him they will ask the
more.		 57 But he that knew not his Lord's will, and
did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be
beaten with few. For unto whomsoever much is
given, of him shall much be required; and to
whom the Lord has committed much, of him
will men ask the more.

The Second Coming is now at hand. The Third Coming, mentioned in the Community of Christ Inspired
Version, will be at the end of the little season after the millennial reign of Christ (Revelation 20:3,7-9). Since
Christ will not be on Earth during the little season, the judgment at the end of it will be a Third Coming. "For
the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son" (John 5:22).

Notes on Scriptural Prophecies