Nation
A title for a people or ethnicity, like the Israelites.1Nations does not refer to modern states, but to family divisions or subsets, like the ancient tribes of Israel. They were called nations. The terms nations, kindreds, tongues, and people have a family meaning; they specifically have the family of Israel — in its scattered condition — in mind. The gospel is intended primarily for one family of redeemed souls.2 Nation can also be defined in another way. Not all of God’s words are in the Bible. God has spoken to every nation — meaning He has spoken to every religious body of people. The Lord gives to every nation, from their own people, using their own language, teachers delivering His message that He decides is relevant for them. Therefore we should trust that the Lord is wise enough to guide everyone to the truth appropriate for them (Alma 15:13 CE).3 Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 1:5, And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. In this context, all nations is not about Russia, China, Ethiopia, and Pakistan. All nations, in this context, is all the twelve tribes of Israel.4
1 “2 Nephi 29:6–7,” August 11, 2010, blog post.
2 “Beloved,” March 4, 2011, blog post.
3 “The Restoration’s Shattered Promises and Great Hope,” address given at Sunstone Symposium, Sandy, UT, July 28, 2018, transcript, 9.
4 Denver Snuffer Jr., “Zion.” 40 Years in Mormonism Lecture Series, Lecture 6, April 12, 2014, Grand Junction, Colorado, paper, 32.