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Other Sheep

3 Nephi 16:1-3

AND verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep, which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister. For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them. But I have received a commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold and one shepherd; therefore I go to show myself unto them.

One thing that the visit of Jesus to the Nephites does is reinforce the fact that He teaches the same thing wherever he goes. Now considering that he commanded that all that he said should be written we now have to conclude that 'them' (above verses) also wrote it (his visit to 'them'). Where is that record? Where would have a significant population at that time to hear these words? Considering that the Nephites at that time numbered 2,500 one has to wonder if there were not numerous small groups that also needed to hear the Word - maybe even on the same continent or through the Pacific?

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We do not even have the complete Nephite record. The sealed portion of the plates has yet to come forth. The purpose of the Book of Mormon is not to provide a comprehensive world history of Christ, but to provide another witness of his divinity and the restoration of the gospel. Having served in Australia, I think it not unlikely at all that the aborigines there, as well as the Maori and other peoples possibly descended from Hagoth's travelers, could have been visited by Christ. We do not need their records now, because we do not even live by the teachings of the Bible and the Book of Mormon yet, but one day the entire history will be revealed. Just as the Lord preserved the plates, so too he has preserved the records of the other peoples visited by Christ.

Other Sheep Studies Doctrine Mormon

It is my understanding that some of these "other sheep" that were visited would involve the ten tribes of Israel. It would also have to include those groups of people of the Lord who had previously been scattered through means of war. We aren't told how many of these groups were to be visited. We do know that when the tribes of Israel return, they will bring with them their records.