KnoWhy #547 - Why Did Nephi Prophesy of Christopher Columbus? (1 Nephi 13:12)

Latter-day Saints have long identified this “man among the Gentiles” who initiated the coming of “many multitudes of Gentiles” as Christopher Columbus, who first voyaged across the Atlantic to the islands of the Caribbean in 1492. If Columbus is, indeed, the “man among the Gentiles” seen by Nephi in his vision, that would confirm that Columbus truly did have a role to play in the unfolding apocalyptic drama of the end times—but not the role he thought he had. It is important to acknowledge that not everything Columbus did was inspired by God. Nephi only says the Spirit would inspire him to cross the many waters. He says nothing that endorses Columbus’s actions after he arrives in the promised land. But Columbus’s voyages also set in motion the series of events leading up to the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—including the coming forth the Book of Mormon and its use to restore the children of Lehi to a knowledge of their privileged status as covenant people of the Lord. Today, the Lord’s promises to the children of Lehi are being fulfilled.