Promised Land

A Promised Land is a land promised by the Lord to His righteous children. The Lord covenanted with Abraham to give him the land of the Canaanites for an inheritance. Thus, what is now Israel became the Promised Land for Abraham's descendants. The covenant was renewed with Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, so the land of the Canaanites is the promised land of the Jews. A promised land is always a land of bountiful resources.

Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it;

And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven:

A land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year (Deuteronomy 11:8, 9, 11, 12).

In the Book of Mormon there are several accounts of peoples led to the Americas and many scriptures calling the Americas, and especially the United States, a "promised land." When the Lord destroyed the Tower of Babel, members of a righteous family approached Him in prayer. A man named Jared asked his brother, Mahonri Moriancumr, to plead with God not to confound their language. The Lord agreed and led them to a promised land on the American continent. In the Book of Mormon, they are called the Jaredites.

And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people.

Later, the Lord led Mulek, son of Zedekiah, and his associates to the American continent. They were discovered by the Nephites who were led away from Jerusalem at about the same time, just as Jerusalem was about to fall to the Babylonians. The Mulekites kept no records, but the Nephites did:

And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of teaching my brethren, our father, Lehi, also spake many things unto them, and rehearsed unto them, how great things the Lord had done for them in bringing them out of the land of Jerusalem.

And he also spake unto them concerning the land of promise, which they had obtained—how merciful the Lord had been in warning us that we should flee out of the land of Jerusalem.

But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord.

Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.

Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever (2 Nephi 1:2, 3, 5, 6, 7).

The productivity and safety of a promised land is always connected to the righteousness of its inhabitants:

Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.

And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land (Leviticus 26:4-6).

And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them.

And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity (Ether 2:8, 9).