It is known that the Book of Mormon and the Joseph Smith Translation expand upon and conceptually reappropriate a prophecy from Isaiah 29 (see #26 A VOICE ‘FROM’ OUT OF THE GROUND’). 2 Nephi 27:28–29 reads:

But behold, saith the Lord of Hosts: I will show unto the children of men that it is yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field; and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest. And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

What is Lebanon? It is a mountain range that is named on nine occasions in the Bible. It refers to Israel or the northern boundary of Israel.⁸²

Tad R. Callister reported:

Some years ago, I traveled to the Holy Land. Knowing of the devastation that had taken place during the Ottoman rule, I was surprised to see the number of trees that forested the mountainsides. I asked our guide how this could possibly be. He said that commencing about 1900, the Israelis had planted more than 100 million trees in Israel. For years I thought that might be an overestimation, so I researched it, and to my further surprise I learned that more than 250 million trees have been planted since 1901.5 In this way, Israel (Lebanon) has become, and is currently becoming, a forest, as prophesied by Isaiah.

As Isaiah said, “in that day [when Lebanon is esteemed as a forest] shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness” (Isaiah 29:18). If any book meets the requirements of that prophecy, it is the Book of Mormon. It has restored many of the plain and precious truths lost from the Bible and thus helped the spiritually deaf and blind to hear and see once again.

The Book of Mormon has come forth at an opportune time, and at a time predicted by the ancient prophet Nephi. This is a testament to the remarkable gifts of prophecy that God can give to all of His children.