"It Came to Pass" and "It Shall Come to Pass"
The witty writer Mark Twain once quipped, "If you took out `it came to pass’ from the Book of Mormon, it would be only a pamphlet." An analysis of this phrase, however, shows that it only constitutes 0.5% of the words in the entire text. A study of the use of the phrases "it came to pass" and "it shall come to pass" shows significant differences in the way prominent Book of Mormon writers and speakers use the phrase, highlighting distinctions of style.
"It Came to Pass" and "It Shall Come to Pass"
Did you know that when Heavenly Father, Jesus, the Holy Ghost, or heavenly messengers speak in the Book of Mormon, they never use the past-tense phrase "it came to pass," but only the future "it shall come to pass"?
The phrase "it came to pass" is used 1,353 times in the Book of Mormon (about 65 times per 10,000 words), but it is only used noticeably by eight of the top 11 speakers in the text (Mormon, Nephi, Moroni, Jacob, Helaman I, Lehi, Zeniff, and Zenos). The phrase "it shall come to pass" is used only 80 times in the Book of Mormon (four times per 10,000 words).
Mormon uses "it came to pass" 834 times (85 times per 10,000 words), more than any other writer. He uses the words "it shall come to pass" only twice, when he is discussing the future of the tribes of Israel (3 Nephi 28:29; Mormon 5:20).
Alma the Younger has the third most words in the Book of Mormon, yet he rarely uses "it came to pass" at all. Moroni the son of Mormon uses "it came to pass" with the greatest frequency of any Book of Mormon speaker (87 times per 10,000 words), but never uses the phrase "it shall come to pass."
Helaman the son of Alma uses "it came to pass" 8.7 times per 10,000 words and never uses "it shall come to pass." Although Nephi the son of Lehi uses both the past and future tenses, he uses "it came to pass" 201 times (73 times per 10,000 words), while using "it shall come to pass" only nine times.
Isaiah in the Book of Mormon uses "it came to pass" twice, while he uses the phrase "it shall come to pass" 15 times. God (The Father, Jesus, or the Holy Ghost) or angels never use the past tense "it came to pass," but only "it shall come to pass."
Key Insights
Analysis shows significant differences in the use of these past and future phrases among Book of Mormon speakers. "It came to pass" is more frequent in the words of speakers who provide a narrative of events, and less frequent in the words of speakers who focus on doctrine and prophecy. Both phrases are used by speakers such as Nephi, Mormon, and Isaiah in the Book of Mormon who discuss historical material in addition to doctrine and prophecy.
However, not all speakers use these phrases, and those who do so do not use them with the same frequency. The total absence of "it came to pass" and the preference for "it shall come to pass" in the words of God and heavenly messengers highlights the focus of heaven on future events and the fulfilment of God’s covenants with His people. The Book of Mormon was written for our day, and these future events have come, are coming, or will come to pass. If we seek the help of the Lord, we can face these events with faith, instead of fear.