In some of the last words that Mormon wrote, he spoke to the people of the latter days. In Mormon 8:34-35 he says the following:
Behold, the Lord hath shown unto me great and marvelous things concerning that . . . day when these things shall come forth among you. Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.
What are some of the "great and marvelous things" that were to happen at the time of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon? Elder Joe J. Christensen of the Presidency of the Seventy has said, "we need to get some perspective of history." He pointed out that the quickest Adam and Eve could communicate or travel over long distances was by horse. Almost 6,000 years later, the fastest Joseph Smith could communicate or travel was by horse. No progress in travel in almost 6,000 years of history! But beginning with the Restoration, the Lord began to pour out his Spirit and unveil modern inventions that have enabled us to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. (Joe J. Christensen, "Of Laughter, Light, and Love," CES Young Adult Fireside in the Tabernacle on Temple Square, 19 Sept. 1993)
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, then of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said, "I do not believe for one moment that these discoveries have come by chance, or that they have come because of superior intelligence possessed by men today over those who lived in ages that are past. They have come and are coming because the time is ripe, because the Lord has willed it, and because he has poured out his Spirit on all flesh." (Joseph Fielding Smith, Conference Report, Oct. 1926, 117)
[Quoted in W. Jeffrey Marsh, "Training from the Old Testament: Moroni's Lessons for a Prophet," Ensign, August 1998, p. 15] [See the commentary on 2 Nephi 21:9]