1 Ne 11-15
Nephi’s version of the vision of the tree of life
These five
chapters describe what Nephi saw in vision when he asked the Lord to show him
the things his father saw. The resulting vision is remarkable because it sheds additional
light on the tree of life vision of Lehi. It also contains much more. It seems
at first glance as if Nephi is shown two separate visions: one of the vision of
the tree of life and another of the history of the world beginning with the
birth of the Savior. Yet in the narrative, the visions are intertwined. A
careful study of these chapters reveals that Nephi’s vision of the history of
the world ties in perfectly with the vision of the tree of life. Whenever the
angel shows Nephi a portion of the dream Lehi saw, whether it is the tree or
the rod of iron or the great and spacious building, he next shows him an event
in the history of the world which exemplifies the interpretation. The following
table shows what historical events Nephi was shown after each portion of Lehi’s
dream was given.
Vision of the
Tree of Life Vision of the History
of the World
1. Tree=love
of God (v. 8) |
The birth of
the Lamb of God to a virgin from Nazareth (v. 13-21) |
|
The Savior
going forth among the children of men (v. 24) |
2. Rod of
iron=word of God (v. 25) |
The Lamb of
God was baptized (v. 27) |
|
He ministers
in power and great glory (v. 28) |
|
12 apostles
and the ministering of angels (v. 29-30) |
|
The Lamb of
God heals the sick and afflicted (v. 31) |
|
He is judged
of the world and crucified (v. 32-33) |
3. Large and
spacious building=pride of the world (v. 35) |
The
multitudes of the earth gather to fight against the apostles of the Lamb (v.
34-35) |
4. Mist of
darkness=temptations of the devil (1 Ne 12:4,17) |
Vapor of
darkness covers the Americas for 3 days (1 Ne 12:5) |
|
Christ
appears to the Nephites (12:6) |
|
They are
righteous up to the fourth generation (12:12) |
|
They fall prey
to the temptations of the devil and are destroyed (12:17-20) |
5. Filthy
water=depths of hell (12:16) |
Wickedness
and destruction of the Nephites (12:19-20) |
6. Terrible
gulf=justice of God (12:18) |
Nephites
destroyed for their wickedness (12:19-20) |
In other
words, when the angel explains to Nephi that the tree means the love of God, he
next shows Nephi how God loved the world by giving His Son to save mankind from
the fall of Adam (Jn 3:16). When he gives the interpretation of the rod of
iron, he shows Nephi the ministry of the Savior and His apostles as they taught
the word of God. The large and spacious building is represented by the
multitudes of the house of Israel who were so wicked that they killed the Lord
and they gathered to persecute His apostles after the resurrection. The mist of
darkness are the temptations of the devil which overcame the Nephites who were
destroyed by the destructions which accompanied the crucifixion of the Savior
and by the Lamanites in the final battle. It is by the justice of the Eternal
God that the wicked (Nephites) must be separated from the righteous and suffer
their just rewards by being cast into the depths of hell represented by the
filthy water. Speaking the justice of God and the hell prepared for the those
who are filthy, Nephi wrote, Wherefore, if they
should die in their wickedness they must be cast off also, as to the things
which are spiritual, which are pertaining to righteousness; wherefore, they
must be brought to stand before God, to be judged of their works; and if their
works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it
must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom
of God must be filthy also (1 Ne 15:33).
“Nephi's vision consisted of much more than the scene
of the tree of life and the efforts of some to obtain its fruits. That scene provided
the setting and the backdrop for an even greater set of revelations—an expanded
prophecy of the future: the coming of Christ and his atoning mission, the
future of Lehi's descendants, the restoration of the gospel in the last days,
and the ongoing struggle between the forces of evil and righteousness. These
revelations unfolded to Nephi great events of the future and used symbols from
the vision of the tree of life to clarify events.” (Kent P. Jackson, ed., Studies
in Scripture, Vol. 7: 1 Nephi to Alma 29, p. 35.)
1
Ne 11:1 as I sat pondering in mine heart
It
is often while pondering that the Spirit speaks to us. Joseph F. Smith was
pondering over the scriptures when he was shown his vision of the spirit world (DC
138:1). Nephi was pondering as he walked home when he heard a voice telling
him, Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which
thou hast done (Hel 10:2-4). Moroni gives us a pattern for pondering. He
suggests we 1) read the scriptures, 2) remember God's mercy and dealings with
the children of men, and 3) ponder it in our hearts. Moroni 10:3 reads, Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these
things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them that ye would remember
how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of
Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it
in you hearts. If we do this, we will have the truth manifested to us by
the power of the Holy Ghost. This promise is not limited to determining the
truthfulness of the Book of Mormon; it applies to all things (Moroni 10:5).
“Who can
assess the value of pondering, the impact of a righteous soul meditating upon
the eternal word? Who can measure the
worth of careful and deep reflection upon the things of God? ‘The things of God are of deep import,’ Joseph
Smith wrote from the Liberty Jail, ‘and time, and experience, and careful
and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out’ (Teachings, p.
137). Some of the greatest revelations
of all time have come as a direct result of pondering….
“Pondering and
meditation are forms of sacred devotion, quiet and effective moments of prayer
by which man draws near to the infinite and is made a partaker of the things of
God. In regard to savoring the words of
holy writ, Nephi exulted: ‘My soul delighteth in the
scriptures, and my heart pondereth them.... Behold, my soul delighteth in the
things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I
have seen and heard.’” (2 Nephi 4:15-16.) (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal
Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 1, p. 75)
There is a
reason why scriptures require more than a casual reading. They are filled with
truths of eternal importance, often packed so closely together, that you can’t
get all the meaning on the first pass. This principle is beautifully taught in
the following passage:
“We might ask
why the scriptures have to be pondered to be understood and appreciated. After
all, we don’t need to ponder newspapers or magazines. We understand them at a
first reading. What makes the scriptures different?
“An analogy
might help. The scriptures are like a symphony. The problem with a symphony, if
it can be called a problem, is that there is so much going on at the same time
that an inexperienced listener feels bewildered, not knowing what to listen
for, or how to make sense of everything. But the music lover knows what to do.
He picks out a theme carried by the string section, compares it to a variation
on that theme by the oboes, and hears the composer being playful or reflective
or joyful. Unlike the novice, he hears and feels the effects of the details
that give the symphony, in all its complexity, its power and impact.” (Dennis
and Sandra Packard, “Pondering the Word,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies,
p. 51)
1
Ne 11:1 I was caught away...into an exceedingly high
mountain
Prophets have
often communicated with the Lord from the mountains. Ascending a mountain to
commune with God symbolizes an attempt to leave the world behind and draw
nearer to the Lord. The brother of Jared saw his vision of the pre-mortal
Christ on mount Shelem (Ether 3:1), Nephi was commanded to go into a high
mountain to receive instruction on how to build tools and a ship (1 Ne 17:7-11),
Moses communed with God on mount Horeb, i.e. Sinai (Ex 3:1-2), Ezekiel was
shown his vision of the celestialized city of Jerusalem after he was caught
away in the spirit into a very high mountain, (Ezek 40:1), Christ chose to pray
on a mountain to get away from his followers (Matt 14:23), and finally the
Transfiguration happened on a high mountain apart
(Matt 17:1).
These high
mountains were like temples for these prophets. The symbolism continues with
the practice of building temples on hills or mountains, And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of
the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be
exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people
shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord
(Isa 2:2).
1 Ne 11:6 Hosanna to the Lord
“Hosanna. The Spirit of the Lord,
contemplating the great faith of Nephi, and his desire for knowledge, cries
with a loud voice, ‘Hosanna to the Lord!’ The
Hebrew, ‘hoshiah-na’ is an acclamatory prayer for the well-being of somebody,
and it means, literally, ‘save now!’ In this connection it is a prayer to the
Lord by the Spirit for the preservation of the young prophet in his faith. It
is a remarkable illustration of the truth stated thus by St. Paul: ‘The Spirit itself maketh intercession for us…according to
the will of God.’ (Rom. 8:26, 27)
“We note that this prayer (or, is it a
song?) of the Spirit has the form of Hebrew poetry:
Hosanna
to the Lord, the Most High God;
For
he is God over all the earth,
yea,
even above all.
And
blessed art thou, Nephi,
because
thou believest in the
Son
of the Most High God.
“The chief characteristic of Hebrew
poetry is, as is well known, ‘parallelism,’ which means the rhythm of thought,
rather than sound, and the arrangement of the words in such a manner that their
full meaning comes out first in the second or third line.” (Reynolds and
Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 1, p. 80)
1 Ne 11:6 blessed art thou, Nephi, because thou believest
Again, the
reason why Nephi is privileged to see the things his father saw is because of
his great faith and righteous desires.
1 Ne 11:11 [the Spirit of the Lord] was in the form of a man…and he
spake unto me as a man speaketh with another
There has been
some confusion regarding this passage. Who is the personage described as the “Spirit of the Lord?” This term can be used to mean
either the Holy Ghost or Jehovah. The vast majority of scriptures which use the
term are speaking of the Holy Ghost. Phrases like “the
Spirit of the Lord came upon him,” and “the
Spirit of the Lord which was in him” make it clear that the term refers
to the third member of the Godhead. In Nephi 11, verses 6-7 also make it clear
that the “Spirit of the Lord,” in this
passage, is not the pre-mortal Christ.
Now that we
have established that Nephi is conversing with the Holy Ghost, we must
underscore the singularity of this event. No other prophet describes a vision
in which he/she sees and converses directly with the Holy Ghost. This unusual
conversation brings new meaning to the phrase
“caught away in the Spirit.”
James E.
Talmage
“That the Spirit of the Lord is capable of
manifesting Himself in the form and figure of man, is indicated by the wonderful
interview between the Spirit and Nephi, in which He revealed Himself to the
prophet, questioned him concerning his desires and belief, instructed him in
the things of God, speaking face to face with the man [1 Ne 11:11]. However,
the Holy Ghost does not possess a body of flesh and bones, as do both the
Father and the Son, but is a personage of spirit. Much of the confusion
existing in human conceptions concerning the nature of the Holy Ghost arises
from the common failure to segregate His person and powers. Plainly, such
expressions as being filled with the Holy Ghost, and His falling upon persons,
have reference to the powers and influences that emanate from God, and which
are characteristic of Him; for the Holy Ghost may in this way operate simultaneously
upon many persons even though they be widely separated, whereas the actual
person of the Holy Ghost cannot be in more than one place at a time.” (Articles
of Faith, p. 42, as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of
Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 36)
1 Ne 11:12 and I saw him not; for he had gone from before my
presence.
It is often
assumed that the Spirit which begins to show Nephi the dream is the same
individual as the angel who finishes the vision. However, Nephi makes it clear
that the Spirit of the Lord had gone from before his presence and that the rest
of the vision was shown to him by an unidentified angel, And it came to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an
angel came down and stood before me (v. 14).
1 Ne 11:16 Knowest thou the condescension of God?
This unusual
phrase, “condescension of God,” deserves some comment. It does not appear
anywhere in the scriptures with the exception of 1 Ne 11. In English, to condescend
is a commonly used verb, but as a noun, it is rarely seen. In the context of
this scripture, it means Jehovah’s voluntary surrender of his exalted status as
a pre-mortal God to be born into mortality in the most humble of circumstances.
The Dictionary defines condescension as the “’voluntary descent from one’s rank
or dignity in relations with an inferior.’ President Ezra Taft Benson
taught, ‘It means to descend or come down from an exalted position to a place
of inferior station.’ “ (Ensign, Dec. 2001, 18). Before being born of
Mary, he was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. After the virgin birth, he was
seen as the carpenter’s son.
“The
condescension of God” is referred to again with reference to the baptism of
Christ (v. 26-27). In this instance it means Christ’s condescension to submit
to an ordinance designed for sinners. He does it not because the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is in need of baptism, but to fulfill all
righteousness, according to the will of the Father.
Gordon B. Hinckley
“‘Knowest thou the condescension of God?’ ("#1 Ne. 11:161 Ne. 11:16.)
I suppose none of us can fully understand that—how the great Jehovah should
come among men, born in a manger in a vassal state, among a people who would
hate him.” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, p. 285 - 286.)
Elder Richard C. Edgley
“From his magnificent throne, Jesus Christ, the God
of this world, all-knowledgeable and all-powerful, descended. Indeed, it is
sobering to ponder that He alone would come down from this glorified throne to
face the most extreme humiliation and suffering that mortality could inflict.
“President Benson stated, ‘When the great God
of the universe condescended to be born of a mortal woman, He submitted Himself
to the infirmities of mortality to ‘suffer
temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man
can suffer, except it be unto death’ (Mosiah 3:7).
“…It is at the extremity of His suffering, His
greatest condescension, that we witness the majesty of His mission. It was at
this time of His greatest humiliation and lowest state that He gave greatest
glory to His Father in Heaven and then signaled the completion of His mission
by simply uttering the words ‘Father, it is
finished, thy will is done’ (JST, Matt. 27:50). Indeed, He had descended
to fulfill His Father’s will.
“…And so the angel said to Nephi, ‘Knowest thou the condescension of God?’ (1 Ne.
11:16). I believe we know something of His condescension—as God the Creator,
Redeemer, Exemplar. For instance, we know:
·
He descended to be born
of a mortal woman, even though He was glorified and exalted.
·
He descended to be
baptized of man, even though He was perfect and sinless.
·
He descended to
minister to the humblest of the humble, even though He was exalted.
·
He descended to subject
Himself to the will of the Father, suffering Himself to be tempted, mocked,
scourged, cast out, and disowned, even though He was all-powerful.
·
He descended to be
judged of the world, even though He was the Judge of the world.
·
He descended to be
lifted on the cross and slain for the sins of the world, even though no man
could take away His life.
“So what does this mean for us? Our understanding of
Christ’s condescension should take us beyond our feelings of awe and deep
gratitude. As members of His Church, being called to represent Him and testify
of Him, our great opportunity is to try to emulate Him.” (Ensign, Dec.
2001, 18-20)
1 Ne 11:17 I do not know
the meaning of all things
Henry B. Eyring
“Will there be perplexities? Yes, indeed. ‘I know that [God] loveth
his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things’ (1 Ne. 11:171 Ne. 11:17).
Indeed, we too will not always know the ‘meaning’ of things happening to us and
around us. Therefore, whatever knowledge we may have, we still need to have
faith to see us through those puzzling moments. Because of past verifying
experiences, we can know that we have proven God ‘in
days that are past,’ thus giving us faith for the challenges of the
present.” (On Becoming a Disciple Scholar, p. 22.)
Neal
A. Maxwell
“There have been and will be times in each of our lives when such faith must be the bottom line: We don't know what is happening to us or around us, but we know that God loves us, and knowing that, for the moment, is enough.” (Not My Will, But Thine, p. 120.)
1 Ne 11:19 she [Mary] was
carried away in the Spirit
Mary was
overcome by the Spirit in her conception. This immaculate conception has been
doubted by many skeptics. We see that the Book of Mormon again confirms the truth
of the Bible as contained in Luke 1:35 and Matthew 1:20. The fact remains,
Jesus of Nazareth was the mortal son of Mary and God the Eternal Father. This
incredible reality is referred to many times by the Lord during his ministry, My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all;
and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my
Father are one (Jn 10:29-30).
1 Ne 11:22-23 the love of God…is the most desirable above all things…and
the most joyous to the soul.
Saints have
struggled for ages to be worthy of the love of God. What greater feeling could
there be, after struggling through mortality, than to hear the Lord say, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou
hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy lord’ (Matt 25:21)?
1 Ne 11:25
What is the fountain of living waters?
The fountain
of living waters is a symbol as significant as the tree of life. If one drinks
from the fountain of living waters, one will live forever with the blessings of
eternal life. If one partakes of the tree of life, one receives the same
blessing. They both represent the love of God for his children. This fountain
of living waters is a part of the great, celestialized city of Jerusalem which
John the revelator saw, For the Lamb which is in the
midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains
of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes (Rev 7:17).
John was shown the close relationship between the celestial tree of life and
the fountain of living waters, ‘he shewed me a pure
river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God
and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the
river, was there the tree of life…let him that is athirst come. And
whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely’ (Rev 22:1-2,17).
These waters
are separate from the river described by Lehi and Nephi. The river was filthy
and is representative of the depths of hell.
Merrill J. Bateman
“Another indication that the ‘love
of God’ refers to Christ is the reference to the fountain. The ‘fountain of living water’ symbol in the scriptures
refers to Jehovah or Jesus. Jehovah lamented the fact that the Jewish nation
had forsaken Him, ‘the fountain of living waters’
(Jer. 2:13Jer. 2:13).
Jesus offered living water to the woman of Samaria at the well. Not
understanding, she told Him that the well was deep and that He did not have
anything with which to draw. He then said: ‘Whosoever
drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water
that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him
shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.’ (John 4:10John 4:11John 4:12John 4:13John 4:14John 4:10-14.) The ‘fountain
of living water’ is a type of Christ as the source of life with regard
to both immortality and eternal life.” (Heroes from the Book of Mormon, p.
23.)
1 Ne 11:32 the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world;
and I saw and bear record.
Nephi’s tone
here shows that he is overwhelmed and astonished that the Savior of the world
could be judged by wicked men. How absurd it must have seemed to Nephi? How
could anyone plot to kill him when his ministry was teaching righteousness and
healing the sick? Nephi’s phrase, and I saw and bear
record, implies that he wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen it
with his own eyes.
Gerald N. Lund
“He showed
condescension in his patience and restraint when brought before men for
judgment….(1 Ne 19:9) The God who created everything was judged to be nothing!
And yet he endured it with complete patience. Imagine the Being whose power,
whose light, whose glory holds the universe in order, the Being who speaks and
solar systems, galaxies, and stars come into existence—standing before wicked
men and being judged by them as being of no worth or value! When we think of
what he could have done to these men who took him to judgment, we have a new
and different sense of his condescension. When Judas led the soldiers and the
high priests to the Garden of Gethsemane and betrayed him with a kiss, Jesus
could have spoken a single word and leveled the entire city of Jerusalem. When
the servant of the high priest stepped forward and slapped his face, Jesus
could have lifted a finger and sent that man back to his original elements.
When another man stepped forward and spit in his face, Jesus had only to blink
and our entire solar system could have been annihilated. But he stood there, he
endured, he suffered, he condescended.” (Doctrines of the Book of Mormon,
1991 Sperry Symposium, pp. 85-86 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on
the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p.37)
1 Ne 11:34-35 they were gathered together to fight against the apostles
of the Lamb
“The
world is still fighting the apostles of the Lamb because they represent the
truth and the world rejects the truth. Even those of the house of Israel at
times will gather to fight against the twelve: ‘And
the angel of the Lord spake unto me again saying: Behold the world and the
wisdom thereof; yea, behold the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight
against the twelve apostles of the Lamb’ (v 35). This verse describes
the apostasy following Christ's ministry in Jerusalem. The Apostasy was caused
by the pride and wisdom of the world, but it will not stand forever: ‘And it came to pass that I saw and bear record, that the
great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell, and the
fall thereof was exceedingly great. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me
again, saying: Thus shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues,
and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb’ (v
36). The world still fights the Twelve Apostles and their teaching with its own
wisdom, but it will eventually fall, and the pride that motivates the fight
will be the cause of that fall.” (Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., eds.,
Fourth Nephi through Moroni: From Zion to Destruction [Provo: BYU
Religious Studies Center, 1995], 210.)
1
Ne 11:36 the great and spacious building was the
pride of the world; and it fell
Neal A. Maxwell
“The
gigantic, global collapse that is yet to come will not be that of a failing
stock market, but the fall of hardened mind-sets and collective pride when it
all finally tumbles. Nephi testified: ‘It came to
pass that I saw and bear record, that the great and spacious building was the
pride of the world; and it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great.
And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Thus shall be the
destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that shall fight
against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.’ ("1
Ne. 11:361 Nephi 11:36.)” (Meek
and Lowly, p. 54.)