1 Nephi 13:16-19

Nephi's vision continues...

In Verse 16 he says that the Gentiles that were gone forth out of captivity had the power of the Lord with them. This is definitely something that you want on your side when you do anything.

The Gentiles were in captivity. They were controlled in everything. Here is a quote from the Book of Mormon Institute manual on this topic:

“There are expressions in this part of the prophecy that on the surface seem to have little importance but that are of great significance. For example, Nephi says these colonists fled ‘out of captivity’ as they came to the New World. Did they really ‘flee out of captivity’? How did Nephi know that?

“When it is realized how despotic the European kings were at this period, it is easily understood that the colonists did indeed flee from captivity and oppression. Under such kings as James I of England, there was hardly a semblance of freedom. He was the supreme dictator in government, in economics, in education (what there was of it), and in the state religion. He controlled the detailed lives of his people.

“France, Spain, England, and Portugal were the principal powers involved in the discovery and exploration of America, and this is significant, as we shall point out later. All were ruled by despots, and when immigrants finally were allowed to leave the ‘mother countries,’ they indeed fled from captivity. The history of the Pilgrims and Puritans gives ample evidence of this fact” (Petersen, Great Prologue, pp. 32–33).

Verse 17 said that Nephi sees that the mother Gentiles were gathered together on water and on land and gave battle against those that had gone forth out of captivity. This is referring to the Revolutionary War. In the next verse, Nephi is told that the Lord was with the new nation and His wrath was against all those who went to battle against them. In the next verse, it says that they were delivered out of the hands of all those who battled them. This is a marvelous blessing. The fact that we are free today is all due to the Lord and hard work and sacrifices of the people. It is neat to know that Nephi saw a lot of our recent history, and we were blessed to know about it. The details of some of these visions are not made known to us, but this one is, up to our day.

I wanted to finish with a thought about our freedom. There are a couple of places where the Book of Mormon admonishes us to be righteous. If we are not righteous, we will lose this freedom. In Ether 2:12, it says: "Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written." In 2 Nephi 1:5-7, it says:
"5 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.

" 6 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.

" 7 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."

So, this land is choice unto the Nephites and Lamanites and all those who are led to it. We were led to it at this time in the vision of Nephi. We fall under the same obligation. Let us be righteous and deserve the blessing to live on this land.

1 Nephi 13:15

Nephi sees in vision that the Gentiles that settled the Americas were white, fair, and beautiful, like his seed before they were destroyed.

What does it mean that the people were white, fair, and beautiful? I had wondered that and so I looked up the cross references to this verse. The first was 2 Nephi 5:21. In this verse, Nephi's brothers and their families are cursed with a skin of blackness. This was because of their iniquity. They had once been white because of their righteousness, which had to have been true at some point because it said that they were once fair, white, and righteous. The next scripture is 4 Nephi 1:10. Here, the people of Nephi had seen Christ. He visited them and taught them the fulfillment of the Law of Moses. The verse says that they waxed strong, multiplied exceedingly fast (which means they were good at math, right? : ) and were exceedingly fair and delightsome. Are we seeing a pattern? Perhaps one more cross-reference. In Mormon 9:6, Moroni calls the unbelievers of Christ to repentance and prayer, so that they may become spotless, pure, fair and white, which only comes by the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

As we can see from these scriptures, being fair and white is a state of righteousness perhaps more so than being fair-skinned or beautiful as in pretty people. The Lamanites were not righteous and their skin was black. I think that Moroni puts it best. If you repent, then you are made white and fair and pure before God, and you will be saved at the last day. Let's all do better to repent of the things we've done and become fair, and have that change of heart.

1 Nephi 13:13-14

Nephi's vision continues...

Next, he is shown that the Spirit of God wrought upon other Gentiles, or people from Europe and such, and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters. We can see this scripture was/is being fulfilled. There are millions of people that came to the Americas (North and South) searching for religious freedom in the 18th and 19th centuries, and even today.

The next verse tells us that the wrath of God was against the seed of his brothers and they were scattered forth before the Gentiles and were smitten. The indigenous peoples of the Americas were conquered by the Europeans. They were made slaves and killed by the thousands. Cortes caused the fall of the Aztec Empire. Pizarro defeated the Incas.

I was thinking about these verses and there has to be a distinction given. The Lord does not condone the actions of a wicked person. However, sometimes he uses the wicked to destroy the wicked. But I must say that there were good people that came and settled the Americas and there were bad people that came, too. There were a lot of indigenous people that were killed. I don't think that all of them were bad, maybe the majority. But, those that were righteous will be saved and those that are wicked will be punished, no matter if they were killed because the majority of the group was wicked.

1 Nephi 13:10-12

After Nephi sees some things about the rise of the great and abominable church after Christ, he is shown the many waters that divide the Gentiles in the Old World from the seed of his brethren in the New World. The angel tell him that the wrath of God is upon the seed of his brethren. We know that after several generations pass away after the coming of Christ to the Nephite, they become a dark and loathsome people. This is why God is not pleased with them. They have killed off all the Nephites and anyone who will not deny Christ as stated in Moroni 1:2, "For behold, [the Lamanites] are exceedingly fierce among themselves; and because of their hatred they put to death every Nephite that will not deny the Christ."

This is important to know when we consider the next few verses. In Verse 12, the angel shows him the story about a certain man, "And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land." Any ideas on who this man is? Again, we go to the Book of Mormon Institute Manual:

“Note that Nephi says that ‘the Spirit of God came down and wrought upon the man,’ thus causing him (Columbus) to sail across ‘the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren who were in the promised land.’ . . .
“Columbus believed he could reach ‘the Indies’ by sailing westward. Although there were some people who still thought the world was flat, Columbus did not, and he was anxious to make his journey. But it was more than an urge for adventure that impelled the discoverer to undertake what he called ‘his enterprise.’
“Go to any public library, read almost any detailed biography of the discoverer, and it becomes immediately clear that he felt himself an inspired man, sent of heaven to make the voyage. For example, Columbus, Don Quixote of the Seas, written in German by Jacob Wassermann and translated into English by Eric Sutton, tells the story very well:
“‘From my first youth onward, I was a seaman and have so continued until this day. . . . Wherever on the earth a ship has been, I have been. I have spoken and treated with learned men, priests, and laymen, Latins and Greeks, Jews and Moors, and with many men of other faiths. The Lord was well disposed to my desire, and He bestowed upon me courage and understanding; knowledge of seafaring He gave me in abundance, of astrology as much as was needed, and of geometry and astronomy likewise. Further, He gave me joy and cunning in drawing maps and thereon cities, mountains, rivers, islands, and harbours, each one in its place. I have seen and truly I have studied all books—cosmographies, histories, chronicles, and philosophies, and other arts, for which our Lord unlocked my mind, sent me upon the sea, and gave me fire for the deed. Those who heard of my emprise called it foolish, mocked me, and laughed. But who can doubt but that the Holy Ghost inspired me?’
(Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1930, pp. 19–20. Italics added.)” (Mark E. Petersen, The Great
Prologue, pp. 25–26).

There are many ideas around now that Columbus was not a good person and is criticized heavily for bringing sickness and plagues to the Native Americans. Even his holiday is sparsely celebrated. I remember in 1992, 500 years after he came, there wasn't much done to commemorate it. Although there were some good people, the Lord had seen fit that these things should come upon them because of what they did to Nephi's seed. Let's remember, too, that if a righteous person dies as a result of another's actions, they will be saved. Having Columbus come to America was part of the Lord's plan to restore His gospel on the earth. There needed to be a land where religious freedom could be practiced. He could not restore His church in Europe, for example. They had to practice religion in a certain way or die, as we had discussed before with the Inquisitions.

1 Nephi 13:4-9

Nephi sees that a great church was formed among the nations of the Gentiles. This church is the most abominable of all other churches. They slay the saints of God. They torture them and bind them down under a yoke of iron and bring them down under captivity.

A possible interpretation of this verse is the Medieval, Spanish, and Portuguese Inquisitions. However, I think that it has a broader meaning as well. Many have said over the years that the great and abominable church is the Catholic church. I don't think that is necessarily true. I remember an institute class discussion on this subject. The teacher posed the thought that these people in the dream were persecuting the saints of God, or the people who followed the teachings of Christ. There are good people that go the the Catholic church, or any church. There are also people that persecute the saints that go the our church. You may profess to belong to a church, but of what church do your actions belong? In 1 Nephi 14:10, it says that there are only two churches on the earth, the church of the Lamb of God and the church of the devil. If you aren't in the church of God, you are in the church of the devil. It's that white and black.

The next couple of verses goes into more of what church do your actions belong to. This is kind of a hard thing. The angel shows Nephi that gold, silver, silks, scarlets, fine-twined linen, all manner of precious clothing, and harlots were the desires of this great and abominable church. They also desire the praise of the world. So, do we desire those things above all? I think that a great connection is to Jacob 2:18-19, which says:

"18 But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.

19 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted"

It is all based on your desires and actions. Do good with the things the Lord has blessed you with. This is why He has blessed you with them, to be instruments in His hands.

1 Nephi 13:1-3

We are now getting into one of my favorite chapters of the Book of Mormon. Nephi sees many things of our day and the history of the United States and America.

The chapter begins with Nephi seeing many nations and kingdoms or the lands of the Gentiles. Since what comes forth in the next few verses pertains the these Gentiles, it was helpful for me to know who exactly were the people called the Gentiles in the scriptures.

This is from the Book of Mormon Institute Manual:

"Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: 'Various meanings have been attached to the name Gentiles in different ages, depending on the historical setting or the doctrinal teachings involved. Literally the meaning is, 'of the same clan or race,' and Biblical revisions frequently substitute the word nations in its place. 'The descendants of Noah’s son Japheth were called Gentiles (Gen. 10:1–5), and in this sense the descendants of Shem . . . and of Ham . . . would not be Gentiles. In the days of Abraham, the term was used to refer to those nations and peoples who had not descended from him, with the added assurance that all Gentiles who should receive the gospel would be adopted into the lineage of Abraham and be accounted his seed. (Abra. 2:9–11.) The Prophet [Joseph Smith] taught that those so adopted became literally of the blood of Abraham.' (Teachings, pp. 149–150.) In the days of ancient Israel, those not of the lineage of Jacob were considered to be Gentiles, although the Arabs and other races of Semitic origin who traced their lineage back to Abraham would not have been Gentiles in the strict Abrahamic use of the word. 'After the Kingdom of Israel was destroyed and the Ten Tribes were led away into Assyrian captivity, those of the Kingdom of Judah called themselves Jews and designated all others as Gentiles. It is this concept that would have been taught to Lehi, Mulek and the other Jews who came to the Western Hemisphere to found the great Nephite and Lamanite civilizations. It is not surprising, therefore, to find the Book of Mormon repeatedly speaking of Jew and Gentile as though this phrase marked a division between all men; to find the United States described as a Gentile Nation (1 Ne. 13; 3 Ne. 21); and to find the promise that the Book of Mormon would come forth 'by way of the Gentile.' (Title page of Book of Mormon; D. & C. 20:9.)' (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 310–11)."

I think that the Gentiles referred to in this part are Europeans perhaps even down to those from the Middle East. We shall see why here soon.

1 Nephi 12:19-EoC

As Nephi was hearing the words of the angel talk about the large and spacious building, he saw, again, his future posterity and the future posterity of his brothers. He saw that because of the pride and temptations of the devil, that his seed had, they were overpowered by the see of his brothers. He saw that the seed of his brothers did so with multitudes. Many generations pass away with wars and rumors of wars plaguing the people. I'm not sure at this point if the Nephites have been killed off. But it says that the people, not specifying who exactly, became a dark and loathsome people, full of idleness and abominations. Perhaps at this point he is referring to the Lamanites, but the Nephites did become dark and loathsome, too. Well, it really doesn't matter because anyone that did not denounce God was killed.

The word idle stuck out to me. I did a quick search for the word forms of idle in the scriptures. Here are some interesting results:

1. In Proverbs 19:15 it says: "Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger."
2. In Proverbs 31:27 it says: " She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."
3. In Ezekial 16:49 it says: "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy."
4. In 1 Timothy 5:13 it says: "And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not."
5. In 2 Nephi 5:24 it says: "And because of their cursing which was upon them they did become an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey."
6. In Alma 1:32 it says: "For those who did not belong to their church did indulge themselves in sorceries, and in idolatry or idleness, and in babblings, and in envyings, and in strife; wearing costly apparel; being lifted up in the pride of their own eyes; persecuting, lying, thieving, robbing, committing whoredoms, and murdering, and all manner of wickedness; nevertheless, the law was put in force upon all those who did transgress it, inasmuch as it was possible."

Well, I think that you get the idea. We cannot be idle. Everywhere there is idleness in the scriptures, there is sadness and wickedness. So, be anxiously engaged in a good cause (see Doctrine and Covenants 58:27)!

1 Nephi 12:18

In this section, Nephi speaks more about his vision and the large and spacious building that his father saw. He says that the interpretation thereof is that it represents the pride of the world. It also represents the vain imaginations of the world. Pride of the world is, I believe, straightforward enough, but what could "vain imaginations" mean? It probably could be a lot of things, but I think that the dictionary can help. Sometimes the dictionary does not really help with scriptural terms, but here it showed two different definitions.

1. vain: having or showing an excessively high opinion of one's appearance, abilities, or worth. OR
2. vain: producing no result; useless.

I think that the phrase "vain imaginations" can be thought of using both definitions. The people in the great and spacious building have these imaginations that they are beautiful, all-powerful, and all-important. Which, in a sense, is true in Heavenly Father's eyes. But, they do not see it in His way. They look for the glory of men. He loves them, but is sad when they behave in this way. Lehi did say that they mocked those who partook of the fruit of the tree (see 1 Nephi 8:27). This is what is sad. Jesus said once, too, if ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren you have done it unto me (see Matthew 25:40).

In the other sense, their imaginations produce no result in the long term. The things that they desire are trilling for a moment, but only end up in sadness. This is what Satan does to them when they listen to him, and will not support them at the last day (see Alma 30:60). Earlier, Nephi even said that large and spacious building did not have a foundation, or in other words, no support (see 1 Nephi 8:26) and great will be the fall of the large and spacious building (see 1 Nephi 11:36).

So now, let us not follow the ways of the world and enter into that large and spacious building, but help them through our examples to realize what they're doing and help them to come to the tree.

1 Nephi 12:11-17

We begin today with another reference to the atonement. Nephi is seeing in vision that three generations after the visit of Jesus Christ to his people pass away in righteousness. He sees them in white because of their faith in Jesus Christ, His blood has made their garments white. In addition, many of the fourth generation pass away. Then he sees that multitudes of the seed of his older brothers gather together against his seed for battle.

Then the angel connects the scene back to symbols from Nephi's father's dream. He mentions a fountain of filthy water that Lehi saw and a river, and that those are symbolic of the depths of hell. And that the mists of darkness that come are the temptations of the devil, whose temptations blindeth their eyes and harden their hearts, and lead them into broad roads and are lost. I know that this happens to people. It just seems like you are powerless to get them to snap out of it. They are adamant about their false ideas, and then they go off on that path and you never see them for months or years at a time. When you hear news of them, they are still going down the broad road and are lost. Every once in a while they plead with you to help them with their problems. You might even tell them, "Hey you are on a broad road, blinded by the devil, come back!" but they don't understand and it sounds like gibberish to them. For all those out there that are in that state, we are praying for you that somehow you can come to your senses...

1 Nephi 12:1-10

Nephi's vision deals with many eras of history. In Verse 1 of Chapter 12, Nephi is given a vision of his descendants in the land of promise. He sees that they will become more numerous than the sands of the sea. He is also shown that they will have battles with each other and that many will be slain on both sides by the sword.

He is now shown that after many generations, that there are so many cities that he did not number them. In Verse 4, he sees that there will be much darkness and many storms will destroy many of those cities. After the mists of darkness lift, he saw that those who had survived were able to receive a visit from Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. At this point he truly is the Lamb of God because he had been sacrificed and killed, as the people would do with sacrificing a lamb under the law of Moses. Nephi sees that the Holy Ghost fell on twelve others of his seed and they were chosen and ordained of God.

The angel then instructs Nephi that the people of the House of Israel will be judged of the original twelve apostles. Nephi and his seed are included in that because they are of the House of Israel. I believe that we will, too, because I am of the tribe of Ephraim, a grandson of Israel. All of us will be. Lastly, for today, Nephi is told that the twelve disciples of the New World will be righteous men, and because of their faith on the Lamb of God they will be righteous forever, and also because of this faith, their garments are made white in the blood of Jesus Christ. I know that if we have this faith (remember that faith is an action word) in Him, our garments will be made white, too.

1 Nephi 11:34-EoC

Nephi is continuing his vision of the future. In Verse 34, he sees that after Christ was crucified, the multitudes of the earth gathered to fight the apostles. It was as if they were in a large and spacious building, like the one that his father saw. Here is the interpretation of the large and spacious building: it is the world and the wisdom thereof. In Verse 36, Nephi describes it as the pride of the world. Then he sees it fall, and great is the fall. The angel finishes the chapter by saying that this is what happens to all those who fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

It is interesting to note that nearly all the apostles were martyrs and all stayed true to the faith of Jesus Christ. I'm not sure if all those nations that killed them had fallen yet as foretold by this vision (but the prophesy must come true), but I do know that the Roman Empire fell just as the angel said. But what did Rome do you might ask? Well, Emperor Nero was the one that is attributed to ordering the deaths of Peter and Paul. It is interesting that when they died, the Roman Empire was on the rise reaching its greatest extent in A.D. 117. Soon after they died, perhaps in the same year even, Nero was about to be ousted by the Roman Senate and seeing that this was going to happen committed suicide. Wikipedia said this of the eventual state of Rome after the whole empire was gone:

"Following years of grinding war the city was by 540 AD near-abandoned and desolate with much of its environment turned into an unhealthy marsh, an inglorious end for a city that once ruled much of the known world."

1 Nephi 11:28-33

Verse 28 has an interesting contrast. Nephi is seeing the life of Christ in vision. He states that he beheld Jesus going forth among the people and ministering to them in great power and glory, the multitudes were gathered to hear Him, but in some circles they cast Him out from among them. He was either loved or loathed.

Nephi is shown the twelve apostles and shown that they followed Jesus. He sees more of the work of Jesus upon the earth. He saw Him heal the sick and cast out devils, all by the power of the Lamb of God.

Nephi then sees that Jesus is taken captive and judged of the world. When Nephi puts it that way, you know that the trial will not go well for the Son of the everlasting God. Then Verse 33 says, "And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world." Yes, He was slain...and the price of sins was completely paid at that moment. It began in the Garden of Gethsemane and was finished when He died on the cross. A related scripture that I'd like to connect is 2 Nephi 10:3-4. Nephi's younger brother, Jacob, is prophesying of Christ to the Nephites. It is entirely possible that at this time (about 30 years or more from this point) that he is having the same type of vision. He says:

"Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ—for in the last night the angel spake unto me that this should be his name—should come among the Jews, among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify him—for thus it behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God.

" For should the mighty miracles be wrought among other nations they would repent, and know that he be their God."

Jesus had to come among the Jews at that time. No one would have crucified him if He came to a people and taught them and showed miracles. They would have believed. This says a lot about the people of our day. When Jesus comes again, they will know that He is the Christ.

1 Nephi 11:27

In this selection, we are still with Nephi who is continuing his vision of Christ. In this verse, Nephi sees John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. He sees that Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist. The heavens open and the Holy Ghost descends "in the form of a dove." When I read this one time a long time ago, I wondered, "Did the Holy Ghost transform into a dove?" In Matthew's account, Matthew 3:16-17, he says that the Holy Ghost descended "like a dove." So, I wondered what that was all about? Today, I searched in the institute manual for the New Testament and found this entry:

"What Is the Significance of the Holy Ghost Descending 'like a Dove'? 'All four gospel authors record that the Spirit descended 'like a dove'; Luke adds that he also came in 'bodily shape'; and the Book of Mormon accounts say he came 'in the form of a dove.' (1 Ne. 11:27; 2 Ne. 31:8.) Joseph Smith said that John 'led the Son of God into the waters of baptism, and had the privilege of beholding the Holy Ghost descend in the form of a dove, or rather in the sign of the dove, in witness of that administration.' Then the Prophet gives this explanation: 'The sign of
the dove was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of a dove. The Holy Ghost is a personage, and is in the form of a personage. It does not confine itself to the form of the dove, but in sign of the dove. The Holy Ghost cannot be transformed into a dove; but the sign of a dove was given to John to signify the truth of the deed, as the dove is an emblem or token of truth and innocence.' (Smith, Teachings,
pp. 275–76. Italics added.) It thus appears that John witnessed the sign of the dove, that he saw the Holy Ghost descend in the 'bodily shape' of the personage that he is, and that the descent was 'like a dove.'" (McConkie, DNTC, 1:123–24.)

So, I guess that clears it up. : ) Well, I'm still curious as to what the "sign of the dove" is. This excerpt from the institute manual does clarify that the Holy Ghost did not confine Himself to an actual dove. We also learned that the devil cannot do the sign of the dove. Then we learned that the Holy Ghost's sign was a confirmation that the event was witnessed. Heavenly Father was also a witness. In the Matthew account, He said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." It is interesting to note that the three separate members of the Godhead were present for this event. Heavenly Father was in the heavens and said His statement above. Jesus Christ was in the waters of Jordan getting baptized, and the Holy Ghost descended like a dove.

1 Nephi 11:26

The angel says to Nephi, "Look and behold the condescension of God!" Earlier, the angel asks Nephi if he knew what that meant. He said that he did know the meaning of all things. Here is the excerpt for the Institute Book of Mormon manual on the subject:

"In 1 Nephi 11:26 Nephi is taught a second time about the condescension of God. The first time this subject was taught (see v. 16) it was followed by a vision of the birth of the Son of God. The second time it is followed by a vision of Christ’s ministry. Elder Bruce R. McConkie commented on the two different senses of the condescension of God in this way: 'The condescension of God (meaning the Father) consists in the fact that though he is an exalted, perfected, glorified Personage, he became the personal and literal Father of a mortal Offspring born of mortal
woman. And the condescension of God (meaning the Son) consists in the fact that though he himself is the Lord Omnipotent, the very Being who created the earth and all things that in it are, yet being born of mortal woman, he submitted to all the trials of mortality, suffering ‘temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death’ (Mosiah 3:5–8), finally being put to death in a most ignominious manner' (Mormon Doctrine, p. 155)."

Condescension is from the Latin con- which means "with" and descendere which means "to descend." So, in the sense of a heavenly being condescending, I think that Elder McConkie captured the definition and the phenomenon pretty well in the description above.

Why is this important for our day? Well, it is vital that we understand that Jesus Christ was part god and part man. In this way, he was able to be the perfect sacrifice for us. He took upon Himself all the sins, pains, and sorrows that we have, are, and will face. This was able to be done because of His god-like quality. He was able to pass through these feelings like we do/would. This was because of His man-like quality.

In Alma 7:10-12, Alma testifies about this very thing to the people of Gideon. He said, "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people." Then we can put our sins and pains on Him, that He can pay the price of the pain and so we do not have to feel it and go through it, if we but ask. What a marvelous thing. We need to be sincere and we cannot let His sacrifice be for not.

1 Nephi 11:24-25

Verse 24 describes the current event in Nephi's vision. He is shown the life of the Savior. He went among the children of men. Many people did fall down at His feet and worshiped Him. It must have been really neat to be there to hear His sermons and to see Him work.

Next, Nephi learns more about the meaning of the objects in Lehi's dream. He sees that the rod of iron meant the word of God, and that it lead to the fountain of living waters and the tree of life. First, we can consider the fountain of living waters. In Verse 25, it says that the fountain (and the tree) are representations of the love of God. This love, symbolized by the fountain of living waters, was spoken of by Jesus Christ in the New Testament. In John 4:5, Jesus traveled to land of Samaria and to the city of Sychar. It is interesting that it says that this is the same land that Jacob gave his son Joseph. Jacob had a well there. Jesus was tired and sat on the well. It was the sixth hour. I wasn't sure when the sixth hour was. So I looked it up in the Bible Dictionary. The entry was interesting. They said that, "In the N.T. period the use of the hour was well established. The hours of the day were counted from sunrise, the hours of the night from sunset, and they varied in length at different seasons of the year." So, the time this occurred was probably the sixth hour after sunrise, which would translate to early afternoon, nearing the hottest part of the day. A woman comes to the well to get water. She is a Samaritan. Jesus asks for some water. The woman asks why He is talking to her. She asks if He knew that Jews don't talk to Samaritans? Eventually Jesus says that whoso drinks of this water will thirst again. But those who drink of the water I give shall never thirst, and it shall be a well within him springing up to everlasting life. The story continues on from there with Him testifying that He is the Messiah, the Christ who should come. It is very interesting. Even His disciples asked what He was doing talking with a Samaritan. But I think that this shows that the gospel is for all people, those who we get along with and those we don't.

Nephi said that the tree of life also shows the love of God and is one of its meanings. In Genesis 2:9, the tree of life was describes as pleasant to the sight, along with all the trees in the Garden of Eden. If someone ate the fruit of the tree of life, they would have everlasting life. Thus another interpretation of the love of God, the most desirable thing, and the sweetest above all is eternal life. Now, because of Jesus overcoming death, we will live forever or have eternal life. Imagine how sweet that is given these descriptions. If we use the atonement and repent of our sins and endure to the end while keeping the commandments, we shall be saved or receive salvation in the highest degree of heaven. Imagine what that must be like, but I'm not sure any of us can. So, let's keep the commandments and endure to the end so that we all can be there together.

1 Nephi 11:13-23

At this time, Nephi is having a vision. The Spirit has just finished His role in the vision and Nephi is gazing on the city of Jerusalem and surrounding cities, which he does know. He grew up there. He is directed to specifically behold the city of Nazareth. There he sees a virgin, one who is exceedingly fair and white. An angel comes to take over instruction and asks Nephi what he sees. Nephi tells him. Then the angel asks if Nephi knows about the "condescension of God." Nephi's response is interesting. I might have simply said no, but Nephi said that he knew that God loveth His children, but that he didn't know the meaning of all things. Nephi is told that the woman he saw is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh. Then he saw that for a period of time, she was carried away in the Spirit.

After that time, the angel bade Nephi to look. He looked and saw her with a child in her arms. The angel identifies this child as the Lamb of God, the Son of the Eternal Father. That's a lot of titles, but only some of many that are used for Him. Then the angel asks if Nephi knows the meaning of the tree now. He says yes, it is the love of God and it sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of men. It is the most desirable of all things. This is a powerful statement. Only if all men knew it. I wondered this, so I did a quick search for what people want most. Many said that they wanted to be happy. Of course there was a little of the "worldly" views, but this thought impressed me. I did another quick search about what makes people happy. There was a webpage from the BBC where someone had compiled a list of stories that were sent in on what makes people happy. Here is the link. These stories also impressed me. They seem genuine and I was happy just reading them. They talk a lot about family, nature, staying out of debt and that money doesn't bring happiness, serving others, humor in life, being outgoing, etc. (Some did mention drinking, and I don't condone those ones.) Here's one that made a lot of sense to me:

"How to be happy - this advice was given to me many years ago by a man I consider to be a genius at being happy:

Cultivate a passion

Be part of something bigger than yourself...

Don't resist change

Live for the moment

Audit your happiness

Play the part and be happy!
Bob Yeldham, Wales"

I like this one because it's practical and I'm doing a lot of these already. 1. Cultivate a passion. I have passions, some of which cultivation is put on hold because of school. Oh, wait, school is a passion, too! (Well, most of the time.) 2. Be part of something bigger than yourself. The Church is a perfect one for this. It is the perfect organization to be a part of that is bigger than oneself. 3. Don't resist change. Change does happen. (Like moving to the other side of the country.) Change can bring good things. We've made friends here and we can be friends for other's too, to help lift them and help them to be happy. 4. Live for the moment. This one I need to work on. A lot of times I look forward to things and back on things so much that I miss the moment. Last night I played with my girls when I came home. It was so much fun and very rewarding to see them smile at me and laugh. I would guess that that would be living for the moment. 5. Audit your happiness. I take this as time to think about things, maybe items from this list. See if you're happy. I hope that everyone can say they have something to be happy about. 6. Play the part and be happy! This is something that I think is important. If you play the part of a Gloomy Gus, then you're going to be sad. It is all in your attitude about things. If you say to yourself, this day is going to be a happy one and look on that side of things it will be. A lot of times I hear about someone having a bad day because of one event. Don't let that one event ruin an entire day. Say to yourself, from now on, this day will be great!

So, back to the love of God. I think that the love of God is manifest in all these things. It is truly the most desirable of all things. These are signs that God loves each one of us. He has given us family, church, friends, nature (which is full of metaphors), knowledge, and the list goes on and on. He might have even given you personal knowledge that He loves you. He might have told you that as an answer to a prayer of, "Heavenly Father, do you love me?" If you pray and ask those words, you will feel the Spirit tell you that Heavenly Father does, and this bringeth joy to the soul.

1 Nephi 11:8-12

The Spirit of the Lord shows Nephi the tree like the one that his father had seen. Nephi shares that it is most beautiful, beyond anything that he had previously seen. The whiteness that was with the tree exceeded all whiteness, even beyond the whiteness of the driven snow. I had heard once that this verse was compared with the temple. When I heard that, I thought that it was a great analogy. I think that the San Diego temple fits that category. The few times that I've been there, it was sunny. The sunlight reflected off that building and standing next to it, I couldn't even look at it because it was so white and bright. So, if you ever go to the San Diego temple, bring your sunglasses.

Nephi then tells the Spirit that he has seen the tree that is most precious above all. The Spirit says, what desireist thou? Nephi responds with the comment that all of us are probably thinking. He wanted to know the interpretation thereof.

Next, Nephi writes a little about the nature of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost has the form of a man. When he appears to someone, which is rare, they speak to Him as a man speaketh to another. In Doctrine and Covenants 130:22, we read about the nature of the Godhead or Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. It says, "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us."

The Holy Ghost is a Spirit, but he looks like a man and one can speak to Him as one man speaketh to another. But His influence can be felt inside us all because His spirit can touch ours. In the end of today's selection, just after Nephi asks about the interpretation of the significance of the tree, he looks to find the Spirit, but the Spirit had gone from before his presence. But Nephi isn't left alone.

1 Nephi 11:7

At this point, Nephi is still conversing with the Spirit at the beginning of his vision. Previously, Nephi stated that he wanted to see what his father saw. In Verse 7, the Spirit instructs Nephi that he will see the tree from his father's vision and afterwar a man descending out of heaven. This man is the Son of the most high God. Upon seeing this, Nephi is then able bear record that it is Him. He will be able to testify of Him to anyone. Once he has this knowledge, I think that Nephi is henceforth called to testify of Him, and he does.

Usually I try to apply the scriptures to me and my day. I have been given a degree of knowledge concerning the gospel. I have a testimony of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. I know they exist and that Jesus Christ lived on the earth. The Bible gives us an account of His days. The Book of Mormon does, too. Nephi's vision here is one of the times these things are discussed in detail. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet. Every time I hear his story and share it with others, the Holy Ghost is present. This has been affirmed and reaffirmed for me time and again. I wish time would permit me to share more.

1 Nephi 11:1-6

Up to this point, Nephi is desirous to see the things his father saw. I assume that he has been thinking about these quite frequently, because Verse 1 begins with him sitting and pondering these things in his heart. The Book of Mormon Institute Manual says that it is important to ponder. Joseph Smith and Sydney Rigdon were pondering a verse from the Book of Mormon and were caught away in a vision which is recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 76. Joseph F. Smith was pondering a few verses from the New Testament and was caught away in a vision which is recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 138.

I think that it is also important to note that Nephi was caught away in the Spirit to an exceedingly high mountain, one that he had never before seen or set foot upon (whether physically or spiritually, I'm not sure). He has a marvelous vision and is instructed there. A frequent metaphor for mountain in the scriptures is the temple, where we also are instructed.

In Verses 2-6, Nephi talks with the Holy Ghost about the words of Lehi. The Spirit asks him if he believed them. Nephi says yes, and tells the Spirit that He knows that Nephi believes them. It is interesting that the Spirit required a verification of Nephi's faith, before the vision was given. It is a pattern that has been used before, probably always before a miracle is shown or given.

There are many examples in the scriptures of this. Here are a few:

In Matthew 8:13, Jesus healed a centurion because of his belief.

In Matthew 9:28, Jesus healed a blind man after asking if he believed it could be done.

In Mark 9:16-29 has a great story about Jesus healing the son of a man in the multitude. The man said that his son has had an evil spirit in him since he was a child. The apostles couldn't cast it out. He then asks the man if he believed it could be done. This is hard. Up to this point, there isn't really any evidence that it could be done. The man then says that he does believe, and asks for help with his unbelief. The spirit was cast away, and the apostles asked Jesus why they couldn't do it. Jesus simply answered that this kind does not come without fasting and prayer. I think that many of us are like this man. We believe a lot of things, but we need help to believe others. Do we believe that it would be somehow hurt us (I'm not sure how to put this) if we don't read our scriptures one day? Or fail to say a morning prayer? Or miss a class in church one Sunday? These are commandments that are given to us, to pray every morning and night, to read from the Book of Mormon every day, and to go to our church meetings.

Lastly, I wanted to mention was of the belief of the Brother of Jared (see Ether 3:6 and on). He was show all things like Nephi or Moses, maybe more. The Lord appeared to him in a cloud. Then the Brother of Jared saw His finger. Then the Lord asked him if he believed the words which He would say. The Brother of Jared said yes, and had his marvelous vision. Later on in Ether (Ether 12:6 and on), Moroni describes many stories and miracles from the Book of Mormon that happened because of the great faith of the people involved. They are powerful stories. It also says that there has not been a miracle wrought without someone first having faith. The Medieval times was a point in history where few, if any, true miracles from the Lord were seen, because of the lack of faith.

In 1820, Joseph Smith saw the miracle of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ come down from heaven again (see Joseph Smith-History 1:10 and on). The first time in centuries. This was because there was enough faith on the earth again for more miracles to happen. Joseph Smith had tremendous faith that his prayer would be answered about which church to join. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ said he should join none, but would be an instrument to restore the true Church of Christ again. It happened and I know it did.

1 Nephi 10:17-EoC

Nephi learns that his father, Lehi, has seen these marvelous visions through the power of the Holy Ghost, which power is received by faith on the Son of God. The Bible Dictionary entry on faith has an excellent and concise description of this principle of action and power (see BD Faith). Remember that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the first principle and ordinance of the gospel (see Fourth Article of Faith). Nephi has this same faith as his father. He expresses that when he heard the words of his father, he had the desire and faith to see those things for himself.

At the end of Verse 17 and 18, Nephi testifies that the Holy Ghost is a gift of God, and will always come to those who diligently seek Him. I know that this is true, too. If someone is diligently seeking God, in the right mindset, then he will be directed to the truth. For example, in a missionary discussion, the Holy Ghost can testify strongly about the restored gospel, and the seeker will feel it. Nephi also testifies that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. This is a great statement. He has a knowledge about this because his vision encompasses the beginning and the end of the earth, and probably more. I'm thinking that Nephi saw a lot of God's works just as Moses did (see Moses 1:4). We are about to see that he saw the earth that he was created on from beginning to end as Moses did, too (see Moses 1:8).

Next, Nephi testifies that for all those who diligently seeketh shall find, even those who seek to know the mysteries of God. I think that there are many mysteries of God that can be found through diligent study of the scriptures. They testify of truths given to various peoples of the earth. I'm sure too, that we can learn of further mysteries of God through a vision like Nephi's. But, could we ask to have one if we haven't studied the words of God that we have now?

Verse 20 warns us that all the things we do here on earth will be brought to the judgement. If ye seek to do wickedly all your days, you will not be able to dwell with God because no unclean thing can enter into his presence, and you will be cast off forever. Nephi finishes the chapter with the affirmation that he added the last bit in because the Holy Ghost had given him authority to, and he cannot deny.