I Nephi 12

"Nephi's vision 2: and this time it gets ugly"

This is a continuation of Nephi's vision of the tree of life, which basically turns into a vision of the history of the world. Although at this point none of it had happened yet so it was actually a vision of the future rather than a mere history. Which is pretty cool. Quite often I wish I could see the future.

1. Nephi beholds the promised land and sees the he and his brethren have lots and lots of descendants. Keeping with familial tradition, they fight amongst each other.

2. Nephi sees all he destruction that precedes the Coming of the Savior to the Nephites. I always wonder if watching something like that would be more like watching a disaster movie, where people just run out of the way and look scared but you don't see any real violence, or more like Peter Jackson's King Kong where you actually witness the individual people suffering? If it's the second I'm glad I didn't have to see that. I think it's an all-around good thing that I'm not a prophet, actually.

3. Next, Nephi sees Christ's ministry among the Nephites, which I'm positive is exactly like it's shown in the movie The Testaments.

Here's an interesting tidbit: Nephi mentions that Christ calls twelve men to be Apostles among his seed in order to judge them in the afterlife, whereas the Jerusalem Twelve (as they shall henceforth be called) will judge the Jews. First question: the Jerusalem Twelve, is that plus or minus Judas? I'm going to assume he won't qualify, so who will they pick to take his place? Matthias, maybe? Joseph Smith? Who knows?

Seriously, the Joseph Smith thing was 100% speculation. Please don't quote me on that.

Second question: so different ethnic groups have different judges? Or is it different time periods? How does this massive organization of post-mortal judging teams work? I'm afraid this is another one of those questions I will most likely not know until I die unless I somehow end up married to the prophet. Possibly not even then. Not that I'm complaining. I recognize that it's not MASSIVELY important.

4. Next, and this must have been hard to watch too, but for different reasons, Nephi watches four generations pass away in righteousness, which must have been heartening. Yet I'm sure Nephi probably figure it out pretty quickly that it wasn't going to last. He sees his descendants gathered against his brothers' descendants in battle, and he basically watches them wipe each other. Even if he only saw the PG version, that must have been painful to watch. The more I think about it, the happier I am that I can't see the future, because you know the future will always contain good things and bad things. I'd rather be surprised by both.

6. Lastly, we have a quick review of the rest of the symbolism of the vision.

River = Hell
Great and Spacious Building = Pride of Man

7. The angel then reiterates that The Lamanites totally kick the Nephites' trash (as if he needed him to rub it in any more) and that the Lamanites forget all the traditions of their fathers and dabble in all sorts of wickedness. Which seems a pretty harsh dismissal of the Native Americans, but maybe he was only talking about the really bloodthirsty ones.

1 Nephi 11

Although this is not the longest chapter in the Book of Mormon, it is certainly one of the most complex and cool. Prepare to be amazed. Not by my writing, or my insight (alas) but by the cool imagery in this chapter. I heart symbolism (ha!).

So in the previous chapter, as I neglected to mention, Nephi states that his dearest wish is to behold the vision of the tree of life that his father was privileged to see. He starts out this chapter by saying that as he desired to know his father had seen, and believed the words his father had said already, and sat pondering these things, he ended up getting his wish. I have those three verbs circled and linked with pencil lines in the copy of the Book of Mormon that I'm currently using: desire, believe, ponder. I think that's a pretty solid formula for receiving revelation.

So the angel appears to Nephi, and asks him what he wants even though I am positive that he (the angel) already knows. I love it when people ask questions to which they already know the answer. Like when God comes to Adam and Eve after they've eaten the forbidden fruit and he's all like, "WAIT a second? Did you guys eat the fruit??" I think if I were Eve I would have been sassy due to nerves and said something like, "Um, aren't you GOD?" This is why I was not chosen to be the mother of all living. Anyway, I think asking questions can often be a useful educational method. I think it's great. Especially when it backfires. But here it works out quite nicely, and the angel informs him that after he sees the same vision that his father saw, he will also get to see (Double plus bonus!) the future Son of God.

Fact: this angel spirit guide fella says the word "Look!" a lot. Nephi, being the obedient type to begin with, always does so, and every time he looks, he sees something new and interesting. The lesson here is simple: listen to your angel spirit guide. Or you know, the Spirit. Same thing.

Now be sure to hearken back to the previous chapter about the original vision of the tree of life, because I'm not going to repeat everything all over again. Nephi sees all the same things his father saw, and (Triple plus bonus!) also gets walked through the interpretation thereof, courtesy of the angel spirit guide. What I really like about this is that the spirit guide doesn't just spoon feed all the interpretations to Nephi, he just kind of shows him something in response to his question and lets Nephi make the connection himself, which is ultimately more meaningful. It also reminds me a little bit of the ghosts in A Christmas Carol. Which is another great educational vision, although a fictional one.

So when Nephi asks what the tree symbolizes, the angel shows him a vision of Mary, the mother of Christ. Here is something I have always wondered: the scriptures seem to make it pretty clear that Christ was not anything special looks-wise. I mean it doesn't sound like he an unusually ugly guy, but more like he was just ordinary. Not particularly beautiful on the outside. But the first thing Nephi says when he sees Mary is that she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen (Ouch, Mrs. Nephi! That's OK, you know who he comes home to every night...) Does that mean she really was physically attractive, or was she just beautiful because of her mission and her deep spirituality? To me, it really does sound like she was a beautiful girl, which raises the following question: why would God choose someone beautiful to be the mother of the Savior but have the Savior be sort of plain physically? Is there some sort of connection between beauty and virtue for women that doesn't really exist with men? Or was it just a product of which spirits got callings in the pre-existence? Was everyone beautiful in the pre-existence?

Perhaps a better question to ask would be, is everyone beautiful now?

I'll get back to you.

Anyway, the angel asks Nephi if he knows of "the condescension of God," which is a very interesting phrase in English. Condescension the way we use it in this modern age generally means talking down to someone. In Hungarian, however, the phrase they use in translation means, "to move downwards" which makes a lot more sense: Christ came down to Earth to fulfill His spiritual mission. Also, Merriam-Webster lists the first definition of condescension as "voluntary descent from one's rank or dignity in relations with an inferior." To be fair, we are ALL inferior compared to Jesus. That's just the way the ball bounces. But I really love that idea of "voluntary descent." That makes Christ's mission seem all the more personal and conscious, like He chose to be our Savior and hang out with prostitutes and tax collectors because He wanted to, not because it was his lot in life by random chance.

Nephi gets the abridged version of Christ's ministry: calls twelve apostles, heals the sick, ministers to children, etc. Then he actually witnesses the Atonement and Crucifixion, which must have been terrible to watch. Frankly, I'm glad it wasn't me. I couldn't even handle Mel Gibson's the Passion of the Christ, for crying out loud. Afterwards (and I think this is very interesting) Nephi witnesses the entire world fighting against the Twelve Apostles and the members of their church. And then--ah, we've come full circle! All those guys persecuting the Twelve Apostles were in the Great and Spacious Building all along! Frankly, reading it over again makes the ending sound a bit Twilight Zone-y. But perhaps that's just me.

Spoiler alert: the Great and Spacious Building, AKA the pride of the world, eventually falls. The angel ends by telling Nephi that the same thing will happen to anyone who rebels against God. Which, to use another movie analogy, kinda sounds like he is setting things up for a sequel.

1 Nephi 10

This is another one of those chapters that records the words of Lehi, specifically concerning Christ and his Atonement. This chapter is so much easier to understand than the forthcoming Isaiah chapters (Heck if I know what I'm going to write about those), but I still am unsure about what to comment on. Frankly, it's been a long hiatus, and I feel rusty. But nevertheless, I will venture.

A line I wholeheartedly enjoy in verse three is the phrase, "according to the own due time of the Lord." It's one of those lines that I know I need to hear again and again, almost constantly, because it's so relevant to me. I've written about this before, but like all true principles, it warrants repetition: promised blessings are technically just as good as received blessings. Although we as puny mortals can't seem to appreciate blessings that remain unreceived, God is as good as his word, and His timing is perfect even though it drives me crazy. That being said, I am grateful to live in a time when I don't have to worry about when Christ will come for the first time. That must have been immensely difficult.

Next verse of note: "Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer."

I have a friend who often discourages me and others from associating from certain people, for no other reason than they are "beset by sin." I don't like that term. My friend is a good man, and I actually blame the culture of the Church, not only him, for this attitude, but the fact is, we are all beset by sin. It sounds very Baptist to our Mormon ears to say we're all sinners, but shoot, it's true, isn't it? I love that this verse uses the phrase "rely on [the] Redeemer," emphasizing our utter dependence on him. We are children of God, but in a way we are children of Christ as well, in that we are completely helpless without him, like infants. The sooner I recognize and live by that concept, the better.

The very first reference to the Olive Tree Parable is contained in this chapter. I love that allegory.

1 Nephi 9

A mere six verses. This is one of those housekeeping chapters in the Book of Mormon, one that says, allow me to explain why we're suddenly rewinding several thousand years, or here, let me explain how we found this tale of the slavery and woe of a people heretofore unmentioned. Nephi explained that he was commanded by the Lord to make two sets of records (keeping in mind that said records were both hard to find and heavy). One set of records was to be a history, the other a religious record. Nephi says several times, in effect, "I don't know why God is asking me to do this, but He is God, so He knows best."

I started thinking while I read this little chapter. Sometimes hard things are really tough, like, say, forsaking all your possessions and camping for years in the wilderness. Sometimes things sound ridiculous on the outset and then turn out great somehow, like returning several hundred miles to the city you just left, to convince a family to come with you, who happens to have one child that matches each of your children in temperament, level of righteousness and relative age.

And sometimes, things can seem so insignificant as to not warrant your attention, but have far-reaching consequences. Nephi learned this, though not while he was technically alive, seeing as the Book of Mormon was compiled hundreds of years after his death, and translated thousands of years later. I learned this on my mission. Allow me to illustrate.

It was halfway through my first transfer in my very first area. My trainer was the intense type, and hanging with her on P-days was not exactly my favorite. It was just like working except there was no rush of success when an investigator felt the Spirit. We had an OK time together but I think that was because she was my first real companion and I didn't have anyone to compare her to. Anyway, one P-day she suggested we go to a nearby park and play basketball with the Elders. Recreation? As a missionary? Hallelujah!

This playground belonged to a local school and was surrounded on all four sides with a chain link fence. There was only one gate and it happened to be on the opposite side from where my companion and I approached the grounds. So my companion and I just clambered on over it. It wasn't really that high. However, I am humble enough to admit that I am a big klutz, especially when it comes to climbing over or under things. I stumbled (if you can picture what stumbling while climbing a fence would look like ... yeah, like that) but didn't fall, and felt really quite pleased with myself.

Next week. My date with destiny. We approached the same fence, and as my companion climbed I heard a little voice inside me say, don't climb the fence. I thought briefly about walking over to the gate and walking through, but that would draw attention to me and certainly elicit ridicule for my companion (she was kinda like a high school athletics coach in that way). So I climbed over anyway.

I fell, of course. I remember my foot slipping or getting caught somewhere, falling facefirst towards the pavement, but my knees reached the ground first and took most of the impact. Then I'm not sure how but I ended up on my back. It hurt a lot but I knew that if I cried in front of my trainer she would have made my life miserable, so I held it in.

My knees were both terribly sprained. For the rest of the week I was incapable of running after a bus, much to my trainer's annoyance. I whimpered every time we knelt to pray. And I burst into tears at a program because me knees hurt so, so, so, so, so bad. And I have a pretty high pain tolerance.

So, lesson learned. Obey promptings, even one that sound silly. You never know when God is preparing a Book of Scripture that will print millions of copies in several thousand years. Or when God is trying to spare you a week of dreadful pain.

1 Nephi 8

The tree of life vision is probably one of the defining stories in the Book of Mormon. Full of interesting images that keep the attention of children, but also symbolically meaningful. A quick summary:

Lehi dreams that he is wandering through a dark and dreary wilderness. A man in a white robe shows up and commands Lehi to follow him. He obeys, and is led to another dark, horrible place. He travels for hours in this darkness, until he prays that God will have mercy on him, and upon so doing enters a field. He sees a tree and knows that the fruit of the the tree is the source of happiness. He eats the fruit and is filled with joy. He immediately thinks of his family and desires that they too eat this fruit and enjoy this same happiness. Sam, Sariah, and Nephi follow his directions and also partake of the fruit, but Laman and Lemuel do not. There's an iron rod leading to the tree, and he sees people holding onto it in order to find their way to the tree through a mist of darkness that makes it impossible to see. Nearby, there is a big building where people are dressed up in ostentatious clothing. They mock the people who have partaken of the fruit, and because of that some people are embarrassed enough to let go of the iron rod and get lost. However, a great deal of people use the iron rod to guide themselves to the tree and partake of the marvelous fruit.

There is enough in this little allegory to write books about. But here are some of my humble insights:

1. Initially, Lehi knows he is being guided, because he has an actual, physical guide. Then the guide leaves for no apparent reason, and Lehi wanders for a very long time. However, that doesn't mean he is lost, or abandoned. Heavenly Father doesn't always give us the assurance we want that we are being guided, but that doesn't necessarily mean we are doing something wrong, either. He might just be testing our faith.

2. The guide didn't lead him to the field right away. He led him to a dark and dreary waste, and then Lehi got out of there on his own. Sometimes, God's will is for us to be in places that are frightening and far from ideal. Being unhappy or sad or discouraged for a time doesn't mean we took a wrong turn, as it were. It might just be a sad time in our lives.

3. Lehi didn't receive comfort and arrive at his destination until he prayed.

4. The first thing that Lehi thinks after he eats the fruit and experiences that great joy is he desires for his family to feel that same joy. We used this story in Hungary when we met with members to encourage them to share the gospel with their friends and family. If you feel joy because of the things you have learned, why not share it?

5. One assumes that the fruit resembles true conversion, not just baptism or being taught the gospel, because Laman and Lemuel were most likely baptized and taught the gospel as children. But they failed to accept it and find joy in it.

6. The people who fall away from the truth because of the mockery of others go "crawling towards" the great and spacious building. But since the building was high above the ground, they never reached it. They were just lost forever. Giving in to people who mock you does not mean they will let you join their ranks. You will just end up bereft of what you had, lost, and all alone.

Nephi says there was more: that what he wrote was just a summary of the vision (making my puny paragraph a summary of a summary). This is one of those stories I'm excited to see the video of when I die.

I Nephi 7

So the Lord speaks to Lehi again, and do you know what He says? "Welcome back. Glad to hear your boys made it home safely. Now all y'all return to Jerusalem and find your boys wives."

First of all, if this is reward for their long-suffering and all-around good sportmanship during the whole Brass Plates ordeal, it works. This time around, no one complains, not even Laman and Lemuel. Kind of like how I have to twist guys' arms to help me move my stuff every August, but any one of my hot former roommates actually had to send eager helpers away.

I wonder about Ishmael, the father of the women Lehi's sons take to wife. I wonder if he was one of those golden converts who is enamored by the Gospel and is delighted to do whatever his newfound spiritual leader says, or if he was just a real adventurous type and thought journeying to a new land sounded like a good time. Amongst the daughters, there must have been all types, for each of the sons of Lehi to find their match. Two older, swarthy girls for Laman and Lemuel (I picture them as sexy in a dark mannish sort of way, like Pansy Parkinson from Harry Potter); two clean-cut, chipper little blonds for Nephi and Sam; and whichever one was left for Zoram.

No sooner has everyone been paired off (although it doesn't say that for sure ... maybe it happened after this little incident) two (count 'em) of the daughters of Ishmael, two sons of Ishmael, plus Laman and Lemuel (naturally) rebel against the rest and mobilize in favor of returning to Jerusalem. As if they want to travel all that way? Again? Wickedness not only opposes happiness, it really doesn't make any sense. Nephi chastises them, of course, and a picture his little wifey gazing up at him with admiring little eyes as he does so.

A summary of Nephi's stern little talking-to:
1. You guys are older than me, and yet I'm the one who has to be the good guy here? Hell-o!
2. Why don't you listen?
3. Have you forgotten about the angel?
4. And all the other cool stuff God did for us?
5. You also seem to have forgotten that God, being God, can do anything, am I right?
6. Also, Jerusalem is going to be destroyed. Pretty sure you don't want to be there.

Granted, if one were the choose-to-be-offended type, that's some harsh language. But this time I actually side with Nephi. These guys can be pretty dense and frustrating. Maybe they were rebelling to impress the ladies, but still. Honestly.

And then, what do they do? Bind their brother with cords, like frat boys. But Nephi, evidencing that not only brain triumphs over brawn, but so does having God on your side, prays for the strength to deliver himself from the bonds, and breaks those suckers clean off. I like that Nephi deson't pray to be rescued, he prays to have the strength to deliver himself. That sets a good example for people like me who expect to be coddled by God in certain situations. Forget that. Go, to and break your own dang bonds.

Unfortunately this lesson, and any other lesson that might have been learned from this situation is lost to L and L (as I have just now decided to call them) and they try to attack him again. But one of the daughters of Ishmael (you don't have to be a statistician to guess that this is probably the future Mrs. Nephi) sticks up for him, and so does her mother and one of the sons of Ishmael (so maybe Lehi had only one righteous daughter to marry this guy? Who knows?) Nephi forgives them, and everyone goes on their merry little way.

I saw only the first few moments of the Book of Mormon movie before getting annoyed and turning it off, but the thing about making a movie based on a book like this is that it's incredibly repetitive. This is because 1) everyone in the Book of Mormon seemed to need several examples of every principle in action before they really got it and 2) we modern people also need to have everything repeated to us in order to fully understand. I would not find rebellion against God so pointless were it not for L and L. Thanks, boys!

1 Nephi 6

I remember hearing as a young girl in various writing workshops: never apologize for your writing. Never say, "Um, sorry this is still really lame because I haven't figured out the dialogue yet ..." or "I don't think you guys will like this, but this is my poem ..." But that's what this chapter is. Nephi apologizes for not copying the genealogy of his fathers onto the brass plates, because he wants to save the space for the most important things. Namely, the things of God. Not that family history isn't important! No sir! But he's right. For his intents and purposes, it really is sufficient to say that he is a descendant of Joseph.

It interests me that Nephi straight up says that his goal is to convince people to believe in God. You know, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That God. Not to be confused with some other God. And that his words will not be pleasing to the people of the world. Got that right. A nice Biblical genealogy might have helped to convince some scholar that the Book of Mormon is real scripture. Probably not too many people though. Nephi never was much for the popular opinion. Which is why even though I envision him as a bit of a goober, I still respect him. A lot.