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1 Nephi 8–9
1.
Lehi’s dream is often described as an allegory. What is an allegory and how does this
genre work? (You can look up
allegory
in the
dictionary
, or on
Wikipedia
, or
other
websites
to help you answer this question.)
Allegory is the expression of truths or generalizations about human existence by means of
symbolic fictional figures and their actions. It encompasses such forms as fable and
parable. The word “allegory” comes from the Latin “allegoria,” meaning speaking to imply
something else. An allegory is a simple story that represents a larger point about society or
human nature, whose different characters may represent real-life figures. Sometimes,
situations in the story may echo stories from history or modern-day life, without ever
explicitly stating this connection.
Allegories are similar to metaphors in that both illustrate an idea by making a comparison
to something else. However, allegories are complete stories with characters, while
metaphors are brief figures of speech.
2.
Before detailing his dream vision, in 1 Nephi 8:2–4, Lehi summarizes a major lesson he
learned. Regarding Nephi and Sam, what emotion did the vision give him and why?
Regarding Laman and Lemuel, what emotion did the vision give him? While the “why”
he felt this regarding Laman and Lemuel is implied when you compare them with Nephi
and Sam, Lehi sets up the entire dream vision as an explanation for his emotions
regarding Laman and Lemuel.
Regarding Nephi and Sam, Lehi “rejoiced” because they and many of their seed will be
saved. Regarding Laman and Lemuel, Lehi “feared” he saw a dark and dreary wilderness.
The difference is to emphasize that Nephi and Sam will obey and fall down to the feet of
Jesus whereas Laman and Lemuel will walk down a different path away from God.
3.
How did Lehi describe the fruit of the tree? Which members of Lehi’s family came and
partook of the fruit? Which members refused? This explains Lehi’s emotions regarding
his sons mentioned above. (8:10–18)
Lehi described the tree with fruit “to make one happy”. The fruit was exceedingly white. It
was the most sweet, above all the best thing he’s ever had. His wife Sariah, and his two
sons, Nephi and Sam partook of the fruit. Laman and Lemuel did not partake of the fruit.
4.
In 1 Nephi 8:21–33, Lehi describes seeing “numberless concourses of people, many of
whom were” attempting to get to the tree by which Lehi stood (8:21). “To be short in
writing” (8:30), Nephi only describes four groups that Lehi saw: 8:21–23, 24–28, 30,
31–33. Briefly describe each group, including (1) how they reached the tree, (2) what
challenges they faced, and (3) how they overcame or succumbed to those challenges.
The first group came upon a mist of darkness, they wandered off and lost their way. The
second group got through the darkness, clinged onto the iron rod, and partook of the fruit,
then felt ashamed. The third group got through the darkness, held onto the rod, partook of
the fruit but felt ashamed because of the judgment of the nonbelievers. Then the fourth
group, got through the darkness, held onto the rod, partook of the fruit, and “fell down” at
the feet of jesus.
Many drowned at the depths of the fountain; and many were lost from his view, wandering
into strange roads.
5.
In 1 Nephi 9:2, Nephi reveals that what you are reading (what we call “the small plates of
Nephi”) is not the first record he has made (what we call “the large plates of Nephi”).
Even though he already made a detailed record, Nephi says he made this second one
because the Lord specifically commanded it. Nephi will talk more about this later. What
does Nephi say he writes on the small plates (“these plates”) and what does he write on
the large plates (“the other plates”)? (9:3–4)
On the small (these) plates he should write an account engraving of the ministry of Nephi’s
people. On the large (other) plates, should be engraved an account of the reign of the kings,
the wars, and the contentions of his people.
1 Nephi 10–14
Structurally, the end of chapter 9 and the beginning of chapter 10 marks the end of Nephi’s
abridgment of Lehi’s records and the beginning of Nephi’s record about himself (see 1 Nephi
1:17). Nephi was a player in chapters 1–9, of course, and Lehi will continue to be important after
this. But this big vision marks the beginning of Nephi’s prophetic career, and he shifts the focus
here from Lehi as prophet to himself as prophet.
However, before Nephi can tell us about his vision (“And now I, Nephi, proceed to give an
account upon these plates of my proceedings …”), he first needs to give us a little more
information about Lehi’s teachings (“to proceed with mine account, I must speak somewhat of
the things of my father”). Lehi’s prophecies will form an important backdrop to Nephi’s vision,
which is why Nephi gives us 1 Nephi 10 (Lehi’s prophecies) before 1 Nephi 11–14.
In fact, Lehi’s prophecies form an important backdrop to the entire Book of Mormon. The first
section of Lehi’s prophecies, 1 Nephi 10:1–10, describes the Messiah (or “the Christ” if you use
the Greek term). The second section of Lehi’s prophecies, 1 Nephi 10:11–14, describes the
scattering and gathering of Israel, with particular mention of how the remnant of Lehi’s seed will
be gathered in the last days. Notice that these two sections correspond to the twin purposes of the
Book of Mormon as outlined by Moroni on the title page (teaching about the covenants with
Israel so that latter-day remnants know they will be gathered again, and convincing everyone that
Jesus is the Christ). Although Lehi’s prophecies in 1 Nephi 10 do not contain a lot of detail, they
set the stage for expanded discussions in Nephi’s vision and in the rest of the Book of Mormon.
6.
Lehi had previously prophesied “of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of
the world” (1 Nephi 1:19). In 1 Nephi 10:1–10, Lehi explains this in more detail. This
Messiah is given additional titles to elaborate on his role: “prophet” (v.4), “Savior of the
world” (v.4), “Redeemer of the world” (v.5), and “Lamb of God” (v.10). This Messiah
will “take away the sins of the world” (v.10), sins which leave “all mankind in a lost and
in a fallen state” (v.6) unless we do what?
They should rely on this redeemer.
In a very Abrahamic fashion, 1 Nephi 10:11–14 tracks God’s parallel work with two groups of
people: the house of Israel and the Gentiles.
House of Israel
Gentiles
Will be split up like branches of a tree and
scattered all over the world (v.12)
One branch—the Jews—will dwindle in
unbelief and slay the Messiah (who will
rise again) (v.11)
Will have the Messiah manifest to them
through the Holy Ghost (v.11)
Will continue to be scattered all over the
world (v.12)
Will receive the fulness of the gospel (v.14)
Will be gathered together again, both
physically and by coming back to the
knowledge of the true Messiah, their
Redeemer (v.14)
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Because Lehi provides only a brief overview here, there are still many details that remain
unclear. For example, after the Messiah is slain and rises again, He will manifest Himself
through the Holy Ghost to the Gentiles (v.11), but then later the Gentiles are said to receive “the
fulness of the Gospel” (v.14). How do these two stages of Gentile progress relate to each other?
Lehi also makes clear that gathering Israel back together again can only happen “after” the
Gentiles receive that gospel fulness, but what is the relationship between these two processes?
Why can one only happen after the other? Nephi’s vision in chapters 11–14 will answer these
questions, but Lehi’s outline here sets the stage for us.
Also notice that, in the middle of this sequence of events, Lehi inserts a parenthetical explanation
that sets his own family’s situation against this larger historical backdrop: “Wherefore, he said it
must needs be that
we
should be led with one accord..., that
we
should be scattered” (1 Nephi
10:13). Lehi and Nephi had been told by the Lord before that their family would leave Israel and
journey to a new land of promise, but now their family’s exile is explained in terms of the larger
scattering of Israel occurring in their day. They, and their children, and all their future
descendants, will be part of this huge, divinely orchestrated series of events that will be in
motion for thousands of years to come.
7.
In Lehi’s outline of Israelite history, he predicts that the house of Israel (allegorically
compared to an olive tree), will be split up into different remnant groups (allegorically
compared to the branches of the olive tree). Those branches will be “scattered upon all
the face of the earth” (1 Nephi 10:12). Later, Lehi explains, God will reverse this process
as Israel will “be gathered together again” (v.14). This implies at least some aspect of
physical gathering because it undoes the physical scattering. However, Lehi suggests the
most important aspect of this re-grafting of the branches is that these “remnants of the
house of Israel” will “come to the knowledge” of what/whom?
The remnants of the house of israel, should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the
true messiah, their LORD and their Redeemer.
8.
In Lehi’s outline of Israelite history, he predicts what will happen to the Gentiles, whose
fate is intertwined with Israel’s. What
two
positive developments does Lehi see in the
Gentiles’ future history? (1 Ne 10:11–16)
After the gentiles are scattered across the earth they shall be gathered together again after
they receive the gospel. Then they will come to know the true Messiah
As you read Nephi’s vision account, you should keep Lehi’s teachings from chapter 10 in the
back of your mind. Nephi himself tells us that his vision responds to
both
Lehi’s dream of the
tree of life and Lehi’s prophecies of the Messiah, Israel, and the Gentiles: “And it came to pass
after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a
vision [=the tree of life dream from 1 Nephi 8], and also the things which he spake by the power
of the Holy Ghost [=the prophecies from 1 Nephi 10], ... I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might
see, and hear, and know of these things [=the words of his father from both chapters 8 and 10],
by the power of the Holy Ghost” (1 Nephi 10:17).
9.
After being shown the tree which his father had seen, the Spirit asked Nephi what he
desired. Nephi responded, “To know the interpretation” of the tree and everything else his
father saw (1 Ne 11:2–11). Over the next two chapters (11 and 12), the Spirit /angel will
show Nephi everything Lehi had seen and guide Nephi in learning what each image
means. Identify the interpretation(s) for each of the following (note that sometimes a
single image may mean more than one thing):
a.
Tree =
It is the love of God, the most desireable above all things, and the most
joyous to the soul. It is a representation of the tree of life.
(11:21–23;
15:21–22)
b.
Rod of Iron =
the word of God
(11:25; 15:23–24)
c.
Fountain of Living Water =
representation of the love of God
(11:25)
d.
Great and Spacious Building =
the pride of the world
(11:35–36; 12:18)
e.
Fountain /River of Filthy Water =
depths of hell, a representation of hell that
was prepared for the wicked
(12:16; 15:26–29)
f.
Mists of Darkness =
temptations of the devil
(12:17)
10.
In his vision, an angel asks Nephi, “Knowest thou the condescension of God?” (1 Nephi
11:16) What does the word “condescension” mean? (You can use a modern dictionary
when looking up Book of Mormon words, but it can also be helpful to specifically use a
dictionary from Joseph Smith’s era. In this case, you can try out
this website
.)
descent from rank, dignity or just claims;
Before his vision, Nephi has been learning from Lehi about a figure called “the Messiah,” a
human being who will be born among the Jews (1 Nephi 10:4), be baptized (10:9), be killed
(10:11), and rise from the dead (10:11), and in the process “take away the sins of the world”
(10:10). In Lehi’s explanation, the Messiah is inspired by God and full of divine power, but He’s
also very clearly a human being. And there’s nothing explicit in Lehi’s teachings so far that
makes the Messiah anything more than a human being appointed by God.
Then the angel stumps Nephi with that question: Do you know about God’s condescension?
Keep in mind Nephi’s Old Testament context. In ancient Israel, the Israelites knew their God as
Jehovah, and it was Jehovah who covenanted with Abraham, gave Moses the ten
commandments, fought Israel’s battles, revealed the future to Isaiah, etc. Thus, when the angel
speaks of “God,” in Nephi’s mind that means Jehovah. In other words, the angel is asking, “Are
you aware that Jehovah will
condescend
?,” which is a concept Nephi has not yet encountered.
To explain what he means, the angel then shakes Nephi’s world: that virgin you are seeing is
Jehovah’s human mother
(1 Nephi 11:18). To fully appreciate the weight of the angel’s
declaration, you should be aware that a few lines here read a little differently in the Book of
Mormon today than they did when Joseph Smith first translated them:
Original manuscript, printer’s
manuscript, and 1830 edition
1837 edition and subsequent
editions
1 Nephi
11:18
“the mother of God, after the
manner of the flesh”
“the mother of
the Son of
God, after
the manner of the flesh”
1 Nephi
11:21
“Behold the Lamb of God, yea,
even the Eternal Father”
“Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even
the Son of
the Eternal Father!”
1 Nephi
11:32
“yea, the everlasting God was
judged of the world”
“yea,
the Son of
the everlasting God
was judged of the world”
1 Nephi
13:40
“the Lamb of God is the Eternal
Father”
“the Lamb of God is
the Son of
the
Eternal Father”
In these four verses, the angel and Nephi refer to Jehovah as “God,” “the Eternal Father,” and
“the everlasting God.” In Nephi’s Old Testament context, these are all perfectly valid ways of
referring to Jehovah. The big idea the angel is teaching Nephi is that the two figures Nephi is
familiar with—Jehovah and the Messiah—are actually
one and the same
. Jehovah will
condescend by leaving His throne in heaven and being born as a human baby (vv.18–21),
submitting Himself to baptism (vv.26–27), and allowing Himself to be cast out (v.28), judged
(v.32), and slain on the cross (v.33). The conflated identity of Jehovah and the Messiah is
something that Nephi’s Israelite culture did not understand, that Lehi had not yet taught, and that
Nephi therefore learns for the first time in this vision. Teaching that Jehovah (the God of Israel)
and Jesus (the mortal Messiah/Christ) are the same being will become a hallmark of Nephite
prophetic teaching, which is why the Title Page identifies one of the Book of Mormon’s roles as
convincing readers that Jesus is
both
“the Christ”
and
“the Eternal God.”
So why did these verses change in the 1837 edition? Joseph Smith himself added the phrase “the
Son of” to 1 Nephi 11:18, 21, 32 and 1 Nephi 13:40, exercising his prophetic prerogative to edit
the text as needed. We assume that Joseph made this change because he recognized that while the
angel’s language made sense to an ancient Israelite like Nephi, Christians today use different
vocabulary to talk about God. Because the New Testament only uses “God” to mean “God the
Father,” Christians today might misunderstand the angel to be saying that
the Father
would be
born of Mary and die on the cross. Joseph’s revisions avoid doctrinal confusion by using modern
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Christian titles to keep the roles of each member of the Godhead clear. Thus, Joseph had a good
reason for clarifying these passages; I am simply showing you the way they originally read so
you can better appreciate what point the angel was making to Nephi and why he was making it.
11.
As an ancient Israelite, Nephi grew up learning all about Jehovah, the divine God of
Israel. Nephi’s father Lehi also taught him about a coming Messiah, a human who would
be baptized, slain, and brought back from the dead, making possible the redemption of
the world. In Nephi’s own vision, what did the angel teach Nephi about the identity of
these two figures? (1 Ne 11:21 and elsewhere)
The Lamb of God(Jesus) is the son of the Eternal Father(God)
As you read 1 Nephi 11:26–36, which describes the Redeemer’s mortal ministry and crucifixion,
it might start to sound like a straightforward historical narrative, but the longer you read the more
you will notice that this is still a highly thematic telling of the story. Nephi’s vision is written as
an
apocalypse
, a genre of Jewish revelatory literature characterized by angelic guides who give
highly symbolic historical overviews (the most famous example is the book of Revelation in the
New Testament). Nephi sees historical details—like the Messiah being baptized, calling twelve
followers, healing the sick, and getting crucified—but that history is couched in the symbolic
images of Lehi’s dream, such as the “large and spacious building” that holds all the people
opposed to the Lamb and His apostles. In historical/literal terms, there is of course no such
building, but the ahistorical symbols help Nephi understand the history he is seeing in terms of
its deeper spiritual significance. That is why you should not read, for example, about the fall of
the great and spacious building (1 Nephi 11:36) and attempt to figure out what historical event
following Jesus’s crucifixion this could be describing. The angel is simply teaching the idea that
the prideful and wicked will fail in their efforts to fight the Lamb and His servants; you aren’t
supposed to peg this to a specific historical event.
Another aspect of the vision that is highly symbolic is the “great and abominable church” in 1
Nephi 13. You should not go searching through history to find a specific, literal church or
organization and say, “
That’s
exactly what Nephi was talking about!” There is history here, but
this is an apocalyptic
presentation
of that history, which means that historical details are often
leveled and simplified to make larger thematic points. Case in point: what the vision report
describes as “a church” is probably a conglomerate of several historical forces, organizations,
and events. Note this explanation from the Book of Mormon Institute manual:
“Actually, no single known historical church, denomination, or set of believers meets all
the requirements for the great and abominable church: it must have formed among the
Gentiles; it must have edited and controlled the distribution of the scriptures; it must have
slain the Saints of God, including the Apostles and prophets; it must be in league with civil
governments and use their police power to enforce its religious views; it must have
dominion over all the earth; it must pursue great wealth and sexual immorality; and it must
last until close to the end of the world. No single denomination or system of beliefs fits the
entire description. Rather, the role of Babylon has been played by many different agencies,
ideologies, and churches in many different times.” (
online here
)
12.
When Nephi saw the formation of the “great and abominable church,” did the angel
identify that church with a specific historical church or organization? How does the angel
describe the “great and abominable church”? That is, what does that church do, who is its
founder, and what are its desires? (1 Ne 13:4–9)
The angel describes the formation of the church being the most abominable church “which
slayeth the saints of God” Satan is its founder, and the people inhabiting it desire worldly
things like money and nice clothes.
13.
Nephi sees that the Gentiles will carry “a book” among them, which we would identify as
the Holy Bible. When the angel asks Nephi what is the “meaning” (=purpose) of the
book, Nephi does not know. The angel then explains that the Bible is a
container
(“which
contains” / “it also containeth” / “they contain”) for what? (1 Ne 13:20–23)
It contains the covenants of the Lord as well as the prophecies of the holy prophets.
14.
In 1 Nephi 13:24–34, Nephi repeatedly observes that “plain and precious” things have
been removed from the Bible. Since we do not know who/what the “great and
abominable church” is (if it is even a singular, literal, historical entity), we must be
careful not to cast accusations and aspersions. Note the effects that the loss of those plain
and precious things will have on the Gentiles (I am aware this question is a review from
last class’s assignment). What does this suggest about the importance of continuing
revelation (such as asserted in
Article of Faith 9
)?
Continuing revelation keeps us in touch with the plain and precious truths.
15.
Nephi refers to the Bible as “the records of the prophets” and also “[the records] of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb” (13:39). What do we call these two sections of the Bible
today? (Hint: Each section ends with the word “Testament.”)
The Bible contains the old and new testaments.
In 1 Nephi 13:35, 39, Nephi first learns about what we call the Book of Mormon—a Nephite
record that would be hid up to come forth through the Gentiles in the last days. Notice, however,
that the angel describes this as a record containing the words that the Lamb of God would give to
future
Nephites: “For, behold, saith the Lamb: I will manifest myself unto thy seed, that they
shall write many things which I shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious; and
after thy seed shall be destroyed, and dwindle in unbelief, and also the seed of thy brethren,
behold, these things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles” (1 Nephi 13:35). So, Nephi
learns here that
his descendants
will write in a record that will come forth in the last days to help
restore plain and precious things, but he apparently is not told at this point that
Nephi himself
will
contribute to this record. This will be important later when we talk about Nephi’s evolving sense
of audience and purpose for the material on the small plates. It apparently takes some time before
Nephi connects his small plates project with the Nephite record that he knows will come to light
in the last days. The Lord is giving Nephi pieces of the puzzle in stages, not all at once.
16.
What does the angel tell Nephi that the Gentiles must do to “be numbered among the seed
of thy father” and “among the house of Israel”? (14:1–2)
In order to be numbered among the seed of their fathers they must hearken unto the lamb
and not harden their hearts.
The angle says, “Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of
God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of
the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations” (1 Nephi
14:10). This may sound confusing because you know that there are many churches on the earth
today. But one of the features of apocalyptic visions is that they employ
dualism
—they divide
everything up into stark contrasts, black vs white, good vs evil, us vs them. Historical reality is
usually more nuanced than that, but apocalyptic literature streamlines that reality to draw out key
truths that might get obscured if you were to include all the nuance and detail. The angel here is
not speaking of “churches” in the literal sense, he is dividing up all people into two broad camps
based on whether they follow light and truth and goodness or darkness and falsehood and evil.
17.
In 1 Nephi 14:10, the angel tells Nephi that there are only two churches. One associates
with the Lamb of God, the other with the devil. As a faithful Israelite, Nephi was familiar
with the image of Israel as the bride and the Lord God of Israel as the bridegroom. The
angel is using that imagery here to depict churches. The Lamb and devil are the grooms,
and the respective churches are the brides. The church of the Lamb comprises all who
choose to belong to the house of Israel (whether Jew or Gentile) and choose to be faithful
to their covenant partner, the Lamb. (It is important to note that the Lord revealed in
D&C 137 that anyone who would have received the Lamb if they had a true chance will
be considered as having received the Lamb.) The church of the devil comprises those
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who belong to “the great and abominable church.” The angel emphasizes the lack of
covenant fidelity of that church by giving it three additional names in 14:9–17. What are
those three names?
The church of the devil is called the mother of all abominations, the whore of all the earth,
and the mother of harlots.
1 Nephi 15
Nephi learned about amazing, wonderful things in his vision, but also things that would weigh on
his soul for the rest of his life (see 1 Nephi 15:4–5; 2 Nephi 26:7; 33:3). We saw earlier that a
youthful, more naïve Nephi had confidently declared that the Lord could “destroy” Laban, only
to come to the sobering realization that justice was not quite so satisfying when he himself was
asked to deliver the destroying blow (1 Nephi 4:3, 10). In a similar way, Nephi’s vision forever
changes him. Nephi had accepted without hesitation that the evil “armies of Pharaoh” should be
“drowned in the waters of the Red Sea” (1 Nephi 4:2), but he cannot so easily dismiss the sheer
tragedy of it all when his own great-great-grandchildren are the ones who will be destroyed for
their wickedness.
“O the pain, and the anguish of my soul for the loss of the slain of my people!
For I, Nephi, have seen it, and it well nigh consumeth me before the presence of the Lord; but I
must
[is there resignation in his voice?]
cry unto my God: Thy ways are just”
(2 Nephi 26:7).
Book of Mormon scholar Grant Hardy commented on this tragic element of Nephi’s spiritual
journey: “Prophetic knowledge can offer hope for eventual justification, but it can be a
tremendous burden as well
....
Recall that Lehi had described [the] tree as one ‘whose fruit was
desirable to make one happy,’ and he had continued by saying, ‘I did go forth and partake of the
fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet above all that I ever before tasted ... and as I
partook of the fruit thereof, it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy’ (1 Ne. 8:10–12). When
the Spirit showed Nephi the same tree and asked what he wanted, it would not have been
unreasonable to respond,
I want to taste the fruit; I want to experience that exceedingly great
joy
....
Instead, he asks for knowledge: ‘to know the interpretation thereof’ (1 Ne. 11:11). The
Spirit leaves, an angel takes over, and in the end Nephi is wiser but not happier. For the rest of
his life, and through the entirety of his literary labors, Nephi works through the implications of
that choice” (Grant Hardy,
Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Reader’s Guide
[Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2010], 85–86).
18.
After having his vision that explained Lehi’s dream vision, Nephi encountered his
brothers “disputing one with another concerning the things which my father had spoken
unto them” (15:2). What does Nephi say is the reason they failed to understand Lehi’s
vision and prophecy? What does Nephi say they should have done if they desired to
understand? (15:3–11)
Laman and Lemuel failed to inquire of God for answers.
As you read 1 Nephi 15:12–20, you should keep in mind Lehi’s earlier teachings: “The house of
Israel ... should be compared like unto an olive tree, whose branches should be broken off and
should be scattered upon all the face of the earth
....
And after the house of Israel should be
scattered they should be gathered together again; or, in fine, after the Gentiles had received the
fulness of the Gospel, the natural branches of the olive tree, or the remnants of the house of
Israel, should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the true Messiah” (1 Nephi 10:12, 14).
Nephi’s brothers had said, “We cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken
concerning the natural branches of the olive tree, and also concerning the Gentiles” (1 Nephi
15:7), so that’s what Nephi now clarifies using the information he received in his vision.
19.
In 1 Nephi 10:14, Lehi had said that the house of Israel would be scattered, and
then
the
Gentiles would receive the fulness of the gospel, and
then
the remnants of Israel would be
gathered together again like branches being grafted back into a tree. What Lehi had
not
made clear was the relationship between the steps in this sequence. That may be part of
Nephi’s brothers’ confusion in 1 Nephi 15:7—they’re wondering what the Gentiles have
to do with Israel’s gathering. In 1 Nephi 15:12–17, Nephi explains the gathering of Israel
using the remnant of Lehi’s “seed” as a case study (because the same things that will
happen to them will happen to all the other scattered remnants as well, v.18). Why is it
that these latter-day remnants cannot be gathered until
after
the Gentiles receive the
gospel? (See especially v.13 and v.17.)
They will only be gathered in the last days after they dwindle in unbelief so that the Lord
may show his power.
20.
The book of Genesis records God’s covenant with Abraham and Sarah that “I will bless
thee” (Genesis 12:2) and that “in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis
12:3; see also Genesis 18:18; 22:18; 26:14; 28:14). As he explains the gathering of Israel
to his brothers, Nephi quotes these promises from Genesis and explains they will finally
“be fulfilled” at what point in history? (1 Ne 15:18–20)
The gathering will be fulfilled in the latter days.
Spencer, “Remnant of Israel,” 26–37
Note that you’re not reading this entire chapter. Today, you are only reading the sections titled
“Lehi’s Dream” and “Nephi’s Vision” (pp.26–37).
21.
Traditionally, most people have interpreted Lehi’s dream of the tree of life in 1 Nephi 8 as
a spiritual allegory describing all human beings as they make their individual journey to
find eternal life. While that remains a perfectly valid application of the vision, Dr.
Spencer suggests that Nephi himself may have intended us to read it as a historical
overview previewing the destiny of what groups of people? (pp.29–30)
The dream can also be seen from the perspective of the latter-day Lamanites and the
Gentiles.
22.
When the Spirit gives Nephi a preview of what super important event to watch out for in
his vision, the Spirit says to watch out for the Son of God “descending out of heaven.”
However, Nephi’s vision of Jesus’s life (birth, mortal ministry, death, and resurrection)
passes without that happening. When Nephi finally does see Jesus “descending out of
heaven,” what event in history is Nephi seeing? (p.31)
Nephi saw Jesus’s exalted visit to Lehi’s children in America.
23.
Nephi sees that Gentile Christianity will take away “plain and precious things” from the
gospel. The angel links these precious things with “the covenants of the Lord.” Given the
context of the angel’s teachings, which specific covenants became misunderstood?
(Compare 1 Nephi 13:26 with 1 Nephi 13:23; see also 1 Nephi 14:5, 8, 17.) (p.35)
The Abrahamic covenant became misunderstood.
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