THE FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI
HIS REIGN AND MINISTRY
CHAPTER 11
Nephi sees the Spirit of the Lord and is shown in vision the tree of life—He sees the mother of the son of God and learns of the condescension of God—He sees the baptism, ministry, and crucifixion of the Lamb of God—He sees also the call and ministry of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. [ Between 600 and 592 B.C. ]
[ 1 NEPHI 11:1–8 What principles for receiving revelation can you identify from Nephi’s experience? see also 10:17–19; ]
1 FOR it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, [ See 1 Ne 10:17-19; Nephi asks for the knowledge or the meaning of the things which his Father saw - the vision of the tree of life. So he did not say can I see the same vision that my Father saw. His Father's vision was good enough; but he did want to know what did it all mean. ] and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, [ He has no doubt - So he just asks for what he wants. How does one get that to that point? ] as I sat pondering in mine heart [ He is pondering the vision of his Father, searching in his heart and mind to understand, this after he has prayed and asked that it might be explained to him. There are some powerful clues here as to how to receive revelation here. Note this is very similar to President Joseph F. Smith in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 3 October 1918 See D&C 138:1-5. ] I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, [ What exactly does the "Spirit of the Lord" mean? Let's look at other uses for the Spirit Of The Lord 1 Ne 1:12 Lehi was filled with "filled with the Spirit of the Lord" and in 15:12 we have "the Spirit of the Lord which was in [Lehi]". Such activity is reversed for the Holy Spirit, and not the pre-mortal spirit personage of Jesus Christ. Also 1 Ne 13:15 Nephi says "I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles". Now, 3 Ne. 15:23 states: And they understood me not that I said they shall hear my voice; and they understood me not that the Gentiles should not at any time hear my voice that I should not manifest myself unto them save it were by the Holy Ghost. So we can conclude that the "Spirit of the Lord" must be the Holy Spirit as the Lord does not manifest Himself personally to the Gentiles except by the Holy Spirit. This same phrase is used repeatedly in the OT as is synonymous with the Holy Spirit. See Isa. 11:2 and Isa. 61:1 which state the Messiah will be anointed by the Spirit of the Lord. And lastly; what does this spirit do in verse 6-7? He bears witness of the son of God. Once again the very kind of thing the Holy Spirit would say (cp. 3 Ne. 11:32), not the kind of thing the Lord himself would say (ct. Ether 3:11-16). ] yea, into an exceedingly high mountain,
[ Temple endowment context. Same thing happens to Moses 1:1. forms a “template for depicting an official encounter between witness and worshiper in preparation for the introduction to advanced revelatory truths.”7 This template shows up several times in the Book of Mormon.
Bokovoy summarized,
“Nephi participated in a celestial ascent to an exceedingly high mountain possessed by the most high God ... Nephi’s exchange with the Spirit of the Lord provides a dramatic portrayal of the faith necessary to receive introduction to advanced spiritual truth. Through his testimony, as born to the Spirit of the Lord, Nephi proved himself worthy to pass by the heavenly sentinel and enter the realm of greater light and knowledge.” (David E. Bokovoy, “‘Thou Knowest That I Believe’: Invoking the Spirit of the Lord as Council Witness in 1 Nephi 11,” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 1 (2012):22). The knowledge that both Nephi and Moses received is similar to what President Ezra Taft Benson described to a general audience at BYU as the key covenants of the temple. These are “the law of obedience and sacrifice, the law of the gospel, the law of chastity, and the law of consecration.” (Ezra T. Benson, “A Vision and a Hope for the Youth of Zion,” address given at Brigham Young University, April 12, 1977.) ] which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot.
2 And the Spirit said unto me: Behold, what desirest thou? [ What is difference between Lehi's dream and Nephis at this point? Interactive dream for Lehi verses Q&A for Nephi. ]
3 And I said: I desire to behold the things which my father saw. [ What is his first desire? At first he is just asking to see the dream or vision that his father saw. This is the real beginning of the change for Nephi. He starts out just wanting to see what his father saw, which he sees. He is instructed by the Lord what it all means, and why it is important to the children of men. The Nephi see's the future. Remember that his father Lehi had seen the future of Jerusalem and it's destruction and that is why he was lead out and away from there. Going forward here Nephi will see the future for his posterity, for the land of promise, and the message that he will need to share to help them in their times of trial (our days). ]
4 And the Spirit said unto me: Believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he hath spoken?
[ So Nephi was first asked what he wanted to know, Nephi responds "to behold the things which my father saw". Now the angel asks him do you believe what your father saw? ]
5 And I said: Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words [ This is the key to unlock the door of revelation here. ] of my father.
6 And when I had spoken these words, the Spirit cried with a loud voice, saying: Hosanna to the Lord, [ The spirit rejoices, I am so excited that you get it. ] the most high God; for he is God over all the earth, yea, even above all. And blessed art thou, Nephi, because thou believest [ Because of your great belief in Christ. ] in the son of the most high God; wherefore, [ As a result of that belief. ] thou shalt behold the things which thou hast desired. [ You are granted to know what you asked to know. ]
7 And behold this thing shall be given unto thee for a sign, that after thou hast beheld the tree which bore the fruit which thy father tasted, thou shalt also behold a man descending out of heaven, [ Referencing 1 Ne. 12:6. ] and him shall ye witness; and after ye have witnessed him ye shall bear record that it is the son of God. [ He is not the son of Joseph. He is not the son of a man. This title the son Of God means that his Father is literally God our Father in Heaven. ]
8 And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me: Look! And I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto the tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow. [ How would Nephi have known what snow was? The city that gets a major snowstorm on an average of once every 7 years. ]
9 And it came to pass after I had seen the tree, [ He has been shown what he had asked to see. ] I said unto the Spirit: I behold thou hast shown unto me the tree which is precious above all. [ Okay at this point his desires have been granted, so the vision could for all purposes be over, Nephi had received what he had asked for. The angel I think undertands that is really not all that Nephi wanted as he said in verse 1 he wanted to know the things which his father saw. I take that to mean that he not only wanted to see the same things in vision but he also wanted the Lord to teach him what they all meant. ]
10 And he said unto me: What desirest thou? [ Then the angel asks "Will that be all?" And how does Nephi respond?]
11 And I said unto him: To know the interpretation thereof— [ Nephi responds to the angel no - now that you ask I want to know what it means as well. Remember in verse 1 that was his intent in the first place, but maybe not what was conveyed when he said "To know the things which my father saw". ] for I spake unto him as a man speaketh; [ Nephi is having a conversation with the angel just as he would with any other man. Revelation can be an exchange of ideas with the messenger. Note how the angel is asking questions and Nephi is answering. sometimes the the messenger does not get everything across as he thinks he did. Note that Lehi does not even notice that the water is filthy, because Lehi during his vision was focused on Laman and Lemuel. See 1 Ne 15:26-27 and 1 Ne 8:13. ] for I beheld that he was in the form of a man; yet nevertheless, I knew that it was the Spirit of the Lord; and he spake unto me as a man speaketh with another.
12 And it came to pass that he said unto me: Look! [ The angel tells Nephi to look, and as soon as Nephi looks. ] And I looked as if to look upon him, and I saw him not; [ The angel is gone. Why would the spirit leave at this time? So for some reason here we have the angels switch places as a new angel comes on the scene. ] for he had gone from before my presence.
13 And it came to pass that I looked [ As he looked he saw another vision. ] and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, [ Jerusalem in the writings of Isaiah is the daughter of Zion, or daughter zion, so when it is plural the daughters of zion refers to mortal women, and then daughter zion is a divine person. Such that the tree is Jerusalem is the woman, and the fruit is the baby (such that the baby in the woman's arms is Jesus being held by Mary, but it's also the king upon his throne, and it's also the Christ crucified upon the tree, and it's also the it's also Christ standing beside the tree of life and welcoming you back to it - or it's all of those things at the same time). ] and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white. [ Same as the fruit. Nephi I suppose cannot describe the white that is known from the other side as there is nothing on this side to compare it too. ]
14 And it came to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an angel came down [Why do angels visit men? see Moroni 7:30-31] and stood before me; and he said unto me: Nephi, what beholdest thou?
16 And he said unto me:[ Notice how the angel wants to make sure that Nephi understands the condescension of God, he is going to outline the plan of salvation for him – he wants to make sure that Nephi gets it, understands because if we don't understand the Plan of Salvation then the rest in not of much importance. ] Knowest thou the condescension of God? [ It is almost as if the angel is asking, “Nephi, do you get it?” Condescension means a voluntary descent from rank or dignity. Heavenly Father would condescend to have mortal offspring. For example when a king performs an act of service for those in his kingdom. This act of generosity and kindness According to Webster 1828 version, must be something that justice does not require of him. the word also implies humble submission to inferiors and even a temporary “relinquishment of distinction.” ]
17 And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; [ Nephi responds: “Well, I know God loves his children” While that is true, Nephi doesn’t yet understand the depth of Christ’s love. You can almost picture the angel shaking head and thinking: “Nephi, you don’t get it!” And so Nephi is shown the Savior’s birth, ministry, and death. Nephi sees the indescribable contrast between the realm of glory, light, and love that Christ descended from and all of the blackness, evil and opposition He confronted in this world. The bitter irony is that our God is the very King who descends to be despised and rejected by His own subjects (see Isaiah 53:3). He bears our griefs, carries our sorrows, and suffers to reclaim us (see Isaiah 53:5–6). The condescen- sion is so great, it is no wonder Isaiah exclaimed: who is going to believe this (see Isaiah 53:1)? Here is a King who kneels to serve, bless, and elevate his entire kingdom. It is only after the vision of all of this that Nephi finally begins to understand the tree of life his father saw. The angel then asks him a second time: “Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?” (1 Nephi 11:21). Or in other words: “Now do you understand?” To which Nephi responds: “Yea, it is the love of God.” It is essen- tially the same answer he gave before, but now, at last, Nephi sees the depths of God’s love in what He suffered for us. ] nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.
18 And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the son of God, [ The 1st Edition BofM had "the mother of God". This is the case with v. 21, 32, and 13:40 as well. Anti-mormons and RLDS Modalists make a big deal out of this change. Anti-mormons use it to say that Joseph Smith was confused in his early theology. RLDS Modalists use it to say the Father and son are in fact one, with the son being the Father. Both of these approaches ignore the fact that preceding and following these verses the matter that is otherwise implicit is made explicit. Verses 6 and 7 both state he is the "son of God" as does v. 24. Thus, the emendation, which occurred in the 2nd edition BofM, was only making explicit what was otherwise implicit by surrounding text. Those who grasp at ambiguities such as implicit meanings must ignore this in order to forward their private interpretations. ] after the manner of the flesh. [ Or rather, his Earthly mother. If Mary was Christ’s only mother, there would have been no need for the Spirit to clarify that she was the mother of Jesus…“after the manner of the flesh. It’s almost as if, out of sacred deference to our Heavenly Mother, the Spirit could not bear to say that Mary was Christ’s mother without emphasizing that Christ also had a spiritual mother. ]
19 And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time [ 9 months. ] the angel spake unto me, saying: Look!
20 And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. [ Virgin birth of the Savior given as a sign to Israel see Isaiah 7. ]
21 And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree [ What do we know about trees? They are fixed in one place, with good roots and do not move. so if you want the fruit from a tree who has to do the moving? ] which thy father saw?
22 And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, [ Nephi understands and draws his own conclusions that the tree represents the Savior in his role in the atonement because of his love for us. ] which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.
23 And he [ The angel. ] spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul. [ The angel kind of corrects Nephi or at least clarifies for Nephi that is through the Savior that we really find joy for the soul(eternal joy). This is why it is so desirable. Nephi has yet to experience the taste of the fruit for himself. So he knows what he should do, what the right answer should be. However he does not know it from personal experience. ]
24 And after he had said these words, he said unto me: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the son of God going forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him.
25 And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, [ The Rod of Iron is here defined as the "word of God", however if we equate rods with the writings of the time of Lehi and Isaiah (the rod in the hands of a king as their royal scepter) we would see the Rod of iron described as authority that a person held. In the Revelations it says that those who overcome will rule the nations with an rod of iron. ] which my father had seen, was the word of God , which led to the fountain of living waters, [ So in temple context we have Nephi being taught that the law of obedience associated with the iron rod (authority) will lead to the tree of life. This is not the same as the fountain or source for the filthy waters as was seen in the vision. This is referencing the Tree as the source for living water compare to Isa. 12:3, Jer. 2:13, Zech. 13:1, John 7:38, Alma 42:27. ] or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.
26 And the angel said unto me again: Look and behold the condescension of God! [ Condescension means a voluntary descent from rank or dignity. Jesus Christ - come down and do for us. ]
27 And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, of whom my father had spoken; and I also beheld the prophet who should prepare the way before him. [ The word of God was personified in John The Baptist as he prepared the way for the Savior. ] And the Lamb of God went forth and was baptized of him; [ John The Baptist] and after he was baptized, I beheld the heavens open, and the Holy Ghost come down out of heaven [ See Teachings Of Joseph Smith , History of the Church Vol 5 pg 261 About Holy Ghost. ] and abide upon him in the form of a dove.
28 And I beheld that he [ Jesus Christ. ] went forth ministering unto the people, in power and great glory; and the multitudes were gathered together to hear him; and I beheld that they cast him out from among them.
29 And I also beheld twelve others following him. And it came to pass that they were carried away in the Spirit from before my face, and I saw them not.
30 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! [ Notice how Nephi kind of wanders as he try's to see the faces of the apostles but the Angel says - Look to bring his attention back to the Savior. ] And I looked, and I beheld the heavens open again, and I saw angels descending upon the children of men; and they did minister unto them.
31 And he spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Lamb of God going forth among the children of men. And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases, and with devils and unclean spirits; and the angel spake and showed all these things unto me. And they were healed by the power of the Lamb of God; [ The atonement. ] and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out.
32 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; [ The Savior was slain because the people of the world choose to enjoy their sins. ] and I saw and bear record.
33 And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world. [ In temple context Nephi is taught the Law of Sacrifice. This would have been a fitting image for Nephi, as lambs that were sacrificed under the Law of Moses. And then Jesus is slain for the sins of the world, the very ones that the people choose over Christ. As a result when the Savior is resurrected he has overcome all of the sins of the world for those who choose to believe in him. ]
34 And after he was slain I saw the multitudes of the earth, that they were gathered together to fight against the apostles of the Lamb; for thus were the twelve called by the angel of the Lord.
35 And the multitude of the earth was gathered together; and I beheld that they were in a large and spacious building, like unto the building which my father saw. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Behold the world and the wisdom thereof; yea, behold the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb. [ Reason for having a years supply of food I Haven Barlow also see (Isaiah 55:8-11). The majority of the people at Jerusalem during 30-70 AD were of Judah, there was certainly a liberal mix of Levites and Benjamites as well. ]
36 And it came to pass that I saw and bear record, that the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great. [ Interesting to contrast this example with the tower of Babel. The wisdom of the world fails when it is brought to the judgements of God. (Isa. 2:11-15). ] And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Thus shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.