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Scripture Study: 1 Nephi 11:24-36

Nephi has inquired of the Lord to know the meaning of the vision his father saw. Deep in prayer, Nephi was taken to a high mountain by the Spirit of the Lord and now, with an angel for his guide, is being shown Christ who is to come.

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, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, 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.

I mentioned in yesterday’s blog that the love of God is there for us at all times. He loves us unconditionally. He is sometimes not able to bless us as much as He would like to, if we aren’t living righteously, but His love never changes. The difference is in us, not in Him. Are we clinging to His word, like the iron rod, seeking out His love and appreciating it when we are close to Him? Or do we ignore it and wander off on dark paths, to become lost?

26. And the angel said unto me again: Look and behold the condescension of God!

God is mightier than all of us, and yet He chose to come down amongst us, live a life of poverty, and devote His time to our teaching. He condescended to leave His place and be with us, because He loves us so much.

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. And the Lamb of God went forth and was baptized of him; and after he was baptized, I beheld the heavens open, and the Holy Ghost come down out of heaven and abide upon him in the form of a dove.

28. And I beheld that he 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! 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; 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; 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.

Nephi received this vision six hundred years before the coming of Christ, and yet he saw many details of the Savior’s life. Up until now, he has believed on his father’s words of the coming of the Savior, and he has had other signs, but now he’s seeing it all in detail.

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.

Here we see the apostasy. After the death of Christ, the apostles reached bitter ends as well, and the world at large fell away from the church Christ set up. It would not be restored in its entirety until the restoration, which was brought about by Joseph Smith.

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. 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.

Here we see the fate of those who would seek to destroy the church. The twelve apostles had the keys to the church as organized by Christ, and so to fight against the apostles would be to deny the way Christ desired for His church to be organized.

From today’s reading: in what other ways do we see this vision coming to pass in our day?

Related Blogs:

1 Nephi 11:1-11

1 Nephi 8:35-38

Family Home Evening: The Tree of Life