Having seen the birth of the Savior, the angel shows Nephi
the condescension of God. What does this
mean? The word condescend has its roots
from the mid-14th century., "to yield deferentially," from
Old French condescendere "to agree,
consent, give in, yield," from Late Latin condescendere "to let
oneself down," from Latin com- "together" + descendere "descend.” Sense of "to
sink willingly to equal terms with inferiors" is from mid-15th
century.[1]
John would write, “And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John
1:14). When Christ fed the 5,000, he
told the multitude, “For I came down from
heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38).
Alma would teach the people of Gideon, “Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God
suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his
people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of
his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me” (Alma
7:13). In the Olive Leaf, the Lord
revealed, “He that ascended up on high,
as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that
he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth” (D&C 88:6).
Nephi beheld the Redeemer of the world. Towards the end of Nephi’s record, he would
prophesy of Christ, writing, “Behold,
they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three
days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who
shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy
concerning him, for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy
name” (2 Nephi 25:13).
Corbin Volluz writes about the interpretation the angel gave
Nephi concerning the river of water.
Nephi beholds the rod of iron which
his father had seen, "which led to the fountain of living waters, or to
the tree of life" (1 Nephi 11:25). The living waters flow from the base of
the tree of life. A basic interpretation of the living waters would be that
they are the divine drink that goes along with the divine food (i.e., the fruit
of the tree of life) to be given to those who reach the end of the strait and
narrow path. Here, though, the angel gives to Nephi another, prophetic,
interpretation. The symbol of the living waters is used to represent the waters
of the Jordan River in which Christ was baptized by John the Baptist. Indeed,
this is exactly what is shown Nephi in vision immediately after he beholds the
living waters (1 Nephi 11:26–27).[2]
Nephi also saw John preparing the way for Christ. He saw Christ’s baptism and he “beheld the heavens open, and the Holy Ghost
come down out of heaven and abide upon him in the form of a dove” (1 Nephi
11:27).
Nephi saw Christ’s ministry, how he would minister in power
and great glory. Eventually he saw they
would cast Him out from among them (see 1 Nephi 11:28). He also briefly saw the twelve before they were
carried away.
[1] Online
Etymology Dictionary, condescend, accessed February 13, 2013.
[2] Lehi's
Dream of the Tree of Life: Springboard to Prophecy, Corbin T. Volluz, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed February 13, 2013.
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