Chapter 15
Lehi’s seed are to
receive the gospel from the Gentiles in the latter days—The gathering of Israel
is likened unto an olive tree whose natural branches shall be grafted in
again—Nephi interprets the vision of the tree of life and speaks of the justice
of God in dividing the wicked from the righteous. About 600–592 B.C.
1 And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been
carried away in the Spirit, and seen all these things, I returned to the tent
of my father.
2 And it came to pass that I beheld my brethren, and they
were disputing one with another concerning the things which my father had
spoken unto them.
3 For he truly spake many great things unto them, which
were hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they
being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they
ought.
4 And now I, Nephi, was grieved because of the hardness
of their hearts, and also, because of the things which I had seen, and knew
they must unavoidably come to pass because of the great wickedness of the
children of men.
5 And it came to pass that I was overcome because of my
afflictions, for I considered that mine afflictions were great above all,
because of the destruction of my people, for I had beheld their fall.
6 And it came to pass that after I had received strength
I spake unto my brethren, desiring to know of them the cause of their
disputations.
7 And they said: Behold, we cannot understand the words
which our father hath spoken concerning the natural branches of the olive tree,
and also concerning the Gentiles.
8 And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord?
9 And they said unto me: We have not; for the Lord maketh
no such thing known unto us.
10 Behold, I said unto them: How is it that ye do not
keep the commandments of the Lord? How is it that ye will perish, because of
the hardness of your hearts?
11 Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath
said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye
shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things
shall be made known unto you.
12 Behold, I say unto you, that the house of Israel was
compared unto an olive tree, by the Spirit of the Lord which was in our father;
and behold are we not broken off from the house of Israel, and are we not a
branch of the house of Israel?
13 And now, the thing which our father meaneth concerning
the grafting in of the natural branches through the fulness of the Gentiles,
is, that in the latter days, when our seed shall have dwindled in unbelief,
yea, for the space of many years, and many generations after the Messiah shall
be manifested in body unto the children of men, then shall the fulness of the
gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles unto the
remnant of our seed—
14 And at that day shall the remnant of our seed know
that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are the covenant people of
the Lord; and then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their
forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which
was ministered unto their fathers by him; wherefore, they shall come to the
knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may
know how to come unto him and be saved.
15 And then at that day will they not rejoice and give
praise unto their everlasting God, their rock and their salvation? Yea, at that
day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine?
Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God?
16 Behold, I say unto you, Yea; they shall be remembered
again among the house of Israel; they shall be grafted in, being a natural
branch of the olive tree, into the true olive tree.
17 And this is what our father meaneth; and he meaneth
that it will not come to pass until after they are scattered by the Gentiles;
and he meaneth that it shall come by way of the Gentiles, that the Lord may
show his power unto the Gentiles, for the very cause that he shall be rejected
of the Jews, or of the house of Israel.
18 Wherefore, our father hath not spoken of our seed
alone, but also of all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant which
should be fulfilled in the latter days; which covenant the Lord made to our
father Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be
blessed.
19 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake much unto them
concerning these things; yea, I spake unto them concerning the restoration of
the Jews in the latter days.
20 And I did rehearse unto them the words of Isaiah, who
spake concerning the restoration of the Jews, or of the house of Israel; and
after they were restored they should no more be confounded, neither should they
be scattered again. And it came to pass that I did speak many words unto my
brethren, that they were pacified and did humble themselves before the Lord.
21 And it came to pass that they did speak unto me again,
saying: What meaneth this thing which our father saw in a dream? What meaneth
the tree which he saw?
22 And I said unto them: It was a representation of the
tree of life.
23 And they said unto me: What meaneth the rod of iron
which our father saw, that led to the tree?
24 And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and
whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they
would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the
adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.
25 Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto
the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul,
and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the
word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things.
26 And they said unto me: What meaneth the river of water
which our father saw?
27 And I said unto them that the water which my father
saw was filthiness; and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that
he beheld not the filthiness of the water.
28 And I said unto them that it was an awful gulf, which
separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also from the saints of God.
29 And I said unto them that it was a representation of
that awful hell, which the angel said unto me was prepared for the wicked.
30 And I said unto them that our father also saw that the
justice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous; and the
brightness thereof was like unto the brightness of a flaming fire, which
ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end.
31 And they said unto me: Doth this thing mean the
torment of the body in the days of probation, or doth it mean the final state
of the soul after the death of the temporal body, or doth it speak of the
things which are temporal?
32 And it came to pass that I said unto them that it was
a representation of things both temporal and spiritual; for the day should come
that they must be judged of their works, yea, even the works which were done by
the temporal body in their days of probation.
33 Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they
must be cast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are
pertaining to righteousness; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before
God, to be judged of their works; and if their works have been filthiness they
must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot
dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also.
34 But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is not
filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God;
wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is
filthy.
35 And there is a place prepared, yea, even that awful
hell of which I have spoken, and the devil is the preparator of it; wherefore
the final state of the souls of men is to dwell in the kingdom of God, or to be
cast out because of that justice of which I have spoken.
36 Wherefore, the wicked are rejected from the righteous,
and also from that tree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most
desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts
of God. And thus I spake unto my brethren. Amen.
The vision ended and Nephi returned to Lehi’s tent. When he arrived, his brethren were arguing with each other about Lehi’s words.[1]
Lehi’s words were hard to understand unless you asked the
Lord what they meant. Paul wrote:
“But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the
Spirit searcheth [GR explores, investigates] all things, yea, the deep things
of God.
“For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit
of man which is in him? even so the
things of God knoweth no man, but [JST 1 Cor. 2:11 ... except he has] the
Spirit of God.
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the
spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to
us of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10 – 12).
The problem was that his brethren had hardened their hearts and
would not ask the Lord. This saddened
Nephi, considering what he had seen about the future of his people. He had seen the destruction of his people. Now he has to face his bickering brothers.
He went to them and asked what the problem was. They were arguing over Lehi’s words. They could not understand what he
taught. Nephi responded, “Have ye
inquired of the Lord?” (1 Nephi 15:8). They
had not “for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us” (1 Nephi 15:9) [“because
we are not prophets,” in other words[2]].
Why, Nephi asks, won’t you keep the Lord’s
commandments? Why will you perish rather
than turn to the Lord? The Lord promised
that, if you ask in faith, keeping His commandments, you will receive an
answer. James wrote:
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth
to all men liberally, and upbraideth [GR reproaches, censures] not; and it
shall be given him.
“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering [GR doubting,
hesitating]. For he that wavereth is
like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed” (James 1:5-6).
Nephi explains to them about the olive tree.[3] The house of Israel, Nephi explains, is the
olive tree. They are now broken off from
the olive tree, a branch of the house of Israel.
He clarifies that Lehi’s vision deals with “the grafting in
of the natural branches through the fullness of the Gentiles” (1 Nephi 15:13)
in future days, when our people will dwindle in unbelief, after Christ’s mortal
ministry,
After Christ’s ministry, the day will come when our
descendants will know of their relationship to the house of Israel. “And then shall the remnant of our seed know
concerning us, how that we came out from Jerusalem, and that they are
descendants of the Jews. And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among
them; wherefore, they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers,
and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their fathers” (2
Nephi 30:4-5).
They will learn “that they are the covenant people of the
Lord” (1 Nephi 15:14). They will also
learn they are the covenant people of the Lord and they will learn about their
ancestors. Jacob would later teach, “this
commandment they observe to keep; wherefore, because of this observance, in
keeping this commandment, the Lord God will not destroy them, but will be
merciful unto them; and one day they shall become a blessed people” (Jacob
3:6).
“Most importantly, ‘they shall come to the knowledge of
their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to
come unto him and be saved’ (1 Nephi 15:14).
According to these prophetic words, the descendants of Lehi will lose
their awareness of the covenant; nevertheless, at a future date they will learn
of it, embrace it, and gather to the Lord so that he can protect and save them.”[4]
Noel Reynolds adds:
“While explaining the great vision that he and his father
Lehi had experienced during their first camp in the wilderness, Nephi
prophesied to his brothers that the time would arrive when their own
descendants would come again ‘to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the
very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be
saved’ (1 Nephi 15:14).”[5]
“And then at that day will the1y not rejoice and give praise
unto their everlasting God, their rock and their salvation? Yea, at that day, will they not receive the
strength and nourishment from the true vine?
Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God?” (1 Nephi 15:15).
Nephi continues his explanation about the olive tree and
their descendants. He tells them they
will be numbered[6]
among the house of Israel. They will be
grated into the natural olive tree. “Nephi
[explains] the olive tree for his brethren, saying that the covenant people
will receive strength and nourishment from the true vine when they
are grafted into the true olive tree (1 Nephi 15:16). The reference
to the true vine suggests a passage from John: ‘I [Christ] am the vine, ye are
the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much
fruit: for without me ye can do nothing’ (John 15:5). ”[7]
(Emphasis in original)
This will not occur, Nephi explains, until they are
scattered by the gentiles. When Lehi
spoke, he spoke of both his seed and the house of Israel. All covenants will be fulfilled in the last
days. The covenant referred to is the
Lord’s covenant with Abraham.
“NOW the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I
will shew thee:
“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless
thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that
curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis
12:1-3).
In the last days, the Jews will be restored and gathered as
a people. He reviewed Isaiah’s
prophesies and teachings concerning the Jews.
He exhorted his brethren to listen and follow the word of the Lord,
keeping His commandments in all things.
Nephi continued until his brethren “were pacified and did humble
themselves before the Lord” (1 Nephi 15:20).
His brethren next questioned Nephi about the meaning of Lehi’s
dream of the tree of life.
|
Verse(s) (1 Nephi 15)
|
Lehi’s Vision
|
Nephi’s Interpretation
|
|
21-22
|
The tree
|
Tree of Life
|
|
23-24
|
Iron rod
|
Word of God*
|
|
26-27
|
River of water
|
Filthiness; represents the gulf that separates the wicked
from the Tree of Life; representation of hell and justice of God**
|
*Nephi
continues, explaining that those who “hearken unto the word of God, and
would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations
and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead
them away to destruction” (1 Nephi 15:24).
**The filthiness of
the water was not mentioned in Lehi’s vision.
Nephi explains, “his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld
not the filthiness of the water” (1 Nephi 15:27). The justice of God separates the wicked from
the righteous.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
After explaining the meaning of the river and that it
represented “that awful hell … which was prepared for the wicked” (1 Nephi
15:29), his brethren asked if this meant the “the torment of the body in the
days of probation, or doth it mean the final state of the soul after the death
of the temporal body” (1 Nephi 15:31).
It represent both temporal and spiritual. If one dies in wickedness, that person will
be cast off “as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to
righteousness” (1 Nephi 15:33). They
will be judged by their works. “[I]f if
they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God;
if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also. But behold, I say unto you, the
kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the
kingdom of God; wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared
for that which is filthy” (1 Nephi 15:33-34).
This, Nephi explains, is the awful hell, which he has
identified. They will dwell with the
devil because of the justice of God. “[T]he
wicked are rejected from the righteous, and also from that tree of life, whose
fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it
is the greatest of all the gifts of God. And thus I spake unto my brethren” (1
Nephi 15:36).
[1]
Nephi does not identify who these brethren are.
Was it just Laman and Lemuel? Was
Sam involved? What about the sons of
Ishmael? We don’t know.
[3]
For a more complete discussion about Nephi’s words, see Nephite Uses and Interpretations of Zenos, Noel B. Reynolds, the section
headed Nephi.
[4] Treaties and Covenants: Ancient Near Eastern
Legal Terminology in the Book of Mormon, Stephen D. Ricks, and RoseAnn
Benson, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute,.
[6]
Verse 16 reads, “they shall be remembered again among the house of
Israel.” There is evidence that “remembered”
was “numbered”
in the original text. See Insights Available as We Approach the
Original Text, Kerry Muhlestein, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute,.
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