Lehi’s Dream
READ 1 Nephi 8:2, 4-9
Where does Lehi’s dream begin?
· He is in a dark and dreary wilderness
· He is in a telestial kingdom – the world that we live in now
Does he pray for help?
· No – not yet
Who comes to Lehi?
· A man in a white robe
What does the man in the white robe do and who is he?
· He comes unlooked for or without Lehi using his agency to pray to God for assistance
· He asks Lehi to follow him
· He leads Lehi into a dark and dreary waste
· He appears to abandon Lehi there
· He is Satan appearing as an angel of light
· He could also be a man who is a wolf in sheep’s clothing – practicing priest craft because he tells you to follow him but he leads you into darkness instead of light
What lessons can we learn from this experience?
· Satan and his powers of darkness come to man appearing to be “white” or “of God”
· They do this to deceive those of us who are seeking for or attracted to light
· We can easily mistake the appearance of good for actual good – even the very elect (Lehi had seen Christ and the Father in vision)
· We take for granted that those who come to us appearing to be legitimate or credentialed or in authority with God are actually from God; this can apply to experiences with the super natural as well as among mankind
How is Lehi rescued from darkness?
· He prays unto the Lord for mercy – not to get what’s rightfully coming to him for following a blind guide
Why does Lehi travel in darkness for many hours before he prays to the Lord?
· He has been deceived and thinks he is following a true messenger
· It takes a while to discern that he is in fact not following the guidance of a true messenger – perhaps he is thinking he’s being tried
Why does the Lord allow us to be led into darkness when we are seeking for Him?
· It is all part of our education – you can’t discern the light if that’s all you’ve experienced – you need to experience the dark to be able to tell the difference
· It is up to us to listen to the message and discern the lack of glory – not be deceived by appearance
· So that there remains a balance in this world – equal enticements to light and dark
· Satan has the right to try to deceive us; we have our agency to either try him and his message or not
READ 1 Nephi 8:10-12
What is the distinguishing feature of the Tree?
· Its white fruit
How does Lehi describe the fruit?
· Exceeding any whiteness he had ever seen – shining with brilliance and glory
· Sweeter than anything he had ever tasted
· The fruit filled him with incredible joy – it made him happy
· It was desirable above all other fruit
· It sounds like the most desirable or addictive drug that Satan could manufacture as a substitute – but not designed to enslave but to free
What is Lehi’s first thought after partaking of the fruit?
· He HAD to share it with his family – those he loved the most!
What is the responsibility of those who have partaken of the fruit?
· To tell others how good it is and invite them to partake
· It is not to “lead” them in the traditional sense of “just follow me”, as those who have partaken are already at the Tree and they stay at the Tree; the responsibility is to “call” and “beckon” for others to come and see what they are experiencing but not to “lead” them in a journey to find it, much less to compel or threaten them into coming and partaking
READ 1 Nephi 8:19-23
What is the intention of this large, first group of people Lehi sees?
· To get to the Tree – they are pressing forward to get there
What happened to this first group?
· They wandered off the strait and narrow path
· They were lost in a great mist of darkness which came quickly out of nowhere
· They were not holding on to the Rod of Iron next to the path
READ 1 Nephi 8:24-28
What is the intention of the second group of people Lehi sees?
· To “press forward” to the Tree
What do the second group do differently from the first group which enables them to get to the Tree?
· They catch hold of the rod of iron
· They cling to the rod while going through the mists of darkness
What does the second group do after partaking of the fruit?
· They “cast their eyes about” – they look away from the Tree
· In doing so, they see and pay attention to the sophisticated people in the great and spacious building, who are mocking them
· They are ashamed of having partaken of the fruit, which very few are doing – most people in the dream are either in the Building or en-route somewhere
· They leave the Tree for forbidden paths and are lost (paths forbidden for those who have partaken of the fruit; paths forbidden to those who would continue to experience the joy of partaking of the fruit)
READ 1 Nephi 8:30-34
What is the intention of the third group of people Lehi sees?
· To get to the Tree
What does the third group do differently from the second group?
· They “fall down” and partake of the fruit
· They continue to partake of it
· They ignore those in the great and spacious building – they are too busy eating all the fruit they can
What is the intention of the fourth group Lehi sees?
· To get to the great and spacious building
Why are they “feeling” their way to the building?
· They are lost in the mist of darkness without a path or rod
Why are many drowned or lost in strange roads?
· The great and spacious building is only for those that the world will accept as successful
· There are many who aspire to success in the world who do not make it or die trying – in fact, the great majority will fall into this group of failed G&S Building seekers
Why do those in the great and spacious building mock and scorn those eating the fruit?
· The building is supposed to make you feel great but once there, you realize it’s not all that was advertised – while the fruit of the Tree is desirable to make you truly happy – so the people in the building are angry and jealous of those eating the fruit and if they could make them unhappy, too – by shaming them into leaving the tree – well, misery loves company!
Nephi’s Vision
READ 1 Nephi 10:17-19 and 1 Nephi 11:1
What are the three concrete steps Nephi teaches us for anyone to receive the things of God in vision or revelation?
· Desiring to know
· Believing the Lord can make them known unto you
· Pondering or thinking deeply and prayerfully
What is Nephi’s desire?
· To see, hear and know the things his father knew – in the same way that he knew them; i.e to experience them for himself
· So that he can gain his own witness of the truth
· And not continue to be dependent on another man (even his father) for a saving knowledge of God
· Because he realizes that “knowing God” is different than knowing “about God” and requires a personal relationship with Him so that he can receive covenants directly from His hand
How is Nephi’s desire to know for himself manifested?
· He diligently seeks
· He asks
· He has repented and continues to be repentant
· His seeking is manifested by his level of sacrifice – he is prepared to lay his whole soul on the Lord’s altar
Why does Nephi believe that the Lord will make these things known to him, too – isn’t showing them to the prophet enough?
· God is the same yesterday, today and forever – He is an unchangeable God (or He would cease to be God – see LoF 7:9, 15-16)
· God has laid out His Way – the Way to seek Him and find Him – to have the mysteries unfolded and He is no respecter of persons – anyone who walks the Way will receive the mysteries of Godliness (see LoF 3:23); and anyone who does not, will not receive them
· Nephi has faith in God’s mercy and grace – that it can overcome his own faults – as he will never be worthy to receive God based on his own merits but that hasn’t stopped God from revealing Himself to all other fallen, sinful men and women who have been in His presence (see TPJS 170:6)
Since all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and God has the power to forgive and cleanse even the vilest sinner, if you do not believe He will make these things known unto you, it is because you do not really believe that He made them known to others – you do not really believe in God at all – not in a real life way, at least.
READ TPJS 156:3
“…the things of God are of deep import; and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out. Thy mind, O man! if thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost heavens, and search into and contemplate the darkest abyss, and the broad expanse of eternity—thou must commune with God. How much more dignified and noble are the thoughts of God, than the vain imaginations of the human heart! None but fools will trifle with the souls of men.”
Why does the Lord require us to ponder on His words?
· As we can only entertain one thought at a time, what we choose to think about reveals the desires of our hearts
· God does not reveal Himself in the dramatic but in the still, small voice – we must quiet our minds to hear Him (see 1 Kings 19:11-12); pondering or thinking deeply helps to do this
· Mortal life is distracting by its nature – we must take time to think deeply about the things of God and find quiet time to enable us to hear His Spirit whisper to us
Why doesn’t God use theatricality to get our attention – why does it require time, experience and pondering to find them out?
· The content of His messages are so compelling that they do not require augmentation
· But the sensitive seeking soul should hear God in the message, regardless of its delivery
· However, His mind is not our mind and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (see Isaiah 55:9); in fact, as He is omniscient and knows all things and we have mortal and finite brains, the scripture in Isaiah 55 is likely the understatement of the year! His thoughts are likely on a completely different plane from ours, so time, experience and solemn, ponderous thinking is just the beginning for us to be able to truly understand His words and thoughts
READ 1 Nephi 11:2
What governing principle of heaven does this verse teach?
· To honor our agency, God requires us to ask questions – we must begin the inquiry
· Heaven is controlled by ordained limits or governing principles – answers to questions we’ve not asked will not be forced upon us
· If you aren’t asking questions of God, you are sealing the heavens – you disqualify yourself from receiving further knowledge
READ 1 Nephi 11:3-6
What is the nature of the questions asked by the Spirit of the Lord?
· They direct Nephi to look inward at his heart and paradigms (the way he sees the world or has been conditioned to see the world; i.e. the “traditions” that shape his thinking)
· What do you want or desire?
· What do you believe?
Why does the Spirit of the Lord shout for joy at Nephi’s answers?
· It pleases God when a person finally shows their willingness to receive further light and truth by conversing with God
· It is a rare thing when someone has a desire to know God for themselves, comes to God with a question, and has enough faith to receive an answer
· Heaven longs for communication with mankind – the silence from Heaven is a result of our wickedness and careless indifference, rather than Heaven’s unwillingness to open to us (see D&C 38:11-12)
Why will Nephi be shown the vision of the Tree of Life?
· Because he believes in the Son of God
READ 1 Nephi 11:7-9
Why does the Spirit of the Lord use the word “witness” instead of “see” or “testify of”?
· Nephi will witness the ministry, atonement, crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, as it happens – as all things are before the face of the Father (see also Mosiah 14:10 – during the actual atonement, did Christ see those who were witnessing His sacrifice – his “seed” – which gave Him the resolve to “prolong His days” and finish the suffering because of His love for His spiritual children?)
· He is then told that he will “bear record” or testify of what he’d witnessed – so that is not what is meant by “witness” in v 7
· The word “Witness” in the 1828 Websters Dictionary says: “attestation of a fact or event; what which furnishes evidence or proof; a person who knows or sees any thing – one personally present”
Why is beauty a representation of good and godliness?
· Beauty is perfection and symmetry – which is representative of goodness, truth and godliness
READ 1 Nephi 11:10-23
What is the angel showing Nephi?
· The interpretation of the Tree of Life
What language does Nephi use to describe the Tree he sees?
· Beauty beyond all beauty
· Whiteness exceeding the driven snow (bright or glorious)
What is Nephi immediately shown when he asks for an interpretation of the Tree?
· A vision of the mother of the Son of God
· Mary
How does he describe the Virgin/Mother of the Son of God?
· Most beautiful and fair above all
· Exceedingly white and fair (bright or glorious)
Why does Nephi use the same language to describe the Tree as to describe the Mother of the Son of God?
· He is being shown the interpretation of the Tree
· The Tree is symbolic of the Mother of the Son of God
· She is a “tree of life” or entity that gives or produces life (see 1 Nephi 15:21-22)
What does “condescension” mean?
· “To put aside one’s superiority voluntarily and assume equality with a person regarded as inferior”
· A descent from dignity or superiority
Why is Nephi asked if he knows or understands the condescension of God right after he is shown a vision of the virgin?
· The Condescension of God is when a God descends from the superiority of their Heavenly state and glory to live on this Telestial earth to perform a mission on our behalf – to make themselves “equal” to us and put themselves in jeopardy as we are – to accomplish their Work and Glory
· The following is a highly speculative idea so take it with more than a grain of salt but perhaps because she had to lay aside Her glory as the Consort of Ahman (El) and Mother of the Son of God in Heaven to take upon Her flesh, as Her son also did? But how is this possible if she has attained to the resurrection and cannot be separated from her perfected body as a Goddess and Consort of the Father? Do only male God’s attain to the resurrection on behalf of all those that depend upon them – including their eternal wife? If this is true, is there something that the female god attains to that her husband is dependent upon her for? Is it to be the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh?
If the Tree is the Mother of the Son of God, what is the fruit of the Tree?
· The Son of God – Jesus Christ (see 1 Nephi 15:36 – it is the fruit that is the “greatest of all the gifts of God”)
· A relationship with Him is most precious and desirable above all else
Why is the Tree of Life the love of God?
· Because through the Tree comes the Fruit which is made available to all who partake of it to make them happy – which happiness is enabled by their immortality and eternal life, which comes through Christ (the Fruit)
· Heavenly Mother is “the love of God” or said another way, she is “God’s (true) love”
READ 1 Nephi 11:24-28, 31-33
What is the Rod of Iron?
· The word of God – God’s words to man which, if followed, will save them (see 1 Nephi 15:23-25)
· The Word of God – Christ is the “word made flesh” (see John 1:14)
Why does the angel tell Nephi to behold the condescension of God again?
· A second God is condescending to come to earth to take upon Himself a tabernacle of flesh (see Mosiah 3:5-10)
· Christ condescended to take upon Him the sins of the world (see 2 Corinthians 5:21; D&C 19:10-19)
Why is Nephi shown Christ’s birth, ministry, atonement, death and resurrection?
· So that he can receive the “witness” of an “apostle” and be called to then bear record of it
· For Nephi’s witness of Christ’s resurrection, see 1 Nephi 12:5-6
What did Christ do for the people during His ministry?
· Teach them
· Healed the sick
· Cast out devils
How did the people react to Christ and His works?
· They cast Him out
· They captured Him
· They judged Him
· They killed Him
READ 1 Nephi 11:34-36
Why did the people react this way to Christ’s ministry?
· Because of their pride; Christ was submissive in all things to the will of the Father but those in the great and spacious building are their because of their pride – they will not submit to the will of another, even God Himself
· Those who are submissive to the will of God and attempt to do His will on earth as it is done in heaven are roundly rejected by those who are not filled with that same Spirit (the mind of God), even if they are being taught the truth, healed and cleansed from the devil; they prefer the dark to the light
What did the people do to Christ’s followers?
· They fought against any who testified of Christ
What is the Great and Spacious Building?
· The World
· Its wisdom
· The House of Israel (Interesting!)
· The pride of the world (see also 1 Nephi 12:18)
Why is it “great and spacious”?
· There are a lot of people who want to be there
· It is magnificently impressive – not because of any inherent quality but because it was designed and built to appear that way
Why does the great building fall?
· Because man’s pride, in the face of God’s glory, cannot stand – it is just a matter of comparing the two honestly, which will happen in time
· The building falls because it is built without a foundation and it is “lofty” and high up above the earth – so it has some distance to fall and is up there dishonestly, meaning without a foundation (see 1 Nephi 8:26)
Why is the House of Israel called out as being residents of the great building?
· Because so many are – they are proud of their religion, of being “chosen people”, of having truths that others do not, of their ancestors and bloodlines, of “being saved”
· But they themselves do not come unto Christ and are ultimately in apostasy – really it’s abomination, because they pretend to power and authority to speak in God’s name that they do not have – they have the trappings and perhaps the doctrine, but they lack the faith and obedience to live it and ascend up to God in the flesh – they lack the “power” or connection to heaven
· “Apostle” in this case refers to one who has exercised the faith and obedience to rend the veil and witness the Christ; it is one who can testify to the world as an actual witness of His resurrection through their tactile experience with Him that He is who He says He is (see 3 Nephi 11:10-17) – not just a witness of His “name” or titles
READ 1 Nephi 12:17
What is the “mist of darkness”?
· The temptations of the devil
· Which blind the eyes and harden the hearts
· Lead people into broad roads that lead no where
READ 1 Nephi 15:26-30
What is the river of water that Nephi and Lehi saw?
· It is hell (see also 1 Nephi 12:16)
· It separates the wicked from the Tree of Life
· It is a place of filthiness for those who are filthy – it will be their preference (see Mormon 9:3-5)
How does the justice of God separate the wicked from the righteous?
· His glory has a brightness that the wicked cannot endure
· The wicked run from it – when they see themselves compared to a just and perfect God in all His glory
· But God doesn’t “do” it to them – they do it to themselves (see again Mormon 9:3-5)
· It doesn’t end there - sadly their own regret at realizing what they could have had and where they could have been is like a lake of fire in their hearts; they are their own accusers and tormenters (see TPJS 401:1)
READ 1 Nephi 15:32-36
Why can the wicked not dwell in heaven?
· Because no unclean thing CAN enter there (nor would they want to as we saw above)
· You must be able to abide in God’s presence to live there – perfect in Christ for now but perfect on your own merits ultimately (Matthew 5:48 and 3 Nephi 12:48 – note the difference, as Christ does not claim perfection until after He has successfully attained to the resurrection Himself)
READ 1 Nephi 15:7, 12-20
Who is the House of Israel in this analogy?
· The literal descendants of Jacob
· The Jews, the Lamanites, etc.
Who are the Gentiles?
· Those not of the House of Israel
· Specifically, those who come from Western Europe
· We are the Gentiles (see D&C 109:60)
In the latter days, who receives the fullness of the gospel first?
· The Gentiles
Why do they receive it first?
· Because it had been rejected by the House of Israel at the time of Christ (v17)
What is the task assigned to the Gentiles in the latter days?
· To take the fullness of the gospel to the remnant of Lehi’s seed - Israel
· Because the descendants of Lehi have dwindled in unbelief (they believe things that are wrong, and as a result have lost light and cannot exercise saving faith)
How is the remnant of Lehi lost?
· They don’t know who they are (House of Israel, descendants of Lehi)
· They don’t know what their privileges are (covenant people of the Lord – through bloodline, at least)
· They don’t know Christ or how to come unto Him or that they are even invited to come – they don’t know the “very points of His doctrine”
What does it mean to “receive the strength and nourishment of the true vine”?
· To be adopted into the family of Christ – to become a son or daughter of God – to enter into the rest of the Lord (His presence)
What does it mean to “graft them in” to the true olive tree?
· They are now found – they know Christ and know who they are
· They have come unto Him and been ministered to by Him
READ 1 Nephi 15:6-11
Why do Laman and Lemuel not understand Lehi’s words?
· It is not because they are not intelligent
· They have not asked God – because of their careless indifference or lack of faith
· They have not lived the commandments – not aligned their behaviors with God’s – such that they could be filled with light and be able to comprehend all things
· They have hardened their hearts against the truth
Why do they not inquire of the Lord?
· They do not believe He will answer them about these things – they lack the faith to receive an answer
· He seems not to have answered them in the past…
· So they default to asking another man
· Although, interestingly, they’ve already seen an angel!
What is the pattern for receiving revelation that Nephi teaches?
· Open your heart – choose to be believing (Alma 12:9-11)
· Ask God in faith – believe that He is no respecter of persons but wants to speak with you because He loves you so deeply, regardless of your current worthiness
· Keep God’s commandments as diligently as you can (desire to keep them with your whole soul – Omni 1:26) so that you are aligned with His frequency and filled with the light and love which come to all those that keep those eternal laws (D&C 130:20-21 and D&C 88:38-40) – seek to be precisely as He is and nothing else (LoF 7:9)
