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Book of Mormon [1 NEPHI 11-15] Insights with Maria Eckersley
Episode 7 • 21st January 2024 • Our Mothers Knew It • Maria Eckersley
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4: BOM [1 NEPHI 11-15] INSIGHTS

“Armed with Righteousness and the Power of God”

January 22 – January 28

Lesson Summary:

This week we’ll approach Lehi’s vision from a new vantage point as we study the visionary experience of Nephi. We’ll learn about the love of God and the many, many tools He has put in place to bring us all to the tree. Nephi’s vision will help us see the Lord’s plan to care for Lehi’s descendants - those who choose to follow Him and those who turn away. We’ll also study Nephi’s response to this vision and his powerful example of service through struggle.

Questions to Consider:

  • 1 Nephi 11:25 | Why do you think there are two representations of his love (tree & river)?
  • 1 Nephi 11:35 | Do you see the Great & Spacious building of our day straining to accept all the philosophies of men?
  • 1 Nephi 12:4-11 | Why is showing His wounds the first thing the Savior does when He visits the Nephites?
  • 1 Nephi 13:10-20 | Why does God still bless Columbus, the Founding Fathers, the Colonists etc, with power if they are imperfect? 
  • 1 Nephi 15:15-16 | What types and shadows of the Atonement of Jesus Christ do you see in the tree grafting symbol?

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CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST DISCLAIMER: This podcast represents my own thoughts and opinions. It is not made, approved or endorsed by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Any content or creative interpretations, implied or included are solely those of Maria Eckersley ("MeckMom LLC"), and not those of Intellectual Reserve, Inc. or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Great care has been made to ensure this podcast is in harmony with the overall mission of the Church. Click here to visit the official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Transcripts

Maria:

Hey you guys, welcome back.

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This is week four of Our Mothers

Knew It, and another deep

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dive into the Book of Mormon.

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So this week we get to build

off where we left off last week.

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So where we ended, Nephi was

hoping to see what his father saw.

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He, he's diligent, he's worthy,

he's anxious to receive.

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additional light and knowledge, and he's

hoping to turn to the Lord to get it.

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And that's kind of what

kicks off these chapters.

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We're going to go from 11 to 15,

which sounds pretty short, but it's

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actually quite a bit of pages, because

this is a very expansive vision.

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Nephi comes to the table hoping for

a small amount of understanding, and

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what happens is, The Lord, in his

abundant way, gives him so much more.

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In fact, I found myself kind of

dazzled by how much more he gets.

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I found myself even a little bit envious

of Nephi's vision because the idea of

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seeing so much open before my view, even

things that I can't fully understand

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yet, just kind of presented in front

of me, I was like, That must be great.

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I know I'm not a prophet.

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I don't have Nephi's stewardship, but

I found myself envious that I don't

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have that kind of visionary experience.

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And then I went to the temple.

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You guys, this week I went to

the temple and I was corrected.

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I think every time we go to the

temple, we have an opportunity to

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have an experience in some degree

like Nephi's, where you see.

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a lot.

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You don't understand it all at first.

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In fact, you have to go many times

and review and study and, and then

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you see the grand plan of God.

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And that's what Nephi saw too.

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In fact, one of the things I love

about this week's study is he seems

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to get an appreciation for the

good and the hard that are coming

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because of the plan of salvation.

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He sees, you know, the blessings

that will come to his posterity.

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He gets a glimpse of the land of promise

and he knows what's ahead for his family,

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but he also sees The hard that's coming.

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The hard that comes when his children and

their descendants don't follow the Lord.

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What, what will eventually happen?

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And then he sees the restoration play out.

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He, he sees God's plan to

bring everybody back home.

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And I just found myself

I'm grateful for his words.

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Maybe because I was just watching

a movie about a shipwreck, but I

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found myself thinking that these

chapters are kind of like Nephi's,

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you know, message in a bottle.

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He knows from this vision that

his posterity will not make it.

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They'll make it a few generations past

when Christ comes in joy and peace,

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and then it will be this decline,

and eventually they'll be overcome.

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by the seed of his brethren.

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And I feel like he's sending

us this message in a bottle.

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His ship, the ship of the Nephites is

sinking and he is, he is determined to

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cast this message towards us to help us

understand our Savior, to understand the

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plan of salvation and where we fit in it.

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That's what I saw in this week's

study, and I can't wait to guide

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you into some of those areas.

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Like I've mentioned in the week's past,

I'm just going to give you seven key

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a , things that caught my eye and maybe

some processes I went through to try and

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understand more about those sparks and

what I could learn from the scriptures.

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Then I'll ask you five questions,

conversation questions to get you going

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and to give you a chance to wrestle with

these ideas that are in these verses

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and see what the Spirit teaches you.

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And then we'll create a second video

of the three object lessons to help

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you find ways to take what you're

learning and teach it to others.

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It's a chance for your testimony

to be solidified as you feel

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these sparks light up in others.

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Hopefully it will all be worth it.

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All right, you guys, grab your

scriptures, grab your notes.

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It's time to get started.

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Lots of things sparked for me in

chapter 11, but I'm just going

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to narrow it down to a few.

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The first one here I call

teaching through questions.

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Maybe because I am a teacher,

that's what I love to do, it's

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what I'm passionate about.

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I'm always seeking for teaching

guidance in the scriptures.

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And I think you see a lot of it in 11.

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Because you see Nephi come hoping for some

understanding, and then the angel sent

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as a minister and a teacher to help guide

him along in this understanding process.

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But what's fascinating to me is the

angel doesn't actually answer many of

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his questions, he shows him things,

and then he asks a lot of questions.

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He prompts Nephi to think deeply and to

be more agile in his thinking, and you

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get to see it play out in the verses.

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So where you begin, Nephi is hoping

for understanding about Lehi's dream.

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He's pondering what has already

been revealed and hoping for more.

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It reminds me a lot of, remember

when we studied D& C 76?

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This is the same kind of

phrasing that Joseph Smith uses.

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He's stewing on things.

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He's pondering on what has already been

revealed, and then this vision opens up.

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That seems to be what

happens here for Nephi.

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He hopes for one thing.

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In fact, that's what

you'll see in the verses.

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It says in chapter 11 verses 2

through 4, And the Spirit said unto

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me, Behold, what desirest thou?

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And I said, I desire to behold

the things which my father saw.

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And the Spirit said unto me,

Believest thou that thy father saw

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the tree of which he had spoken?

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And I said, Yea, thou knowest that I

believe all the words of my father.

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First, I think it's fascinating that

this angel asks a question first.

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He wants to know what Nephi wants to know.

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I think the Lord is always

eager to give us an abundance.

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But he wants us to use our agency.

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He wants us to articulate

our thoughts and our hopes.

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And once we get that out there, then

he can take us to the next step.

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That's when he asks him if he believes the

prophet and what he's revealed already.

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By Nephi acknowledging that he does

believe the prophet, not just what the

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prophet has already said so far, but

all of his words, that opens up these

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floodgates for new understanding to come.

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But what I thought was so intriguing

is It's interesting to me that

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Nephi can believe wholeheartedly

what he doesn't understand yet.

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It oftentimes, at least in my mortal

brain, I want to understand things first.

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I want to know things for certainty

first, and then I will believe in them.

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And that's just not the way of

the gospel most of the time.

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You have to establish, I

will believe no matter what.

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And then new light and

new understanding comes.

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And that's kind of what

happens here for Nephi.

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It's this.

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Confident humility.

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That's a phrase I just

read in a book recently.

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It's this idea of he has enough testimony

and enough knowledge of the goodness of

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his dad and the goodness of scripture

and frankly I think the goodness

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of God that he's not too worried.

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He can come confidently but also

with humility to seek additional

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light and additional knowledge.

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There's this great, it's a BYU

devotional from Elder Uchtdorf.

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The whole thing is phenomenal

but I really love this.

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It's from January 2013.

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You can find it in the notes

but here's this little section.

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Says, the invitation to trust the

Lord does not relieve us from the

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responsibility to know for ourselves.

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This is more than an opportunity.

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It's an obligation, and it is one of

the reasons we were sent to this Earth.

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Latter-Day Saints are not asked to

blindly accept everything they hear.

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We're encouraged to think and

discover truth for ourselves.

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We're expected to ponder, to search,

to evaluate, and thereby to come to

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a personal knowledge of the truth.

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Yes, we do have the fullness of

the everlasting gospel, but that

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does not mean we know everything.

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In fact, one principle of the restored

gospel is our belief that God will yet

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reveal many great and important things.

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Nephi can believe wholeheartedly in

the gospel that he understands so

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far, and that belief, that faith,

gives him enough positive spiritual

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momentum to move towards truth.

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In his search, in his quest, he gets more.

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What I love is the

angel's response to him.

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He doesn't just tell him everything.

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He doesn't just show him everything.

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He lets Nephi learn in his own way.

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So, once that faith is established,

the angel rejoices, and then

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he opens up a little more.

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This is when Nephi sees the truth.

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Remember, Nephi's wish was, I just

want to see what my father saw.

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So the angel opens up the

vision and lets Nephi see.

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And then in 10, he asks another question.

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He says, And he said unto

me, What desirest thou?

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I think the angel knew before Nephi

ever answered the first question

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that what he really desired was

more than just seeing the tree.

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Nephi wants to know and

he wants to understand.

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But this gifted teacher is

working through this process.

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He's saying, okay, now you've seen this.

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Now, what do you want to know?

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I just think it's this powerful guide.

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You know, he's letting him

understand and see things.

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So Nephi wants to know the interpretation

and then he sees new things open.

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This is when he sees Mary.

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He sees her come from a town of Nazareth.

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He sees her caught up much the

way Nephi is caught up right now.

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And then he sees this babe in her arms

and somehow he seems to understand.

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So if you look in 16, it says,

And he said unto me, knowest

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thou the condescension of God?

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Another key question that

this angel issues to Nephi.

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And in 17, I said unto him, I know that

he loveth his children, nevertheless I

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do not know the meaning of all things.

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And then the angel explains

who this baby in these arms is.

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That this is the Lamb of God,

the Son of the Eternal Father.

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And then all of a sudden

understanding comes.

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When Nephi has enough belief

and faith to understand who this

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baby is, truth can settle in.

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And so the results of his

questions are he understands.

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Before he even sees the Savior in

this vision, he seems to understand.

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So in 22, And I answered him

saying, Yea, it is the love of God

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which sheddeth itself abroad in

the hearts of the children of men.

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Wherefore it's the most

desirable above all things.

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And he spake unto me saying, Yea,

and the most joyous to the soul.

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What I think is so powerful about

this teaching demonstration is

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the angel shows Nephi things.

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He opens up understanding and he

asks him really good questions.

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And in the process, the

Holy Ghost can teach.

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I think that's the reason we have

to continually guide and help

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without dumping our knowledge

of the students we're helping.

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I think we're supposed to let

the Spirit do its mighty work.

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And I think you see that with this angel.

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He lets Nephi see and understand.

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And the only reason Nephi could see

a baby in a mother's arms in a little

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town in Nazareth and understand that

that means the love of God, is if

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the Holy Spirit teaches something.

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in the process.

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There is light and knowledge

coming from other sources and

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you see the products of it here.

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The reason I like that so much for

us is there's been times, you guys,

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where when I go to the temple, I

find myself wishing I had a guide.

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You know, I wish there was someone

who would sit next to me who I could

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ask a whole bunch of questions to.

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You know, like, I want somebody who's

really knowledgeable and knows what this

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is all about to answer all my questions.

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And I think the reason we don't have a

room of instruction like that or a person

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who sits right next to us to guide us

through everything is because the Holy

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Spirit is the one who really teaches.

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What we see and what we experience

in the temple are questions that

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find out what do you want to know?

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How, how much do you want to know?

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And how many times are you going to

come back to study and understand it?

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And we don't get a guide to ask because

the Holy Spirit is there to teach us.

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It's a house of learning, but

not in the mortal kind of way.

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It's a house of learning that looks a

lot more like what you see in chapter 11.

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This second spark comes right

on the heels of that first one.

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I love how Nephi teased that up.

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He basically tells us that that tree

sheds itself and that it is this

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representation of the love of God.

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I know he just loved that visual.

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It kind of reminded me of, did you

guys ever read The Giving Tree?

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I think it's Shel Silverstein, where it's

this kid who, he has this relationship

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with this tree and at first he takes

his fruit and then over time the tree

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gives its branches and its leaves.

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the trunk.

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And by the end of this boy's lifetime,

when he's an old man, the tree is

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like down to a stump and it's just

this place that the boy can sit.

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And it's this beautiful message

all about offering one's health.

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What I love about what Nephi helps

me understand is this tree, this

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tree of life, this tree that is the

center point of this whole vision.

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It never is depleted.

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It always can shed itself

and give its love abundantly.

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Its love is infinite.

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Its ability to give and

to offer out is infinite.

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And so anyone can come and partake of

it without money and without price.

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There's just this sweet, lasting nature

of this tree and the fruit that it offers.

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What's interesting to me and what sparked

for me is that extension of that metaphor.

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So in these chapters, especially in

chapter 11, you see him reference the 12.

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You're going to hear a few times this

week, and I found myself curious about why

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he mentions the apostles so frequently.

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So for example, in chapter 11, in verse

25 says, and I came to pass that I beheld

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the rod of iron, which my father had seen.

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It was the word of God, which led to

the fountain of living waters or to

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the tree of life, which waters are

a representation of the love of God.

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And I beheld that the tree of life was

a representation of the love of God.

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And then in 28, and I

beheld that he went forth.

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This is when Nephi sees.

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the Savior.

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He went forth ministering unto the

people in power and great glory.

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And the multitudes were gathered

together to hear him, and to beheld

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that they cast him out from among them.

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And then in twenty nine, and I also

beheld twelve others following him.

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And it came to pass that they were

carried away in the Spirit from

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before my face, and I saw them not.

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What I thought was interesting is I think

it's when Nephi sees the tree, that's

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his understanding of what his father saw.

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People partaking of this gift.

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When he sees the rod, I think there

is a connection to When the Savior

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puts apostles, special witnesses, when

he calls them, they become this rod.

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Remember in the object lessons last

week how we talked about how ancient

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prophets and living prophets and the

Holy Ghost combine together to form

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this rod that takes us to the tree?

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The reason I think there's so

much emphasis on this is the rod

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is intended to get us somewhere.

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It's not just Something we're gonna endure

and, you know, work our way through.

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It's always leading people to the tree.

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I think that's exactly

what the Apostles do today.

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These special witnesses of Jesus

Christ are designed to, I shouldn't

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say designed, they're invited

to lead people to the Savior.

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This steady, unified, strengthening force

that leads people towards the blessings

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that are abundant on that tree of life.

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What I thought was really interesting

is in these verses, you don't just

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hear him call apostles, you hear

Satan work against the apostles.

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So in 34 it says, And after he was

slain, I saw the multitudes of the earth,

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that they were gathered together to

fight against the apostles of the Lamb.

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For thus were the twelve called

by the angel of the Lord.

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So, what sparked for me is, I was curious

why Satan is against the Apostles.

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You know, why, why wouldn't

he just aim for the tree?

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Why is he worried about this rod?

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And I think, as I studied and searched

more and found some beautiful quotes,

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I think it's what Apostles offer.

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not just that they teach us of Jesus

Christ and are a witness that he lives

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and that he is resurrected and all those

things, it's also because of the keys.

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I think this is about priesthood

and that the priesthood is is

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a way for people to access God.

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There was this great, uh, talk, I can't

remember if it was BYU devotional,

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it's in my notes, but it's from Elder

Renlund and he was talking about rockets

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and he basically was comparing the

priesthood as something that delivers

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a payload, you know, kind of like a

rocket delivers a payload or puts a

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satellite up into space, that if the

gifts and the blessings of God and the

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ordinances of God are that payload,

then you need a rocket to propel them.

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That's kind of the idea, I think, behind

this, what he's trying to guide us

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towards is this rod leads us to Christ.

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It allows you to take

advantage of those blessings.

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And I think that's what the

priesthood offers as well.

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Here's a quote from that talk.

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Looks like it's from 2017.

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It says, For Heavenly Father's

purposes to be accomplished,

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Christ's atoning power needs to be

made available to God's children.

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The priesthood delivers

these opportunities.

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It is the rocket.

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The priesthood is essential

because the necessary ordinances

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and covenants on earth are

administered only by its authority.

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If the priesthood fails to deliver the

opportunity to benefit from the Savior's

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atoning power, what would be its purpose?

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Would it be just a complex,

attention grabbing firecracker?

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God intends priesthood to be used

more than just a class on Sunday

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or as a service opportunity.

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He intends for it to deliver the payload.

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God wants us to partake of those blessings

of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

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All the ordinances, all the promises.

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In order for that to happen, we

need priesthood, we need keys,

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and we need the structure in

place to keep it in God's way.

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I think that's why Satan is fighting

against the apostles so vehemently,

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because he knows if he can break

down our connection and our belief

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in the special witnesses of Jesus

Christ, we'll lose our grip.

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and we'll lose our focus, and we'll

lose our trajectory to get back to

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where we're intended to go, to partake

of the blessings of Jesus Christ.

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I think you see a lot of that here.

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The visual that came back to me was

what we studied in the New Testament.

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Do you remember when Christ is feeding

the 5, 000, and it's the apostles who

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carry those baskets to the people?

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In fact, it's kind of divvied up who

they're going to help out, and they go

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out to all these 5, 000 and feed them.

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I think that's what you

see in this rod metaphor.

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The apostles and the leadership of the

church are our way to get back to the

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tree, to get the nourishment and the

strength that Christ created for us.

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They are the, the rocket that delivers

the payload or the basket that

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delivers the, the bread and the fish.

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Either way, I think they are

a gift, so that's why I love

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what you see in verse 10.

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This is in 12 of verse 10, and he says,

and these 12 ministers whom thou behold

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shall judge thy seed, and behold,

they are righteous forever because

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their faith in the lamb of God, their

garments are made white in his blood.

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This is referring to the 12 apostles who

the Savior will call in Nephite's world.

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What I love about this

is this applies to all.

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We honor and reveal the special

witnesses of Jesus Christ, not

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because they are perfect, but because

they are diligently repentant.

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They are seeking always to do His

will, to lead people to Christ, and

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they need the repentance process

just as much as all of us do.

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They also need their garments to be

made white in the blood of the Lamb.

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I just think it's, they, they are a

voice that we can trust to deliver

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the payload that we desperately need.

339

:

The vista changes a

little bit in chapter 12.

340

:

This is when Nephi sees the promised land.

341

:

This place that his father has prophesied

about, that Nephi knows is coming.

342

:

They just don't know how they're going to

get there, or how long it's going to take.

343

:

This is where Nephi

actually sees it firsthand.

344

:

And he sees the good and the bad

that comes with a land of promise.

345

:

So he sees his own posterity

flourish for a season.

346

:

He sees remarkable things.

347

:

He sees the Savior come.

348

:

He sees the apostles called.

349

:

He sees the end.

350

:

This is what I thought was so

fascinating and what sparked brightly

351

:

for me in these verses, is that

Nephi sees His people dwindle.

352

:

He sees them become overcome by

the Lamanites, the seed of his

353

:

brothers, and then he sees the

Lamanites dwindle in unbelief.

354

:

This, it was kind of fascinating.

355

:

So look in verse 21 of chapter 12.

356

:

It says, And I saw them

gathered together in multitudes.

357

:

I saw wars and rumors of wars among

them, and in wars and rumors of wars

358

:

I saw many generations pass away.

359

:

And then 22 and 23.

360

:

And the angel said unto me, Behold,

these shall dwindle in unbelief.

361

:

And it came to pass that I beheld,

and after they dwindled in unbelief,

362

:

they became a dark and loathsome and

a filthy people, full of idleness

363

:

and all manner of abominations.

364

:

This verse is not at all

about race or skin color.

365

:

Remember this is, they

come from the same father.

366

:

They all come from Lehi

this is not about race.

367

:

In fact, I heard Elder Corbett give

this beautiful answer that was kind of

368

:

similar to that at that YSA conference.

369

:

It was posted online, but

this is something deeper.

370

:

The kind of light and dark that

we're talking about is a spiritual

371

:

understanding that leaves because

they lose their connection to the rod.

372

:

It's fascinating to me when I caught

my, that phrase, that dwindle in

373

:

unbelief caught my attention this week.

374

:

And I went and studied a bunch of other

conference talks that use that phrase.

375

:

And what I found is.

376

:

I think it makes sense that they

use the word dwindle because

377

:

it means to slowly atrophy.

378

:

In fact, it means, if you look

at the dictionary definition, it

379

:

means to become steadily less.

380

:

Almost, I think,

imperceptibly steadily less.

381

:

Meaning the change is so gradual

and slow that you don't realize

382

:

how far off the path you are.

383

:

I think it's important to

remember that God does not

384

:

change his love for these people.

385

:

No matter what choices they make,

his love, just like we learned

386

:

last week, is infinite and eternal.

387

:

But their receptors for God's love

have become hardened and brittle.

388

:

And I think it's because they don't

have access to the rod anymore.

389

:

Remember those three

components of the Word of God.

390

:

Nephi, I mean Moroni, when he gets to

the end of the Book of Mormon in this

391

:

This phase of the people is playing out.

392

:

He takes the record and buries it.

393

:

So they don't have access to the

words of ancient prophets anymore.

394

:

They don't have access to the scriptures.

395

:

They don't have access to apostles or

living revelation from prophets anymore

396

:

because that leaves with Moroni too.

397

:

And they don't have access to revelation.

398

:

Remember at the end in Moroni and

Mormon's Wars they talk about how the

399

:

spirit can't get through because they

are so far off the path and they're

400

:

making so many choices that are

counter to what they know is true that

401

:

the spirit can't teach them anymore.

402

:

So that's all three parts of the

iron rod that now are out of their

403

:

reach or they have no desire to grab

hold of them and so they dwindle.

404

:

What I think is fascinating is

they're still full of something.

405

:

Remember last week when in the

questions I was asking you guys.

406

:

What do you think the equivalent is

in the great and spacious building?

407

:

What are they eating?

408

:

What are they partaking of?

409

:

I still don't know the answer.

410

:

I'm still digging for it in my scriptures,

but I do like what this verse teaches

411

:

me because it says in 23, it came to

pass that I beheld that after they had

412

:

dwindled in unbelief, they became a dark

and loathsome and filthy people full of

413

:

idleness and all manner of abominations.

414

:

I think that's what you get full

of when you turn away the tree.

415

:

I think full of idleness

is a fascinating phrase.

416

:

We think of idle, it's

kind of like a car, right?

417

:

A car, when it idles, it's using energy,

it's using fuel, but going nowhere.

418

:

In fact, it puts wear and tear on the

engine and you don't get anywhere.

419

:

That's what I think happens in that

great and spacious building metaphor.

420

:

I think you are busy.

421

:

You feel full, you just are not nourished.

422

:

There is nothing lasting in that what

you're consuming and it can't hold you.

423

:

It is in the end, thankfully.

424

:

Nephi was going to tell us later that

even those who dwindled in unbelief can be

425

:

brought back and will be gathered back in.

426

:

If you want to see those, you

can find those in 2 Nephi 26.

427

:

So if you look in verse 15 and verse

33, you see some of these promises.

428

:

And after my seed and the seed of my

brethren have dwindled in unbelief, and

429

:

shall be smitten by the Gentiles, yet

after the Lord God shall have camped

430

:

against them round about, and shall laid

siege against them with a mount, and

431

:

raised forts against them, and after they

have been brought down low into the dust,

432

:

Even that they are not yet, the words of

the righteous shall be written and the

433

:

prayers of the faithful shall be heard.

434

:

And all those who have dwindled in

unbelief shall not be forgotten.

435

:

It's the words of Nephi that

will, and other prophets in

436

:

the Book of Mormon that will.

437

:

reignite those embers.

438

:

You know, like there's, I think it's

President Eyring who talked about how the

439

:

embers of testimony never fully go out.

440

:

They can always be kindled again.

441

:

Oxygen can be put on those

embers and they'll reignite.

442

:

That's the promise here.

443

:

What he's trying to reassure Nephi

of is no matter how far off the path

444

:

your brethren go and their descendants

go, they will be brought back home.

445

:

In fact, I love how it's phrased

at the end of that chapter in 33.

446

:

He invited them all to come unto him and

partake of his goodness, and he denieth

447

:

none that come unto him, black and white,

bond and free, male and female, and he

448

:

remembereth the heathen, and all are

like unto God, both Jew and Gentile.

449

:

That's the promise.

450

:

I think the challenge for us

is to avoid the dwindling.

451

:

I think all of us have the opportunity.

452

:

all the time?

453

:

Am I going to consume what is hard and

takes effort for me to reach and push,

454

:

I have to push myself to do it and

consume something that will sustain me?

455

:

Or am I going to take the broad roads

to the great and spacious building

456

:

where I can feast on idleness but

come away with an empty stomach?

457

:

That's the question for each of us.

458

:

I call this fourth spark,

join the revolution.

459

:

It's got all kinds of Les

Mis imagery in my brain.

460

:

But basically what I see here is in

chapter 13, you see God's plan for

461

:

reclaiming those who have dwindled.

462

:

It is a long game.

463

:

He's got things in motion.

464

:

you know, thousands of years

before they'll actually come into

465

:

fulfillment, but he's got a plan.

466

:

And so he talks about the

colonizing of America.

467

:

He talks about the loss of plain and

precious truths from the writings of

468

:

the Jews or what we find in the Bible.

469

:

He talks about the restoration of

truth through the Book of Mormon and

470

:

even about those two great churches,

the Church of the Lamb and Any other

471

:

thing you can worship either his true

doctrine the way he has described it or

472

:

any other one Not a church in the way

we use it today but as a mindset a group

473

:

of people that worship any other thing

or any other people it's There's either

474

:

God's way or there's everything else.

475

:

And so that's kind of what you're

going to see in chapter 13.

476

:

What I liked is how Nephi sees a close up

view of the great and spacious building.

477

:

If you look around verse 8 of

13, this is where it kicks off.

478

:

It says, It came to pass that I beheld

this great and abominable church, and

479

:

I saw the devil was the founder of it.

480

:

He makes it really clear.

481

:

who created this and why it's here.

482

:

The devil is the founder of this

great and spacious building.

483

:

And then in nine it says, and also

for the praise of the world do

484

:

they destroy the saints of God and

bring them down into captivity.

485

:

I found myself intrigued last week

and this week of why they even bother.

486

:

You know, have you ever read that part

about those who are hanging out of

487

:

those windows of the great and spacious

building and think, Why do you even care?

488

:

Why do you, why are you worried

about the people out there?

489

:

If it's so great in that building,

why are you even looking out?

490

:

And there's all kinds of

cool quotes about that.

491

:

Elder Maxwell has some

great thoughts on it.

492

:

But I really think the core of it comes

from who the founder of this building is.

493

:

Because we know that Satan is the

founder of this, what we know about

494

:

Satan is that he hates agency.

495

:

And honestly, I think he resents and

is bitter towards anyone who takes

496

:

advantage of agency and chooses good.

497

:

Because remember, pre mortally,

that was his whole stance, right?

498

:

That we couldn't be trusted.

499

:

We, he underestimated our ability to

ever choose good, and so he wanted to

500

:

take agency and throw it out the window

and just force everyone to choose good.

501

:

So anytime we use our agency for

good, rather than leaning towards his

502

:

great and spacious building and his

fine silks and scarlets and all those

503

:

things, anytime we prove him wrong,

he gets bitter and angry and vengeful.

504

:

And that's what I think you see in

this great and spacious building story.

505

:

You see people who are rewarded

when they mock the people of God.

506

:

He offers the praise of the world to

those who try to make the people who are

507

:

using their agency for good feel small.

508

:

And I think that tells us

boatloads about his personality

509

:

and about his effectiveness.

510

:

He just hates agency, and he resents

that you or I ever prove him wrong.

511

:

I think it's interesting.

512

:

how they react to it.

513

:

So in the subsequent verses, this is when

you start to see God's game plan, right?

514

:

You hear allusions to people like Columbus

and the founding fathers and the pilgrims

515

:

and colonists who fought against, you

know, they fought for freedom and fought

516

:

against those who would hold them down.

517

:

You see all that play out

in front of your eyes.

518

:

For me, this is when Nephi is trying

to help us understand these are

519

:

people who They chose to fight.

520

:

These are people who have the

opportunity to choose good or to

521

:

choose evil, and they choose good.

522

:

They, they are part of this

revolution that will change the world.

523

:

Satan believes that we'll

all crumble under temptation,

524

:

and so he anticipates that.

525

:

What's beautiful in 13 is you

see all these people who don't.

526

:

And I think the invitation to us is

a powerful one to say, Come join us.

527

:

When we choose to study the Book

of Mormon, try to understand it,

528

:

and especially try to share it with

others, we are revolutionaries.

529

:

We are people who are, like,

fighting for the Lamb of God.

530

:

Because all those plain and precious

truths that were taken out get

531

:

clarified with the Book of Mormon.

532

:

Misunderstandings about the

Atonement and about infant baptism,

533

:

about all kinds of things that are

hazy in the world get clarified.

534

:

To me, it just feels like the Revolution.

535

:

In fact, I love the way it's phrased.

536

:

If you look in 18, it says, And I

beheld that the power of God was with

537

:

them, and also the wrath of God was

upon all those that were gathered

538

:

together against them to battle.

539

:

The reason Columbus and the Founding

Fathers and everybody else that's listed

540

:

here is successful is because they

have the help of God on their side.

541

:

But also, because the wrath

of God is going against those

542

:

who would go against them.

543

:

What was fascinating to me is, if you

go back in this last conference, you

544

:

can hear Elder Christofferson, I was

just listening to this yesterday, he

545

:

says at the beginning of his talk, it's

all about the sealing power and Elijah,

546

:

and at the beginning he talks about

the wrath of God, and that sometimes

547

:

it's interpreted as, well let me

read it to you, it says, the natural

548

:

consequences of widespread disobedience

to the laws and commandments of God.

549

:

So it's not so much that God is stifling

those who are working against the

550

:

children of God, those who are fighting

for freedom and fighting for progress so

551

:

that the Book of Mormon can come forth.

552

:

What he's doing is he's just letting

the natural course of the world unfold.

553

:

He's letting the natural man

state of this world roll out,

554

:

almost like the law of entropy.

555

:

You know, the things are gonna go towards

disarray if God isn't there to prevent

556

:

it and keep things organized and steady.

557

:

My mind just kind of went all

over the place when I started

558

:

to think on those things.

559

:

I think that's what's playing out

here is he's saying I will help those

560

:

who are diligent and obedient and

seeking to do what I need them to do.

561

:

And all else, I will

just let things unfold.

562

:

And that's what's powerful to me.

563

:

I think you also get an understanding of

what tools we're supposed to use in the

564

:

revolution and what we're supposed to say.

565

:

So if you want to be part of this flooding

the earth with the Book of Mormon, he

566

:

gives you tips on what that looks like.

567

:

So if you look in 13, verse 37.

568

:

And blessed are they who shall seek

to bring forth my Zion at that day.

569

:

For they shall have the gift

and the power of the Holy Ghost.

570

:

And if they endure unto the end,

they shall be lifted up at the

571

:

last day, and shall be saved in the

everlasting kingdom of the Lamb.

572

:

And whoso shall publish peace, yea,

tidings of great joy, how beautiful

573

:

upon the mountains shall they be.

574

:

And if you wonder what you're supposed to

say in this scenario, if you were like me

575

:

and you think you won't know what to say

as you try to flood the earth with this

576

:

goodness, he tells you how to do it in 40.

577

:

The very end of 40 you get these

three guideposts that we're

578

:

supposed to be publishing this

piece throughout the world.

579

:

It says that the Lamb of God is

the Son of the Eternal Father.

580

:

the savior of the world, and

that all men must come unto

581

:

him, or they cannot be saved.

582

:

That's the message.

583

:

That's the banner that we hold up.

584

:

It's the revolution that we're invited

to be a part of, and it will occur.

585

:

Whether we want to be a part of it or

not, or lend our voices to the cause,

586

:

that revolution will roll forward.

587

:

So I think we should jump in the ranks.

588

:

called this fifth spark, prodigal choices.

589

:

And let me explain why.

590

:

Do you remember last week when we

were studying when Laman and Lemuel

591

:

want to go back to Jerusalem?

592

:

They and some of the daughters of

Ishmael and others, they on the way

593

:

back to the wilderness, they panic a

little bit and they want to turn back.

594

:

That's, you know, when they tie

up Nephi and all those things.

595

:

And when Nephi teaches them in

that moment is they have a choice.

596

:

But he's going to tell them

exactly where their choices lead.

597

:

They get to pick, here's where

it could go or it could go here.

598

:

You can either go back to the city

that will inevitably burn or you can

599

:

go where the Lord needs you to go.

600

:

Those are your choices and

there are no other options.

601

:

And so they, you know, go.

602

:

They go to the wilderness and

they come along for the ride.

603

:

What's powerful to me is I think in 14,

you see Nephi give us those same options.

604

:

Basically, in this visionary

experience, he sees scenarios play out.

605

:

It's almost like he's teeing

up for John the Revelator.

606

:

In fact, in these verses, you're going

to hear how he's not allowed to write all

607

:

the things of his vision, because a lot

of them are going to be written by John.

608

:

So, thankfully, we just studied

the book of Revelation, you guys.

609

:

So, we already know the end of

Nephi's vision and what he sees.

610

:

But what is powerful to me is

this focus on agency and choice.

611

:

So if you look at 14, verses

1 and 2, this is what he says.

612

:

These are the promises to

those who join the revolution.

613

:

This is what he offers.

614

:

And it shall come to pass that if the

Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb

615

:

of God in that day, that he shall

manifest himself unto them in word, and

616

:

also in power, in very deed, unto the

taking away of their stumbling blocks.

617

:

And harden not their hearts against

the Lamb of God, that they shall be

618

:

numbered among the seed of thy father.

619

:

Yea, they shall be numbered

among the house of Israel.

620

:

And they shall be a blessed people

upon the promised land forever.

621

:

And they shall no more be brought

down into captivity, and the house of

622

:

Israel shall no more be confounded.

623

:

To me, what he promises is if you come

to me, if you follow the guidelines

624

:

I have laid out for you, if you hold

on to this truth, you find freedom.

625

:

That's the promise.

626

:

You have the freedom of letting go of

worrying about the opinions of the people

627

:

in the great and spacious building.

628

:

You have the freedom of knowing

that you're on a trajectory

629

:

that will be successful.

630

:

There's freedom that he

wants you to grab hold of.

631

:

In fact, I love, I was teaching my YSAs,

so my calling is I teach a group of YSAs

632

:

on Tuesday nights, and I think one of my

favorite lessons we've had so far, we were

633

:

talking about the prodigal, and this idea

of the pride cycle being a figure eight.

634

:

So we talked about that.

635

:

Well, in fact, we'll cover it

again later in the Book of Mormon.

636

:

But this idea that you don't necessarily

have to follow the pride cycle all

637

:

the way around, you can exit at times

and you can find a better way to grow

638

:

and, you know, to get blessings and

to continue your upward trajectory.

639

:

One of the things I love

is we talked about it in

640

:

comparison to the prodigal son.

641

:

And what was powerful to me is I

feel like One of the biggest moments

642

:

of freedom for the prodigal is

when he turns away from that city.

643

:

He turns away from that pigsty that

he was in and he starts walking home.

644

:

I'm sure he had all kinds of

apprehensions about what he would

645

:

face when he got there, but what he

is free from are the judgment and

646

:

opinions of all those in the city.

647

:

He's no longer trying to impress anyone.

648

:

He's no longer trying to buy anyone's

happiness or popularity through his Well,

649

:

he is free from all of those weights.

650

:

And so I feel like that walk home,

although it must have been scary,

651

:

also must have been so liberating.

652

:

You know, it's kind of the same way,

like, I told my wife, it's like that

653

:

transition from high school to college,

where you realize You don't care what

654

:

those people in high school think anymore.

655

:

You don't care how you dress anymore,

or if you look cool in college.

656

:

You can set all those weights down.

657

:

There is freedom that

comes in those moments.

658

:

That's the feeling I think our

Savior wants us to have all the time.

659

:

We know our choices.

660

:

We know what he wants from

us, and we get to Choose.

661

:

We get to choose whichever one we see.

662

:

So if you look in 1 Nephi 14, verse

7, For the time cometh, saith the Lamb

663

:

of God, that I will work a great and

a marvelous work among the children of

664

:

men, a work which shall be everlasting,

either on the one hand or on the other.

665

:

Every other time I've read about the great

and marvelous work that comes forth, I've

666

:

just assumed it means the Book of Mormon

coming forth, the Church being restored.

667

:

And although I think all of

that is true, In these verses, I

668

:

think he's talking about agency.

669

:

He's saying the great and

marvelous work is, I'm going

670

:

to show you all your options.

671

:

I'm going to show you where this road

goes, and I'm going to show you where

672

:

this road goes, and you get to choose.

673

:

And the great and marvelous work

is that he has equipped us with the

674

:

tools we need to choose the right

He's equipped us with prophets,

675

:

with scripture, and with personal

revelation so we know where to go.

676

:

That's what these verses teach you.

677

:

It's all about, let me show you what

these roads look like and you get to pick.

678

:

So the rest of the verse says, Either

to the convincing of them unto peace and

679

:

life eternal, or Or unto the deliverance

of them to the hardness of their hearts

680

:

and the blindness of their minds, unto

their being brought down into captivity

681

:

and into destruction, both temporally and

spiritually, according to the captivity

682

:

of the devil, of which I have spoken.

683

:

Can't you, like, almost see

him holding out these two

684

:

options saying, you get to pick.

685

:

I brought you to this great and marvelous

work so that you can see very clearly.

686

:

What your options are

and where the roads end.

687

:

And now choose.

688

:

You are great and a marvelous work.

689

:

Choose.

690

:

And I just love that everything we've

read up to this point and everything

691

:

we're gonna read in the Book of

Mormon from this point forward is

692

:

urging us to choose the right road.

693

:

This sixth spark that I

call brace yourselves.

694

:

It's gonna be a bumpy ride because I

think What you see here before this

695

:

vision opens up So we're gonna get

from the angel Nephi's gonna see this

696

:

vision expand Remember not all this

written because a lot of it's gonna

697

:

be illustrated by John in the book

of Revelation But we studied that and

698

:

it's some rocky Forward thinking right?

699

:

This is where you see The forces

of the adversary grow in intensity

700

:

and in numbers and in strength.

701

:

You see them almost dominate.

702

:

You see this very small band of the

believers who fight back against this

703

:

force and it's this very bumpy road.

704

:

What I love is what the angel does before

he opens up this part of the vision.

705

:

Because to me it's a lot like what you do

before your kid rides a roller coaster.

706

:

So just this last year we took Violet

to Universal Studios and she'd never

707

:

really been on a real roller coaster

and she had some very serious.

708

:

And I went with her the first

time we just went on a fairly

709

:

small rollercoaster at Universal.

710

:

And I was pumping her up the whole time.

711

:

I was explaining to her, like,

you're going to feel this.

712

:

Your stomach's going to do this.

713

:

Here's what you can trust in.

714

:

There's these seatbelts.

715

:

There's this little bar

that sits in your lap.

716

:

Here's what you can trust.

717

:

But trust me, it's gonna be bumpy and

you're gonna, you're gonna make it.

718

:

It's, it's this pep talk that you

give your kids so that they'll

719

:

have the guts to get in the ride.

720

:

And I feel like that's kind of what

happens with this angel and Nephi.

721

:

If you look in 14 verse 8, what he

says before Nephi gets on this roller

722

:

coaster where he sees Devastation and

struggle and all kinds of hard things.

723

:

It's what you read in 8, he says, And

it came to pass that when the angel

724

:

had spoken these words, he said unto

me, Rememberest thou the covenants of

725

:

the Father unto the house of Israel?

726

:

And I said unto him, Yea.

727

:

And then this rollercoaster

of a vision opens up.

728

:

And I think the reason the angel

covered this first is he wants Nephi

729

:

to remember what covenants mean.

730

:

That covenants are a

relationship between you and God.

731

:

That covenants never are broken by God.

732

:

That the promises he made to your

fathers apply to you and to your

733

:

posterity and everybody in between.

734

:

Like, those promises

are lasting and solid.

735

:

The reason I like this so much for

us is I feel like we're seeing this

736

:

from President Nelson all the time.

737

:

It's this invitation that, yes, these

last days are going to be a bumpy ride.

738

:

There are, this roller coaster is

going to twist upside down, you're

739

:

going to feel like you, every force

of physics is going to kick you out of

740

:

your seat, but there are promises here.

741

:

You will make it to the end of this ride.

742

:

If you stay here and you buckle up

and you listen, you have a promise

743

:

that The covenants that were made to

your fathers and to you will hold you.

744

:

They will last and they will

absolutely be fulfilled.

745

:

I think it's why you see so many

references to being children

746

:

of the covenant lately and

even being a child of God.

747

:

You know, it's one of the first

things we teach our kids to sing

748

:

because that is their pep talk

to get them through a hard life.

749

:

They have to remember who they are.

750

:

I loved how in conference, I can't

remember who it was that said it, but

751

:

they talked about being in that taxi cab

and that the driver recognized him as

752

:

a member of the church and started to

ask him questions and that as they were

753

:

chatting back and forth he realized that

this man hadn't been to church in a really

754

:

long time, like since his teenage years,

but still could remember some of the

755

:

words of I'm a child of God and sang it.

756

:

That's why we need these moments.

757

:

I think that's why this

is where the angel began.

758

:

Because this vision is going to be

scary and it's going to be bumpy

759

:

and it's going to worry Nephi.

760

:

But he needs to remember the

promise and so he gets reassured.

761

:

So my goal is, as I'm teaching my

kids, to worry less about the day

762

:

to day and all the things they need

to be afraid of and focus so much

763

:

more on the promises that last.

764

:

What will give them the courage

to buckle into this ride and

765

:

see it through to the end?

766

:

I think you get a lot of tips for

that as you go into 1 Nephi 14.

767

:

This last spark hit me in chapter 15.

768

:

So at the end, this is after the vision

closes, and Nephi is working his way back

769

:

to camp, and he comes back to his brothers

kind of squabbling over what the vision

770

:

means and how they can't understand it.

771

:

And I just think he's feeling

the weight of everything.

772

:

It reminds me a lot of probably the

first encounter you had in the temple

773

:

when you received your endowments.

774

:

That, you know, that you came expecting

to see the tree, wanting to see something

775

:

your father saw, expecting to see

something that is familiar, and instead

776

:

you are opened up to so much more good.

777

:

So much more good, but a lot that you

can't process and understand at once.

778

:

And I think Nephi's having that kind of

experience as he's walking back to camp.

779

:

He's trying to process all of that.

780

:

He's also trying to process

the fact that he knows his

781

:

posterity aren't going to make it.

782

:

That they will have the

incredible blessing of having

783

:

the Savior come among them.

784

:

They'll have a few generations

of peace and prosperity.

785

:

And then this steady downhill decline.

786

:

And it breaks his heart.

787

:

In fact, I think it must have been

hard for Nephi to know that his

788

:

descendants are going to get overcome

by Laman and Lemuel's descendants.

789

:

You know, even though they're

all from the same family and

790

:

they're all linked together.

791

:

They're the ones that are victorious.

792

:

So I wonder if Nephi's processing all

this at once and he's just frustrated.

793

:

So he talks about how he feels.

794

:

This is in 4 and 5 of chapter 15.

795

:

And now I, Nephi, was grieved because

of the hardness of their hearts, and

796

:

also because of the things which I had

seen, and knew they must unavoidably

797

:

come to pass because of the great

wickedness of the children of men.

798

:

And it came to pass that I was overcome

because of my afflictions, for I

799

:

considered mine afflictions were great

above all, because of the destruction of

800

:

my people, for I had beheld their fall.

801

:

That's the weight on Nephi's shoulders.

802

:

He knows what's going to come, and

he knows the promises, and he knows

803

:

that it will be okay in the end,

but oh, he's got this heavy weight.

804

:

What I think is so remarkable

is what Nephi chooses to

805

:

do when he feels overcome.

806

:

And that's what I think

you see in verse six.

807

:

And it came to pass that after I have

received strength, I spake unto my

808

:

brethren, desiring to know of them

the cause of their disputations.

809

:

What Nephi does in this moment is

exactly what we saw the Savior do

810

:

when he was overcome and struggling.

811

:

I'm putting words in his mouth,

but you know, like, we saw this

812

:

a few times in the New Testament.

813

:

Like, when the Savior is worried

Because he hears about John

814

:

the Baptist being beheaded, and

he is grieving for his cousin.

815

:

And in that process, it talks about,

I think it's in Matthew, it talks

816

:

about him going into the desert,

and then once he's there, he serves.

817

:

He sees people who are hungry for

knowledge and hungry for food,

818

:

and he serves them in abundance.

819

:

Same thing happens.

820

:

As he's worried about, I imagine,

Gethsemane and the cross.

821

:

Because right before that you

have the Last Supper where

822

:

he washes the Apostles feet.

823

:

This is how the Savior

processes those emotions.

824

:

I think it's the invitation

that we all have as well.

825

:

That when you feel overcome You're

supposed to seek for strength first, and

826

:

then you're supposed to serve, even when

it feels counter to everything else.

827

:

Even when you feel like the

problems that you're solving for

828

:

others are smaller than your own.

829

:

In fact, I think that's where real power

comes, when you condescend in that way.

830

:

So, for example, this is

from President Hinckley.

831

:

He said, The best antidote

I know for worry is work.

832

:

The best medicine for despair is service.

833

:

The best cure for weariness is the

834

:

This is what Nephi does in this

moment, when he feels overcome and

835

:

he feels heavy and he feels the

struggle of what is ahead, he serves.

836

:

And he does for his brothers

essentially what the angel did for him.

837

:

He guides them through the mission.

838

:

He doesn't take them as

deep as he got to go.

839

:

He takes them where he's allowed, I think.

840

:

So he does the same pattern.

841

:

He asks them a question, like he wants

to know, Have you inquired of the Lord?

842

:

You're seeking understanding

and you're not getting it.

843

:

Have you asked?

844

:

And of course their response to him

is, the Lord doesn't talk to us.

845

:

I thought this was fascinating.

846

:

I've felt this many times, you guys, where

I believe in revelation, and I believe

847

:

other people are getting revelation,

and I believe in all those things,

848

:

but I worry that I'm not getting it.

849

:

Not because I think that God

is deficient in some way.

850

:

Just because I know that my

reception of it is not up to par.

851

:

And so I think that's

where Laman and Lemuel are.

852

:

They're just not getting it.

853

:

I love the way it's phrased in verse 11.

854

:

Sometimes I wonder if this verse

is actually for Nephi, but it's

855

:

Nephi teaching his brothers.

856

:

It says, Do you not remember the

things which the Lord hath said?

857

:

If you will not harden your hearts

and ask me in faith, believing that

858

:

you shall receive, with diligence and

keeping my commandments, surely these

859

:

things shall be made known unto you.

860

:

I think this is Nephi getting confirmation

from the Spirit that he'll know

861

:

all that he needs to know in time.

862

:

That even though he's still trying to

wrestle and understand everything he

863

:

just saw and how it's going to play

out and what he can do, you know, he

864

:

must have had intense pressure on his

shoulders knowing that it's the writings

865

:

of the book he's writing that will bring

people back to the gospel at some point.

866

:

I mean, imagine the pressure that he's

under and all that's on his shoulders.

867

:

And I think as he testifies of this

truth to his brothers, The Spirit

868

:

probably confirmed it to him.

869

:

And I think that's why we're asked

to teach the gospel, you guys.

870

:

Even when we don't know it perfectly or

understand everything fully, it's because

871

:

when we testify, when you teach what's

in the Book of Mormon, even imperfectly,

872

:

the Spirit can reassure your heart.

873

:

The Spirit can confirm things to your mind

and your spirit, and you'll know and have

874

:

the confidence you need to go forward.

875

:

I think it's why we're invited to teach

constantly in this faith because it

876

:

gives you a chance to serve and to be

reaffirmed in what you believe to be true.

877

:

All right, you guys, are you ready for

some deep and meaningful questions?

878

:

My goal with these questions is just to

get your mind stewing, to get you into

879

:

your scriptures, to give you opportunities

to have good conversations with people

880

:

and see where the spirit leads you.

881

:

I don't know the answers

to most of these questions.

882

:

I'm just hoping that you will find some.

883

:

And if you get a chance,

Share them with me.

884

:

Like, I would love to see them in the

comment thread, or in the course, or

885

:

simply if you just share them with

the people around you, I think it

886

:

gives you a chance to realize how

often the Lord is trying to teach

887

:

you when you ask good questions.

888

:

So, let's get started.

889

:

Okay, first question that I have for you.

890

:

Why do you think there are two

representations of the love of God

891

:

in Nephi's version of the vision?

892

:

Let me backtrack and explain.

893

:

Basically what you're going to see in that

first chapter is Nephi talks about seeing

894

:

the rod and where the rod leads, that

it leads to the tree, and that it also

895

:

leads to the fountain of living waters.

896

:

And then he talks about how both of

those things represent the love of God.

897

:

And we know from Elder Rednar Ingo in

the notes that he talks about how the

898

:

fruit on the tree is blessings that

come from the atonement of Jesus Christ.

899

:

So I guess my question is

why do you need the fountain?

900

:

What does it add to that metaphor?

901

:

Why does Nephi see it but Lehi didn't?

902

:

Like what does it add?

903

:

Why do we have both the fruit to

consume and the water to relieve thirst?

904

:

Why do we have both of those?

905

:

I'm curious.

906

:

Okay, second question.

907

:

This is when Nephi's talking about

that great and spacious building.

908

:

He calls it large and spacious

and he sees actually its demise.

909

:

He sees it fall.

910

:

The visual that hit me as I was studying

this is, I don't know if you guys, when

911

:

you were kids, you made blanket forts.

912

:

So you know how you like flip a couch

on its side and you try to stretch

913

:

that blanket across the top of two

couches as far as you possibly can.

914

:

And as you stretch it beyond

what it's capable of doing.

915

:

Inevitably that blanket like.

916

:

falls down.

917

:

That's kind of what I picture

when you think about the Great

918

:

and Spacious Building falling.

919

:

Almost like it expanded to the point

that to try and include all the

920

:

philosophies of men and all the ideas

that are out there and it falls.

921

:

So I guess my question is, how

does this apply to us today?

922

:

Do you think the building is shaking

right now as it stretches to try

923

:

and include all that is out there?

924

:

Where do you see this Great and Spacious

Building metaphor applying in our day?

925

:

Third question.

926

:

So this is when Nephi sees his descendants

and all the battles that ensue.

927

:

He sees, it's almost like

what Samuel the Lamanite saw.

928

:

He sees the Savior coming.

929

:

He sees him actually

come to his descendants.

930

:

And the first thing the Savior

does is he shows himself.

931

:

In fact, it's, I think it says he

manifests himself in the words.

932

:

He shows himself unto men.

933

:

And then if you go on through

Nephi, especially if you follow the

934

:

footnote path, you can see that this

is the Savior showing his wounds.

935

:

And as I followed that chain, like I

went from where we are in 1st Nephi and I

936

:

followed it into 3rd Nephi, I found myself

wondering, why is this what he does first?

937

:

You know, the first thing he does when he

comes is not call the apostles, or teach

938

:

them how to pray, or teach them about, you

know, the Sermon on the Mount, basically.

939

:

The first thing he does is he

shows the wounds in his hands and

940

:

the feet, and I want to know why.

941

:

So, go in the verses in 1st Nephi, go

in 3rd Nephi, and then give me your

942

:

answers and let me know what you think.

943

:

Okay.

944

:

Next one.

945

:

This is 1st Nephi 13.

946

:

And from, like, 10 to 20 or so.

947

:

This is where you see that interesting

phase where he kind of alludes to the

948

:

colonization of America and you know, the

Book of Mormon being able to come forth

949

:

because it's in this land of freedom that

that is kind of set in motion by God.

950

:

What I think is interesting is it's really

easy to put all those people that are

951

:

referenced, you know, Columbus and the

pilgrims and the founding fathers and

952

:

the colonists and the revolutionaries,

like, it's easy to put them on pedestals.

953

:

But all of these people have flaws

and weaknesses and not all of the

954

:

things that came from them doing

this work ended up in good, right?

955

:

There's some hard things that

come in our history because

956

:

of these things that play out.

957

:

So my question is, why does God give

his power and his strength and his

958

:

ability to something that is imperfect?

959

:

Why does he grant power and

understanding and help to those who

960

:

are imperfect and to a work that may

end up producing imperfect things?

961

:

What are your thoughts?

962

:

Okay, last question.

963

:

I really love in the last chapter when

Nephi is teaching about things being

964

:

grafted in He's trying to help Laman and

Lemuel understand that the children of

965

:

Israel will be grafted back in that all

these branches that have been You know,

966

:

planted elsewhere will be brought back

into this tree and he uses that metaphor

967

:

of the olive tree having branches grafted.

968

:

I thought it was fascinating as I studied

more and thankfully we studied this

969

:

a lot in the New Testament as well.

970

:

But this idea of grafting, meaning

I'm going to cut a notch out of

971

:

the true vine out of that trunk.

972

:

I'm going to cut a fresh slice on

the branch and then I'm going to

973

:

put those two together and then I'm

going to wrap it with this really

974

:

tight band, often like a cloth strip.

975

:

And in that process, The, the

branch becomes part of the tree.

976

:

And I think there are a lot of beautiful

allusions to the atonement in that visual.

977

:

And I guess my hope is that

you will think on that and find

978

:

out what those allusions are.

979

:

There are a few that I can

see, but I bet there are more.

980

:

So why do you think that image of

that grafting of the olive tree and

981

:

the wrapping and the process of time

that has to occur in order for them

982

:

to become one, how does it represent

the atonement of Jesus Christ for you?

983

:

I'd love to hear your answers.

984

:

Before we head into the creative side

of things, I just wanted to wrap up

985

:

with this thought that hit me this week.

986

:

I think one of the most powerful

things I learned as I was studying this

987

:

week's verses is that this is not a

story about just getting to the tree.

988

:

I think it's a story and a

vision about how much God seeks

989

:

after us all along that process.

990

:

How much he does in order to urge us

home by providing a path and providing

991

:

a rod and beckoning us and making fruit

that is the most delicious thing and

992

:

the most filling thing you can imagine.

993

:

Like all the things he does.

994

:

Like this week as I was studying, I went

back to that verse from last week where

995

:

Lehi describes when people get to the

tree and they fall down and they worship.

996

:

Nephi has a similar verse in his,

in his version of vision as well.

997

:

And last week when I was studying,

I was thinking that was something

998

:

of like a You reach the finish line.

999

:

Remember, I compared

it to a half marathon.

:

00:50:12,211 --> 00:50:16,351

But this time, I think there also might

be something to the effect of, I think

:

00:50:16,351 --> 00:50:20,481

these people fall because they taste

the goodness of God and they know how

:

00:50:20,491 --> 00:50:24,631

little they did to contribute to the

glory that they have in their hands.

:

00:50:25,281 --> 00:50:29,326

I think when you taste that fruit

and you get to that tree, You

:

00:50:29,326 --> 00:50:34,496

appreciate how much God did versus

how much effort it cost you.

:

00:50:34,866 --> 00:50:38,226

You know, the same way when you

study Enos story and he's kind of

:

00:50:38,236 --> 00:50:40,046

baffled that his sins can be forgiven.

:

00:50:40,056 --> 00:50:41,536

He's like, how, how is it done?

:

00:50:41,606 --> 00:50:43,816

I think that's the feeling

when you fall at the tree.

:

00:50:43,816 --> 00:50:48,606

It's because you know how good that fruit

is and how little in comparison you did.

:

00:50:48,981 --> 00:50:50,381

Compared to everything that God did.

:

00:50:50,561 --> 00:50:51,611

That's what jumped out at me.

:

00:50:52,111 --> 00:50:55,211

The reason that thought came to mind

is a quote I read from Sister Porter.

:

00:50:55,441 --> 00:50:59,031

This is from her October

:

:

00:50:59,391 --> 00:51:02,421

She says this, Sometimes we mistakenly

think that we can feel God's love

:

00:51:02,421 --> 00:51:05,331

only after we have followed the

iron rod and partaken of the fruit.

:

00:51:05,661 --> 00:51:08,621

God's love, however, not only is

received by those who come to the

:

00:51:08,621 --> 00:51:12,261

tree, but is the very power that

motivates us to seek that tree.

:

00:51:12,821 --> 00:51:15,871

Wherefore, it is the most desirable

above all things, Nephi taught.

:

00:51:15,911 --> 00:51:18,851

And the angel exclaimed, Yea,

and the most joyous to the soul.

:

00:51:19,366 --> 00:51:22,506

God's love is not found in the

circumstances of our lives, but

:

00:51:22,506 --> 00:51:24,236

in his presence in our lives.

:

00:51:24,806 --> 00:51:27,566

That's what I felt over and over

again as I studied these verses.

:

00:51:27,696 --> 00:51:31,566

He's with us from the very beginning

when we catch hold of that rod,

:

00:51:31,956 --> 00:51:35,996

till the very end when we partake

of that fruit and we rejoice.

:

00:51:36,046 --> 00:51:38,076

He's with you every step of the way.

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