1 Nephi 14

MDC Contents			1 Nephi 14:1 1 And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks-- "In that day" in this verse refers to the time when the restoration of the plain and precious parts of the Gospel will occur. Christ, identified here as the Lamb of God ( a designation which should be quite powerful to Nephi who understands the symbolism of the lamb sacrifice in the Mosaic law) will manifest himself unto the world "in power, in very deed." While some of the fulfilment of this prophecy may yet await, clearly much of the intent was fulfilled in the events of the restoration of the Gospel, and the visitation of Christ to Joseph Smith. 1 Nephi 14:2 2 And harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, they shall be numbered among the seed of thy father; yea, they shall be numbered among the house of Israel; and they shall be a blessed people upon the promised land forever; they shall be no more brought down into captivity; and the house of Israel shall no more be confounded. The redemption of the Gentiles will come according to the degree to which they accept the newly revealed truth, the new restoration of those plain and precious parts of the gospel which have been lost. As the Gentiles accept this new restoration, they become numbered with the house of Israel and receive the blessings which are promised to the house of Israel. The second promise to the Gentiles is that they will be preserved from captivity. There are two ways to read this prophecy. The first is to assume that captivity refers to the condition of the Gentiles before coming to North America. If we read that, then the promise of freedom from captivity would apply to a location, and perhaps a government. That might refer to the governments of North America, but would appear to exclude much of the world's population from these benefits. Another reading is that the captivity is not that of mortals, but of the image of the great and abominable church. Under this reading the captivity would be spiritual, and the freedom from that kind of captivity is open to all who accept the gospel, in any land, despite the nature of their government. This reading appears to fit better with the context of the great and abominable church theme which is about to resume, and with the known impact of the gospel on the modern world. 1 Nephi 14:3 3 And that great pit, which hath been digged for them by that great and abominable church, which was founded by the devil and his children, that he might lead away the souls of men down to hell--yea, that great pit which hath been digged for the destruction of men shall be filled by those who digged it, unto their utter destruction, saith the Lamb of God; not the destruction of the soul, save it be the casting of it into that hell which hath no end. In the very next verse after declaring a freedom from captivity, the next phrase begins with a conjunction, and presumes to attach this information to the previous conditions. This once again strengthens the idea that the freedom from captivity refers to that kind of captivity verse three describes for "that great pit." 1 Nephi 14:4 4 For behold, this is according to the captivity of the devil, and also according to the justice of God, upon all those who will work wickedness and abomination before him. Now we have the image complete. We begin with a more general and perhaps ambiguous reference to captivity, move through verse three with more information on the what that captivity might be, and end with verse fours clear declaration that the point of the discussion is the captivity of the devil. 1 Nephi 14:5 5 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, Nephi, saying: Thou hast beheld that if the Gentiles repent it shall be well with them; and thou also knowest concerning the covenants of the Lord unto the house of Israel; and thou also hast heard that whoso repenteth not must perish. 1 Nephi 14:6 6 Therefore, wo be unto the Gentiles if it so be that they harden their hearts against the Lamb of God. Nephi learns a law of the Lord, that the expectations increase after the receipt of blessings. That "law" is explicitly stated in the Doctrine and Covenants: D&C 82:3 "For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation." 1 Nephi 14:7 7 For the time cometh, saith the Lamb of God, that I will work a great and a marvelous work among the children of men; a work which shall be everlasting, either on the one hand or on the other--either to the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal, or unto the deliverance of them to the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds unto their being brought down into captivity, and also into destruction, both temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the devil, of which I have spoken. The Lord expands his point to Nephi by further explaining the nature of what is also called in the scriptures a "two-edged sword." This gift of the restoration can be to all either a tremendous blessing or curse. It will either provide life everlasting, or eternal destruction. The most powerful of revelations come with this two-edged razor - and man is left to his agency to select which of the two he will have. This image of the dual nature of God's revelations is expanded in various ways in the scriptures, and forms the basis for Lehi's later discussion of opposition in all things. In the Old World, the early Christian literature emphasized this dual nature frequently enough that the theme is known as the "Doctrine of the Two Ways". 1 Nephi 14:8 8 And it came to pass that when the angel had spoken these words, he said unto me: Rememberest thou the covenants of the Father unto the house of Israel? I said unto him, Yea. The next section of the revelation is preceded by an introductory statement intended to foreshadow the purpose of the revelation to follow. Nephi is asked "rememberest thou the covenants of the Father unto the house of Israel?" This statement foreshadows the purpose of the revelation, and is here to essentially ask Nephi to remember those promises as the next series of events unfolds. As we examine the following verses, there will be little that appears directly related to "he covenants of the Father unto the house of Israel." As with Nephi, we too must hold this thought until the events are resolved, and we understand how they relate to the covenants with Israel. 1 Nephi 14:9 9 And it came to pass that he said unto me: Look, and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose founder is the devil. 1 Nephi 14:10 10 And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth. From the reference to Israel's covenants the vision moves to the great and abominable church, which has been an important theme of the vision. As first introduced, the great and abominable church had more to do with the Gentiles than the house of Israel. This great and abominable church is the entity which removed the plain and precious parts of the gospel from the Gentiles. In a chronological "future history" of the Gospel in the world, it is interesting that we return to the theme of the great and abominable church after witnessing the events of the restoration. This appearance of the great and abominable church would therefore appear to occur after the restoration of the gospel, and thus is more applicable to current readers than to those soon after the restoration. In this verse the vision sets up a dichotomy, and one or the other designation. All people are placed on the one hand or the other. This is an apt follow up to the previous note that the restoration of the gospel will lead to salvation or damnation. In the image of the two ways, all greys are subsumed into the symbolic black and white of the opposite ways. In this sense will all be of one "church" or the other. Once again, since there is no know condition which currently would suggest that there will be only a Mormon and Roman Catholic church in these last days, the great and abominable church is a symbolic construction. It is also important to note that just as the sword's edge of damnation is a symbolic construction, so too is the edge of salvation. The implication is that the vision is speaking of the quality of souls here, and not church organizations on either hand. 1 Nephi 14:11 11 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters; and she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. 1 Nephi 14:12 12 And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw. This certainly describes the world as we know it. For all of the spectacular growth of the church, it still numbers few against the world. 1 Nephi 14:13 13 And it came to pass that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together multitudes upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God. 1 Nephi 14:14 14 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory. Where is this war? Where shall it be fought? It is waged every day in our communities and our societies. It is waged over airwaves and print. It is waged in quiet and subtle ways, but it is a war nevertheless. Anything which walks us down the "other" path cannot lead to the path of salvation. In vision our days are described as a war. Unlike the clear earlier reference to the particular event of Columbus' discovery, this "war" is an image, a symbol, rather than a particular war. The saints should not wait to gird for battle until they see a physical war coming. The real war is already enjoined. 1 Nephi 14:15 15 And it came to pass that I beheld that the wrath of God was poured out upon that great and abominable church, insomuch that there were wars and rumors of wars among all the nations and kindreds of the earth. 1 Nephi 14:16 16 And as there began to be wars and rumors of wars among all the nations which belonged to the mother of abominations, the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold, the wrath of God is upon the mother of harlots; and behold, thou seest all these things-- At this point the vision becomes apocalyptic, and describes events which are yet in our own future. It is a reflection of all other scriptures discussing the events of the last days. The "wars and rumors of wars" language clearly reflects the images of those parallel verses. The New Testament examples are: Matthew 24:6 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet. And Mark 13:7 7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for [such things] must needs be; but the end [shall] not [be] yet. The theme is more frequent in modern revelation. 1 Nephi 14:17 17 And when the day cometh that the wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots, which is the great and abominable church of all the earth, whose founder is the devil, then, at that day, the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel. Finally we return to the issue of the house of Israel. We find that all of these things are in preparation for the ultimate redemption of Israel, and the fulfilling of the covenants with Israel. Remember, of course, that by this time the Gentiles who accept the restoration have already been included as benefactors of the covenants with the house of Israel (verse 2). 1 Nephi 14:18 18 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! 1 Nephi 14:19 19 And I looked and beheld a man, and he was dressed in a white robe. 1 Nephi 14:20 20 And the angel said unto me: Behold one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 1 Nephi 14:21 21 Behold, he shall see and write the remainder of these things; yea, and also many things which have been. 1 Nephi 14:22 22 And he shall also write concerning the end of the world. Nephi's apocalyptic vision is sufficiently comprehensive as to show a vision of John the beloved, and to indicate that part of John's mission would be to write concerning the events of the end of the world. Nephi's vision of the end emphasizes the particular perspective of his lineage, but it is not limited to his descendants, nor to the New World exclusively. In order to understand himself and his progeny in the proper context, Nephi is shown the events of the end which include the Old World. The apocalyptic writings of John demonstrate no such global awareness. Where Nephi specifically sees the future history of two hemispheres, John's vision is global without distinction. Why might there be such a division? Why would Nephi's vision be more explicit than that which John recorded? The answer is necessarily speculative, but John was a child of the Old World only, and his apocalyptic vision provided the essential information on the future history of the whole world without reference to another hemisphere (which he may or may not have seen in vision - remembering that the Lord intended to keep the New World from the knowledge of the Old for a time). The difference with Nephi was that he was child of both worlds, with concerns for the future of both. Thus it was relevant for Nephi to comprehend the interaction of the hemispheres, but not so for John. 1 Nephi 14:23 23 Wherefore, the things which he shall write are just and true; and behold they are written in the book which thou beheld proceeding out of the mouth of the Jew; and at the time they proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, or, at the time the book proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, the things which were written were plain and pure, and most precious and easy to the understanding of all men. The first part of this verse is the general reiteration of the truthfulness of the Biblical text, with the caveat that the Bible has had a history which has altered the "plain and pure." This sentiment parallels completely the removal of the "plain and precious" parts of the text, and should be seen in that light. The comment that when the book left the "mouth of the Jew", meaning John, that it was "most precious and easy to the understanding of all men" is perhaps one of the most amazing statements to any who have ever tried to read and comprehend that text. It is currently anything but "easy to the understanding of all men." Does that mean that the text has been altered? There is no evidence that the text has undergone anything other than the normal transmission process. The "easy to the understanding" must refer to the change in our culture and understanding which have altered our ability to understand the text. Perhaps it is no different than the new members of the modern church who are confused with the peculiar Mormon vocabulary and have to relearn what a Stake Center (heard as Steak?) might mean. Removed from the culture and time which produced it, it is somewhat more difficult to understand now. 1 Nephi 14:24 24 And behold, the things which this apostle of the Lamb shall write are many things which thou hast seen; and behold, the remainder shalt thou see. 1 Nephi 14:25 25 But the things which thou shalt see hereafter thou shalt not write; for the Lord God hath ordained the apostle of the Lamb of God that he should write them. Nephi's vision is comprehensive, but he is restricted in writing. This restriction from the Lord indicates the sure foreknowledge that this writing would eventually be available to others to read. Whether it was meant as a restriction for his own people or not is unknown, but it appears most likely that the prohibition to write was directed at the modern reader who would already have the words of John. Thus it appears that Nephi's purpose in writing down this vision was specifically directed at the latter day reader rather than his contemporaries. 1 Nephi 14:26 26 And also others who have been, to them hath he shown all things, and they have written them; and they are sealed up to come forth in their purity, according to the truth which is in the Lamb, in the own due time of the Lord, unto the house of Israel. The grammatical reference of the first phrase "and also others who have been" is obscure. There is no clear referent for the "have been" - there is a missing verb. The reference is directly to John and his writing, and so the implied verb would be "and also others who have been shown this vision." The Lord is letting Nephi know that his experience with this vision of the future history of the world and gospel is not a unique thing, but something which is given to others. In addition to Nephi and John, others have also written, and their writings are sealed up to come forth at a later time. At this time, we cannot say whether these records have been revealed, or are to be revealed. There are certainly numerous manuscripts which have come forth in recent years which might fit into this category. There might yet be other sacred writings which are yet to come. From our modern perspective, the import of the verse is not that we are awaiting more confirmation form other sources, but that these visions of the conclusion of the purpose of the earth are not isolated incidences - and that they shall corroborate each other. 1 Nephi 14:27 27 And I, Nephi, heard and bear record, that the name of the apostle of the Lamb was John, according to the word of the angel. 1 Nephi 14:28 28 And behold, I, Nephi, am forbidden that I should write the remainder of the things which I saw and heard; wherefore the things which I have written sufficeth me; and I have written but a small part of the things which I saw. Save the citations from Isaiah, Nephi's text which begins with the Tree of Life and ends with the abbreviated account of his apocalyptic vision is the longest extended text in the Book of Mormon. Nevertheless he indicates that he has written "but a small part of the things which I saw." Much of the missing description is absent on command. This is a text written long after the event, and inserted in the body of a more or less "historical" account of the families exodus from Jerusalem. What is most interesting is that the trigger for the apocalyptic vision is the Tree of Life dream, but Nephi's account of his vision leaves behind the explication of the particular symbols rather rapidly, and expands to the Johnanine apocalypse. What is most interesting is that in the chapter to come (chapter 15) when Nephi returns to speak with his brothers, the questions return to the interpretation of symbols. This great vision is not even mentioned. In the context of the actual events, we have a dream, Nephi seeking an interpretation, and then explaining it to his brothers. What is missing from that context is the great messianic vision. Certainly Lehi saw it, and included some of it. Certainly Nephi saw it - but there is less evidence that he specifically related what he saw. Why include the vision in the small plates account? As indicated before, the particular restrictions on writing appear to mark this vision for the latter day. It would have been immeasurably important and uplifting to Nephi, but it appears that the details were, at least at the time, not for public knowledge. 1 Nephi 14:29 29 And I bear record that I saw the things which my father saw, and the angel of the Lord did make them known unto me. 1 Nephi 14:30 30 And now I make an end of speaking concerning the things which I saw while I was carried away in the spirit; and if all the things which I saw are not written, the things which I have written are true. And thus it is. Amen. Nephi brings closure to this experience in the only appropriate way possible. He testifies to the truthfulness of what is written. Reynolds and Sjodahl suggest that the closing "and thus it is. Amen" might suggest that this was a sermon: "The closing words may indicate that the foregoing, from the beginning of chapter 11, was intended as a sermon and was delivered as such. Undoubtedly, the family of Lehi held regular services on the Sabbath, and the vision, as related, would naturally form a fruitful subject for discourses." While this might be a reasonable speculation, there is really nothing in the text which so suggests. The nature of the apocalyptic vision, and the references therein appear more directed to a modern audience than an ancient one. There are no other indications in Nephi's writings of his own teachings or sermons. Nephi will include his brother Jacob's writings and discourses, but never indicates any of his own. The particular mentions made of the restriction of themes are so related to the latter days, that it is difficult to believe that this particular vision was (in the form presented) given as a sermon at the time. The vision reads much more as a personal experience for Nephi, and one which is recorded for his personal reasons in a set of plates which are separate from the ones he had obviously already worked on. The suggestion that this might have been a sermon does not fit with the presentation of the text.
			by Brant Gardner. Copyright 1998