As explained in the previous chapter, Nephi responds to Lehi’s account of the vision of the tree of life by going to the Lord in pondering and prayer to find out if he can see the things his father did.
Nephi writes of being “caught away in the Spirit of the Lord,” into an “exceedingly high” mountain, and right away we realize that Nephi’s experience will be somewhat different from his father’s. It starts with a different vantage point. If you remember, Lehi was met by an angel in a field. He saw things from ground level. By contrast, Nephi is going to probably have a much more panoramic view.
Another striking difference is that the Spirit tells Nephi what he is going to see even before he sees it. After an initial conversation verifying Nephi’s faith in Lehi’s words, the Spirit says that after Nephi sees the tree of life, he will see a vision of the Son of God (Jesus) descending out of heaven. Clearly, the Spirit is intimating that the significance of the tree and of Jesus are closely related—something we’ll get greater confirmation of later. It’s also interesting to hear Nephi talk about the Spirit (the Holy Ghost). Nephi says that the Spirit takes the form of a man, and they basically are having a face-to-face conversation.
What Nephi desires more than anything is to understand the meaning of the vision his father saw and that he is now seeing. But instead of just communicating the meaning of the beautiful white tree through words, the Spirit and an angel (the same one who appeared to Lehi?) show Nephi a parallel vision of the Virgin Mary—first in Nazareth, then being carried away by the Spirit (conceiving Jesus), and finally bearing a child (the infant Christ) in her arms.
It is by means of this parallel vision and an explanation from the angel that Nephi connects the tree with the “love of God,” which is “most desirable above all things.”
The parallel vision continues, as Nephi sees Jesus go among men—teaching them, ministering to them in “power and great glory,” having many fall at His feet in worship. Remember, this is about 600 years before Christ’s life, but Nephi is seeing it happen. He also sees the coming of John the Baptist as the preparer of the way, and beholds the scene of Jesus’ baptism.
All appears to be on display here—the great miracles Jesus performed, the disciples who followed Him, the others who rejected Him. Nephi notes that while Jesus was among the people, angels (presumably unseen to most mortal eyes) were also joining Jesus in his ministry.
Finally, the vision shows the world’s judgment and execution of its own Redeemer, and the outnumbering of Jesus’ apostles by the multitudes arrayed against them.
As this parallel vision comes before Nephi, he recognizes that the rod of iron that leads to the tree of life and the fountain of water nearby symbolizes the “word of God.” So, essentially, he now knows that the vision is telling him that seeking, holding fast to, and following the word of God leads in a straight a line as possible to the love of God.
I’ve always thought that the love of God has two angles. First, there’s God’s love for us, which is infinite and perfect. We get to feel this love the more we open ourselves up to it. Second, there’s our love for God, which is a work in progress, and grows stronger and more apparent as we seek to know and to carry out the Lord’s will in our lives. If you are familiar with the first chapter of the Gospel of John, you will recognize that the “word of God” is in fact Jesus Himself.
So, if it is true that the word of God leads to the love of God, by equating Jesus with the word of God we learn that coming to know Jesus and staying as close to Him as possible helps us both enjoy and actively participate in God’s love. And, ultimately, there is no higher way of experiencing the love of God than becoming more like His Son. He sacrificed everything for us as a perfect manifestation of love, and we are learning to become more like Him by how we love Him and His children (everyone else).
Nephi also learns that the multitudes he sees persecuting Christ’s apostles are the people from the “great and spacious building” of Lehi’s vision. They represent the “pride of the world.” And Nephi’s experience leaves him in no doubt of the fate of those with pride--to paraphrase Proverbs 16:18, “pride goeth before a fall.” The fall of the prideful who reject Christ and His followers is the tragic other side of the coin to the inevitable victory of Christ and His Father’s plan for all who seek the happiness They offer.
You can read the chapter here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/11?lang=eng
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