This is the fourth and final chapter containing Nephi’s great vision, which he received via an angel after asking the Lord if he could see and hear and know of things that had been revealed to his father Lehi.
- The first chapter (1 Nephi 11) helped us understand how the tree of life is a symbol of the love of our Savior.
- The second chapter (1 Nephi 12) tells in miniature the story of the Book of Mormon, with specific emphasis on the moral choices made by the members of Lehi’s family through the generations. Tragically, we learn that, eventually (over the period of 1,000 years) those who choose wickedness will far outnumber those who are righteous, and ultimately overpower them.
- The third chapter (1 Nephi 13) reveals the plan God has to bring light into a darkened world. After the apostasy (or general falling away from the truth) has taken place in both the Old and New Worlds, the Lord uses the records of past prophets in both the Bible and Book of Mormon to bring to pass the miracle of reestablishing the truth about our relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. America becomes a central part of this “restoration” as a haven for freedom of conscience.
- The fourth chapter (this one) ties everything together. It tells us that ultimately, “a great and marvelous work” (verse 7) will give all people the opportunity to decide whether we are with or against the Lord. I think it’s important for us to know at some level it will be a simple, binary choice so that we don’t deceive ourselves into thinking we can have it both ways. True happiness comes from following the Lord, and although it may seem intimidating to some degree (following the commandments of God can feel challenging at times) there are two very comforting things to remember:
1. We are in charge of what we choose. There are a lot of things that we can’t control, or at least not fully. Events that affect us and take place around us, the choices and ultimate fate of other people. But we are the captains of what we think, say, do, and ultimately, become in our personal qualities and attitudes.
2. There’s a way to change teams. Even though we might find ourselves right now on one of two sides (Church of Jesus Christ or church of the devil), the greatest gift we have available to us in our mortal lives is that once we realize how important our choice of team is, the opportunity is open for us to leave the wrong side (and losing side, I might add) behind and join the right (and winning) side. There’s no penalty for “jumping on the bandwagon” in the fourth quarter, down by 50 points, if we truly commit to Christ’s team (though intentionally delaying this commitment will increase its difficulty for us). Much of it has to do with having the courage to see the world as it is, and examining ourselves and our most important desires with honesty and clarity. Christ’s grace (through his atoning sacrifice) is always sufficient, opening up the miracle of repentance and forgiveness to us. The “covenant people of the Lord” are known as the “house of Israel,” but it is our choices, not our blood lineage, which determine this identity, or this relationship we can have with God.
Two additional key points. First, note the absolute futility of those in the “great and abominable” church. They dig a pit to ensnare others, because they don’t want to be alone in their unhappiness and misery. All it gets them is deeper and deeper into their own pit. Second, there will be great, climactic conflict in the world as the time draws near for the “end of the world,” but at the same time we are reassured that the “covenant people of the Lord” will be in place throughout the earth as a light to others in a darkening world (verse 12), even if their numbers may be relatively small.
What is the “end of the world”? Well, we have heard about it before from Jesus himself (in Matthew’s Gospel) in the parable of the wheat and the tares. In the parable, the end of the world does not appear to be the literal destruction of the earth. Instead, it represents the time of harvest where “angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just” (Matt. 13:49).
This brings to mind the Book of Revelation. In this chapter, Nephi tells us that in his vision, the angel shows Nephi the apostle John (Revelation’s author) and the same things John would see in his vision more than 600 years later. But Nephi is commanded to leave to John the task of recording these specifics. We learn also that the Lord has shown similar visions to others as well, and that their writings will come forth at some future date to reinforce what we know from Nephi and John.
You can read the chapter at this link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/14?lang=eng
No comments:
Post a Comment