Hey you guys, welcome back. This is week four of Our Mothers Knew It, and another deep dive into the Book of Mormon. So this week we get to build off where we left off last week. So where we ended, Nephi was hoping to see what his father saw. He, he's diligent, he's worthy, he's anxious to receive. additional light and knowledge, and he's hoping to turn to the Lord to get it. And that's kind of what kicks off these chapters. We're going to go from 11 to 15, which sounds pretty short, but it's actually quite a bit of pages, because this is a very expansive vision. Nephi comes to the table hoping for a small amount of understanding, and what happens is, The Lord, in his abundant way, gives him so much more. In fact, I found myself kind of dazzled by how much more he gets. I found myself even a little bit envious of Nephi's vision because the idea of seeing so much open before my view, even things that I can't fully understand yet, just kind of presented in front of me, I was like, That must be great. I know I'm not a prophet. I don't have Nephi's stewardship, but I found myself envious that I don't have that kind of visionary experience. And then I went to the temple. You guys, this week I went to the temple and I was corrected. I think every time we go to the temple, we have an opportunity to have an experience in some degree like Nephi's, where you see. a lot. You don't understand it all at first. In fact, you have to go many times and review and study and, and then you see the grand plan of God. And that's what Nephi saw too. In fact, one of the things I love about this week's study is he seems to get an appreciation for the good and the hard that are coming because of the plan of salvation. He sees, you know, the blessings that will come to his posterity. He gets a glimpse of the land of promise and he knows what's ahead for his family, but he also sees The hard that's coming. The hard that comes when his children and their descendants don't follow the Lord. What, what will eventually happen? And then he sees the restoration play out. He, he sees God's plan to bring everybody back home. And I just found myself I'm grateful for his words. Maybe because I was just watching a movie about a shipwreck, but I found myself thinking that these chapters are kind of like Nephi's, you know, message in a bottle. He knows from this vision that his posterity will not make it. They'll make it a few generations past when Christ comes in joy and peace, and then it will be this decline, and eventually they'll be overcome. by the seed of his brethren. And I feel like he's sending us this message in a bottle. His ship, the ship of the Nephites is sinking and he is, he is determined to cast this message towards us to help us understand our Savior, to understand the plan of salvation and where we fit in it. That's what I saw in this week's study, and I can't wait to guide you into some of those areas. Like I've mentioned in the week's past, I'm just going to give you seven key a things that caught my eye and maybe some processes I went through to try and understand more about those sparks and what I could learn from the scriptures. Then I'll ask you five questions, conversation questions to get you going and to give you a chance to wrestle with these ideas that are in these verses and see what the Spirit teaches you. And then we'll create a second video of the three object lessons to help you find ways to take what you're learning and teach it to others. It's a chance for your testimony to be solidified as you feel these sparks light up in others. Hopefully it will all be worth it. All right, you guys, grab your scriptures, grab your notes. It's time to get started. Lots of things sparked for me in chapter 11, but I'm just going to narrow it down to a few. The first one here I call teaching through questions. Maybe because I am a teacher, that's what I love to do, it's what I'm passionate about. I'm always seeking for teaching guidance in the scriptures. And I think you see a lot of it in 11. Because you see Nephi come hoping for some understanding, and then the angel sent as a minister and a teacher to help guide him along in this understanding process. But what's fascinating to me is the angel doesn't actually answer many of his questions, he shows him things, and then he asks a lot of questions. He prompts Nephi to think deeply and to be more agile in his thinking, and you get to see it play out in the verses. So where you begin, Nephi is hoping for understanding about Lehi's dream. He's pondering what has already been revealed and hoping for more. It reminds me a lot of, remember when we studied D& C 76? This is the same kind of phrasing that Joseph Smith uses. He's stewing on things. He's pondering on what has already been revealed, and then this vision opens up. That seems to be what happens here for Nephi. He hopes for one thing. In fact, that's what you'll see in the verses. It says in chapter 11 verses 2 through 4, And the Spirit said unto me, Behold, what desirest thou? And I said, I desire to behold the things which my father saw. And the Spirit said unto me, Believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he had spoken? And I said, Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father. First, I think it's fascinating that this angel asks a question first. He wants to know what Nephi wants to know. I think the Lord is always eager to give us an abundance. But he wants us to use our agency. He wants us to articulate our thoughts and our hopes. And once we get that out there, then he can take us to the next step. That's when he asks him if he believes the prophet and what he's revealed already. By Nephi acknowledging that he does believe the prophet, not just what the prophet has already said so far, but all of his words, that opens up these floodgates for new understanding to come. But what I thought was so intriguing is It's interesting to me that Nephi can believe wholeheartedly what he doesn't understand yet. It oftentimes, at least in my mortal brain, I want to understand things first. I want to know things for certainty first, and then I will believe in them. And that's just not the way of the gospel most of the time. You have to establish, I will believe no matter what. And then new light and new understanding comes. And that's kind of what happens here for Nephi. It's this. Confident humility. That's a phrase I just read in a book recently. It's this idea of he has enough testimony and enough knowledge of the goodness of his dad and the goodness of scripture and frankly I think the goodness of God that he's not too worried. He can come confidently but also with humility to seek additional light and additional knowledge. There's this great, it's a BYU devotional from Elder Uchtdorf. The whole thing is phenomenal but I really love this. It's from January 2013. You can find it in the notes but here's this little section. Says, the invitation to trust the Lord does not relieve us from the responsibility to know for ourselves. This is more than an opportunity. It's an obligation, and it is one of the reasons we were sent to this Earth. Latter-Day Saints are not asked to blindly accept everything they hear. We're encouraged to think and discover truth for ourselves. We're expected to ponder, to search, to evaluate, and thereby to come to a personal knowledge of the truth. Yes, we do have the fullness of the everlasting gospel, but that does not mean we know everything. In fact, one principle of the restored gospel is our belief that God will yet reveal many great and important things. Nephi can believe wholeheartedly in the gospel that he understands so far, and that belief, that faith, gives him enough positive spiritual momentum to move towards truth. In his search, in his quest, he gets more. What I love is the angel's response to him. He doesn't just tell him everything. He doesn't just show him everything. He lets Nephi learn in his own way. So, once that faith is established, the angel rejoices, and then he opens up a little more. This is when Nephi sees the truth. Remember, Nephi's wish was, I just want to see what my father saw. So the angel opens up the vision and lets Nephi see. And then in 10, he asks another question. He says, And he said unto me, What desirest thou? I think the angel knew before Nephi ever answered the first question that what he really desired was more than just seeing the tree. Nephi wants to know and he wants to understand. But this gifted teacher is working through this process. He's saying, okay, now you've seen this. Now, what do you want to know? I just think it's this powerful guide. You know, he's letting him understand and see things. So Nephi wants to know the interpretation and then he sees new things open. This is when he sees Mary. He sees her come from a town of Nazareth. He sees her caught up much the way Nephi is caught up right now. And then he sees this babe in her arms and somehow he seems to understand. So if you look in 16, it says, And he said unto me, knowest thou the condescension of God? Another key question that this angel issues to Nephi. And in 17, I said unto him, I know that he loveth his children, nevertheless I do not know the meaning of all things. And then the angel explains who this baby in these arms is. That this is the Lamb of God, the Son of the Eternal Father. And then all of a sudden understanding comes. When Nephi has enough belief and faith to understand who this baby is, truth can settle in. And so the results of his questions are he understands. Before he even sees the Savior in this vision, he seems to understand. So in 22, And I answered him saying, Yea, it is the love of God which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men. Wherefore it's the most desirable above all things. And he spake unto me saying, Yea, and the most joyous to the soul. What I think is so powerful about this teaching demonstration is the angel shows Nephi things. He opens up understanding and he asks him really good questions. And in the process, the Holy Ghost can teach. I think that's the reason we have to continually guide and help without dumping our knowledge of the students we're helping. I think we're supposed to let the Spirit do its mighty work. And I think you see that with this angel. He lets Nephi see and understand. And the only reason Nephi could see a baby in a mother's arms in a little town in Nazareth and understand that that means the love of God, is if the Holy Spirit teaches something. in the process. There is light and knowledge coming from other sources and you see the products of it here. The reason I like that so much for us is there's been times, you guys, where when I go to the temple, I find myself wishing I had a guide. You know, I wish there was someone who would sit next to me who I could ask a whole bunch of questions to. You know, like, I want somebody who's really knowledgeable and knows what this is all about to answer all my questions. And I think the reason we don't have a room of instruction like that or a person who sits right next to us to guide us through everything is because the Holy Spirit is the one who really teaches. What we see and what we experience in the temple are questions that find out what do you want to know? How, how much do you want to know? And how many times are you going to come back to study and understand it? And we don't get a guide to ask because the Holy Spirit is there to teach us. It's a house of learning, but not in the mortal kind of way. It's a house of learning that looks a lot more like what you see in chapter 11. This second spark comes right on the heels of that first one. I love how Nephi teased that up. He basically tells us that that tree sheds itself and that it is this representation of the love of God. I know he just loved that visual. It kind of reminded me of, did you guys ever read The Giving Tree? I think it's Shel Silverstein, where it's this kid who, he has this relationship with this tree and at first he takes his fruit and then over time the tree gives its branches and its leaves. the trunk. And by the end of this boy's lifetime, when he's an old man, the tree is like down to a stump and it's just this place that the boy can sit. And it's this beautiful message all about offering one's health. What I love about what Nephi helps me understand is this tree, this tree of life, this tree that is the center point of this whole vision. It never is depleted. It always can shed itself and give its love abundantly. Its love is infinite. Its ability to give and to offer out is infinite. And so anyone can come and partake of it without money and without price. There's just this sweet, lasting nature of this tree and the fruit that it offers. What's interesting to me and what sparked for me is that extension of that metaphor. So in these chapters, especially in chapter 11, you see him reference the 12. You're going to hear a few times this week, and I found myself curious about why he mentions the apostles so frequently. So for example, in chapter 11, in verse 25 says, and I came to pass that I beheld the rod of iron, which my father had seen. It was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters or to the tree of life, which waters are a representation of the love of God. And I beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God. And then in 28, and I beheld that he went forth. This is when Nephi sees. the Savior. He went forth ministering unto the people in power and great glory. And the multitudes were gathered together to hear him, and to beheld that they cast him out from among them. And then in twenty nine, and I also beheld twelve others following him. And it came to pass that they were carried away in the Spirit from before my face, and I saw them not. What I thought was interesting is I think it's when Nephi sees the tree, that's his understanding of what his father saw. People partaking of this gift. When he sees the rod, I think there is a connection to When the Savior puts apostles, special witnesses, when he calls them, they become this rod. Remember in the object lessons last week how we talked about how ancient prophets and living prophets and the Holy Ghost combine together to form this rod that takes us to the tree? The reason I think there's so much emphasis on this is the rod is intended to get us somewhere. It's not just Something we're gonna endure and, you know, work our way through. It's always leading people to the tree. I think that's exactly what the Apostles do today. These special witnesses of Jesus Christ are designed to, I shouldn't say designed, they're invited to lead people to the Savior. This steady, unified, strengthening force that leads people towards the blessings that are abundant on that tree of life. What I thought was really interesting is in these verses, you don't just hear him call apostles, you hear Satan work against the apostles. So in 34 it says, And after he was slain, I saw the multitudes of the earth, that they were gathered together to fight against the apostles of the Lamb. For thus were the twelve called by the angel of the Lord. So, what sparked for me is, I was curious why Satan is against the Apostles. You know, why, why wouldn't he just aim for the tree? Why is he worried about this rod? And I think, as I studied and searched more and found some beautiful quotes, I think it's what Apostles offer. not just that they teach us of Jesus Christ and are a witness that he lives and that he is resurrected and all those things, it's also because of the keys. I think this is about priesthood and that the priesthood is is a way for people to access God. There was this great, uh, talk, I can't remember if it was BYU devotional, it's in my notes, but it's from Elder Renlund and he was talking about rockets and he basically was comparing the priesthood as something that delivers a payload, you know, kind of like a rocket delivers a payload or puts a satellite up into space, that if the gifts and the blessings of God and the ordinances of God are that payload, then you need a rocket to propel them. That's kind of the idea, I think, behind this, what he's trying to guide us towards is this rod leads us to Christ. It allows you to take advantage of those blessings. And I think that's what the priesthood offers as well. Here's a quote from that talk. Looks like it's from 2017. It says, For Heavenly Father's purposes to be accomplished, Christ's atoning power needs to be made available to God's children. The priesthood delivers these opportunities. It is the rocket. The priesthood is essential because the necessary ordinances and covenants on earth are administered only by its authority. If the priesthood fails to deliver the opportunity to benefit from the Savior's atoning power, what would be its purpose? Would it be just a complex, attention grabbing firecracker? God intends priesthood to be used more than just a class on Sunday or as a service opportunity. He intends for it to deliver the payload. God wants us to partake of those blessings of the atonement of Jesus Christ. All the ordinances, all the promises. In order for that to happen, we need priesthood, we need keys, and we need the structure in place to keep it in God's way. I think that's why Satan is fighting against the apostles so vehemently, because he knows if he can break down our connection and our belief in the special witnesses of Jesus Christ, we'll lose our grip. and we'll lose our focus, and we'll lose our trajectory to get back to where we're intended to go, to partake of the blessings of Jesus Christ. I think you see a lot of that here. The visual that came back to me was what we studied in the New Testament. Do you remember when Christ is feeding the 5, 000, and it's the apostles who carry those baskets to the people? In fact, it's kind of divvied up who they're going to help out, and they go out to all these 5, 000 and feed them. I think that's what you see in this rod metaphor. The apostles and the leadership of the church are our way to get back to the tree, to get the nourishment and the strength that Christ created for us. They are the, the rocket that delivers the payload or the basket that delivers the, the bread and the fish. Either way, I think they are a gift, so that's why I love what you see in verse 10. This is in 12 of verse 10, and he says, and these 12 ministers whom thou behold shall judge thy seed, and behold, they are righteous forever because their faith in the lamb of God, their garments are made white in his blood. This is referring to the 12 apostles who the Savior will call in Nephite's world. What I love about this is this applies to all. We honor and reveal the special witnesses of Jesus Christ, not because they are perfect, but because they are diligently repentant. They are seeking always to do His will, to lead people to Christ, and they need the repentance process just as much as all of us do. They also need their garments to be made white in the blood of the Lamb. I just think it's, they, they are a voice that we can trust to deliver the payload that we desperately need. The vista changes a little bit in chapter 12. This is when Nephi sees the promised land. This place that his father has prophesied about, that Nephi knows is coming. They just don't know how they're going to get there, or how long it's going to take. This is where Nephi actually sees it firsthand. And he sees the good and the bad that comes with a land of promise. So he sees his own posterity flourish for a season. He sees remarkable things. He sees the Savior come. He sees the apostles called. He sees the end. This is what I thought was so fascinating and what sparked brightly for me in these verses, is that Nephi sees His people dwindle. He sees them become overcome by the Lamanites, the seed of his brothers, and then he sees the Lamanites dwindle in unbelief. This, it was kind of fascinating. So look in verse 21 of chapter 12. It says, And I saw them gathered together in multitudes. I saw wars and rumors of wars among them, and in wars and rumors of wars I saw many generations pass away. And then 22 and 23. And the angel said unto me, Behold, these shall dwindle in unbelief. And it came to pass that I beheld, and after they dwindled in unbelief, they became a dark and loathsome and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations. This verse is not at all about race or skin color. Remember this is, they come from the same father. They all come from Lehi this is not about race. In fact, I heard Elder Corbett give this beautiful answer that was kind of similar to that at that YSA conference. It was posted online, but this is something deeper. The kind of light and dark that we're talking about is a spiritual understanding that leaves because they lose their connection to the rod. It's fascinating to me when I caught my, that phrase, that dwindle in unbelief caught my attention this week. And I went and studied a bunch of other conference talks that use that phrase. And what I found is. I think it makes sense that they use the word dwindle because it means to slowly atrophy. In fact, it means, if you look at the dictionary definition, it means to become steadily less. Almost, I think, imperceptibly steadily less. Meaning the change is so gradual and slow that you don't realize how far off the path you are. I think it's important to remember that God does not change his love for these people. No matter what choices they make, his love, just like we learned last week, is infinite and eternal. But their receptors for God's love have become hardened and brittle. And I think it's because they don't have access to the rod anymore. Remember those three components of the Word of God. Nephi, I mean Moroni, when he gets to the end of the Book of Mormon in this This phase of the people is playing out. He takes the record and buries it. So they don't have access to the words of ancient prophets anymore. They don't have access to the scriptures. They don't have access to apostles or living revelation from prophets anymore because that leaves with Moroni too. And they don't have access to revelation. Remember at the end in Moroni and Mormon's Wars they talk about how the spirit can't get through because they are so far off the path and they're making so many choices that are counter to what they know is true that the spirit can't teach them anymore. So that's all three parts of the iron rod that now are out of their reach or they have no desire to grab hold of them and so they dwindle. What I think is fascinating is they're still full of something. Remember last week when in the questions I was asking you guys. What do you think the equivalent is in the great and spacious building? What are they eating? What are they partaking of? I still don't know the answer. I'm still digging for it in my scriptures, but I do like what this verse teaches me because it says in 23, it came to pass that I beheld that after they had dwindled in unbelief, they became a dark and loathsome and filthy people full of idleness and all manner of abominations. I think that's what you get full of when you turn away the tree. I think full of idleness is a fascinating phrase. We think of idle, it's kind of like a car, right? A car, when it idles, it's using energy, it's using fuel, but going nowhere. In fact, it puts wear and tear on the engine and you don't get anywhere. That's what I think happens in that great and spacious building metaphor. I think you are busy. You feel full, you just are not nourished. There is nothing lasting in that what you're consuming and it can't hold you. It is in the end, thankfully. Nephi was going to tell us later that even those who dwindled in unbelief can be brought back and will be gathered back in. If you want to see those, you can find those in 2 Nephi 26. So if you look in verse 15 and verse 33, you see some of these promises. And after my seed and the seed of my brethren have dwindled in unbelief, and shall be smitten by the Gentiles, yet after the Lord God shall have camped against them round about, and shall laid siege against them with a mount, and raised forts against them, and after they have been brought down low into the dust, Even that they are not yet, the words of the righteous shall be written and the prayers of the faithful shall be heard. And all those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not be forgotten. It's the words of Nephi that will, and other prophets in the Book of Mormon that will. reignite those embers. You know, like there's, I think it's President Eyring who talked about how the embers of testimony never fully go out. They can always be kindled again. Oxygen can be put on those embers and they'll reignite. That's the promise here. What he's trying to reassure Nephi of is no matter how far off the path your brethren go and their descendants go, they will be brought back home. In fact, I love how it's phrased at the end of that chapter in 33. He invited them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness, and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female, and he remembereth the heathen, and all are like unto God, both Jew and Gentile. That's the promise. I think the challenge for us is to avoid the dwindling. I think all of us have the opportunity. all the time? Am I going to consume what is hard and takes effort for me to reach and push, I have to push myself to do it and consume something that will sustain me? Or am I going to take the broad roads to the great and spacious building where I can feast on idleness but come away with an empty stomach? That's the question for each of us. I call this fourth spark, join the revolution. It's got all kinds of Les Mis imagery in my brain. But basically what I see here is in chapter 13, you see God's plan for reclaiming those who have dwindled. It is a long game. He's got things in motion. you know, thousands of years before they'll actually come into fulfillment, but he's got a plan. And so he talks about the colonizing of America. He talks about the loss of plain and precious truths from the writings of the Jews or what we find in the Bible. He talks about the restoration of truth through the Book of Mormon and even about those two great churches, the Church of the Lamb and Any other thing you can worship either his true doctrine the way he has described it or any other one Not a church in the way we use it today but as a mindset a group of people that worship any other thing or any other people it's There's either God's way or there's everything else. And so that's kind of what you're going to see in chapter 13. What I liked is how Nephi sees a close up view of the great and spacious building. If you look around verse 8 of 13, this is where it kicks off. It says, It came to pass that I beheld this great and abominable church, and I saw the devil was the founder of it. He makes it really clear. who created this and why it's here. The devil is the founder of this great and spacious building. And then in nine it says, and also for the praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God and bring them down into captivity. I found myself intrigued last week and this week of why they even bother. You know, have you ever read that part about those who are hanging out of those windows of the great and spacious building and think, Why do you even care? Why do you, why are you worried about the people out there? If it's so great in that building, why are you even looking out? And there's all kinds of cool quotes about that. Elder Maxwell has some great thoughts on it. But I really think the core of it comes from who the founder of this building is. Because we know that Satan is the founder of this, what we know about Satan is that he hates agency. And honestly, I think he resents and is bitter towards anyone who takes advantage of agency and chooses good. Because remember, pre mortally, that was his whole stance, right? That we couldn't be trusted. We, he underestimated our ability to ever choose good, and so he wanted to take agency and throw it out the window and just force everyone to choose good. So anytime we use our agency for good, rather than leaning towards his great and spacious building and his fine silks and scarlets and all those things, anytime we prove him wrong, he gets bitter and angry and vengeful. And that's what I think you see in this great and spacious building story. You see people who are rewarded when they mock the people of God. He offers the praise of the world to those who try to make the people who are using their agency for good feel small. And I think that tells us boatloads about his personality and about his effectiveness. He just hates agency, and he resents that you or I ever prove him wrong. I think it's interesting. how they react to it. So in the subsequent verses, this is when you start to see God's game plan, right? You hear allusions to people like Columbus and the founding fathers and the pilgrims and colonists who fought against, you know, they fought for freedom and fought against those who would hold them down. You see all that play out in front of your eyes. For me, this is when Nephi is trying to help us understand these are people who They chose to fight. These are people who have the opportunity to choose good or to choose evil, and they choose good. They, they are part of this revolution that will change the world. Satan believes that we'll all crumble under temptation, and so he anticipates that. What's beautiful in 13 is you see all these people who don't. And I think the invitation to us is a powerful one to say, Come join us. When we choose to study the Book of Mormon, try to understand it, and especially try to share it with others, we are revolutionaries. We are people who are, like, fighting for the Lamb of God. Because all those plain and precious truths that were taken out get clarified with the Book of Mormon. Misunderstandings about the Atonement and about infant baptism, about all kinds of things that are hazy in the world get clarified. To me, it just feels like the Revolution. In fact, I love the way it's phrased. If you look in 18, it says, And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle. The reason Columbus and the Founding Fathers and everybody else that's listed here is successful is because they have the help of God on their side. But also, because the wrath of God is going against those who would go against them. What was fascinating to me is, if you go back in this last conference, you can hear Elder Christofferson, I was just listening to this yesterday, he says at the beginning of his talk, it's all about the sealing power and Elijah, and at the beginning he talks about the wrath of God, and that sometimes it's interpreted as, well let me read it to you, it says, the natural consequences of widespread disobedience to the laws and commandments of God. So it's not so much that God is stifling those who are working against the children of God, those who are fighting for freedom and fighting for progress so that the Book of Mormon can come forth. What he's doing is he's just letting the natural course of the world unfold. He's letting the natural man state of this world roll out, almost like the law of entropy. You know, the things are gonna go towards disarray if God isn't there to prevent it and keep things organized and steady. My mind just kind of went all over the place when I started to think on those things. I think that's what's playing out here is he's saying I will help those who are diligent and obedient and seeking to do what I need them to do. And all else, I will just let things unfold. And that's what's powerful to me. I think you also get an understanding of what tools we're supposed to use in the revolution and what we're supposed to say. So if you want to be part of this flooding the earth with the Book of Mormon, he gives you tips on what that looks like. So if you look in 13, verse 37. And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day. For they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost. And if they endure unto the end, they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb. And whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be. And if you wonder what you're supposed to say in this scenario, if you were like me and you think you won't know what to say as you try to flood the earth with this goodness, he tells you how to do it in 40. The very end of 40 you get these three guideposts that we're supposed to be publishing this piece throughout the world. It says that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father. the savior of the world, and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved. That's the message. That's the banner that we hold up. It's the revolution that we're invited to be a part of, and it will occur. Whether we want to be a part of it or not, or lend our voices to the cause, that revolution will roll forward. So I think we should jump in the ranks. called this fifth spark, prodigal choices. And let me explain why. Do you remember last week when we were studying when Laman and Lemuel want to go back to Jerusalem? They and some of the daughters of Ishmael and others, they on the way back to the wilderness, they panic a little bit and they want to turn back. That's, you know, when they tie up Nephi and all those things. And when Nephi teaches them in that moment is they have a choice. But he's going to tell them exactly where their choices lead. They get to pick, here's where it could go or it could go here. You can either go back to the city that will inevitably burn or you can go where the Lord needs you to go. Those are your choices and there are no other options. And so they, you know, go. They go to the wilderness and they come along for the ride. What's powerful to me is I think in 14, you see Nephi give us those same options. Basically, in this visionary experience, he sees scenarios play out. It's almost like he's teeing up for John the Revelator. In fact, in these verses, you're going to hear how he's not allowed to write all the things of his vision, because a lot of them are going to be written by John. So, thankfully, we just studied the book of Revelation, you guys. So, we already know the end of Nephi's vision and what he sees. But what is powerful to me is this focus on agency and choice. So if you look at 14, verses 1 and 2, this is what he says. These are the promises to those who join the revolution. This is what he offers. 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. And harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, that 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. And they shall no more be brought down into captivity, and the house of Israel shall no more be confounded. To me, what he promises is if you come to me, if you follow the guidelines I have laid out for you, if you hold on to this truth, you find freedom. That's the promise. You have the freedom of letting go of worrying about the opinions of the people in the great and spacious building. You have the freedom of knowing that you're on a trajectory that will be successful. There's freedom that he wants you to grab hold of. In fact, I love, I was teaching my YSAs, so my calling is I teach a group of YSAs on Tuesday nights, and I think one of my favorite lessons we've had so far, we were talking about the prodigal, and this idea of the pride cycle being a figure eight. So we talked about that. Well, in fact, we'll cover it again later in the Book of Mormon. But this idea that you don't necessarily have to follow the pride cycle all the way around, you can exit at times and you can find a better way to grow and, you know, to get blessings and to continue your upward trajectory. One of the things I love is we talked about it in comparison to the prodigal son. And what was powerful to me is I feel like One of the biggest moments of freedom for the prodigal is when he turns away from that city. He turns away from that pigsty that he was in and he starts walking home. I'm sure he had all kinds of apprehensions about what he would face when he got there, but what he is free from are the judgment and opinions of all those in the city. He's no longer trying to impress anyone. He's no longer trying to buy anyone's happiness or popularity through his Well, he is free from all of those weights. And so I feel like that walk home, although it must have been scary, also must have been so liberating. You know, it's kind of the same way, like, I told my wife, it's like that transition from high school to college, where you realize You don't care what those people in high school think anymore. You don't care how you dress anymore, or if you look cool in college. You can set all those weights down. There is freedom that comes in those moments. That's the feeling I think our Savior wants us to have all the time. We know our choices. We know what he wants from us, and we get to Choose. We get to choose whichever one we see. So if you look in 1 Nephi 14, verse 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. Every other time I've read about the great and marvelous work that comes forth, I've just assumed it means the Book of Mormon coming forth, the Church being restored. And although I think all of that is true, In these verses, I think he's talking about agency. He's saying the great and marvelous work is, I'm going to show you all your options. I'm going to show you where this road goes, and I'm going to show you where this road goes, and you get to choose. And the great and marvelous work is that he has equipped us with the tools we need to choose the right He's equipped us with prophets, with scripture, and with personal revelation so we know where to go. That's what these verses teach you. It's all about, let me show you what these roads look like and you get to pick. So the rest of the verse says, Either to the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal, or 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 into destruction, both temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the devil, of which I have spoken. Can't you, like, almost see him holding out these two options saying, you get to pick. I brought you to this great and marvelous work so that you can see very clearly. What your options are and where the roads end. And now choose. You are great and a marvelous work. Choose. And I just love that everything we've read up to this point and everything we're gonna read in the Book of Mormon from this point forward is urging us to choose the right road. This sixth spark that I call brace yourselves. It's gonna be a bumpy ride because I think What you see here before this vision opens up So we're gonna get from the angel Nephi's gonna see this vision expand Remember not all this written because a lot of it's gonna be illustrated by John in the book of Revelation But we studied that and it's some rocky Forward thinking right? This is where you see The forces of the adversary grow in intensity and in numbers and in strength. You see them almost dominate. You see this very small band of the believers who fight back against this force and it's this very bumpy road. What I love is what the angel does before he opens up this part of the vision. Because to me it's a lot like what you do before your kid rides a roller coaster. So just this last year we took Violet to Universal Studios and she'd never really been on a real roller coaster and she had some very serious. And I went with her the first time we just went on a fairly small rollercoaster at Universal. And I was pumping her up the whole time. I was explaining to her, like, you're going to feel this. Your stomach's going to do this. Here's what you can trust in. There's these seatbelts. There's this little bar that sits in your lap. Here's what you can trust. But trust me, it's gonna be bumpy and you're gonna, you're gonna make it. It's, it's this pep talk that you give your kids so that they'll have the guts to get in the ride. And I feel like that's kind of what happens with this angel and Nephi. If you look in 14 verse 8, what he says before Nephi gets on this roller coaster where he sees Devastation and struggle and all kinds of hard things. It's what you read in 8, he says, 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? And I said unto him, Yea. And then this rollercoaster of a vision opens up. And I think the reason the angel covered this first is he wants Nephi to remember what covenants mean. That covenants are a relationship between you and God. That covenants never are broken by God. That the promises he made to your fathers apply to you and to your posterity and everybody in between. Like, those promises are lasting and solid. The reason I like this so much for us is I feel like we're seeing this from President Nelson all the time. It's this invitation that, yes, these last days are going to be a bumpy ride. There are, this roller coaster is going to twist upside down, you're going to feel like you, every force of physics is going to kick you out of your seat, but there are promises here. You will make it to the end of this ride. If you stay here and you buckle up and you listen, you have a promise that The covenants that were made to your fathers and to you will hold you. They will last and they will absolutely be fulfilled. I think it's why you see so many references to being children of the covenant lately and even being a child of God. You know, it's one of the first things we teach our kids to sing because that is their pep talk to get them through a hard life. They have to remember who they are. I loved how in conference, I can't remember who it was that said it, but they talked about being in that taxi cab and that the driver recognized him as a member of the church and started to ask him questions and that as they were chatting back and forth he realized that this man hadn't been to church in a really long time, like since his teenage years, but still could remember some of the words of I'm a child of God and sang it. That's why we need these moments. I think that's why this is where the angel began. Because this vision is going to be scary and it's going to be bumpy and it's going to worry Nephi. But he needs to remember the promise and so he gets reassured. So my goal is, as I'm teaching my kids, to worry less about the day to day and all the things they need to be afraid of and focus so much more on the promises that last. What will give them the courage to buckle into this ride and see it through to the end? I think you get a lot of tips for that as you go into 1 Nephi 14. This last spark hit me in chapter 15. So at the end, this is after the vision closes, and Nephi is working his way back to camp, and he comes back to his brothers kind of squabbling over what the vision means and how they can't understand it. And I just think he's feeling the weight of everything. It reminds me a lot of probably the first encounter you had in the temple when you received your endowments. That, you know, that you came expecting to see the tree, wanting to see something your father saw, expecting to see something that is familiar, and instead you are opened up to so much more good. So much more good, but a lot that you can't process and understand at once. And I think Nephi's having that kind of experience as he's walking back to camp. He's trying to process all of that. He's also trying to process the fact that he knows his posterity aren't going to make it. That they will have the incredible blessing of having the Savior come among them. They'll have a few generations of peace and prosperity. And then this steady downhill decline. And it breaks his heart. In fact, I think it must have been hard for Nephi to know that his descendants are going to get overcome by Laman and Lemuel's descendants. You know, even though they're all from the same family and they're all linked together. They're the ones that are victorious. So I wonder if Nephi's processing all this at once and he's just frustrated. So he talks about how he feels. This is in 4 and 5 of chapter 15. And now I, Nephi, was grieved because of the hardness of their hearts, and also because of the things which I had seen, and knew they must unavoidably come to pass because of the great wickedness of the children of men. And it came to pass that I was overcome because of my afflictions, for I considered mine afflictions were great above all, because of the destruction of my people, for I had beheld their fall. That's the weight on Nephi's shoulders. He knows what's going to come, and he knows the promises, and he knows that it will be okay in the end, but oh, he's got this heavy weight. What I think is so remarkable is what Nephi chooses to do when he feels overcome. And that's what I think you see in verse six. And it came to pass that after I have received strength, I spake unto my brethren, desiring to know of them the cause of their disputations. What Nephi does in this moment is exactly what we saw the Savior do when he was overcome and struggling. I'm putting words in his mouth, but you know, like, we saw this a few times in the New Testament. Like, when the Savior is worried Because he hears about John the Baptist being beheaded, and he is grieving for his cousin. And in that process, it talks about, I think it's in Matthew, it talks about him going into the desert, and then once he's there, he serves. He sees people who are hungry for knowledge and hungry for food, and he serves them in abundance. Same thing happens. As he's worried about, I imagine, Gethsemane and the cross. Because right before that you have the Last Supper where he washes the Apostles feet. This is how the Savior processes those emotions. I think it's the invitation that we all have as well. That when you feel overcome You're supposed to seek for strength first, and then you're supposed to serve, even when it feels counter to everything else. Even when you feel like the problems that you're solving for others are smaller than your own. In fact, I think that's where real power comes, when you condescend in that way. So, for example, this is from President Hinckley. He said, The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best medicine for despair is service. The best cure for weariness is the This is what Nephi does in this moment, when he feels overcome and he feels heavy and he feels the struggle of what is ahead, he serves. And he does for his brothers essentially what the angel did for him. He guides them through the mission. He doesn't take them as deep as he got to go. He takes them where he's allowed, I think. So he does the same pattern. He asks them a question, like he wants to know, Have you inquired of the Lord? You're seeking understanding and you're not getting it. Have you asked? And of course their response to him is, the Lord doesn't talk to us. I thought this was fascinating. I've felt this many times, you guys, where I believe in revelation, and I believe other people are getting revelation, and I believe in all those things, but I worry that I'm not getting it. Not because I think that God is deficient in some way. Just because I know that my reception of it is not up to par. And so I think that's where Laman and Lemuel are. They're just not getting it. I love the way it's phrased in verse 11. Sometimes I wonder if this verse is actually for Nephi, but it's Nephi teaching his brothers. It says, Do you not remember the things which the Lord hath said? If you will not harden your hearts and ask me in faith, believing that you shall receive, with diligence and keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you. I think this is Nephi getting confirmation from the Spirit that he'll know all that he needs to know in time. That even though he's still trying to wrestle and understand everything he just saw and how it's going to play out and what he can do, you know, he must have had intense pressure on his shoulders knowing that it's the writings of the book he's writing that will bring people back to the gospel at some point. I mean, imagine the pressure that he's under and all that's on his shoulders. And I think as he testifies of this truth to his brothers, The Spirit probably confirmed it to him. And I think that's why we're asked to teach the gospel, you guys. Even when we don't know it perfectly or understand everything fully, it's because when we testify, when you teach what's in the Book of Mormon, even imperfectly, the Spirit can reassure your heart. The Spirit can confirm things to your mind and your spirit, and you'll know and have the confidence you need to go forward. I think it's why we're invited to teach constantly in this faith because it gives you a chance to serve and to be reaffirmed in what you believe to be true. All right, you guys, are you ready for some deep and meaningful questions? My goal with these questions is just to get your mind stewing, to get you into your scriptures, to give you opportunities to have good conversations with people and see where the spirit leads you. I don't know the answers to most of these questions. I'm just hoping that you will find some. And if you get a chance, Share them with me. Like, I would love to see them in the comment thread, or in the course, or simply if you just share them with the people around you, I think it gives you a chance to realize how often the Lord is trying to teach you when you ask good questions. So, let's get started. Okay, first question that I have for you. Why do you think there are two representations of the love of God in Nephi's version of the vision? Let me backtrack and explain. Basically what you're going to see in that first chapter is Nephi talks about seeing the rod and where the rod leads, that it leads to the tree, and that it also leads to the fountain of living waters. And then he talks about how both of those things represent the love of God. And we know from Elder Rednar Ingo in the notes that he talks about how the fruit on the tree is blessings that come from the atonement of Jesus Christ. So I guess my question is why do you need the fountain? What does it add to that metaphor? Why does Nephi see it but Lehi didn't? Like what does it add? Why do we have both the fruit to consume and the water to relieve thirst? Why do we have both of those? I'm curious. Okay, second question. This is when Nephi's talking about that great and spacious building. He calls it large and spacious and he sees actually its demise. He sees it fall. The visual that hit me as I was studying this is, I don't know if you guys, when you were kids, you made blanket forts. So you know how you like flip a couch on its side and you try to stretch that blanket across the top of two couches as far as you possibly can. And as you stretch it beyond what it's capable of doing. Inevitably that blanket like. falls down. That's kind of what I picture when you think about the Great and Spacious Building falling. Almost like it expanded to the point that to try and include all the philosophies of men and all the ideas that are out there and it falls. So I guess my question is, how does this apply to us today? Do you think the building is shaking right now as it stretches to try and include all that is out there? Where do you see this Great and Spacious Building metaphor applying in our day? Third question. So this is when Nephi sees his descendants and all the battles that ensue. He sees, it's almost like what Samuel the Lamanite saw. He sees the Savior coming. He sees him actually come to his descendants. And the first thing the Savior does is he shows himself. In fact, it's, I think it says he manifests himself in the words. He shows himself unto men. And then if you go on through Nephi, especially if you follow the footnote path, you can see that this is the Savior showing his wounds. And as I followed that chain, like I went from where we are in 1st Nephi and I followed it into 3rd Nephi, I found myself wondering, why is this what he does first? You know, the first thing he does when he comes is not call the apostles, or teach them how to pray, or teach them about, you know, the Sermon on the Mount, basically. The first thing he does is he shows the wounds in his hands and the feet, and I want to know why. So, go in the verses in 1st Nephi, go in 3rd Nephi, and then give me your answers and let me know what you think. Okay. Next one. This is 1st Nephi 13. And from, like, 10 to 20 or so. This is where you see that interesting phase where he kind of alludes to the colonization of America and you know, the Book of Mormon being able to come forth because it's in this land of freedom that that is kind of set in motion by God. What I think is interesting is it's really easy to put all those people that are referenced, you know, Columbus and the pilgrims and the founding fathers and the colonists and the revolutionaries, like, it's easy to put them on pedestals. But all of these people have flaws and weaknesses and not all of the things that came from them doing this work ended up in good, right? There's some hard things that come in our history because of these things that play out. So my question is, why does God give his power and his strength and his ability to something that is imperfect? Why does he grant power and understanding and help to those who are imperfect and to a work that may end up producing imperfect things? What are your thoughts? Okay, last question. I really love in the last chapter when Nephi is teaching about things being grafted in He's trying to help Laman and Lemuel understand that the children of Israel will be grafted back in that all these branches that have been You know, planted elsewhere will be brought back into this tree and he uses that metaphor of the olive tree having branches grafted. I thought it was fascinating as I studied more and thankfully we studied this a lot in the New Testament as well. But this idea of grafting, meaning I'm going to cut a notch out of the true vine out of that trunk. I'm going to cut a fresh slice on the branch and then I'm going to put those two together and then I'm going to wrap it with this really tight band, often like a cloth strip. And in that process, The, the branch becomes part of the tree. And I think there are a lot of beautiful allusions to the atonement in that visual. And I guess my hope is that you will think on that and find out what those allusions are. There are a few that I can see, but I bet there are more. So why do you think that image of that grafting of the olive tree and the wrapping and the process of time that has to occur in order for them to become one, how does it represent the atonement of Jesus Christ for you? I'd love to hear your answers. Before we head into the creative side of things, I just wanted to wrap up with this thought that hit me this week. I think one of the most powerful things I learned as I was studying this week's verses is that this is not a story about just getting to the tree. I think it's a story and a vision about how much God seeks after us all along that process. How much he does in order to urge us home by providing a path and providing a rod and beckoning us and making fruit that is the most delicious thing and the most filling thing you can imagine. Like all the things he does. Like this week as I was studying, I went back to that verse from last week where Lehi describes when people get to the tree and they fall down and they worship. Nephi has a similar verse in his, in his version of vision as well. And last week when I was studying, I was thinking that was something of like a You reach the finish line. Remember, I compared it to a half marathon. But this time, I think there also might be something to the effect of, I think these people fall because they taste the goodness of God and they know how little they did to contribute to the glory that they have in their hands. I think when you taste that fruit and you get to that tree, You appreciate how much God did versus how much effort it cost you. You know, the same way when you study Enos story and he's kind of baffled that his sins can be forgiven. He's like, how, how is it done? I think that's the feeling when you fall at the tree. It's because you know how good that fruit is and how little in comparison you did. Compared to everything that God did. That's what jumped out at me. The reason that thought came to mind is a quote I read from Sister Porter. This is from her October 2021 conference talk. She says this, Sometimes we mistakenly think that we can feel God's love only after we have followed the iron rod and partaken of the fruit. God's love, however, not only is received by those who come to the tree, but is the very power that motivates us to seek that tree. Wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things, Nephi taught. And the angel exclaimed, Yea, and the most joyous to the soul. God's love is not found in the circumstances of our lives, but in his presence in our lives. That's what I felt over and over again as I studied these verses. He's with us from the very beginning when we catch hold of that rod, till the very end when we partake of that fruit and we rejoice. He's with you every step of the way.