My father was the son of Lithuanians, but he was born in Scotland. He moved to Brazil when he was still young. His ability to speak English facilitated his conversion since he could read the Book of Mormon in English, and there was not yet a reliable translation into Portuguese. This language barrier prevented my mother from joining the Church until a few years later, but when she did, she became a powerful example of dedication to others and love of God in our family. She is now 92 years old, and she is here today. It gives me great joy to say that I love her for her great faithfulness. I will also honor and bless her name forever.
I admire the courage my father had to be baptized into the Church in spite of the circumstances he faced at the time. It was not easy for him. His wife did not get baptized with him. The vices of drinking alcohol and smoking were strong temptations for him. He was poor. His mother was against his joining the Church, and she told him that if he were baptized, she would no longer consider him her son. With fewer than 300 members in Brazil, the Church did not have a single chapel there. I am truly astonished by my father’s determination and courage.
How could he make such a decision in the face of so many unfavorable circumstances? The answer is simple: it was because my father read the Book of Mormon.

Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis

A vein of gold

If you have ever listened to the way gold miners talk in the movies, they talk about finding the main or richest vein of gold within the rock. They chip away looking for good color until they run into a pure vein, where almost everything you pull out of the mine is more gold than rock. Well, 2 Nephi 10-24 is that kind of vein. It is dripping with doctrinal gold. It makes summarizing it or writing about it almost ridiculous. First, it is already a summary of some of the most important passages of Isaiah, and second, it is so rich that no matter what is said, 10 important things are left unsaid. However, that is the challenge before me, so here goes...

Jacob begins preaching on day two of conference and explains that the promises he has read them and the ones he is about to tell them are for them because they are members of the house of Israel, which also means it would apply to anyone that accepts the gospel because they are also considered part of the Tribes of Israel. He promises that although many people including their own children may die in unbelief, because of the savior their children will be restored to them. He tells them that an angel revealed unto him that the savior shall be called Christ and that he would be born among the jews and that they would crucify him. Now, I thought Christ was a title (so it makes sense that would be easily revealed). The saviors earthly name would have been Jesus Barjoseph, which actually would have been Joshua Barjoseph, since that is the hebrew. I think the title of Christ was actually greek, so it is interesting that the greek title is revealed to Jacob. Either that, or as it was translated, the more familiar name of Jesus the Christ is what Joseph Smith read as the translation. That makes sense to me as well. Either way, the saviors name and title is revealed to Jacob who teaches it to his people. This probably comes in handy later.

This chapter is largely about God fulfilling his promises of the covenant. Obedience is our end of the bargain, and his end of the bargain is gathering our posterity and not allowing them to be lost forever. Is this a driving force within us? I mean, it is a biological force to propagate the species, and particularly our own DNA. It seems that it is used as a spiritual force as well. It isn't so much, if you obey, life will be easy and all will be well. The promise is that our obedient posterity will be gathered and returned to the land of their inheritence. You may wander in the wilderness, but in the end, the family makes it to the promised land kind of thing.

Jacob consecrates the land they are on to their seed. Now in the BOM there are several different peoples brought there. All of them have lands in the western hemisphere consecrated to seed. I wonder how many are gathering here now? Trivia that makes you go hmmmm....

In the end we are told we have the freedom to choose, but I have to say that Jacob phrases it a bit funny. You can choose eternal life or everlasting death... bwah bwah bwah! While that is the logical juxtaposition in the end, and perhaps the eternal perspective we should keep, it is weird to think with each choice we make that it is actually life or death. Maybe that was too irreverent.

Nephi lets us know that Jacob preached a lot more and a lot longer, but that Nephi has recorded what he feels are the important highlights, and he has other things he wants to write into the record. He does testify that both he and Jacob have seen Christ. He also explains that the law of Moses is given to prepare people to receive Christ, at which time, the law will be fulfilled and the law of Moses will come to a close. (Side note- since Nephi is referring to the ordinances of animal sacrifice here, it is interesting that despite the disbelief of some that Christ was the Messiah, the animal sacrifice did end with the destruction of the temple around 70A.D. and isn't practiced) Nephi testifies that there is a Christ that will come and that he will be the fulfillment and beginning of all the promises that God had made, and that without a Christ there would be no God. And then he begins to copy verses of Isaiah.

I always wonder about this. Was Nephi worried that with the seperation from Jerusalem, their language was becoming to altered for all of them to understand the Isaiah records they already had, so he was transposing the ones he wanted to make sure to preserve to his posterity? OR was this purely for us? Did we need the repeat and clarification of Isaiah (although what is here isn't that much clearer than what we have of Isaiah)? Or both? Or neither and something else entirely? Too many questions.

Since many of the prophecies of Isaiah were of the Savior's mortal ministry, they have been fulfilled. Isaiah also prophesied about the last days before the Saviors return and I am just going to put a little + sign next to the things I think have been fulfilled.

+There will be a temple of the Lord built in the tops of the mountains and all nations shall flow into it.

He shall judge among the nations, and they will beat their swords into plow shares (seems to ebb and flow, but don't seem to get all the way there)

Lord has forsaken his people (+?) because they worship idols and the work of their own hands.

Mean man boweth not himself down, nor the great man humble himself (++++ doesn't this happen all the time?)

Lofty looks of men humbled and haughtiness of men bowed down. (still coming) Day of the Lord, idols abolished, the lord will appear and all people will know who he is.


Okay, I have to say here, that I am not unappreciative of some of the works of man and I wonder how to watch myself in that. I am one of those people that cringes in disaster movies because there is a penchant for destroying some of the worlds most beautiful and meaningful buildings. I don't like it. I love art, culture, and many things that are man made. Some would say that all things of worth including art and culture are inspired by god, and therefore unjustly credited to man. I am not sure where I lie in this sometimes.

Most importantly, we declared that the Book of Mormon is a book that testifies that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. Great prophets throughout the Book of Mormon have borne solemn witness that Jesus Christ is the Creator of the earth, the Redeemer of mankind the Only Begotten of the FatherThese Book of Mormon prophets knew Him, as Abraham and Moses did, and received and taught His everlasting gospel. As we read and study their words, we gain a deeper understanding of the Savior’s matchless love, His perfect life and example, and the blessings of His great atoning sacrifice.

Elder Craig C. Christensen

Isaiahic Territory

Okay- This is where this blog is going to get sticky. We are entering Isaiahic territory now. For a good part of Second Nephi, Nephi and Jacob preach and copy from the writings of Isaiah. And the problem with just blogging Isaiah is that each verse is so rich, it could be its own entry, which actually might make a lovely idea for a follow up blog starting around the new year. However, in this blog, it doesn't really help, so to deal with it, I am going to summarize as best as possible and perhaps pick out a theme or half a one to talk about. If that means you all think I am cheating... well, it is because I kind of am. Oh well, repenting is becoming a favorite hobby of mine.

When we left off, Jacob was preaching out of Isaiah, and in chapter 8, I think he still is. It is a little unclear actually. He was preaching to the people, and then 2 or three chapters of Isaiah seem just stuck in and then we get back to him preaching again. He seems to be reading straight out of Isaiah to them.

Overall, I must say, Isaiah has a great of way of making you feel wonderful and terrible at the same time. He is always saying things like you are lower than the dust, but no worries, because the lord is so merciful and he thinks you are great. Chapter 8 starts out with a gem of his, "Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness. Look unto the rock from whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from whence ye are digged." Quite the confidence booster, isn't it? And he was only saying that to the people TRYING. Not to the others who are ignoring him.

I think Isaiah is always talking about being a covenant people, but in this he is also talking about where you put your priorities. Do you treasure the opinion of men above the opinion of God? Where do you put your trust? Those who trust in the Lord will receive an eternal happiness. Those who don't? Well... it ain't so good. And throughout it the Lord is begging us, pleading and reasoning with us to choose the better part. He is talking to us individually, but also as a people and as a recoginition of what will encompass the gathering of Israel.

Jacob steps back in at the beginning of 9 to teach the people about the gathering of Israel in the last days, and he makes it clear that they will be gathered to the "lands" of their inheritence. A plural indicates more than one, so this isn't just about Jews gathering to Jerusalem. Here Jacob explains the need for the atonement of the Savior and the part it plays in the greater plan of salvation. Jacob outlines the entire plan in these passages: how we had to have the fall, but that made us vulnerable to both death of the body and spiritual death, or being out of God's presense forever. He explains how the resurrection and atonement of the Savior calls us forth out of these deaths and provides hope for our return to live with God, if we live the commandments. Jacob then starts a laundry list of all the ways we can still screw up and lose out on the gift of the atonement, and like most lists of sins and their consequences, it doesn't exactly make you want to sing. Let's just say there are a lot of Wo's. Wo's to woes. And that gets me wondering, what the heck is going on in Nephi?? I mean, they are 40 years out, and they are preaching to the choir. What has the choir been up to? Ouch!

But Jacob ends hopefully. He pleads for their preparation for a glorious day, when they shall receive the rewards of eternal happiness. He is downright sunny as he ends and tells them to let their hearts rejoice and to be grateful for God's many mercies.

At the very last, he either is worn out and can't continue or he notices that they are, because he reserves part of his talk for the next day. Think I will too.

"My heart throbs as I study and ponder the sacred scriptures in the Book of Mormon, as it complements the Bible and further testifies of the divinity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Redeemer and Savior of the world. Because of this sacred companion to the Bible, my understanding of Christ’s doctrine is expanded; thus many of the questions left unanswered in the Bible are explained to my full satisfaction. The Book of Mormon is tangible evidence that Joseph is a prophet of God, Christ did in reality appear to him, and the gospel has been restored in its purity and its fulness.
My heart throbs just to contemplate the miracle of the Book of Mormon’s existence—the laborious job of engraving on metal plates, the careful custodianship through the centuries by God’s chosen, and the miraculous translation. Truly it fits the perfect definition of holy writ. Because of God’s majestic love for us, He provided this evidence that we can handle, we can peruse, we can study, and we can even challenge. But, most important, God loves me enough that He will give me and anyone else who sincerely seeks a personal revelation of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon—the tangible evidence of the Restoration and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet."

Bishop Richard C. Edgley

There is so much more in the Book of Mormon than we have yet discovered. The book’s divine architecture and rich furnishings will increasingly unfold to our view, further qualifying it as “a marvelous work and a wonder” (Isaiah 29:14). As I noted from this pulpit in 1986, “The Book of Mormon is like a vast mansion with gardens, towers, courtyards, and wings. All the rooms in this mansion need to be explored, whether by valued traditional scholars or by those at the cutting edge. Each plays a role, and one LDS scholar cannot say to the other, “I have no need of thee” (1 Corinthians 12:21).”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell

God hath been my support

After his father's death, Nephi again preaches to his brothers, and they again got angry. (is this the definition of insanity?) The specifics of what he says are on the larger plates, so Nephi continues on the smaller plates about how his "soul delighteth in the scriptures" and what a blessing they are to him and his children.
He then exits the story to talk about what a "wretched" man he is and how "sorroweth because of his flesh" which would make anyone ponder, how is it that Nephi, the hero of the story, whose faith never faulters, expresses such regret? Does Nephi have a hard time forgiving his brothers? He carries anger because of his "enemies" and what enemies has he encountered besides his older brothers? He finds comfort in that he has always put his trust in God and that he has been comforted in his afflictions. But it is sort of interesting that his afflictions still seem so present to him. One of the few times Nephi's wife is mentioned in the BOM, she is crying and pleading with his brothers. Could it be this image that makes Nephi feel "wretched"? At the end of this he tells his soul to awake from the anger, and promises to continue to trust only in the word and providence of the Lord.

When he reenters the story, his brothers are furious with him and plotting to take his life. Nephi is intructed to get out of dodge with all his family and those that would follow him. They leave L&L's families and they travel into this new wilderness until they reach a spot they decide to call "Nephi", where they build a city. They build a temple like Solomon's. They forge new swords modeled after Laban's. They ask Nephi to be king, but he demures. Jacob and Joseph are made priests (which I think indicates political as well as eclesiastical authority in the land of Nephi). They work hard and prosper for the next 30 years. In the following 10 years they have "wars" and contentions with L&L's people. And Nephi continues to make plates and record all these things.

The next thing Nephi records is the preaching of Jacob. This sounds something like a general conference talk. He is preaching to a large group of people who are professedly like believers and he is explaining the Isaiahic prophesy about kings being their nursing fathers and queens being their nursing mothers... Jacob has been given a vision about Jerusalem and the Saviors ministry on earth. He sees that Jerusalem was conquered and scattered. He also sees a regathering to Jerusalem before Christ is born. He witnesses that when the Savior comes, they scourge and crucify him and that they once again are scattered, but that eventually, those that believe will be returned to Jerusalem, "the land of their inheritence". And he goes on to explain that this will happen because of the gentiles. There is a lot of harsh imagery in this chapter- people being fed on their own flesh and whatnot- that is very apocolyptic. It makes me think Jacob has been granted many of the same visions as Nephi and Lehi had and as John the Revelator would. Jacob continues quoting Isaiah who says the Lord hasn't forgotten his covenant, but that many of the people have forgotten theirs and have sold themselves with their own iniquities. He reminds us that the Lord has the power to exalt, and warns us not to walk in our own light because it will fail eventually. The gist is "For the Lord God will help me. And all they who shall condemn me, behold, all they shall wax old as a garment, and the moth shall eat them up."

I testify that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and that it will lead us to come closer to Him. I testify that the Book of Mormon testifies of the Bible and restores precious truths taken from it. I testify that the Book of Mormon leads us to make commitments and feel that love which will lead us toward living better lives. And I testify that by earnest prayer we may know that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith was a prophet, that President Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet today, and that God the Father lives and that He loves us.
Elder Henry B. Eyring

and he blesses his children

Nephi stops expounding on Isaiah, and Lehi reiterates a lot of what Nephi has said and pleads with L&L to be obedient. I suppose a worried and dying father would be most concerned with his children that he feels aren't safe. He begins telling him that the land they now occupy is saved and kept secret from those in the old world because they would overrun it, and this land was saved for an inheritance. As mentioned before, it was also saved to fulfill the plan of scattering Israel and providing a record for the gathering of Israel. As he prophesies, he begins blessing his sons. First he blesses L&L, and then he includes Sam, and then the sons of Ishmael and Zoram. He says that he gives his first blessing to Laman if he will obey, but if not, that first blessing falls to Nephi. He then turns to bless Jacob and Joseph before he dies. . While blessing Jacob, he goes through the story of the creation and fall of man, and the necessity for a Savior. He tells him that there must be opposition in all things. I wonder if Jacob was wondering about the amount of suffering that he saw his family endure. He never knew their prosperity in Jerusalem. He had been a young witness to all their hardships. Lehi is explaining that they go through the bad to appreciate the good and that in order for joy to exist, sorrow must exist also. That in order for men to be free, they must have choices between good and evil. Lehi tells his son to follow Nephi, who must be as much of a father figure to him as a brother. Nephi has to have children roughly the same age as Jacob and Joseph.

He then calls in Joseph to him and tells him that he is named Joseph after the great prophet, the son of Jacob, and that others with that name will be his descendents, and one will be responsible for the beginning of the gathering, and for bringing the truth to all their descendants. And he explains that all of this is a fulfillment of the prophesies of Joseph of Egypt. Part of the work of the descendants of Joseph (Lehi's son) will to bring forth the record that Nephi is making, so they will survive all the calamnity that will eventually come.

Lehi then calls his grandchildren to him to bless them. To L&L's children, he says that if they are brought up in righteousness, they would be obedient, but if they are not, then their sins of ignorance will be upon their parents heads. He promises them they will not be destroyed. He then blesses Sam and tells him that his children will have the blessings of Nephi's children.

Sam is intriguing to me. Not much of what he says is recorded, but it is inferred that he is devoted to his younger brother Nephi. It isn't ever said that he has the prophetic calling or visions of Nephi, which makes his faith unique. Sam seems to have a pure faith. Much of Nephi's faith is converted to absolute knowledge, which seems necessary to his calling. I often wonder if Nephi took counsel with Sam or what his role was on the ship. He seems overlooked in the record. Of course, he isn't alone. None of the women but Sariah are mentioned by name, and no one mentions when she passes away and whether it is before or after Lehi. I guess there isn't room to mention all of that.

Disclaimer- I am two days behind, and since I have no time, I am simply going to repent and start back up where I am.

I testify to you that the Book of Mormon is truly the Word of God, that communication between earth and heaven has been opened up again, and that the true way of the Lord has been revealed to men on earth, showing the means by which all needful knowledge and blessings may be received by every true believer in Christ.
President David O. McKay

We fervently declare that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, translated from ancient records by the gift and power of God. This ancient record was written and preserved to come forth in fulfillment of prophecy as a companion scripture to the Holy Bible, the two to be used as one in the hands of the Lord. In the Book of Mormon we are admonished to “feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do”. We testify that the Book of Mormon is a second witness of the life and mission of the Savior. It is, indeed, “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” We declare that the Book of Mormon contains the words of Christ.
W. Rolfe Kerr, Seventy

Try reading the Book of Mormon because you want to, not because you have to. Discover for yourself that it is true. As you read each page ask, ‘Could any man have written this book or did it come as Joseph Smith testified?’ Apply the teachings you learn. They will fortify you against the evil of Satan. Follow Moroni’s counsel. Sincerely ask God the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, with real intent, if the teachings of the Book of Mormon are true. Ask with a desire to receive a confirmation personally, nothing doubting. There has to be an explanation of that book you can hold in your hand. I know that you can receive a spiritual confirmation that it is true. You will then know that Jesus Christ lives, that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s Church. … You will confirm that the Savior guides His Church through a living prophet. These truths will become a foundation for your productive life.
Elder Richard G. Scott

Nephi takes the ore and begins to make more plates to record the history and prophecies and again explains what he will be writing on which plates. He says he will only write what he considers sacred and apologizes up front for any mistakes he makes in choosing what to record. I actually identify with this a little. When you go to write something, you don't want to overdo it, but it is hard to edit when you are in the middle of it. I don't imagine editing writing engraven in brass was too easy a feat either.

He then begins to speak about the Savior, and how he will come in 600 years, and people won't recognize him, and beyond that they will scourge and kill him, and on that day, the earth itself will grieve. And the people of the earth will seem to perish until they remember their covenants with God and recognize the Savior.

I have to say, Nephi has a flair for the poetic phrase and he is completely unintimidated by the grandiosity of what he is saying. He has to be a man in his late 20's or early 30's as he writes and preaches all of this, and it reads with an absolute authority. But he mentions again and again how fatigued and weary he is to his bones. The weight of the spirit, his duties to lead and protect, and the constant and ongoing emotional frustration that he feels with his brothers seems to age him. He mourns just at the thought of people suffering because of their own hardness and the vision of the world he had seems ever fresh as he writes each word.

He begins to preach from the scriptures to his bretheren (which I am assuming includes all the descendents of Lehi and Ishmael, not just L&L) and as he does, he breaks out Isaiah speaking messianically and calling for all the house of Jacob to repent for being idolotrous and reminds them that he is the first and the last and he only preserves them for his own purpose. As he is doing this he exhorts him with a phrase I have always found a little confusing "O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments—then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea." Is a river truly peaceful? And the waves of the sea seem inconstant, continually in ebb and flow. Maybe I am not truly understanding peace in this context. It also talks about how Jacob has been redeemed, which is a theme of Nephi's as he explained the parable of the olive tree to his brothers. I think he is infering that they are part of the fulfillment of this prophecy. Anyone know?

Now this is where it starts to get tough because we are not following a story in these chapters. Nephi is quoting from what we would now recognize as Isaiah, and Isaiah flips back and forth from speaking as himself and speaking as the Lord. So we are 2 to 3 deep in narration here which is a little bit to entangle. I don't think I could do justice to Nephi 21, but I want to mention one idea I had. It says that the Savior will be sent as a light to the gentiles: "It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth." When he says "it is a light thing" to be a servant of the Lord, it seems in direct contrast to Nephi's experience. Nephi mentions more than once that it weary's him, and he isn't some arthritic old man. So, it can't mean light as in not heavy. And it can't infer it is frivolous as light in light-minded does. It must mean light as in truth. The "light thing" and the "light to the Gentiles" must both refer to the Savior. So, maybe he is saying it is the salvation that thou shouldst be my servant... I am afraid that is the kind of disection you need for Isaiah, which should make 2 Nephi a stroll through the park, huh?

This chapter comes across as very good for the good, and VERY bad for the bad. If you are good, you are royalty and everything that entails. If you aren't, well, I believe in a loving God, but when it says things like "I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh" it does give one second thoughts about ticking him off.

Lucky for us, we are not the only ones confused by Isaiah, because when Nephi gets done quoting this passage, his family is just as confused as we are, so he begins to explain it to them. He says it refers to things both temporal and spiritual and that they are in the middle of these prophecies already. They are part of the scattering of Israel and that there are others like them on the isles of the sea and across the whole earth and even their own seed will be scattered. But they are not to worry, because there will be a gathering started by the Gentiles. And that as the gathering takes place there will be many wars (remember, both temporal and spiritual) to thwart it, but in the end he will gather all his people to him from all quarters of the earth. And they will live for a time in perfect peace.

I feel a chorus of "All You Need is Love" coming on, which means I have too many pop culture references in my head.

The chapter basically ends with a promise that if you keep the commandments, there is no need to fear. Although it doesn't say you will have no need to cry.

For all who heed it, the Book of Mormon is like the flinging open of long-closed doors on what was assumed to be a complete canon of scripture. Noted on the very title page is the book’s special role in “convincing” mortals “that Jesus is the Christ”. In a day of disbelief and equivocation regarding this preeminent fact, this “convincing” effect is so needed! How sharp-edged that promise! The Book of Mormon will be “read upon the housetops”. Even if neglected, it will constitute a lingering invitation for “as long as the earth shall stand”.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell

he doth nourish them

So, now that they are done mourning Ishmael and not plotting to kill Nephi and Lehi for the moment, they start traveling in the wilderness again. It doesn't describe all the starts and stops, but it does say they wander for 8 years and the women give birth to multiple children in the wilderness. They must be moving around a lot, because it also talks about how they subsist on raw meat sometimes and how despite that, the women can still produce milk for the children. Nephi reiterates his "I will go and do" here, saying it is proof that the lord provides the means to obey if the will is there. They arrive in a beautiful seaside valley they call Bountiful with lots of fruit and honey and they pitch their tents on the beach. That is my kind of end to a journey. I like the beach.
When they arrive, Nephi is called up the mountain side by the Lord. Revalation time again. How would it be to get a note from God to come by for a chat? And what does he want? Nephi gets to build a ship. I love methodical Nephi's mind is. He doesn't ask how big or what it will look like. He asks where to find the ore to make the tools to build the ship. That is a detail oriented thinker. He even describes how he makes the bellows to get a hot enough fire to melt the ore to build the tools.

The lord promises that after Nephi has built the ship and they have gone to the land of promise, they will know that the Lord is their God. Why wouldn't they know that already? They have been ministered and preached to by angels and the Lord himself already, but this is offered up as the proof. hmmmm...

When the brothers figure out that Nephi is about to build a ship they are unhappy again and don't want to help out. Color me shocked. I wonder how long it took them to figure it out. Nephi feels bad for his brothers for being so awful, and they mistake his sadness for doubt, and celebrate that. Nothing like a little schadenfreude. Nephi again tries to get them to understand what they are doing and again calls up the example of Moses. Moses seems to be a personal hero of Nephi who is undoubtedly the hero of this story. Heroes have their heroes too. In relating the story of Moses and the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, Nephi points out that if the Egyptians had been as righteous as the Israelites, then they would not have been buried at the bottom of the Red Sea because God "esteemeth all flesh in one". But he also points out that these people were blessed because he remembered his covenants with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which implies that it wasn't for their righteousness alone they were blessed, but because of the righteousness and promises to their forebears. And as he is talking to his brothers you can almost feel his righteous anger and exasperation pour off the page. He talks about how he is rent with anquish and sapped of strength. He is so filled with the spirit that when they are about to attack him he warns them that anyone who touches him will literally wither and be smote. He isn't chastising them for having little faith, or little understanding. They know that God has commanded and manifested the things that they rail against. They are directly fighting it. And Nephi tells them to stop- stop complaining about their father, their journey, their trials, their hardships, and to start helping him to build that ship. And while he is filled with the spirit, he stretches forth his hand and the Lord shocks them. And as they often do whenever they get a physical manifestation of the spirit, they shape up. This is a rather tiring pattern for them, but it made me realize what incredible patience the Lord has with all of us. How many patterns do we repeat endlessly when we know better? How many times does the Lord let us go until he has to shock us back into reality?

So, L&L&co. repent, for the moment, and get to work building the ship following the instructions that the Lord gives Nephi. Nephi is continually going up the mountain to converse with God and get further instruction. When they finish the ship, everyone is impressed, and again are humbled and give thanks. (how many is that now?)

Lehi commands everyone to provision the ship with all they would need and want for the crossing. And all the families get on, including two new brothers that Sariah and Lehi had during their journey, Jacob and Joseph. (Think Lehi has been reading the records they have? Me too.) After a few successful days on the ship, L&L&co decide everything is going so well, they start thinking it is because of them. It says they are given to "exceeding rudeness". Nephi tries to tell them to cut it out, and they fall back into old ways. They tie Nephi up and beat him. It sounds like they do this in front of his wife and children and their wives and children. The whole boat is distraught. The liahona isn't working, storms are raging, the women and children are scared and crying, and Lehi is begging them to let Nephi loose. Nephi describes his wrists and ankles were swollen from where he was bound. And L&L&co are surly, angry, and obstinate. Finally when Nephi's wife and children beg for his life and it looks like the whole ship will go down, they relent and unbind Nephi. As soon as that is done, Nephi takes the compass, prays to calm the winds, and guides the boat to the promised land. It sort of skips ahead then and says they planted and harvested and found plenty of wild game and plenty of ores. Sort of wraps it up neatly.

Its appeal is as timeless as truth, as universal as mankind. It is the only book that contains within its covers a promise that by divine power the reader may know with certainty of its truth. Its origin is miraculous; when the story of that origin is first told to one unfamiliar with it, it is almost unbelievable. But the book is here to be felt and handled and read. No one can dispute its presence. All efforts to account for its origin, other than the account given by Joseph Smith, have been shown to lack substance. It is a record of ancient America. It is a scripture of the New World, as certainly as the Bible is the scripture of the Old. Each of these volumes of scripture speaks of the other. Each carries with it the spirit of inspiration, the power to convince and to convert. Together they become two witnesses, hand in hand, that Jesus is the Christ, the resurrected and living Son of the living God.

President Gordon B. Hinckley

We left Nephi in the middle of his vision of the history of the world and he is telling us that all people who will accept the gospel will be a blessed people, and those who won't will be part of the "great and abominable church, which is the mother of all abominations". It makes it pretty clear that the great and abominable church, which is called the whore of all the earth sitting across all the waters and filling all the nations of the earth is anything that isn't the Church of Christ, which means it represents a lot of things. Nephi also sees the church of the Lamb, the covenant people of the Lord, and they are armed with righteousness and power. So, though they be small, they are mighty. And with the Lord on their side, it ultimately looks good for them. He sees John, the Revelator, and his writings about Christ and the end of the world, and he says that when they are written they are plain. Hmmmm... imagine Revalations being considered plain. It would be nice to have that version, wouldn't it? Nephi is shown all the things John saw, but he is commanded not to write them, saying it was reserved for John to write. Nephi ends his recording of his vision saying "and if all the things which I saw are not written, the things which I have written are true. And thus it is." It is interesting that Nephi was specifically commanded not to record the end of the world because it is reserved for John to record. I wonder why. Wouldn't another witness and version be useful? Hmmm...

So, Nephi returns back to the camp and his father's tent to find his brothers debating what Lehi really meant when he told them what he prophesied, but they aren't getting anywhere because they won't ask the Lord about it themselves. Interesting juxtaposition considering all that Nephi just experienced. Nephi, very upset about seeing the eventual destruction of his people, listens to them and finally asks what they are confused about. They say they don't really understand the part about the olive tree, so Nephi says, "well, duh, did you ask the Lord?" and of course they haven't. Nephi then begins to ask them how they could be so disobedient and explains the olive tree parable to them. He explains they are about to be the broken off branch of the House of Israel, and how in the latter-days, the gentiles will receive the gospel from the Messiah, and those gentiles will bring that to their ancestors, thus restoring them or re grafting them into the House of Israel and remember they are a covenant people. He puts it quite beautifully actually, saying that they will again "receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine". He seems a bit exasperated as he explains that Lehi wasn't just speaking to them, but to all the people of the earth and how they will be blessed through the Abrahamic covenant. He reveals to them that the Jews will be restored to Jerusalem in the latter days. And this is interesting- he "rehearses" unto them the word of Isaiah. If he is rehearsing unto them the words of Isaiah, then he has read them enough to quote them at length. It is as if he knew all that before the vision and now after the vision they make sense. And the incredible part is that all this rehearsing and preaching works! His brothers et al are humbled. They don't beat him up or be mean. They ask MORE QUESTIONS about all of Lehi's dreams- about the tree, and the rod of iron, the river, the judgement, and the fruit of the tree.

When Nephi is done explaining all these things his brothers are not all that enthusiastic about having their questions answered. They think it sounds harsh, and Nephi actually agrees with them. He says that he has spoken hard things against the wicked and he begs his brothers to be righteous and again IT WORKS!! Miracles never cease. The brothers humble themselves.

Then everyone gets married. Nephi clarifies that all this happens when they are still in tents in the valley of Lemuel, and then says, oh we all married daughters of Ishmael, even Zoram (who had disappeared from the narrative there for a bit.) It doesn't say how long the wedding celebrations last, or even what they entailed, but it seems that the Lord has no more time for them to waste. They start traveling the next morning. They get up to start striking camp and Lehi finds the liahona, this ball shaped compass, outside his door. This is one of those unexplained things. Where does the liahona come from? Does it appear from air? Was it part of the treasure of Laban and just not understood til that time? Was it brought by Ishmael or his family somehow? I don't know. I am usually reticent to believe in things materializing out of thin air, but it seems to here.

So they pack up, and with their new compass, they head toward the sea. After 4 days, they stop and pitch the tents to regroup for a bit and resupply. While they are out hunting for game, Nephi breaks his bow and for some reason, without Nephi hunting, they can't get any food. I don't know why his brothers can't provide with their bows and slings. Somehow, when Nephi breaks his bow, it is his fault that everyone is hungry. So L&L, who have been pretty quiet this part of the journey go back to their old stand-by and start b-ing and moaning, but here is the difference- LEHI starts complaining too. The ONLY person not complaining (or man anyway. They don't say what the women are saying) is Nephi. Instead of complaining, he builds himself a new bow out of wood, goes and asks his father for direction from the liahona, preaches to them something he doesn't record for us, and goes hunting. Whatever he said was enough to get the whole camp to repent for a moment, so it must have been pretty powerful. It would be interesting to know what he could have said to them. It is at this time that they figure out that their compass only works when they are obedient. Oopa. Nephi follows the direction which tells him to go up to a mountain top, and pretty much brings home enough food for the whole camp. Now it is a common theme in scriptures for the mountain to be a place of spiritual manifestations. Nephi just was taken by the spirit to a mountain top. Other prophets throughout the scriptures go to receive spiritual nourishment in the mountain tops (Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Christ all come to mind.) So I find it interesting that there is a parallel here to physical nourishment, and that Nephi goes to the mountain top to provide actual food for his family. When Nephi gets home, everyone is elated and they eat up. Isn't it funny how they are so willing to live off Nephi's faith and fortune, but they don't seem to get off their rumps and find it within themselves to do it.

So the next day they start their travels again and tragedy occurs. Ishmael dies, which upsets his daughters. The other patriarch besides Lehi is gone, and of course everyone starts blaming Lehi for being some nutjob that has dragged them into the wilderness and killed their father. So, L&L and the Sons start plotting to kill Lehi and Nephi. Here they go off the deep end and start saying that Nephi is a liar who plots to control them. While they are doing this, the Lord himself stops them and chastens them personally and, again, the liahona won't work to tell them where to find food until they repent. Hunger seems to be a good motivator for them, cause they repent not to starve. These men seem like idiots. The only thing they ever get off their keisters to do is complain. And they plot to kill the one person who seems to be able to gather food. Excellent plan for wilderness survival! What a bunch a' maroons.

“You must learn to walk a few steps ahead into the darkness, and then the light will turn on and go before you.” That was a life-changing experience from one verse in the Book of Mormon.

Haven’t you felt at times like Nephi, who said, “I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do”? (1 Ne. 4:6). Haven’t you at times felt very weak?

Moroni felt weak and afraid that they “shall mock at our words.

“… The Lord spake unto [him], saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness;

“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:25–27).

Life moves all too fast. When you feel weak, discouraged, depressed, or afraid, open the Book of Mormon and read. Do not let too much time pass before reading a verse, a thought, or a chapter.

Elder Boyd K. Packer

rely on this redeemer

Now that Nephi is in the present tense, he gives a little intro saying that the rest will be about his ministry and reign. Immediately he tells of Lehi preaching about the coming of Christ. Lehi says that after Jerusalem is destroyed and captured, they will be a captive people for 600 years, and then the redeemer will be born. And he describes a prophet to prepare the way who will say "he is mightier than I, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose" who baptizes the Savior in Bethabara beyond the river Jordan... ie, Lehi has told his family (and Ishmaels) about John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. And he also tells them that they are a part of the scattering of Israel, and that there is a land of promise for them they are being led to and that one day when all Israel is gathered together again, they, like the olive branch that has been broken off, will be re-grafted onto the original tree. Now Lehi is talking to an audience familiar with olive branches, and also probably familiar with the prophesies about the parable of the olive branch. They would understand that they and their posterity were being set to grow in a new place so that they would one day be able to restore purity to the whole tree.

Nephi begins to get a little more curious here. I think he grows a little beyond the "I will go and do" idea and says, I want to know too. Isn't that a normal progression of a loving a child? First you believe and obey because you trust them, but there comes a time when you need more in order to really grow in the faith. So Nephi decides to ask, and as he does he testifies about what he already knows. He testifies that he believes that the Holy Ghost will reveal the truth to him, that God is constant particularly in loving and answering his children's questions, and that we should be sincere because we will be held accountable for what we know and we will be judged on our intent. And then he asks.

The Spirit of the Lord takes him to the mountain top to talk with him and asks, what do you desire? Nephi wants the vision for himself, and the Spirit questions him, Do you believe your father? It is kind of funny. Almost as if the Spirit is testing him. Nephi basically replies you know I do. It almost reads like Nephi has a little bit of attitude, or in the very least, is not going to be intimidated by the Spirit. And the spirit says to him, not only am I going to show you the things your father told you about, I am going to show you the Son of God, and you will be a witness of it. So he shows him the tree et al, and Nephi know it is beautiful, but he doesn't fully understand what the tree is or what he is seeing, so he asks what it means. And the Spirit shows Nephi the time when Gabriel tells Mary she will give birth to the Son of God, and says "knowest thou the condescension of God?" Nephi, who we have to remember is probably a teenager, basically says Ummmmmmm- I don't know what you mean. So the Spirit shows Nephi the birth of the Savior. When Nephi sees the scene of the Mary the mother holding her newborn son, then Nephi starts to get it. He understands that the Son of God will actually come to the earth as a man and preach the gospel and he gets the interpretation of all the parts of Lehi's dreams and visions about John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. Nephi witnesses the Savior healing and teaching, and being judged and slain. And he sees the persecution of the apostles and the church. He witnesses the final destruction of those that fight against God. He witnesses what will happen with his own descendents and how they will be so numerous, but how they will also have wars and destructions. He sees that the Savior will visit them as well, but that after a time, they will forget and "dwindle in unbelief".

Over the next couple of chapters, he pretty much sees the history of the whole world, the rise of European powers, and the settlement of europeans in the Americas, the founding of the new American nations, the bringing forth of his record to these people, and how the record of the Jews will lose some of the plain truths over all this time, and why more than one record is needed. And he is promised that his descendents will not be wiped away, and that his record will be used to confirm the truths of the first record and will lead to the salvation of his seed.

I kind of have to stop here and wonder what Nephi must have been feeling and thinking during all of this vision. He is young. He is just getting confident enough to ask to know for himself, and as soon as he does, so much is revealed to him. I would be soo overwhelmed at this point. Is he fascinated and drinking it all in? Is he getting scared knowing that he will be responsible for so much? Is he feeling the burden of it? Maybe this is why he tells us "this is the record of my ministry" and goes on to describe that it begins when he asks a question and all that is at stake is revealed to him. How much does Nephi age during this vision? I get the impression that he is a young and somewhat naive man when he asks the question, and none of that is left to him at the end. He will never be in a position to deny anything ever again. I feel for him and his burden. Lately I have been wondering about things I want to ask, but part is me is afraid to know. There is such a responsibility to knowing.

I know that families will be fortified by implementing the teachings of this great book in their lives. Many of our children will be saved because they will remember, as Enos did, the words which he had often heard his father speak concerning eternal life, and because of this, he came to know that his sins were forgiven through the Atonement of Christ. You and I, as part of those future generations spoken about, can be more powerful priesthood holders by using the Book of Mormon and honoring our priesthood covenants. The Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ, of whom I also testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Walter F. Gonzalez, Seventy

After the sons return, Lehi tells them they have to go back to get Ishmael's family, who happened to have 5 available daughters, to join them on their journey. So the sons go back, and Ishmael listens to them and believes them. I always wonder how long that took. Was it immediate, or a night, or a couple of days? It doesn't specify. Ishmael, his wife, his 5 unmarried daughters, his 2 sons and their families, all join the brothers for their third and final trip out of Jerusalem and head for the valley where Lehi and Sariah wait. And surprise, surprise, surprise, guess who were acting like jerks on the trip back. Yeah. So, Nephi gets fed up and reminds them of the angels and signs they have had and basically tells them to shape up. Their reaction to that is their typical, beat Nephi and tie him up tado. Nephi prays to be released and his ties are loosed. Now, at that point they are about to go after him again when the wife of Ishmael, and one of her daughters and a son basically beg them to stop. When they get back to Lehi, once again they give thanks. Noticing a theme with Lehi and the giving of thanks? Me too!

Next Nephi mentions that he and his family have gathered all kinds of seeds and grains, but it is kind of out of the blue and doesn't seem to tie to what he says next. I guess it is a little pocket of information to store?

Lehi then begins talking to his sons, and saying how proud he is of Sam and Nephi and how worried he is for Laman and Lemuel. I don't want to be too critical of Lehi's parenting skills, but he does seem to harp on his eldest sons faults a lot and compare them to the younger ones infavorably. Maybe I am not getting the whole picture, but if I were screwing up and constantly being reminded of how much better my brothers were, I might harbor a few resentments myself.
Lehi continues talking to his sons telling him of another vision he has had. A man in a white robe comes to him and asks Lehi to follow him. They begin their journey going through a wasteland, in the dark for several hours, until Lehi begins to pray to the Lord that he would be merciful "according to the multitude of his tender mercies". I kind of liked that phrase. It made me wonder if I should include it in my prayers. "Heavenly Father, please help me figure this out. Can't thee pull something from that bag of tender mercies thou hast?" I sound irreverent, but I am actually quite serious. It is interesting that Lehi asks the Lord that way.

After praying Lehi beholds a spacious field with a tree that held fruit "desirable to make one happy". Sometimes I wonder about the meaning of the word happy here, but moving on...
Lehi goes to eat the fruit and it is so sweet and wonderful it fills his heart with joy. His first thought is, this makes me so happy I want my whole family to have it, so he looks around for them. He sees Sariah, Sam and Nephi standing looking confused, so he calls to them, and they come over to him and share the fruit. So he looks around for L&L and they were standing at the head of a river and they won't come and join the family. Then he notices that along this river there is a rod of iron and a path that leads from the fountain (head of the river?) and the spacious field to the tree and he sees tons of people coming along the path, holding to the rod, toward the tree. And as they were trying to get on the path, or grabbing the rod, mists of darkness come and surround them and causes many of them to get lost, but some clung to the rod and keep on keepin' on to the tree, until they taste the fruit, but they aren't filled with joy. They act embarrassed. So Lehi looks around and he notices that on the opposite bank there is a large building filled with people, dressed up, and mocking the people on the path, until some of them left the path. Others stayed on the path and reached the tree, and others left for the spacious building, and some drowned in the river and some just wandered off. And all through it L&L won't come and eat of the fruit. So after Lehi describes the dream, he pleads with L&L to be obedient to the commandments.

Now there is a lot of symbolism in this dream. Some are obvious- the fruit is the gospel, the spacious building are the temptations of the world, the mists of darkness are the trials and confusions of life... I find it interesting that Nephi and Sam are confused as to where to go at the beginning of the dream. They don't already have the answers. They are still learning. And I thought it was interesting that the fruit wasn't joyful to everyone, as if you had to allow yourself to find joy in it.

Nephi has said a couple times in all of this that he isn't going to write it all because there is too much to write. He now describes that besides the plates they got from Laban, he is making two sets of plates- one large one that records the history, and one small one to record the ministry. Nephi says he doesn't know why, but that is what he was asked to do. It makes me wonder why too? When we got the BOM, we get an abridgement that combines the records, so why are they recorded seperately? Ideas??
Up to this point Nephi seems to be skimming over things and hitting the highlights. I think this is the time when he starts in the present tense.

As a special witness, I testify that Jesus is the Christ and that Nephi’s and Isaiah’s prophecies of His coming have in fact been fulfilled. Like Nephi, “we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ.” I testify through the sure conviction that springs from the witness of the Spirit that it is possible to know things that have been revealed with greater certainty than by actually seeing them. We can have a more absolute knowledge than eyes can perceive or ears can hear. God Himself has put His approval on the Book of Mormon, having said, “As your Lord and your God liveth it is true.” I can now see more clearly through the eyes of my own understanding what my mother could see in her precious old worn-out copy of the Book of Mormon. I pray that we may live in such a way as to merit and gain a testimony of and abide by the great truths of the Book of Mormon. I testify that the keystone of our religion is solidly in place, bearing the weight of truth as it moves through all the earth.

Elder James E. Faust