THE THINGS WHICH I SAW WHILE I WAS CARRIED AWAY IN THE SPIRIT

Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Lesson 4 1 Nephi 12-14

INTRODUCTION

➤ Boyd K. Packer: “No message appears in scripture more times, in more ways than ‘Ask, and ye shall receive’” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1991, 26; or Ensign, Nov. 1991, 21).

➤ 1 Ne 11:1-3

➤ What does it mean to be ‘caught away’

➤ In chapter 11 he sees a vision of the tree of life

➤ In 12 he sees the destruction of his people

➤ In 13 & 14 he sees the rise of the great & abominable church and the Church of the Lamb of God (similar to John’s Revelation)

BACKGROUND➤ Where is Nephi now?

➤ He’s still in the middle east. He sees a vision of the land of promise. How different do those look? How would it feel to see it torn apart?

➤ ATOT: HGTV Couple’s dream Texas Farmhouse. How would they feel if the could see it being destroyed by their wicked posterity? Would it change their desire for it? Probably not, but it would change how and what they teach their children. I think it had a similar effect on Nephi.

NEPHI SEES THE FUTURE OF HIS DESCENDANTS AND HIS BROTHERS’ DESCENDANTS

➤ 1 Ne 12:1-3, he’s seeing multiple generations pass away. This was a long vision

➤ 1 Ne 12:4-6, (compare to 3 Ne 8) why the contrast?

➤ This vision is directly after the tree of life vision

➤ He sees a metaphorical ‘mist of darkness’ and then a literal ‘vapor of darkness’.

➤ He sees a metaphorical ‘great and spacious building’ and then the literal ruins of whole cities.

➤ 1 Ne 12:11-12, How are the conditions after the Savior’s visit?

➤ Compare to 4 Nephi, to see the prophesy fulfilled

STEPS TO FINDING PEACE

➤ 4 Ne 1:2-4, What brought about this peace? (4 Ne 1:5, 7, 10-12)

➤ If we are feeling strife and contention what should we do?

➤ Serve (5)

➤ Repair what is broken (7)

➤ Grow in strength - wax strong (wax candles are dipped and built up over time)(10)

➤ Have families (10-11)

➤ Be obedient (12)

➤ Seek to know & love him (15)

NEPHI SEES THE FUTURE OF HIS DESCENDANTS AND HIS BROTHERS’ DESCENDANTS

➤ After seeing 4 generations (100+ yrs) live in peace he begins to see a decline

➤ 1 Ne 12:14-15, What’s their common cause now?

➤ 1 Ne 12:16, What does the river represent?

➤ 1 Ne 15:27-29, separation from God=awful hell

➤ ATOT: Moving to Utah, the fear and panic I felt when Jack was lost. Even then I had steps I had a bridge to get him back (talk to neighbors, call the police). In hell, the river is permanent, there is no bridge to get back.

➤ 1 Ne 12:19, Why were they overpowered and destroyed?

➤ They started relying on their own strength. They weren’t ‘waxing strong’ anymore.

➤ How does pride make us weaker?

➤ ATOT: ’The Power of Vulnerability’ book. It cuts off creativity and collaboration

NEPHI SEES THE FORMATION OF THE GREAT AND ABOMINABLE CHURCH

➤ 1 Ne 13 summary: Nephi sees the apostasy, the colonization of Americas, and the Restoration

➤ What is the great & abominable (def: causing moral corruption) church?

➤ Who is the founder? 1 Ne 13:6. Why would he found a ‘church’? Why not an army?

➤ Which church is it? We’ve all heard guesses - they’re all wrong.

➤ D&C 18:20, all other churches can’t be the church of the devil or this wouldn’t make sense. Our church joins with others all the time (Mom’s experiences with the Public Affairs department).

➤ The G&A Church is a symbol of apostasy in all its forms.

➤ When we think of Zion, we don’t just think of Jackson County. Zion is in the hearts of the people. The G&A church is in the hearts of people as well.

“ From an Ensign article on Muhammed…"While the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is established for the instruction of men; and it is one of God’s instrumentalities for making known the truth yet he is not limited to that institution for such purposes, neither in time nor place. God raises up wise men and prophets here and there among all the children of men, of their own tongue and nationality, speaking to them through means that they can comprehend. … All the great teachers are servants of God; among all nations and in all ages. They are inspired men, appointed to instruct God’s children according to the conditions in the midst of which he finds them.”

They also published articles on Buddhism, Hinduism, Roman Catholicism, and Lutheranism. President Hinckley: “Bring all the good you have with you, and let us add to it!”

-B.H. Roberts

“ ➤ “The titles church of the devil and great and abominable church are used to identify all churches or organizations of whatever name or nature—whether political, philosophical, educational, economic, social, fraternal, civic, or religious—which are designed to take men on a course that leads away from God and his laws and thus from salvation in the kingdom of God” (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 137–38).

➤ Do we see these forces at work today? How can we combat them?

-Bruce R. McConkie

NEPHI SEES THE DISCOVERY & COLONIZATION OF THE AMERICAS

➤ The Lamanites had been separated from the rest of the world for centuries. When they were full of iniquity, the Lord guided others to the Land of Promise.

➤ 1 Ne 13:10-16, Columbus and others come.

➤ Knowing how things worked out between the Native Americans & the Settlers, could this really have been God’s plan?

➤ 1 Ne 13:14, they were scattered ‘before’ not ‘by’. Maybe this is referring to disease.

➤ "Throughout the Americas, diseases introduced with Europeans spread from tribe to tribe far in advance of the Europeans themselves, killing an estimated 95% of the pre-Columbian Native American population.  The most populous and highly organized native societies of North American, the Mississippian chiefdoms, disappeared in that way between 1492 and the late 1600s, even before Europeans themselves made their first settlement on the Mississippi River."  (Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, p. 78)

NEPHI SEES THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR & THE DISTORTION OF THE BIBLE

➤ 1 Ne 13:17-19

➤ Any study of the revolutionary war shows that we were the underdogs - by a long way! There are dozens of stories of miraculous storms and impossible crossings.

➤ How did they win? (1 Ne 13:15)

➤ 1 Ne 13:20-23, What is this book? The bible

➤ 1 Ne 13:24-26, The deliberate loss of plain & precious truths in the bible

➤ Why is losing what is plain harmful?

➤ ATOT: Reading mom blog about ‘hands-on mothering’. It preached all about the evils of strollers, bouncers and high chairs.

➤ God’s commandment is to love our children unconditionally as he does. When we create our own convoluted rules, we lose sight of his purpose and invite judgement.

➤ 1 Ne 13:27, What is Satan’s motive when he removes what is plain & precious?

NEPHI SEES THE RESTORATION

➤ Once freedom is established, the gospel could be restored.

➤ Heavenly Father knew the Bible would be distorted, what was his solution? 1 Ne 13:40-41

➤ What doctrines are hard to understand in the Bible but plain and precious in the Book of Mormon?

➤ Atonement

➤ Resurrection

➤ Baptism

➤ Priesthood

➤ Organization of the Church

NEPHI SEES THE BLESSINGS PROMISED TO THE FAITHFUL

➤ 1 Ne 14 Summary: He sees the blessings & cursing of the Gentiles. The G&A church falls.

➤ 1 Ne 14:1-3, How does God’s plan sharply contrast Satan’s plan? He removes our stumbling blocks, Satan digs a pit and guides us slowly in.

➤ 1 Ne 14:6-7, How do we harden our hearts? What is the risk?

➤ 1 Ne 14:10, In what way are there only two forces at work today?

➤ 1 Ne 14:12-14, we will be the underdogs but the outcome is already known. 1 Ne 14:15-17.

CONCLUSION

➤ Nephi’s vision was simple and pure. It all comes down to which side we are on.

➤ See Bible Dictionary on ‘Revelation of John’ (Page 717)

➤ “There will be an eventual triumph on this earth of God over the devil; a permanent victory of good over evil, of the Saints over their persecutors, of the kingdom of God over the kingdoms of men and of Satan…If we fail to catch a glimpse of the theme we fail in our comprehension, no matter how many details we are able to understand.”