Nephi Returns from His Vision
I, Nephi, came down from the vision and went back to my father’s tent. My brothers were there, arguing about what our father had told them. Dad had shared some deep truths with them—things that are hard to understand unless you ask God. But my brothers” hearts were stubborn. They wouldn’t even try to seek the Lord.
I was heartbroken by their stubbornness. I was also crushed by what I’d seen—the terrible things that would happen because of human wickedness. The weight of it all knocked me down. My grief felt unbearable because I’d seen the destruction coming for my people. I’d watched them fall. After I regained my strength, I asked my brothers what they were arguing about.
Brothers Ask About the Olive Tree
“We can’t figure out what Dad meant,” they said. “All that talk about olive branches and the Gentiles—what’s that about? Have you asked the Lord?” I said. No. God doesn’t reveal things like that to us.”
“How can you say that? Why don’t you keep God’s commandments? Your stubbornness is going to destroy you. Don’t you remember what the Lord said? “If you soften your hearts and ask me in faith—really believing you’ll get an answer—and if you’re diligent about keeping my commandments, I’ll reveal these things to you.””
“Listen, the House of Israel is like an olive tree—that’s what the Spirit showed our ancestors. And look at us—we’re a branch broken off from Israel, aren’t we? Here’s what Dad meant about grafting branches back through the Gentiles: In the future, after our descendants lose their faith—long after the Messiah appears to humanity—the complete gospel will go to the Gentiles first. Then from the Gentiles, it will reach what’s left of our family line. When that day comes, our descendants will realize they’re part of Israel, God’s covenant people. They’ll learn about their ancestors and understand the gospel their Redeemer taught. They’ll know exactly how to come to him and be saved. Won’t they celebrate then? Won’t they praise their eternal God, their rock and salvation? Won’t they draw strength from the true vine? Won’t they join God’s true family? They will. Israel will remember them again. Like a natural olive branch, they’ll be grafted back into the true tree. That’s what Dad meant. It won’t happen until after the Gentiles scatter them. God will show his power through the Gentiles precisely because the Jews—the House of Israel—will reject him. Dad wasn’t talking just about our descendants, but about all of Israel. He was pointing to the promise that will be fulfilled in the future—the covenant God made with Abraham: “Through your family line, every nation on earth will be blessed.””
I explained all this to them. I told them about the Jews being restored in the future. I quoted Isaiah’s prophecies about Israel’s restoration—how they’d never be confused or scattered again after they return. I said so much that my brothers finally calmed down and humbled themselves before God.
The Meaning of Lehi’s Dream
Then they asked me, “What about that tree Dad saw in his dream? What does it mean? It represents the tree of life. And the iron rod that led to the tree? That’s the word of God. If you listen to God’s word and hold tight to it, you’ll never be lost. The devil’s temptations and flaming arrows won’t blind you or drag you to destruction.” I urged them with everything I had—with all my soul’s energy—to pay attention to God’s word and always remember to keep his commandments in everything.
“What about the river Dad saw? That water was filth itself, though Dad was so focused on other things he didn’t notice how foul it was. It’s a terrible gulf that separates the wicked from the tree of life and from God’s holy people. It represents the awful hell the angel told me was prepared for the wicked. Dad also saw that God’s justice divides the wicked from the righteous. It blazes like fire that rises to God forever, with no end.”
Judgment and Justice
“Does this mean physical suffering in this life,” they asked, “or the soul’s final state after death? Is it talking about earthly things? It represents both earthly and spiritual things. The day will come when everyone is judged for what they did during their lifetime. If people die in their wickedness, they’ll be cut off from spiritual things. They’ll stand before God to be judged. If their actions were filthy, they themselves must be filthy. And if they’re filthy, they can’t live in God’s kingdom—otherwise God’s kingdom would be filthy too.”
“But God’s kingdom isn’t filthy. Nothing unclean can enter there. So there has to be a place prepared for what is filthy. That place exists—the awful hell I mentioned. The devil prepared it. In the end, souls either live in God’s kingdom or get cast out because of God’s justice. The wicked are cut off from the righteous and from the tree of life, whose fruit is the most precious and desirable of all—the greatest of God’s gifts.” That’s what I told my brothers. Amen.