1 Nephi 11:14

14  And it came to pass that I saw the ^aheavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me; and he said unto me: Nephi, what beholdest thou?

            -angels (heavenly beings who belong to this earth, who were already or who will be engaged in mortality themselves  -per Joseph Smith) are deeply engaged in the activities of mortal men, women and children.  This experience with Nephi is not an anomaly.  They are aware and available at a moment’s notice to respond to spiritual needs.  They are of a matter and realm beyond our sight unless we enter a spiritual plane as Nephi is here and as various individuals have on rare but special occasions (including Mary, Daniel, the young man in Elisha’s company, and many children across the dispensations, etc.).  What is their purpose?  They appear to be teachers, messengers, comforters, protectors and providers of spiritual support in much the same way that we often provide moral support for one another.  There is much we do not know about the society of these spiritual beings, about the scope of their influence and the terms of their assignments. 

1 Nephi 11:13

13  And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities.  And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of ^aNazareth I beheld a ^bvirgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white.

            -remember that the content of the current vision is to answer Nephi’s request:  to know the interpretation of his father’s “tree of life” vision.  Interestingly, the opening scene of Nephi’s vision is to see Mary, the mother of Jesus.  This, so far as we have record, was an element entirely absent in Lehi’s vision.  Already, Nephi is experiencing additional light and truth beyond the scope of what his father saw.  We are entitled to a similar expansion of knowledge.  How often have we left a class, a general conference, an interview or a session of scripture study and taken time to ponder and pray about what we have just learned, mulling over the principles and measuring them against our current understanding?  We will not likely have a vision that includes a panoramic view of the Savior’s birth because this is truth that is already possessed in scripture, in several video productions and other formats  -in a sense what was novel and illustrative to Nephi is well known to us.  But there are other, truths pertaining to our personal situation, which we are entitled to just as Nephi was to this vision.  We should, however, always remember a principle of revelation:  God will not reveal by miraculous means that which he has already given –and often by much repetition- through the scriptures, modern prophets or by previous personal experience with the Holy Ghost.  We will find that many of the things we wish to know have already been revealed.  The question is not so much with knowing a thing as with accepting and doing it.

1 Nephi 11:12

Nephi’s question in verse 11 (to understand the meaning of the tree) is answered through a process of “showing and observation” comprising verses 12-21. It is a process of discovery.

12  And it came to pass that he said unto me: Look! And I looked as if to look upon him, and I saw him not; for he had gone from before my presence.

            -why the departure of the Spirit of the Lord?

     "Look!"
       -throughout the duration of this vision the invitation to "look!" will be repeated many times.  There are two thoughts that come to mind:
1.  the equally frequent injunction found in the scriptures for "he who hath eyes to see".  In other words we are to observe, pay attention, open the eyes of our understanding.
2.  a child or adolescent will sometimes pester his parent (frequently his mom) with incessant requests to "watch this!" or "look!" as they perform some feat which to them is amazing, new or otherwise noteworthy.  That level of excitement and urgency is reminiscent of the request/demand made to Nephi.

1 Nephi 11:11

11  And I said unto him: To know the ^ainterpretation thereof—for I spake unto him as a man speaketh; for I beheld that he was in the ^bform of a man; yet nevertheless, I knew that it was the Spirit of the Lord; and he spake unto me as a man speaketh with another.

            -of the many things we learn from Nephi’s experience here and from this verse specifically, we know that we can have a conversation with the Holy Ghost  “as a man speaketh with another”.  This type of communication depends on the purposes of heaven (and our worthiness of course). Most of our communications with the Spirit are not so blatant but take the form of feelings, impressions, fleeting moments of inspiration which appear to be our own thoughts, enlightenment, intuition.  Elaborate and lengthy “discussions” are not frequent but they are also not categorically obsolete.

1 Nephi 11:10

10  And he said unto me: What desirest thou?

            -an interesting question both in this context but also outside it.  In general we should consider it soberly and honestly.  What is it that we desire? 

            -in the context of Nephi’s previous observation about the tree:  that it is “precious above all”, the Spirit’s question, “what desirest thou?” can be viewed as a query to measure just how precious it is to Nephi.  If there is something that is very precious we would, naturally, desire that precious thing.  But how much do we want it which is also to say, how much do we value it?  What are you going to do –how much effort and sacrifice are you willing to spend- to obtain it?

1 Nephi 11:9

9  And it came to pass after I had seen the tree, I said unto the Spirit: I behold thou hast shown unto me the tree which is ^aprecious above all.

     “precious above all.”

            -precious:

    rare and worth a lot of money

    very valuable or important : too valuable or important to be wasted or used carelessly

                greatly loved, valued, or important

    highly esteemed or cherished <a precious friend>

    excessively refined

-to whom is the tree precious?  Where does it’s value eminate?  What one man esteems of great value, others do not.  Clearly the tree is precious to God and the great condemnation of man is that we do not hold the same estimation.  We might pose it this way:  To God, what is the most precious thing he has given to man?

1 Nephi 11:8

8  And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me: Look! And I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto the ^atree which my father had seen; and the ^bbeauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the ^cwhiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow.

    “Look!”

            -the punctuation increases the fervor, the urgency and the importance of the message.  Nephi was not just invited to “look…”, he was told, “Look!”.  Can we comprehend the difference between the two?

     “exceeding all beauty… exceed whiteness of snow.”

            -althouth he tries, Nephi does not have words sufficient to really explain the “superlativeness” of the tree.  It is beyond anything earthly.  It is an object belonging to a higher sphere.

1 Nephi 11:7

7  And behold this thing shall be given unto thee for a ^asign, that after thou hast beheld the tree which bore the fruit which thy father tasted, thou shalt also behold a man descending out of heaven, and him shall ye witness; and after ye have witnessed him ye shall ^bbear record that it is the Son of God.

            -verse 7 is an introduction or summary of the vision that is about to take place.  The events actually come about in verses 8 through chapter 14 .

    “shall be given unto thee for a sign”

            -signs are given unto men and women but, ironically, they are not given to those who seek signs.  They are given to those who possess faith.  It even appears that God desires to give us signs but these are allocated by purity of motivation and faith.

            -Nephi is given a preparatory course for the things he is about to see… why?

    “him shall ye witness; and after ye have witnessed him ye shall bear record”

            -establishing witnesses or testifiers of the Savior is evidently an important matter to God.  God, in fact, goes through great pains to make the things of eternity known to man by man’s own word.  It is as if God is trying to help man penetrate the veil as much as man is willing.

1 Nephi 11:6

6  And when I had spoken these words, the Spirit cried with a loud voice, saying: Hosanna to the Lord, the most high God; for he is God over all the ^aearth, yea, even above all.  And blessed art thou, Nephi, because thou ^bbelievest in the Son of the most high God; wherefore, thou shalt behold the things which thou hast desired.

            -Clearly Nephi answered correctly, he had passed the “test”.  But I am missing something more here.... 

    “he is God over all he earth, yea, even above all.”

            -can there be any doubt regarding God’s supremecy over his creations?  Twice he establishes that he is over all and above all!  This means, to a perfect father, that he is protector of all –responsible as a parent of children, for all.  He takes a personal interest in the progression, the happiness, the wellbeing of all.  There is none within His dominion –which is all- that he will neglect.

    “blessed art thou, Nephi”

            -so how is Nephi blessed because of his belief in the Son of God?  What is accounted in this blessedness?    In other words, how is Nephi’s life blessed because of his belief?  The most immediate blessing is the increase in personal knowledge and testimony he is about to receive: “thou shalt behold the things which thou hast desired.”  This is no small thing.  In fact, there are few blessings greater.  But are there other ways Nephi is blessed?

    “because thou beleivest”

            -how did Nephi evidence this belief in such a manner and degree that he qualifies for this heavenly visitation and confirmation?

1 Nephi 11:5

5  And I said: Yea, thou knowest that I ^abelieve all the words of my father.

            -Nephi even seems a bit bewildered at this basic question.  He declares that the Spirit already knows of his stance and the answer to the question.  It is almost to say, “that is a silly question, you know that I do.”  This is reminiscent of the Savior’s questions to Peter, “Do you love me?” that were repeated three times.  Clearly there is something deeper in the asking of the question than just the answer.

1 Nephi 11:4

4.  And the Spirit said unto me: ^aBelievest thou that thy father saw the ^btree of which he hath spoken?

            -the Spirit knows all things.  The Spirit knows Nephi’s heart and ultimately the answers to the questions he is asking before Nephi can even respond.  Why, then, this lineof questions? 

1.  so that Nephi can express/exercise his agency.  Even though God (and the Spirit) knows how we will respond in a situation –positively or negatively- that situation must play out so that we can own it.  God’s foreknowledge does not compel us to act a certain way.  Our actions are one hundred percent, ours.  We own them because we use our agency to make a choice.

2. as a teaching device both for Nephi and for those who are reading this account as third party participants.  What do we learn about the teaching and revealing process, about discovery of spiritual things, about acquisition of spiritual knowledge?  What does Nephi learn in the process of answering questions?

3.     as a model for us to follow when other’s are pursueing knowledge.  If this process is followed by a heavenly being, it is appropriate for us in a terrestrial world.  We can ascertain the amount of truth to unveal to others according as they are ready and receptive.

   “Believest thou…?”

-faith comes before the miracle.  We must show our acceptance of truths already known before we can receive more.  This is a safeguard of our agency.  We will not be given more than our state of obedience, maturity and acceptance allows.  In the "line upon line, precept upon precept" growth trajectory that we are all on, there is simply no skipping levels.  With each new truth, revelation or understanding comes a corresponding measure of responsibility to which we become accountable.  It would not be fair to us to give accountability beyond our current capacity or willingness.  We are the only force that limits our spiritual growth.  We often express a desire to have more of the personal revelations and insights available from God but the truth is we do not want the corresponding responsibility.  Nephi is willing and here expresses his permission in the form of faith:  Yes, I believe and yes, I am ready.

1 Nephi 11:3

3  And I said: I desire to behold the things which my father ^asaw.

            -this is a perfect illustration of how righteousness and spiritual endowments are passed from one generation to the next.  Nephi wants to measure up to the goodness of his father.  Which he does.  In fact, an argument can be made that Nephi surpasses Lehi over the course of his life.  But at a young age it was imperative that a son saw the foundation laid by his father and launched off of it.  How many fathers fall short of offering such a priceless blessing to their children?  Have I provided this for my son?

1 Nephi 11:2

2 And the Spirit said unto me: Behold, what ^adesirest thou?

     “the Spirit”

            -it the temple is the school of the universe –the university- then the instructor, the professor (one who professes, teaches of things to come, things as they were and things as they are) is the Holy Ghost.

     “the Spirit said unto me:  Behold, what desirest thou?”

-why did the spirit ask this question?  Surely he knew the answer, in fact, Nephi’s pure desire is one of the reasons he even qualified to receive this vision.

-all learning begins with a question.  This demonstrates the appropriate use of agency of the learner.  To teach before a student is ready or desireous to learn is to infringe on agency.  To give when one has not asked is paramount to force.  Teachers should be very careful about giving when their students are not receiving.  In essence, the spirit was asking Nephi if he is ready to learn, if he is ready to receive what the Spirit was about to give.

            -God cannot give to us beyond our desires and petitions to receive.  To do so would violate our agency, a thing He will never override nor usurp.  Curiously, Lucifer has no scruples, reticence or hesitation seizing agency with a devilish tool called addiction.  To be perfectly honest however, every addicted soul previously gave their personal permission by freely engaging in forbidden behavior.

1 Nephi 11:1

1  FOR it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat ^apondering in mine heart I was ^bcaught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high ^cmountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot.

      “after I had desired… and believing that the Lord was able…, as I sat pondering…”

-there are 3 identifiable steps to Nephi’s gaining knowledge through a tremendous spiritual experience:  1.  (intense) desire            2.  Faith in the Lord (specific)    3.  Sober pondering

      -desire, believe, and pondering are all mental processes.  They have corresponding physical behaviors but ultimately the work Nephi did here to qualify himself for his own marvelous vision were mental or spiritual things.  These processes bridged the spirit and the body  and therefore elevated the soul to qualify for the experience about to commence.

      -these three spiritual actions are the prerequisites of prayer:  desire, believe and ponder.  We almost always skip these necessary precursors and jump right into the concluding stage.  We skip the main course and go to dessert, expecting to be filled. 

“an exceedingly high mountain”

      -clearly this is a temple experience for Nephi.  The scriptures are replete with the description of the “mountain of the Lord’s house”.  He is being “plucked” out of the world and given a much wider view of things.  These large picture perspectives are figuratively and literally obtained from a vista that provides an expansive view where we are not so caught up in the immediate details.  It is a longer term (in other words, an eternal) perspective.  And what is the objective of the temple?  Hugh Nibley taught it effectively: to provide us an education, it is a place of learning where we discover our place in relation to God and his cosmos.  Nephi is about to be taught exactly what we can learn from the temple curriculum.

“mountain, which I never had before seen and never before set my foot.”

-while this has obvious reference to a physical change of location and the mountain as a temple, I think it also makes allusion to Nephi’s new level or plateau of spiritual awareness.  He has entered a new spiritual realm, undergone a “quantum leap” of spirituality.  His repetitive description of the mountain as a place “new” and previously unfamiliar to him seems to be particularly noteworthy. 

1 Nephi 10:22

22  And the Holy Ghost giveth ^aauthority that I should speak these things, and deny them not.
     “the authority”

-the “right” or the “OK”

            -has the Holy Ghost ever given you authority to teach, communicate or speak certain things?  Are people or things bound by what you say?  How comfortable are you if the things that you speak are “set in stone” and have binding influence on those who hear?  How does one know he or she has such authority?

    “and deny them not.”

            -why do we sometimes deny the truths, teachings or warnings of God?  There are a few reasons:

            1.  we do not like the implications:  they curtail our natural desires.

            2.  we would rather have the acceptance of the masses who are more “accepting” of the thigs of this world over the things of God (old fashioned peer pressure and a desire for the approval of others).

            3.  they are too hard/they require more of us than we think we can give.

            4.  we are not living equal to the message and therefor do not want to be a hypocrite by speaking the things of God.

1 Nephi 10:21

21  Wherefore, if ye have sought to do ^awickedly in the days of your ^bprobation, then ye are found ^cunclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever.

      “if ye have sought to do wickedly"

            -few of us seek our evil.  You will find very few people, even of those engaged in the dregs of wickedness and evil, who will concede that they are pursuing or promoting wickedness.  We are astoundingly effective at self-deception.  Even the definitive despots –Hitler, Mao, Ghangis Kahn, Stalin, Pol Pot, Caligula and the like- set their actions in the virtuous context of some great good (political reform, social equality, nationalism, scientific progress, individual liberty, religious evangelism  -there is no rational that has not been levereaged for the defense of some great diabolic deed) .  Accordingly, we may quickly dismiss this phrase as “not applicable” to ourselves.  Sure, I have my weaknesses and have periodically fallen into sin but I have not SOUGHT to do wickely.  The more honest truth is that we do cling to our pleasurable sins.  There is some food, some activity, some judgement, some attitude which is so satisfying to this physical body (which includes emotionally, mentally, socially as well as physical) and which prohibits the unobstructed and intimate association with the Holy Ghost that we “cannot” banish it from our life.  It is just too hard for us to change, we enjoy what it provides us, we are too afraid to let it go… whatever the reason, we seek that action, thought or philosophy.  The truth is, if we are not seeking God’s will, we are seeking wickedly and this can happen without our committing or omitting any of the so called major or commonly acknowledged sins (like adultery, lieing, envying, worshipping materialism).  Wickedness is much more sophisticated and subtle than we would like to admit.

     “your probation”

            -one of Satan’s lies is to make men think that mortal life is an end, not a means.  It is the destination rather than the qualifying stage that will determine our future destination.  These two different perspectives will lead to very different strategies of how to act while here.  The idea of a probationary period is a perfect description of our current condition.  If, however, there is no realm after this one (and, correspondingly, none prior to it) then this is the “be all” and “end all” of our experience.  Why should we not maximize our pleasure in an all-out orgy of physical sensation and self-interest?  That is the only rational conclusion when operating under the assumption of no God or divine purpose of life.

    “cast off forever.”

            -our actions, decisions and behavior in this short time/state of probation determine what our eternal condition will be.  How can such a short time have consequences that will endure forever?  It almost seems illogical and even unfair.  In the end, however, those are irrelevant estimations since we cannot change the terms of the arrangement.  The important thing is that we are aware of the stakes involved.  It does inform us, however, as to the nature of the probabtionary experience.  If all of eternity is to be based on what happens in this short eighty year span, the nature of the assessment is critical. I am talking about the rigor, validity and reliability of the testing instrument. It must be robust:  testing us in a variety of settings; exploring our reactions on a breadth of topics, allowing for growth and learning while in the process of the assessment itself and then re-testing to discover growth and improvement.  It must be gradual in nature (questions and situations becoming increasingly more difficult).  It must be fairly scored across an infinite variety of subjects.  There must be sufficient knowledge of the material in order for the assessment to be applicable.  There is a time limit involved which introduces the element of efficiency.  This assessment is “timed” however we are unaware of the quantity of time we have to complete it.  All of these elements must come together and provide a sufficient measure of our performance such that the results can be 100% accurately generalized from a short time to an infinite future.  Its predictability must be perfect.

1 Nephi 10:20

20  Therefore remember, O man, for all thy doings thou shalt be brought into ^ajudgment.

            -and here is the great motivation and sobering reminder.  No work of man –regardless of how private or deeply hidden or even seemingly inconsequentially small- will escape the eye of God.  Our lives will be utterly and completely laid open for all to see.  Not only that but they will also be evaluated and held up to a conspicuous measurement.

1 Nephi 10:19

19  For he that diligently ^aseeketh shall find; and the ^bmysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the ^cHoly Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the ^dcourse of the Lord is one eternal round.

     “seeketh"

            -what is encompassed in this word?  What does it entail?  How can I most effectively and correctly “seek”?

     “seeketh shall find…”

            -please notice that there is no time frame applied here.  We, I think, are a bit overly concerned about this contraption called time, and it often is the one element that derails us from the correct track which we must follow.  We are so recently told, “diligently”!  The word “diligently” seems to indicate that a sizable amount of time must pass as part of our being proven worthy of “finding”.  Time appears to be an aggravation, if not an enemy, to man whereas to God it appears to be a major testing element.  We would be will to remember that God ahs never, nor will he ever be late!  The promise is sure:  such a one shall/will find.

            -and what shall he find?  An understanding of the mysteries of God.

    “the mysteries of God”

            -what are these mysteries? Instead of the word “mysteries” is it fair to substitute the words the “understandings, knowledge, plans, mind or thinking” of God?  There are many mysteries we may (and will eventually) come to know:

·         God’s purposes for us in our lives, the specific tasks he has for us to accomplish

·         An understanding of eternal principles and law from faith to nuclear fusion

·         The unfolding of his work on this earth (i.e. how He will gather Israel, the advent of the second coming, the progression of the conquest of the devil, etc.).

·         How it is that a Savior can pay for the sins of mankind and how that can take effect in our lives (the atonement).

·         How God thinks, decides, and acts.

     “…as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come”

-Times change but people, problems and patterns do not.

-growth, learning and salvation/exaltation of His children.

     “the course of the Lord is one eternal round”

            -this is a frequently spoken and oft repeated phrase but what does it really mean?  Is the connotation simply a repeating of cycles (i.e. of creating then testing and exhalting spirit children)?  Like a divine monopoly game where God’s course takes him along a path that leads back to “Go” every so often?  Is it the idea of time as experience by God as an continually eternal present? 

-Cross Reference:  Chapter 11:1   Nephi just told the reader that God would show the mysteries to people in days past, in the present day and in days to come… THEN in the next chapter he tells us how he sat thinking about these things (doing what he talked about in verse 19).