“was the pride
of the world”
-this pride
is not even real, it is a fabrication of one's own mind. Compare this to evils and temptations that take on a temporal formation. At least stealing, adultery and malicious treatment of others have a physical manifestation, pride is an intangible (although its behavioral effects are just as real as any of the sins). This quality does not make it worse or better, as far as sins are concerned... each is opposed to the nature of God and an affront to Him. Each puts the illegitimate desires of the self above the innocent and legitimate claims of others. Sin is always fundamentally self-centered in nature and abuses the needs of others which we, as divine beings have a duty to preserve and defend, never to violate or diminish.
“and it fell”
-of course
it will fall, its not real or true. It
is an illusion, a hollow shell. It is unsustainable as it has not foundation in truth.
What Lehi saw was not simply a vision of a tree or even the tree
of life with its associated representations.
With Nephi’s more expanded vision we understand that Lehi’s vision was
the mission and mortal ministry of the Savior Jesus Christ. Even more, it is the life and person of Jesus
Christ made applicable to our life. That
is we can see our life in parallel to the Savior’s life. We are living his existence. Like the Savior who faced a multitude of the
earth who was gathered together to fight and slay him, that same multitude
–“the world and the wisdom thereof”- is gathered to fight against and spiritually
(and perhaps physically) slay us. We can
see this same parallel in each symbol of Lehi’s dream and in the corresponding
reality of the Savior’s life.
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