Actual scriptures
CHAPTER 12
Nephi sees in vision the land of promise; the righteousness, iniquity, and downfall of its inhabitants; the coming of the Lamb of God among them; how the Twelve Disciples and the Twelve Apostles will judge Israel; and the loathsome and filthy state of those who dwindle in unbelief. About 600–592 B.C.
1 And it came to pass that the angel said unto me: Look, and behold thy seed, and also the seed of thy brethren. And I looked and beheld the aland of promise; and I beheld multitudes of people, yea, even as it were in number as many as the bsand of the sea.
2 And it came to pass that I beheld multitudes gathered together to battle, one against the other; and I beheld awars, and rumors of wars, and great slaughters with the sword among my people.
3 And it came to pass that I beheld many generations pass away, after the manner of wars and contentions in the land; and I beheld many cities, yea, even that I did not number them.
4 And it came to pass that I saw a amist of bdarkness on the face of the land of promise; and I saw lightnings, and I heard thunderings, and earthquakes, and all manner of tumultuous noises; and I saw the earth and the rocks, that they rent; and I saw mountains tumbling into pieces; and I saw the plains of the earth, that they were cbroken up; and I saw many cities that they were dsunk; and I saw many that they were burned with fire; and I saw many that did tumble to the earth, because of the quaking thereof.
5 And it came to pass after I saw these things, I saw the avapor of darkness, that it passed from off the face of the earth; and behold, I saw multitudes who had not fallen because of the great and terrible judgments of the Lord.
6 And I saw the heavens open, and the aLamb of God descending out of heaven; and he came down and bshowed himself unto them.
7 And I also saw and bear record that the Holy Ghost fell upon atwelve others; and they were ordained of God, and chosen.
8 And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the twelve disciples of the Lamb, who are chosen to minister unto thy seed.
9 And he said unto me: Thou rememberest the atwelve apostles of the Lamb? Behold they are they who shall bjudge the twelve tribes of Israel; wherefore, the twelve ministers of thy seed shall be judged of them; for ye are of the house of Israel.
10 And these atwelve ministers whom thou beholdest shall judge thy seed. And, behold, they are righteous forever; for because of their faith in the Lamb of God their bgarments are made white in his blood.
11 And the angel said unto me: Look! And I looked, and beheld athree generations pass away in righteousness; and their garments were white even like unto the Lamb of God. And the angel said unto me: These are made white in the blood of the Lamb, because of their faith in him.
12 And I, Nephi, also saw many of the afourth generation who passed away in righteousness.
13 And it came to pass that I saw the multitudes of the earth gathered together.
14 And the angel said unto me: Behold thy seed, and also the seed of thy brethren.
15 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the people of my seed gathered together in multitudes aagainst the seed of my brethren; and they were gathered together to battle.
16 And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the fountain of afilthy water which thy father saw; yea, even the briver of which he spake; and the depths thereof are the depths of chell.
17 And the amists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which bblindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into cbroad roads, that they perish and are lost.
18 And the large and spacious abuilding, which thy father saw, is vain bimaginations and the cpride of the children of men. And a great and a terrible dgulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the ejustice of the Eternal God, and the Messiah who is the Lamb of God, of whom the Holy Ghost beareth record, from the beginning of the world until this time, and from this time henceforth and forever.
19 And while the angel spake these words, I beheld and saw that the seed of my brethren did contend against my seed, according to the word of the angel; and because of the pride of my seed, and the atemptations of the devil, I beheld that the seed of my brethren did boverpower the people of my seed.
20 And it came to pass that I beheld, and saw the people of the seed of my brethren that they had overcome my seed; and they went forth in multitudes upon the face of the land.
21 And I saw them gathered together in multitudes; and I saw awars and rumors of wars among them; and in wars and rumors of wars I saw bmany generations pass away.
22 And the angel said unto me: Behold these shall adwindle in unbelief.
23 And it came to pass that I beheld, after they had dwindled in unbelief they became a adark, and loathsome, and a bfilthy people, full of cidleness and all manner of abominations.
CHAPTER 13
Nephi sees in vision the church of the devil set up among the Gentiles, the discovery and colonizing of America, the loss of many plain and precious parts of the Bible, the resultant state of gentile apostasy, the restoration of the gospel, the coming forth of latter-day scripture, and the building up of Zion. About 600–592 B.C.
1 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld many nations and kingdoms.
2 And the angel said unto me: What beholdest thou? And I said: I behold many anations and kingdoms.
3 And he said unto me: These are the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles.
4 And it came to pass that I saw among the nations of the aGentiles the formation of a bgreat church.
5 And the angel said unto me: Behold the formation of a achurch which is most abominable above all other churches, which bslayeth the saints of God, yea, and tortureth them and bindeth them down, and yoketh them with a cyoke of iron, and bringeth them down into captivity.
6 And it came to pass that I beheld this agreat and babominable church; and I saw the cdevil that he was the founder of it.
7 And I also saw agold, and silver, and silks, and scarlets, and fine-twined blinen, and all manner of precious clothing; and I saw many harlots.
8 And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the gold, and the silver, and the silks, and the scarlets, and the fine-twined linen, and the precious clothing, and the harlots, are the adesires of this great and abominable church.
9 And also for the apraise of the world do they bdestroy the saints of God, and bring them down into captivity.
10 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld many waters; and they divided the Gentiles from the seed of my brethren.
11 And it came to pass that the angel said unto me: Behold the wrath of God is upon the seed of thy brethren.
12 And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and awrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.
13 And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters.
14 And it came to pass that I beheld many amultitudes of the Gentiles upon the bland of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were cscattered before the Gentiles and were smitten.
15 And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and aobtain the bland for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceedingly fair and cbeautiful, like unto my people before they were dslain.
16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was awith them.
17 And I beheld that their mother Gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them.
18 And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together aagainst them to battle.
19 And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were adelivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations.
20 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land; and I beheld a abook, and it was carried forth among them.
21 And the angel said unto me: Knowest thou the meaning of the book?
22 And I said unto him: I know not.
23 And he said: Behold it proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew. And I, Nephi, beheld it; and he said unto me: The abook that thou beholdest is a brecord of the cJews, which contains the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets; and it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the dplates of brass, save there are not so many; nevertheless, they contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles.
24 And the angel of the Lord said unto me: Thou hast beheld that the abook proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God.
25 Wherefore, these things go forth from the aJews in purity unto the bGentiles, according to the truth which is in God.
26 And after they go forth by the ahand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews bunto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that cgreat and abominable dchurch, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have etaken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are fplain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away.
27 And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men.
28 Wherefore, thou seest that after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and aprecious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God.
29 And after these plain and precious things were ataken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest—because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God—because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.
30 Nevertheless, thou beholdest that the Gentiles who have gone forth out of captivity, and have been lifted up by the power of God above all other nations, upon the face of the land which is choice above all other lands, which is the land that the Lord God hath covenanted with thy father that his seed should have for the aland of their inheritance; wherefore, thou seest that the Lord God will not suffer that the Gentiles will utterly destroy the bmixture of thy cseed, which are among thy brethren.
31 Neither will he suffer that the Gentiles shall adestroy the seed of thy brethren.
32 Neither will the Lord God suffer that the Gentiles shall forever remain in that awful state of blindness, which thou beholdest they are in, because of the plain and most precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that aabominable church, whose formation thou hast seen.
33 Wherefore saith the Lamb of God: I will be amerciful unto the Gentiles, unto the visiting of the remnant of the house of Israel in great judgment.
34 And it came to pass that the angel of the Lord spake unto me, saying: Behold, saith the Lamb of God, after I have avisited the bremnant of the house of Israel—and this remnant of whom I speak is the seed of thy father—wherefore, after I have visited them in judgment, and smitten them by the hand of the Gentiles, and after the Gentiles do cstumble exceedingly, because of the most plain and precious parts of the dgospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, which is the mother of harlots, saith the Lamb—I will be merciful unto the eGentiles in that day, insomuch that I will fbring forth unto them, in mine own power, much of my ggospel, which shall be plain and precious, saith the Lamb.
35 For, behold, saith the Lamb: I will manifest myself unto thy seed, that they shall write many things which I shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious; and after thy seed shall be destroyed, and dwindle in unbelief, and also the seed of thy brethren, behold, athese things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles, by the gift and power of the Lamb.
37 And ablessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my bZion at that day, for they shall have the cgift and the dpower of the Holy Ghost; and if they eendure unto the end they shall be flifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting gkingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall hpublish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.
38 And it came to pass that I beheld the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the abook of the Lamb of God, which had proceeded forth from the mouth of the Jew, that it came forth from the Gentiles bunto the remnant of the seed of my brethren.
39 And after it had come forth unto them I beheld aother bbooks, which came forth by the power of the Lamb, from the Gentiles unto them, unto the cconvincing of the Gentiles and the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the Jews who were scattered upon all the face of the earth, that the records of the prophets and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are dtrue.
40 And the angel spake unto me, saying: These alast records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall bestablish the truth of the cfirst, which are of the dtwelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the eSavior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved.
41 And they must come according to the words which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb; and the words of the Lamb shall be made known in the records of thy seed, as well as in the arecords of the twelve apostles of the Lamb; wherefore they both shall be established in bone; for there is cone God and one dShepherd over all the earth.
42 And the time cometh that he shall manifest himself unto all nations, both unto the aJews and also unto the Gentiles; and after he has manifested himself unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles, then he shall manifest himself unto the Gentiles and also unto the Jews, and the blast shall be first, and the cfirst shall be last.
Come Follow Me Manual
The Lord prepared the way for the Restoration.
Nephi would never live to witness much of what he saw in his vision. Why do you think it was valuable for Nephi to know these things? Why is it valuable for you to know these things? Maybe you could ask this question each time you read about something Nephi saw in his vision.
Here are some of the events Nephi saw: the future of his people (see chapter 12), the colonizing of the Americas and the American Revolution (see chapter 13:12–19), the Great Apostasy (see chapter 13:20–29), and the Restoration of the gospel (see chapter 13:32–42).
For further study:
Seminary Manual
Introduction
The account of Nephi’s vision, which begins in 1 Nephi 11, continues in 1 Nephi 12–14. In his vision Nephi saw terrible tragedies, including the eventual destruction of his posterity. He saw the wicked remove plain and precious truths from the Bible, causing many to stumble spiritually. However, Nephi’s vision also gave him reason for great hope in the future. He saw Columbus and the colonizing of America. He saw that the Lord would prepare the way for the Restoration of the gospel, including restoring many of the plain and precious truths that had been lost. Nephi witnessed how in the last days the Lord would help and protect those who live righteously. As you study 1 Nephi 12–14, ponder the importance in your life of the plain and precious truths taught in the Book of Mormon and other latter-day scriptures. As you strive to live righteously and honor your covenants with God, you too can triumph over evil.
1 Nephi 12
Nephi sees the future of the Nephite and Lamanite nations
In 1 Nephi 12, Nephi described what he saw for the future of his posterity and how they would be affected by influences represented by the mist of darkness and the large and spacious building. He used the word seed to refer to descendants.
Nephi saw that some of his descendants would accept all of the blessings of the Atonement. However, he also saw that his descendants would eventually be destroyed by the Lamanites. Read 1 Nephi 12:19, and underline the reasons why the Nephites were destroyed. Think about how you can guard against pride and avoid the temptations of the devil.
[This next section I'll repeat for additional study in a few days, but in case it also helps you understand the focus for today's Come Follow Me section, I'll be posting it twice]
1 Nephi 13:10–42
Nephi sees future Gentiles with the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and other latter-day scriptures
To combat the effects of the great and abominable church, the Lord prepared the way for the Restoration of His gospel. In 1 Nephi 13, Nephi foresaw such events as Columbus and the pilgrims coming to the land of promise because “the Spirit of God … wrought [rested or worked] upon [them]” (see 1 Nephi 13:12–13). He also foresaw the American War of Independence—when “the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity” fought against “their mother Gentiles [who] were gathered together … against them,” but they were “delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations” (see 1 Nephi 13:16–19).
Read 1 Nephi 13:20–23, and identify the book that Nephi saw early gentile colonizers in the land of promise would carry among them.
Write “the Bible” in your scriptures by 1 Nephi 13:20. Nephi explained that the Bible would be “of great worth” to us (1 Nephi 13:23) and that when it was originally written “it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord” (1 Nephi 13:24). Use 1 Nephi 13:26–27, 29 to fill in the blanks to the following summary:
The great and abominable church removed “many parts which are and most ; and also many of the Lord have they taken away” from the Bible (1 Nephi 13:26). They removed these things to “ the right ways of the Lord, that they might the eyes and the hearts of the children of men” (1 Nephi 13:27). Because these things are missing, “an exceedingly great many do ” (1 Nephi 13:29).
Reread the above summary after you have filled in the blanks.
One of the purposes of the great and abominable church is to “pervert the right ways of the Lord” (1 Nephi 13:27) by taking away many of the plain and precious truths. To “pervert” is to cause to turn aside or away from something that is right. Think about the negative consequences of turning aside or turning away from the “right ways of the Lord.”
Use your scriptures to answer the following questions:
- According to 1 Nephi 13:34, what will the Lord bring forth because of his mercy? (It may be helpful to know that the title “the Lamb” refers to the Savior, Jesus Christ.)
- In 1 Nephi 13:35–36, what did the Savior say would be hid up to come forth to the Gentiles?
- In 1 Nephi 13:36, what did the angel say was written in the record that was hidden—the Book of Mormon?
- In addition to the Book of Mormon, what “other books” might 1 Nephi 13:39 refer to?
Read 1 Nephi 13:40–41, and underline what the Book of Mormon and these “other books” will make known unto all people. It is important to notice that we must come to the Savior “according to the words which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb” (1 Nephi 13:41)—the scriptures.
Through this portion of Nephi’s vision, we learn that the Book of Mormon and latter-day scriptures restore plain and precious truths that help us know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and help us know how to come unto Him.
- Write the answer to the following questions in your scripture study journal:
- How have the plain and precious truths in the Book of Mormon and other latter-day scriptures influenced your testimony of Jesus Christ?
- How have they helped you understand and live His gospel?
Take a moment to evaluate how well your scripture study is helping you come closer to the Savior.
Institute Manual
Introduction
President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke of Heavenly Father’s desire to give us the righteous desires of our hearts: “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). Nephi applied the invitation to ask for the “things that [his] father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known” (1 Nephi 11:1). Nephi’s righteous desires were rewarded, for he not only recorded information that was similar to what we have recorded about Lehi’s vision, but he recorded a panoramic vision of this world to the end of time (see 1 Nephi 14:18–30). This vision was similar to the vision of John in the New Testament book of Revelation. As you study Nephi’s vision, look for specific prophecies that have been or will be fulfilled in the events of history—especially important are the effects of the Apostasy, the eventual Restoration of the gospel, and the ultimate triumph of good.
Commentary
1 Nephi 12:11. “Made White in the Blood of the Lamb”
- White is a symbol for cleanliness, righteousness, and holiness. Being completely clean is necessary to be like the Savior. To have white garments symbolizes that a person is clothed in purity, or that purity is a characteristic of that individual. Such cleanliness is made possible only through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, in which His blood was shed for our sins.
- President John Taylor (1808–87) spoke of the necessity of going beyond simply being members of the Lord’s Church if we are to be sufficiently worthy to stand before our Father in Heaven: “There is something that goes a little further than we think about sometimes; and that is, while we profess to be followers of the Lord, while we profess to have received the Gospel and to be governed by it, a profession will amount to nothing unless we have washed our robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. It is not enough for us to be connected with the Zion of God, for the Zion of God must consist of men that are pure in heart and pure in life and spotless before God, at least that is what we have got to arrive at. We are not there yet, but we must get there before we shall be prepared to inherit glory and exaltation; therefore a form of godliness will amount to but little with any of us. … It is not enough for us to embrace the Gospel … and be associated with the people of God, attend our meetings and partake of the Sacrament of the Lord’s supper, and endeavor to move along without much blame of any kind attached to us; for notwithstanding all this, if our hearts are not right, if we are not pure in heart before God, if we have not pure hearts and pure consciences, fearing God and keeping His commandments, we shall not, unless we repent, participate in these blessings about which I have spoken, and of which the Prophets bear testimony” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor [2001], 114–15).
1 Nephi 13:12–19. The Lord’s Hand in the History of the United States of America
- President Joseph F. Smith (1838–1918) linked the establishment of the United States of America with the Restoration of the gospel: “This great American nation the Almighty raised up by the power of his omnipotent hand, that it might be possible in the latter days for the kingdom of God to be established in the earth. If the Lord had not prepared the way by laying the foundations of this glorious nation, it would have been impossible (under the stringent laws and bigotry of the monarchical governments of the world) to have laid the foundations for the coming of his great kingdom. The Lord has done this” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 409).
- Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of how God inspired the founders of America to establish a new nation with religious freedom for all in preparation for the Restoration of the gospel: “Over a century later [after the discovery of America] such religious feeling guided founders of a new nation on the American continent. Under God’s hand they secured religious freedom for every citizen with an inspired Bill of Rights. Fourteen years later, on December 23, 1805, the Prophet Joseph Smith was born. The preparation was nearing its completion for the Restoration” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2005, 94; or Ensign, Nov. 2005, 90).
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