1 Nephi 15

(All of my own thoughts are in blue type.red 4/20 Green 1/21 orange 4/22 Brown 2023 )

CHAPTER 15

Lehi’s seed are to receive the gospel from the Gentiles in the latter days check...Well, at least the opportunity...—The gathering of Israel also a latter day event or process  is likened unto an olive tree whose natural branches shall be grafted in again meaning they were cut off earlier —Nephi interprets the vision of the tree of life  the love of God and speaks of the justice of God mercy cannot rob justice in dividing the wicked from the righteous."wickedness never was happiness" Between 600 and 592 B.C.

  1 And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been carried away in the spirit, and seen all these things, at least from the birth of Christ to the present day. Did he see from the creation to that point?  I returned to the tent of my father.  Earlier, Nephi says “he sat pondering”, no mention of where…but now he “returns” to the tent of his father.  He could mean “I returned from the exceedingly high mountain” where the angel took him in spirit (I’m assuming) or he was “out” somewhere pondering and returned.

  2 And it came to pass that I beheld my brethren, and they were disputing arguing each with their own interpretation? one with another concerning the things which my father had spoken unto them.

  3 For he truly spake many great things unto them, which were hard to be ^aunderstood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; What were the "hard things" for them to understand. Does he mean hard difficult or hard makes me feel bad? I think it is the both...Remember they are arguing about Lehi's dream, not what we just read that Nephi saw. Lehi's dream had lots of symbolism in it. Also, Laman and Lemuel were told that they did not partake of the fruit. Both those things are hard to understand. What things are hard for you to understand that the prophets have spoken? Their supporting the wearing of masks and social distancing and vaccines during COVID...Have you inquired of the Lord? Yes, and He told me in my mind and my heart that those things are not good and are conceived by "evil and conspiring men in the last days" and not spoken to the leaders through the gift and spirit of the Holy Ghost in this thing I think they were deceived even though they are considered the “elect” of God. Elder Renlund’s Oct 2022 General Conference talk outlines the different reasons we can be deceived. I think it explains how they got it wrong:

“We need to understand the framework within which the Holy Ghost functions to provide personal revelation… The Holy Ghost can unleash astonishing insight, direction, and comfort.

1. The scriptures form the first element of this framework for personal revelation. Feasting on the words of Christ, as found in the scriptures, stimulates personal revelation. …

2.A second element of the framework is that we receive personal revelation only within our purview and not within the prerogative of others. …… Doctrine, commandments, and revelations for the Church are the prerogative of the living prophet, who receives them from the Lord Jesus Christ. …… Only the prophet receives revelation for the Church. …Personal revelation rightly belongs to individuals. You can receive revelation, for example, about where to live, what career path to follow, or whom to marry. …

3. A third element of the framework is that personal revelation will be in harmony with the commandments of God and the covenants we have made with Him. …When we ask for revelation about something for which God has already given clear direction, we open ourselves up to misinterpreting our feelings and hearing what we want to hear. …

4. The fourth element of the framework is to recognize what God has already revealed to you personally, while being open to further revelation from Him… I know that the Holy Ghost can and will show you all things that you should do.”

and they being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought. a sign of being hard hearted...you stop praying for answers and you stop accepting correction  As to things taught through symbols or parables; Why does the Lord reveal things in a way that they are hard to understand unless we ask him what it means? I think we're taught it is to protect those who are not ready for more light and knowledge so they are not as accountable for it. Pretty sure faith has something to do with it too...

  4 And now I, Nephi, was grieved a kind of mental sorrow. Nephi could have felt frustrated, angry, etc. but he chose grief. Did he "choose" grief? Do we "choose" our emotions, or are they a product of our current beliefs. If grief was his 'natural' emotion, than his beliefs about his brothers were such that his 'reaction' to their actions was grief and not anger. We should check our beliefs when we have un-Christlike feelings. Children...understand that when you are hardhearted this is the emotion your parents probably feel (grief); because they love you!  because of the hardness of their hearts, and also, because of the things which I had seen, and knew they must unavoidably come to pass because of the great wickedness of the children of men. Remember, Nephi sees his own seed overcome by this hardheartedness and wickedness. He has some of those emotions of a sorrowing parent. "unavoidably" come to pass, is a "hard" thing to hear. Where is agency? Can visions of the future not be changed through our agency? If so, then why does Nephi say it will unavoidably come to pass? He doesn't qualify it with, "unless they repent"... God knows the future, not because we can't change it, but because He knows we won't.

  5 And it came to pass that I was overcome because of my afflictions, I assume his affliction is the weight of his grief...for I considered that mine ^aafflictions were great above all, because of the ^bdestruction of my people, for I had beheld their fall. Here Nephi is looking at his hard-hearted brothers, wicked even….and yet their seed will be preserved and his own seed will be destroyed. Ouch!  Does he take any comfort in knowing that the words he is preserving for his brother’s future generation will save them, though they will not save his own seed? Think about how hard that might be...to labor so diligently to write things so sacred to you that you can probably hardly contain the way you feel, and then learn that it will be for the purpose of saving the very people who are so mean to you; that have tried and will continue to try to take your life and persecute you. The people that may be the very reason your own seed turn from God and are destroyed. Would you keep writing? Truly this could be a test for Nephi! Hatred towards others is Satan's endgoal. How will you/I feel towards those that will soon hate you/me? Will I press forward believing they can still be saved? Also, some of his seed will mix with the Lamanites, so this can help his desires.

  6 And it came to pass that after I had received ^astrength the footnote here takes us to the account of Moses and Joseph Smith, who also lost physical strength after great spiritual experiences. He may have also used the "time" to make sure his own heart was "right" before going to speak to his brothers. I spake unto my brethren, desiring to know of them the cause of their disputations. I think he already knows why they are arguing. Why do you think he still asks? There has to be so very very much he wants to share with them, but he might be feeling like he needs to see if they will ask him for help so that he has permission to share. If they don't ask for help in understanding then sharing what he's just experienced would not really be heard or helpful and he might just keep it to himself (pearls before swine)...especially if they were arguing about him. He has past experience to justify thinking that they might be doing just that. He possibly was taught this communication skill from his vision where the angel continually asked him questions.

  7 And they (his brothers) said: Behold, we cannot understand the root of most contention is not understanding...."our communications are at the core of our relationships with others" (see Christlike Communications; Oct 1998 GC)...the words which our father hath spoken concerning the natural branches of the ^aolive-tree, and also concerning the Gentiles.(See 1 Nephi 10:2-15) Lehi had told them that the House of Israel would be scattered; that their leaving was part of that prophecy; they would become unbelieving; the Gentiles would be given the gospel; the House of Israel would be gathered again...

  8 And I said unto them: Have ye ^ainquired of the Lord? I am pretty sure he already knew they had not. (Pattern of communication...even if you think you know what someone else is thinking...let them tell you. You will learn more in what they say and how they respond. The Father set this pattern in Genesis 3 when he asked Adam, "Where art thou?" Clearly, God already knew the answer, but He still asked the question. The other thing taught here is, that when you have a question about something God has revealed, you first ask the Lord. Go to the source. In human communication: if you don't understand what someone has said, ask them first, before you argue or debate with other people what that person might have meant.

  9 And they said unto me: ^aWe have not; This is the part Nephi surely already knew...for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us. This is the part he may not have known. Now, the Spirit can guide him in his answer, for he has sought more understanding. They had no faith that the Lord would make these things known; "we didn't ask because God doesn't talk to us like he does Lehi" which, in reality they were right to assume, since they weren’t living in such a way as to be able to have that faith.  Maybe this isn’t a statement of lack of faith, but a correct knowledge of how faith and prayer work. 

  10 Behold, I said unto them: How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord?  

Step one in receiving personal revelation: keep the commandments

How is it that ye will ^aperish, fall away from the truth because of the hardness of your hearts?  ...the reason they don't keep the commandments.

Step two: receive truth and direction with a soft, obedient heart. Approach prayer with intent to obey what you receive.

  11 Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—See the last two footnotes; Nephi is constantly asking them why they can't remember! Why can't they trust what the Lord has told them? If He says He will do something if you do something...He WILL do it! Nephi has such a great testimony and conviction of this! If ye will not harden your hearts, and ^aask me in ^bfaith,

Step three: you must ask in faith, which is to believe you will receive. Faith is strengthened by remembering what you already know; those things or times God has spoken to you in the past and with intent to act on what you receive without question or complaint. Also, maybe you have to study it out to the point where you really believe, based on your study, that you will receive. You can lay your “case” before the Lord. believing that ye shall receive, with diligence "constant and earnest effort" in keeping my commandments, surely a word describing “faith”… these things shall be made known unto you. he's saying, of course God will respond to you!

  12 Behold, I say unto you, that the house of Israel was compared unto an olive-tree, by the Spirit of the Lord which was in our father; Was this olive tree allegory what was taught by Lehi the thing they didn't understand? (Chapter 10) and behold are we not broken off from the house of Israel, and are we not a ^abranch of the house of Israel? Nephi first testifies that the things Lehi told them are true and come from God; that the Spirit of the Lord is the one saying these things, not Lehi. He then tries to help them understand and believe what they have been told by asking them questions that appeal to reason; the answers make sense by asking, "Are we the house of Israel?" Yes. "Are we breaking ourselves physically away from where the main body of the house of Israel lives?" Yes. "Would that not make them the tree and us a branch that is broken off?" Yes. 

  13 And now, the thing which our father meaneth concerning the grafting in of the natural branches through the fulness of the Gentiles, is, that in the latter days, our day when our seed shall have ^adwindled in unbelief,he says "our" seed, referring to the posterity of Lehi, even though his seed will have become extinct. ...as a people, but the dissenters that mixed with the Lamanite would have preserved his seed as well...Also, the breaking off or scattering of the House of Israel is spiritual as well, through their disobedience because of unbelief. They have lost the knowledge of the gospel and their identity as the House of Israel yea, for the space of many years, and many generations after the ^bMessiah shall be manifested in body His mortal life unto the children of men, then shall the fulness of the ^cgospel of the Messiah the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days come unto the Gentiles, this began in the Spring of 1820 and from the ^dGentiles unto the remnant "those who remain; a small surviving group" of our seed—by the work of missionaries. 

  14 And at that day when they receive the things we have written for them (Book of Mormon) shall the remnant of our ^aseed ^bknow that they are of the house of Israel, while their seed will have mixed with all kinds of people through the many generations, their line eventually will take them to Lehi, which makes them of the house of Israel and that they are the ^ccovenant people of the Lord; Abraham and his descendants have always been known as the covenant people. All who accept the gospel become covenant people as well. In one group, the covenant comes by birth from God to Abraham's seed. In the other group, the covenant comes by conversion with God. What is this covenant? Perhaps the covenant or promise needs to be renewed individually with each person who comes into the fold of God so they may receive, from Christ, the same promises made to the fathers. Joseph Smith said we have to secure this covenant for ourselves: Letter by Joseph Smith to his Uncle Silas, 1833

"...But you will admit that the word spoken to Noah was not sufficient for Abraham, or it was not required of <​him​>

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 to leave the land of his nativity, and seek an inheritance in a strange country upon the word spoken to Noah, but, for himself he obtained promises from the hand of the Lord, and walked in that perfection

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 that he was called the friend of God.

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Isaac, the promised seed, was not required to rest his hope alone

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 upon the promises made to his father Abraham, but was privileged with the assurance of his approbation in the sight of Heaven, by the direct voice of the Lord to him.

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If one man can live upon the revelations

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 to another,

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 might I not with propriety ask, why the necessity then, of the Lord’s speaking to Isaac as he did, as is recorded in the twenty sixth chapter of Genesis? For the Lord there repeats, or rather, promises again to perform the oath which he had previously sworn to Abraham,

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 and why this repetition to Isaac? Why was not the first promise as sure for Isaac as it was for Abraham? Was not Isaac Abraham’s son, and could he not place implicit confidence in the veracity of his father as <​being​> a man of God?

Perhaps you may say that he was a very peculiar man, and different from men in these last days, consequently the Lord favored him with blessings, peculiar and different, as he was different from men in this age.

I admit that he was a peculiar man, and was not only peculiarly blessed, but greatly blessed.

But all the peculiarity that I can discover in the man, or all the difference between him and men in this age, is, that he was more holy and more perfect before God, and came to Him with a purer heart, and more faith than men in this day.

The same might be said on the subject of Jacob’s history. Why was it that the Lord spake to him concerning the same promise, after He had made it once to Abraham, and renewed it to Isaac? Why could not Jacob rest contented upon the word spoken to his fathers?

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 When the time of the promise drew nigh for the deliverance of the children of Israel from the land of [p. 3] Egypt, why was it necessary that the Lord should begin to speak to them?

The promise or word to Abraham, was, that his seed should serve in bondage, and be afflicted, four hundred years, and after that they should come out with great substance.

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 Why did they not rely upon this promise, and when they had remained in Egypt, in bondage, four hundred years, come out, without waiting for further revelations,

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 but act entirely upon the promise given to Abraham that they should come out?

Paul said to his Hebrew brethren, that God might more abundantly show

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 unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, He confirmed it by an oath.

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 He also exhorts them, who, through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Notwithstanding, we (said Paul) have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor to the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the vail,

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 yet he was careful to press upon them the necessity of continuing on until they, as well as those who then

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 inherited the promises, might have the assurance of their salvation confirmed to them, by an oath from the mouth of Him who could not lie; for that seemed to be the example anciently, and Paul holds it out to his Hebrew brethren as an object attainable in his day.

And why not? I admit that by reading the Scriptures of truth the Saints, in the days of Paul, could learn, beyond the power of contradiction, that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had the promise of eternal life confirmed to them by an oath of the Lord, but that promise or oath was <​no​> assurance to them of their salvation; but they could by walking in the footsteps and continuing in the faith of their fathers, obtain, for themselves an oath for confirmation that they were meet to be partakers of the inheritance, with the Saints in light.

If the Saints in the days of the Apostles were priviledged to take the Ancients

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 for examples,

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 and lay hold of the same promises, and attain to the same exalted privilege of knowing that their names were written in the Lamb’s Book of Life

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 and that they were sealed there as a perpetual memorial before the face of the Most High, will not the same faithfulness, the same purity of heart and the same Faith, bring the same assurance of eternal life, and that in the same manner, to the children of men now in this age of the world? I have no doubt but that the holy Prophets and Apostles and [p. 4] Saints in ancient days, were saved in the Kingdom of God; neither do I doubt but that they held converse and communion with Him

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 while they were in the flesh, as Paul said to his Corinthian brethren that the Lord Jesus showed Himself to above five hundred Saints at one time after His resurrection.

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 Job said that he knew that his Redeemer lived and that he should see Him in the flesh in the latter days.

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 I may believe that Enoch walked with God and by faith was translated.

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 I may believe that Noah was a perfect man in his generation and also walked with God.

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 I may believe that Abraham communed with God and conversed with angels.

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 I may believe that Isaac obtained a renewal of the covenant made to Abraham by the direct voice of the Lord.

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 I may believe that Jacob conversed with holy angels, and heard the voice

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 of his Maker, that he wrestled with the angel until he prevailed and obtained the blessing.

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 I may believe that Elijah was taken to Heaven in a chariot of fire with fiery horses.

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 I may believe that the saints saw the Lord and conversed with Him face to face after His resurrection.

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 I may believe that the Hebrew Church came to Mount Zion, and unto the city of the Living God the Heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. I may believe that they looked into eternity, and saw the Judge of all, and Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant.

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 But will all this purchase an assurance for me, and

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 waft me to the regions of eternal day and seat me down in the presence of the King of Kings

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 with my garments spotless pure and white?

Or must I not rather obtain for myself by my own faith and diligence in keeping the commandments of the Lord, an assurance of salvation for myself? And have I not an equal privilege with the ancient Saints? And will not the Lord hear my prayers and listen to my cries as soon as he ever did to theirs, if I come to him in the manner they did? Or, is he a respecter of persons?

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So I must close this subject for want of time, and I may with propriety say at the beginning

We would be glad

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 to see you in 

Kirtland

, we would be glad to see you embrace

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 the New Covenant and be one with us, we sometimes think you are now one with us in heart.

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I remain yours affectionately, Joseph Smith Jun

(Watch through 1:35)

and then shall they know and ^dcome to the ^eknowledge of their forefathers, the people of the Book of Mormon and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him; wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved. What are the very points of His doctrine? That we must have Faith in Jesus Christ, Repent, be baptized by water and the receive the baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost by Christ Himself, and then endure to the end if obeying all the words that Christ will speak to us. All this is found in the Book of Mormon and the restored gospel of Jesus Christ as found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The remnant of Lehi's seed are found among the South American, Polynesian, Tongan, and American Indian peoples.

  15 And then at that day will they not rejoice and give praise unto their everlasting God, their ^arock and their salvation? Yea, at that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true ^bvine? Jesus Christ Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God? Gathered as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

  16 Behold, I say unto you, Yea; they shall be remembered again among the house of Israel; they shall be ^agrafted in, being a natural branch of the olive-tree, into the true olive-tree.This kind of comparison is found in Romans 11:17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive ^atree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

  17 And this is what our father meaneth; and he meaneth that it will not come to pass until after they are scattered by the Gentiles; 

"The mighty nation established among the Gentiles is the United States of America (see D&C 101:77, 80), whose early inhabitants scattered the Lamanites. Concerning their scattering, Jacob said: “Thus saith our God: I will afflict thy seed by the hand of the Gentiles; nevertheless, I will soften the hearts of the Gentiles, that they shall be like unto a father to them; wherefore, the Gentiles shall be blessed and numbered among the house of Israel."(ref)

and he meaneth that it shall come by way of the Gentiles, It may be helpful to understand that “in the scriptures, Gentiles has several meanings. Sometimes it designates people of non-Israelite lineage, sometimes people of non-Jewish lineage, and sometimes nations that are without the gospel, even though there may be some Israelite blood among the people. This latter usage is especially characteristic of the word as used in the Book of Mormon” (ref) that the Lord may show his power unto the Gentiles, restoration through Joseph Smith for the very cause "or reason" that he shall be ^arejected of the Jews, or of the house of Israel.

  18 Wherefore, our father hath not spoken of our seed alone, but also of all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant which should be fulfilled in the latter days; which covenant the Lord made to our father Abraham, saying: In thy ^aseed shall all the kindreds of the earth be ^bblessed. The Church of Jesus Christ in these latter days has been given the charge to share the gospel to all the world to gather in to the Lord's garner (temple) all who would be His covenant people, thus becoming heirs to the promises made to Abraham. Though this has been our charge since the church was restored in 1830, Pres. Nelson is now saying that this is the greatest thing we can be doing of all the things we do.

“Would you like to be a big part of the greatest challenge, the greatest cause, and the greatest work on the earth today?...My dear extraordinary youth, you were sent to earth at this precise time, the most crucial time in the history of the world, to help gather Israel,” the prophet said. “There is nothing happening on this earth right now that is more important than that. There is nothing of greater consequence. Absolutely nothing. This gathering should mean everything to you. This is the mission for which you were sent to earth.”

  19 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake much good for them for at least staying to listen unto them concerning these things; yea, I spake unto them concerning the ^arestoration of the Jews in the latter days. Why was it important to him to spend a lot of time on this subject... a day that was hundreds and hundreds of years in the future? How much time do you ponder or discuss things that are in the future?

  20 And I did rehearse unto them the words of ^aIsaiah, who spake ^bconcerning the ^crestoration of the Jews, Remember they had the words of Isaiah because they have the Brass Plates or of the house of Israel; and after they were restored they should no more be confounded, neither should they be scattered again. And it came to pass that I did speak many words unto my brethren, that they were pacified "satisfied; calmed"and did ^dhumble themselves before the Lord. Did it help them to hear the words from a source they had confidence in; the Brass Plates, or more specifically, Isaiah? Or was it having more than one witness? Lehi, Nephi and Isaiah? I have always felt that people who do not understand one another can overcome that if they they will "stay in conversation" and are willing to listen to the "reasoning" of one another. In our day, if we disagree on something, but share a testimony of the scriptures....THAT is where we turn to support our opinions. Also, Notice in all of this accounting that Nephi doesn’t tell them his own seed will be destroyed, he just says the remnant of “our” seed, meaning they're Lehi’s seed. 

  21 And it came to pass is this right away or days later or longer? that they did speak unto me again, which is awesome, because maybe now they are humble and perhaps teachable. saying: What meaneth this thing which our father saw in a dream? What meaneth the ^atree which he saw? This question makes me think they asked him right away; either that or they didn't take in the part about being able to "inquire of the Lord" for themselves. It's a lot easier to just ask someone who says they already know. I hope that's okay...I do it aaaaaaaaaaall the time. It is important to note the order of the symbols here. The FIRST symbol to understand is the meaning of "the tree".

  22 And I said unto them: It was a representation of the ^atree of life. He gives a short, accurate answer. Is this to see if they want to know more? Is Nephi continuing to "check their hearts?"

  23 And they said unto me: What meaneth the ^arod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree? Assuming you understand the meaning of the "tree"; the next most important thing is to know "how" to get there.

  24 And I said unto them that it was the ^aword of God; the scriptures; words of the prophets, personal revelation and perhaps even Christ himself, for "in the beginning was the WORD and the WORD was with GOD"...and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would ^bhold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the ^ctemptations and the fiery ^ddarts of the ^eadversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction. Also sounds like Christ This is one of the GREAT scriptures in the Book of Mormon. It is the same promise repeated in conference this fall (Oct 2013)

"President Harold B. Lee taught: “The only safety we have as members of this church is to … give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through His prophet. There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your [personal] views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord Himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; … and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory’ (D&C 21:6).”¹⁰ (Please read Elder Eyring's talk "Safety in Counsel!) I will submit to you here, that after you have received the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, that the words of Christ will tell you ALL things you should do. Of course, the prophet's words should not conflict with Christ's if the prophet has also received them from the Lord. Getting direction from the prophet is a lesser law. The prophet wants us to learn how to learn from the Lord Himself. "Oh, that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!” said Moses.

  25 Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give ^aheed DO IT unto the word of the Lord; not "to my words" but to God's word...yea, I did exhort "to urge and caution" them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the ^bfaculty which I possessed,
Okay….Pres. Hinckley used this kind of phrase when he talked about getting our houses in order.  He said,“Now, brethren, I want to make it very clear that I am not prophesying, that I am not predicting years of famine in the future. But I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order. There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed…That’s all I have to say about it, but I wish to say it with all the emphasis of which I am capable.” (ref)   

Nephi said this after what he had seen.  Did Pres. Hinckley also say what he did because he had also “seen” it?  Yikes!  Do you know what "portent" means? "an indication or omen of something about to happen, especially something momentous; threatening or disquieting significance; a sign"...this was said in 1998. That was 14 years ago. Now, 22 years ago...Now 23...Now 25...  Did you follow that forewarning? How's that working out for you today? The time in which he was speaking has already come. Some might say that since nothing happened within 3 years of Pres. Hinckley's statement that he wasn't a true prophet. But, by definition, a "watchman on a tower" see things that are so far off, we can't see them, so of course they are saying something they see that is way out there. It is easy to prepare and become complacent when we don't see the enemy right away, but we mustn't give up. Spencer W. Kimball said, "Do we lose faith, do we lose patience, do we lose hope, do we get weary in waiting, because the day is long and the event delayed?

The writer of Hebrews warns: Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. (Hebrews 10:35-37.)

I suspect that many people who five years ago had a rich larder, a full pantry, and a year's supply of basic necessities have let their stock dwindle. I suspect that many people have let their insurance lapse. Death seems in the future, for at the moment calamity is absent and hunger is not knocking at the door.

It is difficult to be prepared for an event so long delayed. Many have found it too difficult and they slumber without due preparation. But the day approaches and will finally come. That is sure. It is only the "when" that is unknown." 

that they would give heed DO IT to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things. No picking and choosing when, what, where or why!

  26 And they said unto me: What meaneth the ^ariver of water which our father saw? So far we have: the tree, the rod of iron, and now, the river of water.

  27 And I said unto them that the ^awater which my father saw was ^bfilthiness; and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not this is why we read and re-read the scriptures; we are taught and re-taught the same things in church; our minds are constantly going and thinking and noticing. We hear something and that triggers a memory or a feeling and off we go in that direction and we "miss" some of what is being given to us. It is not a bad thing. We just need to be aware that it happens and embrace repetition because of it,  the filthiness of the water. Lehi didn’t notice the water was dirty; an important piece of information to correctly interpret the dream.

  28 And I said unto them that it was an awful ^agulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also from the saints of God. Notice the sains of God were standing with the tree and the awful gulf separates them from the wicked

  29 And I said unto them that it was a representation of that awful ^ahell, which the angel said unto me was prepared for the wicked.

  30 And I said unto them that our father also saw that the ^ajustice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous; and the brightness thereof I assume he's talking about the brightness of the righteous...was like unto the brightness of a flaming ^bfire, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end.

  31 And they said unto me: Doth this thing mean the torment of the body in the days of ^aprobation, while on earth? or doth it mean the final state of the soul after the ^bdeath of the temporal body, or doth it speak of the things which are temporal? This is part of "pondering". You ask questions. You think of possibilities. 

  32 And it came to pass that I said unto them that it was a representation of things both temporal and spiritual; Much in the scriptures has this dual meaning. The parable of the Ten Virgins; April 2004 GC . (I highly recommend you read this talk today; given 9 years ago for what we need to know today.) comes to mind. It has both temporal and spiritual application for the day should come that they must be judged of their ^aworks, we must know that our day of "final" judgment will surely come. It will happen; even though it is a long way off. Each day we create a moment of that final day. Fortunately, because of the Atonement of Christ, we can repent and change the effect of our wrong choices as we are changed by the effect of our increasingly right choices. through repentance yea, even the works which were done by the temporal body in their days of ^bprobation. We were sent here to this earth to see if we will "choose God". We did not have a temporal body in the preexistence. We know we are here because we successfully chose God there. But God has a body, and we wanted to be like Him. So we had to receive a body as well and learn to master the challenges that it would present to our spirits. All of Satan's greatest temptations focus on our bodies.

  33 Wherefore, if they should ^adie in their wickedness they must be ^bcast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to righteousness; we know that when we die, we are not a different person than we were here. If we did not hear and heed the voice of the Lord here, we will not be inclined to do it there. Our rebellious spirit will not desire things that are spiritual any more there then it did here. We, of our own choosing, separate ourselves from that which is spiritual just the same as we separated ourselves from it here on earth. wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be ^cjudged of their ^dworks; and if their works have been filthiness they must needs be ^efilthy; we must understand that our works are the manifestation of what is in our hearts. I know there is a scripture that says, "the Lord looketh on the heart" that we are sometimes tempted to interpret as a "pass" by thinking that we can "want" good, but sometimes "act" bad and we'll be okay on judgment day because we "wanted" good, even if we "chose" bad. But in that we are deceiving ourselves. Every "bad" choice was made because, in that moment, we "wanted" bad more than good. Our works come from our hearts. That is why we labor to change our hearts...permanently. Listen to what Elder Maxwell said about this:

Actually, everything depends—initially and finally—on our desires. These shape our thought patterns. Our desires thus precede our deeds and lie at the very cores of our souls, tilting us toward or away from God (see D&C 4:3). God can “educate our desires” (see Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939, p. 297). Others seek to manipulate our desires. But it is we who form the desires, the “thoughts and intents of [our] hearts” (Mosiah 5:13).

The end rule is “according to [our] desires … shall it be done unto [us]” (D&C 11:17), “for I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts” (D&C 137:9; see also Alma 41:5; D&C 6:20, 27). One’s individual will thus remains uniquely his. God will not override it nor overwhelm it. Hence we’d better want the consequences of what we want!

and if they be filthy follow his reasoning. It makes perfect sense...it must needs be that they cannot ^fdwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also. The kingdom of God is only perfectly clean because it is filled with clean people. In the same way, Zion will only be Zion because of the people who possess it. You don't go to Zion to become that way. You go because you already are that way. And you become that way by your daily choice to keep your covenants. And when you do that, God keeps His promise and He changes you. (Baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost; for the remission of sins; which makes you clean) Let all that is and will transpire in your life change you into a Zion person. I think now, only Christ can change you. I don't think it's a life-long process. The only process involved is how long it takes you to completely have a broken heart and contrite spirit. For He is coming...and Zion will be built. The only question is..will you be there?

  34 But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God; wherefore there must needs be a place of ^afilthiness prepared for that which is filthy. the water is the "place of filthiness"

  35 And there is a place prepared, yea, even that ^aawful ^bhell of which I have spoken, and the ^cdevil is the preparator of it; wherefore the final state of the souls of men is to dwell in the kingdom of God, or to be cast out because of that ^djustice of which I have spoken. We are the ones who determine our final judgment. God set the terms, but we make the choice. No person who truly desired to be with God eternally will be denied that...because if they truly desired it, then it would have shaped their choices and the grace of God would have given them the gifts needed to cast off the natural man and yield to the will of God consistently, until their will became the same as His. This is the "good news"!

  36 Wherefore, the wicked are rejected "cast out" from the righteous, and also from that ^atree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most ^bdesirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the ^cgreatest of all the ^dgifts of God. This is what we deny ourselves when we yield to the enticing of Satan. We cannot feel the love of God. For it is the reception of that love that goes into our hearts and changes and shapes our desires so that we act lovingly; so that we are loving. And by definition, THIS is the baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost! And thus I spake unto my brethren. Amen. I wonder what Laman and Lemuel are thinking now, since Lehi said they did not partake of this saving fruit…yikes!