1 Nephi 15:36

36 Wherefore, the wicked are rejected from the righteous, and also from that tree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of God. And thus I spake unto my brethren. Amen.

I’m sure that if Heavenly Father could have all His children return to Him, he would be most happy. In Moses 7:32–40 the Father tells Enoch that the heavens weep because of the sins of mankind and the suffering it causes and will continue to cause. That statement is more evidence that the law of justice is one that God must keep. He would love to have us choose the right, but agency means that He can’t force us to. And justice says that sin must be paid for. He would spare us from that agony, but He can’t force us to avoid it. He provided a Savior, but He can’t force us to repent and accept the atonement. He provides prophets and scriptures to teach and warn us to repent, but He won’t force us to heed their warnings. He provides the Light of Christ (conscience) to everyone, and the Gift of the Holy Ghost to teach us and help us make correct choices, but He can’t force us to follow that inspiration. He provides mercy to those who will accept it, and can do nothing for those who won’t. Yet He loves all, and wants all to accept. Those who won’t, separate themselves from the righteous. That’s what Nephi is trying to teach his brothers.

• D&C 14:7

1 Nephi 15:35

35 And there is a place prepared, yea, even that awful hell of which I have spoken, and the devil 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 justice of which I have spoken.

After telling his brothers that there needs to be a place prepared for commandment breakers, Nephi follows up with the next logical statement, that there is a place prepared; a filthy place where filthy people would be more at home.

Nephi calls this place “hell.” Modern revelation tells us that there are actually two uses for that term. One is a kind of holding place for spirits, a spirit prison, where those who are filthy wait for the last resurrection. I’m sure this is where the unrepentant go to pay for their sins by themselves, without claiming the mercy extended to them through the atonement. But this is not the final state of those souls. In the end, they will inherit a kingdom of glory, such as the Telestial Kingdom.

The second use of the word “hell” is much more final. It is a place reserved for Satan and his followers. Another term for this place is “outer darkness.” Once you end up there you can’t come back. There is no glory attached to this place, just eternal damnation. There can be no progress. There is misery, and it is awful.

This seems to be what Nephi is referring to here. He calls it the “final state.” This is actually a good scripture showing that we do believe man will go to either heaven or hell after this life. In its simplest explanation, that is what happens. So in a sense, the rest of the Christian world has it right, they just don’t have all the details that we have through modern revelation. They over-simplify it because they don’t know any better.

1 Nephi 15:34

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 filthiness prepared for that which is filthy.

One interesting thing about the Book of Mormon is that it often appeals to logic to state spiritual or eternal truths. This is on example of that. Nephi simply states the obvious that if no unclean thing can dwell in the kingdom of God because that would make it filthy, then there has to be a place for the filthy people to go. The kingdom of God cannot become filthy or its very nature changes. And people can’t just disappear; we are eternal beings just as much as anything else in the universe. Therefore, there has to be a place prepared to accept filthiness, a place where it is not so critical that we are absolutely clean, or free of guilt. It only makes sense.

1 Nephi 15:33

33 Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they must be cast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to righteousness; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be judged of their works; and if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also.

Nephi is talking to everyone here, not just Laman and Lemuel, when he warns about dying in their sins. We are all sinners (Romans 3:23), and so we are all filthy. Nephi himself later laments that, “my heart groaneth because of my sins” (2 Nephi 4:19). So we all “come short of the glory of God, and so we are all filthy. And no filthy or unclean thing can dwell with God. Thank goodness for the second half of Nephi’s verse (2 Nephi 4:19), and the next verse in Romans (Romans 3:24). If it were not for the Savior, I wouldn’t be better off than Laman and Lemuel when I died. I would die in my wickedness as well, and be cast off, just like Nephi warns his brothers.

That being said, I think the reason no unclean thing can dwell with God could have more to do with another natural law that He can’t break than with a lack of desire to have His children all dwell with Him. I think our Heavenly Father would love to have all His children dwell with him, but, like the law of Justice, there must be some law that says you have to earn that right, and He can’t break that law for the same reasons He can’t break the law of justice. My task is to retain a remission of my sins through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Thank God for that Atonement; it is the only way back to Him.

• Psalm 24:3 (3–4)
• Ezekiel 18:26
• Romans 3:23–24
• 2 Nephi 9:16
• Mosiah 15:26
• Alma 11:37
• Alma 12:16
• Alma 20:17
• Alma 40:26
• Alma 41:3–8
• Moroni 10:26
• D&C 76:62 (50–70)
• Moses 6:57 (55–59)

1 Nephi 15:32

32 And it came to pass that I said unto them that it was a representation of things both temporal and spiritual; for the day should come that they must be judged of their works, yea, even the works which were done by the temporal body in their days of probation.

Nephi’s answer to their question refers to the relationship between works (temporal) and eternal reward. We often talk about how we can choose our actions but not our consequences. My contention is that we can choose our consequences. We just need to choose them first, and then fit our actions to the desired outcome. Alma explains that to his son, Corianton (Alma 41:3–6). Incidentally, this principle is true in other areas of our life. It has broad application, just as a sound principle should.

• Alma 41:3–6

1 Nephi 15:31

31 And they said unto me: Doth this thing mean the torment of the body in the days of probation, or doth it mean the final state of the soul after the death of the temporal body, or doth it speak of the things which are temporal?

This is another interesting question, coming from Nephi’s brothers, who I always thought just didn’t believe in the Gospel. This question tells me that they at least understood the doctrine of eternal life, whether they believed it or not. They refer to this life as “the days of probation,” which tells me they had some understanding of the purpose of this life. They separated the final judgment from “the things which are temporal.” Of course, the answer they will get from Nephi is that the torment refers to both temporal and eternal. Alma explains the eternal part at least partially to his son, Corianton, when he explains that “wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10). The two states, eternal and temporal, are connected. The temporal is part of the eternal, and it determines the state of the eternal. In other words, we have a time of probation, which Laman and Lemuel acknowledge, and how we use that time determines in large measure the “final state of the soul after the death of the temporal body.” In crying repentance to the Nephites, Samuel the Lamanite told them they had “procrastinated the day of [their] salvation until it [was] everlastingly too late…” They had “sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head” (Helaman 13:38). Sin may give momentary pleasure, but it also puts us on the other side of the gulf of justice, both in this life and in the next.

• Alma 40:11 (6–26)
• Alma 41:10
• Helaman 13:38

1 Nephi 15:30

30 And I said unto them that our father also saw that the justice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous; and the brightness thereof was like unto the brightness of a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end.

The gulf of filthy water is not the only thing separating the wicked from the righteous. The justice of God referred to by Nephi also separates the two. This seems obvious on the surface, but it might be helpful to explore the nature of justice.

Justice appears to be the “default setting” of our lives, both mortal and eternal. Another term for justice might be “natural consequences.” In other words, every time we make a choice to do something, to act a certain way, there are natural consequences to that behavior or action. That is even found in the laws of physics: “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Justice appears to be a law that cannot be broken, at least not without dire consequences (there it is again: action consequence).

There are some laws that can’t be broken at all. These are physical laws, such as the law of gravity, which have no specific moral implications attached to them. They just are, and there’s nothing we can do about it. And the thing about these natural or physical laws is that we don’t even need to understand them to be subject to them. We don’t understand how gravity works; yet we all must obey this law of nature. We can’t help it.

Apparently there is another kind of law that, technically speaking, can be broken, but not without life and/or status-changing consequences. Moral consequences. Justice seems to fall into this category. The law of justice says that when we break a commandment, we must be punished. When we keep a commandment, we are blessed. “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings [and punishments] are predicated—and when we obtain any blessing [or punishment] from God, it is by obedience [or disobedience] to that law upon which it is predicated” (D&C 130:20–21 emphasis and comments added). It only makes sense that if this scripture is true, then it’s opposite is also true.

Our heavenly Father must also keep certain laws in order to retain the status of godhood. And He has no leeway to make mistakes. He must be perfectly predictable in how He deals with His children (see Mormon 9:19). If God were to ignore the law of justice, He would forfeit His godhood (Alma 42:22 (19–28)).

So this justice that divides the wicked from the righteous is there because of an eternal law: the Law of Justice. If God were to remove that gulf of division, he would cease to be God. The Atonement is the only way that our loving Heavenly Father (who does not want us to be hurt by the Law of Justice) could offer us mercy for the things we do wrong, and not break the Law of Justice. He wants to spare us as much of the pain of sin as possible, yet the price for sin must be paid in full. The only answer: have someone else pay the price.

1 Nephi 15:29

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

This awful hell spoken of by Nephi is set aside for those who will not allow the Savior to pay for their sins. This includes people who deliberately sin as well as those who simply don’t accept the Atonement. Refusing the atonement is like being invited by a rich man out to dinner at an expensive restaurant. There is no way we can afford to pay, so the rich man offers to take care of the bill, and we can just leave all that we have for the tip. If we refuse that offer, our bill still needs to be paid, so we have to go and work in the kitchen, washing dishes, until we have earned enough money to pay the bill. That is the hell described by Nephi. It is a place to go and pay for our sins without the benefit of that part of the atonement that would pay for them in our behalf. The Lord offers to take care of the whole bill, and all He asks is that we do the best we can in paying the tip. If we, in our pride, refuse this offer, and insist on paying our fair share, He must honor that request and let us do it (D&C 19:16–17). I say, swallow your pride, and humbly, thankfully accept the Savior’s offer. Pour your heart and soul into the tip, but allow Him to pay the full price of the meal.

1 Nephi 15:28

28 And I said unto them that it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also from the saints of God.

This “awful gulf” that is the filthy river is almost un-crossable. It is an almost impenetrable barrier separating the wicked from the Love of God, as represented by the Tree. The gulf may be fixed, but our position relative to it is of our own choosing. If we choose the right, and hold to the rod of iron, we arrive at the Tree of Life. If we choose the other side of this great gulf the outcome is much different. We end up outside the love of God. We are “carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe” (2 Nephi 1:13).

I said it is almost impossible to cross that gulf once we have made the choice to not hold the iron rod to the Tree of Life. And it is impossible to do by ourselves. Only through the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ is it possible at all. Ammon, in rejoicing over his mission to the Lamanites, and glorying in the Lord said, “Behold, he [the Lord] did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls” (Alma 26:20). It’s only through that grace that we are able to overcome this gulf. Who can say enough about the Atonement of Christ? Where would we be without it? I think we get a hint from these verses.

• Luke 16:26
• 1 Nephi 12:18
• 2 Nephi 1:13
• Alma 26:20
• Helaman 3:29–30

1 Nephi 15:26–27

26 And they said unto me: What meaneth the river of water which our father saw?

27 And I said unto them that the water which my father saw was filthiness; and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water.

Another sincere question for Nephi, and another patient answer. “Filthiness” is an interesting term to use in describing the river of water that Lehi saw. It is a term that goes beyond just “dirty.” While they mean pretty much the same thing, filth is deeper. It is a stronger word. The common meaning has to do with physical cleanliness, but both words also have a moral aspect as well. The difference in both cases has to do with level of uncleanness. For example, the dictionary uses terms like “obscene” and “pornographic” to define the moral aspect of dirty. However, it uses phrases like “gross moral corruption” to define filth [see Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 3^rd ed.]. It goes to motive and moral attitudes, where dirt seems to be more of a manifestation of an attitude. Filth goes deeper than dirt. This is the condition of the river of water in Lehi’s dream. I just see it as a river of sludge and garbage and sewage. Really disgusting.

1 Nephi 15:25

25 Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things.

Nephi has an amazing and sincere love and concern for his brothers. It’s amazing because of all the bad treatment they dish out to him. It’s sincere because Nephi doesn’t seem to have any motive for wanting his brothers’ conversion except a desire for their eternal welfare. Yes, it’s his job that once he has been converted he needs to try to warn his brothers, but this doesn’t seem to be out of duty, but out of love. Nephi must have seen something, some redeeming quality in his brethren that inspired him to keep trying. And in this instance they do seem to have sincere questions.

• Jacob 1:19

1 Nephi 15:24

24 And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.

I remember Sheri coming home from a conference where one of the speakers said that scripture study was the one thing Satan would want to hinder to prevent people returning to Heavenly Father. I thought at the time how interesting that it was not prayer. But it makes total sense on further consideration. The scriptures are full of not only doctrine and information; they are also full of examples of people who have been faithful, as well as those who have not been faithful. The scriptures not only teach us about the Atonement and the way back to our Heavenly Father, they give us hope that we can make it, and that making it is worthwhile.

In addition to hope, the scriptures (the rod of iron) give us an effective weapon to use against Satan. Paul compares it to “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). While the rest of the “whole armor of God” is defensive in nature, the sword is an offensive weapon. When Satan came tempting Jesus after his 40-day fast, Christ’s defense was to quote scriptures (Matthew 4:2–11). He used scripture not only as defense, but to go on the offense. When Moses talked with God at the burning bush, he received certain commandments, among which was the commandment to call upon Him. Moses was strengthened against Satan because he was doing what the Lord told him to do (i.e. following the word of God)(Moses 1:12–22). Christ taught us to “Search the scriptures; for in them you think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39). There is great value and power in the scriptures (the iron rod).

• Joshua 1:8
• Proverbs 4:13
• John 5:39
• 1 Nephi 8:19
• 1 Nephi 8:23
• D&C 3:8

1 Nephi 15:23

23 And they said unto me: What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?

This seems to be another sincere question from Laman and Lemuel. Based on some assumptions made in verse 22, it could be that they didn’t remember anything about a rod of iron in the traditions they learned regarding the Tree of Life. This rod of iron thing didn’t fit into what they already knew about this tradition.

1 Nephi 15:22

22 And I said unto them: It was a representation of the tree of life.

I find it interesting that when Nephi asked the angel what the tree meant, he was shown a vision of Mary and the birth of Christ, then he was asked to draw his own conclusions. Then when Laman and Lemuel ask what if means, Nephi just tells them it represents the Tree of Life. My guess is that they already knew about the Tree of Life, or thought they did, because they did not ask any follow-up question. So now I’m curious to know more about the Tree of Life.

For instance, is this tree of life the same as the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden? One of the footnotes to this verse refers to Moses 3:9, which is a reference to that tree. However, when Nephi is first shown the vision back in 1 Nephi 11 he does not call it the Tree of Life. That seems to be something he either didn’t write down, or that he made the connection later on. So just what is this Tree of Life?

In the context of Lehi’s vision it doesn’t matter if the Tree of Life was an actual tree in the Garden of Eden, because it is decidedly symbolic here. As I said before, Laman and Lemuel recognized it, although I’m sure they didn’t have the depth of understanding to see it for much more than a story from the traditions of their fathers. I would like to explore briefly what the tree means in this dream.

When Nephi is first shown the tree, he describes it by saying, “the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow.” The Spirit of the Lord then asked Nephi what he wanted, to which he replied that he wanted to know the interpretation of the tree. In answer he was shown the Virgin Mary. Here’s how he describes her: “she was exceedingly fair and white” (1 Nephi 11:13). When asked by an angel this time what he saw, he replied, “A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins” (1 Nephi 11:15). These are almost the exact same terms used to describe the tree. Nephi then saw the birth of Christ and is asked if he knew the meaning of the tree. He answered that it is “the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore it is most desirable above all things” (1 Nephi 11:22). So in one sense the tree could be representative of Mary, while the fruit is Christ, which we take into us and it becomes a part of us. That’s a bit like the sacrament.

Another direction interpretation of the tree could go is exactly as Nephi said, “it is the love of God” (1 Nephi 11:22). The fruit could then be the covenant that we make, allowing us to fully participate in that love. That seems to be the obvious answer, but then we have to ask if the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden also was a representation of the love of God. John 17:3 states, “And this is life eternal [which certainly has some relevance to a discussion about the Tree of Life], that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” In the imagery of the Tree of Life, coming to know God and Jesus Christ could be partaking the fruit, or internalizing it. If God is the personification of love, the Tree could represent him, then the fruit would be Christ.

So this interpretation Nephi gives is deeper than the first glance reveals. There could be any or all of several interpretations, in large part because Nephi identifies the tree in Lehi’s dream as the tree of life. My guess is that Laman and Lemuel didn’t understand the full significance of the tree, but were just responding to what they had heard in traditional stories about it as they grew up.

• 1 Nephi 11:21–22

1 Nephi 15:21

21 And it came to pass that they did speak unto me again, saying: What meaneth this thing which our father saw in a dream? What meaneth the tree which he saw?

Now that Laman and Lemuel have humbled themselves they are ready to learn. You have to humble yourself enough to realize that you don’t have all the answers, and then you have to ask someone who does have the answers. Sometimes that is another person, sometimes a book or other source. Nephi knew this and asked the Lord. Laman and Lemuel asked Nephi. I just wonder why they didn’t ask Lehi?

1 Nephi 15:20

20 And I did rehearse unto them the words of Isaiah, who spake concerning the restoration of the Jews, 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 and did humble themselves before the Lord.

Laman and Lemuel are great examples of how forgiving the Lord is. As often as they messed up, as often as they murmured and abused Nephi, if he could just get them to repent, the Lord forgave them. And they usually did come around, at least until Lehi’s death. That seems to have been a point of no return for them. But until that point, when Laman and Lemuel repented and humbled themselves, it was apparently real and sincere. That says something about Laman and Lemuel, but it says just as much about the Lord and His forgiving nature. He wants to forgive us of our sins, even those ones that we struggle with over and over again. These brothers had recurring issues and temptations, like an addiction. Every time they sincerely “kicked their habit” they were forgiven, and the family was able to move on. Then they would eventually give in to the temptation yet again, Nephi would correct or chastise them, they would repent (for something they had already repented of before!), and they would be forgiven, again. I think this should give us great hope regarding our own recurring temptations. As long as we sincerely resist and repent of them, we will also be forgiven when we stumble. That makes me feel good.

• 1 Nephi 16:5 (5, 24, 39)
• 1 Nephi 19:23

1 Nephi 15:19

19 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake much unto them concerning these things; yea, I spake unto them concerning the restoration of the Jews in the latter days.

Now Nephi finishes explaining the comparison of the house of Israel to the olive tree. He tells them of the gathering of Israel and “grafting” all the scattered branches back into a single tree again. I wonder if this had any significance to Laman and Lemuel, who were so concerned with this life and their generation that they didn’t, or couldn’t take the long view. Nephi is talking about an event that would take place literally thousands of years after they were dead. What did they care? This points up one big difference between spiritual and worldly people. Those belonging to the Lord tend to take a more eternal perspective to life than those who are worldlier. An interesting contrast.

• 1 Nephi 19:15

1 Nephi 15:18

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 seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.

The Abrahamic Covenant seems like one of those things that is simple on the surface, but there’s more to it when you dig into it. For instance, the covenant was made with Abraham, and we always look to the Jews or the tribes of Israel to be the lineage through which that covenant would be fulfilled. Certainly that is the case, especially considering that Jesus Christ himself is of that line. But there is also the fact that the Gentiles would play a major role, especially in the latter days, in fulfilling the covenant to bless all the kindreds of the earth. So did the Jews give up their privilege to be the ones who would fulfill this covenant? After all, they were scattered, and the ancestors of today’s Jews rejected and even crucified Christ. So for the most part, they are in apostasy and not fulfilling the covenant. Enter the adoption of others into the covenant, the Gentiles. So we see that a spiritual lineage is at least as valid as the blood lineage. Abraham 2:11 (8–11) makes a clear distinction between the literal seed of Abraham, and the covenant seed. Verse ten says that those who “receive this gospel shall be called after [Abraham’s] name, and shall be accounted [his] seed.” There just seems to be more to this covenant than is immediately apparent. But maybe I’m making it more complicated than it needs to be. The simplicity of it is that those who make a covenant with Christ through baptism by the proper authority are in the Abrahamic Covenant and are subject to the responsibilities and blessings of that covenant.

1 Nephi 15:17

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; and he meaneth that it shall come by way of the Gentiles, that the Lord may show his power unto the Gentiles, for the very cause that he shall be rejected of the Jews, or of the house of Israel.

So much history would have been different in this world if the Jews or the House of Israel had not rejected Christ. But for the very cause that they rejected Him, the Gentiles were the instruments through which the Lord is humbling His true covenant people. Through the Gentiles the Jews are scattered; through the Gentiles they are gathered. Abraham must have been one very special man for the lord to make such a strong and history-consuming covenant with him. It shows me that the Lord keeps His end of covenants, no matter what, as long as we keep our end. And Abraham must have kept his end, because the Lord is keeping His end, even though Abraham’s descendants have gone through many periods of apostasy, including the time when they crucified the very One who made the covenant in the first place.

1 Nephi 15:16

16 Behold, I say unto you, Yea; they shall be remembered again among the house of Israel; they shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive-tree, into the true olive-tree.

I wonder if the house of Israel will literally remember that the Lehites and others that have been separated from them are actually part of their inheritance. Or maybe this is just the house of Israel accepting anyone who has made the covenant with the Lord? Either of those would most likely come about only after the Jews are converted and gathered in.