1 Nephi 11:34–35

34 And after he was slain I saw the multitudes of the earth, that they were gathered together to fight against the apostles of the Lamb; for thus were the twelve called by the angel of the Lord.

35 And the multitude of the earth was gathered together; and I beheld that they were in a large and spacious building, like unto the building which my father saw. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Behold the world and the wisdom thereof; yea, behold the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Nephi sees in vision what to me is a continuation of the War in Heaven. After they killed the Savior, the Jews continue the fight against the apostles. Whenever there is a movement toward God by any group of people, Satan and his followers go to work. This has been true throughout history. Oddly enough, it’s a war that shouldn’t make sense to fight by the very people who wage it. Nephi sees the multitudes gathered in the great and spacious building, which represents “the world and the wisdom thereof.” The wisdom of the world doesn’t accept a god, so why should they bother with anyone else who follows what to them must be superstition? I think the answer must be pride, greed, and lust for power. All these are related, but for the sake of this discussion I will separate them. Those who lust for power cannot handle the thought of not controlling people. Followers of God are free, even in a repressive state they are free to believe and think the way God wants them to. And that is by choice. Greed in religion leads to priestcraft. Those participating in that are fighting for their jobs, in a way. The word of God is free for all, not just those with money. When people start believing that way, it is lost income, and lost power. Pride can manifest itself in any number of motivations, two of which I have just listed. Prideful people just hate to lose. They hate that recognition goes to someone else.

• 1 Corinthians 4:9 (6–13)
• Ephesians 6:12 (11–18)
• 1 Nephi 12:18
• D&C 121:38

1 Nephi 11:32–33

32 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record.

33 And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world.

I’m sure the irony and injustice of Christ’s crucifixion are not lost on Nephi. To think that a god, even the Son of God, should be judged and condemned by the very people who should be worshipping Him must be an amazing and unbelievable thought to Nephi. He apparently was successful in conveying that amazing irony to his brother Jacob, who went a step further in his expressions of amazement in 2 Nephi 10:3–5. He says flat out that there is “none other nation on earth that would crucify their God.” When others saw the fruits of Christ’s labors they would be converted. Not so the Jews. They would crucify their God to preserve their priestcrafts.

• 2 Nephi 10:3
• Mosiah 3:9 (9–10)
• 3 Nephi 27:14

1 Nephi 11:31

31 And he spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Lamb of God going forth among the children of men. And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases, and with devils and unclean spirits; and the angel spake and showed all these things unto me. And they were healed by the power of the Lamb of God; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out.

It’s interesting and significant to note that healing illness and possession by devils or unclean spirits not only is a trait of Christ’s ministry, but of those who serve Him as well. So powerful is Christ’s influence that through His authority, mere mortals have the same power through His name.

• Mormon 9:24

1 Nephi 11:30

30 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the heavens open again, and I saw angels descending upon the children of men; and they did minister unto them.

The angels who descended and ministered unto the children of men were most likely charged with preparing them for Christ’s ministry, so that they might have their hearts softened and they might believe in Christ when He ministered to them. I think this was necessary because even miracles can be dismissed by the faithless.

1 Nephi 11:29

29 And I also beheld twelve others following him. And it came to pass that they were carried away in the Spirit from before my face, and I saw them not.

Clearly the organization of the Church is not established on a whim; the twelve apostles were not organized as a last minute idea that Christ came up with during His mortal ministry. This vision of Nephi’s occurred nearly 600 years before that time.

• 1 Nephi 14:20

1 Nephi 11:28

28 And I beheld that he went forth ministering unto the people, in power and great glory; and the multitudes were gathered together to hear him; and I beheld that they cast him out from among them.

Christ’s ministry obviously had a polarizing effect on people, which this verse points out. Multitudes gathered together to hear him, and possibly, but not necessarily, the same people cast him out. I don’t think there was much indifference where Christ’s teaching or ministry were concerned. The people either worshipped him or hated him, or were in the process of going one way or the other.

• D&C 138:26

1 Nephi 11:27

27 And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, of whom my father had spoken; and I also beheld the prophet who should prepare the way before him. And the Lamb of God went forth and was baptized of him; and after he was baptized, I beheld the heavens open, and the Holy Ghost come down out of heaven and abide upon him in the form of a dove.

The baptism of Christ begins His mortal ministry, which is itself a form of condescension. To think that God himself would come and live among men, suffering the same hardships, is amazing. On the one hand, this fallen earth life is well beneath Him. On the other hand it is a comfort to know that the rules for one are the rules for all. In other words, in order for Christ to attain all the glory of His potential, He still needed a body. He still needed to keep the commandments, including baptism. That tells me that this ordinance is more than simply washing away sins. Conditions of godhood are the same for everyone, and Christ didn’t exclude himself from meeting those conditions. In fact, He met them perfectly. His is the example we should strive to live up to.

• Matthew 3:13–17
• Matthew 11:10 (7–11)
• 1 Nephi 10:7 (7–10)
• 2 Nephi 31:4 (4–18)