Chapter 15 Overview

Lehi’s seed are to receive the gospel from the Gentiles in the latter days—The gathering of Israel is likened unto an olive tree whose natural branches shall be grafted in again—Nephi interprets the vision of the tree of life and speaks of the justice of God in dividing the wicked from the righteous. Between 600 and 592 B.C.

What a disappointment it must have been for Nephi to come home after his amazingly spiritual experience to hear arguing and bickering from his brothers. I’ve had similar experiences, where I come home from the temple or an especially uplifting meeting where I was edified, only to find out that life had continued without me. The kids are arguing, or there’s some household emergency to deal with, when all I want to do is bask in the spirit of the meeting, or share some of my spiritual insights, only to have the wind knocked out of the sails. In this case Nephi had just seen a truly remarkable and significant vision. I think we get some interesting insight into Nephi’s personality in this chapter. Is he feeling a bit sorry for himself in verse five? He certainly seems to be losing patience with Laman and Lemuel and their lack of spiritual sensitivity. He also establishes himself as the spiritual teacher of the family. He has already shown himself as the obedient one in the trips to Jerusalem. Now he becomes his brothers’ teacher as well. I think he would have been content to not have to take this role with his brothers. It seems to me that he is expressing some frustration with their lack of spiritual initiative before he begins teaching them.

This chapter also underscores the importance of Lehi’s vision, or at least its impact on Nephi. This will be the third time he gives a description or interpretation of it. It obviously had a major impact on Nephi.

1 Nephi 14:30

30 And now I make an end of speaking concerning the things which I saw while I was carried away in the spirit; and if all the things which I saw are not written, the things which I have written are true. And thus it is. Amen.

Nephi ends his description of this significant vision with his testimony. The difference between Nephi’s record, where he was not allowed to write all that he saw, and the Bible, where parts of the record are taken out, is authority and motive (1 Nephi 13:27). In Nephi’s case he was not authorized to put in part of his revelation. In the Bible’s case compilers and translators were not authorized to take parts out. Of course these are God’s records, not man’s, so He has authority to choose what to leave in and take out what He wants. Man does not have that authority. 1 Nephi 13:27 tells us that the motive for men’s leaving out truths is “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.” The Lord, on the other hand, would like to tell us more, but most of us are not ready (2 Nephi 32:7). And I’m sure that is at least part of the reason Nephi was not permitted to write everything he saw and heard.

1 Nephi 14:29

29 And I bear record that I saw the things which my father saw, and the angel of the Lord did make them known unto me.

Clearly the Lord can show visions to whomever He want to. And he can show the same vision to multiple people. The cool thing about Nephi seeing his father’s dream is that he had a “tour guide” to help him interpret the vision. It’s kind of like watching a movie DVD, where you can turn on commentary that plays over the movie. It gives you added insight into the movie from the actor’s perspective, or that of the director, producer, etc. You see the same movie, but the running commentary provides added insight and points out details you may have missed (such as 1 Nephi 15:27). Nephi had the benefit of that added insight when he saw the dream.

1 Nephi 14:28

28 And behold, I, Nephi, am forbidden that I should write the remainder of the things which I saw and heard; wherefore the things which I have written sufficeth me; and I have written but a small part of the things which I saw.

This follows the same theme as verses 24–25: Nephi is not allowed to tell us all that he knows. Obviously the Lord knows more than what He has revealed. And some of the knowledge He reveals is not for general consumption. If we diligently seek after answers to questions we may have, then I’m sure that it will eventually be given (Alma 40:3), as long as it is for our good and we are prepared for it (2 Nephi 2:27; 4:35). The seeking works to prepare us for the answer. A comparison would be if someone were moved forward in time in an instant. If Leonardo DaVinci had been moved to our day, he might have been able to handle it after a time because he was always searching for knowledge. He would be much better prepared for time travel than say, a person with no education and no curiosity. That person would be totally unprepared to see the mysteries of our day. It would be total sensory overload, and he would probably go crazy. Likewise, the mysteries of God are given to those who diligently seek them because the seeking prepares them to receive answers. Prophets are among the most prepared to receive mysteries, so the Lord reveals more to them than to the rest of us (not to mention it’s their job to receive those answers). However, they “are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart” that knowledge except to those who are prepared for it, “according to the heed and diligence which they give unto [the Lord]” (Alma 12:9). So prophets know more than they tell. And people who seek know more than they tell as well.

• 2 Nephi 32:7
• Alma 12:9

1 Nephi 14:27

27 And I, Nephi, heard and bear record, that the name of the apostle of the Lamb was John, according to the word of the angel.

This verse makes me wonder how often children’s names are inspired or revealed to parents. Were John’s parents inspired to name him John, or is it just that all things, past, present, and future, are “continually before the Lord” (D&C 130:7), and that’s how he knows John’s name nearly 600 years before his birth? We know that at times the Lord changes people’s names, such as Abram to Abraham, Simon to Peter, and Saul to Paul. But that was not the case here with John.

1 Nephi 14:26

26 And also others who have been, to them hath he shown all things, and they have written them; and they are sealed up to come forth in their purity, according to the truth which is in the Lamb, in the own due time of the Lord, unto the house of Israel.

I think I see what is happening here. The Lord has revealed these great things to His prophets, then He told them to not record them because others would record them, the very revelations that Nephi saw. I think that is specifically so they could remain hidden from the world until the Lord reveals everything (2 Nephi 30:16–18). That being the case, if Nephi had recorded them on these plates, they would have been translated and come to light too soon, before we were ready to receive such great revelations. Remember that Mormon included these plates of Nephi without editing or abridging them, so those records could very well have come out in that case.

• Daniel 12:9
• 2 Nephi 30:17 (16–18)
• Ether 3:21 (21–27)
• D&C 35:18

1 Nephi 14:24–25

24 And behold, the things which this apostle of the Lamb shall write are many things which thou hast seen; and behold, the remainder shalt thou see.

25 But the things which thou shalt see hereafter thou shalt not write; for the Lord God hath ordained the apostle of the Lamb of God that he should write them.

Nephi saw the same things as John, but it was given to John to write them down. It seems that part of the job of a prophet is not only knowing what to write, but also to know what not to write. And it seems there are various reasons to leave things out of the record. Mormon was forbidden to write the names of the three Nephites who would not taste death (3 Nephi 28:25). I’m not sure why, since we are given to know that John (who is called to write the part of the this vision that Nephi is forbidden to write) was granted the same request as the three Nephites were. Mormon is just told that they are hidden, and then goes into some of their ministry, which for some reason must remain anonymous for now. Another example of writing is when Jesus prayed at his coming to the Nephites (3 Nephi 19:32–34). In this case the words were too sacred to write or even speak. We also have the example of The Book of Mormon itself. We are only given 1/3 of the book. Why not the rest? It could be that we don’t appreciate the part we do have, let alone the possibly greater mysteries recorded in the rest of the book. Jacob tells us that there are many things we cannot understand, so they are held back. The Jews desired those things, to their detriment when the Lord gave it to them (Jacob 4:14). So not everything that can be written has been written. But we can be assured that the things that are written are for our benefit and salvation. They are written because the prophets have a job to do, that if they don’t do, they are brought under condemnation (Mormon 9:35; Jacob 1:19). And the notion held by sectarian Christians that the Bible contains all the word of God just doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.

• John 20:30 (30–31)
• John 21:25
• Revelation 1:19