Friday, April 7, 2017

The Second Gate: Fire

THE SECOND GATE: FIRE
            Towards the end of Nephi’s life, he added an element to Nephi/Lehi’s vision, a gate.[1] This gate was at the start of the strait and narrow path.[2] While this gate may have originally been in the vision and both he, and Lehi, mistakenly omitted it from their writings, or whether it is a prophetic addendum is hard to know? However, there is a second “gate,” of sorts, which does appear in Nephi’s vision. While not explicitly labeled a gate, it acts like a gate- to prevent unwanted things from entering a certain space.
            In chapter 15 of 1 Nephi, Nephi includes a dialogue between him and his brothers. The brothers were discussing the vision that their father had revealed to them the other night. The discussions appeared to be argumentative because the brothers were disputing about the things Lehi taught. Nephi intervened and began a question and answer type discussion where he expounded upon Lehi’s vision. Here is the relevant dialogue to our discussion about the second gate:
                        26- “What meaneth the river of water which our father saw?”
            27- “And is 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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”[3]

It is clear that Nephi is referring in verse 27 to the “river of water” that Lehi saw.[4] Nephi informs us that the water in Lehi’s vision was filthy.[5] Nephi is more explicit in informing the reader that one of the characteristics of this filthy river is to separate, or divide, the wicked from the tree of life (and by reference, those who are at the tree of life).[6] He further tells us that this gulf of filthy water is a representation of hell, which is prepared for the wicked.[7] It’s after this point that Nephi seems to change his discussion to something that wasn’t the gulf of water.
            Nephi says that Lehi saw that the “justice of God” divided the wicked from the righteous.[8] Now, there is no reference in Lehi’s vision, as Nephi has recorded it, to a reference to the “justice of God.” This begs the question, did Nephi leave out details that Lehi taught? The answer seems to be yes. Nephi states that his father taught that the justice of God divide the righteous from the wicked. What we can infer from this statement is that there was some symbol in Lehi’s vision that Nephi did not include in his writings that Lehi taught, the justice of God.
            Nephi makes sure that we understand that the justice of God described in verse 30 is not the same as the gulf of filthy water in the preceding verses. First, Nephi uses the keyword “also.” The use of “also” suggests that Nephi is shifting to a new element. The first use of , “Also” could be read as, “in addition to the gulf of filthy water, Lehi saw that the justice of God did divide. . .”
            Nephi not only uses it to preface the justice of God, but he also uses it to preface one of the traits of the justice of god, that is also divides the wicked from the righteous. The second “also” could be read as, “the justice of God did divide the wicked from the righteous, like the gulf of filthy water.”
            The description of the justice of God further evidences that it is separate and distinct from gulf of filthy water. Nephi had just barely finished telling his brother how filthy the water is. When he turns his brothers attention to the justice of God he describes the justice of God in a completely different way. Nephi describes the justice of God “like unto the brightness of a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end.”[9] This description cannot be reconciled with filthiness. “Fire,” “Brightness,” “Ascendth up unto God,” are words that seemingly describe heaven, not hell. As such, the description of the justice of God seems to be a clear marker that it stands separated and apart from the gulf of filthy water.
            This argument becomes a bit muddy[10]when we look at 1 Nephi 12:18. In this verse, it appears that Nephi is saying that the “terrible gulf” and the “justice of God” are one-in-the-same.[11] First, we do not know that the terrible gulf refers to the filthy water.[12] Second, the “word of the justice of the Eternal God” is probably not what the original text said. The original manuscript has “sword of justice” instead of “word of justice.”[13] In light of the Garden of Eden themes that are found throughout the vision, it conjures up images of the cherubim and the flaming sword.[14] And angels sent by God are never referred to as filthy.[15] We could further says that Nephi refers to the “word of the justice of God,” not the “justice of God,” thus adding a distinction, a different result of the justice of God? Though this verse creates the argument that the justice of God and gulf are the same thing, I think 1 Nephi 15:30 makes it very clear that they are not.
            The brightness, like fire, is a new element that creates a barrier another gate that one must walk through in order to get to the tree. Nephi tells us that the gulf of filthy water separated the wicked from the tree of life.[16] In context, the brightness of the justice of God appears to come after the, or at the earliest simultaneously with, the gulf of filthy water.[17] This suggests that the brightness also protects the tree of life.[18] A separation is caused by a barrier, like a gate. Because the brightness of the justice of God divides the wicked from the righteous a barrier must be created between the righteous the wicked. In the context of Lehi’s vision, it would appear, like the first gate, this is a barrier that the righteous have to go through, a barrier that the wicked are not able to cross.[19] For lack of a better term, we will refer to this barrier as another gate, a fiery gate.[20]   




[1] see 2nd Nephi: An Addendum
[2] 2 Nephi 31:18
[3] 1 Nephi 15:26-30
[4] 1 Nephi 8:13, 26
[5] However, he fails to inform us if this water is always filthy because there appears to be two different rivers, or at least two different points on the river: one that is filthy, and the other that is pure.
[6] 1 Nephi 15:18; cf., 1 Nephi 8:26. In 1 Nephi 8:26 we can easily see how the water separated the people. While Lehi was at the tree he saw a great and spacious building that was on the “other side of the river of water.” The phrase “other side” suggests that the river separated those at the tree from those in the great and spacious building.
[7] 1 Nephi 15:29
[8] 1 Nephi 8:30
[9] Id.
[10] Pardon the pun
[11] see “yea, even” in 1 Nephi 12:18; cf. with its use in 1 Nephi 12:16. It appears that “yea even” is like an exclamation to draw our attention to, or emphasize the same thing
[12] However, Nephi only uses it in context of the filthy water, though in this particular verse he does not say gulf of water
[13] Royal Skousen, Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon Part One: 1Nephi-2 Nephi 10, F.A.R.M.S, pgs. 257-258.
[14] Moses 4:31; Genesis 3:24
[15] Perhaps the filthy water and the brightness are not the word of justice itself, by a result of the division?
[16] 1 Nephi 15:28
[17] This relation would also destroy the argument that the gate that Nephi references in 2 Nephi 31 is this same gate because 2 Nephi 31’s gate appears at the start of the journey, this second gate appears that the end-the moment before one approaches the tree.
[18] Again, this conjures up images of the cherubim[s] and a flaming sword that protected the tree of life
[19] Malachi 3:2
[20] We will discuss explanations/applications/implications of this barrier in relation to Lehi’s vision later.

2nd Nephi 31-33: An Addendum to the Visions

2ND NEPHI 31-33: AN ADDENDUM TO THE VISIONS
      
          Nephi was very quick to point out that his father, while having a vision, was so preoccupied with other things that he failed to see the filthiness of the water.[1] However, Nephi is not as forthright with his own omission. As we will discuss below, Nephi tries to either correct an omission from the vision that he had originally written, or in the alternative, Nephi is prophetically adding to said vision. Either way, Nephi wants us to recall the vision he has written as he discusses his final thoughts towards the end of his record in 2 Nephi.
            By having us recall his earlier vision, and using explicit language, Nephi wants the reader to connect a symbol with the vision that is not in his account, nor in Lehi’s account. The symbol that Nephi adds to the vision is a gate.

John the Baptist
            Though Nephi is not clear on why he is adding to the vision, he is very explicit that he wants to add to the imagery previously describe in 1 Nephi 11-15. At the start of 2 Nephi 31 Nephi writes:

“Wherefore, I would that ye should remember that I have spoken unto you concerning that prophet which the Lord showed unto me, that should baptize the Lamb of God, which should take away the sins of the world”[2]

The only time that Nephi ever mentions a prophet baptizing the Lamb of God is found in 1 Nephi 11:27. Thus, when Nephi commands us (however lightly) to remember when he spoke about the baptism of the Lamb of God, Nephi is drawing our attention/memory to focus on the vision that he previously had.

Lamb of God
            The title “Lamb of God” in Nephi’s writings is only found in Nephi’s vision in 1 Nephi 11-15, and the closing chapters of 2 Nephi. As discussed in another post[3], there are 63 references to “lamb” in Nephi’s writings. 57 references are found in Nephi’s vision in 1 Nephi 11-15, and refer to the “Lamb of God.” 4 references are found in the last 3 chapters of second Nephi beginning at 2 Nephi 31:4, and refer to the “Lamb of God.” Nephi will repeat this title in 2 Nephi 31:5, 6; 33:14 The other 2 references are found earlier in second Nephi and only refers to a lamb in the millennium.[4] By using a title that is only found in his earlier vision, Nephi is recalling our memories to reflect specifically on his vision.

It is clear from his reference to John the Baptist that Nephi wants to recall our attention to his vision. However, after he directs our focus to his vision, he then redirects our attention to Lehi’s vision.
            I think it is important to note that Lehi also taught about the the baptism of the “Lamb of God.”[5] However, his teaching was outside of the context of the vision found in 1 Nephi 8.

Strait and Narrow Path
            The phrase “strait and narrow” adds a peculiar twist to Nephi’s purpose. In 2 Nephi 31:9, Nephi writes about the baptism of the Lamb of God, “And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them.” He later mentions the “strait and narrow path” two more times in the same chapter.[6]
The peculiar thing about Nephi’s reference to the “strait and narrow path” is that Nephi never actually uses the word “strait,” or the word “narrow” in his vision in 1 Nephi 11-15. The “strait and narrow path” is only found one time in Lehi’s vision.[7] The path did not play a prominent role in Nephi’s vision. It did, however, play a big role in Lehi’s vision.[8]
Nephi has one more reference to strait and narrow in his closing words, but it slightly tweaks the phrase “strait and narrow path.”[9]       Nephi refers to the gate as narrow, and the path strait.[10]
           
Follow
            Next, Nephi mentions that Lamb of God said unto the children of “Follow thou me.”[11] This is similar to Lehi’s vision, where he finds himself in a dark and dreary wilderness. In this state, a man in a white robe bade Lehi to “follow” him.[12]

Press Forward
            Nephi further links his closing words to Lehi’s vision by using the phrase “press forward.” Nephi uses this phrase twice in the last three chapters.[13]         In context, the phrase “press forward” comes after one is on the “strait and narrow path.” Once one is on the strait and narrow path, one should press forward. This is similar to Lehi’s vision where the people did “press forward” after they caught hold of the end of the rod of iron.[14]

It is clear that Nephi wanted us to read his final words in light of both his, and Lehi’s vision.[15] Why? I think it is pretty clear that one reason wanted us to read his final words in light of the visions is because he wanted to add an element/symbol that is not found in either of the visions- “the gate.”

The Gate
            Nephi introduces the gate immediately after talking about the baptism of the Lamb of God. He writes, “And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate.”[16] Notice how the gate enters into Nephi’s writings after he begins the transition to reference Lehi’s vision instead of his own. Quite literally the gate is placed in the middle of both his and Lehi’s vision in Second Nephi 31.
            Nephi also makes it clear that the strait and narrow path begins after one enters through the gate.[17] Once one travels through the gate and enters the strait and narrow path, then they press forward.[18] By associating the gate with both of the prior visions, Nephi wants us to read a gate into those visions. We will delve into the gate and its characteristics, as well as, its implications to specifically Lehi’s vision will be discussed in great detail later on. However, for now, it is important to note that Nephi wishes to include a gate, specifically in Lehi’s vision. This gate is at the entrance to the “strait and narrow path” found in 1 Nephi 8:20.

More interestingly, Nephi invokes his vision in the beginning, and then quickly transfers our attention to Lehi’s vision. This begs the question, Why? Nephi only devoted small portion of his writings to Lehi’s vision, compared to his own.[19] Nephi’s grandiose elaboration on his personal vision suggested that he viewed his experience and vision as more important to Lehi’s account.

However, towards the end of his life, he seems to think differently. Nephi’s vision was a group/historical manifestation, whereas Lehi’s vision is an individual/group journey. Lehi’s vision begins with one person, and concludes with groups of people travelling (or not) the path to the tree. Perhaps the aged Nephi sees the power of the personal journey to the tree. Perhaps Nephi wanted to correct, what he might have seen was a gaping hole in the journey- where were the covenants? To rectify this, Nephi either remembered a gate that was not noticed before in the visions, or he constructed the gate to modify the interpretation/application of the visions.

How does the gate change the way Lehi’s vision is applied? What does the gate say about the strait and narrow path? What does the gate say about the path that leads to the gate? How does the gate change our application of how we interact with the tree?[20]




[1] 1 Nephi 15:27
[2] 2 Nephi 31:4; the “Lamb of God” phrase will be discussed later.
[3] see A Critical Link Between Worlds: Nephi and John
[4] 2 Nephi 30:12
[5] 1 Nephi 10:7-11
[6] 2 Nephi 31:18, 19
[7] 1 Nephi 8:20
[8] Though the phrase “strait and narrow” is only used once, Lehi’s vision references a path 5 times. 1 Nephi 8:20, 21, 22, 23, and 28
[9] 2 Nephi 33:9
[10] A more flushed out explanation of this implication will be explored in a post about the gate
[11] 2 Nephi 31:10
[12] 1 Nephi 8:6-7
[13] 2 Nephi 31:20. Both of the usages are found in this verse.
[14] 1 Nephi 8:24, 30. Lehi’s vision uses the phrase more than twice. The ways that they are used will be explored in a later paper
[15] There are other subtle references to Nephi’s vision, but because they require us to link different definitions with a symbol, I have chosen to leave them out
[16] 2 Nephi 31:9
[17] 2 Nephi 31:17
[18] 2 Nephi 31:20
[19] I haven’t done any measurements, but if you read 1 Nephi 8 and compare it to 1 Nephi 11-5 you can see for yourself
[20] Many of these ideas, and more, will be explored later in much greater detail.

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

A Critical Link Between Nephi and John

A CRITICAL LINK BETWEEN WORLDS[1]: NEPHI AND JOHN

Many people tie Nephi’s vision to the Revelation of John because of a passage in 1 Nephi. The passage reads, “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.”[2] People also relate the two visions together because of the similarity between eschatological themes and the expansive cryptic world history presented. It also helps that the John’s Revelation deals primarily with eschatological and beyond themes, and this is what the angel told Nephi that John would write.[3]  While these themes do create a strong tie between Nephi and John’s visions, there are contextual similarities that weld them together.
The first welding link is the title “Lamb of God.” The Lamb of God is a common phrase amongst our modern day teachings.[4] We use it interchangeably for Christ, even if we are not speaking to the specific act/image that the title conjures. However, the scriptures use the name sparingly, and almost exclusively in two writings: Nephi and John the Revelator.
The second welding link is the phrase “white robe.” Even more specific is a man, or men in a white robe. It may be surprising that this phrase is not as common as one would think. Unlike, the title “Lamb of God,” the “white robe” is used exclusively in Nephi and John’s writings. We will look at the two welding links below.

Lamb of God
There are a total of 76 references to Lamb in the Book of Mormon, by my count.  57 of these are found in Nephi’s vision in 1 Nephi.  There are six more references to Christ as the Lamb in 2 Nephi, of which 5 are found in the last three chapters, which is a discourse intertwined with Nephi’s vision (the other use of lamb in 2 Nephi is a reference to an actual lamb, and the millennium).  The remaining 414 pages of the Book of Mormon have only 13 references to a lamb (3 of these references are to the actual animal and the millennium).
            Let’s redo the numbers.  Four references to a lamb are actually referencing a lamb, so we will toss them out of our numbers.  There are 72 references in the Book of Mormon then that the word lamb is used as a title for Christ.  Of these 72 references 62 of them are either directly involved in Nephi’s vision, or indirectly used by Nephi as such in 1 and 2 Nephi, and of those, 57 are found in the vision itself.  Why does this matter?  Well, it is not really important, it just helps us tie the vision to John’s vision even more.  This Lamb concept is not unique to Nephi’s vision, you see, John also has this concept and uses it frequently.
            Let’s take a look at the usage of Lamb in the Bible.  There are 105 references in the Bible to a lamb.  Most of these references are referring to an actual lamb (the animal) for sacrifice.  There are a couple whose reference is referring to Christ himself (we could make the argument that they all do, but because they do not explicitly say so, we will not), by my count there are around 10.  There are 28 references to lamb as a title for Christ, and significantly, they are all found in John’s writings.  26 are found in the book of Revelation, and the other two are found at the beginning of his gospel when he quotes John the Baptist.[5] 
In summary, there are 28 explicit references to the Savior as the Lamb in the Bible, and all of them are found in John’s writings. 62 out of the 72 references in the Book of Mormon are found in Nephi’s writings.  Though this will not link the two definitely as having seen the same, or similar vision, we can strongly infer from this that God wants us to connect the two writings together.

White Robe
In the scriptures, white robes are only associated with divine, heavenly messengers. Nephi, in his vision, saw a man in a white robe. “And I looked and beheld a man, and he was dressed in a white robe. And the angel said unto me: Behold one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”[6] Jesus Christ appeared to the Nephites clothed in a white robe.[7] When Moroni[8] appeared to Joseph Smith he was wearing a white robe. Joseph Smith points out that Moroni’s robe was “exceedingly white.”[9]
Interestingly, outside of the Book of Mormon (and BofM related people) the white robe is only found in Revelation.[10] “What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple.”[11] White robes were given to the Martyrs that were “slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.”[12]

Conclusion
            Though this evidence is not strong enough to permit us to link the two visions/writings together, the fact that the title “Lamb of God” and the phrase “white robe” are found almost exclusively in John’s and Nephi’s writings, strongly suggests that we can read the visions together. There are other similarities, like the usage of John the Baptist to tell the story[13], eschatological themes, expansive views, etc., that create an even stronger inference.
This does not mean that John’s interpretation is the same as Nephi’s. However, it’s possible to look at what John saw, and compare it to what Nephi saw. What did they see that was similar? In the paths that cross each other, are there any differences? Did John see something in the similar path that Nephi did not? and is there anything Nephi saw that John did not? Comparing the two visions can help us understand the relationship between the symbols presented, as well as expand our view/interpretation of the visions.

Quick note:
The Account of the Baptism of the Lamb of God
Both accounts refer to Christ as the “Lamb of God.”[14] Both accounts suggest that John baptized Christ.[15] Both accounts refer to the Holy Ghost descending upon Christ in the “form,” or “like” a dove.[16] Both accounts refer to the Lamb of God in conjunction with taking away the sin or sins of the world.[17]




[1] Clearly a reference to a Zelda video game.
[2] 1 Nephi 14:27
[3] 1 Nephi 14:24-26
[4] The Church has produced a video entitled, “The Lamb of God.” There are many references to the tile in General conference talks (word search “Lamb of God” in conference talks). Children are taught it in primary (i.e., Lesson 19 from the Primary 6 manual).
[5] see D&C 93
[6] 1 Nephi 14:19
[7] 3 Nephi 11:8
[8] Or Nephi?
[9] Joseph Smith-History 1:31-32
[10] See also my little write-up about the title “Lamb of God.” This is a phrase that is almost unique to Nephi’s vision and Revelation.
[11] Rev. 7:13-15; cf. 7:9
[12] Rev. 6:11
[13] See, “The Account of the Baptism of the Lamb of God” below. 2 Nephi 31, John 1. See footnote #4
[14] 1 Nephi 11:27; 2 Nephi 31:4; John 1:29. NOTE: I will link 2 Nephi with Nephi’s vision in a later write-up.
[15] v. 29 says that Jesus was coming to John, presumably to be baptized. Though, it is not specifically mentioned.
[16] 1 Nephi 11:27; John 1:32

[17] 2 Nephi 31:4; John 1:29