After a person experiences something extraordinary, others are likely to ask them about the experience and what they learned from it. 1 Nephi 15 contains that kind of conversation. When Nephi returns to camp after participating in an expansive vision, his brothers ask him a series of questions about their father’s words. Nephi answers their questions, drawing on the insight he gained from his own revelatory experience. In the following table, I list those questions, summarize his answers, and briefly indicate what those answers might mean for us.
| Question | Answer | Significance to us |
|---|---|---|
| “We cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken concerning the natural branches of the olive tree, and also concerning the Gentiles” (v. 7). | The olive tree is the house of Israel. We are one of the branches that has been broken off. ‘In the latter days,” our descendants will “come to the knowledge of their Redeemer” and be grafted into the tree again, so that they can receive “strength and nourishment from the true vine.” (v. 13-20) | As we help people connect with the Savior, they receive the spiritual nourishment they need. |
| “What meaneth this thing which our father saw in a dream? What meaneth the tree which he saw?” (v. 21) | “It was a representation of the tree of life.” (v. 22) | Jesus Christ is our source of eternal life. |
| “What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?” (v. 23) | It is the word of God. Give heed to the word of God, hold fast to it, and keep the commandments, and you will never perish. (v. 24-25) | We come to the Savior by following the instructions He gives us through prophets and through personal revelation. |
| “What meaneth the river of water which our father saw?” (v. 26) | It is filthy. (Our father didn’t notice that detail.) It represents “an awful gulf” which prevents the wicked from approaching the tree of life. (v. 27-30) (See also Luke 16:26.) | Our sins can keep us from God’s presence. |
| “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?” (v. 31) (See also 1 Nephi 22:1.) | It is both temporal and spiritual. The choices you make today, in mortality (temporal) will ultimately determine your state after death (spiritual). Unclean things cannot enter God’s kingdom, so if you are unclean, you will not be able to enter. (v. 32-36) | Choose wisely today. Remember that your choices here are now have eternal consquences. |
Today, I will internalize the lessons Nephi taught his brothers after his vision. I will strive to bring people closer to Jesus Christ, knowing that He is our source of eternal life. I will do my best to follow His commandments and make wise decisions, knowing that my actions today have eternal consequences.
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