Book of Mormon 4 - “The Things Which I Saw While I Was Carried Away in the Spirit”

Lesson 4, “The Things Which I Saw While I Was Carried Away in the Spirit”, inspired several periods of deep introspection. These scriptures further inspired me to view Nephi as a hero. He listened to his father, a prophet of God, describe a vision. Instead of being content with merely hearing the word of God from his father, he approached the Lord himself, in faith and prayer. He had the understanding that he was living in such a way that the Lord would answer his prayer. As well as the Tree of Life, Nephi was shown 1,000 years of the future of his own people, the formation of the great and abominable church, the colonisation of the Americas, the Apostasy, the Restoration of the gospel, the fate of the great and abominable church, and the blessings offered to the faithful.

The importance of the American continent and the history of that continent were highlighted in Nephi’s vision. He saw the way the Bible would spread across the globe. He also saw that many plain and precious parts of the gospel would disappear from the Bible. The 4th century historian Eusebious described the process that resulted in parts of the Bible becoming corrupted. He described a vast number of copies of Bible documents, all with their own variations. He said these documents were “altered, by the eagerness of their disciples to insert each one his own corrections, as they call them, i.e. their corruptions....” (Quoted in Millet, R.L., & Jackson, K.P. Studies in Scripture, Vol. 7). The truth in its entirety was removed from the earth. Religious disputes resulted in persecution and war in many parts of the world. Many religious groups sought refuge in America. The signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War provided the environment of religious and personal freedom that would facilitate the restoration of the gospel by the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Our future is in our hands. We are so blessed to have the truthfulness of the gospel. We cannot afford to be complacent. We need to be actively living what we believe. This requires work, effort, determination, faith, and courage. We need to hold close to the Iron Rod and read the scriptures, listen to the prophet and the General Authorities, and apply what we read and hear into our lives. If we are not actively working towards eternity, we may be subject to the temptations of Satan - “The church of the devil is the world; it is all the carnality and evil to which fallen man is heir” (Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Vol. 3). The messages from Nephi, from Elder Bruce R. McConkie, from President Ezra Taft Benson (Teachings of President Ezra Taft Benson), and from our wonderful speakers at Sacrament meeting, all concur – we need to be obedient to the commandments!