Scripture Study: 1 Nephi 12:1-10

by Tristi Pinkston | More from this Blogger

13 Dec 2007 04:00 PM

Nephi is caught up in the vision being shown him by the angel of the Lord. He has seen many things about the coming forth of the Savior, and now he will see things relating to the futures of his descendants and that of his brothers'.

1. And it came to pass that the angel said unto me: Look, and behold thy seed, and also the seed of thy brethren. And I looked and beheld the land of promise; and I beheld multitudes of people, yea, even as it were in number as many as the sand of the sea.

2. And it came to pass that I beheld multitudes gathered together to battle, one against the other; and I beheld wars, and rumors of wars, and great slaughters with the sword among my people.

As I read these words, I wonder just what Nephi felt when he saw his descendants fighting and killing. As the spiritual leader of his family, second only to his father, he feels a sense of stewardship and obligation in addition to the love he feels, and this must hurt terribly, to see how the family will eventually choose to disregard all he has taught them and turn to bloodshed.

3. And it came to pass that I beheld many generations pass away, after the manner of wars and contentions in the land; and I beheld many cities, yea, even that I did not number them.

Now Nephi is shown the destruction that will take place upon the land when Christ is crucified on Calvary.

4. And it came to pass that I saw a mist of darkness on the face of the land of promise; and I saw lightnings, and I heard thunderings, and earthquakes, and all manner of tumultuous noises; and I saw the earth and the rocks, that they rent; and I saw mountains tumbling into pieces; and I saw the plains of the earth, that they were broken up; and I saw many cities that they were sunk; and I saw many that they were burned with fire; and I saw many that did tumble to the earth, because of the quaking thereof.

5. And it came to pass after I saw these things, I saw the vapor of darkness, that it passed from off the face of the earth; and behold, I saw multitudes who had not fallen because of the great and terrible judgments of the Lord.

6. And I saw the heavens open, and the Lamb of God descending out of heaven; and he came down and showed himself unto them.

After the destruction in the New World that coincides with the death of the Savior, the people are blessed to have Him come and appear to them in their own land. Nephi sees all this in vision and notes it for us.

7. And I also saw and bear record that the Holy Ghost fell upon twelve others; and they were ordained of God, and chosen.

8. And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the Twelve Disciples of the Lamb, who are chosen to minister unto thy seed.

9. And he said unto me: Thou rememberest the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb? Behold they are they who shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel; wherefore, the twelve ministers of thy seed shall be judged of them; for ye are of the house of Israel.

10. And these twelve ministers whom thou beholdest shall judge thy seed. And, behold, they are righteous forever; for because of their faith in the Lamb of God their garments are made white in his blood.

Twelve are chosen to help Christ minister to the people when He visits the New World, and because of the Atonement, and their faith in Christ's power to cleanse all people from their sin, their own sins are washed away. The scripture says "they are righteous forever" - this doesn't mean that they are somehow magically unable to sin anymore, but rather, they are choosing to keep their actions consistent with their knowledge of right and wrong. God will never magically make us be righteous. He blesses us for obedience and then allows us to choose for ourselves.

From today's reading: What blessings have you received for being obedient, and are they worth extra effort on your part? What would it take for each of us to make the choice to be "righteous forever?"

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Learn more about Tristi Pinkston

I've been a blogger for Families.com since August of 2006.

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