Difference between revisions of "1 Ne 15:21-36"

Revision as of 20:32, 28 July 2013

The Book of Mormon > First Nephi > Chapters 10-15 > Chapter 15 > Verses 15:21-36
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Summary

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The relationship of Verses 15:21-36 to the rest of Chapter 15 is discussed at First Nephi 15.

Discussion

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It is interesting that when Laman and Lemuel ask about the meaning of the tree, Nephi explained nothing more than to say that it is the Tree of Life (verses 21-22) before moving on to the next question. We know from 1 Ne 11:21-23 that Nephi knew more. There he explains to the angel in detail the meaning of the tree. The fact that he doesn't explain this to his brothers when asked about the tree may suggest that like Nephi, they already knew of its meaning. It seems likely that like Nephi, Laman and Lemuel were also taught in the learning of their father (1 Ne 1:1) and also knew of the manner of prophesying among the Jews (2 Ne 21:1).

It isn't immediately clear what "this thing" at the beginning of verse 31 refers to. The fact that Laman and Lemual are asking whether it refers to the torment of the body in the days of probation or after death suggests that "this thing" does not refer to God's justice spoken of in the previous verse. Instead it refers to the last thing they asked about--the river of water (verse 26) or in other words, as Nephi explains to them (verse 29), the awful hell that the angel told Nephi was prepared for the wicked (1 Ne 12:16). Nephi also makes it clear that they are talking about the river of dirty water, or hell, in verse 35.

Verses 32-36 are an explanation of what Nephi means by hell. We learn from these verse that Hell is the place prepared for those who cannot dwell in the kingdom of God.

Points to ponder

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I have a question

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Verse 21

• What was the antecedent to "this thing"?

Verse 22

• Did they know more about the tree of life than is presently recorded in our Old Testament?

Verse 23

• Why were Laman and Lemuel so willing to believe that Lehi actually saw a vision?

Verse 24

• What did it mean to "hold fast" to the scriptures for a people who had no concept of, or experience with, personal ownership of scriptures?

Verse 25

• If faculties are an aspect of the soul (see Jacob 3:11), then what was the difference between energies and faculties of the soul?

Verse 26

• Did they have good reason to be perplexed about what this river represented?

Verse 27

• What made Nephi immune from this swallowing up of the mind?

Verse 28

• Why was there no bridge to allow the penitent to cross the gulf and approach the tree?

Verse 29

• If the gulf represented hell, then why were the wicked outside, rather than inside, the gulf?

Verse 30

• If God is being just when separates the wicked from the righteous in the afterlife, then is he being unjust when he allows these two groups to live together during mortality?

Verse 31

• Why did Laman and Lemuel feel like a gulf separated them from others during their mortal probation?

Verse 32

• Is Nephi saying that the wicked will be tormented while in the flesh?

• If so, who is the tormentor that inflicts this upon the bodies of the wicked?

Verse 33

• Is Nephi connecting these points with his earlier statements and saying that Jews and Lamanites who procrastinate their repentance, and ultimately die in their sins, will at that point be cast out of the covenant?

Verse 34

• Is this evidence that the war in heaven did not take place in the kingdom of God?

Verse 35

• Has the devil prepared any place for eternal human habitation besides Outer Darkness?

Verse 36

• Who is the actor in this verse that rejects the wicked?

Resources

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Notes

Footnotes are not required but are encouraged for factual assertions that average readers cannot easily evaluate for themselves, such as the date of King Solomon’s death or the nuanced definition of a Greek word. In contrast, insights rarely benefit from footnoting, and the focus of this page should always remain on the scriptures themselves rather than what someone has said about them. Links are actively encouraged on all sections of this page, and links to authoritative sources are preferable to footnotes.

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