1 Nephi 7-14

I need to catch my blog up to where I am currently in my journey through the BOM. I started from the beginning again on the 1st of December, as a part of a challenge I gave to not only myself but to the young women I teach to finish the book of Mormon before Emma is due. We have a reading schedule, READ THE BOOK OF MORMON IN 90 DAYS, and we are each reading the same chapters each day. I decided this would be a good opportunity to start up my blog again. I may not blog each day but I'll keep it fairly updated.

Chapter 7
Nephi and his brothers are asked by their father to go to Jerusalem again to find this man named Ishmael and his family, and to bring them back with them to the wilderness. After they had the family and were traveling back into the wilderness, Laman and Lemuel and some of Ishmael's family also started to rebel. I just love how passionate Nephi is in speaking to his brothers about faith in the Lord... He says,
... How is it that ye have not hearkened unto the word of the Lord? How is it that ye have forgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord? Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us, in delivering us out of the hands of Laban... and how is it that ye have forgotten that the lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in them? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him. (to read his entire speech, read Nephi ch 7:8-15)
I love this. I think that in hard times, we should all read that right there. Don't we all have moments like Laman and Lemuel, where we forget the things we have seen, the revelations we have had, the miracles which have entered into our lives? 
Then it goes on to say that not only were the brothers not moved by his speech, but they were angered by it! They tried to Kill Nephi!! When finally Ishmael's family told them to stop, and they did, and then they begged for forgiveness from Nephi... and Nephi, being so amazing, forgave them on the spot, without hesitation! All he asked was that they repent and ask the Lord for forgiveness, which they did.


Chapter 8
Lehi, Nephi's father, had a vision. It seems very complicated, but as I've heard it explained before I will write now.
Lehi is walking through a forest of darkness for hours upon hours. He begs the lord to help him, to have mercy on his soul, when the lord reveals a large field. There is a tree, with amazing fruit, the best tasting fruit you've ever tasted, and the fruit is white, pure white beyond white. Then he sees his wife, and two of his sons, Sam and Nephi. He begs for them to come over and eat some of the fruit with him, and they do find their way to him. He looks around for Laman and Lemuel, when he sees that there is a mist covering the land, with a rod of iron and a narrow path leading to the tree with the fruit out of the darkness. Laman and Lemuel do not come to their father. Instead, they find their way to a large building that seems to be away from all that is the good of this tree. Those who occupy the building are mocking and pointing at and scorning those who have taken the fruit of the awesome tree. Some people find and grab hold of the rod, and make it to the tree where they eat the fruit and ignore the people from the large building. Some make it to the tree, and become ashamed of eating the fruit because of those who are pointing and mocking, and fall away into the darkness and the mist.
From my understanding, the Tree is the Tree of Life. The rod is the word of Christ, his teachings. The building is that of the world, the influence that the world has over so many of us. The mist and darkness is this world, where we wander in search of truth and light, search for a bigger purpose or meaning, until we find and come unto Christ. Even then we have to hold on to the rod, to follow his teachings, otherwise we can lose our faith and fall back into the darkness.

Chapter 9
Nephi explains that his records will be of his people, of kings, and of wars among his people. That god has a plan and a message in these records.

Chapter 10
Lehi tells about events leading up to Christ, how the Jews will be captive, and about Jesus' baptism in the river Jordan. Then about their doubt in him and his death. This chapter is a very quick and brief description of the bible concerning Jesus Christ... Nephi prays to have visions as his father Lehi does.
And I love this scripture:
Nephi 10:19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost..

Chapter 11
Nephi is taken to a high mountain top, where he and an angel converse. He tells the angel that he wants to see what his father saw, and the angel shows him the tree of life. Nephi says it is beautiful beyond all beauty. Then he sees the Savior come down from the sky, and the Angel tells Nephi to bare record that this is the Savior. Nephi asks for an interpretation of the visions. He is shown the virgin who gives birth to the Savior, the son of God. Then he is shown that the tree is the tree of life, and that the rod is the word of God, and the tree is a sign of God's love. Nephi then sees the baptism of the Savior, and sees the good works done by the Savior in his time on earth. Then he witnesses the Savior's crucifixion.He was shown that the big building that had been in his father's vision was the pride of the world. He was told that the pride of the world would bring doom to the world.

Chapter 12
Nephi's vision continues into his own posterity. His children, and children's children, and so on for three and four generations are righteous, and fight with the posterity of his brothers. They have wars and more wars. Nephi is shown that the murky waters in his father's vision are the depths of "hell" and that the darkness represents temptations of satan, things of this world (from my perspective, greed, pride, etc) He watches as generations go by and as the people fall away from God, that they become "filthy" and full of idleness (I'm guessing they are lazy!)

Chapter 13
For such a lengthy chapter, I felt like I read the same message over and over several times. Here's what I got from it in my overly tired state:
Nephi continues in his vision. He sees a great church rise up, one filled with worldly things, fine linens, gold, silver, harlots, etc. and he is told that this church is the church brought forth by Satan. That the members who belong to this church will persecute those who belong to the right and true church of God. They have a book which has had many truths removed from it. One day the Lamb of God will establish his true church and provide and teach once again those truths which were removed.


Chapter 14
More about the great and abominable church of the devil, and the Angel points out that there are only two churches: The church of the Lamb Of God, and the other, the church of the devil. He says that if you do not belong to the church of the lamb, you belong to the other. And even though there are only two churches, the "other" church has many nations, and they fight amongst each other. And when the church of the Lamb is attacked, it is protected by God and those who are in it are armed with righteousness. Nephi is then carried on in the spirit, seeing all of the things which is father, Lehi, had seen.