Purpose:
Help the reader understand the Tree of Life and Its Fruit
Learn what the Rod of Iron is and what it is not
Understand how the mists of darkness are used to test those heading the Word of God
Identify the characteristics of the Church of the devil
The two central subjects of Lehi’s dream are the Tree of Life and the Great and Spacious Building. By looking at these two subjects the rest of the events can be seen through the right leans. These two subjects are directly related to the two churches spoken in Nephi’s vision: the Church of the Lamb and the Church of the devil. Let’s first start with the Tree of Life or the Church of the Lamb.
The Tree of Life and It’s Fruit
There are two descriptions of the Tree of Life the first from Lehi and the second from Nephi. We are going to look at both of them to get a more complete picture.
“And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.
And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.
And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all other fruit.” - 1 Nephi 8 10-11
Within the context of the Tree of Life, there are two subjects Lehi is describing. The first is a tree and the second is the fruit of the tree. By reading Nephi’s experience with this vision, we can better understand the difference between the tree and the fruit.
“And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me: Look! And I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto the tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow.
And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?
And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.” - 1 Nephi 11:8, 21-22
The tree Lehi was directed to was the love of God. In Nephi’s vision he was shown events that demonstrated God’s love.
“And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God?” 1 Nephi 11: 16
In Lehi’s vision he saw an allegory. He saw a tree that had fruit which was white, pure and delicious. In Nephi’s vision he saw the real meanings behind the allegory. The tree of life represented the love of God and His condescensions toward man.
God is the Alpha and Omega. He is the greatest of all. He is the Great Elohim. And He has all power, all knowledge, all wisdom and all grace. He has achieved his exaltation. He doesn’t owe any of us anything. He could exist without man, without the earth, without our current Plan of Salvation.
“God found himself in the midst of spirits and glory, and because he was greater, he saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have the privilege of advancing like himself--that they might have one glory upon another and all the knowledge, power, and glory necessary to save the world of spirits.” - King Follet’s Discource
Because of the Love of God, God instituted a plan that enabled the spirits of eternity to advance like Himself. Nephi saw the Love of God through His condescensions. God does not have to do anything. His condescensions are His gift and sacrifices toward man. They include the seed of God being born to a mortal woman and the Son of God living among the unclean and then suffering the atonement and being crucified in a horrible way. The Love of God is provided through His actions toward mankind that are necessary to become like Him.
The Tree of Life’s (Love of God) whole work and glory is to produce fruit. The fruit is eternal life.
“For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Moses 1:39
Tree of Life = Love of God
Love of God = the actions God condescends to do to enable man to become like Him
Fruit of the Tree of Life = Becoming like God and receiving eternal life
The other main part of the vision that related to the Tree of Life was the Rod of Iron. When I think of a rod of iron, I think of iron rails that are used in some national parks and hiking trails to assist the hikers. These iron rails are bolted into the ground. They do not move and are unchangeable from hiker to hiker.
The iron rod in Lehi’s dream represented the Word of God.
“And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.” - 1 Nephi 15:24
Who or what is the word of God or the iron rod?
When the Father gives instruction or commandments those words are given to the Son. The Son is so perfect in keeping God’s instructions and commandments that he became the Word. The Son in turn gives the instructions and commandments he has received from the Father to true messengers. The words given to the messengers have the authority because they originated from the Father. True messengers do not rely on their title or position as the means to communicate authority, they only have to rely on their words or message. Their words or message is the authority because it came from the Father.
The iron rod is firm and steadfast, bolted to the ground, and unchangeable, because the source of the Word of God is also unchangeable.
“For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.” - 1 Nephi 10:18
We must understand what the Rod of Iron is and what the Rod of Iron isn’t.
The Rod of Iron is:
- The Word that comes from the Father to the Son to true messengers:
How do we know when someone is a true messenger?
- When signs and tokens are present that verify the authenticity of the message originating from the Father and Son.
“Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.
For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.
And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.
But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.” - 2 Nephi 32: 3, 5, 8-9
The scriptures above say that the Holy Spirit (witnesses/signs) will tell and show you all things you should do. It does not say that by following the prophet, the prophet will tell and show you all things you should do because he won't lead you astray.
The Iron Rod is not:
- An authoritative figure solely because of position or title
- A tradition within a religious organization
- A creed, handbook or instructional guide
- A philosophy or commandment not originating from the Father
“O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell!
Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!
Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.” - 2 Nephi 28: 15, 26, 31
The Iron Rod is the Word of God. Its source is the Father and no other. If someone or some organization is appealing to the authority of a position or a title and not the Word delivered from the Father to the Son, then THAT IS NOT the rod of Iron.
Everyone who enters the path must pass through the mist of darkness. The mist of darkness are intended for those who are holding on to the Word of God. The mists are designed to create blindness and includes “fiery darts of the adversary”. It allows God to determine if the individual is going to be true and faithful to the witnesses and signs they received from the Word of God. The test of the mist of darkness required those holding on to the Word of God to cleave to the Word of God to pass through the mists. It creates a proving ground for the gift, God is about to provide from the Tree of Life.
These are some mists and fiery darts designed to test and prove:
- Contradictions - God uses contradictions in history, doctrine and practice to test the believer
- Worship of men - Someone can hold onto a rod and it end up being the wrong rod
- Philosophies of men - Best way to destroy God’s word is to corrupt it
- Commandments of men - Focusing on the irrelevant stops progression
- Worldly Pursuits - Many are called, but few are chosen and why are they not chosen because they set their hearts on the things of this world
Great and Spacious Building
Remember, the path to the Tree of Life was straight and narrow. It did not include a lot: tree, fruit, and iron rod. Everything else in Lehi’s dream had to do with the Church of the devil the Whore of all the Church which included the Great and Spacious Building.
Before we talk about the Great and Spacious Building, let’s look at the founder of it.
The Devil is the founder of everything else. Lucifer, before the world, believed he had a better plan and a better path to salvation than the Father. He knew better. He believed that his word was more powerful than the Father’s Word.
As you look at everything else, the great and spacious building and all the other paths, it follows the same attitude - “We know better”. This is why the Church of the Devil is ALL other churches, beliefs, lifestyles, philosophies, commandments, and personal pursuits that don’t originate from the Father. It is not an INC or an LLC or any organization. Just like the Church of the Lamb is not an INC, LLC or organization. It is those who follow the Word of God that originates from the mouth of the Father and everyone else.
Remember, Laman and Lemuel were “active” members of the Jewish faith, but they didn’t even enter the narrow path. They “would not come” at all. I am sure they went to synagogue every week. Entering the path does not require activity in a religion. It probably would include it, but it is 100% centered on heading the Word of God.
So let’s look at the other paths in Lehi’s dream:
“And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth.
And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.” - 1 Nephi 8: 26-27
AND
“And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.
And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.
And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.” - 1 Nephi 8:5-7 (Remember Lucifer came first before true messengers came.)
AND
“And it came to pass that many were drowned in the depths of the fountain; and many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads.” - 1 Nephi 8:32
Those who did not arrive at the Tree of Life included:
- Those who were prideful - their way was better
- Those who followed men - following a position, status or title and not the Word
- Those who fell into the river of filthy water - caught in sin
- Those who wandered in strange paths - ANY path that is not directed by God’s Word
There is a reason why there are only two paths. It is because there are only two outcomes: 1) eternal life and 2) No eternal life. In Lehi’s and Nephi’s experience we are able to see the differences between the two paths. Fundamentally, the path back home is one that is accomplished by yourself. There is no program or committee or peer group or position of authority that is going to provide a one way ticket to the Tree of Life.
Instead, it requires an individual to test every message and messenger, regardless of status, to find out whether the doctrine or commandment comes from the Word and from the Father. Once the message has been tested, it requires the participate to head the Word that was given to them past temptations all the way until the end.
Summary:
The Tree of Life represents the condescensions and actions from the Father to allow individuals to work out their exaltation and eternal life.
The Iron Rod is the Word or message that originates from the Father.
God uses mists of darkness including contradictions and temptations to determine if we will be true and faithful to the Word he has provided us.
The church of the devil includes any path that does not originate from the Father and his Word.
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