Post by Nephi –
The next scene the angel showed me, if described in detail would not only overwhelm me as the author but you as the reader. It was so sweeping, I dare only summarize. My father told us of a promised land which was to be our inheritance. I now saw this promised land and upon it was my posterity and the posterity of my brothers. There were great multitudes. They were gathered together in battle against each other. I saw war after war, millions were slaughtered with the sword. This manner of war continued generation after generation. These were my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and on and on, battling against my nephews, their children etc.
I saw so many cities, I never counted them. After many years of battle and contention, a mist of darkness filled the face of this land of promise. There was lightning, thunder and earthquakes. The earth was in such turmoil, I saw rocks crushed, mountains tumbling into pieces, the plains broken up, cities sank into the deep, other cities burned with fire and because of the earthquakes, many cities crumbled to the earth. This was a scene to behold.
After I saw all that destruction, the vapor of darkness passed from off the face of the land and I saw the surviving people who God had not destroyed through His terrible judgments. After seeing all this destruction, the next scene that I witnessed was as much a relief to me as it was to the survivors. The heavens opened and I once again saw the Lamb of God. He was descending out of heaven. He came down and showed Himself to the people.
Just as He had called twelve back in the old world, I bear record that through the Holy Ghost He chose twelve others and ordained them to minister to my seed, those who had survived the great destruction.
I had practically forgotten the angel showing me this great scene. He again interrupted my thoughts when he asked if I remembered the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb. He told me they are the ones who will judge the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve ministers of my seed will also be judged of them; for we are also of the house of Israel. He continued saying that these new twelve ministers whom I saw shall judge my seed. He told me these twelve are righteous forever; “for because of their faith in the Lamb of God their garments are made white in his blood.”
My inability to craft the right words to describe what I was seeing is frustrating, so please forgive my weakness. I then saw three generations pass away in righteousness and their garments were white even like unto the Lamb of God. The angel continued. “These are made white in the blood of the Lamb because of their faith in Him.
I also also saw many of the fourth generation who passed away in righteousness. Then it started up again. I saw the multitudes of the earth gathering together, and the angel said: “Behold thy seed, and also the seed of thy brethren.” I then saw my posterity gathered together in multitudes against those of my brothers; They were gathered together to battle.
At this point the angel began to explain some of the other things in my father’s dream. He explained the fountain of filthy water which my father saw and the river of which he spoke, as deep as it was, are the depths of hell.
He told me the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil. These temptations blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men, and lead them away on wide roads and they perish and are lost.
He reiterated that the large and spacious building, which my father saw, is vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men. He said there is a great and a terrible gulf that divides them, saying, “yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal God, and the Messiah who is the Lamb of God, of whom the Holy Ghost beareth record, from the beginning of the world until this time, and from this time henceforth and forever.”
While the angel was speaking, I saw that my brothers’ posterity fought against mine. According to the angel, because of the pride of my descendants, and the temptations of the devil, I saw the posterity of my brothers overpowered my posterity until they were destroyed. My brothers’ descendants, who survived these great destructions, filled the land.
But the wars and contention did not cease. I saw wars and rumors of wars among them for many generations. The angel declared how they would dwindle in unbelief and after they had dwindled in unbelief, I saw them become a dark and loathsome and filthy people, full of idleness and all sorts of abominations. What an end for a people who at one time rejoiced in the greatest blessings a loving Father in Heaven could afford them, and in a promised land greater than any on earth.
(Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 12:1 – 23)
