Book of Mormon (Plain English Version)/1 Nephi/Chapter 12
Nephi’s vision of his descendants...
(compare 1 Nephi, chapter 12)
Then the angel said, "Look and see your descendants, and also your brothers’ descendants."
I looked and saw multitudes of people upon the promised land as numerous as the sand upon the seashore.
I saw these multitudes gather to battle one another.
I saw many wars, and many of my people were killed by the sword. I saw many generations of people come and go, all involved in these wars.
I saw so many cities that I could not count them all.
Then I saw a great mist of darkness over the face of the promised land. After awhile, the land became violent with lightning, thunder, earthquakes and all kinds of loud noises.
I saw large mountains fall into valleys, and plains were broken up. I saw many cities sink into the ocean. I saw many cities burn, and many collapse from earthquakes.
Then for three days there was complete silence and darkness over the earth.
- Note: Nephi saw the 3 days of darkness and great destructions in the New World that took place at the time of the Savior’s crucifixion.
After the darkness left, I saw multitudes of people who had been spared from the Lord's great and terrible judgments. I saw the heavens open.
Then I saw the Lamb of God come down from heaven and show Himself to the multitudes.
I bear record that the Holy Ghost came upon twelve others, whom the Lamb of God had chosen from among the multitude and had ordained.
Then the angel said, "See the twelve disciples of the Lamb, chosen to serve your descendants.
Remember the twelve apostles of the Lamb?
They will judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
The original apostles will also judge the twelve disciples (who will be called by Jesus in the New World), for these disciples are descendants of the house of Israel.
By their faith in the Lamb of God, these twelve disciples are purified by His blood. They are righteous forever, and they will judge your descendants."
- Note: These twelve disciples who will judge Nephi's decendants, including the three who still walk the earth today, are Nephi and his brother Timothy, Jonas, Mathoni and his brother Mathonihah, Kumen, Kumenonhi, Jeremiah, Shemnon, Jonas, Zedekiah and Isaiah.
I looked and saw three generations come and go. They were all purified like the disciples, and their robes were white like the robes of the Lamb of God. I saw many in the fourth generation pass away in righteousness.
Then I saw multitudes gathered again to war. The angel then said, "See your descendants and your brothers’ descendants," and I saw my descendants gathered to war against my brothers’.
The angel then said, "See the fountain of filthy water and the filthy river that your father saw in his dream? The depths of the fountain represent the depths of hell.
The mist of darkness that covers the straight path, and the whole earth, represents the devil's temptations. This mist keeps the people from seeing the true gospel. It also hardens their hearts against the Spirit of the Lord, and many people are lost because of it.
The large, spacious building represents the world's pride and vanity. A great and terrible gulf divides it from the tree of life. This gulf represents the justice of God and His Son."
While the angel was saying these things, I watched as my brothers' descendants overpowered mine, for my descendants had been tempted by the devil and had become proud and vain.
I saw my descendants completely destroyed, for only my brothers' descendants remained upon the promised land.
Then I saw many generations of my brothers’ descendants pass away, fighting battles among themselves.
And the angel said, "These remaining people will falter in unbelief." I saw that they had become a dark, loathsome and filthy people, full of idleness and all kinds of sinful traditions.