“I beheld his sword… the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine, and I saw that the blade thereof was of the most precious steel.” (1 Nephi 4.9) “I did break my bow, which was made of fine steel” (1 Nephi 16.18) For many years critics of Joseph Smith have attacked himContinue Reading

The text of 1 Nephi 16-21 covers many of the struggles that Nephi faced in trying to get his family to the promised land. We read of his trials and how he and his brothers respond to them. One of the lessons of 1 Nephi is that how you respondContinue Reading

The Tree of Life vision is a lens through which Nephi’s visions are seen in the chapters of 1 Nephi 11-14. Once Nephi sees the tree, he realizes that this is the only thing that will make us happy. Every thing else is just an imitation. Some important things toContinue Reading

Nephi 11-14 An Overview of Nephi’s Vision What is the point of 1 Nephi 11-14?  This is not meant as a history lesson- this is a story about us and how we relate to God and his prophets, and more importantly- Jesus Christ. Teaching the history as related by NephiContinue Reading

Nephi’s Political Testament Author: Noel B. Reynolds Source: Rediscovering the Book of Mormon, FARMS, 1991, p. 220-229. The writers of the Book of Mormon talked a lot about their government and political beliefs. Most of us look only at the Nephite system of judges and the Gadianton robbers, however. FewContinue Reading