1 Nephi 11:6-12

[HoosierGuy]

1 Nephi 11:6-12

2 And the Spirit said unto me: Behold, what desirest thou?

3 And I said: I desire to behold the things which my father saw.

4 And the Spirit said unto me: Believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he hath spoken?

5 And I said: Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father.

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6 And when I had spoken these words, the Spirit cried with a loud voice, saying: Hosanna to the Lord, the most high God; for he is God over all the earth, yea, even above all. And blessed art thou, Nephi, because thou believest in the Son of the most high God; wherefore, thou shalt behold the things which thou hast desired.

7 And behold this thing shall be given unto thee for a sign, that after thou hast beheld the tree which bore the fruit which thy father tasted, thou shalt also behold a man descending out of heaven, and him shall ye witness; and after ye have witnessed him ye shall bear record that it is the Son of God.

8 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 <SUP>a</SUP>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.

9 And it came to pass after I had seen the tree, I said unto the Spirit: I behold thou hast shown unto me the tree which is precious above all.

10 And he said unto me: What desirest thou?

11 And I said unto him: To know the interpretation thereof—for I spake unto him as a man speaketh; for I beheld that he was in the form of a man; yet nevertheless, I knew that it was the Spirit of the Lord; and he spake unto me as a man speaketh with another.

12 And it came to pass that he said unto me: Look! And I looked as if to look upon him, and I saw him not; for he had gone from before my presence.

QUOTES FOR DISCUSSION

One is faced right away with an interesting theological question: Is Nephi's guide, designated by him as "the Spirit of the Lord," the premortal Christ (the individual spirit personage who became Jesus Christ in mortality) or the Holy Ghost?

If this is a personal appearance of the Holy Ghost to a man, it is indeed a singular occasion, so far as our scriptural accounts are concerned. In addressing this issue some years ago, Sidney B. Sperry suggested the latter alternative-that the "Spirit of the Lord" refers to the Holy Ghost-based upon the following textual evidence. First, we read of Nephi's desires to "see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost." He further testified that the Holy Ghost gave authority for his words (see 1 Nephi 10:17-22; italics added). Second, Nephi used phrases such as "the Spirit said," "the Spirit cried," and "I said unto the Spirit" (1 Nephi 11:2, 4, 6, 8, 9), all of which sound very much like references to the Holy Ghost rather than to Jehovah. Third, Nephi never spoke of the Lord Jesus Christ as the "Spirit of the Lord" when the Master appeared to him on other occasions (see 1 Nephi 2:16; 2 Nephi 11:2-3). Fourth, the phrase Spirit of the Lord occurs some forty times in the Book of Mormon, and in every case reference seems to be to either the Holy Ghost or to the Light of Christ. Examples of this would be 1 Nephi 1:12, where Lehi, having read from the book delivered to him, was filled with the "Spirit of the Lord"; 1 Nephi 13:15, where the "Spirit of the Lord" was poured out upon the Gentiles in preparation for the establishment of the American nation; Mosiah 4:3, where the "Spirit of the Lord" came upon the people of King Benjamin and they experienced a remission of sins and its subsequent joy; and, of course, those references wherein the expression Spirit of the Lord is used after the mortal ministry of Jesus Christ and could only mean the Holy Ghost (for example, Mormon 2:26; 5:16; Moroni 9:4).

"The Holy Ghost undoubtedly possesses personal powers and affections," wrote Elder James E. Talmage; "these attributes exist in Him in perfection. . . . That the Spirit of the Lord is capable of manifesting Himself in the form and figure of man, is indicated by the wonderful interview between the Spirit and Nephi, in which He revealed Himself to the prophet, questioned him concerning his desires and belief, instructed him in the things of God, speaking face to face with the man."

After explaining to the Holy Ghost that he sought the meaning behind the representation of the tree of life, Nephi "looked as if to look upon" the Spirit, "and [he] saw him not; for he had gone from before [his] presence" (1 Nephi 11:12).
Robert L. Millet, The Power of the Word: Saving Doctrines from the Book of Mormon, p.9-10

That the Spirit of the Lord is capable of manifesting Himself in the form and figure of man, is indicated by the wonderful interview between the Spirit and Nephi, in which he revealed Himself to the prophet, questioned him concerning his desires and belief, instructed him in the things of God, speaking face to face with the man [1 Nephi 11:11]. However, the Holy Ghost does not possess a body of flesh and bones, as do both the Father and the Son, but is a personage of spirit. Much of the confusion existing in human conceptions concerning the nature of the Holy Ghost arises from the common failure to segregate His person and powers. Plainly, such expressions as being filled with the Holy Ghost, and His falling upon persons, have reference to the powers and influences that emanate from God, and which are characteristic of Him; for the Holy Ghost may in this way operate simultaneously upon many persons even though they be widely separated, whereas the actual person of the Holy Ghost cannot be in more than one place at a time.
James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, p. 42

The Holy Ghost is a male personage. Note how often Jesus refers to the Holy Ghost as “he” and “him.”
LeGrand Richards, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, p. 115

[rameumptom]

The tree symbolizes Mother in Heaven, and her fruit is the Son of God. The apostate Jews in Jerusalem had rejected her, removing her from the temple, as well as the concept of angels, a Messiah, etc. It was Lehi's version of the gospel, with continuing revelation, altars in the wilderness to replace the fallen temple in Jerusalem, and visions like this one, that brought them the knowledge of the temple endowment.

Our goal is to return back into the presence of God. Part of the process is to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life. In this case, we partake of Jesus' atonement, which brings us back into the presence of God's family (including heavenly mother).

We practice this event in two ways now: first in the Sacrament, when we partake of Jesus' flesh and blood; and second in the temple when we practice entering back into God's presence.