1 Nephi 11:23 - 11:27

1 Nephi 11:23 And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.

Apparently the angel is agreeing with Nephi and steering his impression by connecting with the feelings of that the heart creates which is what really brings on true and lasting happiness.

1 Nephi 11:24 And after he had said these words, he said unto me: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him.

Nephi now sees the child as a grownup and going forth to complete the purpose of his birth. Many are convinced of his divinity and show their conviction by falling at his feet to worship him.

1 Nephi 11:25 And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.

Next Nephi sees the rod of iron. He knows what the rod stands for because his father told them. The recording of what the rod meant by his father is not recorded in chapter 8, but since Nephi tells us that he did not record everything his father said about his dream, I can believe that.

The rod leads to the fountain of ‘living waters’ which Jesus said in the New Testament was what He had to offer to all that will come to Him and that it represented the love of God as did the tree. Why the fountain and the living waters are in the dream I do not know but can only assume that Lehi explained it, but it was not important for us to know about it. In either case, the water or the fruit can be most refreshing one is hot and/or tired.

1 Nephi 11:26 And the angel said unto me again: Look and behold the condescension of God!

With this bases of the meaning to these parts of Lehi’s dream in Nephi’s mind, the angel now shows him what the condescension of God is. When teaching, a teacher must be careful to make sure everyone has the tools to understand what is to be taught next. It’s like teaching mathematics. If you cannot add or subtract, you will not understand multiplication or division.

1 Nephi 11:27 And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, of whom my father had spoken; and I also beheld the prophet who should prepare the way before him. And the Lamb of God went forth and was baptized of him; and after he was baptized, I beheld the heavens open, and the Holy Ghost come down out of heaven and abide upon him in the form of a dove.

Nephi looks and sees Jesus in vision 600 or so years before his birth. He also sees John the Baptist and witnesses the baptism of Jesus by John. The Holy Ghost next becomes part of the scene which is symbolized by the appearance of a dove.

This scene is to show Nephi how important baptism and the giving of the Holy Ghost are in excepting the Gospel plan. Nephi will at the end of his book tell us that unless one is willing to do these things, you will have no part in the progression that is to be given to those are willing to humble themselves and follow instruction as recorded later in 2 Nephi 31.