1 NEPHI 12:12 - 12:16

1 Nephi 12:12 And I, Nephi, also saw many of the fourth generation who passed away in righteousness.

Nephi next is shown four generations of his descendants that are a righteous people and enjoying the peace of righteous living.

What were they doing during that time? If there are no conflicts all is well, what do you do to pass the time? Does keeping the peace require a lot of mental and spiritual effort? Was the love in their hearts for each other so great that it did not require a lot of emotional effort to maintain their good feeling for each other? If it did not then what did they do for entertainment and personal growth? What would I do if I were in that situation?

Well it so happens I am in that situation right now! I don’t have to work, well a little around the house, but I am free to do as I please. So what am I doing. I am creating this Book of Mormon Talmud, I am working on my genealogy and reading good books. I thirst for knowledge of the Gospel and often wake up in the night with ideas and questions.

I am blessed beyond what I have asked for. I can see myself doing no more than what I am doing now. And couple this with going to Church to hear others teach and talk about theology rounds out this wonder life. This is what I see as what was taking place during this 200 years of peace as described in 4th Nephi. It is interesting that only a few verses are devoted to just what was going on then.

I guess the six o’clock news was pretty boring. No house fires, robberies, or assaults to report on. Just how much fun it was to see the latest play performed at Church or how many people were helping the Jones’ build them a new home as they had just gotten married and needed a place of their own. Anyway it is fun to think what might have gone on during the great time to be alive. A good read of the Church News will give you a hint of what is was like during that time. Just people helping people.

1 Nephi 12:13 And it came to pass that I saw the multitudes of the earth gathered together.

Nephi sees vast groups of people gathering together. I think this means people of like interests and desires finding each other and forming close associations. This would refer to both those who are drawn to good things and those who are more interested in evil. I not sure if each of these groupings are in geographically in one place, but at least it is easy to tell one person from another by their demeanor or speech. They may be disperse among each other.

We see that happening today. It is easy to tell the ones trying to do right and those who are not often times by their dress and personal neatness both in body in mind and those who are just trying to figure out how to get something for nothing.

It could be those who are drawn to church on Sundays and those who want to recreate. Those who love their families and try to do for them and those who only think about their own needs and lustful desires.

1 Nephi 12:14 And the angel said unto me: Behold thy seed, and also the seed of thy brethren.

Nephi is now specifically shown his own descendants and that of his brothers. The previous verse, he sees the world in general, but now he sees his own people. The idea, I think for him and us to see, is that what will happen to his own people will be likened to what will happen to the world in general.

1 Nephi 12:15 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the people of my seed gathered together in multitudes against the seed of my brethren; and they were gathered together to battle.

What he sees is now the gathering of two groups. Mainly those who are drawn to his descendants and those of his brothers Laman and Lemuel. Now whether the they know that or not and this is only a political designation I’m not sure. It maybe more of a cultural division. But in either case there are two groups facing each other, each bent on the destruction of the other.

It is the wicked destroying the wicked because when this situation exists, it is definitely two evils trying to get supremacy over the other. The righteous are long lead away to safer places so that all that is left is the wicked trying to eliminate the other. The righteous do not care who is in charge as long as it is the Spirit that is directing the affairs of men.

1 Nephi 12:16 And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the fountain of filthy water which thy father saw; yea, even the river of which he spake; and the depths thereof are the depths of hell.

The angel now interjects the meanings of a few items of the Lehi’s dream between verse 15 which shows the preparation for war and the out come of these wars as revealed in verse 20.

This is a time to tell us things that asking questions without the help of the Spirit could only have students conjure up their own thoughts which probably would be off base. At this point the angel must tell Nephi how the items of the dream namely the river, fountain, and the mists of darkness represent relate to the terrible scenes he is about to witness concerning his descendants.

Here we see you must have some bases of knowledge of the workings of God to understand why things happen as they do and why there are wars and tumults.