1 Nephi 13 - 15

On one occasion, as Laman and Lemuel did humble themselved before the Lord, they asked Nephi -

"...What meaneth this thing which our father saw in a dream? What meaneth the tree which he saw?" (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 15:21)

And -

"...What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?" (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 15:23)

Upon answering their questions, Nephi -

"...did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things." (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 15:25)

Then they asked this question -

"...What meaneth the river of water which our father saw?" (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 15:26)

And Nephi answered -

"...the water which my father saw was filthiness; and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water.
28 And I said unto them that it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also from the saints of God.
29 And I said unto them that it was a representation of that awful hell, which the angel said unto me was prepared for the wicked." (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 15:27 - 29)

And as he continued, it was the following words which caught my interest -

"...our father also saw that the justice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous; and the brightness thereof was like unto the brightness of a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end." (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 15:30)

As I've studied the Book of Mormon, I've noticed that many of the teachings of life after death focus on the condition of men immediately after death - in the world of spirits where the wicked are seperated from the righteous until the resurrection. I believe that much of Lehi's dream reflects the justice which will be measured, which establishes the awful gulf that seperates the wicked from the righteous. Nephi tell his brothers that part of the awful gulf is filthiness or uncleanliness. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, didn't the Savior teach after the death and burial of the rich man -

"And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, ... for I am tormented in this flame....And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence." (New Testament Luke 16:23 - 26)

And why could they which would pass from hence can not? Because there is another component to this gulf to which the unrepentant cannot cross. It is the -

"...the justice of God...the brightness thereof was like unto the brightness of a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end." (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 15:30)

What is this flaming fire of Justice?

Nephi tells us -

"...I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto the 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...[a] tree which is precious above all..." (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 11:8 - 9)

We remember there was a tree of life in the garden of Eden and with justice, because Adam and Eve had trangressed the law, they would expelled from the garden and the Lord -

"...placed at the east of the Garden of Eden, cherubim and a flaming sword, which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life." (Pearl of Great Price Moses 4:31)

The blessings of the tree of life, of which in my opionion as I previously blogged, is the Savior -

"...whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of God..." (Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 15:36)

What is the greatest gift of God? It is the mercy and atonement of Jesus Christ wherein by -

"...standing betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice." (Book of Mormon Mosiah 15:9)

My thoughts are that the bright flaming fire described by Nephi that divides the wicked from the righteous is the grace of God, for -

"...none but the truly penitent are saved...What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice?" (Book of Mormon Alma 42:24 - 25)

The grace of God, or the flaming fire satisfies the demands of justice. Those that pass are those who who satisfy the conditions of faith in the Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost. Those that do are those who are allowed to partake of the fruit that makes one eternally happy.