SCRIPTURE
Completely awestruck, Nephi
followed his father through the opening into the mountain. They walked into a large, circular and
spacious room containing several piles of metal plates.
This was the sacred record
vault!
Nephi was too amazed by
everything around him to wonder why the light in the room was so bright. It was as light as mid-day. The sun had set, so the light must have been
from another source. Nephi had to
convince himself that this room was a real place, just like the Liahona was a
real object. He pinched himself on the
cheek, simply to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.
The prominent piece of
furniture in the middle of the room was a large, circular table. Plates of brass, or gold, or copper, or other
metals were stacked on top of the table.
More plates were located underneath the table and all around the
room. The pile of plates in some places
was as much as knee high, and all together, the plates in this room were
probably more than many wagon loads. There
were plates piled upon plates, book upon book.
The plates on the table alone would require more than ten men to
carry. Additional plates were piled on benches
surrounding the table. Nephi saw that some
large plates on the table were left open, as if somebody had recently left and
intended to come back.
A sword hung conspicuously on
the wall behind the great table.
“Why? Why didn’t
you tell me about this place before?” Nephi whispered to his father in
reverential wonderment. “I’ve been up
here many times before with you, but I never imagined that a place such as this
actually existed! This is better than a
secretly hidden vault containing all the gold and silver of the kings of
Zarahemla!
Nephi’s father did not answer the
rhetorical question. He knew to remain
silent in order to allow his son time to comprehend the magnitude of the
unexpected sight before him. The younger
Nephi was too stunned to expect an answer from his father anyway. He stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the
sight of so many records all in one place.
The plates were stacked up almost endlessly; row upon row, and stack
upon stack.
The sword hanging on the wall grabbed
Nephi’s attention and he walked around the table to take a closer look. The sword was similar to the sword of Arumor,
but even more splendid! The hilt was of
pure gold, and the workmanship was exceedingly fine. The blade was of the most precious steel.
“Wow! Look at this!
This sword is impressive! What
sword is this, father? And what is it
doing here?”
“That is the sword of Laban,” explained
Nephi’s father.
“Look, father! Something is written on the wall above the
sword. It says:
“Behold, I am God; give heed
to my word, which is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the
dividing asunder of both joints and marrow; therefore give heed unto my word.”
Nephi finished reading and excitedly bent over to examine the stack of
plates at his feet. He picked up the
plates on the top of the stack and briefly studied them. Then he put those plates back down to inspect
some others.
The older Nephi watched as his
son eagerly discovered one new marvelous treasure after another. There he was himself. He recalled the exhilaration he felt when his
father, Helaman, had introduced him to this holiest of places for the very first
time. In a certain way, that day wasn’t
so long ago. Now his son was taking his
place and doing exactly what he had done.
“Well, I think I’m finally
starting to understand why, even as a boy, hikes to the Eagles’ Nest with you always
gave me a special feeling. Although
unseen by me at the time, these sacred records were here in the mountain just
the same, weren’t they? I’ve always
believed they were real though, even though I never saw them before now.”
“The difference between seeing
and not seeing is sometimes not as great as we think it is, Neffy. Or the difference between hearing and not
hearing. Some people can see, but actually
they see not, neither do they understand.
Other people may hear, but they hear not when their ears are dull to the
word of the Lord. But blessed are your
eyes to now see, and your ears to now hear.
“Many desire to see these
things that you see now. But they have
not seen them, nor can they see them until it is to be given them to know the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.
“You
asked me why I hadn’t told you about this place before. Would you be better prepared for this day if
I had? My father and holy angels gave me
a strict commandment to tell no one about this place until I was instructed
otherwise.
“I am
commanding you likewise. Tell no one
about this place until receiving instructions by the Lord that it is right.
“The
Lord’s plans and purposes are sometimes kept hidden from us for a reason. We must learn to act according to His will
and His time, not ours. The Lord tests
us for a time to see when we are ready for the increased light, understanding,
and knowledge that He is waiting to give us.”
Nephi
nodded in acknowledgment of his father’s commandment. “I understand what you mean about doing
things according to the Lord’s time. But
I still don’t entirely understand all things.
So why now? Why me? What changed in order for me to see this
now? I don’t remember getting any test
from the Lord to see if I deserved being here.
How did I qualify to really be here in the first place? Did I pass a test?”
“In a way, …yes.”
“What test?”
“Well, a test of obedience and
sacrifice as a start. What did you tell
me earlier today right after I mentioned something about these sacred records?”
“I said I would go and do what
the Lord commands.”
“That’s right! And so you will, Neffy. And the Lord knows your inner heart and your
willingness to sacrifice everything you have in order to serve Him.”
“And what makes you believe
that?”
“Well, for one thing, the ball
would not have provided direction to enter this sacred chamber unless that was
true. We may not always know how or why
the Lord prepares a way to accomplish the things He commands us, but we can
trust Him completely that His purposes will not fail.
“Like you, I do not entirely
understand all things either. Even our
first father Nephi did not understand all things! But did that stop him? No! He
went ahead and made two sets of plates when he was commanded to do so.”
“Wait a minute. Our first father Nephi made a second set of
plates? When did he do that?”
“That’s something you’ll learn
as you study these records. I found
where our first father Nephi, after leaving the land of our forefathers in
Jerusalem, was commanded by the Lord to make two sets of records. He made the second set of records without
really knowing the reason why. We are
familiar with the first set of records because they contain our history. This is the history that has been passed down
to us from generation to generation. But
he also made smaller plates on which he wrote primarily about the ministry and
the prophecies, things pertaining to Christ.
“On the smaller plates, he
wrote; ‘Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise
purpose in Him, which purpose I know not.
But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he
prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold,
He hath all power unto the fulfilling of all His words.’
“Oh, Neffy! There is so much more here than could ever be
abridged on the largest stela. Actually,
only the smallest portion of the complete records is remembered. We have maybe less than the hundredth
part. Some of these records have been
entirely neglected! In searching among
these records, I have found some that are very pleasing to me. There are prophecies from our early fathers
that concern us. Some of their
prophecies have already been fulfilled.
Other prophecies go beyond our day and must also surely come to
pass. This includes the many prophecies
about the coming of Christ. Those
prophecies are especially meaningful to me.
The records in this place teach us so much about Christ that I hardly
know where to begin!”
“Maybe you need to begin by telling
me what records are actually in here.”
For the next several hours,
Nephi showed his son a few of the many records in the sacred vault. Because the quantity of records was so great,
many days would have been required to review them all.
Nephi started with the plates
on which he himself had written. Then he
showed the plates made by grandfather Helaman.
The records grew increasingly older as they went further into the past,
a generation at a time. Nephi could
hardly wait to show his son specific plates he had previously selected to leave
on the table. Those records included the
plates of first fathers Lehi and Nephi.
Young Nephi was enthralled with
everything he saw. He saw that Helaman
had written on his plates many of the sermons and words spoken by Alma and
Amulek which they preached in Ammonihah.
He wanted to study those more completely when he had time. He saw that a rather thick set of plates was
a collection of accounts written by Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni about their
mission among the Lamanites. An even
larger set of plates was a fascinating compilation prepared by Captain
Moroni. Moroni’s record included several
detailed maps of battle sites and many of his letters giving instructions to
his commanding officers. Other plates in
Moroni’s book described strategies for defeating the Lamanites and his ideas
for freeing the prisoners captured from his armies.
Nephi saw that all the books
and the records which his father showed him were desirable, and could be of
great worth in keeping the commandments of God.
“Oh, father. How wonderful if only people would live
according to the words in these books! The
record of Zeniff is here. People would learn
that only when they repent and are righteous, God will deliver them. The record of Alma is here. People could read all the words spoken by
Abinadi which Alma wrote down after fleeing and concealing himself from king
Noah. The sermons given by king Benjamin
are here. People should know how he
explained that we must put off the natural man and become saints through the
atonement of Christ the Lord. And there
is so much more!”
“That’s true, son. Indeed, there is so much more. A very lengthy book of Enos is here, for
example. Also here are several plates
written by Jacob, the father of Enos and the brother of our first father
Nephi. Jacob saw the Lord. He wrote concerning the history of the
Jews. His sermons teach us how the
atonement of The Holy One of Israel saves us from death, hell, the devil, and
eternal torment.
“I wish we had more time to
look at some of these other records. But
we don’t. For now, I must show you a few
specific things in these plates on the table.
Sit down with me, Neffy, I have some things to explain to you.”
Nephi and his father sat together
on the bench by the table. Several sets
of plates were placed on the table including the plates of brass, the twenty
and four plates found by the people of Limhi, the small and the large plates of
first father Nephi, and the plates of first father Lehi which were already open
about mid-way through the record.
Nephi’s father reached for the
large plates of first father Nephi and opened them where a strip of leather had
been left to mark the spot. “My son,
here are a few words that Alma gave to his son, Helaman, your great
grandfather. I will read a portion of them
to you. My father once read these same
words to me, and now, they apply directly to you. You must consider yourself as if you were
Helaman.”
“All right,” promised Nephi. “What did Alma say to Helaman?”
Nephi’s father read from the
plates: “And now, my son Nephi (of
course in the record it reads my son Helaman), I command you that ye take the
records which have been entrusted with me; And I also command you that ye keep
a record of this people, according as I have done, upon the plates of Nephi, and
keep all these things sacred which I have kept, even as I have kept them; for
it is for a wise purpose that they are kept. …
“Behold, it has been
prophesied by our fathers, that they should be kept and handed down from one
generation to another, and be kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord until
they should go forth unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, that they
shall know of the mysteries contained thereon. …
“O remember, remember, my son
Nephi (again I am putting your name in the place of Helaman’s), how strict are
the commandments of God. And He said: If
ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land---but if ye keep not
His commandments ye shall be cut off from His presence.
“And now remember, my son,
that God has entrusted you with these things, which are sacred, which He has
kept sacred, and also which He will keep and preserve for a wise purpose in
Him, that He may show forth His power unto future generations.
“And now behold, I tell you by
the spirit of prophecy, that if ye transgress the commandments of God, behold,
these things which are sacred shall be taken away from you by the power of God,
and ye shall be delivered up unto Satan, that he may sift you as chaff before
the wind.
“But if ye keep the
commandments of God, and do with these things which are sacred according to
that which the Lord doth command you, (for you must appeal unto the Lord for
all things whatsoever ye must do with them) behold, no power of earth or hell
can take them from you, for God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words.
…
“And now, my son, see that ye
take care of these sacred things, yea, see that ye look to God and live. Go unto this people and declare the word, and
be sober. My son, farewell.”
“I will, father. I will be, and do, as Helaman,” whispered
Nephi as if in reverent prayer.
“May God bless you always, my
son.” Nephi’s father slowly and
carefully replaced the strip of leather to mark the place where he had been
reading and closed the plates.
“Father, may I ask you a
question?”
“Of course, Neffy, what is
it?”
“I have a question for you --
not about the plates, at least not anything that I can think about right now. But there’s something about the way you read
those very last words of Alma to Helaman.
It’s got me wondering.”
“Wondering what?”
“Well, everything today seems
to be happening so fast. Why is that
so? Why are you entrusting me with all
this right now? It feels like so much
all at once. This is overwhelming! I mean, first there was everything that
happened at the judgment-seat with you earlier this morning. Then, I see the sacred compass on the ground
by your hut. And finally, well, this
place and all these sacred records are more than I ever expected.
“I’m thinking, that maybe
sometime in the future, maybe sometime when you finally get older -- then would be the appropriate time to
share with me these sacred things.
Perhaps then would be a better
time to consider inheritance and passing on responsibility for these sacred
items. Not now. I mean, look at you! You led me all the way up the canyon
today. You’re not old! You’ll be around for many more years to
come. Unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Unless … . Are you going somewhere?”
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