Episode 6: The Tree of Life, Part 3: "The Noisy Neighbors" (1 Ne. 11-12)

Now for the "great and spacious building":
In his vision of the Tree of Life, Nephi next saw the crucifixion of Christ, as well as the rejection of His apostles during their respective ministries (the event).  Then he was shown the same "great and spacious building" that Lehi had seen in his vision (the symbol).  The Spirit explained to Nephi: "Behold the world and wisdom thereof; yea, behold the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (the meaning behind the symbol).

There's something very important for us to understand here: when Nephi saw those people in that building, they weren't the "non-members" he was looking at.  The Spirit didn't say, "Behold the gentiles hath gathered to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb," or "the heathen," or anyone else.  No, he said "the house of Israel."

Then, in the very next chapter, Nephi saw in vision the "land of promise" that would someday be inhabited by his descendants: their rise as a powerful nation; the visit of the resurrected Lord to them; their own rejection of Christ; and their subsequent descent into total disbelief.

So who is it that is in the Great and Spacious Building?  If it's the House of Israel, and it's also the Nephites (notice how, in the vision, their fall as a nation is tied in with the fall of the building), and if we as members of the church are "of the house of Israel," and the story of the Nephites in the Book of Mormon was written for us in our day...

That's us in the Great and Spacious Building; that's our pride; that's our downfall--or, at least, it will be if we don't repent.  In Doctrine and Covenants 84:54-57, it says:

"And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received.  Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.  And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.  And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written" (emphasis added).

We can never look around in an airport, or the mall, or read about the latest Kardashian scandal while

I found this while looking for pictures of the Great and
Spacious Building.  I'm not sure we're served by the
message of the vision through the pointing of fingers.

standing in the check-out line at the grocery store, and point our fingers and say, "Look at all these people--they are all tenants of the Great and Spacious Building!"  No; I can tell you how frightening it is to stop and take a moment to really discern your position in life, only to realize that you're the one in the Great and Spacious Building.

In fact, sometimes I look at those not of our faith, who do not have all the scriptures that we have, or a living prophet at the head of their religion, or the priesthood, and yet still accomplish so much good in the world; I look at them and I think, "How is it that they are able to do so much with so little, while we in the Church do so little with so much?"

To my knowledge, the condemnation laid upon the Church in that revelation in D&C 84 (given in 1832) has never been lifted.  That means no one gets to clock-out yet.  And trust me when I say that I do not intend for this post to come across as "preachy," or as if I'm pointing fingers.  Don't you realize that I know so much about the Great and Spacious Building because I, myself, have spent so much time in there?  Honestly, sometimes I feel like I'm the building's superintendent.

I think I'd rather spend more time across the river under the shade of that tree with the glowing fruit...