LEHI'S DREAM

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#CC9900" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="043005a0dwnjzk.gif"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="EDWARD WATSONS WEBWORLD"><U><B>home</B></U></A><B> | </B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>EDWARD WATS</B><B>ON'S WEBWORLD</B></FONT></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> LEHI'S DREAM</div> <div> <A HREF="id139.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WARNING TO MORMONS"><U><B><U>WARNING TO MORMONS</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id140.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WARNING TO NONMORMONS"><U><B><U>WARNING TO NON-MORMONS</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id141.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS"><U><B><U>ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id144.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="DEDICATION"><U><B><U>DEDICATION</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id145.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="LEHIS DREAM"><U><B><U>LEHI'S DREAM</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id146.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ABBREVIATIONS"><U><B><U>ABBREVIATIONS</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id142.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="DEFINITIONS"><U><B><U>DEFINITIONS</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id118.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="INTRO"><U><B><U>INTRODUCTION</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HEAVENLY FATHER"><U><B><U>SECTION 1: HEAVENLY FATHER</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="JESUS CHRIST"><U><B><U>SECTION 2: JESUS CHRIST</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HOLY GHOST"><U><B><U>SECTION 3: HOLY GHOST</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id134.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CONCLUSION"><U><B><U>CONCLUSION</U></B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>[MORMONISM. The Faith of the Twenty-first Century. Volume 1. Edward K. Watson. (Liahona Publications. Copyright © 1998 Edward K. Watson.) pp. xxiii-xxiv. MORMONISM: Dedication. All rights reserved.]</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>LEHI’S DREAM</B></div> <bR> <div>      <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="BernhardMod BT" >I was traveling in a dark and dreary wilderness and saw a man who was dressed in a white robe who came and stood in front of me. He told me to follow him and I did. After following him in this darkness for a couple of hours, I was frightened and prayed to the Lord to have mercy upon me. </FONT></div> <div>      After my prayer, I saw a large and spacious field. I then saw a tree that had fruit which brought great happiness. I tasted this fruit and it was sweeter than anything I had ever tasted and was whiter than anything I had ever seen. <B>As I partook of the fruit, it filled my soul with indescribable joy.</B> I was desirous that my family would also partake of it for I knew it was more delicious than any fruit. As I was looking around trying to find my family, I saw a filthy river that ran by the tree. As I looked upstream, I saw my family, who appeared lost, not knowing the way they should go. I called out to them, beckoning to them to come unto me and partake of the fruit. They did except for my two eldest sons. </div> <div>      I then realized that there was a narrow path that led to the tree and there was an iron rod that ran along the path that people would hold on to as they walked towards the tree. </div> <div>      I saw a great number of people, so many that they couldn’t be numbered, traveling on the path that led to the tree. As they were coming towards us who were at the tree, a mist of darkness rolled in on this group that they couldn’t see where they were going. They then wandered off the path and were lost because they didn’t hold on to the iron rod</div> <div>      I then saw another innumerable group of people who went on the path and were also clinging to the iron rod as they walked toward the tree. When the mist of darkness came, they weren’t lost since they were holding on to the rod. As they continued walking, hand over hand, they eventually arrived at the tree despite being unable to see the path. They partook of the fruit but were then ashamed for doing so. I was surprised at their behavior and looked around, trying to determine why they were ashamed for partaking the fruit. I then saw a great and spacious building on the other side of the river that appeared to be floating in the air. It was filled with people of all ages and both genders, wearing expensive clothes, and appeared to be having a great time. They were pointing their fingers at us, mocking and ridiculing those who partook of the fruit. Those who were ashamed because of their mocking fell away and started trekking towards the great building. They wandered onto forbidden paths and were lost from view and many of them fell into the river and drowned. Those who made it into the building subsequently started mocking those who remained at the tree and continued to partake of the fruit.</div> <div>      There was another group who went on the path that led to the tree, who clung to the iron rod, and arrived at the tree despite the mist of darkness. They partook of its fruit and didn’t pay any attention to those who were mocking them. All who heeded their mocking and ridicule fell away. Something happened to those in the great and spacious building. It collapsed and all those who were in it were slain. (Based on 1 Ne<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT> 8:4-34; <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>11:36; <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>15:26-27).</div> <bR> <div>      The tree is the Tree of Life which represents the love of God. It is the most desirable of all things (1 Ne  11:21-22). The iron rod is the Word of God that leads to the Tree of Life (1 Ne  11:25). The great and spacious building is the world and its pride (1 Ne  11:35-36;  12:18). The filthy river represents the depths of hell (1 Ne  12:16). The mist of darkness represents the temptations of the devil (1 Ne  12:17).</div> <bR> <div>      In order to partake of the love of God, which is eternal life, the greatest of all the gifts of God, we need to tread the confining and narrow path, constantly clinging to God’s word (which is both written [the Scriptures] and oral [contemporary revelation from the Lord’s representatives]) or else we will fall from the true path when temptations occur. <B>We mustn’t pay any attention to what the world says when they mock and ridicule us for partaking of the fruit of eternal life.</B> Despite the happiness that can be found in the world, it is only temporary and <B>all who give it priority over the love of God will eventually perish.</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="mailto:ewatson@shaw.ca" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:ewatson@shaw.ca"><U><B>e-mail me!</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>