And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost.
This seems like it would be simple to be blinded, and I think that is our biggest worry when we are trying to do right. Then, it goes on to describe the gulf though which this river runs. It says in verse 18,
And the large and spacious building, which thy father saw, is vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men. And a great and a terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal GodDo you see how the gulf is both great and terrible? It's greatness is that if you are trying to do what is right, it's not so easy to get over. The terrible part, is that once you do, you have to cross it to get back to the tree. That justice works both ways.
I also think it is interesting to note that the building is the vain imaginations of the world. It is composed of pride, which is very fleeting, as we all know. It is the wisdom of the world- also easily debunked with any new evidence. It is also those who fight against the apostles of the lamb. I think there is a big difference between being in the broad paths and being in the large and spacious building. It's the difference between purposefully going against the spirit and getting lost. I think there are actually a lot of people, like Laman and Lemuel in the dream, who are just sitting in the lone and dreary wilderness and don't even start the journey out of laziness.
I'm also amazed as I read this time to see how what Nephi sees parallels the future of his people. I don't think Nephi was married at this point or had kids, but can you imagine parenting after seeing what would eventually happen to your posterity? That would be a real downer. The Lord must have known a lot about his faith to trust him with this information so early in his life.
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