Approaching the Tree of Eternal Life

Introduction

There are a variety of ways in which Lehi's vision of the tree of life has been interpreted in Latter-day Saint scholarship.[1] Elements of Lehi’s dream are found throughout the Nephite records. I will demonstrate how the text of the Book of Mormon supports an approach to Lehi’s vision[2] as a journey of seeking “eternal life through Christ” by striving to become like him (Mosiah 15:23; see also Romans 6:23).[3]

Pattern of Substitution

In some of the following approaches to the tree of life symbolism, I will use a pattern of substitution demonstrated by the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants. An explanation of this pattern builds an important framework used throughout my post. The Lord provides the following exegesis:

"Nevertheless, it is not written that there shall be no end to this torment, but it is written endless torment. Again, it is written eternal damnation; wherefore it is more express than other scriptures, that it might work upon the hearts of the children of men, altogether for my name’s glory. Wherefore, I will explain unto you this mystery, for it is meet unto you to know even as mine apostles. I speak unto you that are chosen in this thing, even as one, that you may enter into my rest. For, behold, the mystery of godliness, how great is it! For, behold, I am endless, and the punishment which is given from my hand is endless punishment, for Endless is my name.[4] Wherefore—Eternal punishment is God’s punishment. Endless punishment is God’s punishment." (Doctrine and Covenants 19:6–12)

I believe that one of the reasons the Lord explains this mystery is to present a pattern of using the “key of knowledge, the fullness of the scriptures,” to explain other verses on a deeper level (Joseph Smith Translation, Luke 11:53).[5] The hermeneutical method I take away from this example is a four-step process that I will apply to derive further interpretation of the symbols in the vision of the tree of life:[6]

1. Select a verse which you would like to understand on a deeper level.

2. Choose words or phrases in the verse you would like to understand better.

3. Search for those words or phrases in other verses of the standard works.

4. Replace the words or phrases in the original verse with your newly discovered insights from other verses.

Interpreting the Symbols

Since there have been so many interpretations of the symbols in Lehi’s dream[7], I thought it would be helpful to provide a compilation of some of the main interpretations below.[8] I will then use the pattern of scriptural substitution to provide a few, further interpretations.

Nephi’s Interpretations[9]

• fountain of living waters = love of God (see 1 Nephi 11:25)

• tree of life = love of God (see 1 Nephi 11:22, 25)

• rod of iron = word of God (see 1 Nephi 15:24)

• river of water = hell (1 Nephi 15:27)

• great and spacious building = pride of the world (1 Nephi 11:36)

• mists of darkness = temptations[10] of the devil (1 Nephi 12:17)

Interpretations by Scholars[11]

• tree of life = presence of the Lord[12]

• straight and narrow path = covenant path of discipleship[13]

• river of water = destruction of the wicked[14]

• fruit of the tree of life = opposition to the forbidden fruit[15]

• fruit of the tree of life = eternal life[16]

Interpretations by Church Leaders[17]

• rod of iron = Book of Mormon[18]

• tree of life = Christ’s life, ministry, and sacrifice[19]

• grasp the iron rod = heed the words of the prophets[20]

• straight and narrow path = covenant path[21]

• hold the iron rod = be obedient[22]

• fruit of the tree of life = blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ[23]

• continually hold fast to the rod of iron = maintain constant companionship of the Holy Ghost[24]

• partake of the fruit of the tree = receive ordinances and covenants[25]

• hold to the rod of iron = have regular prayer[26]

• cling to the rod of iron = study the scriptures[27]

Interpretations Through Substitution[28]

• fountain of living waters = Jesus Christ (see 1 Nephi 11:25; Jeremiah 2:13)

• rod of iron = Jesus Christ (see 1 Nephi 15:24; Revelation 19:13)[29]

• tree of life = Holy Ghost (see 1 Nephi 11:22; Romans 5:5)

• rod of iron = Holy Ghost (see 1 Nephi 15:24; Ephesians 6:17)

• tree of life = Jesus Christ (see 1 Nephi 15:22; John 14:6)

“It is the Son of God”[30]

A further explanation of why the tree of life could represent Jesus Christ demonstrates the value of approaching the text through an analytical lens. The interpretation of the tree of life as a symbol of Christ will be especially useful in the next section. The text in 1 Nephi 11 seems to support the symbolic meaning of the tree of life as a representation of Jesus Christ. An analytical approach to verse 7—not taken by previous scholars—supposes that the Spirit of the Lord revealed the interpretation of the tree of life as Jesus Christ, without Nephi realizing it in the moment.

In verse 7, the Spirit of the Lord gives Nephi a glimpse of his future by telling him, “after thou hast beheld the tree which bore the fruit which thy father tasted, thou shalt also behold a man descending out of heaven, and him shall ye witness; and after ye have witnessed him ye shall bear record that it is the Son of God” (italics added). Notice that the Spirit did not say, “ye shall bear record that he is the Son of God;”[31] he said “it.” This gender-neutral pronoun appropriately refers to the gender-neutral object mentioned previously in the same sentence; that is, the tree. The Oxford English Dictionary[32] indicates that “bear record” is synonymous with “bear witness,”[33] so it does not seem chronologically sound that right after Nephi witnesses Christ he should then bear witness of him.

Is there any evidence that the scenario that the Spirit prophesied would come to pass actually happens? Verses 22–24 shed some light on a possible answer. Here we observe Nephi behold the Son of God for the first time: “And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw? And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God,[34] which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things” (italics added). If you equate love with the Son, the result is exactly as the Spirit prophesied earlier (see 1 John 4:8, 16; Moroni 7:47).[35] Nephi witnesses the condescension of God and then answers the angel’s question regarding the interpretation of the tree of life. Nephi declares, “it is the love of God,” or in other words, “it is the Son of God.” (1 Nephi 11:7, 22).

Becoming Like Jesus Christ

Now that I have laid some important groundwork concerning interpretations of the symbolism of the vision of the tree of life, I will show how these symbols, and the text of the Book of Mormon, help us understand Lehi’s dream through the lens of becoming like Christ. Each symbolic interpretation listed in the compilation of interpretations can be related to becoming like Christ. I will focus on interpretations derived from my use of the substitution pattern. In each of these interpretations, Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost are the representations of the symbols. In condensed form, the rod of iron and tree of life can both represent Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, and the fountain of living waters represents Christ.

The Roles of Christ and the Holy Ghost in Becoming

In Mosiah 3:19, we learn that “the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.” Here we observe the crucial roles of the Holy Ghost and Jesus Christ in helping us become like Christ. If the journey towards the tree of life is a symbol for becoming like Christ, the rod of iron, as a representation of both the Holy Ghost and Jesus Christ, provides the necessary means through which we are able to change and become more Christlike.

If the tree of life represents the Holy Ghost, it gives us a foreshadowing of the eternal life we can enjoy as exalted beings. From the Bible Dictionary we learn that “the Lord gives us His Holy Spirit in this life as a foretaste of the joy of eternal life. The Spirit is also the Lord’s surety that He will fulfill His promise to give eternal life to the faithful” (Bible Dictionary, “Earnest”). If the tree of life and fountain of living waters represent Jesus Christ, it makes even more sense within the context of Alma’s mission to the Zoramites. Here Alma invites the Zoramites to plant the word of Christ in their hearts, and he promises that it “will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life” (Alma 33:23; see also Alma 34:6). In Alma 32:41, he notes the importance of the Christlike attributes of faith, diligence, and patience in this transformative process. In our quest of becoming like Christ, faith, diligence, and patience are some of the foundational attributes to strive for.

Eternal Life

The scriptures define eternal life as coming to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ (see John 17:3; Doctrine and Covenants 132:24). The only way to truly know someone is to become like them. An outsider perspective is insufficient to produce the depth of understanding of the nature of God. It is only through becoming “partakers of the divine nature” that eternal life is made efficacious and obtainable to individuals and families (2 Peter 1:4).

Faith, Hope, and Charity

The importance of the Christlike attributes of faith, hope, and charity is evidenced throughout the scriptures and words of modern-day prophets. An important detail that often gets overlooked is that the scriptures are not referring to just any kind of faith, hope, and, charity; they speak of “faith in Christ,” “hope through the atonement of Christ,” and charity as “the pure love of Christ” (Moroni 7:39, 41, 47).[36] These attributes are central to who the Savior is: he declares, “Faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness” (Ether 12:28; see also 1 Nephi 2:9). Jesus Christ, the fountain of all righteousness, makes it clear that developing these attributes is inseparably connected to coming unto him. If we strive to develop these attributes, we will “always abound in good works” (Alma 7:24; see also Ether 12:4) on our path towards eternal life.

Conclusion

In Lehi’s dream, the only group that was permanently successful reacted to the tree in a different manner than previous groups that had approached the tree. Unlike the others who got to the tree and immediately started partaking of the fruit, and then later fell away, this group pressed “their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree” (1 Nephi 8:30). They fell down like the Nephites who witnessed the personal ministry of Christ,[37] because they recognized who the tree of life was; they had come to know their Savior because they had changed on the journey and became like him by yielding[38] to the Holy Ghost and putting off the natural man through the Atonement of Jesus Christ (see Mosiah 3:19). I conclude with words from Mormon’s masterful discourse on faith, hope, and charity, in which he exhorts us to become like Jesus Christ: “pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons [and daughters] of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen” (Moroni 7:48).

Endnotes

[1]. Daniel L. Belnap, “‘Even as Our Father Lehi Saw’: Lehi’s Dream as Nephite Cultural Narrative,” in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision (2011 Sperry Symposium), ed. Daniel L. Belnap, Gaye Strathearn, and Stanley A. Johnson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011), 214–39. For example, Belnap views the vision of the tree of life as the Nephites’ cultural narrative.

[2]. Lehi uses both “dream” and “vision” to describe his tree of life experience (1 Nephi 8:2). For the purposes of this post, these terms are interchangeable.

[3]. Jared T. Parker, “The Doctrine of Christ in 2 Nephi 31–32 as an Approach to the Vision of the Tree of Life,” in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision (2011 Sperry Symposium), ed. Daniel L. Belnap, Gaye Strathearn, and Stanley A. Johnson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011), 161–78. Parker makes the claim that the fruit of the tree of life represents eternal life in the context of 2 Nephi 31–32. The thesis of my post takes a different angle than this; I focus on the quest to obtain eternal life as a process of becoming like Christ.

[4]. Other scriptures affirm that Endless and Eternal are names for the Savior (see Moses 7:35).

[5]. In making this claim, I am not asserting that this pattern can be applied to any verse. I am also not saying that using this pattern will uncover the “real” meaning behind scripture passages. On the contrary, I am simply arguing that this pattern can be used to provide possible alternative explanations of verses. 

[6]. Check out my post at https://www.receivethesavior.com/learning-the-language-of-the-scriptures for more examples of applying this pattern.

[7]. The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision (2011 Sperry Symposium), ed. Daniel L. Belnap, Gaye Strathearn, and Stanley A. Johnson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011), 1-392.

[8]. I acknowledge that I might have missed some other significant interpretations in literature that I was unaware of.

[9]. This is a compilation of interpretations found in 1 Nephi 11–15. In some cases, it is the angel who actually provides the interpretation.  

[10].  Russell T. Osguthorpe, “The Power of Inspired Invitations,” in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision (2011 Sperry Symposium), ed. Daniel L. Belnap, Gaye Strathearn, and Stanley A. Johnson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011), 1–14. Osguthorpe makes an interesting parallelism between temptations and invitations.

[11]. Belnap and others, ed., The Things Which My Father Saw, 1–392. The 2011 Sperry Symposium represents a significant compilation of scholarly interpretations pertaining to the vision of the tree of life.

[12]. Jennifer C. Lane, “The Presence of the Lord,” in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision (2011 Sperry Symposium), ed. Daniel L. Belnap, Gaye Strathearn, and Stanley A. Johnson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011), 119–34.

[13].  Aaron Schade, “The Strait and Narrow Path: The Covenant Path of Discipleship Leading to the Tree of Life,” in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision (2011 Sperry Symposium), ed. Daniel L. Belnap, Gaye Strathearn, and Stanley A. Johnson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011), 135–60.

[14].  Jared M. Halverson, “Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision as Apocalyptic Literature,” in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision (2011 Sperry Symposium), ed. Daniel L. Belnap, Gaye Strathearn, and Stanley A. Johnson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011), 53–69. Halverson draws parallels between traditional allegorical approaches and historical approaches.

[15].  C. Robert Line, “Bitter and Sweet: Dual Dimensions of the Tree of Life,” in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision (2011 Sperry Symposium), ed. Daniel L. Belnap, Gaye Strathearn, and Stanley A. Johnson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011), 318–29.

[16]. Parker, “The Doctrine of Christ in 2 Nephi 31–32,” 161–78.

[17]. Mary Jane Woodger and Michelle Vanegas Brodrick, “Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision as Used by Church Leaders,” in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision (2011 Sperry Symposium), ed. Daniel L. Belnap, Gaye Strathearn, and Stanley A. Johnson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011), 374–92. This is the most comprehensive historical compilation of how Church leaders have used the vision of the tree of life throughout the history of the Church.

[18]. Woodger and Brodrick, “Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision,” 374–92. Ezra Taft Benson emphasized this.

[19].  David A. Bednar, “Lehi’s Dream: Holding Fast to the Rod,” Ensign or Liahona, Oct. 2011, 34.

[20]. Woodger and Brodrick, “Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision,” 374–92. This approach was very common from the years 1901 to 1985.

[21]. Becky Craven, “Careful versus Casual,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 9.

[22]. Woodger and Brodrick, “Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision,” 374–92. Anthon H. Lund emphasized this.

[23]. David A. Bednar, “Lehi’s Dream,” 34.

[24]. Woodger and Brodrick, “Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision,” 374–92. John Taylor emphasized this.

[25]. David A. Bednar, “Lehi’s Dream,” 34.

[26]. Woodger and Brodrick, “Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision,” 374–92. John Taylor emphasized this.  

[27]. Woodger and Brodrick, “Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision,” 374–92. Stephen L. Chipman emphasized this.  

[28]. Check out my other post for more examples of applying this pattern.

[29]. This is an example used in my other post.

[30]. This heading is taken from the text of 1 Nephi 11:7.

[31]. An argument could be made that “it” refers to Christ. However, this would either mean that the Spirit’s prophecy was false, or that this prophesied event was omitted from the text, since we do not have textual evidence of Nephi bearing record that he is the Son of God.

[32]. Stanford Carmack, “Why the Oxford English Dictionary (and not Webster’s 1828),” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture, vol. 15 of the Interpreter Series (2015), 65–77. Carmack argues that the OED, not Webster’s 1828, should be used in Book of Mormon scholarship.

[33]. "Record, n.1 and adj.". OED Online. June 2019. Oxford University Press. https://www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/159867 (accessed August 08, 2019).

[34].  Grant Hardy, “Prophetic Perspectives and Prerogative: How Lehi and Nephi Applied the Lessons of Lehi’s Dream,” in The Things Which My Father Saw: Approaches to Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision (2011 Sperry Symposium), ed. Daniel L. Belnap, Gaye Strathearn, and Stanley A. Johnson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011), 199–213. Hardy makes the assertion that Jesus Christ is the manifestation of the love of God.

[35]. Here is another instance where the substitution pattern is useful.  

[36]. Neal A. Maxwell, “Brightness of Hope,” Ensign, Nov. 1994, 34. Maxwell makes a similar assertion in this talk.

[37]. Similar wording is used to describe this event: “I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and worship him” (1 Nephi 11:24). “When they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying: Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him” (3 Nephi 11:16-17).

[38].  Joseph M. Spencer, "What Can We Do? Reflections on 2 Nephi 25:23," Religious Educator 15, no. 2 (2014): 25–39. Spencer argues that all we can do to be saved is be reconciled to God. He asserts that reconciliation is “when we ‘yield’ and therefore cease, at last to be ‘an enemy to God.’”