In the Beginning- Wait, this is the Book of Mormon

I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents... 

The first 8 words in the Book of Mormon are perhaps the most recognizable statement in all of Mormondom.  Or rather, we've started reading the Book of Mormon way more times than we have actually finished it.   Anyways...

The First Book of Nephi

In the words of Nephi:

Chapter 1
My story begins in the far off country of Jerusalem in the first year of the reign of King Zedekiah, King of Judah, around the year 600 BC, about the same time as the good prophet, Jeremiah. Jeremiah wasn't the only prophet. God was calling many prophets to preach repentance to the people. They had become so wicked. It was dangerous to be called to be a prophet. The wicked people wouldn't listen, and more often than not, God's servants were stoned and rejected because of the sinful people.

There was a man living at this time named Lehi. Lehi is my father.  He was a righteous man, born and raised in the city of Jerusalem. He loved the people. These were his friends and family and neighbors, but he knew they were wicked. He heard the calls of the prophets in the streets, the shouts of "return to your God!" and "repent!" The prophecies made him thoughtful, wanting to know how he could help, how he could help his friends and family and neighbors return to righteousness. He knew how happy he was, and he wanted so many others to have that happiness and not to be drug down by that guilt and unhappiness that came from sin. Not knowing what else to do, he prayed for the people in Jerusalem.

God heard his prayer, and all of a sudden, a pillar of fire appeared on a rock in front of him, showing many things. After the fire left, Lehi found himself shaking, and looking around, he made his way home.

He barely made it to his home and to his bed before he collapsed over it, exhausted from the spiritual experience. The first spiritual experience was not to be his last.

As he laid on his bed, thinking about all of the things that he had seen, he was given another vision.

He saw God sitting on a glorious throne.  All around Him were brilliant angels singing praises to God, worshipping Him. 

Lehi's attention was then drawn away to a lustrous being who was brighter than anything he had ever seen.  The man was followed by twelve other beings, brighter than the starts in the heavens.  These men descended to Lehi, and they presented a book. 

He began to read, and as the words started to fill his head--"Wo, wo, unto Jerusalem, for I have seen thine abominations!"--the Spirit filled him.  The words were terrifying.  The book spoke of the destruction of Jerusalem, that great city that Lehi had always lived, the home of the Jews, and it was to be destroyed by Babylonians!

Lehi did not see it this way.  He recognized God's purposes, and he praised God.  When he awoke and told me about it, all he could say were statements like "Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!"

Lehi praised God a lot after he had had the vision.  He told me a lot of his visions and revelations, but I know he keeps a very good journal, a very good record of what God reveals to him, so I won't tell you all of what he shared with me.  I'm only making an abridgement, or a summary of my father, Lehi's words.

After he had received these amazing visions, he went into streets of Jerusalem and started


Lehi Prophesying to the People of Jerusalem (Gospel Art Book [2009], no. 67)

prophesying and crying repentance to the people.  He scared my mother, Sariah.  He scared us, my brothers and I, too.  We had seen what others had done to prophets.  There was a lot of prayer in our home while my father prophesied in the streets.  He told of his dreams and visions and of the coming of the Messiah.  The people didn't listen to him, just like they didn't listen to the other prophets.

I do know that God protected him, though.  He came home to us every night. I know that God gives us, His children, so many tender mercies.

To read the actual story, go here 1 Nephi 1.

So why was this story included in the Book of Mormon? So What?