Arbitrary break between 1 Nephi and 2 Nephi - in the middle of a family gathering. The beginning scene is momentous. Chapters 1-4 are presented as Lehi’s last words before his death, reminiscent of Moses’s final admonitions to Israel at the end of Deuteronomy as they prepared to enter the promised land. 2 Nephi sets the conditions for their continued existence in the promised land. 1 Nephi was focused on physical deliverance, 2 Nephi is focused on spiritual deliverance. It is also significant that this book recounts the origin of the division between Nephites and Lamanites, the two related groups whose mutual antagonism drives most of the history related in the Book of Mormon. Grant Hardy, The Annotated Book of Mormon.
2 Nephi 1:1-4 “For Lehi and his people, the destruction of Jerusalem changed everything. Jerusalem was the center of the Jewish universe. “No people ever placed greater importance upon their land than did the Jews,” notes Jon Levenson. And the temple was the center of Jerusalem. That temple was, in the words of one Jewish scholar, the “fulcrum of the universe,” “the prime place of communication between transcendent and mundane reality,” the inner chamber of which was “the throne room of God” himself, “the place where a mere mortal . . . can make contact with the realm of overpowering holiness, where he can hear the language of angels and respond to it.”
The rupture would have been profoundly felt, emotionally and psychologically. Indeed, Nephi’s brother Jacob confirms the resulting pathos: “our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, . . . in a wilderness” (Jacob 7:26).
Givens, Terryl. 2nd Nephi (The Book of Mormon: Brief Theological Introductions). The Neal A Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. Kindle Edition.
2 Nephi 1:7-9 “The choice to come unto Christ is not a matter of physical location,” President Russell M. Nelson taught, “It is a matter of individual commitment.”
People can be “brought to the knowledge of the Lord” without leaving their homelands. True, in the early days of the Church, conversion often meant emigration as well. But now the gathering takes place in each nation. The Lord has decreed the establishment of Zion in each realm where He has given His Saints their birth and nationality. Scripture foretells that the people “shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise.” “Every nation is the gathering place for its own people.” The place of gathering for Brazilian Saints is in Brazil; the place of gathering for Nigerian Saints is in Nigeria; the place of gathering for Korean Saints is in Korea; and so forth. Zion is “the pure in heart.” Zion is wherever righteous Saints are. Publications, communications, and congregations are now such that nearly all members have access to the doctrines, keys, ordinances, and blessings of the gospel, regardless of their location.
So while the Book of Mormon teaches that what is now called the American continent was a “land of promise” to Lehi’s seed, and that later events on this land of promise would play a central role in the restoration of the gospel, the ideals and blessings of Zion are universal, and apply to men and women in all lands or countries who covenant to serve the Lord and do his will. This includes remembering the Lord and his goodness, respecting the land and all of His creation, keeping holy things pure and protected, obeying all of His commandments, loving Him with all one’s heart, might, mind, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5) and one’s neighbor as oneself (Leviticus 19:18). https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/knowhy/where-is-the-land-of-promise
Overall, 2 Nephi tells a story that is well suited to the difficulties of middle age, to those who struggle with life’s disappointments when previous assumptions about God and religion appear to be discredited. It offers a model for responding to adult discontent and frustrations, especially when faith seems difficult, and it illustrates a type of intricate detailed engagement with scripture that is rare in the Latter-day Saint tradition. If 1 Nephi appeals to adolescent sensibilities, 2 Nephi is, to paraphrase Virginia Woolf’s assessment of Middlemarch, scripture written for grown-ups. Grant Hardy, The Annotated Book of Mormon.
Consecration In Webster’s 1828 dictionary (a dictionary that reflects American usage of Joseph Smith’s time), the first definition is the one that comes from the Latin root of the word: “to make or declare something sacred.
2 Nephi 2:11-15 Definitions of opposition: antagonistic, adversarial, or difficult situations. Can also reflect the act of placing something in a position relative to another thing. Not inherently troubling or difficult —not necessarily a negative or positive meaning.
“Growth, flourishing, and human joy all require the vibrancy of a free soul choosing among numerous options. This is the meaning of the so–oft misquoted scripture “it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things” (verse 11). Opposition here means not adversity but contrasts, alternatives in the nature of opposites, that are the very basis of all value.
A near contemporary of Joseph Smith, the poet and mystic William Blake, made a similar point: “Without contraries is no progression.”Joseph Smith himself expressed this principal in similar language: “by proving contrarreties [sic], truth is made manifest.” To “prove,” in nineteenth–century usage, is to ascertain or evaluate the truth or value of something by means of comparison or experiment. In other words, no value emerges in a vacuum; meaning can only appear, truth can only reveal itself, by virtue of our experience of contrary aspects of reality.”
Givens, Terryl. 2nd Nephi (The Book of Mormon: Brief Theological Introductions). The Neal A Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. Kindle Edition.
"In the field of astronomy, planetary bodies are considered “in opposition” when they are aligned. At the moment of opposition, the angle between them is approximately 180 degrees. For example, when the earth is situated directly between the sun and moon, it is considered in opposition. A full moon appears because its entire surface reflects the sun’s light. Incidentally, this is the best time to observe planets. “During opposition the planet appears at its largest and brightest, and it is above the horizon for much of the night. For stargazers and astrophotographers, it is an ideal time to view and photograph the superior planets.”
Eric Dahlin, “It Must Needs Be.” https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/it-must-needs-be/?utm_source=BYU+Studies&utm_campaign=4d8095c574-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_10_04_03_05_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e4342d96b2-4d8095c574-73888905
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