Carried Away in a Vision

I'd like to understand what it means to be "carried away in a vision".  Here's a quote from Hugh Nibley:  The manner in which the prophet is caught up is of particular concern and interest to the ancients. What are “the wings of the Spirit”? Lehi was “carried away in a vision, even that … he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with … angels,” to match which Enoch says, “my spirit was translated, and it ascended to heaven; and I saw the holy sons of God … 10. and with them the Head of Days … 11. and my spirit was transfigured.” (1 En. 71:1.) 

Other examples include Nephi telling of being carried away 2 Ne. 4:25 and Moses being caught up into an exceedingly high mountain Moses 1:1.

It's not clear to me whether these prophets were carried physically or spiritually.  There may be instances of both.  Enoch clearly says that his spirit was translated, whereas it looks like Moses may have been moved physically.  Either way, the Lord needed them in an environment where he could instruct and teach without the distractions of the physical world.

Overcome With the Spirit

 I'm trying to understand and analyze and comprehend verse 8.  Let's start with "overcome with the Spirit".
 

1. What does it look like to be "overcome with the Spirit"?  What does it feel like?  

Some other examples of people being overcome with the Spirit include Ammon, as he was a missionary to the Lamanites.  (Alma 19)  He saw King Lamoni being overcome when he learned of the Plan of Salvation.  Later, when Lamoni stood to bear testimony of his conversion, "his heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the Spirit."
Ammon himself sunk to the ground, "being overpowered with joy; and thus they all three had sunk to the earth."


Another example happened when Christ appeared to the righteous Nephites.  In 3 Nephi 17:18 it says: And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome.



The experience of being overcome with the Spirit seems to be a result of great joy in the Lord.  Mormon explains it a bit when he recounts the meeting of Alma with the sons of Mosiah.

Alma 27:17  Now the joy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth.
18  Now was not this exceeding joy?  Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness.


So we're talking about exceeding joy, and it is a result of being penitent and humble and of seeking happiness through the Gospel.  I'm sure that Lehi was grieving for his people, the Jews, but as he understood the great Plan that the Lord has in store for the righteous, he praised the Lord, as we will see later.

1 Nephi 1:8

8 And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a ^avision, even that he saw the ^bheavens open, and he thought he ^csaw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God.

As I read this, I have lots of questions and few answers.  Here are the questions:

1. What does it look like to be "overcome with the Spirit"?  What does it feel like?  Was he incapacitated?
2. How was he carried away?  Was that a physical thing, or was his spirit carried away from his body?  Or was it as if he was seeing a movie that no one else could see, as Joseph Smith was described in some of his visions?
3. What happens when the heavens are opened?  Where are the heavens?  Are they surrounding us, or high above us?
4. Why does it say "he THOUGHT he saw God"?  What part of that is not certain?  Was it the identity of the personage he saw?
5. Is that an accurate depiction of what God does, sitting on a throne and surrounded by angels, or was that for the benefit of Lehi and to teach him some things that he needed to learn?

In succeeding posts, I will attempt to answer some of those questions.

1. 
   

After the "Book of Mormon in 100 Days" Challenge

Our ward Relief Society had a challenge to finish the Book of Mormon in 100 days.  We had booklets with daily assignments and thought questions.  I pushed myself and got done early.  I had just finished reading the book before starting the challenge.   Now I want to do something different, rather than just reading cover to cover.  


I've decided to read and study just the visions and sermons and ponderings in the B of M.  I'll read the headings for each chapter and skip ahead to find any of those things.  It may evolve over time, but that's OK. 

The other thing I want to do is to study online at lds.org.  There are study helps there and ways to bookmark and highlight and add notes and thoughts.  But I'll probably highlight and add notes, but come here to add extended comments.  I'd really like this to be more than a surface reading of the B of M.  I want to really analyze and ponder and study.  Online makes it easy to click on the links and cross references.  So that's my new goal.

I Do Not Know All Things

 Words of Mormon 1:7   And I do this for a ^awise ^bpurpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord ^cknoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he ^dworketh in me to do according to his ^ewill.

In reading this section, the words resounded with me:  I do not know all things.  Actually, this a gross  understatement, not for Mormon, but for me.  I know so much less than all things.  But hopefully, that won't stop the Lord.  He knows all things, and if I am worthy and humble and teachable and sensitive to His Spirit, He can work with me to do things that are according to His will.  He will whisper, and I need to learn to recognize the "workings of the Spirit" that can be in me.

Mormon didn't know the reason for putting the small plates of Nephi where he put them, any more than Nephi knew why he was commanded to create two sets of plates.  But they were both obedient to the workings of the Spirit, and we know that, according to the history of the Church, this peculiar combination of commandments blessed Joseph Smith after the manuscript was lost.

The Lord may ask me to do things which I do not understand, which make no sense.  I just hope that I can listen and trust and "lean not to my own understanding" and allow Him to work through me.

Why Isn't This Working?

I've observed that sometimes we receive our errand from the Lord  and attempt to carry it out, only to be thwarted and frustrated in our attempts.  Nephi and his brothers were sent back to Jerusalem to get the plates of Laban, but their first two tries were not unsuccessful, but resulted in their being pursued by Laban's servants.  They wondered, if they were commanded to do something, why the Lord wasn't making it easier for them to do it?

I think that happens so often in our lives.  We know we had inspiration when we started out to do this thing, or maybe the Lord has given us a new calling.  If it's His will, why are things so difficult?

I can think of two possibilities.  One is that the Lord is testing us, trying our determination, making sure we really want to do this thing.  He is teaching us patience and perseverance in the face of trials.  He wants to know if we really want this thing, and allows us to prove to Him as well as ourselves that we are willing to do whatever it takes.

The other possibility is that sometimes we attempt to do the Lord's will in our own way, rather than in His way.  The first two attempts made by the brothers to get the plates were not the results of consulting with the Lord on the matter, but consulting with one another, using their own ideas.  Only when Nephi went into the city by himself did he allow himself to be led by the Lord.  In a contest between our own brilliant and well thought-out plans and the Lord's direction, our plans will always come up short, and yet we persist in trying those first rather than relying on the Lord.  Sometimes He wants us to use our ideas and our initiative as He did with the brother of Jared, but I think He will tell us when it's one of those times.

My New Mantra

John 8:29 touched my heart, and I need to memorize it.  Jesus says, ...the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. 

If I could get to the point that I could always say within myself, "I do always those things that please Him", I would be very happy.  I know He would bless me with His Spirit, and I would know that He had not left me alone.  It's very similar to the sacrament prayer.  If I do always remember Him, He will give me His Spirit to be with me.

Every day, every hour, I need to think about these words and see if I can still say them honestly:  I do always those things that please Him.