The Man in The White Robe

[JohnnyL]

And there is the group who read the scripture and point out that it is saying what it is saying and nothing more, nothing less.

Bless you for your efforts in staunchly fighting for what you are convinced is absolute truth. Your determination is admirable.

+1

[JohnnyL]

I found this at http://stepbystep.alancminer.com/1_ne_8

In Lehi's dream he saw a man who was dressed in a white robe and who came and stood before Lehi. Lehi says, "he spake unto me, and bade me follow him." According to Hugh Nibley, this is a person who is going to be his guide. Paralemptor is a classical word for the person who guides you through the ordinances of the temple. It is a man dressed in a white robe. [Hugh W. Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 1, p. 171]

So our man is a temple worker.

Found this interesting to

Symbolism Which Can Help in Understanding the Scriptures

Colors Symbolism

white purity; righteousness; exaltation (Example: Revelation 3:4)

black evil; famine; darkness (Example: Revelation 6:5)

red sins; blood (Example Revelation 6:4; D&C 133:51)

blue heaven; godliness

green life; nature (Example: Revelation 8:7)

amber sun; light

scarlet royalty (Example: Daniel 5:29; Matthew 27:28-29)

silver worth, but less than gold (Example Isaiah 48:10)

gold the best; exaltation (Example: Revelation 4:4)
[David J. Ridges, The Book of Revelation Made Easier, preface]

So here we have Nibley and Elder Holland at odds...
If I remember, I've seen both be wrong before about some things...

[marc]

...Interesting things to ponder...

Excellent post!

[WhereCanITurn4Peace]

Not sure if this has been brought up, but came across these verses while hubby & I were reading 1 Nephi Chapter 14...

18 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying: Look!

19 And I looked and beheld a man, and he was dressed in a white robe.

20 And the angel said unto me: Behold one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

21 Behold, he shall see and write the remainder of these things; yea, and also many things which have been.

22 And he shall also write concerning the end of the world.

23 Wherefore, the things which he shall write are just and true; and behold they are written in the book which thou beheld proceeding out of the mouth of the Jew; and at the time they proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, or, at the time the book proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, the things which were written were plain and pure, and most precious and easy to the understanding of all men.

24 And behold, the things which this apostle of the Lamb shall write are many things which thou hast seen; and behold, the remainder shalt thou see.

25 But the things which thou shalt see hereafter thou shalt not write; for the Lord God hath ordained the apostle of the Lamb of God that he should write them.

26 And also others who have been, to them hath he shown all things, and they have written them; and they are sealed up to come forth in their purity, according to the truth which is in the Lamb, in the own due time of the Lord, unto the house of Israel.

27 And I, Nephi, heard and bear record, that the name of the apostle of the Lamb was John, according to the word of the angel.

[marc]

I caught that, too. But Nephi identified that man as John. Lehi never did identify the man in his own dream/vision.

[clarkkent14]

19 And I looked and beheld a man, and he was dressed in a white robe.

I'm glad you brought that up. I'm beginning to see how engrained our culture has become. All I've known since I was little was "Follow the Prophet." But where did that start? It sure wasn't taught early in the church. Is the thought of not following "the"/a prophet (a man) and following Christ causing cognitive dissonance? I really think that's what's happening.

"And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one; for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world; For these are they who are of aPaul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas. These are they who say they are some of one and some of another—some of Christ and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch; But received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant."

You can follow men, I'm sure there are some of Thomas, some of Gordon, some of Spencer Some of Joseph on here. Just remember following men will lead to "a dark and dreary waste."

It begs questions

What is a true prophet?
How will I know?
Will they bid me follow them?
Will they point to Christ?
How do I receive "the gospel?"
How do I receive "the testimony of Jesus?
How do I receive "the prophets?"
How do I receive "the everlasting covenant?"

Maybe Nephi was very specific in word choice, "man" "white" "robe." Laman and Lemuel turned out to be a great type for Nephi to use in his writings. Did Nephi try to tell us something? Did he see us? What are we doing that caused Nephi to write what he did?

"O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm."

"Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost."

[marc]

More great observations. I've been slowly working on a lengthy blog about Nephi. Let's look at Nephi in this example. Nephi followed Lehi out of Jersusalem. The prophets warned of its destruction. Nephi trusted his father, not only as the family patriarch but as a newly appointed prophet of the Lord. Yet Lehi is still but a man. Was Nephi skeptical? Yes!!

Nephi came to a crossroad of his own. Rather than simply take for granted that his father was now the presiding high priest of his little flock, Nephi took his concern directly to the Lord. And as a result the Lord softened Nephi's heart. As a result, Nephi no longer existed in "darkness" as Lehi did after following a man in a white robe--that is until Lehi likewise prayed. One of the very last messages that Nephi gives us in his second book is to pray. If we're not praying it is because we're allowing the evil one to teach us not to pray. And so we're left to ourselves--to pin our faith on the sleeves of our presiding authorities, whether they be our bishops, stake presidents, apostles and even our own prophet, President Monson.

We must ask, seek and knock.

[Moss Man]

Was Nephi skeptical? Yes!!

1 Nephi 11:5

And I said: Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father.

I think Nephi simply wanted experience what his father did.

[marc]

Was Nephi skeptical? Yes!!

1 Nephi 11:5

And I said: Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father.

I think Nephi simply wanted experience what his father did.

I agree that he did. But he underwent a process that we all must go through (belief, faith, knowledge). Let's go all the way back to chapter two:

1 Nephi 2: 16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.

Laman and Lemuel did not believe Lehi to begin with, neither did they ever inquire of the Lord.

[marc]

It was after this that Nephi committed to being obedient (1 Ne 3:7). Obedience brings about righteousness, which brings about worthiness, which in turn brings about an audience with angels and with deity. The first book of Nephi alone contains the fullness of the gospel. If we didn't have the rest of the BoM, we'd still have an example to follow in obtaining the same fullness.

[clarkkent14]

Was Nephi skeptical? Yes!!

1 Nephi 11:5

And I said: Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father.

I think Nephi simply wanted experience what his father did.

Another great observation MM. Think about this though...

Once a "man" receives "the testimony of Jesus," then do his words change? Whose words are they? Are Lehi's words Lehi's? Do we read Nephi's words as Nephi's? What about Joseph? What about Denver?

"And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good. And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness."

So for Nephi to say, "Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father" only shows that Nephi understood that his fathers "words" didn't really belong to Lehi.

"And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will."

When I first heard Denver speak I didn't hear "Denver" speaking. It was a panel discussion, and he was one of four men on the stand answering questions about the constitution. His answers were elevated, different, clear, and full of the spirit. I told BrentL that I kept thinking of Joseph Smith and the "voice" I hear when I read his words. He is acquainted with higher things, and I could discern it in that open forum. The discussions were about civil matters, yet I couldn't help but hear His voice when Denver spoke.

EDIT: words are "of great worth," men are just men, they cannot save. Think about it, Denver's experience does nothing for you. Nephi's, Lehi's, Joseph's Moses etc etc etc. Their words however...

[Craig Johnson]

I would like to see more on this post. I found an interesting statement by President Ezra Taft Benson, in his Teachings book, page 312 "We would hope that you teachers would be as men in white robes, leading our youth safely through the temptations of the world so that they too may partake of the tree of life and have exceeding great joy."
Anyway, I would really like to know who this angel was that talked to Lehi, but so far I have been unable to find out who it was.

[AI2.0]

I would like to see more on this post. I found an interesting statement by President Ezra Taft Benson, in his Teachings book, page 312 "We would hope that you teachers would be as men in white robes, leading our youth safely through the temptations of the world so that they too may partake of the tree of life and have exceeding great joy."
Anyway, I would really like to know who this angel was that talked to Lehi, but so far I have been unable to find out who it was.

It's interesting to see how much has changed in the last five years since this thread was created.

If you want to know, read the first two 'untainted' responses on page one of this thread, from Thomas and Inwarrior. They have good suggestions to ponder on. But, we must remember at this time, that many of the posters here were enamored with a writer/lecturer named Denver Snuffer and he'd been 'opening' their minds to new thoughts and new ideas. So, we see the poster 'A Random Phrase' interject into the thread, what she'd learned from Snuffer. Denver Snuffer's (a man who was later excommunicated and drew a following to himself) 'reinterpretation of these scriptures, are seen through the rest of the thread as his admirers show how he's infected them with his false beliefs. The reinterpretation shows Denver's thought processes, which had come to perceive LDS Prophets and Apostles as the 'arm of flesh', leading people into darkness.

[Craig Johnson]

It's sad when a person who has obvious social skills puts them to use in this way, I wonder how many people he could have helped into the church with those skills. Thank you for the info. I just want to know if I have missed any "real" authority who has stated who the angel is. I have a lot of informational access but so far I have not found where anyone has stated who this angel is, and I am just curious, I know it's not really important or it would have been mentioned by Nephi. Thanks!

[oneClimbs]

The man in the white robe is as much a part of the vision as the tree, rod, building and other elements. One thing I have learned from studying symbolism is that the attempt to try and concretely nail down a symbol to the point where it can mean only one thing violates the purpose of using symbolism in the first place. The man in the white robe could be an angel, a servant of the Lord, an evil spirit or many other things, maybe an ancestor. There is something to be learned by examining the vision in light of each of these interpretations. When God leaves things vague, I suggest that it is for a wise purpose.

I think it is natural to want to force a single interpretation so we can fit everything into our own little boxes. I think this is part of what makes the natural man an enemy to God.