This is one of those transcendent truths contained in the Book of Mormon, Bible (Matt 7:7-8 and Heb 11:6), and the D&C. Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall he given unto you, that is expedient for you (DC 88:63-4).
Bruce R. McConkie
"The Holy Ghost, as Nephi expresses it in a passage of superlative meaning and beauty, 'is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men. For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him. For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.'(1 Nephi 10:17-19.) In harmony with these words of transcendent beauty are those of latter-day revelation that say simply to every member of the Church: 'God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost.' (D&C 121:26.) Such is the promise, and the promise is sure. The sole need on the part of any individual is to comply with the law that entitles him to receive the promised revelation." (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p. 489)
1 Nephi 11-15 Nephi's version of the vision of the tree of life
These five chapters describe what Nephi saw in vision when he asked the Lord to show him the things his father saw. The resulting vision is remarkable because it sheds additional light on the tree of life vision of Lehi. It also contains much more. It seems at first glance as if Nephi is shown two separate visions: one of the vision of the tree of life and another of the history of the world beginning with the birth of the Savior. Yet in the narrative, the visions are intertwined. A careful study of these chapters reveals that Nephi's vision of the history of the world ties in perfectly with the vision of the tree of life. Whenever the angel shows Nephi a portion of the dream Lehi saw, whether it is the tree or the rod of iron or the great and spacious building, he next shows him an event in the history of the world which exemplifies the interpretation. The following table shows what historical events Nephi was shown after each portion of Lehi's dream was given.
Vision of the Tree of Life Vision of the History of the World
1. Tree=love of God (v. 8)
The birth of the Lamb of God to a virgin from Nazareth (v. 13-21)
The Savior going forth among the children of men (v. 24)
2. Rod of iron=word of God (v. 25)
The Lamb of God was baptized (v. 27)
He ministers in power and great glory (v. 28)
12 apostles and the ministering of angels (v. 29-30)
The Lamb of God heals the sick and afflicted (v. 31)
He is judged of the world and crucified (v. 32-33)
3. Large and spacious building=pride of the world (v. 35)
The multitudes of the earth gather to fight against the apostles of the Lamb (v. 34-35)
4. Mist of darkness=temptations of the devil (1 Nephi 12:4,17)
Vapor of darkness covers the Americas for 3 days (1 Nephi 12:5)
Christ appears to the Nephites (12:6)
They are righteous up to the fourth generation (12:12)
They fall prey to the temptations of the devil and are destroyed (12:17-20)
5. Filthy water=depths of hell (12:16)
Wickedness and destruction of the Nephites (12:19-20)
6. Terrible gulf=justice of God (12:18)
Nephites destroyed for their wickedness (12:19-20)
In other words, when the angel explains to Nephi that the tree means the love of God, he next shows Nephi how God loved the world by giving His Son to save mankind from the fall of Adam (Jn 3:16). When he gives the interpretation of the rod of iron, he shows Nephi the ministry of the Savior and His apostles as they taught the word of God. The large and spacious building is represented by the multitudes of the house of Israel who were so wicked that they killed the Lord and they gathered to persecute His apostles after the resurrection. The mist of darkness are the temptations of the devil which overcame the Nephites who were destroyed by the destructions which accompanied the crucifixion of the Savior and by the Lamanites in the final battle. It is by the justice of the Eternal God that the wicked (Nephites) must be separated from the righteous and suffer their just rewards by being cast into the depths of hell represented by the filthy water. Speaking the justice of God and the hell prepared for the those who are filthy, Nephi wrote, Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they must be cast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to righteousness; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be judged of their works; and if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also (1 Nephi 15:33).
"Nephi's vision consisted of much more than the scene of the tree of life and the efforts of some to obtain its fruits. That scene provided the setting and the backdrop for an even greater set of revelations—an expanded prophecy of the future: the coming of Christ and his atoning mission, the future of Lehi's descendants, the restoration of the gospel in the last days, and the ongoing struggle between the forces of evil and righteousness. These revelations unfolded to Nephi great events of the future and used symbols from the vision of the tree of life to clarify events." (Kent P. Jackson, ed., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 7: 1 Nephi to Alma 29, p. 35.)