Abstract: Lehi’s dream symbolically teaches us about many aspects of Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation. The central message of Lehi’s dream is that all must come unto Jesus Christ in order to be saved. Each of us has the choice to pursue the path that leads to eternal joy and salvation or to choose a different way and experience undesirable outcomes. In this paper, elements of Lehi’s dream and supporting scriptures are analyzed to see how they relate to key aspects of the plan of salvation and our journey through life.

Lehi’s dream of the tree of life recorded in the Book of Mormon offers a symbolic portrayal of Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation. Lehi recognized his dream as a vision from God, and after awaking he felt confident in the eternal destiny of his sons Nephi and Sam but was deeply concerned for the eternal welfare of his two oldest sons, Laman and Lemuel.1

In his vision, Lehi was led to a large and spacious field in which he saw a tree that produced brilliant white fruit.2 After partaking of the fruit, which he said “was desirable to make one happy,” Lehi noted that its taste was “most sweet,” and his soul became filled “with exceedingly great joy” (1 Nephi 8:10–12). Lehi quickly became eager to have his family partake of the fruit also. He noted that his wife Sariah and his sons Sam and Nephi partook, but Laman and Lemuel refused to come to the tree.3

Lehi also saw a large and spacious field with a countless number of people in it, many of whom made their way toward a strait and narrow path with an iron rod to its side. The path and the rod extended along the bank of a river and led directly to the tree. After the travelers began their journey on the path toward the tree, they were soon overshadowed by a mist of darkness that caused many to veer off of the path and become [Page 142]lost. Others, however, pushed through the mist of darkness and made their way to the tree by holding onto the iron rod.4

On the other side of the river from the path and the tree was a great and spacious building that “stood as it were in the air high above the earth” (1 Nephi 8:26). Lehi observed that the building was filled with men and women of all ages who wore elaborate, fine clothing and mocked and pointed their fingers at those who had come to the tree to partake of its fruit. The scoffing from those in the great and spacious building caused all who heeded them to feel ashamed, “and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost” (1 Nephi 8:27–28).

Lehi saw others who “fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree” after having pressed forward along the path while “continually holding fast to the rod of iron” (1 Nephi 8:30). Lehi seems to have included himself and the other righteous members of his family among this group, noting that they also experienced the ridicule of those in the great and spacious building — but, he said, “we heeded them not” (1 Nephi 8:33).

In addition to those making their way to the path toward the tree, many others neglected the path altogether and instead sought after the great and spacious building. Although a large multitude entered into it, not all who journeyed toward the building were able to get there. Many of those pursuing the great and spacious building became lost from Lehi’s view as they wandered down “strange roads,