Tree of Life Vision

The Tree of life vision is a vision described and discussed in the Book of Mormon, one of the scriptures of the Latter Day Saint movement denominations published by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1830. According to the Book of Mormon, the vision was received by a prophet named Lehi, and later by his son Nephi who wrote about it in the First Book of Nephi. The vision includes a path leading to a tree symbolizing salvation, with an iron rod along the path whereby followers of Jesus may hold to the rod and avoid wandering off the path into gulleys or fountains symbolizing the ways of sin. The vision also includes a large building wherein the wicked look down at the righteous and mock them.

The vision is said to symbolize the spiritual plight of humanity, and is a well known and cited story within Mormonism. A Mormon commentator reflected a common Mormon belief that the vision is "one of the richest, most flexible, and far-reaching pieces of symbolic prophecy contained in the standard works ."

The vision is similar to the second vision recounted by Joseph Smith's father Joseph Smith, Sr. prior to publication of the Book of Mormon. The vision of Smith, Sr. contained a tree with delicious fruit, a path, and a large building where the wicked looked down in scorn of the righteous; however, the vision of Smith, Sr. contained a rope rather than an iron rod, and there were other minor differences. Because of the similarity, secular Mormon scholars postulate that Smith, Sr.'s dream is the source for the Tree of Life vision. However, Smith, Sr.'s dream was first recorded by his wife Lucy Mack Smith after publication of the Book of Mormon, and some LDS scholars suggest that the text of the Book of Mormon may have influenced Lucy's account, rather than vice versa. Other apologetic scholars, such as Hugh Nibley, postulate that Lehi and Smith, Sr. simply had the same archetypal vision.