1 Nephi 10:17-19
17. And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things that he saw in a vision, and also the things that he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost, that power he received by faith [pistis]{} on the Son of God—and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come—I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, that 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.
18. For he is the same yesterday, to-day, 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.
19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries [mysterion in New Testament] 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.
These verses are some of the most informative in all the scriptures about the eternal nature and purpose of the Holy Ghost. Here, one can find the relationship of the Holy Ghost with the members of the Council in Heaven.
“The course of the Lord is one eternal round” because the Savior’s Atonement is infinite and eternal, and the ordinances and covenants that give us access to all the blessings are always the same. If they not identical are in form, they are similar enough in purpose that Nephi can consider them as though they were the same “in these times, as in times of old, as in times to come.”
In every stage of our existence, it is necessary for us to learn and to repent. The “power of the Holy Ghost” enabled us to do that then, just as it does here. The Savior’s Atonement, which he performed here, is infinite and eternal, stretching back in its influence and power to the very beginnings of our beginnings. (If it could reach back in time to enable Abraham and Adam to repent, it could also reach back even further to enable us in our premortal state to repent.) Nephi assures us that throughout our existence, the Holy Ghost taught—and continues to teach us—how to “come unto Christ.”
There is enormous power in Nephi’s concept. It testifies that the Holy Ghost brought us to a testimony of Jehovah there, just as it brings to an understanding the Redeemer here—just as it confirmed to Nephi the eternal validity and persistence of the ordinances and covenants performed in the ancient Israelite and the later Nephite temples.
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FOOTNOTE
{1} For a discussion of the Greek word pistis see the section called 1 Nephi 2:19, “Meanings of Faith,”
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