When Nephi says he saw his Redeemer as Isaiah and Jacob saw him, what did he mean? 2 Nephi 11:2

When Nephi says he saw his Redeemer as Isaiah and Jacob saw him, what did he mean? 2 Nephi 11:2

Nephi is about to quote the words of Isaiah, whose words he cherishes. He explains that the reason why he loves the words of Isaiah is because he likens (points out the resemblance of something, compares, equates, sees a parallel, correlates, matches, draws an analogy) Isaiah's words to his people. Nephi wants to send Isaiah's words to all of his children (and grandchildren, etc. I guess) because Isaiah saw the Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the way that Nephi saw him. And the way that Jacob saw him, too.

I think this was not a night vision or a dream. I think Isaiah really did see Jesus Christ while in the temple, as well as these super strange alien things called seraphim, with six wings.

Earlier I wondered if Nephi was actually physically present or if it were a thing that happened in his mind in 1 Nephi 11. My answer was that I don't know.

But if I think that Isaiah literally saw Jesus Christ in the temple, then that suggests that Nephi also literally was taken away to an exceedingly high mountain, where he literally saw an angel, and then was literally taken to the future to see and be a witness of the Savior's birth in Bethlehem.

Implications: time travel could be a real thing. Whoaah.

Answer: I think it's possible that Nephi really did see Jesus Christ - and maybe more often than just in this vision in 1 Nephi 11. I guess it's not super important for us to definitely know for these reasons:

1. The way we know Nephi (and Isaiah, and Jacob) is through writing
2. Writing always feels a level removed from the actual experience it is describing.
3. The words and witness these men give of Jesus Christ is not significantly different if it was a mind-experience or a physical-experience. I mean, it would take just about the equal amount of faith to believe either
4. The important part of these visions is the message that Jesus Christ hold power to purify, heal, and fill us with joy. The angel describes the love of God to Nephi as "the most desirable above all things." Isaiah describes the angel as taking effort to descend to his level, physically alter him, and then say, "thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged." 

I know that Jesus Christ has this power. I did not see these miraculous visions. My witness is not with my physical eyes. It is with my heart and my mind. I know that we can draw upon the Savior's strengthening and healing power every day of our lives by approaching him in sincere prayer. 

I also know that it does not take a lot of time. Turning your heart to the Savior is not some kind of gargantuan effort that requires years of practice before getting right, especially if you have lived your whole life believing that it's all lies and nonsense. I know that Jesus Christ is basically pleading with us, wanting us to turn our hearts to him, wanting us to allow him to fix our pain. Because of the atonement, he really knows all of our unique, individual pain and sorrow. This gives him the power to fix them. When we metaphorically lay our pride and unbelief on an imaginary altar, he will immediately bless us for it. 

I often wish that I had a way to compel people I care about to do just this. 

There is no substitute for the kind of love and understanding that can come from this source. It is real, and I know it is real because it is my own experience - some kind of Cartesian logic statement should be inserted here. Someday I will die and be resurrected, and the experience of knowing God will move from the intellectual and emotional space in my mind and heart to a physical one - I will get the opportunity to see God with my own eyes, and feel his hands with my own hands. Until then, one of the best ways I know of to come to know God is through earnestly searching the scriptures and striving to live well.