Nephi is the recorded spokesman in refuting the argumentative brothers. He reminds his two older brothers that it is not his role as the younger brother to censor them, but since they are insensitive to the Lord’s will, the Spirit had compelled him to speak. He reminds them of the miraculous experiences that should have convinced them. These incidences confirm once more that spectacular experiences like seeing angels does not necessarily produce faith. However, faith in the Lord’s word will lead them to the promised land. His promise of their knowing that Jerusalem was destroyed was later fulfilled when Lehi testified to his sons that he had “seen a vision, in which [he] knew that Jerusalem [was] destroyed.” The vision was undoubtedly given because of Nephi’s faith as well as Lehi’s (2 Nephi 1:4).
“In the commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah … their came many prophets” into Jerusalem calling them to repentance (1 Nephi 1:4). Their coming is verified in biblical history. However, the same biblical texts imply that Jeremiah was not imprisoned until just prior to the invasion of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, when Zedekiah turned to the Pharaoh of Egypt for help (see Jeremiah 37–38; 2 Chronicles 36; 2 Kings 25). If Jeremiah was not imprisoned until after Lehi left Jerusalem, how did Nephi know he was cast into prison? Perhaps Jeremiah was imprisoned at other times, a likely probability; perhaps Lehi had been shown in vision, as he was later shown the destruction of Jerusalem mentioned above; or perhaps the Spirit had testified to Nephi. We will have to wait until we are given access to the fuller record of Nephi and the plates of brass to know the answer to this question.