Wherever Satan's influence can get a foothold he will promote the concentration of great wealth and the vices of immorality. Satan seeks to build up arrogance and pride in his followers and get them to persecute the Saints of God.
Well, so much for the great and abominable church. Now the Lord wants to show Nephi how he will rescue the Gentiles from Satan's grasp. It is sort of like a slide show presentation. First, Nephi is shown the Atlantic Ocean, which separates the Nephite population in America from the Gentiles in Europe. Then he sees how wicked the seed of father Lehi have become as they slaughter one another in fratricidal war. Then Nephi sees the wrath of God about to be poured out upon the seed of Lehi because they had corrupted the choice land of their inheritance.