As Lehi develops his theme, he moves from the beginnings of their journey, the justification for it (the destruction of Jerusalem) to their current state. They are very clearly in a new world, and Lehi emphasizes that it is the Lord that brought them to this place. Of course this is not a new concept, for Lehi was aware of this promise from at least the time he sent his sons to recover the brass plates from Laban (1 Nephi 5:5).