Nephi gives his people a view of their descendants and the Gentiles in the latter days. He warns his people that they will be punished like the wayward Gentiles unless they repent and honor their covenants. Who are the covenant peoples of the Lord? All who come unto Christ in faith and repentance, thus becoming the seed of Abraham: “And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father” (Abraham 2:10).
The Lord favors Nephi with a vision of His dealings with mankind from the beginning of time unto the end when He will institute His millennial reign. Nephi is able to experience vicariously the agony and anguish of those who relinquish their covenant blessing through apostasy and rebellion; he is able to savor the unspeakable joy of those who purify themselves and participate in the blessings of covenant obedience. Everyone can have a place among the covenant people of the Lord through faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.
How can we liken this doctrine unto ourselves? When we choose to repent and follow the steps of spiritual rebirth, we make a covenant with the Lord. He will honor this covenant. Through obedience, we can have the blessings of eternal life by enduring to the end.