In my scripture study this morning I came across this passage:
For behold, at that day shall he [the devil] rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good. And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell. And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance…. Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion! (2 Nephi 28:20–22, 24)
Quite fitting for our current times, I think. Satan is real, folks. We can’t let ourselves forget that and get lulled into complacency. We also can’t shouldn’t forget that the only one strong enough to overcome him, the captain in whom we must put our faith and our hope and dedication, is our Savior, Jesus Christ. This whole good and evil thing isn’t just a lark, but the devil wants us to think that it is. And if we don’t believe he’s real, then he wins. The language of the scriptures is clear and even extremist, if you want to use the world’s labels.
We’re witnessing the acceleration of the polarization of the world. To quote C.S. Lewis, “There is no neutral ground in the universe; every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan.” All of the fencesitters will eventually be pulled one way or another. They’ll have to decide whether they’re really, truly going to follow God, because if they’re not, they’re on Satan’s side (2 Nephi 10:16). It’s the sheep and the goats, folks.
Comments
I’m really not trying to be contrary, but how exactly is the world polarizing? If anything, I think that the world is becoming a lot more gray (more difficult in some ways to recognize the wheat from the tares).
Also, what’s really the purpose of all the alarmism? I seem to remember President Hinckley giving a talk about how he would plant a tree if he knew the world were going to end tomorrow. Is there something in the status quo particularly that leads you to believe that the world is any worse off than it was a month ago? a year ago? a decade ago?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. I’m trying to break out of my usual circles and see what others have to say. Thanks for letting me eavesdrop.
I’m not saying the world is going to end tomorrow. I’m saying the tenor of things has changed, and that this marks the beginning of what will eventually become the end of the world. That’s a big difference.
The purpose? First off, if these are in fact signs that we’ve gotten on the exit ramp that leads to the end of the world (and whether that is five years away or two hundred years away, I don’t know), then we need to be paying attention and preparing ourselves. That’s what the prophets have been saying all along, isn’t it? Satan’s not going to give up without a fight, and he’s going to fight hard. Our only hope is in Christ. The purpose of this alarmism is to wake people up out of their complacency and their apathy and hopefully help them realize that if they want to survive spiritually, they’re going to have to commit to God with all their heart, might, mind, and strength. Too many people have become infatuated with the world and its ways, to the point where it’s a tossup as to whose camp they’re actually in. Paying lip service to God isn’t going to be enough. (Clarification: the people who are straddling the line don’t realize it. It’s the frog in the kettle thing, and they’ve rationalized so many of their choices that they honestly can’t see that God disapproves of those choices. And this is something I know from experience.)
Yes, the status quo — the general state of affairs in the world, not to mention specifically in our own nation (the war, the economic crisis, the election, Prop 8) — leads me to believe that things are markedly accelerating now. The signs of the times are becoming more obvious. You’re free to disagree, of course.
As for the polarization thing, I’m going to dig around and do some source checking to see if it’s substantiated by scripture or modern revelation, or if it’s a bit of folk doctrine that’s wormed its way into my beliefs without my knowing it. :)
Connor’s got some scriptures backing up the polarization bit on his post today.