"And they shall be visited with thunderings, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and all manner of destructions, for the fire of the anger of the Lord shall be kindled against them, and they shall be as stubble, and the day that cometh shall consume them, saith the Lord of Hosts.
O the pain, and the anguish of my soul for the loss of the slain of my people! For I, Nephi, have seen it, and it well nigh consumeth me before the presence of the Lord; but I must cry unto my God: Thy ways are just.
But behold, the righteous that hearken unto the words of the prophets, and destroy them not, but look forward unto Christ with steadfastness for the signs which are given, notwithstanding all persecution--behold, they are they which shall not perish."
2 Nephi 26:6-8
This scripture continues our destructive scripture rampage... but seriously, this scripture shows the hope that rests in Christ, even in the midst of the worst. persecution, natural disasters... whatever it is... if we are aware, and looking for the signs, looking towards God and the goodness that he offers us, there is always hope. This scripture is predicting the destruction in 3rd Nephi primarily, and if you will think back to that time... all of those bad things happened, and everyone was scared, but afterward... they got to see Christ, and touch him, and listen to him... what an overwhelming experience. And no matter how bad the destruction, that was what they remembered, and what mattered to them... not what they lost, but what they gained. And you know... even if the world doesn't fall apart tonight... we *still* have a chance, without all of the icky destruction beforehand, to shift our focus... to concentrate not on the bad things that are always going to happen... but the good things. both good and bad come into our lives, consistently, frequently... but what we choose to focus on makes all the difference in the world. yes, after the day the sun will go down... but after the night it will also rise. We aren't stuck in an eternal night... the sun will always rise.
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