"And the angel said unto me that many shall see greater things than these, to the intent that they might believe that these signs and these wonders should come to pass upon all the face of this land, to the intent that there should be no cause for unbelief among the children of men—
And this to the intent that whosoever will believe might be saved, and that whosoever will not believe, a righteous judgment might come upon them; and also if they are condemned they bring upon themselves their own condemnation.
And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.
He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you."
Helaman 14:28-31
This is Samuel the Lamanite speaking to the Nephites from the top of the wall, since they kicked him out of the city. He tells them of the signs of Christ's birth, and the signs of his death, and what is interesting is that he tells them at least partially why. So that they will believe... so that there will be no cause for doubt. The massive destruction that was coming would kill a lot of people, and God wanted to prepare them for it... giving them a chance to save themselves, spiritually, even if they were among the people that would die physically. Samuel also presents a poignant reminder of the power of our own choice.
I think there is a lot of similarity to our day here. Like the Nephites listening to a Lamanite, we reject the prophets sometimes because we assume that we are already righteous, or at least good enough... or we think we should wait to decide until God makes things obvious. ... But, as in this example, things are made perfectly clear only before the destruction. We know the difference between good and evil already... free gift from God. We have the wisdom needed to make those basic choices, and to choose and progress... to become better than we are from whatever level of goodness we've already attained. No reason to stop unless we're perfect. :)
We choose our own future. We choose life or death, joy or guilt, good or evil. Whatever we choose is restored to us... we choose now what we want for eternity. Today, let's actually think about what we're choosing, and whether it is what we want for eternity. If it isn't, let's think (and pray) a little bit harder about our choices. Let's invite God's help in becoming kinder and gentler. Let's turn away from the dark side and embrace the light. :)
And this to the intent that whosoever will believe might be saved, and that whosoever will not believe, a righteous judgment might come upon them; and also if they are condemned they bring upon themselves their own condemnation.
And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.
He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you."
Helaman 14:28-31
This is Samuel the Lamanite speaking to the Nephites from the top of the wall, since they kicked him out of the city. He tells them of the signs of Christ's birth, and the signs of his death, and what is interesting is that he tells them at least partially why. So that they will believe... so that there will be no cause for doubt. The massive destruction that was coming would kill a lot of people, and God wanted to prepare them for it... giving them a chance to save themselves, spiritually, even if they were among the people that would die physically. Samuel also presents a poignant reminder of the power of our own choice.
I think there is a lot of similarity to our day here. Like the Nephites listening to a Lamanite, we reject the prophets sometimes because we assume that we are already righteous, or at least good enough... or we think we should wait to decide until God makes things obvious. ... But, as in this example, things are made perfectly clear only before the destruction. We know the difference between good and evil already... free gift from God. We have the wisdom needed to make those basic choices, and to choose and progress... to become better than we are from whatever level of goodness we've already attained. No reason to stop unless we're perfect. :)
We choose our own future. We choose life or death, joy or guilt, good or evil. Whatever we choose is restored to us... we choose now what we want for eternity. Today, let's actually think about what we're choosing, and whether it is what we want for eternity. If it isn't, let's think (and pray) a little bit harder about our choices. Let's invite God's help in becoming kinder and gentler. Let's turn away from the dark side and embrace the light. :)
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