Thursday, August 18, 2022

Isaiah 13:9-11 -- On Desolation, Destruction, and Deliverance

"Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible."
Isaiah 13:9-11


There are a lot of scary predictions in the scriptures, especially about the last days (which we live in). Eventually, God is going to prune the trees of his vineyard, burn the bad branches and gather out the good fruit (see the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees in Jacob 5). It is important to note however that none of this removes God's promises to us, for instance that he will not leave us comfortless (John 14:18), or that if we are prepared we need not fear (D&C 38:30). We even have an amazing story in 3rd Nephi that prepares us for such a time, going through and telling us the story of a people who lived through massive turmoil and destruction, but who survived, gathered together, and became for a time an ideal society.

Today, let's remember that even through the darkest times in our lives, God is supporting us and leading us to his promised happy ending. Let's just make sure that we're on his side rather than becoming part of the evil that needs to be pruned away. If we stick with God, then no matter what happens in the interim, the Lord will deliver us to a better world and bless us all eternally with as much happiness as we can handle. :)

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