A PLACE OF REFUGE

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law; and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem".   Isaiah 2:2-3


The central theme of Isaiah's prophecies is the destruction and restoration of the House of Israel. Because of this, many of his prophecies had dual meanings. The beauty of his writing is not in the destruction of Israel, nor in his repeated call to repentance but the restoration of the splendor of Zion which would come about in our day and which Isaiah saw with prophetic clarity. He, as a prophet and seer, who witnessed the iniquities of Israel in his day, also witnessed the calamities and wickedness of this dispensation which could easily have weighed heavily on his heart yet what comes through his works the most is the beauty of Zion and the Millennial day. No dispensation of earth's history has ever had as much as we have. The Kingdom of God established to no more be destroyed, with all the rights of the priesthood, a true and only path to the salvation of man. I wonder if we know how incredibly important we are in the history and preservation of Israel and its spiritual destiny. We, of the tribe of Ephraim, the modern Israel, are the hope of the world as we progress the Kingdom and offer to the children of men a refuge from the storm.

The 'mountain of the Lord' spoken of by Isaiah refers to the restoration of Christ's church in this the last dispensation. President Harold B. Lee said: "The coming forth of His Church in these days was the beginning of the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy when 'the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains'" (Conference Report, Apr. 1973, p. 5). Elder LeGrand Richards has said: "How literally (Isaiah 2:3) has been fulfilled, in my way of thinking, in this very house of the God of Jacob right here on this block! This temple (Salt Lake), more than any other building of which we have any record, has brought people from every land to learn of his ways and walk in his paths" (Conference Report, Apr. 1971, p. 143)

The question begs to be asked, are we spiritually sensitive enough to recognise the storms of from which we need protection or are we in our comfort zone being politically correct with the rest of the world that calls 'evil good and good evil' (Isaiah 5:20)? Do we long for the Millenial day when they that are proud no longer 'grind the faces of the poor' (Isaiah 3:15) and we co-exist in Zion splendor where all are equal in possession and stature? Do we strive to protect our children from the influences which are beckoning and threaten to destroy the moral fibre of our society? Do we appreciate and treat the Church as the spiritual haven that it is for ourselves and our families? If we don't recognise it as such now, there will come a day when we will be forced to. I know not of any more powerful words than these uttered by Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone, which he spoke at the Manti Temple in April of 1987:

"Before the Saviour comes the world will darken. There will come a period of time where even the elect will lose hope if they do not come to the temples. The world will be so filled with evil that the righteous will only feel secure within these walls. The Saints will come here not only to do vicarious work, but to find a haven of peace. They will long to bring their children here for safety's sake...

We will not be alone in our temples...

The covenants and ordinances will fill us with faith as a living fire. In a day of desolating sickness, scorched earth, barren wastes, sickening plagues, disease, destruction, and death, we as a people will rest in the shade of trees, we will drink from the cooling fountains. We will abide in places of refuge from the storm; we will mount up as on eagles' wings; we will be lifted out of an insane and evil world. We will be as fair as the sun and clear as the moon.

When the Saviour comes He will honour His people. Those who are spared and prepared will be a temple-loving people. They will know Him.

Our children will bow down at His feet and worship Him as the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. They will bathe His feet with their tears and He will weep, and bless them for having suffered through the greatest trials known to man.

Let us prepare them with the faith to surmount every trial and every condition. We will do it in these holy, sacred temples".