OUR DAY

 

I cannot help but feel that our day very much resembles Charles Dickens’ first famous line of his successful novel titled “The Tale of Two Cities” through which he described France prior to the French Revolution of 1700s:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair….”

The best of our day is the Restoration of the Gospel, the expansion of missionary work, temples dotting the earth, the Millenium imminent. The worst of our day is warfare engulfing us, hatred among people dividing us and evil luring around every corner seeking to destroy us.

Lest we get lulled into complacency thinking there have always been bad times throughout history, it is important for us to remember that our dispensation is different. We have been illuminated by God’s light of truth and this means the adversary is working harder than ever before to spread his darkness. He is no longer hiding in the shadows. His attempts to destroy the two countries that will be Christ’s governmental seats when He comes and thus foil the millennial plans is out in the open.

Things are not going to get any better, only worse. Some of us are eager to embrace all the calamities and the worst that is yet to come because it means the Saviour is closer to coming. That is true but enduring until then will come at price, for us and for our children alike:

"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...”

 

But then the promise and reward of endurance….all that will stand between us and the greatest 1,000 years of this earth is our personal worthiness and this is how we will achieve it:

 

“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.”

 

This prophecy was given by Elder Vaugn J. Featherstone at the re-dedication of the Manti Temple in April 1987. He went on to say that the Saviour’s people will know Him when He appears. Why is that? Because we will become like Him through the light of the Gospel that has been given us in this dispensation. Because of the saving ordinances which qualify us to be a covenant people. Because we will have strived to spread the light which we have been given to extinguish the darkness which seeks to destroy us.

 

In Elder Featherstone’s words, when the Saviour comes: “Our children will bow down at His feet and worship Him as the Lord of Lords and 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.”

 

We, the children of light and of the everlasting covenant will do this….

-CATHRYNE ALLEN 

Artist Unknown