THE ENEMY THAT NEVER SLEEPS

 

There have been evil societies on this earth from day one because the enemy never sleeps. Two of them are worthy of mention: the people in the days of Noah who were so evil that God swept the whole earth clean with a flood (Moses 7:33,34); and the Nephite civilization that allowed wickedness and evil to lead them to destruction in ancient America.

I want to mention the Nephites as the Flood will be covered later in our Come Follow Me studies. I find it hard to fathom the atrocities such as were committed amongst the Nephites of Mormon’s day (Moroni 9:8-10). Mormon described his people as brutal, strong in their perversion and delighting in everything that is not good. He went on to say that ‘tongue could not tell, neither could it be written’ of the suffering among the women and children (Mormon 9:19).

Mormon recorded that ‘a continual scene of wickedness and abominations had been before his eyes ever since he had been sufficient to behold the ways of man’ (Mormon 2:18). In his last epistle to his son, he cried to God to ‘hide their sins, and wickedness and abominations from before His face!” (Moroni 9:15).

Mormon wrote the whole Book of Mormon in such a way that we might come to know the enemy and ‘be more wise than they have been’ (Mormon 9:31). Unfortunately, we don’t learn from history. The adversary is working today in secret ways, in corridors of power and in personal battlefields. He seeks our destruction and when he succeeds, he laughs and he and his angels rejoice (3 Nephi 9:2).

The adversary knows us. He observes our behaviour and our choices and our words. He knows what buttons to push.  He sees those moments when we are at our weakest. He waits for those moments. He lives for those moments.

This is why we need to take notice, now more than ever. We are preparing for the Millenium. When the Saviour comes, there will be destruction of evil at a level which we have never witnessed before: “And the saints also shall hardly escape; nevertheless, I, the Lord, am with them, and will come down in heaven from the presence of my Father and consume the wicked with unquenchable fire D&C 63:34)

Those who have been righteous and accepted Christ as their Redeemer and lived by His commandments will be transfigured to abide His glory and will be caught up to meet Him in the clouds of heaven, together with the righteous dead who will rise from their graves. (Joseph Fielding Smith, “Doctrines of Salvation”, 2:296). Can you imagine a more glorious sight? This is what we want to be a part of.

And the enemy? He will be bound by those who sought to conquer him on their personal battlefields so he will have no power over them for a thousand years (D&C 101:28; 1 Nephi 22:26; Moroni 9:6). Now this is what I am looking forward to……..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Descending From The Clouds of Heaven by Greg Collins)