There is
something very personal for us the Saints of the Latter-Days in the Olivet
Discourse that the Saviour delivered to His disciples. In outlining the
conditions of our day He said that amidst all the wickedness, desolation and
commotion, “my disciples shall stand in holy places and shall not be moved, but
among the wicked men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die” (D&C
45:32).
This
scripture has made me reflect on how much the Saviour is depending on us. I
reflected on the Church He organized in the meridian of time and how it all
fell apart after He was gone. I wondered as He spoke to His disciples, if He
was comforted looking forward to the restoration knowing He had special, strong
spirits in reserve who will bring His Church “out of the wilderness – clear as
the moon and fair as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners” (D&C 5:14).
The
adversary might have accomplished his purpose by having the early saints killed
and the Church disbanded but this time there will be no saints on crucifixes
lining the walls of coliseums. I think of Joseph’s death and the persecution of
the pioneers which they endured with unfathomable strength. Surely this
strength preserved the Church and defeated the adversary’s plan to destroy God’s
kingdom on earth the second time around.
I don’t
know what awaits us as persecution of Christians escalates in our day. The
adversary is employing the loss of national sovereignty and religious and cultural
upheaval in the world today which is destroying the brotherhood of man. The
hatred is raging in people’s hearts to the point of violence as the Saviour
indicated it would (D&C 45:33).
I am hoping
the saints who will face the final attempt of destruction of God’s kingdom on
earth will be met by the strongest of the strong who have prepared themselves
to withstand the destructive forces of the fiends of evil.
The
adversary will never give up. He didn’t do so when he failed to abort the Plan
of Salvation in the Garden of Eden and he didn’t give up when the Saviour
emerged from the tomb. Surely he would have got the message then of ‘game over’
but still he has persisted and one would have to wonder why.
The obvious
reason is ‘misery seeks company’ but I think there is more to it than that. I
think it is pride which seeks its reward through rebellion, retaliation and
revenge. It’s a pride born out of not willing to have been wrong. You can see
this same pride in the political arena which is ravaging our world today,
whether between individuals or nations.
I dread to
think how the Saviour will grieve when He comes and sees that many of us have
left our holy places. When the time comes for the grandeur of His Kingdom to be
revealed, I hope those who have left will return and come with us to New
Jerusalem singing songs of everlasting joy (D&C 45:66-71).
May we find
our holy place and not be moved so that we can be the strongest of the strong
when we meet our King and be a joy to Him forever.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: Saviour by Land of Dreams)
