Seeing is not Believing

If you are like me, I find myself wondering and worrying about the fate of this great nation and the people that comprise it.  In reading an address by Elder Mark E. Peterson, an apostle of the Lord, I received great comfort and hope in the direction and destiny of this chosen land.  Following is an excerpt from his speech entitled "The Great Prologue":

"Some people are frightened of the United States collapsing. The United States will not collapse! The wicked in the United States will be destroyed. The Lord has said that, but the Lord will preserve the righteous, and the righteous will carry on until the second coming of Christ:

And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more . . . and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. [Micah 4:3, 7]

Nephi also prophesied that destruction would come to the wicked here in this land, but he said:

Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power, even if it so be that the fulness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be preserved, even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire. Wherefore, the righteous need not fear; for thus saith the prophet, they shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire. . . . For behold, the righteous shall not perish; for the time surely must come that all they who fight against Zion shall be cut off. . . And the righteous need not fear, for they are those who shall not be confounded. But it is the kingdom of the devil, which shall be built up among the children of men, which kingdom is established among them which are in the flesh--

. . . and those who belong to the kingdom of the devil are they who need fear, and tremble, and quake; they are those who must be brought low in the dust; they are those who must be consumed as stubble; and this is according to the words of the prophet. [1 Nephi 22:17 ,19, 22, 23]

How long will the United States stand? Keep in mind that the United States was established in order to provide the conditions under which the Lord would restore the gospel. The United States was established in order that the true church could be again on the earth, that it could be restored in our day here in this great nation of the gentiles.

Remember what the Savior said and what Nephi said: that this nation was to be set up with this one purpose in mind--bringing the gospel to the rest of the world. That is being done. The righteous will be preserved here in this land to do it, and this nation will be preserved although the wicked will be destroyed.

How long will the United States last? As long as the Lord needs a home base for carrying forward his work in the earth. America is home base. You from other lands don't need to become jealous of America. Who is jealous of Palestine, where Jesus was born? We are not jealous of that country; we merely recognize the hand of God in sending him there. We must also recognize the hand of God in sending the gospel here to this land. Learn to love America because it is God's land.

What does Brigham Young have to say about how long there will be an America?

When the day comes in which the Kingdom of God will bear rule, the flag of the United States will proudly flutter unsullied on the flagstaff of liberty and equal rights, without a spot to sully its fair surface; the glorious flag our fathers have bequeathed to us will then be unfurled to the breeze by those who have the power to hoist it aloft and defend its sanctity.

How long will it be before the words of the prophet Joseph will be fulfilled? He said if the Constitution of the United States were saved at all if must be done by this people. It will not be many years before these words come to pass. . . .

. . . if it is sustained on this land of Joseph, it will be done by us and our posterity. [Discourses of Brigham Young (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1973), pp. 360, 361]

So what is our situation? It is that we are the covenant people of God, and the Lord depends on us to do this work. We must take the gospel to all the world, to all these scores of nations we haven't yet even touched. We will do it! You will do it! You are missionaries! You are under covenant with God, aren't you? Every one of you who has been baptized is under covenant with God; you have taken upon yourselves the name of Christ.

When you have partaken of the sacrament of the Lord's supper, you have pledged to high heaven that you will be true to him, taking his name on you, keeping his commandments, always remembering him, never forgetting him, and being willing to do the work that must be done.

So what must you do? You must seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Of course, seek careers as well. We need to build the kingdom, we need strength, and we need careers in the world to help us to do that. But remember that earthly careers must be secondary to the great career, which is to be the Latter-day Saints who are to prepare the way for the second coming of Christ.  

That is our great career--to be good Latter-day Saints, to build the kingdom, to prepare for the second coming of Christ."

(Mark E. Petersen was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this fireside address was given at Brigham Young University on 29 September 1974. For further information contact: Speeches, 218 University Press Building, Provo, Utah 84602. (801) 422-2299 / E-mail: speeches@byu.edu / Speeches Home Page)

I don't know when the second coming is. Shocker.  I don't know if it will happen in my lifetime, or my child's, or at a later date and time.  We can speculate all we like, but postulation is not preparation and it better serves us to ready ourselves and our family now. Whether He comes to us during our lifetime or to one of our children or grandchildren, one thing is sure--we are all going to go to Him.  Our days are numbered and when our time in this life has expired, we are taken home to that God from whence we were made. 

A portion of my college degree was devoted to child and family studies and I remember my child development professor telling us, 

"It is not your responsibility to prepare your children to see the Savior; rather, it is your great privilege to prepare yourself and your posterity to receive the Savior."

Seeing is not believing.   As it states in Corinthians, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." (1 Corinthians 13:12)  I don't know why all things happen, or how but I witness that everything has purpose.  There is meaning and direction to all things and I defy the poor logic that God is passive in our lives.  He has numbered the hairs of our heads and the days of our probation.  He notes the sparrow that falls, so surely also the tears that we shed. He who commands us to go twain the mile we are compelled to walk has already tread every step of our sojourn.  The question is not if He remembers us, but if we have forgotten Him. 

I hope you have a great weekend.  We'll see you Monday.