"And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, may nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance. Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever. But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the Lord - having a knowledge of the creation of the earth and all men, knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite goodness into this precious land of promise - behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them."
Promises and the consequences of keeping or not keeping them. The people covenanted to keep the commandments. If they do, they are blessed. If they don't, then they have many opportunities to repent and to start over. And if they still will not, then they will have trials to help encourage them to remember. And if that does not work, then the judgments of God will be poured out. Every opportunity is given to repent, to heal, to progress, to choose the path that leads to eternal life. But it must be chosen and adhered to.
"Yea, he will bring other nations unto them, and he will give unto them power, and he will take away from them the lands of their possessions, and he will cause them to be scattered and smitten. Yea, as one generation passeth to another there shall be bloodsheds, and great visitations among them; wherefore, my sons, I would that would remember; yea, I would that ye would hearken unto my words."
Bloodsheds and great visitations. What kind of visitations? Is this great visitations as in the Europeans coming and destroying the native populations? Is this great visitations as in the balanced opposite of the bloodsheds? I don't know which kind of "great visitations" Lehi is referring to - I'm assuming it is the first, but it also gets me thinking. We know that there is a balance in all things and so where ever great wickedness exists, there will also be found great righteousness. There were those among the native peoples who had visions and warned their tribes that people were coming to kill and destroy them. There were those among the Europeans who had visions and even prophesied of things that would come when they came to this land.
I think that this promise not only came true from about the 1450's-1880's, but that it will again be true shortly for us. I believe that we will see an influx into "the land northward" of other nations and of partially native populations likes we've never seen before. It will happen swiftly. These great visitations and bloodsheds are not over yet, it seems. But it is not something that is to be feared, because there is nothing that really matters as long as I am, each day, learning the will of the Lord and then doing it. That is all that matters, and nothing else. Whether it is doing my dishes, taking care of my clients, volunteering with some group, or spending a day resting...whatever it is, the Lord knows what I need and and what those around me need and He inspires accordingly. If there is danger and I do not need to experience it, He will warn me and tell me what to do. If I do need to experience it, He will give me peace in my heart and carry me through it. Even if it brings me pain, it's only pain. If it kills me - so what? Does not life go on? This is not all there is and I do not stop existing. There is literally nothing to fear. The only thing to worry about is whether or not I'm able to be in tune in this moment and hear the voice of the Spirit giving whatever is needed. That's it.
Promises and the consequences of keeping or not keeping them. The people covenanted to keep the commandments. If they do, they are blessed. If they don't, then they have many opportunities to repent and to start over. And if they still will not, then they will have trials to help encourage them to remember. And if that does not work, then the judgments of God will be poured out. Every opportunity is given to repent, to heal, to progress, to choose the path that leads to eternal life. But it must be chosen and adhered to.
"Yea, he will bring other nations unto them, and he will give unto them power, and he will take away from them the lands of their possessions, and he will cause them to be scattered and smitten. Yea, as one generation passeth to another there shall be bloodsheds, and great visitations among them; wherefore, my sons, I would that would remember; yea, I would that ye would hearken unto my words."
Bloodsheds and great visitations. What kind of visitations? Is this great visitations as in the Europeans coming and destroying the native populations? Is this great visitations as in the balanced opposite of the bloodsheds? I don't know which kind of "great visitations" Lehi is referring to - I'm assuming it is the first, but it also gets me thinking. We know that there is a balance in all things and so where ever great wickedness exists, there will also be found great righteousness. There were those among the native peoples who had visions and warned their tribes that people were coming to kill and destroy them. There were those among the Europeans who had visions and even prophesied of things that would come when they came to this land.
I think that this promise not only came true from about the 1450's-1880's, but that it will again be true shortly for us. I believe that we will see an influx into "the land northward" of other nations and of partially native populations likes we've never seen before. It will happen swiftly. These great visitations and bloodsheds are not over yet, it seems. But it is not something that is to be feared, because there is nothing that really matters as long as I am, each day, learning the will of the Lord and then doing it. That is all that matters, and nothing else. Whether it is doing my dishes, taking care of my clients, volunteering with some group, or spending a day resting...whatever it is, the Lord knows what I need and and what those around me need and He inspires accordingly. If there is danger and I do not need to experience it, He will warn me and tell me what to do. If I do need to experience it, He will give me peace in my heart and carry me through it. Even if it brings me pain, it's only pain. If it kills me - so what? Does not life go on? This is not all there is and I do not stop existing. There is literally nothing to fear. The only thing to worry about is whether or not I'm able to be in tune in this moment and hear the voice of the Spirit giving whatever is needed. That's it.
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