When the Majority of the Members Turn Away From God
Here are some reasons why I'm not convinced the time is ripe for the first Utah earthquake, or for the real judgment level calamities to begin, at least not in Utah.
Orson Pratt stated, "if the majority of this people will be faithful, the Lord will preserve them from their enemies, from every weapon that is lifted against them." (Journal of Discourses, 15:363, as quoted in Prophesies and Prophetic Promises by Roy W. Doxey, 1970, page 233).
The same book (on the same page) quotes President Brigham Young as saying:
"...we read that war, pestilence, plagues, famine, etc. will be visited upon the inhabitants of the earth; but if distress through the judgments of God comes upon this people, it will be because the majority have turned away from the Lord. Let the majority of the people turn away from the Holy Commandments which the Lord has delivered to us, and cease to hold the balance of power in the Church, and we may expect the judgments of God to come upon us; but while six-tenths or three-fourths of this people will keep the commandments of God, the curse and judgments of the Almighty , will never come upon them, though we will have trials of various kinds, and the elements to contend with--natural and spiritual elements. While this people will strive to serve God according to the best of their abilities, they will fare better, have more to eat and to wear, have better houses to live in, better associations, and enjoy themselves better than the wicked ever do or ever will do." (quoted from Journal of Discourses, 10:335-336).
My opinion is the members of the Church who are being referred to are the "active" members, those who come to Church, do their callings, and at least make the impression they are true believers.''
I don't consider the inactive or less active members are part of this count because I don't think many of them would even consider an invitation to the wedding feast. Think on the parable of the ten virgins. I won't go over it, but these 10 virgins had accepted the invitation and were waiting for the bridegroom. In my opinion these are the "active" members. There may be been other virgins who just didn't bother with the invitation, having other things to do.
Of those ten virgins only half were prepared.
As a side note, and with regards to a possible, future invitation to gather (aka the call-out), I do not think half of the active members of the Church will be ready and willing to accept the call to gather when the call is initially given. Considering how few actually have followed the prophets and have a year (or more) of food storage and other supplies, and there may only be about 10% (some think it will be less) of the members who heed the call. However, after the extra trials, hardships, wars, plagues, earthquakes, and other calamities, more members will be humbled and there may be as many as 50% who eventually make it to the tent cities and places of refuge.
So, based on President Brigham Young's statement, when less than 60% of the members (and in my opinion less than 60% of the active members) stop following the commandments and the prophets, and have turned away from God.
I don't know what the percentages are, but there are certainly more of the members embracing the ways of the world and turning away from God. From my research less than 50% (I think it's even less than 40%) of the population in Salt Lake City are members of the Church. The county has slightly higher percentage of LDS. But the influence of the world is affecting many in the Church.
I've mentioned this before, it is my opinion that an indicator of where we might be as a whole can be seen in marijuana legislation. Yes, it is only medical marijuana that is (so far) being considered by the Utah state legislature, but medical marijuana legalization is just a step away from legalized recreational use.
I think that when medical marijuana is legalized in Utah it will be an indicator that a majority of Utahans (at least along the Wasatch Front, where the bulk of the population is) are accepting, or at least tolerant, of evil, or even supportive of evil, be it in drug use, homosexuality, and other actions that are contrary to God's commandments.
When that first big earthquake strikes the Wasatch Front--most likely along the Salt Lake segment of the fault--take it as a warning that the majority of the members are not longer doing what they should be, that they have turned away from God.
It is also my opinion that this first big earthquake might be considered the commencement of the cleansing of the Lord's people, where the Lord states in Doctrine and Covenants 112:25 "And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord."
While it could certainly happen sooner, my thoughts are the first big earthquake may happen as early as next spring (my guess is late May or early June, but that is just a guess), or in the fall.
It is purely my opinion that we might have 3 to 7 years after that first earthquake before the invitation to gather is given and then the really bad stuff begins (plagues, major earthquakes in California and in the Pacific Northwest, volcanic eruptions, etc.).
I'm hoping we have 7 years, but that's more because I'm hoping to become better prepared than we currently are, and to have our little children a little older. I wasn't sure if the country could hold on for seven more years if Hillary had won the election, but with the election of Trump, it might be a possibility.
Orson Pratt stated, "if the majority of this people will be faithful, the Lord will preserve them from their enemies, from every weapon that is lifted against them." (Journal of Discourses, 15:363, as quoted in Prophesies and Prophetic Promises by Roy W. Doxey, 1970, page 233).
The same book (on the same page) quotes President Brigham Young as saying:
"...we read that war, pestilence, plagues, famine, etc. will be visited upon the inhabitants of the earth; but if distress through the judgments of God comes upon this people, it will be because the majority have turned away from the Lord. Let the majority of the people turn away from the Holy Commandments which the Lord has delivered to us, and cease to hold the balance of power in the Church, and we may expect the judgments of God to come upon us; but while six-tenths or three-fourths of this people will keep the commandments of God, the curse and judgments of the Almighty , will never come upon them, though we will have trials of various kinds, and the elements to contend with--natural and spiritual elements. While this people will strive to serve God according to the best of their abilities, they will fare better, have more to eat and to wear, have better houses to live in, better associations, and enjoy themselves better than the wicked ever do or ever will do." (quoted from Journal of Discourses, 10:335-336).
My opinion is the members of the Church who are being referred to are the "active" members, those who come to Church, do their callings, and at least make the impression they are true believers.''
I don't consider the inactive or less active members are part of this count because I don't think many of them would even consider an invitation to the wedding feast. Think on the parable of the ten virgins. I won't go over it, but these 10 virgins had accepted the invitation and were waiting for the bridegroom. In my opinion these are the "active" members. There may be been other virgins who just didn't bother with the invitation, having other things to do.
Of those ten virgins only half were prepared.
As a side note, and with regards to a possible, future invitation to gather (aka the call-out), I do not think half of the active members of the Church will be ready and willing to accept the call to gather when the call is initially given. Considering how few actually have followed the prophets and have a year (or more) of food storage and other supplies, and there may only be about 10% (some think it will be less) of the members who heed the call. However, after the extra trials, hardships, wars, plagues, earthquakes, and other calamities, more members will be humbled and there may be as many as 50% who eventually make it to the tent cities and places of refuge.
So, based on President Brigham Young's statement, when less than 60% of the members (and in my opinion less than 60% of the active members) stop following the commandments and the prophets, and have turned away from God.
I don't know what the percentages are, but there are certainly more of the members embracing the ways of the world and turning away from God. From my research less than 50% (I think it's even less than 40%) of the population in Salt Lake City are members of the Church. The county has slightly higher percentage of LDS. But the influence of the world is affecting many in the Church.
I've mentioned this before, it is my opinion that an indicator of where we might be as a whole can be seen in marijuana legislation. Yes, it is only medical marijuana that is (so far) being considered by the Utah state legislature, but medical marijuana legalization is just a step away from legalized recreational use.
I think that when medical marijuana is legalized in Utah it will be an indicator that a majority of Utahans (at least along the Wasatch Front, where the bulk of the population is) are accepting, or at least tolerant, of evil, or even supportive of evil, be it in drug use, homosexuality, and other actions that are contrary to God's commandments.
When that first big earthquake strikes the Wasatch Front--most likely along the Salt Lake segment of the fault--take it as a warning that the majority of the members are not longer doing what they should be, that they have turned away from God.
It is also my opinion that this first big earthquake might be considered the commencement of the cleansing of the Lord's people, where the Lord states in Doctrine and Covenants 112:25 "And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord."
While it could certainly happen sooner, my thoughts are the first big earthquake may happen as early as next spring (my guess is late May or early June, but that is just a guess), or in the fall.
It is purely my opinion that we might have 3 to 7 years after that first earthquake before the invitation to gather is given and then the really bad stuff begins (plagues, major earthquakes in California and in the Pacific Northwest, volcanic eruptions, etc.).
I'm hoping we have 7 years, but that's more because I'm hoping to become better prepared than we currently are, and to have our little children a little older. I wasn't sure if the country could hold on for seven more years if Hillary had won the election, but with the election of Trump, it might be a possibility.
Comments
Post a Comment