All Nations Will Be Drunken with Iniquity

"But, behold, in the last days, or in the days of the Gentiles—yea, behold all the nations of the Gentiles and also the Jews, both those who shall come upon this land and those who shall be upon other lands, yea, even upon all the lands of the earth, behold, they will be drunken with iniquity and all manner of abominations—

 "And when that day shall come they shall be visited of the Lord of Hosts, with thunder and with earthquake, and with a great noise, and with storm, and with tempest, and with the flame of devouring fire."
- 2 Nephi 27:1-2

I have a journal I use to record some thoughts, impressions, ideas, etc. when I read in the scriptures. I don't write it in every day, but often enough.

Yesterday the above verses were my focus, with specific interest on verse one.

I've read the Book of Mormon on average once per year for the past 25 years, so I've read those verses a few times. This time the word "drunken" stood out. I realized it was more than symbolic, it was is a literal description of how people will be.

When someone is drunk they exhibit some or many of the following symptoms

• Feeling of well-being and relaxation.
• Lower inhibitions (doing or saying things you otherwise would not.)
• Sensation of warmth.
• Lowering of caution.
• Loss of fine motor coordination.
• Inability to drive a car or do complex tasks.
• Slurred speech; too-loud or too-fast speech.
• Lowered reasoning ability.
• Weakened balance.
• Slower reaction times.
• Staggering walk or inability to walk.
• Glossy appearance to eyes.
• Blurry or double vision.
• Weakened sense of hearing.
• Loss of memory (short- and long-term.)
• Dysphoria (anxiety, restlessness.)
• Total mental confusion.
• Slower pupil response. After more drinks: pupils constricted.
• Slowed heart rate.
• Slowed breathing rate.
• Reduced blood pressure.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Loss of consciousness.

(I took the list from http://www.intheknowzone.com/substance-abuse-topics/alcohol/drunk-or-not.html, which was just one of the first sites that came up on the search "symptoms of drunkeness").

Consider the above list. Now consider how someone acts who is addicted to anything, particularly when they are actively involved in that addiction. The addiction could be a physical substance, such as a drug, or a mental/emotional high, such as what pornography might produce.

Those who become involved with iniquity and abominations, who do not repent, will find themselves much as any addict to any substance.

The person often believes they are more alert, responsive, aware. Often they believe they are more capable. Inhibitions are lowered. The ability to reason and exercise good judgment is reduced. They become "past feeling."

As the person becomes more involved with the sin, they find that, much like the addicts of other substances, they need more to get the same "high" or feeling they did before. Tolerance to the sin, or related sins, increases.

Like many addicts, the person believes they are in control, that they do not have an addiction. And like many other addictions, the effects of iniquity have an effect on the person even when they are not indulging in the activity. There are mental, emotional, and physical effects, which can become compounded over time.

With sin, the "hangover" can be a sense of guilt, shame, disappointment, or similar feelings. Used appropriately, these feeling can be used to guide us to the path of repentance, to become freed from the bondage that threatens. As tolerance for sin increases, these feelings, which can help motivate a person to return to God become diminished, dulled, and are less easily recognized. The light of Christ, which is given to all people, is reduced. 

The light of Christ is what helps people to recognize the promptings of the Spirit. As a person covers that light within them, it becomes more difficult for them to recognize and act on the promptings of the Spirit. Personally, I don't think this light is ever completely extinguished within someone, except, perhaps, in those who have completely and fully rejected all that is good and embraced evil, those who might be considered the sons of perdition.

Those who are "drunken with iniquity and all manner of abominations" become desensitized to spiritual promptings, just as they become desensitized to their awful state. They are drunks. They cannot see or hear right, they are unable (or less able) to be reasonable, they are easily confused but may believe they are coherent and aware.

The biggest danger with becoming drunk in wickedness is it is usually a gradual process. Initially the sin is compared to the flaxen cord, or easily broken. The person is usually not addicted on the onset, and there is rarely a drunkenness that immediately follows. Because there are not the immediate extreme effects, the person believes they can control their thoughts and actions. It is easily to indulge in the iniquity again, and again. The person can easily justify going deeper and further into iniquity. Tolerance and acceptance increases. Thoughts begin to more frequently reflect on and look forward to the next session. Thoughts lead to actions. Before long the addiction is set, but the person is generally unable to see the chains which are binding them. They have become drunk.

Another problem is when drunkenness occurs collectively. When those around you are also becoming drunk, everyone's perceptions are altered. Just as a small amount of alcohol can being clouding reason and judgment, indulging even in a small amount of sin--or even tolerating sin--begins to cloud our ability to reason and be guided by the Spirit. If your ability to reason becomes clouded in even the least bit, you become unable to adequately determine the severity of the situation. 

I used to do some flying and as part of my training I learned to fly using instruments. It's fairly easy to fly when you can see clearly. But when clouds come in it becomes extremely easy to become disoriented, and you don't even know it. There are many accidents caused by pilots flying into what is called meteorological conditions, such as cloud banks. Loss of control of the aircraft is frequent. Some end up flying into the ground. Some even end up upside down. Drunkenness is like flying into conditions as simple as a fog bank or as serious as a storm, in all cases it robs you of the ability to think clearly and act reasonably.

As a group of people gather to drink, only the one who has not drunk any alcohol has their full ability to reason. That person is the only one whose judgment is not clouded in any way by the alcohol. That person is the only one who can reasonably identify the drunken state of the others.

With regards to iniquity, we all need to be continually repenting. It is a process of learning and doing what is needed to become like Christ. It is understanding that we need to continually be coming unto Christ, and realizing that it requires constant course correction.