| 1 Nephi 14 |
1 Nephi 14:Verse 15 15 And it came to pass that I beheld that the wrath of God was poured out upon that great and abominable church, insomuch that there were wars and rumors of wars among all the nations and kindreds of the earth. 1 Nephi 14:Verse 16 16 And as there began to be wars and rumors of wars among all the nations which belonged to the mother of abominations, the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold, the wrath of God is upon the mother of harlots; and behold, thou seest all these things-- 1 Nephi 14:Verse 17 17 And when the day cometh that the wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots, which is the great and abominable church of all the earth, whose founder is the devil, then, at that day, the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel. |
The Prophet Joseph Smith, two years after the restoration, receives a revelation and prophecy on war, contained in the Eighty Seventh Section of the Doctrine and Covenants.
1 Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls;
2 And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place.
6 And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations;
7 That the cry of the saints, and of the blood of the saints, shall cease to come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, from the earth, to be avenged of their enemies.
8 Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen. (D&C 87:1, 2, 6-8).
Nephi speaks of the fall of Babylon, teaching that the "great and abominable church, the whore of all the earth, must tumble to the earth, and great must be the fall thereof. For the kingdom of the devil must shake" (2 Nephi 28:18-19). The prophet continues with his predictions, indicating that the cry of "a bible a bible" will come from those people and organizations in control of the church of the devil, upon hearing of the restoration and additional records. That which will cause the fall of Babylon, as Nephi records, will be the restoration of those plain and precious things, contained in the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 30:3-9). The truths restored will be those that establish a relationship with the Savior and our Father in Heaven, revealing the true nature and purpose of the Godhead, and the necessity of the atonement in our daily lives. The doctrines of salvation and exaltation reveal the potential of man, and give purpose to the existence of man on an earth filled with sin, sorrow, suffering, and death. The restoration of the priesthood of God gives man the power and authority to officiate and bind on earth and heaven, the ordinances of salvation and exaltation. The covenants of the restored priesthoods provide a straight and narrow path, to the presence of God, for those willing to obey, and receive this greater glory. The revelation of truth over error, gives mankind power over Satan and the doctrines of the devil that has led astray the hearts of the children of men for centuries. The restoration of Zion shakes the very foundations of the church of the devil. His evil onslaught against the truth must increase, in a quantitative volume and in a greater wickedness that is contained within sin. This same culture existed prior to the flood in the days of Noah, and this spiritual environment led to the destruction of all wickedness, and the death (of all but eight) of the men, women and children upon the earth. The "culture" creats the accepted moral norms (not civilization) and is always the greatest threat to righteousness, and the same culture exists today, as "it was in the days of Noah" (J.S. Matthew Verse 41). Today's wicked culture is a reflection of the days of Noah, where a people take lightly the covenants of marriage which contain the ordinances of exaltation. A society where men and women commit whoredoms one with another, and become a people who "hate their own blood" (by aborting their own blood, see Moses 7:33), destroying all attitudes, morals, and principles that lead toward exaltation. Surely, this is another great day of Satan's power (Moses 7:26), and only the gospel of Jesus Christ can stop, destroy and purge the disease of Babylon that infects the hearts of mankind.