1 Nephi |
Revelation |
Isaiah |
1 Nephi 13:Verse 7 And I also saw gold, and silver, and silks, and scarlets, and fine-twined linen, and all manner of precious clothing; and I saw many harlots. 1 Nephi 13:Verse 8 And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the gold, and the silver, and the silks, and the scarlets, and the fine-twined linen, and the precious clothing, and the harlots, are the desires of this great and abominable church. 1 Nephi 13:Verse 9 And also for the praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God, and bring them down into captivity. |
Revelation 17:Verse 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Revelation 18:Verse 7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. |
Isaiah 14:Verse 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: Isaiah 14:Verse 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Isaiah 14:Verse 18 All the kings of the nations, [even] all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. |
The church of the devil exists because of the "enmity that was placed between Satan and the offspring of Adam and Eve (Moses 4:21). It is with this "enmity" and the pride of man, that Satan will obtain his power by using the wealth of this world where he sits as god. With this wealth, and pride, Satan can purchase the morality and justice of government and religious leaders, armies and navies, and reign as god of this world with wickedness and violence in this, the great day of his power.
Cain tells the Lord, after the murder of Abel his brother, that "Satan tempted me because of my brother's flocks" (Moses 5:38). For this reason, Satan seeks the "gold and the silver" of the earth, that he may use the pride of mankind to accomplish his goals. Cain "gloried in his wickedness" and in the murder of his brother claiming, the title of "Master Mahan," the keeper of the secret that he "may murder and get gain" (Moses 5:31). It is the pride of man that gives Satan his power, and Babylon exists only, because mankind seeks to satisfy that pride. Mormon declares that destruction came upon the Nephite nation, because Satan understands the power of pride, and that it will lead to wickedness. "Now the cause of this iniquity of the people was this--Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world. And thus Satan did lead away the hearts of the people to do all manner of iniquity" (3 Nephi 6:15-16).
Zion and Babylon each have the elements of power, which can exalt or damn mankind. These elements of power are, the "Motive, Justification, Method, and a Virtue". However, the
"means to the end" of the power of exaltation or the doctrines of damnation are quite different.
| Satan | God | |
| Motive | Personal Gain | Consecration |
| Justification | Competition | Love |
| Method | Violence | Upheavals of Nature |
| Virtue | Denial of Guilt | Repentance |
To understand "Babylon," it must be stressed again, that Satan's power will come to him because of pride in the hearts of men. According to Mormon, this "pride" is appeased by 'power, authority, riches, and the vain things of the world.' There lies within the heart of every individual, an inherent emotion, with a capacity to exalt or damn. That emotion, when controlled is the exalting power of "humility," and when uncontrolled it becomes the destructive force of pride. The common denominator between pride, and humility is the control of the physical body. The needs and desires of this temporal body, may be controlled by the spirit, or by the "lusts of the flesh." Paul teaches this concept so well in the Book of Galatians: "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness" (Galatians 5:16-19).
The power of the atonement in our life, can only come by the control of the spirit over the physical body. The atonement of Jesus Christ is offered, and can answer the ends of the law, "unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered" (2 Nephi 2:7). Lehi discusses the flesh, and the power that Satan acquires, because of our physical body, teaching, that we are free to choose "liberty and eternal life" when in control of our flesh, or "captivity and death according to the captivity and power of the devil" (2 Nephi 2:27). This "power of the devil" is "according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, and bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom" (2 Nephi 2:29). Thus, Satan receives his power by the pride of mankind, seeking to satisfy the lusts and desires of the flesh, and Babylon, the church of the devil is organized and exists to service that pride, "deceive the elect" and destroy all righteousness. Consequently, to gain control over mankind, the founder of the church of the devil seeks to acquire the gold and silver of the earth, to purchase through pride and the lusts of the flesh, the hearts, minds and spirits of the children of God.