16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them.
I think it is interesting how historians, even while acknowledging religious freedom as the reason certain things happen in history, such as coming and establishing America, give no credit to God for any progress made in that history. They will readily agree that Pilgrims came here so they could worship freely, according to their beliefs. But at that point religion drops out of the picture. They give no credit to God in the establishment of this country, which is something Nephi sees so clearly here.
Why would Heavenly Father allow history to play out as it has in this country? There was no place in the world where the gospel and true church of Jesus Christ could be restored. Politically and socially it just couldn’t happen. So, just as He needed to start a whole new church in order to restore one that had long been in apostasy so that his true ordinances and covenants could once more be had among men, He had to establish a new nation where that could happen.
It kind of makes me wonder whether Satan saw this one coming. He had worked so hard to rid this land of Christ’s true church by wiping out the Nephites. The Lamanites at that time were so corrupt and wicked, and yet Columbus describes a pure and wholesome people when he landed here. That’s a much different description of them than was given by Mormon and Moroni. So is it possible that Satan figured his job here was done? Did he think he could just let things run their course? It’s possible that people who do not have the fullness of the gospel also don’t have the fullness of Satan’s attention, wrath, and temptations. I’m not talking about individuals necessarily, but societies as a whole. So when Satan feels like he has won, he turns his attention elsewhere. And man, left to himself, is basically good (on the whole), or at least wants to get along with others, and gradually things get better. When the true gospel of Jesus Christ is there, so is Satan. This could explain why the whole world is in sin more and more. The gospel spreads around the world, and so does Satan’s influence. There has to be an opposition equal to the good so that people can exercise their free agency.
- D&C 101:80
No comments:
Post a Comment