10 But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the Lord—having a knowledge of the creation of the earth, and all men, knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite goodness into this precious land of promise—behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them.
One thing that makes this scripture significant is the
concept of taking for granted the knowledge and blessings we receive from God.
This verse makes a list of things we have knowledge about that we wouldn’t have
without the Lord’s revelations. These include knowledge of the creation of this
world and the origins of man (which is significant partially because it points
to the Atonement), power to do all things by faith (referring at least in part
to the priesthood, or God’s power), the commandments (what amounts to a divine
rule book, teaching and preparing us to be like Him), and finally, just the
blessing of being brought to this promised land. If, after all of those
significant blessings we turn our backs on their source, God, then justice
takes over. It has to, because those who reject these things are rejecting
mercy. The system is binary. There is nothing between the two, and justice is
the default judgment. So if we reject mercy, we must take justice. If we do not
let the Savior pay for our sins, we must pay for them. Someone must make a
payment. I believe that is a law of the universe that God could not break
without losing His position as God (see Alma 42: 25). I don’t believe this
arrangement is out of meanness, it’s just the way it is.
- D&C 82: 3
- D&C 59: 21
