Sometimes, it's easy to wonder if the final days are upon us. Prophesied are plagues, pestilences, famine, wars, earthquakes, storms in diverse places, and so on. Sounds kind of scary? Let's take a look at what the Book of Mormon has to offer. I suppose I could turn to any similar verses in the Bible or in other scripture, but the language of 1 Nephi 22 seems to match the closest to what I'd like to point out today.
After describing scenes of destruction and the like, there is this interesting promise in verse 17:
Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power, even if it so be that the fulness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be preserved, ... Wherefore, the righteous need not fear...
Okay -- I'll let you think about that. It almost seems impossible. Fire falling from the sky. Earthquakes everywhere. Storms wreaking havoc. Wars killing people. And somehow the righteous are going to be magically protected? The fire is going to know to only fall on the wicked? Earthquakes will know to swallow up only the wicked? Storms will know how to seek out the wicked?
But wait -- aren't we going through a plague right now, and isn't killing people indiscriminately? It seems to be killing Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, atheists, etc., regardless of what one believes. Is one group not getting more protection than another? Or is this one of those "the rain falls upon both the righteous and the unrighteous" situations?
Is the promise in error?
Let's look at several instances in the Bible where a destroying angel has visited.
Instance #1) The Passover -- probably the most famous example. The Lord sent a destroying angel to punish the people of Pharaoh -- to take the first-born sons. And the Lord arranged a way to protect the people of Israel.
Instance #2) The brass serpent of Moses (as I recently covered). Snakes were biting the people of Israel as a punishment for their sins. But then the Lord provided a way to survive the snakes.
Instance #3) Sodom and Gomorrah were slated to be destroyed, but the Lord saved the righteous.
Instance #4) The End Times. The Book of Revelation describes destroying angels who are commanded to torment and kill men. However, the Lord promises to save the righteous.
In each of these cases, the Lord provides a way to escape destruction, but is it enough to be righteous and/or belong to the "True Church"? Let's take a closer look.
#1) The Passover: in order to make the destroying angel pass by, the Jews had to place lamb blood at the top of their door posts. Households who failed to do so would lose their firstborn sons.
#2) The brass serpent of Moses: people were required to look up to the brass serpent to live. Those who did not were likely to die.
#3) Sodom and Gomorrah: the righteous were required to leave the city before the destruction began. Lot and his wife were the last to go, and angels came to escort him out. Anyone who happened to stay in the city perished.
#4) The End Times: to survive the destroying angels, each person will have to have the "seal of God in their foreheads."
Do you see a pattern? In each case, belonging, or being chosen, alone, was not enough to save the people. Each person had to take actions in order to survive. And get this -- those who did not belong and who happened to follow the instructions would also survive.
And it will be the same in the End Times. Those who follow the required actions will have no need to fear.
But how do we know what actions we'll have to take? The Lord will let us know when the time comes. 1 Nephi 22 gives this answer in verse 20:
Again in verse 22: "the righteous need not fear, for they are those who shall not be confounded."And the Lord will surely prepare a way for his people ... : A prophet [Jesus Christ] shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. ...
And again -- we see that same pattern. We will need to take action, and that action is to Hear Him. Those who listen will be guided into safety.
Finally, we can come back to our current plague and take a closer look. What have today's "prophets" been saying?
I'll start with my own church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). Several times, the First Presidency, and even the Prophet, President Nelson, have urged us to get vaccinated, wear masks, and to follow the recommendations of medical experts and leaders. In particular, President Nelson had urged vaccinations as early as January 2021, calling the vaccines a "godsend," and then reiterated with the First Presidency in an official statement in August 2021.
Catholic Church: the Pope has urged vaccinations, calling them an "act of love." He has also declared the shots to be "morally acceptable for Catholics."
Southern Baptist Convention: the President got vaccinated in April and stated that "these vaccines are cause ... to celebrate and give thanks to God," and said that vaccines would get churches full again sooner rather than later.
Presbyterian Church -- General Assembly: calls on its members to "seek the good of the city" and "to love the Lord your God ... and your neighbor as yourself" and get vaccinated.
United Methodists: vaccines are opportunities to love your neighbors. The UMC leadership wish to give people information and empower them to understand how to protect themselves, their families, congregation, and community.
Jewish Leaders: The Rabbinical Assembly states that Jews are obligated to vaccinate themselves and their children.
The Dalai Lama: urged people to "be brave and get vaccinated."
American Muslims: All tools to fight Covid19 should be employed. The vaccines are deemed permissible. Allowing the disease to spread unchecked is against Sharia law as it risks the lives of people.
And so on ... I think you get the idea. Practically all major religions are consistent with the same message: "do these things and survive." In particular, vaccines are approved and/or urged by most religions. As God sends His guidance on how to navigate through this pandemic, the message is clear.
Who have been surviving? Those who follow all of this counsel. Not just the religious, but even atheists who have been following the same guidance. This includes, most recently, those who have gotten vaccinated. And before that -- those who have worn masks, practiced social distancing, cooperated with contact tracers, and so on. The numbers are very clear -- those who follow these instructions are coming out very well -- most are avoiding hospitals and death.
So, it turns out that the Lord's promise is still with us after all! Sure, the rain still falls on both the righteous and the unrighteous, but why shouldn't the righteous fear? Because God gives us umbrellas with instructions on how to use them. Those who follow need not fear because they are following the Lord's instructions, and they are prepared. And not only that -- they are also not confounded. That is, while others are confused, the righteous can see with simplicity and clarity.
As the End Times approach, this pandemic is just one test -- something to warm us up. Are we willing to follow the promptings of our religious leaders as the Lord sends us these tribulations? Or will we choose to go all on our own and hope for the best? Wouldn't it be great to navigate the End Times with knowledge and clarity?
The choice is up to us. As long as we follow the Lord and His instructions, we will indeed have no reason to fear.
