The Sad Lot of Prophets in Days of Old

It sure doesn't pay to be a prophet in the old days, have you ever noticed that? Today I read Ether 11. And once again the Jaredites are so wicked that a huge war breaks out reducing their civilization back to just a handful of people. But before the war broke out, the Lord sent His prophets as He always does to tell them of the impending destruction that is hanging over their heads.

And just like seems to happen 90% of the time with prophets in the olden days the people rejected the prophets for their words and even killed them. Now, of course I understand that in the eternal scheme of things it does not matter that the prophets were killed because this life is not the end and to die doing what the Lord has asked of us is the best way to go. We know that those prophets who have met their end while testifying to the people as the Lord had asked them to do returned to their God.

However, despite an eternal outlook of things I am very glad that our prophets are safe in this day and age. Even though I know that if someone were to kill President Monson he would return swiftly back to our Heavenly Father where he would be welcomed with open arms, it would be extremely sad for all of us here as we dearly love our prophet and all the Apostles. So in that regard I am very glad that I live in this day and age.

The rest of chapter 11 is a continuation of the history of the Jaredites as told through the line of Jared and Ether. It is very repititous as is honestly true of all human history. Except for a small percentage it would seem that the vast majority of mankind does what it wants to and does not repent unless faced with some sort of calamity such as the terrorist incident that happened here in America on September 11, 2001. That really jolted America into being more religious and aware of its own people but it only lasted a few years. It seems sad to me that the work of these great men who kept these scriptures all these thousands of years would go to waste on so many people who won't learn the lessons of ages past and instead continue in their same old rut refusing to accept the things of God and repent and choose instead to follow Him. They listen to the whisperings of Satan and think they are happy when they are being cheated down to Hell.

Wickedness never was happiness the scriptures teach us, and they are right. When people live a life of debauchery, if you see them during the wee hours of the night when they are not engaging in sin, the are sad. At night when I lie down to go to sleep, I am happy and content with my life, living the gospel with my wife and daughter. The Gospel is the only road to happiness. Learn from the mistakes of the past that we read in the scriptures and choose happiness. Choose the Gospel and choose eternal life. Until tomorrow.