Today I read Doctrine and Covenants section 39 which was a revelation given to James Covill. James had been a baptist preacher but believed in Joseph Smith when he met him and agreed to do the Lord's will as revealed through Joseph. The Lord's will to James was pretty much what it has been to everyone else at this point in the Church's history. Preach the word of God and baptize by immersion.
I did think it was interesting though that the Lord states that the people in Ohio were praying that the Lord would spare the world and that the Lord would stay His hand. But as the Lord himself states, He cannot deny His word. That is the reason missionary work is so important, the word of the Lord MUST come to pass and so we must instead gather in His elect and those who know not where to find the truth before the end comes.
I did have another thought based on this section today. The Lord tells James that no man knoweth when the Lord will come. This is of course by design but I got to thinking, why would it be such a bad thing for men to know when the Lord was coming back? The answer of course is that it would change everything. Think about school kids and when the teacher has to leave the classroom for a few minutes. Think what would happen if they knew the precise minute that teacher would be back? Total chaos until about 30 seconds before the teacher returned. Well, just imagine what would happen if people knew when the Lord was going to return? The same exact thing because do not understand the gospel.
Deathbed confessions do not work because just as we have said in the past, when we die our spirits do not magically change and we do not suddenly want to live the gospel if we never did before. No, just as Amulek and Alma taught the people of Ammonihah so many years before, the same spirit that inhabits our bodies now will inhabit them then and if we don't desire the things of God now, we won't then either. People who have deathbed confessions are scared of the unknown and that is all that is happening. They have not had a change of heart and do not suddenly desire the things of God, but rather have examined their lives and do not like what they see. They remember the scriptures and what is prophesied about the wicked and what awaits them and desperately want to avoid it. So they buy into the lies that Satan has spread and think that by just saying the phrase that they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior that it will save them for an undesirable fate. How wrong they are.
So, with how many people don't understand the doctrine of true repentance, can you imagine how bad it would be if we knew the exact date when the Savior would return? There would be no test. There would be no challenge! And it would completely eclipse everything the gospel attempts to do. This life is the time to decide what it is YOU want and to prepare for an eternity of it. If you don't want an eternity of living the gospel, that is your choice. If you don't want an eternity of being surrounded by people that do drugs and drink every day, now is the time to make that choice. You can do anything you want in this life, and that is a great gift. But choose wisely, because your choice will stay with you forever! Until tomorrow.
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