Nephi Sees His Posterity Destroyed

Today I read 1 Nephi 12 a chapter I have read many times in my life, where Nephi sees the downfall and destruction of his people.  I cannot even imagine what Nephi must have felt while watching all of this.  To see his people be as perfect as a people can be on the earth and see them in total happiness for almost 300 years.  Then to see them fall and be destroyed in less than 100 years, and all because of their own shortcomings and giving into the temptations of the devil.  If you think about it, it makes sense that the first and second generation would stay true.  These are the people that saw Jesus in person, the adults and the children that He blessed and ministered to over the course of the few days He was with them.  They knew it was true.  And so when Satan would come along to tempt them, I can see how easy it would be for them to resist and stay true.

But their children and grandchildren are once again having to live by faith and start to hear the whisperings of another way.  The story is extremely reminiscent of Adam and Eve and their posterity.  They loved the Lord and loved their parents, but they had not seen the Lord face to face like Adam and Eve had, so when Satan came among them and told them to “believe it not”, they believed it not!  It can be hard for some to believe in something they cannot see.  And yet the evidence is all around them.  How can they deny the existence of God and His influence upon the earth?  Perhaps it is easy for me to believe because I was pretty much born with a testimony.  I have always know the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be true and everything I have seen and experienced since that time has only solidified my knowledge and understanding of the Plan of Salvation. 

If only everyone would open their hearts and allow the Spirit to work on them, to not give heed to the devil.  But we know this will not happen until the Second Coming of Christ when mankind will reject the temptations of Satan and stay true to the faith and understanding of God.  In the mean time I will stay true and help my wife and child stay true also.  Until tomorrow.