Iniquity in the world: people will be woken up to this through Book of Mormon

The time we live in is a day with great iniquity. Interestingly, it is the scriptures that will help people become better, leave iniquity, and become better. Also, those that fight against the righteous in Zion will not be successful despite their best efforts.

1 But, behold, in the ^alast days, or in the days of the Gentiles—yea, behold all the nations of the Gentiles and also the Jews, both those who shall come upon this land and those who shall be upon other lands, yea, even upon all the lands of the earth, behold, they will be^bdrunken with iniquity and all manner of abominations—

2 And when that day shall come they shall be ^avisited of the Lord of Hosts, with thunder and with earthquake, and with a great noise, and with storm, and with tempest, and with the ^bflame of devouring fire.

3 And all the ^anations that ^bfight against Zion, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision; yea, it shall be unto them, even as unto a hungry man which dreameth, and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his soul is empty; or like unto a thirsty man which dreameth, and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite; yea, even so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion.

4 For behold, all ye that doeth iniquity, stay yourselves and wonder, for ye shall cry out, and cry; yea, ye shall be ^adrunken but not with wine, ye shall stagger but not with strong drink.

Notice that the words of a book written by those who already died will be a witness of God's work and will help those who are iniquitous change their ways.

6 And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall bring forth unto ^ayou the words of a ^bbook, and they shall be the words of them which have slumbered.

14 Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to bring forth the words of the book; and in the mouth of as many witnesses as seemeth him good will he establish his word; and wo be unto him that^arejecteth the word of God!

The book and the prophets who represent the Book and the Church are witnesses of God and his work. Also, the book helps people pass through sin and temptation without partaking (Helaman 3:29-30)

29 Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the ^awordof God, which is ^bquick and powerful, which shall ^cdivide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and ^dnarrow course across that everlasting ^egulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—

30 And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the ^arighthand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.

This book is a great gift to overcome iniquity and proof of God's work in our day. His words are proof of his work.

Need for witnesses - 1 John 1

I taught the Epistles of John today. I hope it went well. John starts the epistle by giving his testimony. He knew the Savior and knew he was risen (as he says, "our hands have handled") and bears testimony of him:

Here's the verses:

1 ^aThat which was from the ^bbeginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the ^cWord of life;

2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and ^ashew unto you that ^beternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

3 That which we have ^aseen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our ^bfellowship iswith the ^cFather, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

4 And these things ^awrite we unto you, that your joy may be full.

It made me think of how powerful a personal witness of something is. Below is a quote by Hugh Nibley about the power of a witness. I believe the witnesses of the Apostles and what they have written and say. I know they are honest men.

There is nothing paradoxical about the resurrection… [But many have to see it to believe it]. When falls of meteorites were reported in the eighteenth century, the learned members of the French Academy argued with perfect and unanswerable logic that such a thing simply could not be. In the spirit of the Enlightenment, Thomas Jefferson is reported to have said regarding a meteorite that fell in Connecticut in 1807, “I could more easily believe that two Yankee professors would lie than that stones would fall from heaven.” … They were convinced that what their science had not officially noted simply did not exist, and that what could not be scientifically explained—by them—was necessarily impossible…

Once the fall of meteorites was proved by witnesses in 1803, the Academy promptly shifted from complete denial to complete acceptance, and all acted as if they had never questioned such a thing for a moment. So it was with the resurrection. In a moment, Thomas changed from doubt to assurance so perfect that he was astonished and humiliated at ever having doubted anything so obvious. No matter how wildly improbable or paradoxical or utterly impossible a thing may seem to the cleverest people on earth, only by witness and not by reason, theory, or speculation may its truth be ultimately established, whether the truth be scientific or religious. “This is the testimony . . . which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him . . . and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father” (D&C 76:22-23). Compare this testimony of modern prophets with that of the ancients: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; . . . That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you.” (1 John 1:1, 3) After all, it is the testimony of the prophets that gives us the real Easter. (The World and the Prophets, 3rd ed. [Salt Lake City and Provo: Deseret Book Co., Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1987], 162.)