We are reading about the vision Nephi had when he inquired of the Lord to know the meaning of his father’s dream. We have studied this in several installments, as it’s very in-depth and he was shown a great many things. To my mind, this is a perfect example of the Lord answering a faithful prayer. He has told us that He will answer us when we ask in faith. Sometimes that answer comes later, and sometimes He answers with a great deal of knowledge, just as he did for Nephi.
13. And it came to pass that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together multitudes upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God.
As we’ve discussed in previous Scripture Studies, this mother of abominations refers to the church of the devil, to which any person who does not follow Christ belongs. This “fight” we read about can be either a physical fight, as the followers suffer persecution for their beliefs, or, and most commonly, it can be a spiritual fight as people decide once and for all where they stand. Both types of fighting are equally painful and equally as dangerous.
14. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.
When I read this, I’m reminded of the battle scenes in some of our great fantasy movies, where good and evil are both preparing to go to battle. They have weapons and they have armor, but in the end, it’s their strength of character that wins them the day.
15. And it came to pass that I beheld that the wrath of God was poured out upon that great and abominable church, insomuch that there were wars and rumors of wars among all the nations and kindreds of the earth.
We are truly seeing this in our day. Not every war is based on religion, but take a look at what’s going on in the Middle East – much of that is because of religion and people’s desires to worship the way they see fit.
16. And as there began to be wars and rumors of wars among all the nations which belonged to the mother of abominations, the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold, the wrath of God is upon the mother of harlots; and behold, thou seest all these things—
I’m unsure as to the “nations” that belong to the mother of harlots. I believe that there are people in every nation who belong to the church of the devil just as there are people in every land that belong to the church of the Lamb. As I read this, I wonder if “nation” is more symbolic than literal – I think we’d be hard put to find an entire nation of wicked people. There’s just too much diversity in the world.
17. And when the day cometh that the wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots, which is the great and abominable church of all the earth, whose founder is the devil, then, at that day, the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel.
So when we see these things come to pass, this is not a time to fear. These things are all preparatory for the Second Coming, and when we are tempted to be afraid, we can rejoice, knowing that all these things merely mean that our Savior is that much closer to coming.
From today’s reading: What can we do to turn our fear into hope?
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