Chapter 25—The Sieve of Destruction
All things (the tares and wheat, the crooked and straight, the wicked and righteous) will be measured and judged. Our thoughts, words, and deeds expose our soul, testifying as to which laws we will obey and what degree of glory we can abide.
In the end “shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be left to other people” (Daniel 2:44). “Keys of the kingdom of God” must be retained because “from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth until it has filled the whole earth” (D&C 65:2). It is not a church but Christ’s gospel that rolls forth so we must defend “religious rights and worship” at all cost.
Jesus Christ is the cornerstone, the stone they refused, “the stone which was set at nought” by those who built their temple and their gospel, not His. The Hebrew word maas in Psalm 118:22 tells that Christ is rejected, spurned, abhorred, despised, loathed, and held in contempt—anciently and today.
Jesus said unto them, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner. This is the Lord’s doings and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. For whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will ground him to powder . . . I am the stone and those wicked ones reject me. (JST Matthew 21:44–46, 51)Jesus prophesied that those who had His gospel would “fall” and “be broken” because they failed to uphold it. “The kingdom of God shall be taken from them and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (JST Matthew 21:52–53).
Instead of righteousness and knowledge, He finds oppression, extravagance, error, and lives consumed by business or gain. They are financially savvy but not spiritually prepared. “They regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands. Therefore, my people . . . have no knowledge” (2 Nephi 15:12–13). Without knowledge and because they “call not upon the Lord,” they are “workers of iniquity” (Psalm 14:4). Damning rebuke is to all who serve in higher places but have “sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger” (2 Kings 17:17). Refusing Christ, the stone, brought despair and destruction to the Jews. The same fate awaits Gentiles in the last days.
And when the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, he will destroy those miserable, wicked men and will let again his vineyard unto other husbandmen, even in the last days, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons. And then understood they . . . that the Gentiles shall be destroyed also when the Lord should descend out of heaven to reign in his vineyard. (JST Matthew 21:55–56)Joseph confirmed, “We shall be scattered and driven, gathered again, and then dispersed, reestablished and driven abroad and so on until the Ancient of days shall sit and the kingdom and power thereof shall then be given to the Saints and they shall possess it forever and ever.” God’s “kingdom will not be broken up,” although its power can be refused by those to whom it is offered. If God has not removed our condemnation, His kingdom is not with us.
This kingdom “that became a great mountain” is not an institutional one. If they receive the fulness, the restored church “may become a great mountain and fill the whole earth,” but to obtain it they must “come forth out of the wilderness of darkness and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners; and be adorned as a bride for that day” (D&C 109:72–74).
The life of heaven wishes to renew all so that he may cast out what is weak and every dark form, that everyone may shine forth with great brilliance in heavenly garments in order to make manifest the command of the Father.God’s elect are ready for Christ’s return, sanctified and “prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion” (D&C 136:31). This is God’s “kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to other people. It will crush all those kingdoms” of men “and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever” (Daniel 2:44, NIV). Because they fully provoked God, man’s kingdom will lose its earthly dominion.
The foundation of His great and marvelous work still to come forth has been established but Joseph Smith knew that the work was not finished at the Restoration, saying, “I calculate to be one of the instruments in setting up the kingdom of Daniel by the word of the Lord, and I intend to lay a foundation that will revolutionize the whole world.” The Lord confirmed that Joseph was “laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (D&C 64:33).
Nephi prophesied that “the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed” (1 Nephi 22:8). “Even among the Gentiles shall there be a great and marvelous work wrought by them before that judgment day” (3 Nephi 28:32). Have we fulfilled this obligation? If not, God will “bring cursings, wrath, indignation, and judgments” (D&C 124:48).
“Good for Nothing”
Salt that lost its savor. “When men are called unto mine everlasting gospel and covenant with an everlasting covenant, they are accounted as the salt of the earth and the savors of men” (D&C 101:39). Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount defines “the salt of the earth” as those who are poor in spirit; mourn their shortcomings; are meek; hunger and thirst after righteousness; and are merciful, pure in heart, and persecuted for His sake (Matthew 5:3–12).
Salt has antiseptic properties and is also a condiment, powerful antidote, and indispensable component of worship. A token of friendship or peace, it can reverse curses in scripture (2 Kings 2:20–21). When accompanied by covenant, salt represents a permanent unalterable bond, a tie to the perpetual covenant. By “a covenant of salt forever” God covenanted with Aaron and his sons to receive priesthood blessings (Numbers 18:19) and with David’s posterity to have rights and privileges to reign as royalty (2 Chronicles 13:5). Salt binds the covenant of priest and king so we must not “suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking” (Leviticus 2:13).
By definition, savor perceptibly affects taste or smell to make it delightful, acceptable, or valuable. Paul relates savor to salvation and knowledge of God. We retain savor by becoming pure, holy, and unspotted from the world. Salt symbolizes purity, incorruption, and enduring covenants. “You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves,” Jesus said (Mark 9:50, NLT).
Salt’s flavor is tarnished by outside influence or contamination. “Salt is good, but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out” (Luke 14:34–35). Jesus’s warning “is not the calm assurance . . . that the church of God cannot fail and all will be well. He knows differently—the salt can lose its savor and be thrown out” if tainted. He speaks to those who “were already members of the church; it was another kingdom for which they strove,” a higher kingdom that comes at great price.
The faithful know that “much tribulation” is required to “enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Priesthood power comes from accepted sacrifice and faithful suffering. “Men have to suffer that they may come upon Mount Zion and be exalted above the heavens.” The elect endure a long process of refinement and overcome hellish trials or persecution. Eternal glory requires it. “They that desire to see Me, and to attain unto My kingdom, must lay hold on Me through tribulation and affliction” (Barnabas 7:11).
Enduring opposition allows His servants to testify firsthand of the wickedness that justifies penalties. When “saviors shall come up to Mount Zion to judge . . . the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.” All who “receive a fulness” (D&C 93:12–17) and have “Priesthood restored unto them . . . shall be ‘the saviors on Mount Zion’, the ministers of our God.” But “no man is a minister of Jesus Christ without being a prophet,” which requires “the testimony of Jesus.” All who desire this testimony must expect resistance (Revelation 19:10, 12:17).
In 1833 saints were “cast out from the land of their inheritance” (D&C 101:1) by their enemies. God allows those who are not faithful to remain on His land for a time because at this time Zion was an invitation, not a right or a reality. God hoped they would choose to live its laws, but they were unwilling. Subsequent generations have distanced themselves even farther from Zion.
[We must] go to work and improve our time, and make use of the seals while they are on earth. The Saints have not too much time . . . before the earth will be smitten and the consumption decreed falls upon the world.
I would advise all the Saints to go with their might and gather together all their living relatives to this place, that they may be sealed and saved, that they may be prepared against the day that the destroying angel goes forth; and if the whole Church should go to with all their might to save their dead, seal their posterity, and gather their living friends, and spend none of their time in behalf of the world, they would hardly get through before night would come, when no man can work; and my only trouble at the present time is concerning ourselves, that the Saints will be divided, broken up, and scattered before we get our salvation secure.Instead of gathering, most will “return again to their own place to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received” (D&C 88:32). “If they will not turn unto me and hearken unto my voice . . . they shall be as salt that hath lost its savor, which is good for nothing” (3 Nephi 16:15).
Saviors do not corrupt His gospel. Only those with priesthood power will “be the saviors of men” (D&C 103:10). Though called to be the saviors of men, Gentiles must achieve it. Instead, today’s Gentiles have been “found transgressors” (D&C 101:41).
For they were set to be a light unto the world and to be the saviors of men; and inasmuch as they are not the saviors of men, they are as salt that has lost its savor, and is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. (D&C 103:9–10)They trample it under their feet. God sent the “everlasting covenant into the world to be a light to the world and to be a standard for my people” but we must “seek to it” (D&C 45:9). By tempting us to pursue our own ways, Satan “got great hold upon the hearts” of the people “insomuch that they had become exceedingly wicked; yea, the more part of them had turned out of the way of righteousness and did trample under their feet the commandments of God, and did turn unto their own ways and did build up unto themselves idols of their gold and their silver” (Helaman 6:31). Precious truths and eternal covenants are “set at naught,” or trampled, when we turn to men and “hearken not to the voice of His counsels” (1 Nephi 19:7).
Jesus warns against giving “that which is holy” to the unworthy “lest they trample” or treat it lightly (Matthew 7:6). The priesthood is rebuked for seeking counsel from their own instead of hearkening to Him.
For the things which some men esteem to be of great worth, both to the body and soul, others set at naught and trample under their feet. Yea, even the very God of Israel do men trample under their feet; I say, trample under their feet but I would speak in other words—they set him at naught and hearken not to the voice of his counsels. (1 Nephi 19:7)Loving “vain things of the world” causes us to “lay aside these things and trample” Him (Alma 5:53). “When he doth prosper his people, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One.” Even “at the very time when he doth prosper his people . . . doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people,” they “trampled under their feet the laws” He gave. “They had become a wicked people” (Helaman 12:2, 4:22), having “turned from their righteousness.”
Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet? And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet. (Ezekiel 34:18–19)Waters are fouled by error, misunderstanding, rebellion, and blindness. Their feet are unclean from trampling sacred things. Joseph knew that “the muddy stream of tradition” and superstition are “oftentimes in the way of the prosperity of this Church . . . Spiritual wickedness in high places . . . [pours] a flood of dirt and mire and filthiness and vomit upon our heads . . . [It] floods the most pure and crystal stream with mire, and dirt, and filthiness, and obscures everything that was clear before.” Impure doctrine and unholy ways result in priests’ having “tables full of vomit and filthiness” (Isaiah 28:8). Only Christ can cleanse this filth.
Recompense will come hard. God sends assailants “against a hypocritical nation” who will “tread them down like the mire of the streets” (Isaiah 10:6). Mire causes us to sink, not stand. “Miry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt” (Ezekiel 47:11). Unholy land will become a desolate land of salt, like Sodom.
“Those who are named as being baptized in our Lord and as confessing his name shall be more miserable than all men; and they shall trample on the faith and talk perversely and divide our Lord.” Speaking of judgment still to come, he continued,
There shall be reckoned many teachers [but] the Spirit of the Lord does not speak in them, and they shall divide our Lord; and the father of lies and the calumniator, that is, Satan, shall enter into them and disturb their minds; and their faith shall fail . . . They shall seek our Lord and shall not find him, and they will call to him and he will not answer them.
And the Lord will deliver them to evils and to misery and to wrath and to pillage and to tribute, until they shall ask death for themselves and shall not find a saviour, and they shall be enraged and blaspheme against God, and they shall say, ‘Because we have the superior knowledge of God on this account the more have evils tracked out steps’; but the few who shall be scattered in the countries, who confess the Son in the way that is right for them to do, of these the Lord shall supply their needs; but those who do not believe in him and who are called baptized people . . . the destroyer shall deliver them up to devastation, and to misery . . . Judgment shall go forth, and they shall bring upon them all these evils.Those who trample God will be trampled, just as those who dig the pit are cast into it at the end. “Thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day but doth speedily drag them down to hell” (Alma 30:60). By gathering the wicked “into the pit,” God can “set glory in the land” (Ezekiel 26:20).
As for the unfaithful, “things which are sacred shall be taken away from you by the power of God, and ye shall be delivered up unto Satan, that he may sift you as chaff before the wind” (Alma 37:15). Satan wants “to have you that he might sift you like wheat” (Luke 22:31), keeping us in turmoil and despair. God will also “sift the nations with the sieve of destruction,” utter ruin (Isaiah 30:28, ESV). “This is no ordinary sieve which casteth away the chaff only but . . . a sieve which should shake them so long and so vehemently as to cast away all together and to make a full end of them.” Mormon witnessed the same among his people.
For behold, the Spirit of the Lord hath already ceased to strive with their fathers; and they are without Christ and God in the world; and they are driven about as chaff before the wind . . . But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they. (Mormon 5:16, 18)Just as the wicked tread upon Him, in the end the unrepentant are trodden down. Recall that this was the explicit penalty for not living the law of consecration: whoever “shall break the covenant with which ye are bound, he shall be cursed in his life and shall be trodden down by whom I will” (D&C 104:5).
Enoch warned the foolish that “blessings shall not be your portion.” For “all things have been made ready for you for the day of destruction. Hope not to be saved, ye sinners . . . Ye shall be given over into the hands of the righteous” and not spared.
Do ye suppose that ye can get rid of the justice of an offended God, who hath been trampled under feet of men? (3 Nephi 28:35)“I will suffer my people, O house of Israel, that they shall go through among them and shall tread them down” (3 Nephi 16:15). Jacob’s remnant “shall be among the Gentiles in the midst” (Micah 5:8). Christ, quoting this to Lehi’s descendants on this land, said, “Then shall ye, who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest” (3 Nephi 20:16). They will “marshal themselves” and “vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation” (D&C 87:5).
Enemies will also “trample the land of His chosen ones . . . as a threshing-floor and a beaten path” (1 Enoch 56:6). A threshing floor is heavily trampled, tearing grain from its stalks. A flail is a hand instrument used for threshing. The Egyptian god Osiris was often depicted with a flail in one hand and a shepherd’s crook in the other—symbols of judgment, royal power, and authority.
The threshing process is symbolic and significant. Collected grain is thrown into the air and wind blows the chaff away. Straw falls at a distance while useful grain falls at the feet of a winnower who cleanses and sieves it for use. After winnowing on open-air floors, the wheat still must be separated from dust, crushed straw, damaged pieces, or bitter tares. Much work is required to prepare it. A woman vigorously shakes the sieve in a slanted position until the remaining chaff is on top. She “jerks it up and down for a length of time, blowing across the top of it all the while with great force. In a word, she turns herself into a regular winnowing machine!” Imperfect grains fall through the sieve, good wheat is gathered, and remaining impurities can be easily removed.
The Lord promises to sift the house of Israel among all the nations, as wheat is sifted in a sieve, “but not a pebble will fall to the ground” (Amos 9:9). God separates the pure from chaff through a sieve of affliction. A believer is “shaken in a sieve that he may mistrust self, place his hope in God, and the dust of vain glory may be shaken off. He is proved, that it may appear whether he cleave to God for the reward of present enjoyment or for . . . the glory of God.”
The righteous claim their land of inheritance as their holy feet tread on it. “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you” (Joshua 1:3). It “shall be yours” and none will “be able to stand before you” in an overwhelming judgment that awaits the wicked (Deuteronomy 11:24–25). “Ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 4:3). It is justified for “the earth is defiled by its people. They have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant” that maintains order (Isaiah 24:5, NIV). They “changed the ordinances” (KJV) or “overstepped decrees” (HCSB).
The Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it. He will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants—it will be the same for priest as for people . . . The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. (Isaiah 24:1–3, NIV)“A curse consumes the earth. Its people must bear their guilt.” They have “set at nought the ancient covenant” (Isaiah 24:6, NIV, 5, Gileadi) and failed to honor His laws. “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them” (Galatians 3:10). “There are none to deliver you; for ye obeyed not my voice when I called to you out of the heavens. Ye believed not my servants and when they were sent unto you, ye received them not” (D&C 133:71).
Hewn Down
Jacob grieved that those with His gospel fail to access its power. “After ye have been nourished by the good word of God all the day long, will ye bring forth evil fruit, that ye must be hewn down and cast into the fire? Behold, will ye reject these words . . . and deny the good word of Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption, which hath been laid for you?” (Jacob 6:7–8).
[That men] ‘shall be hewn down and cast into the fire,’ being equally as applicable to God’s people in these days as to His people in the days in which it was spoken, is very impressive and should be retained in every mind. Every heart should reflect upon it, and everyone should inquire, ‘Am I a subject for the burning, or am I bearing good fruit?’ To answer these questions satisfactorily we must be instructed in the things of God so that we may understand our duties and know what God requires of us, we must become acquainted with the Kingdom of Heaven and the fruits thereof.
People of olden times, to whom this saying of the Savior was addressed, were a peculiar people. They and their fathers before them for many generations had claimed to be the people of God. To their forefathers God had sent His prophets, revealed His word, and He had made His covenant with them, and had blessed them with many blessings. Yet in the days of the Savior, as a nation, they had apostatized and had fallen from their high position; they had become divided into sects and parties, proud, covetous, self-righteous and very conceited; and the Savior pronounced many woes upon them.Once a high priest in a religion that became perverse, Alma awoke to truth and cried “with a mighty voice, Repent, for except ye repent ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of heaven . . . Come ye out from the wicked and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things” (Alma 5:51, 57).
Wo unto all ye workers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it! Wo unto such a one, for he is not prepared, and the time is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved! Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you. Yea, he saith: Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely. Yea, come unto me and bring forth works of righteousness, and ye shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire—for behold, the time is at hand that whosoever bringeth forth not good fruit, or whosoever doeth not the works of righteousness, the same have cause to wail and mourn. (Alma 5:32–36)Receiving eternal life or being hewn down depends on our works. When the season to work ends, damning judgments destroy that which cannot, or will not, bear fruit. The Nephites faced complete destruction by forsaking the right way to God. “I saw that the day of grace was passed with them both temporally and spiritually; for I saw thousands of them hewn down in open rebellion against their God” (Mormon 2:15). Those who “breathe out wrath and strifes against the work of the Lord” or attempt to “destroy the work of the Lord . . . the same is in danger to be hewn down and cast into the fire; for the eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled” (Mormon 8:21–22).
And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in it. But if it be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil, verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and they are hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence there is no return.
For their works do follow them, for it is because of their works that they are hewn down; therefore remember the things that I have told you . . . I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works. (3 Nephi 27:10–12, 14)In spite of plentiful warnings, many refuse to believe that they need to repent. They are “overcome of the world,” “will not hear” or “hearken to the voice of the Lord” (D&C 50:8, 1:14, 133:63). “All ye that will persist in your wickedness, I say unto you that these are they who shall be hewn down and cast into the fire, except they speedily repent” (Alma 5:56). “The ax is laid at the root of the trees; and every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire. I, the Lord, have spoken it” (D&C 97:7). To be hewn is to be cut off “from the presence of the Lord” (Alma 50:20). Only “they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived . . . shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day” (D&C 45:57).
The vineyard became corrupt again. “Let us go to and hew down the trees of the vineyard and cast them into the fire, that they shall not cumber the ground of my vineyard, for I have done all” possible. “What could I have done more in my vineyard? Have I slackened mine hand that I have not nourished it? Nay . . . It grieveth me that I should hew down all the trees of my vineyard and cast them into the fire that they should be burned. Who is it that has corrupted my vineyard?” A wise servant knew it was “the loftiness . . . They grew faster than the strength of the roots, taking strength unto themselves” (Jacob 5:49, 47–48). Lofty refers to proud and exalted leaders “of high rank.” Apostles and leaders are warned against such sin.
Those tasked to maintain His vineyard failed to perform their duty well. He “shall lop the bough with terror, and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down and the haughty shall be humbled” (Isaiah 10:33). “If the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches . . . Because of unbelief they were broken off . . . Be not high-minded, but fear: for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee” (Romans 11:16, 20–21).
Having “cast away” and “despised” His law (Isaiah 5:24–25), punishment will come. Not only will priest and people suffer, but temples, altars, and priesthood power will be “cut off and fall to the ground” (Amos 3:14). “As they were unfaithful they did not prosper nor progress in their journey, but were driven back and incurred the displeasure of God upon them . . . to stir them up in remembrance of their duty” (Mosiah 1:17).
Wo unto this people . . . Hear and know of the judgments of God which do await you because of your iniquities . . . Whosoever repenteth the same is not hewn down and cast into the fire; but whosoever repenteth not is hewn down and cast into the fire; and there cometh upon them a spiritual death, yea, a second death, for they are cut off again as to things pertaining to righteousness. (Helaman 15:3, 14:11, 18)Those of the spiritual second death are overcome by “the power of the devil.” “When a man begins to be an enemy to this work . . . he gets the spirit of the devil—the same spirit that they had who crucified the Lord of Life—the same spirit that sins against the Holy Ghost. You cannot save such persons; you cannot bring them to repentance. They make open war, like the devil, and awful is the consequence.” They persecute true believers but ultimately destroy their own souls.
All those who know my power, and have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves through the power of the devil (1) to be overcome and (2) to deny the truth and (3) defy my power—they are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom I say that it had been better for them never to have been born . . . There is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come—(4) having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and (5) having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, (6) having crucified him unto themselves and put him to an open shame.
These are they who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone with the devil and his angels—and the only ones on whom the second death shall have any power. Yea, verily, the only ones who shall not be redeemed in the due time of the Lord, after the sufferings of his wrath. [He] saves all the works of his hands, except those sons of perdition who deny the Son after the Father has revealed him . . . They shall go away into everlasting punishment, which is endless punishment, which is eternal punishment, to reign with the devil and his angels in eternity, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, which is their torment. (D&C 76:31–32, 34–38, 43–44, numerals added)Perdition means utter loss of soul, a punishment reserved for those who perform the most evil deeds. Cain sought gain, refused to repent, and “gloried in his wickedness” (Moses 5:31). Because “the heavens wept over him,” Cain is called Perdition, “the father of Satan’s lies.” Even “the power of Elijah cannot seal against this sin” of falling away, “crucifying the Son of God afresh, and put[ting] Him to an open shame.”
His servants labor diligently to warn all “that ye may not bring down his wrath upon you, that ye may not be bound down by the chains of hell, that ye may not suffer the second death” (Alma 13:30).
He that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more return, because of the justice of the Father. (3 Nephi 27:17)
“I will send forth hail.” With His law revealed, the Lord “set before you this day a blessing and a curse” (Deuteronomy 11:26), a choice of righteousness or ruin. The ark of the covenant was put in a valley between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal, lands given to Joseph of Egypt’s sons. Although close in proximity, a stark contrast existed between Gerizim’s fertile ground and Ebal’s barren land. Six tribes stood on Gerizim, a mount of blessing, and the other six tribes stood on Ebal, a mount of cursing. As priests read the Law, all shouted “Amen!” to its blessings and “Amen!” to penalties if the covenant is broken. With “heaven and earth” as their witness, “cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of the law by doing them” (Deuteronomy 27:26, 30:19, ESV).
God has power to exalt or curse, to create or destroy. Only the faithful are sealed His “for they are not all Israel which are of Israel” (Romans 9:6). Birth lineage, making covenants, or being born to those who made covenants is no guarantee that we will be called or chosen.
How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of mercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor and the riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye would not! (D&C 43:25)Enoch knew that nature’s elements functioned “in accordance with the great oath of the Name that bound them together, the many functioning as One.” That power is manifest in whirlwinds, fire, water, or hail. Eager to imitate, Satan too has “mighty winds . . . shafts in the whirlwind . . . hail and his mighty storm” to distract from our duties (Helaman 5:12). God warned this land anciently, “I will send forth hail among them and it shall smite them” (Mosiah 12:6). Rebellious Egypt had “a very grievous hail” (Exodus 9:18). It is prophesied to occur again.
“Hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies” (KJV) that tell us we are secure in our sins. Lies will fail and those hiding places that we trust to cover us will be exposed then destroyed as truth is revealed that we “inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit” (Jeremiah 16:19).
I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Since your refuge is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, a flood will sweep it away. (Isaiah 28:17, NLT)
As a whirlwind. Though priests built “many altars to take away sin, these very altars became places for sinning! Even though I gave them all my laws, they act as if those laws don’t apply to them . . . [They] love their rituals of sacrifice, but to me their sacrifices are all meaningless. I will hold my people accountable for their sins” (Hosea 8:11–13, NLT).
Which of them has stood in the council of the Lord to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word? See, the storm of the Lord will burst out in wrath, a whirlwind swirling down on the heads of the wicked.
The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart. In days to come you will understand it clearly. I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message. (Jeremiah 23:18–21, NIV)The Dead Sea Scrolls tie this violent wind to words of a ‘spouter of lies’ who “kindled God’s wrath on all his” followers too. Their lies—including that salvation is theirs and Zion is prospering—“strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way by promising him life” (Ezekiel 13:22). Their Zion, ‘the city in which you prophesied false prophecies,’ will be visited by His wrath. “The Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire” (Isaiah 66:15–16).
Because they have prophesied falsehood and because they have led My people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, they are like one who builds a flimsy wall and plasters it with plain mud not mixed with straw. Say to him who builds a flimsy wall . . . it shall fall. Now, there shall be an overpowering deluge of rain, and hailstones shall come down, and a powerful windstorm shall split it . . .
I will bring a king who is as mighty as a powerful windstorm in my fury, and nations as murderous as an overpowering deluge of rain shall come because of My anger, and kingdoms which are as hard as hailstones, in anger, to destroy it. And I will break down the city in which you prophesied false prophecies and will cast it to the ground so that its foundation will be uncovered; it shall fall, and you shall be destroyed within it; and you shall know that I am the Lord. Then My anger shall be accomplished on the city and on the false prophets . . . [who were] leading her astray with a doctrine of peace when there was no peace . . . [They] are prophesying according to their own wishful thinking.They proclaim peace but there is none. In 1839 Joseph said, “Some may have cried peace, but the Saints and the world will have little peace from henceforth.” Peace is a blessing of Melchizedek priesthood, but its power is not with them: “there is no peace for the wicked” (Isaiah 48:22, NLT). Priests claim this power but failed to obtain it. Believing they, their church, and nation cannot fall, God will expose their error.
“The Lord is slow to anger but great in power. The Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet” (Nahum 1:3, NIV). “The whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind. It shall fall with pain upon” them (Jeremiah 30:23). Ephraim “exalted himself” and “sin[s] more and more.” They will be “as the chaff that is driven [out] with the whirlwind” for they have forsaken Him. “They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind” (Hosea 8:7, NLT).
Vengeance “as a whirlwind” first comes to the ungodly who claim His name and power but have damaged His gospel and kingdom. Their whirlwind of lies and false doctrines do vengeance to His house, making it unholy. From those entrusted to care for His flock, error has gone forth. Their devout followers no longer seek God and are “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness” (Ephesians 4:14).
Darkness covereth the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt before my face. Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord. And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord. First among those among you, saith the Lord, who have (1) professed to know my name and (2) have not known me, and (3) have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house. (D&C 112:23–26, numerals added)This wind (spirit) signifies an influx of truth and understanding but, having refused it, they are lost but unaware. “The wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them” (JST Isaiah 41:16) in an instant (2 Nephi 26:18). The wind of God’s breath, ruach (H7307), with rapid breathing from anger, “carries everything away. It sweeps nations to destruction and puts an end to their evil plans” (Isaiah 30:28, Good News). “For the day of my visitation cometh speedily, in an hour when ye think not of; and where shall be the safety of my people and refuge for those who shall be left of them?” (D&C 124:10). Warning came,
The Saints ought to lay hold of every door . . . and be making all the preparation that is within their power for the terrible storms that are now gathering in the heavens.Refusing to be comforted in His arms, “a whirlwind has wrapped them in its wings. They will be brought to shame because of their idolatrous worship” (Hosea 4:19, Net Bible). The past tense of this act prophesies its certain future fulfillment. “Evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up” (Jeremiah 25:32). “Desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind” (Proverbs 1:27). “He sends down rains of punishment upon the wicked, blowings of fire and brimstone; and a stormwind and a whirlwind are the portion of their cup.”
Man’s genius cannot escape God’s wrath, as Babylon’s temple tower proved. Originally built on 14 feet of granite rock, the Salt Lake Temple closed from 2020–2024 to place “hundreds of shock absorbers between the ground and the building’s footings and foundation . . . The original foundation that the Temple was built on will now be replaced by a ‘base isolation system.’ Essentially the building is no longer on rock, a steadfast and firm foundation but on rollers that can move back and forth depending on the movement of the world.” On 18 March 2020, just after the closure began, a 5.7 earthquake (2nd largest in Utah history) struck near the downtown temple, removing the trumpet from Moroni’s hand with curious precision. The physical changes paralleled their spiritual ones. They exchanged a solid foundation for one that rocks and rolls. The foolish forget “it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation.” Calamities “have no power over you” if built upon the rock, “a sure foundation” (Helaman 5:12).
Christ is the “refuge from the storm and from the wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth” (D&C 115:6). A place of refuge follows acceptable worship of the Refuge, the true and living God, the only firm foundation. The penitent know “in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge until these calamities be overpast” (Psalm 57:1). Only the righteous find refuge in Zion, “a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God” (D&C 45:66). It is an urgent and eternal matter. In 1833, God warned this nation that their choices would either bring His protection or His fury.
The Lord’s scourge shall pass over by night and by day, and the report thereof shall vex all people. Yea, it shall not be stayed until the Lord come; for the indignation of the Lord is kindled against their abominations and all their wicked works. Nevertheless, Zion shall escape if she observe to do all things whatsoever I have commanded her. But if she observe not to do whatsoever I have commanded her, I will visit her according to all her works, with sore affliction, with pestilence, with plague, with sword, with vengeance, with devouring fire. (D&C 97:23–26)God’s breath that gave life will now take it away. “He shall also blow upon them and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble” (JST Isaiah 40:24). “As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more” (JST Proverbs 10:25).
All the wicked shall mourn. For behold, and lo, vengeance cometh speedily upon the ungodly as the whirlwind; and who shall escape it? (D&C 97:21–22)
Swept off. “Clear away the bad according as the good shall grow, that the root and the top may be equal in strength . . . thus will I sweep away the bad out of my vineyard” (Jacob 5:66). “They and their posterity shall be swept from under heaven, saith God, that not one of them is left to stand” (D&C 121:15). “The wind swept them away without leaving a trace” (Daniel 2:35, NIV) and “no place was found for them” (KJV). “I will sweep it with the besom of destruction” (Isaiah 14:23), a broom whose root hints at complete destruction, removing everything unclean. Those who forsake their responsibility to fulfill the covenant have much to lose. Four times the phrase to be ‘swept off’ is used to describe the fate of this land.
[God] had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or (1) they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them. And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or (2) they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them.
And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or (3) shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that (4) they are swept off. (Ether 2:8–10)When apostasy rules and iniquity is full, judgment is certain. The fourth provocation brings the final verdict. They “are swept off” by the irrevocable and “everlasting decree of God” (Ether 2:8–10). To be swept off presents a terrifying picture of overthrow, defeat, and utter ruin. “I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard . . . I will lay it waste” (2 Nephi 15:5–6). “[I] will make your cities waste and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your” sacrifices or offerings . . . Your land shall be desolate” (Leviticus 26:31, 33). God makes the land “a possession for the bittern” (Isaiah 14:23), a bird whose unique cry haunts the kingdom of the ‘careless.’
The promise comes, “None will he destroy that believe in him. And they that believe not in him shall be destroyed, both by fire, quakes, and by bloodsheds, and by pestilence, and by famine” (2 Nephi 6:14–15). He “who maintains his faith will not panic” (Isaiah 28:16, Net Bible) but the rest “shall cry for sorrow of heart and shall howl for vexation of spirit” (Isaiah 65:14). “All our pleasant things are laid waste” (Isaiah 64:11). Waste places have failed to become holy. Only after Lehi turned to God for answers did he realize that before he had been in “a dark and dreary waste” (1 Nephi 8:7). Lehi lived in Jerusalem, a once-blessed city that provoked God and was soon to be destroyed. It will happen again on this land.
The destroyer I have sent forth to destroy and lay waste mine enemies . . . They shall not be left to pollute mine heritage and to blaspheme my name upon the lands which I have consecrated for the gathering together of my saints. (D&C 105:15)
The Day of Burning
Judgment is accompanied by fire—either God’s cleansing fire that sanctifies our soul or devastating fire that burns to stubble. God will bind, sweep, and take the wicked away to burn. “The light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day” (Isaiah 10:17). They “shall be as stubble and the day cometh that they must be burned” (1 Nephi 22:15). Stubble is dried out stumps left after the sickle thrashes. Stubble is useless, giving neither heat nor light, because the flame goes out quickly. One “destitute of the Spirit of God,” having no oil in his lamp, is “nigh unto cursing, and his end is to be burned. When once that light which was in them is taken from them, they become much darkened as they were previously enlightened.” “Seek the Lord and live, lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph and devour it, with no one to quench it” (Amos 5:6).
“Think not in your souls and think not in your hearts that men know not and see not, and your wrongdoings are not observed or written down before the Highest.” God commissions a book be written of their evil deeds and wickedness, which justifies His wrath. “Write it . . . in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever that this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord” (Isaiah 30:8–9). “Judgment is executed on all those who have corrupted their ways and their works . . . The judgment of all is ordained and written on the heavenly tablets in righteousness—even the judgment of all who depart from the path which is ordained for them to walk in” (Jubilees 5:10, 13).
For all their dealing is with wickedness. They are defiled with sins, even as a garment kneaded in blood whose stain marks are not cleansed from it, just as there is no use for it except to be burned in the fire.“A curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left” (Isaiah 24:6, NIV). “I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord” (Zephaniah 1:2). Noah’s flood came when earth was corrupted by such wickedness. In the end, when again “the earth is ripe [in iniquity] . . . I will burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that wickedness shall not be upon the earth” (D&C 29:9). Hands, hearts, nations, temples, churches, land, and earth need to be cleansed. If we will not be purified, God will cleanse with wrath to establish His kingdom. The Hopi urge us to realize our dire predicament. “If we humans do not wake up to the warnings, the great purification will come to destroy this world just as the previous worlds were destroyed.”
The day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble; for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. (JS–History 1:37)“The destroying angel will commence to waste the inhabitants of the earth.” While many believe their devotion will protect them, it will be a day of mourning for all who have not come to Him. “The nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted” (Isaiah 60:12).
[The Lord] in his hot displeasure, and in his fierce anger, in his time, will cut off those wicked, unfaithful, and unjust stewards, and appoint them their portion among hypocrites, and unbelievers. (D&C 101:90)Baruch spoke of priests having “the keys of the sanctuary” who were “found to be false stewards” (2 Baruch 10:18). Jeremiah knew that the priests “were not found worthy of keeping” the keys (4 Baruch 4:4–5). Only in the end will they come to know “we have not been trustworthy stewards to do the King’s work and to eat of the King’s table.”
“Desolation shall come upon this generation as a thief in the night, and this people shall be destroyed” (D&C 45:19). “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night,” unexpected to those not watching. Be “not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief . . . Let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 4, 6). “Blessed is he that watches” (Revelation 16:15). “Be the children of light, and that day shall not overtake you” (D&C 106:5).
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells . . . Make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him. (2 Peter 3:11–14, NIV)“Promises of the Lord were extended to them on the conditions of repentance” (Alma 17:15). “A desolating scourge shall go forth among the inhabitants of the earth, and shall continue to be poured out from time to time if they repent not until the earth is empty, and the inhabitants thereof are consumed away and utterly destroyed by the brightness of my coming . . . He that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming” (D&C 5:19, 64:23). The law of consecration is given “that he may tithe his people, to prepare them against the day of vengeance and burning” (D&C 85:3). Tithing is only to be used “for the building of mine house and for the laying of the foundation of Zion and for the priesthood” (D&C 119:2). It is not to be used for speculative business endeavors.
They “have sinned against me a very grievous sin, in that ye have not considered the great commandment in all things, that I have given unto you concerning the building of mine house.” Instead, they are “walking in darkness at noon-day” (D&C 95:3, 6). The Lord had warned not to let “that which I have appointed be polluted by mine enemies by the consent of those who call themselves after my name, for this is a very sore and grievous sin” (D&C 101:97–98). Ancient Jews were convinced “to depart from the laws of their fathers and not to live after the laws of God. And also to pollute the temple in Jerusalem . . . The coming in of this mischief was sore and grievous” (2 Maccabees 6:1–3). Grievous sins like breaking the covenant, covetousness, feigned words, and failure to live the law of consecration bring “a very sore and grievous curse” (D&C 104:4).
In Greek, sore and grievous refer to evil acts and a thoroughly corrupted character. Babylon will pay heavily for her sins. “Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her” (Revelation 18:8). The wicked are cut off and will “not find an inheritance among the saints of the Most High” (D&C 101:18, 85:11). If His law is not honored and we are not tithed, God “wilt pour out thy judgments without measure” on those not “prepared against the day of burning” (D&C 109:45–46).
To reject the law of the Lord, including the law of the gospel and the law of consecration, severs us from priesthood. “It shall be done unto them as unto the children of the priest, as will be found recorded in” Ezra 2:61–62 (D&C 85:12) where “they were disqualified from the priesthood” forever (Ezra 2:62, CSB).
It is contrary to the will and commandment of God that those who receive not their inheritance by consecration, agreeable to His law, which He has given, that he may tithe his people, to prepare them against the day of vengeance and burning, should have their names enrolled with the people of God. Neither is their genealogy to be kept, or to be had where it may be found . . .
[They] shall find none inheritance in that day, but they shall be cut asunder, and their portion shall be appointed them among unbelievers, where are wailing and gnashing of teeth. These things I say not of myself; therefore, as the Lord speaketh, he will also fulfil. (D&C 85:3–4, 9–10)Brutal judgments overwhelm covenant-making Gentiles, whose posterity will be destroyed in the ultimate reversal of priesthood promises. What God had offered as eternal blessings now curses them (D&C 133:2).
They shall be severed from the ordinances of mine house. Their basket shall not be full, their houses and their barns shall perish, and they themselves shall be despised by those that flattered them. They shall not have right to the priesthood, nor their posterity after them from generation to generation. It had been better for them that a millstone had been hanged about their necks, and they drowned in the depth of the sea. (D&C 121:19–22)“All these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed, because thou hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord thy God” (Deuteronomy 28:25). God cannot permit wickedness and other gods to rule the land He promised the faithful. Having given ample time to repent, iniquity that continues to the “third and fourth generation” cannot be tolerated.
And the iniquity and transgression of my holy laws and commandments I will visit upon the heads of those who hindered my work . . . I will answer judgment, wrath, and indignation, wailing, and anguish, and gnashing of teeth upon their heads, unto the third and fourth generation, so long as they repent not, and hate me, saith the Lord your God. (D&C 124:50, 52)Christ sorrowed, knowing that “the fourth generation” will be “led away captive by [Satan] even as was the son of perdition; for they will sell me for silver and for gold, and for that which moth doth corrupt and which thieves can break through and steal” (3 Nephi 27:32). A generation is a period of time. Scripture represents it as a century, which is alarming today considering several major events that shaped this nation occurred exactly 400 years ago.
Because of the hardness of the hearts of the people of the Nephites, except they repent I will take away my word from them, and I will withdraw my Spirit from them, and I will suffer them no longer, and I will turn the hearts of their brethren against them.
And four hundred years shall not pass away before I will cause that they shall be smitten; yea, I will visit them with the sword and with famine and with pestilence. Yea, I will visit them in my fierce anger, and there shall be those of the fourth generation who shall live, of your enemies, to behold your utter destruction; and this shall surely come except ye repent, saith the Lord; and those of the fourth generation shall visit your destruction. (Helaman 13:8–10)When Jesus observed Jerusalem in His final days, He “wept over it, saying, If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:41–44, NASB). Their fate was sealed.
He has “overthrown some of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah . . . yet you have not returned unto me . . . Prepare to meet thy God . . . The Lord, the God of hosts, is His name” (Amos 4:11–13). To prepare to meet Him is a challenge to battle—“as if the Lord said, Throw yourselves into a posture of defense, summon your idols to your help, and try how far your strength, and that of your gods, will avail you against the unconquerable arm of the Lord of hosts!” That He declares His name confirms they do not know Him, but they will come to know Him in a manner that will not be pleasant. Religious leaders who “rule this people . . . say ‘It will not come upon us, for we have based our safety on a lie, and hidden ourselves in a cover of falsehoods” but God’s “anger will burn up your safety of lies” (Isaiah 28:14–15).
They will not have peace with death. Peace comes as His face shines on us, but they do not seek His face. God “regardeth not the offering any more or receiveth it with good will . . . I will even send a curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Yea, I have cursed them already because ye do not lay it to heart” (Malachi 2:2, 13).
“The Lord will rise up . . . in wrath . . . to do His work, His strange work” in order “to work His work, His extraordinary work” (Isaiah 28:21, HCSB, NASB 1977). “The Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand” (Isaiah 28:2). His fury is poured out most on those who “have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name” (Psalm 79:6). They “shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury” (Ezekiel 22:22) and “his fierce anger and hath kindled a fire in Zion and it hath devoured the foundations” of wickedness (Lamentations 4:11).
This also will be the judgment of all of them who have entered into the covenant who will not hold fast to these statutes . . . upon them I will pour out my wrath like water.Just as angels before were ready to “let loose all the power of the water that is beneath the earth, that it might be for the judgment and destruction of all who reside and dwell in the land” (1 Enoch 66:1), they await the opportunity again to cleanse the earth of wickedness.
Destruction will “bring forth his righteous purposes . . . the righteous need not fear” (1 Nephi 4:13, 22:22). Wrath is poured out to preserve the righteous and establish His holy reign. Earth cannot be redeemed without a purging. It is His “day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion” (Isaiah 34:8, ESV).
The Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning. (Isaiah 4:4)This accomplishes His purpose. “I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered” (Ezekiel 20:34) to fulfill His covenant. “Be not troubled,” He comforts the faithful, “for when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which I have made to you shall be fulfilled,” that “I will go before you . . . and be in your midst” (D&C 45:35, 49:27).
For the time soon cometh that the fulness of the wrath of God shall be poured out upon all the children of men; for he will not suffer that the wicked shall destroy the righteous. Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power, even if it so be that the fulness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be preserved, even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire. Wherefore, the righteous need not fear; for thus saith the prophet, they shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire. (1 Nephi 22:16–17)
For footnotes and references, click HERE.