Preparing For That Which Is To Come

After recently waking up to the reality of the great latter-day conspiracy and the awfulness of our situation (Ether 8:24); I have been thinking about what kind of judgments of God our nation will face for allowing this conspiracy "to get above us." While I wasn't looking for the end of the world, you will remember that I was looking out last summer for a nuclear contamination threat. Well, it seems nuclear contamination (wormwood) has come to Japan and possibly to the West Coast, but not in the way that Pres. Obama warned about during his UN Nuclear Summit last March. While not an immediate threat to the Southern States, it does provide an opportunity to think upon how to prepare for nuclear threats. If this "wormwood" event represents the 3rd trumpet in Rev, the 4th trumpet to sound is the sun, moon and stars failing which could be both literal, as well a a figurative representation of a civil unrest, and a collapse of many governments as we are already beginning to see. After that comes the 5th trumpet which is the invasion of the locusts which is preceded by the nuclear first strike.

While, we have been continually instructed by LDS leadership to be self-reliant and prepare for the Days of Tribulation; not every Prophet of Apostle has described exactly what we are preparing for. On the other hand, some have. In addition to the unofficial record of the Vision of George Albert Smith, I was surprised to discover that several LDS Apostles have been very specific about an eventual nuclear holocaust. Ancient scripture also seems to support this view. While we shouldn't fear death, we know that God intends for the keys of the priesthood to remain upon the Earth, and intends at least a remnant of Saints to survive to build up Zion.

With this in mind, we could ask several questions: #1 are these prophesies even true? #2 do we want to survive to walk to Zion? .#3 Is it wrong to do everything in our power to plan and survive what is coming? #4 Do we believe that God may inspire individuals to prepare above and beyond the minimum specified by LDS Leadership? #5 is there anything we might do in preparing for a nuclear war and invasion that we might not otherwise do? #6 Should we label people who take such things seriously and act upon them as mentally unstable, or going beyond the mark, or prideful? #7 Should we just bloom where we are planted?

While we are warned to never look beyond the mark, Elder Oaks has instructed us in this last General Conference, "The personal line is of paramount importance in personal decisions and in the governance of the family. Unfortunately, some members of our church underestimate the need for this direct, personal line. Responding to the undoubted importance of prophetic leadership—the priesthood line, which operates principally to govern heavenly communications on Church matters—some seek to have their priesthood leaders make personal decisions for them, decisions they should make for themselves by inspiration through their personal line. Personal decisions and family governance are principally a matter for the personal line."

Joel Skousen, nephew of Cleon Skousen, has been on CoasttoCoastAM and the Alex Jones Radio program talking about future invasion by China and Russia and a preemptive nuclear attack on America. He is selling a book called "Strategic Relocation." Now, I don't know how I think about Bro. Skousen going on these shows which spread a lot of fear and falsehood. However, I am sure they are the only places in the media that would allow him to get his message out. According to Bro. Skousen, he has personal contacts in the NSA and CIA as well as having lived around the world. According to him, many of his CIA, NSA contacts are moving to Colorado ski resort towns and have installed bomb shelter under their homes while the global elite are moving out of the US to South America (see Rev 18:9). And according to him, the US has purposefully decided not to prepare its people for nuclear war while many other countries like Russia and Switzerland have are are.

Bro. Skousen, does not necessarily encourage US citizen's to leave the US Countries who welcome American's now may feel much differently later. Furthermore, it is very hard for Americans to blend in and keep a low profile in many countries. While, Bro. Skousen didn't go over all the information in his book, it seemed to be his opinion that high population centers would be dangerous during social collapse. And he felt the safest places to live long term was among the LDS in Idaho, Utah, and northern Arizona. He gave several reasons why living in among the LDS but not on the Wasatch fault was the safest bet; 1. dry moderate climate, 2. culture of preparedness 3. low population density 4.natural barriers on the West (Great Basin) and East (Rocky Mountains) to prevent mass influx of refugees.

If blooming where we are planted is in order, issues to consider would be: 1. do I live next to any nuclear targets? 2. do I live next to high population centers. 3. Could I really live 100% self-sufficient with a year supply of food, fuel for cooking and eating, clothing and ability to purify nuclear fallout from water? 4. Would banding together at the local church, transforming it into a shelter, and sharing our supply be better because of the safety in numbers this banding provides? 5. how do you get out of the way of invading armies after an EMP has crippled transportation and power?

Joel 1-3
1:6For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number. . . 16 Is not the meat cut off before our eyes .. . . 19 for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: . . .. the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. . . 7 like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: . . . 17spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?. . . . 20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, . . . And I will restore to you the years that. . . my great army which I sent among you.

Rev. 18: 6-11
6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. 7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously , so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 8 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. 9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, 10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying , Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come . 11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

Bruce R. McConkie, "Stand Independent above All Other Creatures", Ensign, May 1979, 92
There is a common axiom among us which states: A religion that cannot save a man temporally does not have power to save him spiritually. If we cannot care for our temporal needs in this world, how can we ever succeed in spiritual things in the world to come?

It is one of the sad heresies of our time that peace will be gained by weary diplomats as they prepare treaties of compromise, or that the Millennium will be ushered in because men will learn to live in peace and to keep the commandments, or that the predicted plagues and promised desolations of latter days can in some way be avoided. We must do all we can to proclaim peace, to avoid war, to heal disease, to prepare for natural disasters—but with it all, that which is to be shall be.

Knowing what we know, and having the light and understanding that has come to us, we must—as individuals and as a Church—use our talents, strengths, energies, abilities, and means to prepare for whatever may befall us and our children. . . As the Saints of the Most High we shall strive to “stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world”

It may be, for instance, that nothing except the power of faith and the authority of the priesthood can save individuals and congregations from the atomic holocausts that surely shall be.

Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, vol. 18, p. 339
“We read that the four beasts, representing the powers of the earth, will exist at the time of the coming of the Ancient of Days. And that the fourth beast, represented by the Roman Empire and the kingdoms that have grown out of it, will be "slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame." Here then we can read the destiny of that portion of the inhabitants of the earth constituting the fourth beast: or, in other words, the destiny of the kingdoms of Europe, who were to arise and grow out of that fourth power… Not only the kingdoms and governments of Europe, and the western portion of Asia are to be thus visited, but also those who have grown out of these kingdoms, and that have emigrated to this western hemisphere, and elsewhere. For instance, this great republic must pass away in the manner indicated unless the people repent”

Elder Ezra Taft Benson, Conference Report, October 1961, Afternoon Meeting, p.69-70
The great destructive force which was to be turned loose on the earth and which the prophets for centuries have been calling the "abomination of desolation" is vividly described by those who saw it in vision. Ours is the first generation to realize how literally these prophecies can be fulfilled now that God, through science, has unlocked the secret to thermonuclear reaction.