In modern revelation the Lord Jesus Christ says:
For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby. To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world. To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful.[i]
Since everyone is not a prophet, knowing Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Ghost, we have to rely on the great and merciful gift of believing on the words of Christ and the prophets in scripture. Mere belief in Jesus Christ is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Like the parable of the ten talents, we can through our effort magnify the gift and make it blossom into highly desirable fruit. Or we can suppress the gift and despise it and reject its power in our lives. The choice is ours because God has given us moral agency.
In the Book of Mormon the prophets were hated because their witness of Jesus Christ was so powerful that the wicked could not disbelieve their words:
And it came to pass that they were angry with him, even because he had greater power than they, for it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words, for so great was his faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily.[ii]
Assuming we are not so murderous as to kill these prophets that we know are truth-telling like those of old, we wonder how to increase our belief or faith. There are no atheists in foxholes.[iii] The prophet Alma preached that the trials of life that humble us prepare us to receive the word of Christ and believe:
And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word? Yea, he that truly humbleth himself, and repenteth of his sins, and endureth to the end, the same shall be blessed—yea, much more blessed than they who are compelled to be humble because of their exceeding poverty.[iv]
Unfortunately, our ears have become dull and our eyes blinded by the glittering world of make-believe. Jesus Christ said of our fake belief in the arm of flesh:
And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.[v]
If we are blinded and made deaf by the kaleidoscope cacophony and the cinematic nuclear bombs of an anti-Christ world, then what will wake us up, make us chose to believe in Christ in this fallen world. The Doctrine and Covenants explains how this will happen before Jesus Christ comes again. After the world fails to heed the warning voice of the prophets in the last days:
For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand. And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men’s hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people.[vi]
One way or another, Jesus Christ will get our attention, to look to him, to hear him, to believe in him, to worship him by following in his footsteps. He has no desire to put any of the wicked in spirit prison, but only to save them, since he has already suffered so much that they might be forgiven if they would change their ways.
[i] D&C 46:11-14
[ii] 3 Nephi 7:18
[iii] No Atheists in Fox Holes
“There are no atheist is fox holes,” first coined during the Second World War, points to the fact that people often turn to God in times of extreme stress when they feel powerless. On the other hand, many people’s faith has been challenged by the horrors of war, especially wars waged by so-called believers.
The history of believers killing others in the name of their God is a great scandal. Sometimes it is the result of theological arrogance, but it usually is the ultimate prostitution of religion for political and economic goals. The history of Europe includes centuries of Christians waging war on other Christians. This is not just a Shiite and Sunni problem.
The Catholic just war tradition has a presumption against war because of its destructive and uncontrollable impact on combatants and noncombatants alike. Unhappily that presumption has often been ignored, as have the other conditions for a just war.
The horror of war can be challenging to one’s faith unless one believes that God does not want war. Our God is a God of love, not hate. He is father of all people, not just our side. That means that we are all brothers and sisters, even those we are trying to kill.
Soldiers in fox holes and Humvees turn to God, but so should we. We should all pray for peace.
BY THOMAS J. REESE, S.J. | MAY 31, 2007; 6:23 AM ET
[iv] Alma 32:14-15
[v] John 9:39 KJV
[vi] D&C 88:89-91