Two Opinions

Recently, I read some news reports about the post-conflict destiny of Libya. The reports mentioned a possibility of splitting the area into two or three new regions along tribal lines forming a new group of nations.

This reminded me two strong opinions I have about Lucifer and his misguided efforts to stall the work of heaven and to delay the return of our Lord and Savior.

Opinion number 1: Satan thinks that dividing up nations will stall the second coming.

Alma, when passing along the sacred records to his son said, “Behold, it has been prophesied by our fathers, that they should be kept and handed down from one generation to another, and be kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord until they should go forth unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, that they shall know of the mysteries contained thereon.” (Alma 37:4)

Other scripture has foretold the same thing: the gospel will be made available to all nations.

One thing Satan thinks he can do to buy time is to continue to draw political boundaries among men. He hopes to constantly have a nation somewhere that has not yet heard the gospel.  Someday, upon the return of the true King, Satan will try to claim, “You cannot arrive yet, all nations do not have the gospel.”

This rationalization is flawed, as is much of his other reasoning.

Though God is bound by His word, He is not bound according to how we or others interpret it. Retrospection after God reveals His hand continuously expresses the exact will of our Father; His explanations always have been and always will be exact and true.

In 3000 B.C there were 24 sovereign states. Looking at Satan’s effort to split nations over the past five-thousand years has led to the following:

1000 B.C., 19-- sovereign states

100 B.C., 23-- sovereign states

10 A. D., 19 --sovereign states

1800, 93 --sovereign states

1900, 79 --sovereign states

1960, 106-- sovereign states

1970, 163 --sovereign states

1980, 185-- sovereign states

1990, 183 --sovereign states

2000, 217 --sovereign states

King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, though he couldn’t remember it, also alludes to Satan's desire to divide up nations until the time that the Lord’s Gospel covers the earth. (Daniel 2)

I find it interesting that countries with recent exposure to the restored Truth (Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and the Soviet Union) soon after, have split into smaller countries that divide those with the gospel from those without it.

Opinion number 2: a person will likely never receive a revelation while watching television.

In April 2003 General Conference, Elder Wirthlin said, “Our homes need to be more Christ-centered. We should spend more time at the temple and less time in the pursuit of pleasure. We should lower the noise level in our homes so that the noise of the world will not overpower the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost. One of our greatest goals as parents should be to enjoy the power and influence of the Holy Ghost in our homes. We should pray and study the scriptures. We could sing the hymns of the Restoration to invite the Holy Ghost into our home. Regular family home evening will also help.”

Somehow, Satan has lulled us into a comfortable technology dependent numbness. Technology has its place, but a world where every second of every day is filled with video or musical media, becomes a place where the Spirit has no place to settle. As the Holy Ghost enters a home, I hope he doesn’t feel the same way the Savior did when He said, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58)

In the same General Conference address, Elder Wirthlin reminds us, “This is a noisy and busy world... Remember that being busy is not necessarily being spiritual. If we are not careful, the things of this world can crowd out the things of the Spirit.”

How many promptings or revelations have we missed, because life wasn’t quiet enough to hear them?

Another side effect of technology is how it impairs our ability to sleep. Lack of sleep leads to the inability to be a decent steward and servant—we find ourselves too tired to do much good—doing good work requires a lot of energy.

The National Sleep foundation released a recent finding:

“Artificial light exposure between dusk and the time we go to bed at night suppresses release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, enhances alertness and shifts circadian rhythms to a later hour—making it more difficult to fall asleep… cell phones and computers, which make our lives more productive and enjoyable, may also be abused to the point that they contribute to getting less sleep at night leaving millions of Americans functioning poorly the next day.”

(http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/press-release/annual-sleep-america-poll-exploring-connections-communications-technology-use-)

How many times have we heard someone mention that they were too tired to pray, study, or sit through a temple session?

How many times have we ignored a prompting because we just didn’t feel like making the effort (we were too tired)?

In relation to that, sleepy people over eat. Not only has indulgence of unnecessary sources of technical media worn us out, it seems to make us tubby. We have become what we watch and eat: Teletubbies.

(http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20110323/sleepy-people-overeat, http://pbskids.org/teletubbies/teletubbyland.html)

Dividing nations and using technical trickery is evidence that Satan is tireless in his effort to thwart the Plan of Salvation.  Luckily our Father in Heaven loves us enough to be ever diligent in ensuring that Satan will not succeed.  

Our eternal salvation and redemption will come to pass. God has said so, “my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease… no man can behold all my work… for behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1).

I believe him. He works. He has a work for us.

I pray that we can always be apprised of the efforts of the adversary and do what is necessary to stay one or more steps ahead of him.