(*Same Old System? Same Old Stuff? Same Old Sycophants? Same Old Secrets? Same Odoriferous Swamp? Same Obscene Sinners? Same Odious “Solutions”?)
For all those good people who believe / think they can help “make America great again,” merely through a ballot box, please take 7:11 minutes to think again:
Everything about Trump and company screams Babylon—that unholy obsession with power and gain; Babylon, the arch-enemy1 named and described in scripture; the “great whore” who revels in narcissism, psychopathy, and excess. But no, while we bitterly lament the corruptions of corporatism and crony capitalism, we vote in the “right” arm of Babylon—the arm that most favors and rewards corporatism and crony capitalism. (And do not misunderstand: the “left” arm is as corrupt and unacceptable. There was no choice. This will undoubtedly become more transparent as events unfold.)
But are our eyes beginning to open? Are we ready to admit that making America great again will require more than merely marking a ballot? Are we ready to unite and stand together with integrity against all the recycling SOSs, whether on the right or the left? Have we been given a staggering, unbelievable, mind-numbing, tragic opportunity?2
Listening to the various views of Trumpers and anti-Trumpers in the past week, I have wondered what God thinks of all the “prophetic” interpretations and comparisons that have been laid at the feet of the president-elect. Is Trump a latter-day Cyrus1 as so many are alleging, or could he really be the latter-day Mattaniah/Zedekiah2 that Old Testament Jeremiah (Chpt. 21) warned, chastised, and lamented?
Has there ever been an election where “motes and beams”3 were so evident? where loyalists on both sides were so spell-bound they could not see (the 360 truth of their candidate) when seeing it? could not hear (the 360 truth) when hearing it? when the “sins” of their chosen ones were ignored, discounted, dismissed, excused, even spun into filigree in order to hold fast to loyalties? preferences? hopes? But where are our loyalties supposed to be?
Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil. And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God. (Doctrine and Covenants 98:10-11)
What does one do when one is faced with a reverse “Sophie's Choice”?4—when the imposed choice is between two power-hungry candidates? Are we so naive about our rapid descent into darkness that we think the fork in the downward road gave us a right choice? that the adversary of all good cannot have a forked tongue? that both these candidates did not transparently manifest lying tongues, speech upon speech? that the “greatness” advocated was for an economic, military, prestige, power, and competitive renewal? a revival founded upon the tenets of Babylon?
If God is displeased when we blame Him for things a person does in misdirected agency, is He equally displeased if we mis-credit Him with our contrived, corrupted choices, plans, and imaginations?
Yet, can God still make use of our failings and sins, whatever they are? Could He have despised the choice that was manufactured for and with our consent, yet continue to work with us—long-suffering and merciful till the point of no return?
If we could honestly see our situation, would Isaiah, again, be walking naked and barefoot5 as a sign to us that our newest emperor has no clothes, despite claims and boastings?
If we don't wake up to the vast deceptions that surround us on every side—right and left—will we be the ones soon walking naked and barefoot in déjà vu of other fallen kingdoms and empires? in likeness of king Zedekiah and his people?
And how stunning it has become to hear pastors, ministers, and other Christians counsel that since Trump IS God's anointed, he is not to be questioned in his tactics, agendas, and proceedings because to question anything Trump decides or does is to question God. What a perfect recipe for destruction! God help us all!!
----------------------------/ 1. Just visit many evangelical and Christian conservative broadcasts, and then honestly ask: What is the source of these dreams and “prophecies”? Can the dark-side appear as an angel of light? Can his hosts tell fortunes and futures in order to seduce and deceive (even well-meaning people)? How can we discern? Will a false prophecy have clues within its text? words like “a man of his word” when the man's recorded words (evident to all who will listen), manifest the very opposite of integrity? 2. Mattaniah/Zedekiah, the last king of Judah who presided over the last days of a people who would not turn from the ways of idolatry and trusting in the arms of flesh—the ways of Babylon. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zedekiah 3. New Testament | Luke 6:42 ~ Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye. 4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie%27s_Choice_(film) 5. Old Testament | Isaiah20:2-4 ~ At the same time spake the Lord by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. And the Lord said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia; So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. (Pearl of Great Price | Moses 8:291)
Noah
And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. (Old Testament | Genesis 6:6)
And it repented Noah, and his heart was pained that the Lord had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at the heart. (Pearl of Great Price | Moses 8:252)
So what was the accusation? Moses wrote: “all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.”
So what was the corruption that warranted such grief and pain? Was it the persistent breaking of the Ten Commandments?3 as in
1. having other gods
2. making and worshiping graven images
3. profanities and blasphemies
4. failing to observe the Sabbath Day
5. dishonouring parents
6. killing
7. adultery
8. stealing
9. bearing false witness
10. coveting / envy
Or was it something more?
Could this record (circa 73 B.C.) from somewhere in the Americas describe a partial déjà vu from Noah's day?
21 But behold, Satan did stir up the hearts of the more part of the [people], insomuch that they did unite with those bands of robbers, and did enter into their covenants and their oaths, that they would protect and preserve one another in whatsoever difficult circumstances they should be placed, that they should not suffer for their murders, and their plunderings, and their stealings. 22 And it came to pass that they did have their signs, yea, their secret signs, and their secret words; and this that they might distinguish a brother who had entered into the covenant, that whatsoever wickedness his brother should do he should not be injured by his brother, nor by those who did belong to his band, who had taken this covenant. 23 And thus they might murder, and plunder, and steal, and commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness, contrary to the laws of their country and also the laws of their God. 24 And whosoever of those who belonged to their band should reveal unto the world of their wickedness and their abominations, should be tried, not according to the laws of their country, but according to the laws of their wickedness, which had been given by Gadianton and Kishkumen. 25 Now behold, it is these secret oaths and covenants which Alma commanded[4] his son should not go forth unto the world, lest they should be a means of bringing down the people unto destruction. 26 Now behold, those secret oaths and covenants did not come forth unto Gadianton from the records which were delivered unto Helaman; but behold, they were put into the heart of Gadianton by that same being who did entice our first parents to partake of the forbidden fruit— 27 Yea, that same being who did plot with Cain, that if he would murder his brother Abel it should not be known unto the world. And he did plot with Cain and his followers from that time forth. 28 And also it is that same being who put it into the hearts of the people to build a tower sufficiently high that they might get to heaven. And it was that same being who led on the people who came from that tower into this land; who spread the works of darkness and abominations over all the face of the land, until he dragged the people down to an entire destruction, and to an everlasting hell. 29 Yea, it is that same being who put it into the heart of Gadianton to still carry on the work of darkness, and of secret murder; and he has brought it forth from the beginning of man even down to this time. 30 And behold, it is he who is the author of all sin. And behold, he doth carry on his works of darkness and secret murder, and doth hand down their plots, and their oaths, and their covenants, and their plans of awful wickedness, from generation to generation according as he can get hold upon the hearts of the children of men. 31 And now behold, he had got great hold upon the hearts of the [people]; yea, 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. (Book of Mormon | Helaman 6:21-31; bold emphasis added.)
But was there something even more corrupt in Noah's day that is repeating as a déjà vu—in our day?
But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (New Testament | Matthew 24:375)
Was there something hidden, secret, shocking, and so incredibly, unbelievably corrupted that it will challenge every thing Christians (and non-Christians) believe and hope for? something that will turn things inside-out and upside-down? something so grievous as to warrant a final judgment and destruction of all that is unredeemedly corrupted?
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. (New Testament | Matthew 24:22; see also Mark 13:20)
Was there something Satan almost achieved in Noah's day and is now reviving with his “power, and signs and lying wonders”?6 something imagined by conjoined rebels against God?
And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. (Old Testament | Genesis 11:6)
Could it be something revealed in myths and legends that we can't seem to fathom? something referenced in scripture that we refuse to understand?7 something completely outside our experience? something conceived and secretly engineered by satanic powers? genetic corruptions purporting to “improve” God's plan and purposes? genetic manipulations spawned in curiosity? obsession? addiction? hubris? Could it be sentient, experimental hybrids of every flesh? engineered monsters? hybrids, too, of man and machine? demon-infused robots? trauma-based bots? things hinted at in supposed “sci-fi” and cult classics? realities we are not prepared to comprehend or defend against because we have been blind and deaf to discoveries, revelations, witnesses, myths, and warnings? Could it be hidden technologies that will deceive nigh every soul when seen? And will it all unfold with convincing promises of tech-based salvation? immortality, eternal life, and endless pleasures without conscience?
Could bizarre things come to fruition while we are distracted with “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage” (and engaging in practices like unto it) as we pursue our own way and wills?
What has historical man not imagined as evidenced in artifacts, art, and architecture? And what has the mind of rebellious mankind (in league with dark powers) not imagined?8
Perhaps it is time to learn and discern the tragic history of “the days of Noah”?
----------------------/ 1. Old Testament | Genesis 6:12 ~ And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 2. See also Old Testament | JST Genesis 8:13) 3. Old Testament | Exodus 20: 1-17 4. Book of Mormon | Alma 37:27 ~ And now, my son, I command you that ye retain all their oaths, and their covenants, and their agreements in their secret abominations; yea, and all their signs and their wonders ye shall keep from this people, that they know them not, lest peradventure they should fall into darkness also and be destroyed. Therefore ye shall keep these secret plans of their oaths and their covenants from this people, and only their wickedness and their murders and their abominations shall ye make known unto them; and ye shall teach them to abhor such wickedness and abominations and murders; and ye shall also teach them that these people were destroyed on account of their wickedness and abominations and their murders. And now, my son, remember the words which I have spoken unto you; trust not those secret plans unto this people, but teach them an everlasting hatred against sin and iniquity. 5. See also New Testament | Luke 17:26; JST Matthew 1:41-42 ~ But as it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be also at the coming of the Son of Man; For it shall be with them, as it was in the days which were before the flood; for until the day that Noah entered into the ark they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage; Pearl of Great Price | Moses 7:60 ~ And the Lord said unto Enoch: As I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfil the oath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah; Book of Mormon | Alma 12:36 ~ And now, my brethren, behold I say unto you, that if ye will harden your hearts ye shall not enter into the rest of the Lord; therefore your iniquity provoketh him that he sendeth down his wrath upon you as in the first provocation, yea, according to his word in the last provocation as well as the first, to the everlasting destruction of your souls; therefore, according to his word, unto the last death, as well as the first. 6. New Testament | JST, 2 Thessalonians 2:9 ~ Yea, the Lord, even Jesus, whose coming is not until after there cometh a falling away, by the working of Satan with all power, and signs and lying wonders, 7. —like, Genesis 6:1-6?— 8. Old Testament | Genesis 6:5 ~ And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
On this day of Halloween, while we Christians are “making light”* of darkness, do we realize what Luciferians / Satanists are doing?
Or would we rather not know? Not know:
» how much of our culture has been infiltrated by the occult and the enemy of all righteousness? » how naively we have embraced imitative traditions, rituals, and symbols? » how completely clueless most of us are about the resurgence of secretive, ancient abominations that horrify? » how ill-prepared we are to discern the hidden face of the adversary or to acknowledge and help the victims? » the kinds of intercessory prayers that might bring both perpetrators and victims to help and healing? » what's coming down the pike and what our duty may be concerning evil? (partially described in Doctrine and Covenants | Section 123.)
Are we just déjà vu—like God's ancient people who turned time and again to the ways of neighbouring, idolatrous nations, celebrating and aping their exotic, “exciting” rituals? Do we revel in the “fear factor”?1 Do we think it's all just “fun and games”? Are we severely offended to hear criticism of a favoured tradition?
Maybe your answer is that it's all just harmless fun. Maybe you are right, but on the other hand, could we learn something from those who have been in the trenches of demonic deliverances** for decades? who know what really happens when there is no light in the darkness?
How about, instead of watching Halloween, horror movies this year, we listen to some of the following:
---------------------------/ * (not taking seriously; to treat as unimportant or humorous) ** (overcoming darkness with the Light of Christ)
1. Some who have experienced the dark side before deliverance testify that fear, pain, trauma, and terror create forms of energy that demons crave and gorge on like an elixir. Or as Jesus might have also observed in parallel to these opposite events: “wheresoever the carcass is, there will the [vultures] be gathered together;” (New Testament | Matthew 24:28)
So, please, listen to this insightful pastor, and then let us ask ourself: What are the “unclean spirits” that affect me? What are the legions that cycle through my life? the persistent déjà vus that plague my days?
Spirit of ...2
Spirit of ...
Spirit of ...
anger
addiction
adultery
anxiety / worry
arrogance
blame
awfulizing
craftiness
blasphemy
confusion
deception
dehumanizing
contention
denial
deviance
criticism
disdain
gluttony
depression
domination
hatred
disappointment
gossip
insanity
discouragement
greed
lust
doubt
impulsivity
malice
emptiness
inequality
manipulation
excess
infirmity
mockery
fear
intimidation
murder
forgetfulness
lying
narcissism
frustration
meanness
oppression
hopelessness
misery
paranoia
illness
numbness
persecution
insomnia
pride
psychopathy
irritation
procrastination
rage
loneliness
profanity
reviling
rejection
rebellion
scorn
sadness
self-harm
self-hatred
self-pity
secrets
suicide
shame
spite
torment
slumber
strife
torture
tiredness
unfaithfulness
trickery
unbelief
worthlessness
vengeance
Note: Chronic manifestations are a strong indication that one's emotions, thoughts, and feelings have been targeted by unseen forces.
Does this sermon, this “devilishly-long” list (which is far from complete), and our honest self-analysis cause us to reconsider the remarkable virtues of Mary, that New Testament disciple, who only needed the casting out of seven devils?3
How much pain and suffering do we unnecessarily endure because we have rejected awareness and knowledge?
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, ... (Old Testament | Hosea 4:6)
... I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be.(Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 32:7)
But if we sincerely seek knowledge and act on it when received (recognizing, rejecting, and casting out evil influences as Jesus did), then are we not promised “the garment of praise [in place of] the spirit of heaviness”? for:
[I]t shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: (Old Testament | Joel 2:32)
[And] thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (New Testament | 1 Corinthians 15:57)
--------------------------------/
* New Testament | Mark 5:8-9 ~ For [Jesus] said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. New Testament | Mark 5:15 ~ And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. New Testament | Luke 8:30 ~ And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.
1. Please do not reject all this man's teachings just because you disagree with some of his views or interpretations about your religion. Other worthwhile sermons: Derek Prince - The Enemies We Face (Part 1-4) (Time: 3:56:37) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZoleQVsCEE The Basics of Deliverance, Pt 1 - How To Identify the Enemy (Time: 54:12) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzivz7gcMtE 2. Some scriptural examples (bold emphasis added): Old Testament | Numbers 5:30 ~ Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law. Old Testament | Hosea 4:12 ~ My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God. Old Testament | Hosea 5:4 ~ They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the Lord. Old Testament | Isaiah 61:3 ~ To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. New Testament | Luke 4:33 ~ And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, New Testament | Luke 13:11 ~ And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. New Testament | Acts 16:16 ~ And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: New Testament | Romans 11:8 ~ (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. New Testament | 2 Timothy 1:7 ~ For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. New Testament | 1 John 4:3 ~ And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 2:29 ~ And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom. Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 33:5 ~ And it speaketh harshly against sin, according to the plainness of the truth; wherefore, no man will be angry at the words which I have written save he shall be of the spirit of the devil. Book of Mormon | Alma 40:13 ~ And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house—and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil. Book of Mormon | Alma 34:35 ~ For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked. Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 11:29 ~ For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. Doctrine and Covenants 93:25 ~ And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning. Joseph Smith—History 1:23, 74 ~ It caused me serious reflection then, and often has since, how very strange it was that an obscure boy, of a little over fourteen years of age, and one, too, who was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily labor, should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of the most bitter persecution and reviling. But strange or not, so it was, and it was often the cause of great sorrow to myself. ... Our minds being now enlightened, we began to have the scriptures laid open to our understandings, and the true meaning and intention of their more mysterious passages revealed unto us in a manner which we never could attain to previously, nor ever before had thought of. In the meantime we were forced to keep secret the circumstances of having received the Priesthood and our having been baptized, owing to a spirit of persecution which had already manifested itself in the neighborhood. 3. New Testament | Luke 8:1-2 ~ And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, New Testament | Mark 16:9 ~ Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
IF God's majesty, power, and works are beyond the rational man, could it be that Satan's depravity, power, and works are also beyond the rational man? And why not, when almost all Satan does is veiled in secrecy, counterfeit, flattery, despotism, lies, and murder? Could Prince, Dizdar, Quayle, et. al know things that we must understand if we are to "be prepared when all hell breaks loose" (if such is possible in our present blindness)?
And even though we may not agree with all these men say, are we going to reject their experiences and observations because of black and white thinking?1 If they say one negative thing about something we believe, hold dear, OR don't believe, will we reflexively shut them completely out? Surely we have lived long enough to realize that God lets every one of us live with various and varying degrees of mistaken beliefs because of learned and acquired biases, so let us break free of such biases with the discerning spirit of God and adopt these credos:
If we have the truth, [it] cannot be harmed by investigation. If we have not the truth, it ought to be harmed.2
We believe in all truth, no matter to what subject it may refer. No sect or religious denomination in the world possesses a single principle of truth that we do not accept or that we will reject. We are willing to receive all truth, from whatever source it may come; for truth will stand, truth will endure.3
---------------------------------/ 1. Splitting (also called black-and-white thinking or all-or-nothing thinking) is the failure in a person's thinking to bring together the dichotomy of both positive and negative qualities of the self and others into a cohesive, realistic whole. It is a common defense mechanism used by many people. ... The individual tends to think in extremes (i.e., an individual's actions and motivations are all good or all bad with no middle ground). [From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splitting_(psychology)] 2. J. Reuben Clark: The Church Years by D. Michael Quinn, pp. 24-26, source discovered via a "Google" search at https://www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/comments/3pokeo/context_for_the_wellknown_j_reuben_clark_quote/ 3. Joseph F. Smith, Conference Reports, April 1909, p. 7. (Bold emphasis added.)
As we look about our world, do we see enemies of justice? of moral / spiritual growth and development? Enemies intent on destroying the world and the souls of men?1
Considering headlines, reports of researchers, investigative journalists, and tens-of-thousands of witnesses, how can intelligent beings deny the pervasive, destructive reality of evil throughout the ages? an evil that cares not for the good of others, but cares only for power and gain at the expense of others? And yet many of us seem to live in denial when we give no thought to truly understanding “the enemy.”
In any conflict, such stupor about “enemies” can prove fatal. Consider the understanding of Sun Tzu,2 an ancient Chinese general, military strategist, and philosopher.
“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Deception is the key strategy that pervades our culture—a fact of the most elemental observation—yet for the most part, we seem to live in blissful ignorance3 of the secrecy, lies, distortions, and counterfeits that underpin an agenda of destruction. One author writes:
In accepting life, we must relate to the world as it is—to the struggle between good and evil. There are, of course, some who would have us believe that there is no such thing as good or evil, but this philosophy runs counter to the natural laws of opposites that exist, such as heat and cold, light and dark, gravitation and vacuum, and many others. We need to use our eyes that we may see, our ears that we may hear, and our minds that we may be able to think and make our own decisions as we sift out the chaff of all we see and hear, so that we may know the truth of that which we feel in our hearts, as it is affirmed by the Holy Spirit.4
Many other intelligent observers have borne like witness, including:
Like a huge serpent [Satan] has been winding his way throughout this age, leaving everywhere his contamination. While Satan is not omniscient and perfect in knowledge, he has sufficient knowledge of his destiny and how soon that destiny will be accomplished, and so as the age closes he becomes fiercer in his wrath; like a serpent which is attacked and in danger of being caught, his hiss is heard on all sides. He is now actively engaged in counterfeiting the Truth, in putting in his demon doctrines, in perverting the Truth wherever he can. And by and by after the true Church is gone he will put his masterpieces into the world, ... . Then he will blind the nations as never before and rush them on to the final climax of the age.5
It seems sometimes as if the darkness that surrounds us is all but impenetrable. I can see on all sides the signs of one great evil master mind working for the overturning of our civilization, the destruction of religion, the reduction of men to the status of animals. This mind is working here and there and everywhere.6
So in our busy, distracted lives, let us ask ourselves how often we ignore things as they were, as they now are, and as they will be. And let us ponder whether there is any déjà vu in this further observation of Sun Tzu?
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
What then is our responsibility to know the enemy? Would God repeat Himself with these words?
It is an imperative duty that we owe to God, to angels, with whom we shall be brought to stand, and also to ourselves, to our wives and children, who have been made to bow down with grief, sorrow, and care, under the most damning hand of murder, tyranny, and oppression, supported and urged on and upheld by the influence of that spirit which hath so strongly riveted the creeds of the fathers, who have inherited lies, upon the hearts of the children, and filled the world with confusion, and has been growing stronger and stronger, and is now the very mainspring of all corruption, and the whole earth groans under the weight of its iniquity. It is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell. ... Which dark and blackening deeds are enough to make hell itself shudder, and to stand aghast and pale, and the hands of the very devil to tremble and palsy. And also it is an imperative duty that we owe to all the rising generation, and to all the pure in heart—For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it—Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven—These should then be attended to with great earnestness. (Doctrine and Covenants 123:7-14)
