PROPHETIC UTTERANCES FROM II NEPHI 28

1. PROPHETIC UTTERANCES FROM II NEPHI 28

2. Prophecy 1: II Nephi 28:7-9 1. Mankind Seek the Lusts of the Flesh and Teach Others to Join Them

3. “The basic cause of apostasy is sin. Men leave the Church because they are sensual and carnal. It is not a matter of rejecting gospel doctrine, or preferring a more liberal interpretation or application of revealed truth. These are excuses. The basic reason for rebellion against the truth is a desire to enjoy the lusts of the flesh. The choice is not between doctrinal concepts, but between differing ways of life.” DNTC 3:426-427 Bruce R. McConkie

4. “All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.” The Family: A Proclamation to the World Paragraph Two

5. “We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.” The Family: A Proclamation to the World Paragraph Eight

6. Prophecy 2: II Nephi 28:14, 26 1. Mankind Seek the Lusts of the Flesh and Teach Others to Join Them 2. Saints Are Deceived By Precepts of Men

7. “There are at least three dangers that threaten the Church within, and the authorities need to awaken to the fact that the people should be warned unceasingly against them. As I see these, they are flattery of prominent men in the world, false educational ideas, and sexual impurity.” Gospel Doctrine, 312-313 Joseph F. Smith

8. “The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.” The Family: A Proclamation to the World Paragraph Four

9. Prophecy 3: II Nephi 28: 15-16 1. Mankind Seek the Lusts of the Flesh and Teach Others to Join Them 2. Saints Are Deceived By Precepts of Men 3. Mankind Pervert God’s Teachings and Revile Good Making Them Worthless

10. Elder William Grant Bangerter of the Seventy, now an emeritus General Authority, observed: “In doing these wicked things [adultery, indulgence in pornography] they [who participate] suggest that it is not so bad anymore. Since so much of the world accepts these actions, if we resist them or speak out against them, we will be scoffed at. We will be called prudish, Victorian, puritan, and self-righteous, as if we had become the sinners.” 2 Ensign, May 1984, 27

11. The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.

12. “By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.” The Family: A Proclamation to the World Paragraph Four

13. “We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.” The Family: A Proclamation to the World Paragraph Five

14. Prophecy 4: II Nephi 28: 18-20,28 1. Mankind Seek the Lusts of the Flesh and Teach Others to Join Them 2. Saints Are Deceived By Precepts of Men 3. Mankind Pervert God’s Teachings and Revile Good Making Them Worthless 4. Satan Stirring Mankind Up to be Angry and Against That Which is Good and True

15. “Furthermore, not only must we forgo erosive popularity, but we are to be unsurprised when “at that day shall he [Satan] rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good” (2 Ne. 28:20). “Church standards remain constant in a time when some actually call good evil and evil good! (See Isa. 5:20.) No wonder the Latter-day Saints “must be kept where the finger of scorn can be pointed at them” (Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, 12:272). Since there is not much chance that the fingers of scorn will be diverted, we should “[heed] them not” (1 Ne. 8:33). Ironically, among those pointing fingers of scorn are a few that once grasped the iron rod.” Ensign, March 1995, 12 Neal A. Maxwell

16. “Good families face very significant challenges in controlling the use of television and videotapes in their homes. I agree with Dr. Victor B. Cline when he said, “I am convinced by a vast amount of research that the images, fantasies, and models which we are repeatedly exposed to in advertisements, entertainment, novels, motion pictures, and other works of art can and do … affect the self-image and, later, the behavior of nearly all young people and adults too.” Ensign May 1989, 78 M. Russell Ballard

17. “On another occasion, Dr. Cline said that the mental diet is as important as the nutritional diet. “The amount of violence a child sees at 7 predicts how violent he will be at 17, 27, and 37. … Children’s minds are like banks—whatever you put in, you get back 10 years later with interest.” He said that violent television teaches children, step-by-step, “how to commit violent acts, and it desensitizes them to the horror of such behavior and to the feelings of victims.” Dr. Cline said that America is suffering from “an explosion of interpersonal violence like we have never seen before. … The violence is because of violence in our entertainment.” (See “Therapist says children who view TV violence tend to become violent,” Deseret News, 24 Mar. 1989, p. 2B.) M. Russell Ballard, Ensign, Mar 1995,78

18. Prophecy 5: II Nephi 28: 21 1. Mankind Seek the Lusts of the Flesh and Teach Others to Join Them 2. Saints Are Deceived By Precepts of Men 3. Mankind Pervert God’s Teachings and Revile Good Making Them Worthless 4. Satan Stirring Mankind Up to be Angry and Against That Which is Good and True 5. Money, Wealth, Prosperity – Signals of Possible Apostasy

19. “… I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order…” “So many of our people are living on the very edge of their incomes. In fact, some are living on borrowings.” “…We are beguiled by seductive advertising. Television carries the enticing invitation to borrow up to 125 percent of the value of one’s home. But no mention is made of interest.” Gordon B. Hinckley

20. “I urge you, brethren, to look ot the condition of your finances. I urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt to the extent possible. Pay off debt as quickly as you can, and free yourselves from bondage.” CR, October 1998, 70 Gordon B. Hinckley

21. “Today we're basking in the lap of luxury, the like of which we've never seen before in the history of the world. It would seem that probably this is the most severe test of any we've ever had in the history of this Church." Harold B. Lee Address to church employees Salt Lake Tabernacle December 13, 1973,

22. “Vice is a monster of so frightful mien As to be hated needs but to be seen; Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace.” Alexander Pope An Essay on Man, epistle 2

23. Prophecy 6: II Nephi 28: 22 1. Mankind Seek the Lusts of the Flesh and Teach Others to Join Them 2. Saints Are Deceived By Precepts of Men 3. Mankind Pervert God’s Teachings and Revile Good Making Them Worthless 4. Satan Stirring Mankind Up to be Angry and Against That Which is Good and True 5. Money, Wealth, Prosperity – Signals of Possible Apostasy 6. World No Longer Believes There is a Devil

24. STATISTICS Latter-day Saints who believe there is a devil? 59% General Population who believe there is a devil? 27% Deseret News, July 14, 2001

25. “Much of what comes from the devil is alluring and enticing. It glitters and is appealing to the sensual parts of our nature. His message sounds so reasonable and easy to justify. His voice is usually smooth and intriguing. If it were harsh or discordant, nobody would listen, nobody would be enticed. Some of Satan’s most appealing messages are: Everyone does it; if it doesn’t hurt anybody else, it’s all right; if you feel there is no harm in it, it’s okay; it’s the “cool” thing to do. Satan is the greatest imitator, the master deceiver, the arch counterfeiter, and the greatest forger ever in the history of the world. He comes into our lives as a thief in the night. His disguise is so perfect that it is hard to recognize him or his methods. James E. Faust, Ensign May 2003, 51

26. “If you cross to the devil’s side of the line one inch, you are in the tempter’s power, and if he is successful, you will not be able to think or even reason properly, because you will have lost the spirit of the Lord.” (In Sharing the Gospel With Others, sel. Preston Nibley, 43) George Albert Smith

27. Prophecy 7: II Nephi 28: 24-29 1. Mankind Seek the Lusts of the Flesh and Teach Others to Join Them 2. Saints Are Deceived By Precepts of Men 3. Mankind Pervert God’s Teachings and Revile Good Making Them Worthless 4. Satan Stirring Mankind Up to be Angry and Against That Which is Good and True 5. Money, Wealth, Prosperity – Signals of Possible Apostasy 6. World No Longer Believes There is a Devil 7. Apathy of Church Members – Too Much Peace and Prosperity

28. “A milk-and-water allegiance kills; while a passionate devotion gives life and soul to any cause and its adherents. The troubles of the world may largely be laid at the doors of those who are neither hot nor cold; who always follow the line of least resistance; whose timid hearts flutter at taking sides for truth. As in the great Council in the heavens, so in the Church of Christ on earth, there can be no neutrality. We are, or we are not, on the side of the Lord. An unrelenting faith, contemptuous of all compromise, will lead the Church and every member of it, to triumph and the achievement of our high destiny.

29. “The final conquerors of the world will be the men and women, few or many matters not, who fearlessly and unflinchingly cling to truth, and who are able to say no, as well as yes, on whose lofty banner is inscribed: No compromise with error. …” “Tolerance is not conformity to the world’s view and practices. We must not surrender our beliefs to get along with people, however beloved or influential they may be. Too high a price may be paid for social standing or even for harmony. …  

30. “The Gospel rests upon eternal truth; and truth can never be deserted safely.” John A. Widtsoe, Conference Report, April 1941, 116-117

31. Prophecies Being Fulfilled 1. Mankind Seek the Lusts of the Flesh and Teach Others to Join Them 2. Saints Are Deceived By Precepts of Men 3. Mankind Pervert God’s Teachings and Revile Good Making Them Worthless 4. Satan Stirring Mankind Up to be Angry and Against That Which is Good and True 5. Money, Wealth, Prosperity – Signals of Possible Apostasy 6. World No Longer Believes There is a Devil 7. Apathy of Church Members – Too Much Peace and Prosperity