There's something that's been bugging me, something that I should invest a good amount of time into studying and figuring out. My issue this evening has to do with the conditions of mortality, particularly now, during the Last Days. The main problem seems to be that now's not really a great time to be alive.
Sure, there's a lot of good things in the world now that didn't exist previously, but there's a lot of bad stuff in the world now that wasn't so much of a problem previously. Technological advancements have made many things easier and more convenient, but from a spiritual standpoint, it's as often a curse as it is a blessing. And it's not the only curse we have to deal with.
Prophecies about the Last Days have come with warnings of famines, plagues, earthquakes, wars, and other natural and man-made disasters. Despite the "progress" that society has made, suffering abounds as much as it ever has, and according to scripture, it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.
Yet, we're told that we were blessed to have the privilege to live on the earth at this time, so I'm wondering what's so great about experiencing mortality during the Last Days. Could the reason be because of how much access we have to scripture? We do have more scripture at our fingertips than anyone in any previous age has had, and our advantage increases again and again every six months. Sure, most of those scriptures refer to commandments that we need to get better at keeping, but some of them are encouraging and helpful, so that's something.
Is the reason it's such a blessing to be on the earth right now because there's a chance we'll still be on the earth during the Millennium? I doubt it. Even if we survive all the wars and disasters, which we've been told will only get worse, there's no guarantee we'll live long enough to see the Second Coming. We've been in the "Last Days" for about 200 years now. Countless people have died of old age during that time. Sure, the Millennium could happen during our lifetimes, and if we're righteous enough and lucky enough, we might just survive long enough to be a part of it, but you'll have to forgive me if I don't hold my breath.
Another possible reason it's a blessing to be alive now is because we were told that God saved some of His most valiant spirits to be born during this time, but that's both a blessing and a curse as well. What that essentially means is that it's an honor to be considered valiant enough to stay faithful even during the trials and tribulations of the Last Days. I may be misinterpreting this, but it seems like God is basically saying "Yeah, life during the Last Days is gonna be rough, but I think you can handle it." Yes, that is quite a compliment, but it doesn't exactly imply that being born during the Last Days is a great blessing.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining. While I think I might have done better, spiritually, without the distraction of technology pulling my mind away from the things of the spirit, I'm very grateful to have electricity, plumbing, and access to scripture. Being alive during the Last Days isn't the worst thing in the world, and I'm sure that I'm lucky to have been chosen to live during this period of time. Still, I'm not fully sure of why living during the Last Days is supposed to be such a wonderful blessing.
4 comments:
Living in the last days is wonderful because we have a living prophet, full priesthood ordinances, and the fullness of the everlasting gospel! Aside from all the technological miracles available to us (think transportation, communication, medical, family history research, etc.) we are living in the most spiritually rich time ever. When has there ever been a living prophet AND four book of scriptures AND everything the church has to offer at the touch of our fingers on a computer (or other piece of technology)?
Every generation of righteous people believe that theirs is the most wicked ever. (Just read the scriptures). And it probably was; as we grow from innocent children to mature adult we become aware of the wickedness around us and it appalls us. But all the prophets of previous ages looked at our time with envy because of the great blessings we would have. The prophets of our time are optimistic, hopeful, full of gratitude! Keep your eyes and heart on them and the Savior and don't give in to Satan's depressing wickedness. Take a break from political news and commentary, fill your mind with how the gospel is going forth to every nation, kindred, tongue and people! We live in exciting times!
Yes! You can use my name and comments. I'm pleased that you think enough of me to share. Keep up the good work.
I agree with Rozy Lass! We have the blessings of the fulness of the gospel and all the wonderful technology and advancements available that we enjoy!
We also are blessed with freedom to live how and where we want. We can appreciate the wonders of the world through pictures and videos (and sometimes travel). We can learn about anything you can think of just by making a few clicks!
Even though we are warned that calamities will increase, the Lord always says, "fear not". We just need to put our trust in him. As long as we keep our faith in Heavenly Father & Jesus Christ and their plan for us collectively and individually, things will turn out right.
Almost everything has a positive and negative. We need to seek balance and the positive aspect of things.
I think we should only focus on the negative things in order to look for things we can do to improve them. For example, with your Eagle Scout project, you took the problem of children not being able to read because they didn't have books, and helped collect books for them.
One of Satan's tricks is to make people feel overwhelmed and depressed by telling them how bad things are, or that they can't do things well enough, etc. If we listen to his negative influence, it can stop us from doing good.
He knows that our small imperfect acts are valuable! We can't solve all the problems in the world, but if each of us does the small things we can do, we can make it a little better, and help make others happy.
You asked, "why living during the Last Days is supposed to be such a wonderful blessing". Think of the main purposes of this life: to gain a physical body, learn to make good choices, & receive the ordinances of salvation.
1. Gaining a physical body is pretty much the same throughout history. However, now we have the added benefits of modern medicine, and access to all kinds of things to help us be healthy and enjoy our bodies.
2. We learn and grow through experiences and making choices. We have many more opportunities to learn and make choices now than people in other periods have had. Technology such as better transportation, and machines to do work for us, etc. free up time to do more things, and make it possible to experience a wider variety of things. We have prophets and scriptures to guide us and help us learn and grow spiritually, and the freedom to practice our religion. We are also free to pursue our individual interests.
3. We have all the ordinances of salvation, and more and more temples are being built to make it easier for everyone to go to the temple. Plus, we can give those who have passed away the opportunity to accept the ordinances they need by doing temple work for them.
So judging by the main purposes of life, it is a wonderful time to be alive!
Also, I really like my friends and family, so it's great to be alive at the same time & enjoy being with them!
Rozy Lass and Miriam make good points.
I think we are exceptionally blessed to have the blessings of the Gospel. Gives us a lot of responsibility, but I think if we think life is tough now, imagine what it would be like without the hope and promises of the Gospel! They will have the opportunity to receive the Gospel, but so many people have had to face the trials of life not knowing of God's promises. How hard is that! We sometimes feel overwhelmed and discouraged. How did/do they cope?
I also really like plumbing. It's pretty nice not to be starving. And I, too, am quite grateful for my family and friends.
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