Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord. (D&C 112:24)Having grown up in the Midwest and seen how tornados form and their conditions, this verse is telling. The clouds form, the sky gets a very unnatural color, the wind rises, and in the middle of the roiling clouds, the funnel drops and turns. It roots up everything, tears it apart, and scatters it far and wide. Tornados tend to have narrow paths...
so when this verse says vengeance will come “as a whirlwind…upon all the face of the earth,” we are to understand that it will hit everything.
The impulse to take revenge when you've been wronged is so strong that it can suck you in almost without realizing it, especially if everyone else around is wrung by the same drive.
STAND IN HOLY PLACES AND BE NOT MOVED.
Image #1: 620CKRM Willy Cole Blog, http://www.620ckrm.com/blogs/willycole/?p=983
Image #2: Watercooler Weather, http://watercoolerweather.blogspot.com/2008/05/here-we-go-again.html
Image #3 Ultimate Chase : Deadly Florida Tornado Damage Photos, http://www.ultimatechase.com/Chase_Accounts/florida_tornado_damage_photos_2007.htm
5 comments:
I have to say that living here in Iowa I told my husband this is the only place I've lived where the weather makes me nervous. The Last Days make me nervous too. I take comfort that I'm on the winning team; not looking forward to the final minutes of the game, though.
The last days make me nervous too, so I try to concentrate on what I'm supposed to do in the hopes that preparation will take away my fear. I notice that the more committed I am to the Lord, the less anxiety I have in general.
///"vengeance will come “as a whirlwind…upon all the face of the earth,” we are to understand that it will hit everything.
--and yet: did you see that photo?! One house was completely devastated, but the house right next to it was untouched... "as a whilrwind".
"STAND IN HOLY PLACES AND BE NOT MOVED."
--If that house had moved over just a bit more...
I am curious; this verse states that vengence will come as a whirl wind upon all the face of the earth". Is this "day" for dispensation", or "day" when Jesus Christ returns, as in 3rd Nephi, the destruction before Christ makes his appearance?
I wonder if the word whirlwind is used to describe the intensity of the wrath, and futility of anyone trying to avoid it.
I grew up in La,Tornado alley. I remember a really devestating storm that "formed" a funnel cloud in my neighborhood, but moved through and devestated another town, almost 20 miles away. The entire town was decimated and was not able to recover for almost 10 years.
Is God's voice in the whirlwind? No,it is that still and comforting voice after the storm.
RGG, my personal opinion is that "vengeance as a whirlwind" will be a natural result of the wickedness in the very last days before the second coming. You get a sample of what a society wrung by vengeance looks like in the last few chapters of the Book of Ether. Zion is meant to become a refuge from this widespread vengeance.
66 And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God;
67 And the glory of the Lord shall be there, and the terror of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion.
68 And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety.
69 And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another. (D&C 45:66-69)
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