Daily Thoughts

In the Old Testament it talks about Babylon's curse to extinction. The institute manual says that Isaih's description of Babylon in these verses was literally fulfilled. Under Nebuchadnezzar, Babylonia overthrew Assyria and took over the reins of world power. Nebuchadnezzar undertook a building program which made Babylon one of the most remarkable cities of the ancient world. To predict the total devastation and desolation of such a city was remarkable, for some ancient cities such as Jerusalem, Damascus, and Jericho have continued through the centuries and still exist today. But after its conquest by Cyrus, Babylon steadily declined. Several hundred years passede before Babylon was abandoned, but by the first century after Christ, it lay deserted and in ruins, and so it remained. The silent ruins stand as an eloquent witness that Isaiah spoke with divine accuracy. Spiritual Babylon shall likewise become a waste and desolation when God comes upon the world in judgment and ushers in the millennial reign of Christ. Isa. 13: 19-22 "And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited , neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged."

In the Book of Mormon I read about what happens to people between the time of their death and the time of their resurrection. The righteous are received into a state of peace and happiness where they rest from all their troubles. But the wicked who have followed Satan are cast into outer darkness where there is weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. Boy, what a contrast! Sounds iike we'd better repent before it's too late. Alma 40: 11-14 "Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life. And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow. 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. Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection."

Some scriptures with a thought booklet tell us that the Lord will comfort His people and have mercy on the afflicted. He will never forget us. The thought that went with this, written by C.M. Englund from Estacada, Oregon says: With an emergency surgeon waiting to remove my ruptured appendix, I was rolled into the hospital's elevator on a gurney. Standing beside me, my husband told me that he needed to go home and eat. That's the last memory I have of his physical presence until he came to take me home two nights later! I could hardly believe it when he assured me that he had returned several times, even holding me and talking to me. The drugs pumped into my body had wiped out a significant part of my conscious awareness. Similarly, life's troubling circumstances can cloud our spiritual perception of the Lord's presense. We may become so focused on our situation that we fail to recognize that God is still there, His strong arms around us. At those times, we need to cling tightly to the promise that God will not forget us. No one is more faithful than Jesus. He will never forsake one of His own! Dear Savior, help us to remember that you are nearest in our darkest times. How we thank you for your strength and comfort! Isa. 49: 13-15 "Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee."