25 And if they be evil they are consigned to an awful aview of their own guilt and abominations, which doth cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord into a state of bmisery and cendless torment, from whence they can no more return; therefore they have drunk damnation to their own souls.
So when we stand before God, we will see all of the things we have done wrong, all of our evil intentions, all of the things we've tried to hide from others and ourselves. Those who have made no attempt to repent will see themselves as they really are, and King Benjamin says that view will cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord. Sometimes we have the impression that the Lord is standing with an accusing look, pointing towards Hell, sending sinners away from Him. But it says here, that they (hopefully not "we") will "shrink" from His presence, and send themselves into a state of misery and endless torment. Just as a child hides from its parents when it's done something wrong, they will want to hide from the Lord so that He can't see the evil they've done. They will condemn themselves.
So when we stand before God, we will see all of the things we have done wrong, all of our evil intentions, all of the things we've tried to hide from others and ourselves. Those who have made no attempt to repent will see themselves as they really are, and King Benjamin says that view will cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord. Sometimes we have the impression that the Lord is standing with an accusing look, pointing towards Hell, sending sinners away from Him. But it says here, that they (hopefully not "we") will "shrink" from His presence, and send themselves into a state of misery and endless torment. Just as a child hides from its parents when it's done something wrong, they will want to hide from the Lord so that He can't see the evil they've done. They will condemn themselves.
Every time I read about the wicked being punished and the righteous being rewarded, I wonder where the division is. We all make mistakes and have things we regret; we all have 'wicked' thoughts and actions that we need to repent of, but I think most of us consider ourselves among the more righteous because we try to continually repent.
ReplyDeleteHowever, those who are not members, who try to live a basically good life feel the same about themselves: that they are basically good people and so are among the more righteous people. And God will see the good in them.
Then there is the group of ones we would consider wicked: those in prison or who should be in prison. But usually there are things in their past that caused them to turn out that way. Renee told me once that when she got to know the women in prison she realized with their background, there is nowhere else they could possibly end up. So when they are judged by a loving God and their past is taken into account, and with the help of the atonement they can overcome those faults and past mistakes, they can also be counted among God's good people.
So who does that leave?
Mostly I'm concerned about my loved ones - family and other - who have chosen other paths. I really from the bottom of my heart want the mercy to be greater than the justice for their sake.
I think that's the beauty of this scripture. We will face the Judge knowing our background and circumstances and see our choices. We will know how we could have done better. Most of us will have the opportunity to repent, if we haven't already done so. Those who end up in the Telestial Kingdom will go there happily because that is where they will feel the most comfortable.
ReplyDeleteI'm so grateful that I don't have to be the Judge; that an all-wise, all-loving, all-knowing Father is in charge.