Stand Ye In Holy Places and Be not Moved

We will live in the midst of economic, political, and spiritual instability. When these signs are observed-unmistakable evidences that His coming is nigh-we need not be troubled, but "stand . . . in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come." (Doctrine and Covenants 87:8.)

Holy men and women stand in holy places, and these holy places consist of our temples, our chapels, our homes, and the stakes of Zion, which are, as the Lord declares, "for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth." (Doctrine and Covenants 115:6.) We must heed the Lord's counsel to the Saints of this dispensation: "Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord." (Doctrine and Covenants 133:10.)

This preparation must consist of more than just casual membership in the Church. We must be guided by personal revelation and the counsel of the living prophet so we will not be deceived...

President Wilford Woodruff further prophesied in 1894: "Can you tell me where the people are who will be shielded and protected from these great calamities and judgments which are even now at our doors? I'll tell you. The priesthood of God who honor their priesthood and who are worthy of their blessings are the only ones who shall have this safety and protection. They are the only mortal beings. No other people have a right to be shielded from these judgments. They are at our doors; not even this people will escape them entirely." (Young Women's Journal 5 [August 1894]: 512.)

Will we be among those who are faithful to the end? Will we endure? Are we prepared? Can we live in the world and not partake of the sins of the world? Will we "arise and shine forth," as the Lord has commanded? Will we be a light and a "standard for the nations"?

Such is our challenge. Therefore, let us prepare for the great day of the Lord. (Come unto Christ [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], 115-116.)