What Was The Great And Terrible Gulf In Lehi’s Dream?

And the large and spacious building, which thy father saw, is vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men. And a great and a terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal God, and the Messiah who is the Lamb of God, of whom the Holy Ghost beareth record, from the beginning of the world until this time, and from this time henceforth and forever. (1 Nephi 12:18)

The justice of God cannot allow the wicked and righteous to receive the same reward. This seems simple enough, however Alma's son Corianton had trouble with this concept, 'I perceive there is somewhat more which doth worry your mind, which ye cannot understand - which is concerning the justice of God in the punishment of the sinner; for ye do try to suppose that it is injustice that the sinner should be consigned to a state of misery' (Alma 42:1). Alma goes on to show his son that it is injustice if the sinner is not punished, 'What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice?...whosoever will come [unto God] may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds. If he has desired to do evil and has not repented in his days, behold, evil shall be done unto him, according to the restoration of God' (Alma 42:25-28).

The D&C teaches that the individual must be able to abide the law of the kingdom he/she enters, 'For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory' (D&C 88:22). A corollary to this principle is taught by Moroni, 'Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws? Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell' (Mormon 9:3-4).

Therefore, the justice of God is actually merciful in requiring that the righteous and wicked be separated. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, this same gulf is described separating those in Spirit Prison from those in Spirit Paradise, 'between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence' (Luke 16:26).

Hugh Nibley
"...'a great and terrible gulf divideth them.' There it is again. It is a figure of speech, an image. Nothing could better describe it; there is a great and terrible gulf between two different ways of living. There is nothing in common between them at all. You can't breach it...." (Teachings of the Book of Mormon--Semester 1: Transcripts of Lectures Presented to an Honors Book of Mormon Class at Brigham Young University, 1988-1990, p. 195)

Prophetic Warnings

More than ever before, we need to learn and apply the principles of economic self-reliance. We do not know when the crisis involving sickness or unemployment may affect our own circumstances. We do know that the Lord has decreed global calamities for the future and has warned and forewarned us to be prepared.” (President Ezra Taft Benson)

Too often we bask in our comfortable complacency and rationalize that the ravages of war, economic disaster, famine, and earthquake cannot happen here. Those who believe this are either not acquainted with the revelations of the Lord, or they do not believe them. Those who smugly think these calamities will not happen, that they somehow will be set aside because of the righteousness of the Saints, are deceived and will rue the day they harbored such a delusion. (President Ezra Taft Benson)

When will all these calamities strike? We do not know the exact time, but it appears it may be in the not-too-distant future. Those who are prepared now have the continuing blessings of early obedience, and they are ready. Noah built his ark before the flood came, and he and his family survived. Those who waited to act until after the flood began were too late. Let us not be dissuaded from preparing because of a seeming prosperity today, or a so-called peace.” (President Ezra Taft Benson)

For the righteous, the gospel provides a warning before a calamity, a program for the crises, a refuge for each disaster. …The Lord has warned us of famines, but the righteous will have listened to prophets and stored at least a year’s supply of survival food.” (President Ezra Taft Benson)

My brothers and sisters, I feel our anxieties are justified. It is the opinion of many that more difficult times lie ahead. We are deeply concerned about the welfare of our people and recognize the potential privation and suffering that will exist if each person and family does not accept the word of the Lord when he says, “Prepare every needful thing” (D&C 88:119) (Victor L. Brown)

There are some who feel that they are secure as long as they have funds to purchase food. Money is not food. If there is no food in the stores or in the warehouses, you cannot sustain life with money. Both President Romney and President Clark have warned us that we will yet live on what we produce. (J. Richard Clarke)

When we really get into hard times, where food is scarce or there is none at all, and so with clothing and shelter, money may be no good for there may be nothing to buy, and you cannot eat money, you cannot get enough of it together to burn to keep warm, and you cannot wear it.” (J. Richard Clarke)

Let us become efficient in our production operations so that we don’t merely go through the motions of having welfare farms. The time will come when we will need all the products and more from our projects—even more than we do now.” (President Spencer W. Kimball)

The day will come, when, as we have been told, we shall all see the necessity of making our own shoes and clothing and raising our own food.” (President Wilford Woodruff)

The revelation to produce and store food may be as essential to our temporal welfare today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah.” (President Ezra Taft Benson)

It is by the Prayers of the Righteous that YE ARE SPARED

Yea, and I say unto you that if it were not for the prayers of the righteous, who are now in the land, that ye would even now be visited with utter destruction; yet it would not be by flood, as were the people in the days of Noah, but it would be by famine, and by pestilence, and the sword.

But it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared; now therefore, if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand; but in his fierce anger he will come out against you; then ye shall be smitten by famine, and by pestilence, and by the sword; and the time is soon at hand except ye repent. (Alma 10:22-23)

The most famous relevant story comes from Genesis, when the prophet Abraham bargains with the Lord on how many righteous individuals it takes to offer protection to the wicked city of Sodom.

'And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?

...Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake.

And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.

And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.' (Genesis 18:23-32)

Apparently, the Lord will preserve a city if there are but ten righteous individuals. In Ammonihah, there were a lot more than ten. However, these were soon killed (Alma 14:8) - leaving only the wicked. When that happens, as with Sodom, the people are visited with utter destruction.

The same principle applies to the preservation of every nation on earth, including the United States.

Spencer W. Kimball
"Our world is now much the same as it was in the days of the Nephites prophet who said: '...if it were not for the prayers of the righteous...ye would even now be visited with utter destruction' (Alma 10:22). There are many upright and faithful who live all the commandments and whose lives and prayers keep the world from destruction." 

(Ensign, June 1971, p. 16 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 262)

For I was called many times and I would not hear

And behold, I am also a man of no small reputation among all those who know me; yea, and behold, I have many kindreds and friends, and I have also acquired much riches by the hand of my industry.

Nevertheless, after all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people.

Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the fourth day of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of the judges. (Alma 10:4-6)

Hugh Nibley
"(speaking of Amulek) A model citizen, hardworking, rich, well-born, immensely respectable: 'And behold, I am also a man of no small reputation among all those who know me' (Alma 10:4). But to get rich this man could not neglect his business; he was contracted to Mammon instead of God: 'Nevertheless, after all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord,' even though he had the best opportunity to know them, 'for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power. . . . Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear. . . . I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart' (Alma 10:5-6). That went on until an angel stopped him (Alma 10:7). Being thus admonished, Amulek forsook 'all his gold, and silver, and his precious things which were in the land of Ammonihah, for the word of God' (Alma 15:16). It had to be one or the other. But all was not lost, you might say, he still had his old friends and admirers and loved ones. Please let us not underestimate the power of money. Having lost his fortune, he was promptly 'rejected by those who were once his friends and also by his father and his kindred' (Alma 15:16)." (The Prophetic Book of Mormon, p. 562)

The voice of the Lord calls to us regularly. It is not wickedness or carnality alone which keep us from feeling and hearing the word; it is preoccupation. We need not be guilty of gross sin to be unready for the impressions of the Spirit; we need only have our minds and hearts focused upon other things, to be so involved in the thick of thin things that we are not taking the time to ponder or meditate upon matters of substance. Excessive labor in secondary causes leads to a lessening of spiritual opportunities. President Ezra Taft Benson told the following story, which highlights the need for being attentive and open to heavenly guidance:

'Bishop John Wells, a former member of the Presiding Bishopric, was a great detail man and was responsible for many Church reports. President David O. McKay and President Harold B.Lee used to relate an experience from his life that is instructive to all of us.

'A son of Bishop and Sister Wells was killed in a railroad accident in Emigration Canyon, east of Salt Lake City. He was run over by a freight car. Sister Wells could not be consoled. She received no comfort during the funeral and continued her mourning after her son was laid to rest. Bishop Wells feared for her health, as she was in a state of deep anguish.

'One day, soon after the funeral, Sister Wells was lying on her bed in a state of mourning. The son appeared to her and said, 'Mother, do not mourn, do not cry. I am all right.' He then related to her how the accident took place. Apparently there had been some question-even suspicion-about the accident, because the young man was an experienced railroad man. But he told his mother that it was clearly an accident.

'He told her that as soon as he realized that he was in another sphere, he had tried to reach his father but could not. His father was so busy with the details of his office and work that he could not respond to the promptings. Therefore, the son had come to his mother. He then said, 'Tell Father that all is well with me, and I want you not to mourn anymore.'

President McKay used this experience to teach that we must always be responsive to the whisperings of the Spirit. These promptings come most often when we are not under the pressure of appointments and when we are not caught up in the worries of day-to-day life. (Come unto Christ, p. 18.)"

(McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 3, pp. 68-69)

Their Iniquities Shall be Spoken Upon the Housetops

Hearken, O ye people of my church, saith the voice of him who dwells on high, and whose eyes are upon all men; yea, verily I say: Hearken ye people from afar; and ye that are upon the islands of the sea, listen together.

For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be penetrated.

And the rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow; for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed. (D&C 1:1-3)

There will come a day when all things will be revealed. That includes all of our weaknesses and secret indiscretions. What a horrifying thought-not just for the rebellious but for the faithful as well! The only way to protect ourselves from this ignominious day is to repent of every single one of our sins.

Spencer W. Kimball
My young folks, since the Lord said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48), it would be well if all of us would take frequent inventory to see if hidden away under the rugs and in the corners of our lives there might be some vestige of hypocrisy and ugliness or error. Or could there be hidden under the blankets of personal excuse and rationalization some small eccentricities and dishonesties? Are there any cobwebs in ceilings and corners which we think will not be noticed? Are we trying to cover up the small pettinesses and the small gratifications we secretly allow ourselves-rationalizing the while that they are insignificant and inconsequential? Are there areas in our thoughts and actions and attitudes which we would like to hide from those we respect most? Are we certain that all of our innermost secrets are kept confidential? The Lord revealed in 1831, "The rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow; for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed." (D&C 1:3)

Would a frequent house cleaning be in order for all of us? (Elder Spencer W. Kimball, February 25, 1964, BYU Speeches of the Year, 1964, p. 21)

I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances?

I say unto you, can ye think of being saved when you have yielded yourselves to become subjects to the devil?

I say unto you, ye will know at that day that ye cannot be saved; for there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their sins.

And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness? Behold, what will these things testify against you?

Behold will they not testify that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness?

Behold, my brethren, do ye suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed and are spotless, pure and white?

I say unto you, Nay; except ye make our Creator a liar from the beginning, or suppose that he is a liar from the beginning, ye cannot suppose that such can have place in the kingdom of heaven; but they shall be cast out for they are the children of the kingdom of the devil.

And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?

Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins?

Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life. (Alma 5:19-28)

While the wicked go on in life violating the laws of God, they think little of what they are doing. That will change on the great day of judgment. All of a sudden, all of us, wicked or not, will be forced to reckon with ourselves and our own rebellion. The most frightening thing of all is that we will no longer be able to hide behind the protective bliss of a forgetful memory. Rather, every petty act, idle word, and indecent thought will be flooded into our otherwise forgetful minds only to pain us with the reality of our own unworthiness.

Sterling W. Sill
"That calls for an important ability (to imagine Judgment Day), and the best way to avoid possible tragedy is to focus our imagination upon [Judgment] Day before we actually get there. We can be absolutely certain that we will all want to be a faithful, devoted, hard-working, enthusiastic full tithe-paying member of God's kingdom when we stand before the judgment bar. But we must get the impulse to faithfulness ahead of time; as someone has said that hell is 'truth seen too late.'" (Conference Report, Apr. 1964, p. 16)

AT THAT DAY WHEN THE GENTILES SHALL SIN AGAINST MY GOSPEL

An email sent to me on October 4, 2017

So what is this great ‘sin’ – that only a people who have received God the Father’s ‘gospel’, by covenant, could truly ‘sin against’ – according to the Book of Mormon?

When the ‘Gentiles’ ‘sin against God the Father’s gospel (3 Nephi 16:10), by ‘administering that which is sacred unto him to whom it is forbidden because of unworthiness’ (4 Nephi 1:27), which will be ‘a sin to be even as Sodom’ (2 Nephi 13:9), then our Father in Heaven will remove His Gospel (and the authority to administer it) from those ‘who are identified with the Gentiles’ (D&C 109:60)

It will be the time when the Lord ‘takes away’ the ‘whole staff of bread’ and the ‘whole stay of water’, or the weekly sacrament ordinance, from His consecrated buildings (2 Nephi 13:1) – which Elder David A. Bednar prophetically warned numerous Stake Conferences about in 2015:

‘When the Nigerian government outlawed the Church, for a time, the faithful Saints, who were banned from meeting in the Lord’s consecrated buildings, conducted their sacrament meetings under a mango tree. And the work of the Lord was carried on... I fear that when a similar day comes to North America, the members of the Church in the United States and Canada will not make such an easy transition.’

It is the time when the Lord told Isaiah He will ‘cut off from Israel or His Church head and tail, branch and rush in one day’ (2 Nephi 19:14)

It is the time that the Lord prophesied He will (temporarily) forsake His Latter Day Church:

(3 Nephi 22:6-8)

6 For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee.

8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

(Note: In the Joseph Smith Translation of Revelation 12 verse 7, the ‘woman’ is the ‘church of God’ – which, in Mormon chapter 8, is the ‘holy church of God’ that Moroni prophetically warned will become ‘polluted’ by Latter Day ‘hypocrites and pollutions’)

(Mormon 8:38)

38 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies--because of the praise of the world?

It is the time when the Savior will (temporarily) put the Church – His ‘wife’ (Ezekiel 16), who is our ‘mother’ (as we receive the Savior’s Gospel and Gospel ordinances from His Church) – ‘away’ for a time:

(2 Nephi 7:1)

1 Yea, for thus saith the Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever? For thus saith the Lord: Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement? To whom have I put thee away, or to which of my creditors have I sold you? Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.

It is the coming long prophesied Latter Day period when the angel of the Lord revealed to the prophet Daniel, in vision, that the membership of the Church, and the Holy Temple(s) of God, would be (temporarily) confiscated by the wicked – for ‘two thousand and three hundred days’ (or approximately 6 years and 4 months):

(Daniel 8:13-14)

13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?

14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

This coming sobering time is the period when President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s parable, ‘A Summer With Great Aunt Rose’, will be fulfilled:

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/10/a-summer-with-great-aunt-rose?lang=eng

That is the parable where young ‘Eva’ (a faithful remnant of the ‘Saints of the Lamb’ and the ‘covenant people of the Lord’ in a day to come (1 Nephi 14:14), who will be the ‘escaped of Israel’ (2 Nephi 14:2), or the ‘escaped of the house of Jacob’ (2 Nephi 20:20), will be carried out into the ‘wilderness’ (JST-Revelation 12:14) – after her ‘mother’ (the Church (2 Nephi 7:1) undergoes ‘unexpected’ critical ‘surgery’ to save her life (the surgical removal and binding of the ‘tares’ [or false secret combination counterfeit members of the Church in our midst and those who will follow them (Helaman 6:38)] after the ‘wheat’ [the members of the Church who remain faithful – with their hands on the ‘iron rod’ (1 Nephi 11:25)] or ‘Eva’ in the parable, are ‘separated’ [out into the ‘wilderness’] (D&C 86:1-7)) – while ‘Eva’(s) ‘Father’ (the Lord Jesus Christ), who will take ‘Eva’ (the faithful Saints) out with her ‘never married’ ‘Great Aunt Rose’ (who represents the previous gospel dispensations – or the prophets and covenant people of the Lord, and their recorded scriptures, from past gospel dispensations – who, themselves, never established Zion) ‘countryside home’ (or the scriptural ‘wilderness’ (JST-Revelation 12:14) for the ‘escaped of Israel’ (2 Nephi 14:2))... This same ‘Father’ (the Savior) both checks in on and even comes out to check on ‘Eva’, while He mostly attends to ‘Eva(s)’ ‘mother’ – during her life-saving ‘surgery’ (which will be the cleansing of the Lord’s house’):

(D&C 50:4-9)

4 Behold, I, the Lord, have looked upon you, and have seen abominations in the church that profess my name.

5 But blessed are they who are faithful and endure, whether in life or in death, for they shall inherit eternal life.

6 But wo unto them that are deceivers and hypocrites, for, thus saith the Lord, I will bring them to judgment.

7 Behold, verily I say unto you, there are hypocrites among you, who have deceived some, which has given the adversary power; but behold such shall be reclaimed;

8 But the hypocrites shall be detected and shall be cut off, either in life or in death, even as I will; and wo unto them who are cut off from my church, for the same are overcome of the world.

9 Wherefore, let every man beware lest he do that which is not in truth and righteousness before me.

(D&C 64:37-40)

37 Behold, I, the Lord, have made my church in these last days like unto a judge sitting on a hill, or in a high place, to judge the nations.

38 For it shall come to pass that the inhabitants of Zion shall judge all things pertaining to Zion.

39 And liars and hypocrites shall be proved by them, and they who are not apostles and prophets shall be known.

40 And even the bishop, who is a judge, and his counselors, if they are not faithful in their stewardships shall be condemned, and others shall be planted in their stead.

(D&C 112:23-26)

23 Verily, verily, I say unto you, darkness covereth the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt before my face.

24 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.

25 And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord;

26 First among those among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord.