but<\/span>\u00a0it shall\u00a0break\u00a0in pieces and\u00a0consume\u00a0all these\u00a0kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever\u201d (Daniel 2:44).<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
But that prophecy needs to be properly understood.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Peering into the future, Nephi reports that\u00a0\u201cI beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were\u00a0few. . . . \u00a0I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were . . . upon\u00a0all\u00a0the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small\u201d (1 Nephi 14:12).<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Worldwide extension, but not worldwide dominance. \u00a0International reach, but small numbers. \u00a0Exactly as we\u2019re seeing today.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
From the beginning, the Nephites were outnumbered by the Lamanites, and the Lehites altogether were a tiny group who had fled violent rejection by the rulers and the popular majority in Jerusalem. \u00a0\u201cThe time passed away with us,\u201d reports Jacob, \u201cand also our\u00a0lives\u00a0passed away like as it were unto us a\u00a0dream, we being a\u00a0lonesome\u00a0and a solemn people,\u00a0wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days\u201d (Jacob 7:26).<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
But at least they got away alive. \u00a0Jeremiah, Lehi\u2019s contemporary, was dragged off to Egypt and murdered. \u00a0And disobedient Judah, like unfaithful Israel before it, was destroyed and its inhabitants carted off to Mesopotamia.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why is it so difficult for so many good people to keep testimonies?<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The answer to that is, of course, peculiar to each individual. \u00a0But it\u2019s sadly true that we live in a time of unusual challenges to testimonies, and that more than a few are falling victim to those challenges. \u00a0We have not yet adequately responded, though I hope that the forces of truth are beginning to regroup.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
But, here again, the scriptures candidly note that many of the faithful will fall away. Thus, for example, the parable of the sower in Matthew 13 speaks of seeds that spring up but that are then scorched by the sun and die. \u00a0That\u2019s why scriptural texts continually tell us that \u201che that endureth to the end shall be saved\u201d (Matthew 10:22) and that, \u201cif ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and\u00a0endure to the end, ye shall be saved\u201d (1 Nephi 22:31). \u00a0If it were easy and almost universally common to remain faithful until the end, such exhortations would scarcely be necessary.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of the eleven official Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, only five were in full fellowship with the Church at their deaths \u2014 and two of those five, Oliver Cowdery and Martin Harris, had returned only after lengthy periods of disaffection. \u00a0They continued to affirm their experiences with the Book of Mormon plates, and so forth, but their steps faltered with respect to the Church.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of the original 1835 Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, only six, or half, were still apostles by the time they died \u2014 and of the six who remained, two had experienced prolonged episodes of disaffection. \u00a0(And two of the six former apostles eventually returned to the Church, but they were never readmitted to the Twelve.)<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Apostasy occurred even in the very presence of the Savior himself, as recorded (for example) in John 6:66-69:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
From that\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>time<\/span><\/b><\/span>\u00a0many of his\u00a0disciples\u00a0went back, and\u00a0walked no more with him. \u00a0Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? \u00a0Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the\u00a0words\u00a0of eternal life. \u00a0And\u00a0we\u00a0believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the\u00a0Son of the living God.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
The fear that loved ones will fall away explains why, when major scriptural figures hear that those they care about are still committed to the gospel even after a long absence, there are such notable expressions of joy. \u00a0After all, mortal life and human nature being what they are, continued faithfulness takes real work. \u00a0It\u2019s not the default setting. \u00a0Thus, for example, 1 John 3:1-4:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. \u00a0Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. \u00a0For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. \u00a0I have no greater\u00a0joy\u00a0than to hear that my\u00a0children\u00a0walk\u00a0in truth. \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
And Alma 17:1-2:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward, away to the land of\u00a0Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he\u00a0met\u00a0with the\u00a0sons of Mosiah\u00a0journeying towards the land of Zarahemla.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nNow these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel\u00a0first\u00a0appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had\u00a0searched\u00a0the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
To be continued.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 A reader of this blog sent me a heartfelt question, or complex of questions, last night, and I\u2019ve chosen to respond to him here rather than on Facebook. \u00a0Not because I have a decisive or overpoweringly persuasive answer to his concern \u2014 it will rapidly be all too obvious that I don\u2019t \u2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1679,2433,1809,2430,55,2442,2439,1685,1676,2436],"class_list":["post-65532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-baptism-for-the-dead","tag-church-growth","tag-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints","tag-missionary-work","tag-mormonism","tag-plan-of-salvation","tag-proxy-baptisms","tag-temple-work","tag-temples","tag-work-for-the-dead"],"yoast_head":"\n
Big Questions (A)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\" A reader of this blog sent me a heartfelt question, or complex of questions, last night, and I've chosen to respond to him here rather than\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/09\/big-questions-a.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Big Questions (A)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\" A reader of this blog sent me a heartfelt question, or complex of questions, last night, and I've chosen to respond to him here rather than\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/09\/big-questions-a.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sic et Non\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-09-23T17:45:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-09-24T00:58:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/files\/2017\/04\/kyiv-mormon-temple18.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dan Peterson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dan Peterson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/09\/big-questions-a.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/09\/big-questions-a.html\",\"name\":\"Big Questions (A)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-09-23T17:45:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-09-24T00:58:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\"},\"description\":\" A reader of this blog sent me a heartfelt question, or complex of questions, last night, and I've chosen to respond to him here rather than\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/09\/big-questions-a.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/09\/big-questions-a.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/09\/big-questions-a.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Big Questions (A)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/\",\"name\":\"Sic et Non\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\",\"name\":\"Dan Peterson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dan Peterson\"},\"description\":\"\\\"Life was very unsatisfying until I discovered Dan's blog, which gave me a reason to live.\\\" (gemli, 7 November 2019)\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/author\/danpeterson\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Big Questions (A)","description":" A reader of this blog sent me a heartfelt question, or complex of questions, last night, and I've chosen to respond to him here rather than","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/09\/big-questions-a.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Big Questions (A)","og_description":" A reader of this blog sent me a heartfelt question, or complex of questions, last night, and I've chosen to respond to him here rather than","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/09\/big-questions-a.html","og_site_name":"Sic et Non","article_published_time":"2018-09-23T17:45:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-09-24T00:58:58+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/files\/2017\/04\/kyiv-mormon-temple18.jpg"}],"author":"Dan Peterson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dan Peterson","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/09\/big-questions-a.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/09\/big-questions-a.html","name":"Big Questions (A)","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website"},"datePublished":"2018-09-23T17:45:03+00:00","dateModified":"2018-09-24T00:58:58+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045"},"description":" A reader of this blog sent me a heartfelt question, or complex of questions, last night, and I've chosen to respond to him here rather than","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/09\/big-questions-a.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/09\/big-questions-a.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2018\/09\/big-questions-a.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Big Questions (A)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/","name":"Sic et Non","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045","name":"Dan Peterson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dan Peterson"},"description":"\"Life was very unsatisfying until I discovered Dan's blog, which gave me a reason to live.\" (gemli, 7 November 2019)","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/author\/danpeterson"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1019"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65532\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"The](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2017\/04\/kyiv-mormon-temple18.jpg\")
<\/a>