Helaman 12

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 7/20 green6/21 9/22 Brown 11/23) 

CHAPTER 12

Men are unstable and foolish and quick to do evil—The Lord chastens His people—The nothingness of men is compared with the power of God—In the day of judgment, men will gain everlasting life or everlasting damnation. About 6 B.C.

  1 And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and ^aprosper those who put their ^btrust in him. There's a part of this that makes me have compassion for the "children of men"....it just seems to be so hard for so many to stay steady and not get caught up in "false" believes and causes. I'm sure it happens to me too... but the goal and my desire is to "trust in Him". Oh how I desire to experience the "infinite goodness" of His blessings and need Him to prosper my ways.
  2 Yea, and we may see at the very ^atime when he doth ^bprosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of ^cprecious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do ^dharden their hearts, and do ^eforget the Lord their God, and do ^ftrample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity. United States of America....this is you! 
  3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth ^achasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with ^bdeath and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not ^cremember him. Can it be more clear what is coming/here? We need severe chastening. That means afflictions, death, terror, famine, all manner of pestilence. And we bring it upon ourselves because we won't remember God in our prosperity. "Yet we'll learn obedience by the things which we suffer." Unfortunately....we have to suffer first before we believe that we have no other options but God. At first people will say it's climate change, or cycles of nature, or "it just happens", or it will get better...but when it doesn't and people keep dying...at some point people will get desperate enough to consider that they truly have no control and God is the only possible way out. And, that we ourselves, have brought these afflictions upon ourselves through our iniquities. We can avoid ALL this, however, if we will humble ourselves and submit to His will and not man's will. And remember in gratitude that all "good" come through His grace and that we must live in gratitude daily.
  4 O how ^afoolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how ^bquick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their ^chearts upon the vain things of the world!
  5 Yea, how quick to be lifted up in ^apride; yea, how quick to ^bboast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to ^cwalk in wisdom’s paths!
  6 Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath ^acreated them, should ^brule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at ^cnaught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide.
  7 O how great is the ^anothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are ^bless than the dust of the earth. This is a word link back to King Benjamin's speech. Seeing our own "nothingness" is key to staying out of pride and sin.
  8 For behold, the dust of the earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting God. and we do not...the dust of the earth is more obedient than we are, and is thus, "more" than mankind is. 

Side to not be on:
- foolish
- vain
- evil
- devilish
- quick to do iniquity
- slow to do good
- quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one
- set their hearts upon the vain things of the world
- lifted up in pride
- quick to boast
- quick to do all manner of that which is iniquity
- slow to remember the Lord their God
- slow to give ear unto his counsels
- slow to walk in wisdom's paths
- do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them should rule and reign over them
- set at naught his counsels
- will not that he should be their guide

Side to be on:

- wise
- modest
- righteous
- angelic
- slow to do iniquity
- quick to do good
- quick to hearken to the words of the Righteous one
- set their hearts upon the things of eternity
- humble
- quick to boast in God
- quick to do all manner of that which is good
- quick to remember the Lord their God
- quick to give ear unto his counsels
- quick to walk in wisdom's paths
- desire that the lord their God, who hath created them should rule and reign over them
- follow and honor his counsels
- will that he should be their guide
- remembers their nothingness

  9 Yea, behold at his ^avoice do the hills and the mountains tremble and ^bquake.
 10 And by the ^apower of his voice they are broken up, and become smooth, yea, even like unto a valley.
 11 Yea, by the power of his voice doth the ^awhole earth shake;
 12 Yea, by the power of his voice, do the foundations rock, even to the very center.
 13 Yea, and if he say unto the earth—Move—it is moved.
 14 Yea, if he say unto the ^aearth—Thou shalt ^bgo back, that it ^clengthen out the day for many hours—it is done;
 15 And thus, according to his word the ^aearth goeth back, and it appeareth unto man that the ^bsun standeth still; yea, and behold, this is so; for surely it is the earth that moveth and not the sun.
 16 And behold, also, if he say unto the ^awaters of the great deep—^bBe thou dried up—it is done.
 17 Behold, if he say unto this mountain—Be thou raised up, and ^acome over and fall upon that city, that it be buried up—behold it is done.
 18 And behold, if a man ^ahide up a treasure in the earth, and the Lord shall say—Let it be ^baccursed, because of the iniquity of him who hath hid it up—behold, it shall be accursed.
 19 And if the Lord shall say—Be thou accursed, that no man shall find thee from this time henceforth and forever—behold, no man getteth it henceforth and forever.
 20 And behold, if the Lord shall say unto a man—Because of thine iniquities, thou shalt be accursed ^aforever—it shall be done.
 21 And if the Lord shall say—Because of thine iniquities thou shalt be ^acut off from my presence—he will cause that it shall be so.
 22 And wo unto him to whom he shall say this, for it shall be unto him that will do iniquity, and he cannot be ^asaved; therefore, for this cause, that men might be saved, hath repentance been declared.
 23 Therefore, blessed are they who will repent and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; for these are they that shall be saved.
 24 And may God grant, in his great fulness, that men might be brought unto repentance and good works, that they might be restored unto grace for ^agrace, according to their works. There is "grace for grace" and "grace to grace", but I don't know that I can explain the difference. But there is some deep doctrine there...
 25 And I would that all men might be saved. But we read that in the ^agreat and last day there are some who shall be cast out, yea, who shall be cast off from the ^bpresence of the Lord;
 26 Yea, who shall be consigned to a state of endless misery, fulfilling the words which say: They that have done good shall have ^aeverlasting life; and they that have done evil shall have everlasting ^bdamnation. And thus it is. Amen. It is so plain the need to continually repent. We are so vulnerable to the snares of the adversary. If we truly love our fellow man, we must pray that God, in his great fulness, will bring them unto repentance and good works and restore them unto grace and good works that they might be saved. Here is our warning - "in the great and last day" (fast approaching)...some will not repent and will be cast out. Don't let that be you....