Isaiah's Message of Peace in Troubling Times

For the first fifteen years of our marriage, we were concerned about food storage and physical preparation. We could see what was coming down the pipeline and wanted to be able take care of our family when the economy collapsed.

In 2007, we became very interested in the words of Isaiah. Avraham Gileadi's work really helped us understand what Isaiah was saying. Isaiah was my favorite choice of scriptures in those days. I read the words of Isaiah over and over. 

My heart was comforted, and I was at peace. Isaiah speaks of the sickness, famine, wars, natural disasters, and the tyrant that are headed our way. But amid all this, there is a message of hope. There is a group of people who will be gathered, and they will be protected by God.

When I saw this, I was motivated. I had a choice. I could experience total devastation, or I could come to the Lord for protection and peace. It was then that I told the Lord that I would do anything to be part of that group of people.

Isaiah's message is important. When Jesus comes to the Nephites, he talks about the words of Isaiah three separate times. Jesus tells us to search the words of Isaiah. He wants us to understand what is happening today. Jesus does not want us to be afraid. His arms are open, and we can come to Him and experience peace and joy in these troubling times. (see scripture references below)

It takes great effort and much prayer to understand what Isaiah is saying. But once Isaiah's message becomes clear to you, it could change your life. Nephi shared the words of Isaiah, so people would want believe in the Lord their Redeemer.

But that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer, I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.   1 Nephi 6:1 

We have just completed Book of MormonStories. It is a simplified, illustrated version of The Book of Mormon. If you find the words of Isaiah confusing, this simplified version of The Book of Mormon can help you understand Isaiah's message.

We are uploading one video chapter of Bookof Mormon Stories each day. There are 90 chapters in all. We just posted the first Isaiah chapter today. These Isaiah chapters are at the end of First Nephi. If we post one video each day, we will start posting the Second Nephi Isaiah chapters on Friday.

A Covenant of Peace - First Nephi 6 (1840 edition) - Isaiah 48-49

Scripture References noted above of Jesus talking to the Nephites about Isaiah:

Verily, verily I say unto you, thus has the Father commanded me, that I should give unto this people this land for their inheritance, and when the words of the prophet Isaiah shall be fulfilled, which say: Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice, with the voice together shall they sing, for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of God. 3 Nephi 7:7

And it came to pass that when they had all given glory unto Jesus, he said unto them, Behold, now I finish the commandment which the Father hath commanded me concerning this people who are a remnant of the house of Israel. Ye remember that I spake unto you and said that when the words of Isaiah should be fulfilled — behold, they are written, ye have them before you, therefore search them — and verily, verily I say unto you that when they shall be fulfilled, then is the fulfilling of the covenant which the Father hath made unto his people, O house of Israel. Then shall the remnants which shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth be gathered in from the east, and from the west, and from the south, and from the north; and they shall be brought to the knowledge of the Lord their God who hath redeemed them. And the Father hath commanded me that I should give unto you this land for your inheritance. And I say unto you that if the gentiles do not repent after the blessing which they shall receive after they have scattered my people, then shall ye who are a remnant of the house of Jacob go forth among them. And ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many, and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through, both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Thy hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. And I will gather my people together as a man gathereth his sheaves into the floor, for I will make my people with whom the Father hath covenanted, yea, I will make thy horn iron and I will make thy hoofs brass, and thou shalt beat in pieces many people. And I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I am he who doeth it. And it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that the sword of my justice shall hang over them at that day; and except they repent, it shall fall upon them, saith the Father, yea, even upon all the nations of the gentiles. 3 Nephi 9:7

 . . . For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.

O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established; thou shalt be far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear, and from terror, for it shall not come near thee. Behold, they shall surely gather together against thee, not by me; whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work, and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.

And now behold, I say unto you that ye had ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently, for great are the words of Isaiah. For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel. Therefore, it must needs be that he must speak also to the gentiles. And all things that he spake hath been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake. Therefore, give heed to my words. Write the things which I have told you, and, according to the time and the will of the Father, they shall go forth unto the gentiles. And whosoever will hearken unto my words, and repenteth and is baptized, the same shall be saved. Search the prophets, for many there be that testify of these things. 3 Nephi 10:2-4

What is the Message?

On Sunday, May 22, 2016, at 2:12 p.m., the statue of Angel Moroni, which sits atop the LDS Bountiful Utah Temple, was struck by lightning.

On Wednesday, March 18, 2020, a little after 7:00 a.m., the statue of Angel Moroni, which sits atop the LDS Salt Lake Temple, lost his trumpet after a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit.

Are these two events arbitrary, or were they sent to give us a clear message? If there is a message, what is it?

In 2016, the Bountiful Moroni was hit in the back. It looks like he was stabbed in the back. What could that mean? What kind of duplicity might have been going on?

The right side of Moroni's face was blown off, and so you could say Moroni did not "save face". Could this be a sign of humiliation? Was a messenger of God being rejected and disgraced when the lighting struck? Did God take notice of this rejection?

In 2020, the Salt Lake City Moroni lost his trumpet. What does the trumpet symbolize? Is today a significant day in history? Has the LDS church stopped proclaiming the message of the Book of Mormon?

Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their borders and set him for their watchman, if, when he sees the sword come upon the land, he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and takes not warning, if the sword come and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that takes warning shall deliver his soul

But if the watchman sees the sword come and blows not the trumpet, and the people are not warned, if the sword come and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.

So you, O son of man, I have set you a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore, you shall hear the word at my mouth and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die — if you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at your hand. Nevertheless, if you warn the wicked of his way, to turn from it, if he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul. Ezekiel 16:1-3

Could it also mean that the time of warning with words is coming to a close, and the warning with earthquakes, natural disasters, pestilence (pandemic), wars, famine, economic crisis will continue to send out a voice of warning? Maybe some will awake and repent.

I am reminded of these words:

Abide in the liberty wherewith you are made free. Entangle not yourselves in sin, but let your hands be clean until the Lord come, for not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man, and the sun shall hide his face and shall refuse to give light, and the moon shall be bathed in blood, and the stars shall become exceeding angry and shall cast themselves down as a fig that falls from off a fig tree.

And after your testimony comes wrath and indignation upon the people, for after your testimony comes the testimony of earthquakes that shall cause groanings in the midst of her: and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand, and also comes the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. And all things shall be in commotion, and surely men’s hearts shall fail them, for fear shall come upon all people.

And angels shall fly through the midst of Heaven, crying with a loud voice, sounding the trump of God, saying, Prepare yourselves, prepare, O inhabitants of the earth, for the judgment of our God is come! Behold and lo, the Bridegroom comes; go out to meet him. And immediately, there shall appear a great sign in heaven, and all people shall see it together. T&C 86:17-19

This is a time of joy and dread.

On the 13th of February 2003 I saw the Lord coming in His glory. At first a sign appeared in the heavens, a light emanating from a single point and turning first this way and that. All the world saw it, and men debated over its meaning. At length the light turned upon us and within it was the Lord, showing His glory, with concourses of angels and the hosts of Heaven following in His wake.

And when we saw that it was the Lord we rejoiced and were filled with joy. I turned to my wife and said, Look, it is Christ!, and she said, Yes, it is! And we were filled with joy and peace of mind, for the long awaited day of the Lord had come.

But others were filled with dread. They feared and lamented and wanted the mountains to cover them and hide them from His presence, for he was clothed in red and came in judgment. And Christian ministers knew they had taught falsely and that their faith could not save — and they begged for relief from the Saints.

This caused me to marvel at how this could be. It was given unto me to understand that without the ordinances of salvation through the authorized ministers of the gospel it was not possible for men to shed their sins. And they could not look upon a just and holy Being without being racked with torment and guilt for their sins. And they pled with the Saints to minister to them, but we could not, for we were constrained by the spirit and were forbidden to do so. For this was the day of judgment which the Lord had in His heart, and he was now come to preach His own sermon, clothed in red, and to deliver those who waited on Him and to convict and condemn those who had not.

I write this in my own hand and bear solemn testimony that it is true. Amen. . . T&C 160

This is a wonderful time to live. There is no need to fear. It is a time of peace and safety for all those who treasure the word of the Lord and come to Him.

. . . Wherefore, be not deceived, but continue in steadfastness, looking forth for the heavens to be shaken, and the earth to tremble and to reel to and fro as a drunken man, and for the valleys to be exalted, and for the mountains to be made low, and for the rough places to become smooth, and all this when the angel shall sound his trumpet.

But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose. Zion shall flourish upon the hills, and rejoice upon the mountains, and shall be assembled together unto the place which I have appointed. Behold, I say unto you, go forth as I have commanded you, repent of all your sins, ask and you shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you. Behold, I will go before you and be your rearguard, and I will be in your midst and you shall not be confounded. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, and I come quickly. Even so, Amen. T&C 35.7-9

Book of Mormon Stories

Two years ago we decided to make a simplified children's version of the Book of Mormon. 

We are now in process of publishing Book of Mormon Stories with 454 pages of colorful pictures. While we wait for the hardcover copies of Book of Mormon Stories to arrive, we are making videos for each chapter. We hope to post a new video every couple days. 

Subscribe to the Picture Books for Children YouTube, if you want to be notified when we upload new videos.

A hardcover copy of Book of Mormon Stories can be ordered on the website.