From Gerald N. Lund’s book “The Second Coming of the Lord” (continuing):
Why the Warning Voice?
Here are some things to consider about the warning voice. These are simple concepts but are important for us to keep in mind:
- If someone knows of imminent danger and cannot stop it from happening, then warning others of that danger is the responsible thing to do. Actually it’s more than that. It is also the loving thing to do, for it shows love and concern for others. This is a principle we see being implemented all around us. We put the skull and crossbones on dangerous household agents. We post warnings on cigarettes about cancer risks. We put up signs marking dangerous curves or narrow bridges or rail road crossings. We list ingredients of foods so that we can make wise choices about what we eat. No reasonable person would suggest that this is a negative approach. It is the responsible thing to do.
- The fact that someone knows of danger and warns us of it does not suggest that they are being too negative. It is the threat of danger that is the negative, not the warning. If a highway flagman leaves his post and fails to stop traffic when the road crew is about to do some blasting ahead, he would be criminally liable for his neglect.
- Warning others of danger is the loving thing to do because it empowers them to take action to avoid the danger and its consequences. Therefore the logical response towards someone who raises a warning voice should be gratitude, not irritation and condemnation.
- If a person rejects a warning or simply ignores it and subsequently suffers loss or damage, no reasonable person would blame the one who raised the warning voice for causing the tragedy.
- The more specific the warning voice is about the nature of the danger, the more helpful it is, and the more likely it is that people will heed the warning. This explains why some prophecies describe awful, horrible things.
- The combination of a voice of warning and a voice of promise provides a strong motivation to move forward toward positive goals.
In the gospel, promises and warnings can motivate us to seek greater light and greater knowledge so that we can draw down the powers of heaven and greater joy and happiness.
Note this thoughtful explanation by one of our Church Presidents: Success in righteousness, the power to avoid deception and resist temptation, guidance in our daily lives, healing of the soul—these are but a few of the promises the Lord has given to those who will come to His word. Does the Lord promise and not fulfill? Surely if He tells us that these things will come to us if we lay hold upon His word, the blessings can be ours. And if we do not, the blessings may be lost. However diligent we may be in other areas, certain blessings are to be found only in the scriptures, only in coming to the word of the Lord and holding fast to it as we make our way through the mists of darkness to the tree of life (Ezra Taft Benson, Teachings, 359-60). ~Gerald N. Lund, The Second Coming of the Lord (Deseret Book: Salt Lake City, 2020), 29-30 ( summary and conclusions to come)
