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Welcome to the blog of Connor Boyack, a 20-something husband, web designer, Latter-day Saint, constitutionalist, paleocon, classical liberal, preparedness practitioner, budding philanthropist, and master's student of political economy. I'm from Poway, CA but live in Happy Valley.


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Prophetic Support for a Modern Callout

Posted by Connor on January 29th, 2008

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photo credit: Thiru Murugan

When studying the scriptures, it is interesting to note certain themes and experiences repeating themselves. As Elder Bednar has said, one of the ways we should study our scriptures is by “searching the scriptures for connections, patterns, and themes”.

One pattern I have noticed in recent months is the calling out of the righteous from among the wicked, prior to the destruction of a city or people. While certain circumstances may differ between these stories, the basic principles and reasons are the same—before His wrath descends upon the people, the Lord calls out the righteous to a place of safety to assure their protection and spare their lives.

While I do not intend to document all such references in the scriptures (there are many), the following list should paint the picture:

  • Noah and his family were spared while all others drowned.
  • The Jaredites were led out from their native lands to a land of promise.
  • Abraham fled several times (from Ur to Haran, from Haran to a land of promise, and then into Egypt).
  • Lot fed into the wilderness and mountains to avoid the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
  • Moses guided the children of Israel out of Egypt into the wilderness and land of promise.
  • Lehi and company fled Jerusalem to a land of promise.
  • Nephi fled from destruction at the hands of his wicked brothers into the wilderness.
  • Joseph and Mary flee to Egypt at the Lord’s admonishing.
  • Alma fled into the wilderness several times to avoid destruction and slavery.
  • King Limhi and his people fled to a different city to avoid war with the Lamanites.
  • etc.

Examples such as these show a pattern in the scriptures: God leads his people to places of safety to avoid destruction when it becomes necessary to do so. We also read in the scriptures that there are many other such accounts of which we are not aware:

For behold, the Lord God has led away from time to time from the house of Israel, according to his will and pleasure. And now behold, the Lord remembereth all them who have been broken off, wherefore he remembereth us also. (2 Nephi 10:22)

Modern examples abound as well, with the early Saints fleeing from one place to another under God’s command. From Palmyra to Fayette, then to Kirtland, and Independence, to Kirtland, to Far West, to Illinois, and finally to the Rockies; the Saints have a history of being guided under the Lord’s direction.

With such a pattern established, one wonders what modern application these experiences might have. Applying these patterns to our day, and with supporting quotes and prophecies by Church leaders, we see evidence of a future callout of the Saints, with the Lord commanding those who follow Him to flee for protection.

Thus, clearly, the Lord has placed the responsibility for directing the work of gathering in the hands of the leaders of the Church to whom he will reveal his will where and when such gatherings would take place in the future. It would be well—before the frightening events concerning the fulfillment of all God’s promises and predictions are upon us, that the Saints in every land prepare themselves and look forward to the instruction that shall come to them from the First Presidency of this Church as to where they shall be gathered and not be disturbed in their feelings until such instruction is given to them as it is revealed by the Lord to the proper authority. (Harold B. Lee, via Quoty)

Heber C. Kimball supported such an idea when he said:

When the time comes that the Lord says, “Arise, and to your tents, O Israel;” then men must be pure inside adn out; they must be for God, or they will have no part in the blessings conferred upon the righteous. We sometimes talk about cutting men off from the Church. Now, I want to know what is the use of retaining dead limbs upon a tree. If such limbs are allowed to continue, they impart death to the branches. (Heber C. Kimball, via Quoty)

President Benson also spoke of the righteous members of the Church being separated from the others, when he commented:

Sometimes we hear someone refer to a division in the Church. In reality, the Church is not divided. It simply means that there are some who, for the time being at least, are members of the Church but not in harmony with it. These people have a temporary membership and influence in the Church; but unless they repent, they will be missing when the final membership records are recorded.

It is well that our people understand this principle, so they will not be misled by those apostates within the Church who have not yet repented or been cut off. But there is a cleansing coming. The Lord says that his vengeance shall be poured out “upon the inhabitants of the earth…. And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord; First among those among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me….” (D&C 112:24-26.) I look forward to that cleansing; its need within the Church is becoming increasingly apparent. (Ezra Taft Benson, via Quoty)

The verses that Pres. Benson cites can be quite alarming when pondered and analyzed further. Suffice it to say that the Saints will be tried immensely before or during the separating of the wheat from among the tares.

A few other select quotes illustrate the future and necessary callout of the righteous Saints from among the wicked:

We must both learn what these signs are and then identify them correctly when they occur. They can and will strengthen our faith in Christ and His prophets, if we know the scriptures. Just as in the days of Noah, a way is already prepared for the escape of the Lord’s elect Latter-day Saints, if they are in tune with His prophets. (H. Aldridge Gillespie, via Quoty)

The giant earthquake, and the tsunami it sent crashing into the coasts around the Indian Ocean, is just the beginning and a part of what is to come, terrible as it was.
…
Fear shall come upon all people. But you and I know that the Lord has prepared places of safety to which He is eager to guide us…. It will be our choice whether or not to move up or stay where we are. But the Lord will invite and guide us upward by the direction of the Holy Ghost…

I did not plan to speak to you about the hard times that are ahead and they are real, and they are coming… (Henry B. Eyring, via Quoty)

…for without Zion, and a place of deliverance, we must fall; because the time is near when the sun will be darkened, and the moon turn to blood, and the stars fall from the heaven, and the earth reel to and fro.

Then, if this is the case, and if we are not sanctified and gathered to the places God has appointed, with all our former professions and our great love for the Bible, we must fall; we cannot stand; we cannot be saved; for God will gather out his Saints from the Gentiles, and then comes desolation and destruction, and none can escape except the pure in heart who are gathered. (Joseph Smith, via Quoty)

As is evidenced by these scriptures and quotes, there is a strong case to be made for a future calling out of the righteous from among the wicked. When it is to happen is anyone’s best guess. But given that the bridegroom comes at midnight, we should all be as prepared as possible for when the call comes, so that regardless of how difficult it may be, we will be willing to follow the Prophet and be led to places of safety.

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6 comments so far. Care to chime in?

I have reflected many times on the vast number of cases where the Lord has called his people to leave. Always it reminds me of the ever present invitation to “Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her;” (Isaiah 52:11)

#1 David on January 29th, 2008

We are already called to come out from Babylon in our daily lives. Or perhaps more precisely, we are called to purge Babylon from our lives. I can’t find the talk at the moment, but a few years ago, Pres. Faust said in general conference that we are not called today to flee to a geographical place, as there is generally no such place left that could reasonably acommodate us. Rather, we are called to create Zion where we are.

Does that mean that we will never receive such a call? I don’t think any of us can say that. But it is interesting to note that Joseph F. Smith long ago felt that the world was at least as wicked in his day as it was just before the flood. Today we are called to stand in holy places, but are not called to uproot our families to do so.

#2 Scott on January 29th, 2008

Scott,

I agree. There are many spiritual implications of the need to flee for protection.

However, it is interesting to note in these examples of a physical gathering, that it was almost always a minority that did so, leaving behind most of the other “church members” of the time. Pres. Benson spoke of having a year supply as weeding away the unfaithful. Perhaps this is not all that farfetched. It would seem that should a physical callout ever take place in the future, only a minority of church members (50% of virgins were wise in Jesus’ story; 4-7% of church members have a year supply; etc.) will be prepared to heed the call based on previous obedience to given revelation.

#3 Connor on January 29th, 2008

Interesting observations. As I was watching the funeral today, I wondered how many of the funeral attendees would be allowed a ticket if there were pre-requisites for the privilege…requirements like paying a full tithing and a generous fast offering, having a year supply of food, being debt free, 100% home or visiting teaching record, temple recommend and temple attendance… As we sing, “We thank thee Oh God for a prophet,” do our actions show it? Are we demonstrating our thankfulness by obedience? Perhaps this is the gathering to a safe place that was meant for our day. I wonder how many will keep the Sabbath day holy on super bowl Sunday? I think it is the everyday ordinary things that bear testimony as to the sort of saint we really are. If we don’t hear our prophet’s voice in these things when he has been calling for over a hundred years, we surely will not hear an urgent voice of warning that says “go now!”

#4 Janet on February 2nd, 2008

Great post. I enjoyed all of the quotes from the brethren on this topic. I do not think that a call out will be to any “new and undiscovered land”, rather the purpose would be to separate the wheat from the tares. The church owns more than enough land to provide a place of temporary safety or refuge for the small amount of saints who would be willing to heed the call.
Aside from all of this our focus should be on making ourselves worthy to hear the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and in striving to live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God, including food storage, debt and the other hard commandments.

#5 Jason on March 25th, 2008

I think it is important that we don’t include ourselves among the obedient in an elitist sort of way. I agree that the numbers of those who heed a modern prophetic callout may be few, even a “small amount”, but talking about it that way too frequently can too quickly coalesce into a subtle elitism (I am not accusing anybody, just observing what I have witnessed over the years).

Our focus and our goal should not be to be among the few, but to invite and help prepare all. By service and inclusion, we ourselves are included, if you know what I mean.

#6 Jeff Thayne on March 25th, 2008

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