Feast of Fat Things – Last Days Decoded

Is It Confidence or Arrogance?

This is the companion post to my YouTube video of the same name, link HERE. So here are the key quotes:

IS IT CONFIDENCE OR ARROGANCE? The Grace of God? or the Pride of Man?
D&C 121:45-46:
45. . . let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God;
and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
46 The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.
NOTE: Virtue, Confidence and the Holy Ghost are grouped, which then leads to an eternal “dominion.”

THE JOY OF CHRIST AND GAINING CONFIDENCE:
Alma 31:38:
38 And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith.
From Article of Faith 13:
• Seek after “everything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy.”
• Live these standards: “honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous and do good to all men.”
So live immersed in the Spirit to discern GRACE when you feel it.

We CREATE something good together,
not tear down anything or anyone.
Use what you need and need what you use.

SO WHAT IS ARROGANCE?
From Our Friend AI:
• Arrogance is an attitude of superiority and self-importance.
• It often involves dismissing others’ opinions or contributions.
• Arrogant individuals may overestimate their abilities or knowledge.
• This behavior can lead to strained relationships and social isolation.
• Arrogance is often perceived as a lack of humility or respect for others.
• It can manifest in both verbal and non-verbal communication.

Does this sound like “Confidence in the presence of God”?
Does Arrogance bring happiness?

EXAMPLE “THE ASSYRIAN” ANTI-CHRIST:
Ezekiel 31:3, 9-10:
3 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature;
9 so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.
10 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast lifted up THYSELF in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height;
2 Thessalonians 2:3–4:
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

AVOID ARROGANCE: Repent and Retain Confidence
• Repent quickly.
• Receive a remission of sins.
• We are NOT the judge of others’ worth in the Kingdom of God.
• Two Choices: Love or pass unswervingly by (Brooke Shields from memory)
• Speak with love but we don’t have to avoid discussion of differences.
• Monitor yourself, not others.
• Make sure your right hand is watching what your left hand is doing!
• Retain meekness in communication. “A soft answer turneth away wrath.” (Proverbs 15:1)
• But also retain your enthusiasm for participating in God’s work.
• Give the glory to God.
• Focus outward on both listeners and on the topic.
• Recognize and acknowledge the Joy of Christ in others as they speak with the Spirit of God.

DON’T CALL CONFIDENCE “ARROGANCE”
Why do we confuse these two?
• We don’t understand that true confidence comes from the GRACE OF GOD.
• Our own pipeline to God may be blocked or sluggish.
• We are insecure and feel threatened by the confidence of others.
• We feel competitive when someone appears to outshine us, especially in our area of talent.

HOW DO WE OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES?
• Affirm what aligns with the Gospel and the Spirit in the moment.
• Ask questions to clarify your understanding.
• Add your insights to expand a discussion, but in “civil discourse.”
• Don’t deify any human, but examine IDEAS alone.•Charity: Give the “Benefit of the Doubt.”

WHEN CONFIDENCE IS CALLED ARROGANCE:
• We are all judged wrongly sometimes and even harshly by others.
• Confidence can look like arrogance so don’t take offense.
• Review D&C 45: Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God . . .
• Charity comes easily when one is full of this confidence or Joy of Christ.
• We must practice Charity when this confidence is at a lower ebb—choose to give others the “benefit of the doubt” and forgive them.
• We can also ask God to fill us with the pure love of Christ when it doesn’t come naturally.

Advice from Charles H. Kent
My Great-Great Grandfather

Find God in Your Life!

I wish you well on your journey to increasing the Joy of Christ in your life, your “confidence” that waxes strong in the presence of the Lord. (D&C 121:45)

A Feast of “Fat Things”

When we think of the coming events of the Last Days, how many of us think it will be a “Feast of Fat Things”? Not many – if any – but the book of Isaiah is clear about the Lord’s promises to His faithful:

Isaiah 25: 3-4, 6, 8-9:
1 O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.
4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
6 ¶ And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people A FEAST OF FAT THINGS, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.
9 ¶ And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

But aren’t these amazing promises? They’re echoed a little differently in D&C 58:1-21, but with still powerful reassurance. This doesn’t mean that the phrase “Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord” is only GREAT. It will also be DREADFUL and we can see many signs of those times coming at a gallop. The reason for this dichotomy is that Satan and God/Christ are at war, have very different methods, and provide us with opposition in all things (2 Nephi 2:11).

Satan works by FEAR and the Lord works by FAITH (see related BLOG). The Lord creates boundaries for how far Satan can go in each of our lives and nations, although it doesn’t usually feel like it. If people who experience near-death experiences can be believed, we all at least agreed to the adversities we would face in this life and some probably even volunteered for them, for added glory in the next life (implied in Revelation 20:4). And if you carefully study God’s “appointed times,” you will see how He also regulates the flow of history to create a beginning and end to global adversities. See my related blog posts: God’s “Appointments” With Man and God’s “Appointments” For Great Events. If the Lord could exactly time the events of the last week of Christ’s life to match the 3 celebrations around Passover, how much more can He orchestrate events and their timing in our lives?

To reiterate from my recent talk, Approaching Adam-ondi-Ahman, at the Book of Mormon Evidence Conference on April 6, 2023, we in America only get to the “Feast of Fat Things” at Adam-ondi-Ahman, grace for grace just as Christ did in His early life (D&C 93:18-20). At the last minute, the Spirit directed me to the image below, which speaks powerfully about our climb from the darkness of the Telestial world up our own individual progression to the Celestial glory in the Church of the Firstborn (D&C 76:52-54). We then end up qualified to be there when Christ comes to the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman. With each victory, we stand on higher ground, in greater light.

We are symbolically in an enclosed stone tower and, if we’re lucky, we’ll have a few small windows looking out on the promised glory, to keep us going in this relatively drab and often very scary world. So I want to share some of the “dishes” that will be served up to us at the final feast – hopefully for you to store away and trot out when you need a dose of hope!

Our Symbolic *Upward* Journey to Adam-ondi-Ahman
Inside the **Arc de Triomphe**, Public Domain Image

When we finally get to the top, we find where our own personal tower of growth and suffering ends: in a high place of glory, and literally at the coming of Christ at Adam-ondi-Ahman (D&C 88:95-98). In that promised glory, we will witness and assist in the great gathering of the 12 Tribes, symbolized by the 12 roads leading to this Paris landmark, the renowned Arc de Triomphe, and where this dark stairway actually goes, up onto its roof:

Aerial view of Arc de Triomphe, Paris – Licensed for use by shutterstock.com

Compare the long climb up that dark tower with the wonder and glory of emerging on top of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, built to commemorate France’s great military victories of the past, symbolic of our own personal triumphs.

Not only will you be crowned with deliverance, glory, and eternal rewards at Adam-ondi-Ahman, but you will be in a spiritual leadership position to see the entire gathering of the 12 Tribes of Israel, to participate in the building of the New Jerusalem, and then watch Zion spread out across America, then North America, safe in God’s protective care. While the rest of the world battles it out during Armageddon and is pummeled by the Abomination of Desolation, faithful seekers are rescued out of them by the 144,000, then brought to us, their nursing mothers and nursing fathers (1 Nephi 21:22-23). It’s hard to imagine a more glorious ending to our mortal Telestial struggles. Then read how an early Patriarch, Charles D. Evans describes Life in Zion:

The light of the gospel, which had but dimly shown because of abomination, now burst forth with a luster that filled the earth.
Cities appeared in every direction, one of which, in the center of the continent, was an embodiment of architectural science after the pattern of eternal perfections, whose towers glittered with a radiance emanating from the sparkling of emeralds, rubies, diamonds and other precious stones set in a canopy of gold and so elaborately and skillfully arranged as to shed forth a brilliancy which dazzled and enchanted the eye, excited admiration and developed a taste for the beautiful, beyond anything man had ever conceived.
Fountains of crystal water shot upward their transparent jets in the brilliant sunshine . . . .
Gardens, the perfections of whose arrangement confound all our present attempts at genius. . . .
Schools and universities were erected, to which all had access; in the latter Urims were placed, for the study of the past, present and future . . . .
All learning was based on eternal certainty.
Angels brought forth the treasures of knowledge which had lain hid in the womb of the dumb and distant past.
(published in The Contributor magazine in 1894; full version at www.NoFearPreps.com and in her book, The Great Gathering, pp 50-52)

Under Christ, Ephraim will manage the world’s government from the New Jerusalem and in spiritual partnership with tribe of Judah in the old Jerusalem – 2 capital cities. Finally the abuses and excesses of “wickedness in high places” will be vanquished, and one Mighty and Strong will lead us:

Isaiah 2:3 – 2 Capitals during the Millennium:
. . . Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
(See also Micah 4:2 and 2 Nephi 12:3)

D&C 85:7:
7 And it shall come to pass that I, the Lord God, will send one mighty and strong, holding the scepter of power in his hand, clothed with light for a covering, whose mouth shall utter words, eternal words; while his bowels shall be a fountain of truth, to set in order the house of God, and to arrange by lot the inheritances of the saints whose names are found, and the names of their fathers, and of their children, enrolled in the book of the law of God;

We have this and many other promises of eternity to anticipate:

From the Prophet Brigham Young:
Let me here say a word to console the feelings and hearts of all who belong to this Church. Many of the sisters grieve because they are not blessed with offspring. You will see the time when you will have millions of children around you. If you are faithful to your covenants, you will be mothers of nations. You will become Eves to earths like this, and when you have assisted in peopling one earth, there are millions of others still in the course of creation. And when they have endured a thousand million times longer than this earth, it is only as it were at the beginning of your creation. Be faithful and if you are not blessed with children in this time, you will be hereafter. (Deseret News, Vol 10, p 306, Oct 14, 1860)
And guys, you will be needed too . . . creating whole worlds, together with your own Eve!

For more inspiration, watch Michael Rush’s wonderful video on YouTube: Reality is Not What You Think It is . . . FYI: The second half contains most of the meat.

Finally, remember the words of an old man who suddenly stood up at the back of his Sunday School class that was criticizing the Willey and Martin Handcart companies for “foolishly” leaving for Utah so late in the year: You know nothing about it. What I experienced to come to know my Savior was WORTH IT, and I would do it again. That silenced the critics, and are “words to remember” when times look extra dark. God’s purpose is to refine us enough to qualify for all His promised blessings.

So onward and upward – Listen to some of my favorite music to put some pep in your step when you feel down, then add your own links in the Comments section:

Savior, Redeemer of My Soul – Dallyn Bayles and Jenny Oaks Baker
The Prayer – Tabernacle Choir with Katherine Jenkins and intro by composer David Foster
Come Go With Me – Kenneth Cope
Ye Elders of Israel – Priesthood Conference choir
Hope of Israel – Sung by us ordinary singers in General Conference
Nearer, My God, to Thee – Vocal Point
Mozart: Ave Verum Corpus– The Romanian Foundation for Excellence in Music, International Music Festival 2014 – a reminder that we have many brothers and sisters not yet gathered – and a benediction on you all!

The Half Hour of Silence

In the past year, I’ve discovered a new toy, a Gospel toy. Instead of relying on other spiritual teachers almost exclusively, I’ve learned to search my Church’s website, then learn directly from the scriptures – by topic. The Half Hour of Silence referred to in scripture has prompted a lot of theories about when it occurs and its length in real time. Here’s are the scriptures directly referencing it:

Revelation 8:1
Introduction: John sees fire and desolation poured out during the seventh seal
and preceding the Second Coming.
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal,
there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

Doctrine and Covenants 88:95-98
95 And there shall be silence in heaven for the space of half an hour; and immediately after shall the curtain of heaven be unfolded, as a scroll is unfolded after it is rolled up, and the face of the Lord shall be unveiled;
96 And the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him.
97 And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth, for their graves shall be opened; and they also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven—
98 They are Christ’s, the first fruits, they who shall descend with him first, and they who are on the earth and in their graves, who are first caught up to meet him; and all this by the voice of the sounding of the trump of the angel of God.

Doctrine and Covenants 38:9-12
9 Wherefore, gird up your loins and be prepared. Behold, the kingdom is yours, and the enemy shall not overcome.
10 Verily I say unto you, ye are clean, but not all; and there is none else with whom I am well pleased;
11 For all flesh is corrupted before me; and the powers of darkness prevail upon the earth, among the children of men, in the presence of all the hosts of heaven;
12 Which causeth silence to reign, and all eternity is pained, and the angels are waiting the great command to reap down the earth, to gather the tares that they may be burned; and, behold, the enemy is combined.

What do we learn in these scriptures?

The Half Hour of Silence begins right after the Seventh Seal is opened (Revelation 8:1).
The heading to Revelation 8 clearly states that the Seventh Seal is opened before the Second Coming and the beginning of the Millennium. This is supported by the fact that the rest of this chapter describes the “dreadful” events preceding Christ’s final Second Coming, but after the Seventh Seal is opened.
Christ comes immediately after the Half Hour of Silence, as well as those resurrected or translated at that time (D&C 88:95).
The Silence reigns because of wickedness on the Earth, and the angels in heaven are restrained from “reaping down the Earth” (D&C 38:12). My thought on why the angels are restrained: Satan and his minions must have their day, so that their final judgment will be just. FYI, the entire Chapter 38 is well worth reading and digesting.

And here’s a final tidbit, found embedded in those same search results, with the link to the scriptural topic, “Silence, Silent” and it provides counsel to “the prudent” that we might well remember when the time comes:

Amos 5:12-15:
12 For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right [the wicked, distinguished from “the prudent” below].
13 Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.
14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.
15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph [that’s us, folks].

Now we come to the ongoing discussion about how long this Half Hour lasts. I have encountered two theories:

Option 1: Quoting Jst 2 Peter 3:8: But concerning the coming of the Lord, beloved, I would not have you ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
If we figure this out in a literal sense, this is the math:
1 day = 24 hours; 48 “half hours” = 1 day; 1,000 years ÷ 48 half hours = 20.83 years
Option 2: Quoting Daniel 9:27: And he shall confirm the covenant with many for ONE WEEK [here, one hour]: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
[NOTE that the Lord will “confirm the covenant” for the whole week (7 years), but the Antichrist will put a stop to public religious worship halfway through it. I take this to mean that neither he nor Satan himself can stop our inner spiritual growth – it’s beyond their power – even if they shut down all Christian worship services.]
Here One Week is “the Hour” which = 7 of something. It could be 7 days in the literal sense of a week, as in Revelation 3:10 and John 2:4 where Christ’s “Hour” = 7 days of the last week of His life. He came to Jerusalem on a Monday, was crucified on Friday, and resurrected “3 days and 3 nights later” on the next Monday, or over the course of 1 week.
Since we don’t think our time of severe tribulation will last only 3 1/2 days, we then consider that “the Hour” can also = 7 Years of Tribulation, foreshadowed by Pharoah’s dream of 7 years of plenty, followed by 7 years of famine.
So a Half Hour = 3 1/2 years, with this logic. This also lines up with some numbers in Daniel and Revelation: 1260 or 1290 days, 42 months or time, times, and half a time. These numbers paired with meaningful Hebrew Feast days are major ways the real timeline is defined, and this Half Hour of Silence fits into its progression of events perfectly.

A fuller explanation of these two options is given in Farrell Pickering’s video, Daniel’s Hour and the 1/2 Hour of Silence or available on a DVD at propheticappointments.com. He also makes the point that if 20.83 years was really the length of this very destructive time, no one would survive. So I agree with his analysis that 3 1/2 years is the actual time span, and that the Lord buried His messages even deeper in the scriptures than the scripture in 2 Peter, so that future religious leaders wouldn’t omit or alter it in the scriptures, as has been done with many other doctrines. This is also comparable to the Savior’s style of teaching in parables so that only those spiritually prepared to hear that truth and be accountable for living it would understand His message.

Where this fits in a sequence of events is shown clearly on Brother Pickering’s full timeline, and I’ll be addressing it in my upcoming book, hopefully finished by June this year. But this Half Hour (3 1/2 years) will be the time of The Great Tribulation where God’s true followers will be refined in their own personal fire of tribulation and then, if one stays faithful, he or she will emerge with their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God. . . (Alma 13:12). And this is when we all can belong to the Church of the First Born and enjoy the Lord’s Feast of Fat Things in Zion preparing for the glorious Millennium where missionary work and a fuller gathering of Israel continues, with Eternity beckoning beyond that. See the end of my previous post for a preview of this this coming glory.

Buckle your seatbelts, keep the faith, stay in the boat, and hang on for the ride!

Hell Hath An Exit

My Institute of Religion instructor in Boise emailed us voluminous notes and quotes after each class, and one quote in particular stuck in my memory. But when I went to find it, I couldn’t, thinking it was from Elder Boyd K. Packer. So I googled it and finally found it. The author was actually by Elder James E. Talmadge, speaking in General Conference in 1930! Here’s the quote:

To hell there is an exit as well as an entrance. Hell is no place to which a vindictive judge sends prisoners to suffer and to be punished principally for his glory; but it is a place prepared for the teaching, the disciplining of those who failed to learn here upon the earth what they should have learned.
True, we read of everlasting punishment, unending suffering, eternal damnation. That is a direful expression; but in his mercy the Lord has made plain what those words mean. ‘Eternal punishment,’ he says, is God’s punishment, for he is eternal; and that condition or state or possibility will ever exist for the sinner who deserves and really needs such condemnation; but this does not mean that the individual sufferer or sinner is to be eternally and everlastingly made to endure and suffer.
No man will be kept in hell longer than is necessary to bring him to a fitness for something better. When he reaches that stage the prison doors will open and there will be rejoicing among the hosts who welcome him into a better state.
(April 1930 General Conference Report, p. 97)

Why do people make destructive choices, destructive enough to consign them to this Spirit Prison? President Brigham Young gives us some insight:

I know very well that, whether we are active or not, the invisible spirits are active. And every person who desires and strives to be a Saint is closely watched by fallen spirits that came here when Lucifer fell [EVIL SPIRITS], and by the spirits of wicked persons who have been here in tabernacles and departed from them [UNCLEAN SPIRITS], but who are still under the control of the prince of the power of the air.
Those spirits are never idle; they are watching every person who wishes to do right, and are continually prompting them to do wrong. This makes it necessary for us to be continually on our guard – makes this probation a CONTINUAL WARFARE. (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses Vol 7:239)

Now I’ll combine those thoughts with what “Spencer” saw in Visions of Glory, about how we are surrounded by both the dark spirits described above and those filled with light. They all want our attention and especially obedience. Read this for yourself, starting in Chapter 6, section “In the Bar” (p. 107 in the original edition and p. 97 in 5-Year Anniversary version – very few differences, just smaller print). Here are some excerpts that describe how they operate better than I can, organized by type of spirit:

I next found myself inside [the bar]. There were many people tightly packed on the dance floor, dancing closely, drinking, and smoking. I could hear their thoughts, which were a continual stream of obscenities, rationalizations, and sexual lusts. . . . They looked liked normal people on a dance floor. If they could have heard each other’s thoughts, there would have been no restraint at all, but an ensuing scene of bestial acts. . . . the evil spirits were focused on specific people, those who were thinking and feeling the greatest lust and thrall. They grew more aggressive in urging them to think darker thoughts and have stronger lusts. . . . Some were looking for sexual fantasy, some for intoxication, some for drug-induced euphoria, some were seeking violence and domination. When the humans reached a certain state of intoxication, or when they abandoned themselves to the instructions of the evil ones, an opening occurred near the crown of their heads. When it opened, it looked to me like a black tear in their spirit . . . . The closest spirit rushed at them and entered like fog being sucked into a vacuum . . . . The evil spirits wanted to spiritually destroy their targets so that they could obtain permanent control over them and cared nothing for the experience of the mortals. (The disembodied [unclean spirits] delighted in the physical sensations of the mortals, but had no desire to dominate, only to prolong the experience. . . .) From the evil spirits‘ perspective, having a mortal yield to their temptations gave them power over the mortal. If they suggested an act, and the mortal did exactly that, they set their hooks a little deeper. They were not after the thrill; they were after dominion of the soul, and eventually, lifelong control . . . . their real goal was to gain enough control that they could keep the Holy Spirit from having any influence in the person’s life at all. They weren’t just trying to control behavior; they were trying to ensnare these people in the chains of hell . . . . I saw that people who had already been entrapped by them could hardly hear their own thoughts . . . . Once these evil spirits had total control, they then desired that the mortal should quickly depart mortality, so that their possession became permanent. They thereafter urged them to risky behavior, acts of violence, and suicide to hasten the day of their mortal death.

The disembodied [unclean] spirits were waiting for specific feelings to arise in the humans . . . . The disembodied spirits were waiting for specific feelings to arise in the humans . . . . They were not trying to harm the humans so much as to share in their physical thrills and addictions.

Here are the [race] track, the good angels were few in attendance, being kept away by the mortals yielding their will to the evil ones, but there was a greater opportunity for good angels to intervene. Here, some people were praying . . . . Even a thought of God, prayer, a request, an intention to do good, an act of regret or kindness, brought the good angels. They could then surround the person, protecting them from the evil ones for as long as that attitude persisted. There had to be some act of free will to invite the good spirits. (NOTE: Some sentences were combined out of order for clarity.)

I saw inside movie theaters and . . . where people were watching TV. I saw . . . amusement parks, casinos, and large sports events. I saw people listening to music from stereos and earphones. I saw people laughing at parties and endlessly hanging out with their friends. I thought these were everyday things of no spiritual significance . . . . [but] these were all the ways people unknowingly moved themselves away from the Spirit of the Lord. I realized in each of these scenes that the good angels were absent or pushed away some distance. The people in these scenes were so involved in the entertainment that they weren’t listening to the Holy Spirit . . . they were willingly isolating themselves . . . . I saw people obsessed with eating, with not eating, with dieting, with acting, with dancing or performing, with fashion or beauty, with sports, with dating, or with school – none of which were inherently evil. They were just so focused upon these things that the voice of the Holy Spirit, as I saw being delivered by the good angels, was pushed far away . . . .

Spiritual Gifts: We choose evil gifts by obeying the temptations of the evil spirits . . . we are creating a spiritual link . . . and when we allow this to happen over and over, we are changed, darkened, and dragged down, until we become the servants of darkness, and we receive our wages from the master of darkness. I observed that there are many people who are governed by the voice of Jesus Christ, who are like lanterns being carried through darkness. They push the darkness away by their approach, and the dark angels must depart. Evil beings are powerless to penetrate it and are compelled to depart. [Sound familiar?] The same thing is true of people who are ruled by evil. They become lamps of darkness and push the light away. They become a force of darkness, even while walking in the brightness of spiritual day. Everyone who associates with them is darkened by them, and the good angels are powerless to penetrate it – until that person by an act of free will asks for help or prays for guidance.

At last I realized that this was the message of this whole experience, to see how darkness infests mortality through evil “angels,” and how light is amplified in our lives through obedience to God and the ministry of angels of light. I started seeing glimpses of how people’s choices were making this happen. . . . This may explain why some families have been royalty for hundreds of years, or wealthy and oppressive from the beginning of time, or any other dark familial trait. It may also explain why prophets and apostles tend to be related and greatness runs in families.

So we see here two “escalators”: one going DOWN into darkness, the other UP into greater light, both influencing both our descendants and even our ancestors! We make this choice daily, even minute by minute, not just once. So how can we get on the UP escalator, or back on it, and then stay there, in the real world? Here are a few of my thoughts:

First, simply command negative thoughts to leave, then keep rejecting them every time they show up. Don’t invite them in, give them the best seat in the house, and offer them a meal, entertaining them!
Even better, heed the old saying, An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, which are great words to live by and lead to the next point.
Study, then practice, this scripture, Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of the God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distill upon they soul as the dews from heaven (D&C 121:45).
So Be proactive:
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:8-9)
Finally, look forward to the sure fulfillment of God’s promises, described in Doctrine and Covenants, chapter 58:
3 Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.
4 For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand. . . .
7 And also that you might be honored in laying the foundation, and in bearing record of the land upon which the Zion of God shall stand;
8 And also that A FEAST OF FAT THINGS might be prepared for the poor; yea, a feast of fat things, of wine on the lees well refined, that the earth may know that the mouths of the prophets shall not fail;
9 Yea, a supper of the house of the Lord, well prepared, unto which all nations shall be invited.
10 First, the rich and the learned, the wise and the noble;
11 And after that cometh the day of my power; then shall the poor, the lame, and the blind, and the deaf, come in unto the marriage of the Lamb, and partake of the supper of the Lord, prepared for the great day to come.
(D&C 58:3-4, 7-11; also see Isaiah 25:6-9)

And here are just some of what’s being served at that FEAST OF FAT THINGS:

And verily I say unto you, I give unto you a sign, that ye may know the time when these things shall be about to take place—that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my ZION; (Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 21:1)
We will be escorted to Zion by the returning “Remnant of Jacob” or remnant of the Lost 10 Tribes:
22 But if they will repent and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance;
23 And they shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem.
24 And then shall they assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem.
25 And then shall the power of heaven come down among them; and I [Christ speaking] also will be in the midst.
(Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 21:22-25)
Description of the glorious ZION, spreading across our continent after the New Jerusalem described above, from a dream by Patriarch Charles Evans:
Charles D. Evans Dream (published in The Contributor magazine in 1894, Excerpts, or read the more complete version for free on: https://www.nofearpreps.com/ in her book, The Great Gathering, pp. 50-52):
The light of the gospel, which had but dimly shown because of abomination, now burst forth with a luster that filled the earth. Cities appeared in every direction, one of which, in the center of the continent, was an embodiment of architectural science after the pattern of eternal perfections, whose towers glittered with a radiance emanating from the sparkling of emeralds, rubies, diamonds and other precious stones set in a canopy of gold and so elaborately and skillfully arranged as to shed forth a brilliancy which dazzled and enchanted the eye, excited admiration and developed a taste for the beautiful, beyond anything man had ever conceived.
Fountains of crystal water shot upward their transparent jets in the brilliant sunshine . . . .
Gardens, the perfections of whose arrangement confound all our present attempts at genius. . . .
Schools and universities were erected, to which all had access; in the latter Urims were placed, for the study of the past, present and future . . . .
All learning was based on eternal certainty. . . .
Angels brought forth the treasures of knowledge which had lain hid in the womb of the dumb and distant past. . . “Out of Zion the perfection of beauty God shineth.”
Brigham Young gave a similar promise:
The business of the Elders of this Church (Jesus, their elder brother, being at their head), is to gather up all the truths in the world pertaining to life and salvation, to the Gospel we preach, to mechanisms of every kind, to the sciences, and to philosophy, wherever they may be found in every nation, kindred, tongue and people, and bring it to Zion. The “Gathering” was to be not only a bringing together of people, but of all the treasures surviving in the earth from every age and culture; Every accomplishment, every polished grace, every useful attainment in mathematics, music, in all science and art belong to the Saints, and they rapidly collect the intelligence that is bestowed upon the nations, for all this intelligence belongs to Zion. All the knowledge, wisdom, power, and glory that have been bestowed upon the nations of the earth, from the days of Adam till now, must be gathered home to Zion. What is this work? The improvement of the condition of the human family. (Hugh Nibley quoting Brigham Young in Why I Believe, a collection of essays, published by Bookcraft, SLC, 2002; originally from Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints, 1994, emphasis added)
Now a final quote from Brigham Young, written originally for the childless women of his day: Let me here say a word to console the feelings and hearts of all who belong to this Church. Many of the sisters grieve because they are not blessed with offspring. You will see the time when you will have millions of children around you. If you are faithful to your covenants, you will be mothers of nations. You will become Eves to earths like this, and when you have assisted in peopling one earth, there are millions of others still in the course of creation. And when they have endured a thousand million times longer than this earth, it is only as it were at the beginning of your creation. Be faithful and if you are not blessed with children in this time, you will be hereafter. (Deseret News, Vol 10, p 306, Oct 14, 1860)
This quote is capped by a YouTube video by Michael Rush, titled: Reality is not what you think it is – it is far more awesome than you can imagine! The last half or so is the meatiest part; fast forward if you’re short on time.
And finally, if we don’t make choices that send us to “Hell,” we’ll have no need of an “Exit”!

So when your “perfect brightness of hope” dims a little, please direct your attention to the great “Feast of Fat Things” the Lord promises all through the scriptures and in the personal experiences of us mere mortals, because His “tender mercies” surround us every day, especially when we look for them, call them forth with faith, reject the influence of dark spirits, and live worthy of increasing light – keep the faith now and forever!