The Great and Spacious Building

A week ago I got a phone call from a very good friend. He told me about an incident that happend to him at the hospital where he works. He works night shifts, so he often brings his scriptures with him to the hospital so that he can study during slow times. One night recently he was chatting with a new employee who started to ask him about his religious beliefs. They stepped into an empty room and he pulled his scriptures from his backpack. He said that their conversation felt like he was back on his mission and that it was the first time he's really felt like himself in a long time, as his current life situation has been really challenging for him. By the time they were ready to get back to work he said that his friend expressed interest in going to church with him and possibly letting the missionaries come teach him. My friend was ecstatic! It was really a tender mercy from the Lord that He gave my friend an opportunity to bear his testimony and have such a positive experience.

Then, as they were walking out of the room where they had been discussing religion, my friend noticed a group of co-workers standing around the security monitors giggling. He walked over to them, curious as to what was so funny and realized they had been watching HIM on the security feed. They began to taunt him and laugh at him, asking "are you going to convert everyone to be a Mormon now?" And proceded to say rude things to him. My friend was deflated, to say the least. He walked away feeling dejected, his mood from just moments before completely altered.

He had just experienced a modern-day version of 1 Nephi, chapter 8. Here's how Lehi describes it (v. 24-28):

And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree.

And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed.

And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth.

And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.

And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost.

When I shared my thoughts with my friend he gasped out loud. "I hadn't even thought of that!" Remember Lehi's reaction to those in the building? "...and we heeded them not." What happened to those people? Later, in chapter 11, Nephi asks an angel for the interpretation of his father's dream and is shown the same vision. Here's what he wrote in verses 35 and 36:

And the multitude of the earth was gathered together; and I beheld that they were in a large and spacious building, like unto the building which my father saw. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Behold the world and the wisdom thereof; yea, behold the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

And it came to pass that I saw and bear record, that the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Thus shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Two days ago I was driving my sons to cub scouts. I stopped at a red light and glanced in the rear-view mirror. The driver behind me had her hand up, giving me a rude finger gesture. I was baffled. Had I unknowingly offended her? I couldn't remember doing anything out of the ordinary with my driving, so I had no idea what could have warrented such a thing. Then I peeked in the mirror again. She was glaring at my bumber! And then it hit me. My license plate says "LDS... Standing for Something" and right below it there is a "Yes on 8" bumper sticker. (For those of you not in California, Propostition 8 protects traditional marriage.) Wow, I thought. Are people really so angry over my personal views?

And then yesterday I was told that the "Yes on 8" lawn sign at my mother's house was defaced with a black permanent marker.

Could these experiences prove the beginning of a great seperation of "the wheat from the tears"? Perhaps the Second Coming of the Lord isn't as far away as it seems.