158. Israel, Israel, God Shall Save Thee
Trigger:
As part of my ongoing preparations, I purchased some sophisticated lights from a specialty vendor—not super expensive but not cheap either! While I only paid for one set, they sent me two! I was not seriously tempted to keep the second set, finding no justification in the current morality [“Their mistake, my good luck”], because of a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson I memorized long ago: “Every man takes care that his neighbor shall not cheat him. But a day comes when he begins to care that he does not cheat his neighbor. Then all goes well. He has changed his market cart into a chariot of the sun.”
After I send the duplicate set back, I felt a message: “Every act of virtue; every kindness shown; every service gladly given, adds to the ‘oil of virtue’ in your lamp.” That triggered my search for a memorable excerpt I had forgotten from President Kimball in Faith Precedes the Miracle (1972) p. 256.
“Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. Fasting, family prayer, home teaching [and visiting teaching], control of bodily appetites, preaching the gospel, studying the scriptures—each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store. Deeds of kindness, payment of offerings and tithes, chaste thoughts and actions, marriage in the covenant for eternity—these, too, contribute … to the oil with which we can [by] midnight [be ready].”
The Lord’s tender mercies did not end there, however. The next day, pondering the sad state of affairs of our world and praying for the innumerable souls afflicted, I started this poem.
158. Israel, Israel God Shall Save Thee
We are at war—conflict unending. (1)
Time is measured but to man (2)
From perdition Satan is sending
Hateful spirits to ruin our land.
In our forests, fires are raging, (3)
In the lowlands, floods destroy.
Near our coasts, tempests are staging (4)
In our cities, evil deploys. (5)
All around are scenes of sorrow,
Every soul has cause to mourn.
Many fear that, come tomorrow,
They might wish they’d not been born.
Mortal “leaders” have betrayed us, (6)
Throngs have sold their souls to sin.
They deny our God will save us.
They proclaim Darkness shall win.
Hark, and heed, the hosts of angels
Now descending from on High. (7)
Hear their trumpets as they gather,
See the flags of truth they fly.
Jesus, the “I Am”, will bless you
The Archangel, His right hand (8)
With the power of God to guard you,
They’ll endow each righteous man. (9)
Feel the Holy Spirit’s fire!
Bow your head and bend your knees.
There can ne’er be peril so dire,
That our God won’t keep us free!
©servingjesuspoetry.com
Unlimited non-commercial usage allowed.
1. “There are two powers on the earth and in the midst of the inhabitants of the earth—the power of God and the power of the devil. In our history we have had some very peculiar experiences. When God has had a people on the earth, it matters not in what age, Lucifer, the son of the morning, and the millions of fallen spirits that were cast out of heaven, have warred against God, against Christ, against the work of God, and against the people of God.” Wilford Woodruff, Deseret Evening News, 17 Oct. 1896, quoted by Gordon B. Hinkley, “The War We are Winning”, October 1986 General Conference”:
2. Alma 40:8—“Now whether there is more than one time appointed for men to rise it mattereth not; for all do not die at once, and this mattereth not; all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men.”
3. [Example] New York Post, August 12, 2021: “A former professor specializing in cults has been arrested after he went on an “arson-setting spree” in a forest near California’s record-setting Dixie Fire [largest wildfire in California’s history], authorities said.”
4. Doctrine & Covenants 61:14-18—14—“Behold, I, the Lord, in the beginning blessed the waters; but in the last days, by the mouth of my servant John, I cursed the waters. Wherefore, the days will come that no flesh shall be safe upon the waters. And it shall be said in days to come that none is able to go up to the land of Zion upon the waters, but he that is upright in heart. And, as I, the Lord, in the beginning cursed the land, even so in the last days have I blessed it, in its time, for the use of my saints, that they may partake the fatness thereof. “ [This scripture expressly references the navigable waters of the Missouri River, but I submit it has broader application. ]
5. “Members of the Satanic Temple in Arkansas made a bold statement to state lawmakers when they ushered in a monument of Baphomet — an idol worshipped by the religion — onto the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol on August 17 [2018]…. [Earlier] the first Arkansas Ten Commandments monument was destroyed by Michael T. Reed II, who drove his Dodge Dart into the granite statue. The second Ten Commandments was installed in April 2018, this time with bumpers surrounding it so that it’s protected from other people who might want to damage it or tear it down again.” [I will not provide the reference—it is readily available.]
6. Ephesians 6:12 [Apostle Paul]—“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
7. "Israel, Israel God is Calling”, Hymn No. 7, verse 3 (but all verses are quite apropos):
“Israel, angels are descending
From celestial worlds on high.
And to man their power extending,
That the Saints may homeward fly.”
It is significant that neither that glorious hymn, nor this meager poem refer to the unique, but far future, blessings of the Millennial conflict before Christ’s promised appearance in glory. Rather, they refer to the here and now guidance, blessing, and endowment which each righteous man, woman, and child may now have to endure what we must to preserve us until that “great and dreadful day of the Lord”.
8. Adam has multiple name-titles, including “Michael”, “the Great Prince”, and “the Archangel”. See, “Study Helps”, ChurchofJesusChrist.org. The “final battle” between good and evil, some years away, is referenced in D&C 88:112-115—“And Michael, the seventh angel, even the archangel, shall gather together his armies, even the hosts of heaven. And the devil shall gather together his armies; even the hosts of hell, and shall come up to battle against Michael and his armies. And then cometh the battle of the great God; and the devil and his armies shall be cast away into their own place, that they shall not have power over the saints any more at all. For Michael shall fight their battles, and shall overcome him who seeketh the throne of him who sitteth upon the throne, even the Lamb.”
9. Section 10:69 “And now, behold, whosoever is of my church, and endureth of my church to the end, him will I establish upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.”
AFTERWARD:
Before the triumphant return of Messiah to usher in the Millennium, many prophecies remain to be fulfilled. Two of the most important are that (1) there are only two churches left on the earth (1 Nephi 14:10) and (2) the Saints will be found in every nation of the earth, although in comparatively small numbers [1 Nephi 14:12--“I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw.”[Query: What amazing and terrible things must take place to set the stage for these prophecies and the Second Coming? The world as we know it must undergo radical changes.]
Until that future “great and dreadful day of the Lord” (3 Nephi 25:5), we anxious mortals must defend ourselves from perils of which Paul spoke [Ephesians 6:12— forces, powers, and evil spirits. To retain faith with good cheer, here and now, we may not only trust in the blessings referenced above but also recall the fidelity of the Nephites under their inspired leader, Captain Moroni, as set out in Alma 48:14-16—“Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives. And this was their faith, that by so doing God would prosper them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger; And also, that God would make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did glory in it; not in the shedding of blood but in doing good, in preserving his people, yea, in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity.”
As part of my ongoing preparations, I purchased some sophisticated lights from a specialty vendor—not super expensive but not cheap either! While I only paid for one set, they sent me two! I was not seriously tempted to keep the second set, finding no justification in the current morality [“Their mistake, my good luck”], because of a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson I memorized long ago: “Every man takes care that his neighbor shall not cheat him. But a day comes when he begins to care that he does not cheat his neighbor. Then all goes well. He has changed his market cart into a chariot of the sun.”
After I send the duplicate set back, I felt a message: “Every act of virtue; every kindness shown; every service gladly given, adds to the ‘oil of virtue’ in your lamp.” That triggered my search for a memorable excerpt I had forgotten from President Kimball in Faith Precedes the Miracle (1972) p. 256.
“Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. Fasting, family prayer, home teaching [and visiting teaching], control of bodily appetites, preaching the gospel, studying the scriptures—each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store. Deeds of kindness, payment of offerings and tithes, chaste thoughts and actions, marriage in the covenant for eternity—these, too, contribute … to the oil with which we can [by] midnight [be ready].”
The Lord’s tender mercies did not end there, however. The next day, pondering the sad state of affairs of our world and praying for the innumerable souls afflicted, I started this poem.
158. Israel, Israel God Shall Save Thee
We are at war—conflict unending. (1)
Time is measured but to man (2)
From perdition Satan is sending
Hateful spirits to ruin our land.
In our forests, fires are raging, (3)
In the lowlands, floods destroy.
Near our coasts, tempests are staging (4)
In our cities, evil deploys. (5)
All around are scenes of sorrow,
Every soul has cause to mourn.
Many fear that, come tomorrow,
They might wish they’d not been born.
Mortal “leaders” have betrayed us, (6)
Throngs have sold their souls to sin.
They deny our God will save us.
They proclaim Darkness shall win.
Hark, and heed, the hosts of angels
Now descending from on High. (7)
Hear their trumpets as they gather,
See the flags of truth they fly.
Jesus, the “I Am”, will bless you
The Archangel, His right hand (8)
With the power of God to guard you,
They’ll endow each righteous man. (9)
Feel the Holy Spirit’s fire!
Bow your head and bend your knees.
There can ne’er be peril so dire,
That our God won’t keep us free!
©servingjesuspoetry.com
Unlimited non-commercial usage allowed.
1. “There are two powers on the earth and in the midst of the inhabitants of the earth—the power of God and the power of the devil. In our history we have had some very peculiar experiences. When God has had a people on the earth, it matters not in what age, Lucifer, the son of the morning, and the millions of fallen spirits that were cast out of heaven, have warred against God, against Christ, against the work of God, and against the people of God.” Wilford Woodruff, Deseret Evening News, 17 Oct. 1896, quoted by Gordon B. Hinkley, “The War We are Winning”, October 1986 General Conference”:
2. Alma 40:8—“Now whether there is more than one time appointed for men to rise it mattereth not; for all do not die at once, and this mattereth not; all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men.”
3. [Example] New York Post, August 12, 2021: “A former professor specializing in cults has been arrested after he went on an “arson-setting spree” in a forest near California’s record-setting Dixie Fire [largest wildfire in California’s history], authorities said.”
4. Doctrine & Covenants 61:14-18—14—“Behold, I, the Lord, in the beginning blessed the waters; but in the last days, by the mouth of my servant John, I cursed the waters. Wherefore, the days will come that no flesh shall be safe upon the waters. And it shall be said in days to come that none is able to go up to the land of Zion upon the waters, but he that is upright in heart. And, as I, the Lord, in the beginning cursed the land, even so in the last days have I blessed it, in its time, for the use of my saints, that they may partake the fatness thereof. “ [This scripture expressly references the navigable waters of the Missouri River, but I submit it has broader application. ]
5. “Members of the Satanic Temple in Arkansas made a bold statement to state lawmakers when they ushered in a monument of Baphomet — an idol worshipped by the religion — onto the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol on August 17 [2018]…. [Earlier] the first Arkansas Ten Commandments monument was destroyed by Michael T. Reed II, who drove his Dodge Dart into the granite statue. The second Ten Commandments was installed in April 2018, this time with bumpers surrounding it so that it’s protected from other people who might want to damage it or tear it down again.” [I will not provide the reference—it is readily available.]
6. Ephesians 6:12 [Apostle Paul]—“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
7. "Israel, Israel God is Calling”, Hymn No. 7, verse 3 (but all verses are quite apropos):
“Israel, angels are descending
From celestial worlds on high.
And to man their power extending,
That the Saints may homeward fly.”
It is significant that neither that glorious hymn, nor this meager poem refer to the unique, but far future, blessings of the Millennial conflict before Christ’s promised appearance in glory. Rather, they refer to the here and now guidance, blessing, and endowment which each righteous man, woman, and child may now have to endure what we must to preserve us until that “great and dreadful day of the Lord”.
8. Adam has multiple name-titles, including “Michael”, “the Great Prince”, and “the Archangel”. See, “Study Helps”, ChurchofJesusChrist.org. The “final battle” between good and evil, some years away, is referenced in D&C 88:112-115—“And Michael, the seventh angel, even the archangel, shall gather together his armies, even the hosts of heaven. And the devil shall gather together his armies; even the hosts of hell, and shall come up to battle against Michael and his armies. And then cometh the battle of the great God; and the devil and his armies shall be cast away into their own place, that they shall not have power over the saints any more at all. For Michael shall fight their battles, and shall overcome him who seeketh the throne of him who sitteth upon the throne, even the Lamb.”
9. Section 10:69 “And now, behold, whosoever is of my church, and endureth of my church to the end, him will I establish upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.”
AFTERWARD:
Before the triumphant return of Messiah to usher in the Millennium, many prophecies remain to be fulfilled. Two of the most important are that (1) there are only two churches left on the earth (1 Nephi 14:10) and (2) the Saints will be found in every nation of the earth, although in comparatively small numbers [1 Nephi 14:12--“I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw.”[Query: What amazing and terrible things must take place to set the stage for these prophecies and the Second Coming? The world as we know it must undergo radical changes.]
Until that future “great and dreadful day of the Lord” (3 Nephi 25:5), we anxious mortals must defend ourselves from perils of which Paul spoke [Ephesians 6:12— forces, powers, and evil spirits. To retain faith with good cheer, here and now, we may not only trust in the blessings referenced above but also recall the fidelity of the Nephites under their inspired leader, Captain Moroni, as set out in Alma 48:14-16—“Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives. And this was their faith, that by so doing God would prosper them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger; And also, that God would make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did glory in it; not in the shedding of blood but in doing good, in preserving his people, yea, in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity.”