It shall be well with them...

1 Nephi 14

We're at the last chapter of Nephi's writings about his vision. I have to admit that any time the 'great and abominable church' (GAAC) is mentioned, I kind of scratch my head. Sure, there are tons of theories out there about the GAAC being an actual church, but most of us know that's not the case. It's made clear in v 10:

And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.

I don't know. People say "Catholicism!" "Communism!" "Capitalism!" "Episcopalian...ism!" But I really don't think it's that specific. The angel speaking to Nephi clearly draws the line. You are either part of the church of the Lamb of God, or you are not. My Book of Mormon teacher way back in college put it this way: "The GAAC is anyone or anything that is against the church of Christ on the Earth today." That's pretty clear. What's sobering though is that there is no neutral ground. The fence is electrified.

It just makes me wonder what evidences of the GAAC I'm seeing all around. I'm not sure. Commercialism? Our tendency to be obsessed with stuff with a touch screen? Sure, there are actually people who fight against religion, but there are also plenty of people living good lives and doing the best they can. I'm not sure where that last group falls. I guess I need to concern myself with where I land.

I think the main point of this chapter is that, when all is said and done, there will be no excuse. The Book of Mormon is the 'great and marvelous work' that is for 'the taking away of their stumbling blocks.' I love that about the Book of Mormon. It is the Stumbling Block Obliterator. Heavenly Father gives everyone the benefit of the doubt though. He says "I know the Bible has lost some of what I wanted to teach you. That's why you might be confused. Here. Here's another true book of scripture that works with the Bible to complete the whole picture of my plan for you." 

7 For the time cometh, saith the Lamb of God, that I will work a great and a marvelous work among the children of men; a work which shall be everlasting, either on the one hand or on the other -- either to the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal, or unto the deliverance of them of the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds unto their being brought down into captivity, and also into destruction, both  temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the devil, of which I have spoken.

Same story:
1. The Book of Mormon will draw the line and divide folks into the two groups mentioned in the scripture above. There won't be middle ground.
2. That division is "everlasting" (yowza!) and how we decide to act on the knowledge of the Book of Mormon will affect us temporally and spiritually. (It's nice to think that it can help me temporally as well as spiritually. I'd never thought of temporal blessings coming specifically from my study of the Book of Mormon, but I guess they do. Revelation about my life and what to do. Knowledge. Comfort. Really awesome bedtime stories.)

These two points are why we as a church are trying to get the Book of Mormon out there to as many people as possible. (It's now translated into over 100 languages!) Thinking of it in the way I just described is rather sobering to me. I've always loved it and revered it as a true book of scripture (along with the Bible), but I don't know that I ever thought of it as the...sifter. The divider of the wheat and the tares, so to speak.