Perspectives on Promised Persecution

Howard W. Hunter:

We stand on the summit of 150 years of Church history; yet there are other summits to climb before the work of God is crowned with victory. There will be tribulations collectively and hardships personally–that resistance so essential to the eternal plan. What makes us imagine that we may be immune from the same experiences that refined the lives of former-day Saints? We must remember that the same forces of resistance which prevent our progress afford us also opportunities to overcome. God will have a tried people! I witness today this truth from a verse of one of our favorite hymns: When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace all sufficient shall be thy supply. The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine (Hymns no. 85). May God bless us to endure well the purpose for which we were sent. (Conference Report, April 1980, Saturday Afternoon)

Brigham Young:

God led this people in different parts of the United States, and the finger of scorn has been pointed at them . . . . The Lord has his design in this. You may ask what his design is. You all know that the Saints must be made pure, to enter into the celestial kingdom. It is recorded that Jesus was made perfect through suffering. Why should we imagine for a moment that we can be prepared to enter into the kingdom of rest with him and the Father, without passing through similar ordeals? (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, pg. 263-264)

Ezra Taft Benson:

Opposition has been and will be the lot of the Saints in the kingdom in any age. The finger of scorn has been pointed at us in the past, and we may expect it in the future. . . . . As the world drifts further away from God and standards of virtue and honor, we may expect opposition to the work of the Church. We may expect to see the time, as the Book of Mormon forecasts, when “multitudes. . . among all the nations of the Gentiles [will gather] to fight against the Lamb of God” (1 Ne. 14:13).The power of God and the righteousness of the Saints will be the means by which the Church will be spared (see 1 Ne. 14:14-15). Never before in our 150-year history has there been greater need for faithfulness among our members. . . . . Brothers and sisters, be faithful to the Church. Be strong in your callings. Keep your covenants, and God will bless you and preserve you in the trying days ahead. (Conference Report, April 1980, Saturday Afternoon)

Brigham Young:

Do I acknowledge the hand of the Lord in persecution? Yes, I do. It is one of the greatest blessings that could be conferred upon the people of God. I acknowledge the hand of the Lord in leveling His people to the dust of the earth, and reducing them to a state of abject poverty. (Journal of Discourses 2:7)

Bruce R. McConkie:

Nor are the days of our greatest sorrows and our deepest sufferings all behind us. They too lie ahead. We shall yet face greater perils, we shall yet be tested with more severe trials, and we shall yet weep more tears of sorrow than we have ever known before. . . . . But what we can see causes us to rejoice and to tremble. We tremble because of the sorrows and wars and plagues that shall cover the earth. We weep for those in the true Church who are weak and wayward and worldly and who fall by the wayside as the caravan of the kingdom rolls forward. We rejoice because of the glory and honor that awaits those who come forth out of all this tribulation with clean hands and pure hearts (seeps. 24:4). . . . . But the vision of the future is not all sweetness and light and peace. All that is yet to be shall go forward in the midst of greater evils and perils and desolations than have been known on earth at any time. . . . . The way ahead is dark and dreary and dreadful. There will yet be martyrs; the doors of Carthage shall again enclose the innocent. We have not been promised that the trials and evils of the world will entirely pass us by. (Conference Report, April 1980, Sunday Afternoon)

Brigham Young:

Well, do you think that persecution has done us good? Yes. I sit and laugh, and rejoice exceedingly when I see persecution. I care no more about it than I do about the whistling of the north wind, the croaking of the crane that flies over my head, or the crackling of the thorns under the pot. The Lord has all things in His hand; therefore let it come, for it will give me experience. Do you suppose I should have known what I now know, had I not been persecuted? (Journal of Discourses 2:8) Gordon B. Hinckley: “We know not what lies ahead of us. We know not what the coming days will bring. We live in a world of uncertainty. For some, there will be great accomplishment. For others, disappointment. For some, much of rejoicing and gladness, good health, and gracious living. For others, perhaps sickness and a measure of sorrow. We do not know. But one thing we do know. Like the polar star in the heavens, regardless of what the future holds, there stands the Redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives. He is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith. In sunshine and in shadow we look to Him, and He is there to assure and smile upon us. (Conference Report, April 2002, Sunday Afternoon)

Robert D. Hales:

In recent decades the Church has largely been spared the terrible misunderstandings and persecutions experienced by the early Saints. It will not always be so. The world is moving away from the Lord faster and farther than ever before. The adversary has been loosed upon the earth. We watch, hear, read, study, and share the words of prophets to be forewarned and protected. (Conference Report, October 2013, Saturday Morning)