After reading that post, I noticed similar elements in Isaiah 2 (also 2 Nephi 12), in a passage condemning idolatry and pride. The basic message is that those who lift themselves up in pride will be brought low by the Lord in the day of judgment. Their idols will not save them in that day, in fact, they'll desperately strive to hide their idols from the Lord in that day (by throwing them to blind animals that live underground). Their haughtiness will be replaced by fear and trembling. It's a powerful message.
Notice the repeated themes, (idolatry, pride, fear of the Lord, being humbled, the earth will shake), which I've color coded:
8 Their land is also full of ; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.9 And the mean man down, and the great man humbleth himself not, therefore, forgive him not.10 O ye wicked ones, enter into the rock, and thee in the dust, for the fear of the Lord and the glory of his majesty shall smite thee.11 And it shall come to pass that the looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.12 For the of the Lord of Hosts soon cometh upon all nations, yea, upon every one; yea, upon the and lofty, and upon every one who is lifted up, and he shall be brought low....17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the of men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in .18 And the idols he shall utterly abolish.19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for the fear of the Lord shall come upon them and the of his majesty shall smite them, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which he hath made for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for the fear of the Lord shall come upon them and the majesty of his glory shall smite them, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Notice how the great and spacious building is directly connected to the pride of the world in Nephi's vision:
35 And the multitude of the earth was gathered together; and I beheld that they were in a large and spacious , 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 against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.I feel like in our day, pride gets talked about a lot more than idolatry. I'm beginning to understand how far-reaching the modern-day practice of idolatry is, and how expertly Satan has succeeded in disguising blatant idolatry as something that is good.
36 And it came to pass that I saw and bear record, that the great and spacious building was the of the world; and it , 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. (1 Nephi 11)
What is idolatry?
In a June 1976 Ensign article titled "The False Gods We Worship," President Spencer W. Kimball said the following about idolatry and its widespread practice in the church in modern times:
Whatever thing a man sets his heart and his trust in most is his god; and if his god doesn’t also happen to be the true and living God of Israel, that man is laboring in idolatry.
He continues:
The Lord has blessed us as a people with a prosperity unequaled in times past. The resources that have been placed in our power are good, and necessary to our work here on the earth. But I am afraid that many of us have been surfeited with flocks and herds and acres and barns and wealth and have begun to worship them as false gods, and they have power over us.
These are powerful words. We might be hesitant to label our efforts for financial security as idolatry, but if we aren't careful, and those effort end up consuming our time, our talents, and our resources, rather than building up Zion, what should we call it?
One last excerpt:
In spite of our delight in defining ourselves as modern, and our tendency to think we possess a sophistication that no people in the past ever had—in spite of these things, we are, on the whole, an idolatrous people—a condition most repugnant to the Lord.
I'll end this post with the words of Jacob:
12 And now behold, my brethren, this is the word which I declare unto you, that many of you have begun to search for gold, and for silver, and for all manner of precious ores, in the which this land, which is a land of promise unto you and to your seed, doth abound most plentifully.
13 And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they.
14 And now, my brethren, do ye suppose that God justifieth you in this thing? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. But he condemneth you, and if ye persist in these things his judgments must speedily come unto you.
15 O that he would show you that he can pierce you, and with one glance of his eye he can smite you to the dust!
16 O that he would rid you from this iniquity and abomination. And, O that ye would listen unto the word of his commands, and let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls!
17 Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.
18 But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. (Jacob 2)
