From the Housetops

Nephi prophesied of the wicked in the last days with this language: “Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark” (2 Nephi 28:9).  Much of the wickedness done in the world is done in secret as is suggested here: the dishonest, the immoral, the violent generally seek to sin without it being known what their deeds have really been.  And yet the scriptures make it very clear that in the end there will be no secrets—all our wicked deeds will eventually be known. 

                The Doctrine and Covenants begins with such a promise: “And the rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow; for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed” (D&C 1:3).  The Lord said something similar to His disciples during His mortal ministry: “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.  Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops” (Luke 12:2-3).  The Book of Mormon gives the same witness; as Mormon talked about the great wickedness of the people in his day he said, “I, knowing that these things must surely be made known, and that all things which are hid must be revealed upon the house-tops” (Mormon 5:8).  The olive leaf revelation similarly suggests what will happen around the time of the Second Coming and Millennium: “And then shall the first angel again sound his trump in the ears of all living, and reveal the secret acts of men, and the mighty works of God in the first thousand years.  And then shall the second angel sound his trump, and reveal the secret acts of men, and the thoughts and intents of their hearts, and the mighty works of God in the second thousand years” (D&C 88:108-109).  There should be no question in our minds that the Lord is going to reveal everything; there is no secret that we can hide and no wicked works that we can cover in a cloke of darkness.

Nephi made this prophecy: “And the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ; and all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the earth” (2 Nephi 27:11).  I think what that means is that both the good and the bad will be revealed from the housetops at the last days; not only will the secret wicked acts be known but the mysteries of God will also be revealed.  So it will be a glorious meeting for some and a very uncomfortable one for others.  I guess that should motivate us to do the only thing which can erase what we don’t want revealed to the world: confess and forsake our sins in this life, for then will the Lord remember them no more, and—I hope—they won’t make it on the list of items for worldwide distribution.