Without doubt, Isaiah prophesied as much for the present dispensation as he did for his own. One prophecy that appears to be aimed at the present is his warning:
"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isa. 5:20.)At the October 1995 general conference, Elder Durrel A. Woolsey of the Seventy said: "Satan offers a strange mixture of just enough good to disguise the evil along his downward path to destruction, as described by Nephi, an ancient prophet, when he said:
" `For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.
" `And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well - and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.' " (2 Ne. 28:20-21.)
Elder Woolsey said: "Satan does rage in the hearts of some. Many he will lull away into carnal security; others he flattereth, or he says there is no hell. He has lured and enlisted many followers with enticements of fame, riches, and power. He forges a Rembrandt-quality representation by calling evil good and good evil. He has confused many people, even nations and leaders, to the point of an immoral approach to moral issues.
"Let me mention just three examples of voices that are ungodly and powerful among Satan's many proclamations. First, he says individual agency is justification for the destruction of a human life through abortion; second, same-gender intimate associations and even marriages are acceptable; and third, chastity and fidelity are old-fashioned and narrow-minded - to be sexually active with free expression is acceptable.
"At this very moment, international heroes in sports, music, and movies not only live immoral lives but teach that immorality around the world through the powerful influence of the media. They are idolized and accepted by millions worldwide. The world in general seems to have lapsed into a coma of unrighteousness, leaving God-given and time-honored moral values and principles behind."
Elder Woolsey gave 10 symptoms or warnings that one has begun traveling on a descending path:
An increasing shortness of vision or an inability to see clearly things of a spiritual nature.
An ever-increasing callousness to things of God.
A hardening of the spiritual arteries - attention to spiritual needs moves from daily or weekly to monthly, then occasionally, then not at all.
An increasing dependence upon a growing army of psychiatric specialists instead of priesthood, God, and self.
An increasing independence from spiritual things.
An increasing number of friends with lower moral standards.
Quotes from talk shows instead of scriptures.
Raised voices in place of subdued tones.
Verbal, even physical, abuse replacing a circle of love.
Gradual acceptance of evil - not all at once, but a little bit at a time.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEnJ%2BuqpOdu6bD0meaqKVfZoZ6hI5xZmtqX2eAc4GPa2tvZ5Glva3FyKeeZqyYmnq0r9Gip62toprAbq%2FApaOippditLC7w2acr6GcYq6vsIyeraKkXZy8sLCMoqpmqJykxm7B06KjorKVmXqjxYysmK2Zng%3D%3D