Major parts of both the Bible and the Book of Mormon deal with armies and war.  One is led to ask why these books of peace are so interlaced with violence.  The simple answer is that we are, in fact, in the midst of an ongoing battle that began before the world was created.  The war continues today, and is escalating exponentially as the end draws nigh.  The culmination of thousands of years of conflict is finally here, and we’re the warriors who are to bring about the long-awaited, long-prophesied victory.

The Book of Mormon states that “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.”  (1 Nephi 14:10).

This war in which we’re engaged is the same.  If we’re not in the Lord’s army, then we’re automatically in the other.  There are no sidelines.  People may have tried to sit out the wars that brought about the complete destruction of the Jaredites and the Nephites; but as the battles swept back and forth over the land, everyone was eventually gathered in to either the army of Coriantumr or Shiz (in the case of the Jaredites), or to the army of Mormon or the army of the Lamanites in the great battle that brought about the fall of the Nephites.

There are no sidelines.  You’re either an active contender in the Lord’s army, or you’ll be swept up by the tide of wickedness that’s sweeping the earth.  It’s our responsibility and privilege to choose sides and positions.

We’ve already chosen once.  When this battle began back in the pre-earth life, you and I chose to follow the Savior.  Perhaps we were even in the forefront of the battle.  That is probably so since we were saved for the winding-up scene for our turn to come to earth.  The Lord knew that we could be counted on.  We helped bring about the victory before, and he’s counting on us to do it again.

So again we have to choose.

Where would you have been in the conflict between Pharaoh and the Children of Israel?  If you had your choice, would you have preferred to be an unarmed Israelite hurrying between two giant walls of water as you made your way through the Red Sea, or would you have been a member of the powerful Egyptian army that was pursuing them?  I hope Pharaoh was leading his army like a good king should, and was not just watching the outcome from the shore.  Which would you have chosen as your leader:  Pharaoh, the king of Egypt; or Moses, the new and untried prophet?

Where would you have been in the conflict between Hezekiah, king of Judah, and Sennacherib, king of Assyria?  Assyria had conquered and decimated many nations, including the northern kingdom of Israel.  Assyria was ruthless and cruel beyond measure.  Assyria was powerful.  No one could stand before them.  Sennacherib sent a blasphemous letter to Hezekiah giving him choice between surrender or the destruction of Jerusalem.  The prophet Isaiah told Hezekiah not to worry, that the king of Assyria would not come into the city, “nor shoot an arrow there.”  (2 Kings 19:32).

Would you have believed him?  Few did.  It was obvious that Judah was no match against Assyria.  Many begged Hezekiah to surrender.  But Hezekiah trusted the Lord, and he trusted the Lord’s prophet.  He shut the gates of the city, and watched from the walls as a vast army approached and camped just outside.  What would the morrow bring?  What if you had been there?  In the face of seemingly certain disaster, would you have sneaked outside during the night and defected to the superior army?

It wouldn’t have been a good time to switch allegiances.  For “it came to pass that night that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand:  and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.”  (2 Kings 19:35).

How would you like to have had the job of cleaning up that mess?  Had you been an inhabitant of Jerusalem, perhaps you’d have been very, very happy to be of help.  Unfortunately, Sennacherib wasn’t among the corpses.  He made his humbled way back to Assyria before members of his own household sent him to follow his deceased army.

Where would you have been in the conflict between Gideon and the Midianites?  “The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.”  (Judges 7:12).  Gideon approached this vast army with just 32,000 men.  What were the odds?  Had you been in Gideon’s army, would you have been scared?  If so, you would have been sent home; for the Lord told Gideon, “Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early…And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.”  (Judges 7:3).

You would have stayed.

“And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many” (Judges 7:4), and showed him how to recognize and choose only the most vigilant and valiant.  Gideon took his 10,000 to the stream to drink.  Nine thousand seven hundred got down on the ground and drank directly from the stream.  Three hundred knelt down, dipped their cupped hands in the stream, and brought the water to their mouths while simultaneously keeping watch on their surroundings.  The 9,700 were sent home, and the remaining 300 conquered the Midianite host.

Where were you in this picture?  Were you in the numerically-superior Midianite army?  Were you one of the fearful 22,000 that returned home, one of the 9,700 that wasn’t alert and watchful, or did you hide out and not answer the call to battle at all?  If you did your home teaching last month, or if you have opened your mouth to bear testimony of your Savior lately, you’d likely have been one of the 300.

Maybe you’re one of the 85,000 missionaries currently serving in the world.  That’s a huge army.  There’s power in that army.  It’s led by the Master Himself.  It can’t and won’t be defeated.

“We are all enlisted till the conflict is o’er,” the hymn says.  “Soldiers in the army,” it says.  “Come join the ranks.”  (Hymn #250).

“Onward, Christian soldiers!  Marching as to war,” another hymn says.  “Christ the royal Master, leads against the foe.”  (Hymn #246).  That’s the side to be on.

“Up awake, ye defenders of Zion!  The foe’s at the door of your homes,” a third hymn warns.  (Hymn #248).  You can’t sit idly on the sidelines.

“Behold! A royal army, with banner, sword, and shield, is marching forth to conquer on life’s great battle field.  Its ranks are filled with soldiers, united, bold, and strong, who follow their Commander and sing their joyful song.”  (Hymn # 251).

“Then don’t stand idly looking on; the fight with sin is real.  It will be long but must go on; put your shoulder to the wheel.”  (Hymn #252).

We’re “like ten thousand legions marching,” “a mighty band of youth.”  (Hymn #253).  A legion is about 6,000 men.  Ten thousand legions is 60 million.  This Church is currently only 15 million strong, but John saw a vision of the inhabitants of the Celestial Kingdom and said, “The number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.”  (Rev. 5:11).  If you do the math, that’s something over 100 million.  We’re not fighting the battle alone.

Elisha’s servant thought that they were all alone when he rose early, went forth, and found the Syrian host encompassing the city.  The Syrian army had come to Dothan for the express purpose of capturing the prophet of the Lord.