“I Will Shake the Heavens and the Earth Shall Remove Out of Her Place”

W. Cleon Skousen

In verse 11 the Lord says he is not talking about some ancient city but the punishment that will descend on the whole world. In verse 13 he describes the earth staggering in its orbit about the sun and in verse 14 he says the earth leaves its orbit around the sun and takes off into the Milky Way like a chased roe. This animal was famous for its fleetness and tremendous speed. Of course, students of physics might think this might cause a catastrophe but the universe is operated by the family of the gods where the billions of intelligences combined with matter in all created things obey their creators.

As Brigham Young, who was tutored by Joseph Smith, has explained: "When the earth was framed and brought into existence and man was placed upon it, it was near the throne of our Father in Heaven. And when man fell ... the earth fell into space, and took up its abode in the planetary system, and the sun became our light."3 And since the earth came out from the Father's planetary residence near Kolob, we assume that's where it will return. Astronomers calculate that the earth is about 30,000 light years away from the center of galaxy so the earth would return at an exceedingly rapid rate, far faster than the speed of light. No wonder Isaiah compared it to a chased roe, the fastest thing he could think of.

Treasures from the Book of Mormon

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