“A Day of . . . Gloominess”
Zephaniah 1:15
15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness . . .
Elder Neal A. Maxwell said:
“. . . Jesus calls upon us to have a deliberate trust in God’s unfolding purposes, not only for all humankind but for us individually. And we are to be of good cheer in the unfolding process.
“We must not underestimate, however, the difficulty of the last days. Joel and Zephaniah both speak of the last days as being ‘a day of . . . gloominess’ [Joel 2:2; Zeph. 1:15]. The coming decades will be times of despair. Why? Because, as Moroni said, despair comes of iniquity [see Moro. 10:22]. The more iniquity, the more despair. And unless there is widespread repentance, despair will both deepen and spread—except among those who have gospel gladness.”
(“Be of Good Cheer,” Ensign, Nov. 1982, 66–67.)
