All men receive this Spirit, but not all hearken to its voice. Many choose to walk in carnal paths and go contrary to the enticings of the Spirit. It is possible to sear one's conscience to the point that the Spirit will withdraw its influence and men will no longer know or care about anything that is decent and edifying. "For my Spirit shall not always strive with man, saith the Lord of Hosts." (D&C 1:33.) Such was the case among the Jaredites (Ether 2:15) and the Nephites (Mormon 5:16) in the day the Lord withdrew his power and left them to be destroyed by the sword. It was true among the Jews in Jerusalem when they were led away captive by Nebuchadnezzar. (1 Nephi 7:14.) It is true among any people who reject, totally and completely, the words of the apostles and prophets who are sent to them. Of our modern civilization, with all its evils and carnality, the holy word says: "I, the Lord, am angry with the wicked; I am holding my Spirit from the inhabitants of the earth." (D&C 63:32.) When the day comes that modern man is ripened in iniquity, the Spirit will cease to strive with them and they will be destroyed by the brightness of the Lord's return.


Bruce R. McConkie (1915 – 1985) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.260 Ether 2:15