1. Conspiring Men – “In this revelation [Doctrine and Covenants Section 89], known as the Word of Wisdom, the Lord warned against the ‘evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days (D&C 89:4; italics removed).” Quickly 61.
a. How They Conspire – Bro. Brewster points out that advertisers employ cunning strategies to sell their products to the unwary, downplaying the dangers of those products and making them seem desirable. See Quickly 61.
B. An estimated 88,000 people annually die from alcohol- related causes annually, and alcohol-related death is the third leading preventable cause of death (behind tobacco use and poor diet and physical inactivity)
C. In 2014, alcohol-related traffic fatalities accounted for nearly a third (31.4 percent) of all traffic fatalities
D. In 2010, alcohol misuse cost the United States $249 billion dollars
ii. Alcohol, Continued – The so-called “angels’ share,” ethanol emitted during the production of bourbon, leads to the formation of Baudoinia compniacensis, a black fungus which collects on buildings located in the vicinity of distilleries. While the health effects of the fungus are unknown, it creates an unsightly mess for property owners, many of whom spend hundreds or thousands of dollars each year attempting to eradicate it. See Anne Marshall (October 30, 2019), “The Dark Side of the ‘Angel’s Share,’” Atlas Obscura, accessed on line at https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-whiskey-fungus on September 19, 2020.
A. “Smoking leads to disease and disability and harms nearly every organ of the body.”
B. “More than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking.”
C. “For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness.”
d. “Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.”
E. “Smoking also increases risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems of the immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis.”
F. “Smoking is a known cause of erectile dysfunction in males.”
G. “Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death.” H. “Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. This is about one in five deaths annually, or 1,300 deaths every day.”
I. “On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.”
J. Note: The foregoing do not include rates of death and disease caused by use of other forms of tobacco.
2. The Terrible Toll of Drugs
a. Ezra Taft Benson: Spiritual Powers Inhibited – “[I]f you partake [of drugs], your spiritual powers will be inhibited and you will be in their evil power. . . . (Ensign, May 1983 54-55).” Quickly 63, material in brackets and ellipses added.
b. Revelation: “Sorceries” = Drugs – “As part of the scenario preceding the Second Coming, the Apostle John described the wicked who did not repent ‘of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.’ (Revelation 9:21.) The word [translated] sorceries has its origin in the Greek pharmakeia, which means ‘pharmacy’ or ‘drugs.’” Quickly 63-64, bracketed material added.
c. The Illicit Drug Trade “Threatens the Very Foundations of Freedom” – “One official of the United States government commented on the drain that drugs are having on worldwide resources. ‘I know from firsthand knowledge what a scourge illicit narcotics are to this country and others. The drain on the human and monetary resources of the world being caused by this dilemma is inestimable and threatens the very foundations of freedom.’ (As quoted by Gordon B. Hinckley in Ensign, November 1989 49.)” Quickly 64.
3. Satan’s Slavery
a. Russell M. Nelson: “Disconnected from One’s Own Will” – “‘Through chemical means, one can literally become disconnected from his or her own will!’ (Ensign, November 1988 7)” Quickly 64.
b. Neal A. Maxwell: Intended Return from Babylon Rebellion Not So Easy – “Why do some of our youth risk engaging in ritual prodigalism, intending to spend a season rebelling and acting out in Babylon? . . . Though planning to return later, many such stragglers find that alcohol, drugs, and pronography will not let go easily. Babylon does not give exit permits gladly. It is an ironic implementation of that ancient boast: ‘One soul shall not be lost.’ (Moses 4:1.)” (Ensign November 1988 33.)” Quickly 64, ellipses in original.
c. Russell M. Nelson on the “Enslaving Shackles of Habit” – Elder Russell M. Nelson warned that the grasp of addiction is so gradual that “[e]nslaving shackles of habit are too small to be sensed until they are too strong to be broken. . . . (Ensign, November 1988 6).” Quickly 65, ellipses added.
4. Other Conspiring Men
a. Pornographers – See Quickly 65.
5. Secret Combinations – “Secret combinations are formed to gain unrighteous power over others and have existed on this earth from the day that cain entered into an evil alliance with Satan against his brother Abel. (See Moses 5:29-31.)” Quickly 66.
a. Moroni Warned Against Secret Combinations – See Ether 8:20, 22-25
b. Ezra Taft Benson Warned Against Secret Combinations – President Ezra Taft Benson added his own insights regarding the secret combinations of the last days. “I testify that wickedness is rapidly expanding in every segment of our society. (See D&C 1:14-16; 84:49-53.) It is more highly organized, more cleverly disguised, and more powerfully promoted than ever before. Secret combinations lusting for power, gain, and glory are flourishing. . . . (Ensign, November 1988 87).” Quickly 67, ellipses added.
c. More from Ezra Taft Benson on Secret Combinations – “Yes, there is a conspiracy of evil. The source of it all is Satan and his hosts. He has a great power over men to ‘lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken’ to the voice of the Lord. (Moses 4:4.) His evil influence may be manifest through governments; through false educational, political, economic, religious, and social philosphies; through secret societies and organizations; and through myriads of other forms. His power and influence are so great that, if possible, he would deceive the very elect. As the second coming of the Lord approaches, Satan’s work will intensify through numerous insidious deceptions.’ (Ensign, May 1978 33).” Quickly 67.
c. Bro. Brewster Defines Secret Combinations – “The secret combinations of the last days are not confined to one group nor to worldwide organizations, but include any combination of people whose purpose is to get unrighteous gain and power over others.” Quickly 67.
d. Potential Purposes of Secret Combinations (This is MY List, Not Bro. Brewster’s)
i. Manufacture, distribution, and sale illegal drugs
ii. Distribution and sale of illegal weapons
iii. Distribution and sale of other contraband
iv. Organized crime
v. Terrorism
vi. Street gang activity
6. Enemies in Secret Chambers – See D&C 38:13, Matthew 7:15, Acts: 20:29-30, 1 Timothy 4:1-2; See Quickly 68-70.
a. Examples of Machinations of Enemies of the Church of Jesus Christ
i. See Hoyt W. Brewster Jr., Martyrs of the Kingdom, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft 1990)
ii. Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith
iii. Assassinations of missionaries (Bro. Brewster specifically mentions those in South America)
iv. The supposed “loyal opposition” of the Church of Jesus Christ, the members of which, actually, are wolves in sheep’s clothing
A. President Harold B. Lee on Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing – “There are some as wolves among us. By that, I mean some who profess membership in this church who are not sparing the flock. And among our own membership, men are arising speaking perverse things. Now perverse means diverting from the right or correct, and being obstinate in the wrong, willffully in order to draw the weak and unwary members of the Church away after them.’ (Ensign, January 1973 105; second italics added.)” Quickly 69.
B. Bishop Richard C. Edgley on a Similar Subject – “There are the so-called ‘learned’ that have let their intellect undermine their spiritual moorings and who would also attempt to lead the faithful away from those who are appointed by the Lord to lead. There are those who feel that our leaders are out of touch with the realities of the day. They would attempt to lead the members by substituting their own knowledge for the revelations from God to His prophets. And, unfortunately, there are those who would so follow. Christ warned, ‘Beware of false prophets, whic h come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. (Matt. 7:15.)’ Ensign, May, 1993 12)” Quickly 69.
C. Bishop Edgley’s Comment Reminded Me of This, from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland – “I say with all the fervor of my soul that never in my personal or professional life have I ever associated with any group who are so in touch, who know so profoundly the issues facing us, who look so deeply into the old, stay so open to the new, and weigh so carefully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully everything in between. I testify that the grasp this body of men and women have of moral and societal issues exceeds that of any think tank or brain trust of comparable endeavor of which I know anywhere on the earth.” Jeffrey R. Holland, (October 2006) “Prophets in the Land Again,” accessed on line at the following address on September 19, 2020: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2006/10/prophets-in-the-land-again?lang=eng
7. God’s Work Will Not Fail
a. Joseph Smith’s Testimony of the Ultimate Destiny of God’s Work – “‘No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing: persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, and calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.’ (History of the Church, Vol. 4, p. 540.)” Quickly 71.
b. No Weapon Formed Against You Shall Prosper – “He who is the Head of the Church, even Jesus Christ, declared: ‘Verily thus saith the Lord unto you—there is no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper.’ (D&C 71:9).” Quickly 71.
c. Neal A. Maxwell: God’s Purposes Will Finally Triumph – “[T]he faithful know something about divine determination. They know that the Lord’s purposes will finally triumph, for ‘there is nothing that the Lord thy God shall take in his heart to do but what he will do it.’ (Abr. 3:17.) Of that divine determination and divine love I gladly and publicly testify . . . (Ensign, May 1991 91, italics removed.)” Quickly 71, ellipses added and italics removed.
d. Heber J. Grant: Any Latter-day Saint Who Thinks the Work Will Fail is Not Truly Converted – “‘Any Latter-day Saint who thinks for one minute that this Church is going to fail is not really a converted Latter-day Saint. There will be no failure of this Church. It has been established for the last time, never to be given to another people and never to be torn down.’ (‘Message of Inspiration,’ Church News, October 27, 1962 2.)” Quickly 72.
a. Satan’s Assault on the Family a Significant Sign of the Last Days – Satan’s all-out assault on the family is a significant, dangerous sign of the last days. “He has an intense hatred of anything associated with the family—marriage, mother, father, children—for he will never be a true father. . . . [T]he adversary takes pleasure in the destruction of the family. Quickly 52, 53, ellipses and brackets added.
b. Characteristics of Satan and His Plan – Quickly 52.
i. Displace our Father in Heaven (“Give me thine honor”)
ii. Denial of agency
iii. Employment of force
iv. “[O]ne soul should not be lost” is a lie, because Satan could not force us to follow him
v. He could not have carried out the Atonement because he could not have borne the suffering required
vi. “A liar from the beginning” (D&C 93:25), “The father of all lies” (2 Nephi 2:18, Moses 4:4)
c. Victor L. Brown: Satan’s Arsenal of Weapons – Of Satan and those who followed him, Bishop Victor L. Brown said, “In their battle to enslave mankind, they use weapons such as selfishness; dishonesty; corruption; sexual impurity, be it adultery, fornication, or homosexuality; pronography; permissiveness; drugs; and many others. . . . (Ensign, January 1974 108.)” Quickly 53, ellipses added.
d. Evidence of Assault on the Family – “[D]ivorces, spouse and child abuse, broken homes, absentee parents, and abortions all bear witness to the assault being made on the family.” Additional evidence: Single parents, illegitimacy. Quickly 53.
2. The Breakdown of the Family
a. Family Responsible for Moral Education, So Morals Break Down as the Family Breaks Down: William Barr – “[The] breakdown of the family is particularly distressing because it is the family that is the principal institution by which we conduct moral education—by which we transmit moral values from generation to generation. [¶] As the family is weakened, so is our ability to transmitvalues to the next generation. [¶] And, it is the breakdown of the family that is the root of most of our social problems today.” William P. Barr (October 6, 1992), “The Judeo- Christian Tradition vs. Secularism,” speech to the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights at Quickly 54.
b. New Zealand Minister of Police John Banks on the Importance of Families – “It is within the family that children learn such values as love, responsibility, communication, respect for authority and faith in God. They learn about living up to one’s potential, leaving the world a better place, doing the right thing and doing things right . . . [¶] The destruction of the family unit provides the setting which leads young people to the treadmill of drug abuse and crime. Children need mothers and fathers. A welfare cheque [sic] is not a husband. The State is not a father. Where there are not mature, responsible parents around to teach boys how to be good citizens, gangs often serve in their place.” John Banks (September 1, 1993), “Make Our Country Good and Great,” Vital Speeches of the Day 682 at Quickly 55, ellipses in original.
3. Absentee Parents
a. The Importance of Fathers in the Home – “Among the most difficult social problems of our day is the rise in juvenile crime and violence. It is of interest to note that recent statistics show that ‘the most accurate predictor of violence crime and burglary in neighborhoods is not race or income but rather the percent of households without fathers.’ . . . ‘[S]eventy percent of all juveniles in long-term correctional facilities did not live with their fathers while growing up.’ (Richard Witmire, ‘Life Without Father Breaking Hearts, Homes, Across U.S.,’ Salt Lake Tribune, June 19, 1993 A1.” Quickly 55.
b. Increase in Possessions and the Quality Thereof Insufficient to Compensate for Absent Parents or Deficient Parenting – See Quickly 56.
c. Mothers Should Seek Divine Approbation of the Decision to Work Outside the Home – See Quickly 56-57.
4. Genocide of the Unborn
a. Russell M. Nelson: Abortion Has Claimed More Lives than All U.S. Wars Combined – “Elder Russell M. Nelson has noted that this war on the unborn [i.e., prevalence of abortion] ‘annually claims more casualties than the total number of fatalities from all the wars of this nation.’ (Ensign, May 1985 11).” Quickly 57.
b. Two Scriptures and a Vision(See Quickly 57) – Is abortion a manifestation of:
i. People being “without natural affection” (2 Timothy 3:3)?
ii. People being “without affection [and] . . . hat[ing] their own blood” (Moses 7:33)?
iii. Joseph Smith’s vision of “women killing their own daughters” (History of the Church Vol. 3, p. 391)?
c. “Soft Words to Describe Hard Deeds” (My phrase): Elder Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, November 1982 59 (See Quickly 58)
i. “Alternate lifestyle” ==> Adultery, homosexuality
ii. “Freedom of choice” ==> Abortion
iii. “Meaningful relationship” and “self-fulfillment” ==> Extramarital sex
d. First Presidency Statement (Official Declaration) on Abortion – “LDS [sic] Position on Abortion,” Deseret News, January 12, 1991 B6, at Quickly 58-59.
e. Elder Neal A. Maxwell: The Womb Shouldn’t Be a Tomb – “Elder Neal A Maxwell[ ] expressed his feelings on abortion in connection with his gratitude for the Atonement: “I thank the Father that His Only Begotten Son did not say in defiant protest at Calvary, ‘My body is my own!’ I stand in admiration today of women who resist the fashion of abortion, by refusing to make the sacred womb a tomb’ (Ensign, May 1978 10).” Coming 59.
5. An Eternal Perspective on the Family
a. Dallin H. Oaks Encouraged Those in Less-than-Ideal Life Circumstances – Elder Oaks encouraged those dealing with singleness, childlessness, death and divorce when he said: “[T]hese frustrations are only temporary. The Lord has promised that in the eternities no blessing will be denied his sons and daughters who keep the commandments, are true to their covenants, and desire what is right. [¶] Many of the most important deprivations of mortality will be set right in the Millennium, which is the time for fulfilling all that is incomplete in the great plan of happiness for all of our Father’s worthy children. . . . (Ensign, November 1993 75).” Quickly 60, ellipses added.
a. Scriptural Warnings of Moral Pollution – “Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that but darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. (Isaiah 5:20.) . . . ‘[W]ickedness never was happiness.’ (Alma 41:10.) . . . [Satan] seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself (2 Nephi 2:27).” Quickly 38, ellipses added.
b. Neal A. Maxwell: “Love of Many Shall Wax Cold” – “Some of the coarseness and cruelty present in the time of Noah will be replicated [in our day], for ‘the love of many shall wax cold’ (Matthew 24:12). Also, peace will have been ‘taken from the earth’ (D&C 1:35). (Ensign, May 1988 7.)” At Quickly 39.
c. Joseph Fielding Smith: Our World as Corrupt and Violent as Noah’s – President Joseph Fielding Smith testified that, in our day as in Noah’s day, all flesh is corrupt and the world is filled with violence. Then, he went on to say, “The Lord promised that he would never again destroy the entire world with a flood of water, but he did promise to cleanse it the second time with the sword and with fire. [See Moses 7:50-51, 58-62]. (Take Heed to Yourselves 173.)” Quickly 39.
2. Without Natural Affection
a. Is Ability More Important than Morality, or Knowledge than Wisdom? – “Commenting on Paul’s description of our day, Elder Russell M. Nelson said: ‘Paul’s warnings describe apostasy and other dangers of our day. Some of those perils are contrary to God’s purposes and are championed by persuasive people possessing more ability than morality, more knowledge than wisdom.’ (Ensign, November 1992 8).” Quickly 40.
b. Even if the Rights of the Moral are Trampled Socially and Politically, They Cannot Yield – “[T]he rights of moral people are trampled upon to accommodate the lifestyles of the immoral minority. . . . Political pressure, demonstrations, threats, and man-made legislation will not change what God and His prophets have unalterably declared to be immoral.” Quickly 40, 41, ellipses added.
c. Boyd K. Packer: Social and Legal Pressure to Normalize Certain Behaviors Ignores Their Moral and Spiritual Dimensions – “Growing numbers of people now campaign to make spiritually dangerous life- styles legal and socially acceptable. Among them are abortion, the gay- lesbian movement, and drug addiction. They are debated in forums and seminars, in classes, in conversations, in conventions, and in courts all over the world. The social and political aspects of them are in the press every day. [¶] The point I make is simply this. There is a moral and spiritual side to these issues which is universally ignored. . . . (Ensign, November 1990 84).” Quickly 41, 42, ellipses added.
3. The Plague of AIDS
a. Russell M. Nelson: No Asterisk on Chastity, Violations Cause Innocent to Suffer – “An epidemic has been forecast—a plague fueled by a vocal few who exhibit greater concern for civil rights than for public health—aplague abetted by the immoral. Some live in lust as though God’s commandment to be chaste was written with an asterisk, exempting them from obeying. And regrettably, as in previous plagues, ma ny innocent victims are doomed to suffer. (Ensign, November 1992 8.)” Quickly 42.
b. Gordon B. Hinckley: Chastity Would Greatly Reduce AIDS Spread – “We, with others, hope that discoveries will make possible both prevention and healing from this dread affliction [AIDS]. But regardless of such discoveries, the observance of one clearly understandable and divinely given rule would do more than all else to check this epidemic. That is chastity before marriage and total fidelity after marriage. (Ensign, May 1987 46-47.)” Quickly 43.
c. Gordon B. Hinckley: We Can Make Choices, But We Cannot Choose Consequences – “Each of us has a choice between right and wrong. But with that coice there inevitably will follow consequences. Those who choose to violate the commandments of God put themselves at great spiritual and physical jeopardy. (Ensign, May 1987, 46-47.)” Quickly 44.
d. My Own Reflection on “Desolating Scourges” – Is AIDS the prophesied “desolating scourge”? Is COVID-19 such a scourge? What about a particularly virulent, incapacitating strain of simple influenza for which no effective vaccine exists? I doubt any of these, in particular, is the prophesied “desolating scourge,” but, certainly, each of them is bad enough. Nephi was told that his brothers’ seed would be a scourge to his seed to “stir them up in the ways of remembrance.” (See 1 Nephi 2:24, 2 Nephi 5:25.) In order for something to be a scourge, it seems to me that one must know it’s a scourge rather than simply classing it as yet another vicissitude among life’s endless vicissitudes. I haven’t done an exhaustive study, but it does seem to me that, in the Book of Mormon, any time the Lamanites gained the upper hand on the Nephites who had turned wicked and rebellious, prophets tied the turn of events, specifically, to Nephite misbehavior. While modern-day prophets have hinted, in our own day, that such maladies as AIDS might serve the same purpose, it seems to me that they have been less explicit than were the prophets who called the Nephites to repentance. I wonder if we can expect today’s prophets, seers, and revelators to be at least somewhat less oblique as the hour draws nearer.
4. General Decline in Morality
a. Moral Decay in Our Day Foretold – “The general decline in morality in the last days is very evident. Nudity, illicit sexual liaisons, pornography, perversion, and filthy language can all be found not only in movie theaters, but also on public television. Ears and eyes are constantly assaulted in public places by vulgarity in conversation, music, advertising, and the printed word . . . [¶] In writing about several world conditions that would prevail during the last days, the ancient prophet Moroni foresaw ‘a day when there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth; there shall be murders, and robbing, and lying, and deceivings, and whoredoms, and all manner of abominations; when there shall be many who will say, Do this, or do that, and it mattereth not.’ (Mormon 8:31.)” Quickly 44.
5. The Loss and Lessening of Standards and Values
a. God’s Way vs. The World’s Way – There is an ever-widening gap between the Lord’s standards and the world’s standards.
i. Like Cars Speeding in Opposite Directions (Maxwell) – “‘[T]he Church and the world are parting company like two speeding cars going in opposite directions.’ ([Neal A. Maxwell, Deposition of a Disciple, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co. 1976 63.)” Quickly 48.
ii. Can’t Go in Same Direction as World, Even if More Slowly (Larsen) – {W]e must clearly understand that it is not safe to move in the same direction the world is moving, even [if] we remain slightly behind the pace they set. Such a course will eventually lead us to the same problems and heartaches.” Quickly 49, quoting, in part, Elder Dean L Larsen, Ensign, May 1983 34-35, material in brackets added.
b. “Safe Sex” vs. Chastity and Fidelity – An athlete who contracted AIDS through promiscuity was held up as a hero for promising to promote “safe sex,” with no mention of chastity or fidelity. See Quickly 46.
c. Values of Those Who Shape Pop Culture Different from Many of Those in Their Audience – Many Hollywood television writers and executives say they grew up in religious homes but are no longer religious, and see no problem promoting such things as homosexuality, adultery, and abortion. “This group has a major role in shaping the shows whose themes and stars have become staples in our popular culture.” Quickly 47, quoting John Dart, Los Angeles Times, February 19, 1983, part 2, p. 5; as quoted in Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, November 1983 45.
d. Much Suffering Comes from Self-Destructive Behavior – “The challenges to the health and well-being of America’s youth are not primarily rooted in illness or economics. Unlike the past, the problem is not childhood disease or unsanitary slumps. The most basic cause of suffering is profoundly self-destructive behavior. Drinking. Drugs. Violence. Promiscuity. A chrisis of behavior and belief. A crisis of character.” Dan Coats, “As the Twig is Bent: The Conflict Over Teaching Values in Our Schools,” presentation delivered at Center for Constructive Alternatives Seminar, as reprinted in Imprimis (a publication of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale MI), Vol. 20, no. 9 (Sept. 1991), as quoted by Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign May 1992 at 69-70, at Quickly 48.
6. Blasphemy and Mockery of Sacred Things – “Those persons who promote the values and wickedness of he world today often mock that which is held sacred by the righteous. Sacred covenants, ceremonies, clothing, words, books, buildings —none have escaped the finger of scorn nor the tongue of blasphemy of the wicked.” Quickly 49.
a. All That is Sacred is What the Devil Demeans Most – “The [Adversary] is busy blaspheming all that is held sacred throughout the earth today. Of particular interest to [him] is anything or anyone connected with God’s kingdom on earth. Prophets are scorned, ordinances are ridiculed, and the righteous are belittled. The holy name of deity is belittled . . . [and t]he sacred functions of procreation are spoken of in filth[.]” Quickly 50, ellipses and bracketed material added.
b. What We Should We “Turn Away” From, as Paul Counseled Timothy, Includes Much in the Media – In addition to “turning away” from all that Paul counseled Timothy to avoid in I Timothy 3:1-7, “[p]erhaps the ‘turning away’ also means that we should turn our eyes and ears away from movies, television, and music that mock and blaspheme God and other things that should be held sacred.” Quickly 50.
c. We Should Not Only Avoid Blasphemy or Mockery, We Should Actively Promote the Sacred – While we should neither do nor advocate for anything that mocks or blasphemes the sacred, we should advocate affirmatively for that which upholds and uplifts the sacred. See quote from President Spencer W. Kimball in Ensign, November 1978 6, at Quickly 51.
1. God Will Use the Forces of Nature to Testify – “For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes. . . . And also comth the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. And All things shall be in commotion.” Quickly 25 quoting Doctrine and Covenants 88:89-91, ellipses in Bro. Brewster’s original.
2. Disasters of Nature – Times when God has used the forces of nature to express his displeasure (Quickly 25)
a. In Noah’s Time – See Genesis 6 and 7
b. Before the Savior Came to the Americas – 3 Nephi 8
i. The People in the Book of Mormon Knew What the Destruction Was All About – “O, that we had repented before this great and terrible day.” 3 Nephi 8:24, quoted at Quickly 26.
3. Earthquakes in Diverse Places
a. Christ Predicted Earthquakes: Matthew 24:7 – “There shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. [S]ee also Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11; JS-M 1:29). This declaration is repeated in a revelation given in 1831 (see D&C 45:33) and was mentioned by the ancient prophet Moroni as one of the signs of the last days.” Quickly 26.
b. Isaiah Predicted Earthquakes – “The writings of Isaiah as revealed in the Book of Mormon warn that the Lord would visit the wicked with earthquakes. See 2 Nephi 27:1-2; compare Isaiah 29:6.” Quickly 26.
c. Elder Melvin J. Ballard: “God is Speaking Through the Elements” – “God is speaking through the elements. The earthquakes, the sea heaving itself beyond its bounds, bringing such dire destruction as we have seen are the voice of God crying repentance to this generation, a generation that only in part has heeded the warning voice of the servants of the Lord (Conference Report, October 1923 31).” Quickly 26.
d. When Disasters Strike a Wide Area, Righteous Not Necessarily Spared – “It is well to add a caution here. The impact of natural disasters such as earthquakes general affects an entire population of an area, and one must be careful about judging the victims of such disasters.” Quickly 26.
i. Ezra Taft Benson: The Saints Not to be Spared – “Too often we bask in our comfortable complacency and rationalize that the ravages of war, economic disaster, famine, and earthquake cannot happen here. Those who believe this are either not acquainted with the revelations of the Lord, or they do not believe them. Those who smugly think these calamities will not happen, that they somehow will be set aside because of the righteousness of the saints, are deceived and will rue the day they harbored such a delusion. (Ensign, November 1980 34).” Quickly 27.
4. Earth Movements During the Millennium
a. Earthquake to Cleave Mount of Olives at the Beginning of the Millennium – “The Doctrine and Covenants refers to a time when the ‘earth shall . . . reel to and fro’ like a drunkard. (45:48; 49:23; 88:87). These citations [refer to] the Millennium, in that at least two great shakings of the earth will occur in this time period: one at the beginning of the thousand years and one at the conclusion. . . . When the Savior stands on the Mount of Olives, it will be . . . when the Jewish people are about to be destroyed. At this moment, a great earthquake will cleave to the mount in twain . (See Zechariah 14:4; Revelation 11:13; 16:17-20; D&C 45:48).” Joseph Fielding Smith points out that this earthquake will be felt worldwide, not only at Jerusalem. Quickly 28, ellipses added.
b. “Earth Shall Remove Out of Her Place” (Isaiah 13:13) at End of Millennium – This will occur “as a prelude to [the earth] becoming a celestial sphere.” Quickly 28-29.
5. Thunderings, Lightnings, and Tempests
a. Brigham Young: The Lord Will Call His Missionaries Home, and Will Preach His Own Sermons – President Young prophesied that “the testimony of the Elders [would] cease[ ] to be given” and that “the Lord [would] say[ ] to them, ‘Come home. I will now preach my own sermons to the nations of the earth.’” President Young prophesied that the Lord’s “sermons” would consist of “fire, sword, tempests, earthquakes, hail, rain, thunders and lightnings, and fearful destruction,” and that “the faithful of God’s people will see days that will cause them to close their eyes because of the sorrow that will come upon the wicked nations. The hearts of the faithful will be filled with pain and anguish for them. [Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8, p. 123].” Quickly 30, bracketed material added.
6. Destruction by Waters – “Behold, I, the Lord in the beginning blessed the waters; but in the last days, by the mouth of my servant John, I cursed the waters. Wherefore, the days will come that no flesh shall be safe upon the waters. (D&C 61:5, 14-15).” Quickly 31.
a. Possibilities for “Destruction by Waters” – See Quickly 31.
i. Floods, hurricanes, and typhoons
ii. Mines, missiles, and submarines
iii. Contaminated water
A. John the Revelator said that the waters would be contaminated by wormwood, an extremely bitter plant. (See Revelation 8:8-11).
7. Volcanic Eruptions: Signs in the Heavens – “Ash and heat spewed into the atmosphere have altered the jet streams [sic] and have had significant impact on where and when moisture has fallen. Certainly these are signs in the heavens.” Quickly 32.
a. Fire and Vapors of Smoke and “Thick Darkness” Volcanic in Origin? – “The Apostle John saw ‘a great mountain burning with fire [being] cast into the see’ in the last days. (Revelation 8:8). The Savior spoke of one of the signs of His coming being ‘fire and vapors of smoke.’ (D&C 45:41.) . . . [I]t seems probable that much of the destruction brought upon the ancient Nephite civilization at the time of Christ’s crucifixion was volcanic in origin. For example, the ‘thick darkness’ that came upon the land following the violent storms and upheavals of the earth might well have been volcanic cloud and ash. No light could penetrate those ‘mists of darkness.’ (3 Nephi 8:20-23.)” Quickly 32.
b. Mount Tambora Eruption (1815) – “On . . . April 10, the whole mountain exploded. Three fiery plumes shot skyward, merging into one massive blast. Liquid fire flowed down the mountainside, enveloping the village at its base. Whirlwinds raged through the region, pulling up trees and sweeping away homes [footnote omitted]. [¶] The chaos continued all that night and into the next. Ash blanketed miles of land and sea, piling two feet high in places. Midday felt like midnight. Rough seas heaved over shorelines, spoiling crops and drowning villages. For weeks, Tambora rained cinders, stone, and fire [footnote omitted]. . . .” The volcano’s ash had deadly effects “as it circled the earth. In the coming year the weather turned unpredictable and devastating [footnote omitted]. [¶] The eruption caused temperatures in india to drop, and cholera killed thousands, destroying families. In fertile Chinese valleys, summer snowstorms replaced a normally mild climate and flooding rains destroyed crops. In Europe, food supplies dwindled, leading to starvation and panic [footnote omitted]. The eruption of Tambora affected weather in North America through the following year. Spring gave way to snowfall and killing frosts, and 1816 passed into memory as the year without a summer [footnote omitted].” Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter-days, (2018), Vol. 1, pp. 3-4, 5 Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ellipses, transition, and bracketed material added.
8. Great Hailstorms, Fire, and Brimstone
a. Hail Destroys Crops – “Modern revelation speaks of ‘a great hailstorm sent forth to destroy the crops of the earth.’ (D&C 29:16.)” Quickly 33.
b. A “Talent” of Hail – “John the Revelator saw ‘a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent.’ (Revelation 16:21.)” Quickly 33.
c. “Pestilence, Blood, Rain, Hailstones, Fire, and Brimstone” – “Speaking of Gog, the enemy of God, the prophet Ezekiel proclaims: ‘And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.’ (Ezekiel 38:22).” Quickly 33.
9. Famine and Drought
a. Famine a Sign of God’s “Wrath and Indignation” – “Famine has been prophesied as one of the disasters of the last days. The Savior said ‘there shall be famines, and pestilences.’ (Matthew 24:7.) The Lord uses famine as one of the means whereby ‘the inhabitants of the earth [are] made to fee the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God.’ (D&C 87:6). The ‘voice of famines and pestilences of every kind calls the nations of the earth to hear the words of God and his servants. (See D&C 43:23-25).” Quickly 34.
b. Bruce R. McConkie: No Promise of Safety, Security Except for Those Who Love & Obey the Lord – “We do not say that all of the Saints [of the last days] will be spared and saved from the coming day of desolation. But we do say that there is no promise of safety and no promise of security except for those who love the Lord and also are seeking to do all that he commands. (Ensign, May 1979 93)” Quickly 35, bracketed material in original.
c. Spencer W. Kimball: The Lord Uses Famine to Discipline – “The Lord uses the weather sometimes to discipline his people for the violation of his laws. He said to the children of Israel: ‘If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them, then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: . . . neither shall the sword go through your land.’ (Lev. 26:3-6). . . . Perhaps the day has come when we should take stock of ourselves and see if we are worthy to ask, or if we have been breaking the commandments, making ourselves unworthy [to receive] the blessings. (Ensign, May 1977 4).” Quickly 34-35, first set of ellipses in original, second set of ellipses added.
d. M. Russell Ballard: God is In Charge of the Elements – Elder Ballard and Bishop Glenn L. Pace visited Ethiopia when it was experiencing severe drought. He related, “I knew that if we called upon the Lord to bless the land, the elements would be tempered. We prayed, brethren, for rain. During the balance of the time we were in Ethiopia it rained every day wherever we traveled. We were grateful to our Heavenly Father because the rain was a special witness to us that he was aware that his sons, bearing his holy priesthood, were about his business in that part of the world. (Ensign, May 1985 41).” Quickly 36. Note: If I remember correctly, a Church-wide fast was held that year to petition the Lord to relieve the African famine.
10. The Hurricane of Disobedience
a. Spiritual Death is the Greatest Disaster – “Mankind can survive all forms of natural disaster: houses can be rebuilt, bones can be mended, supplies can be replenished. And even where death has occurred, there is the hope—even the absolute reality—of resurrection and of life beyond the grave. But to lose one’s faith and turn from the ways of the Prince of Peace to the wickedness of the master of misery is a disaster of eternal consequences.” Quickly 37.
1. “No Man Knoweth” – “I, the Lord God, have spoken it;”—therefore, we know the Second Coming is certain to occur—“but the hour and the day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor shall they know until he comes.” Doctrine and Covenants 49:7, quoted at Quickly 11.
2. The Restitution of All Things
a. “He Shall Send Jesus Christ” – “Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out . . . and he shall send Jesus Christ [the second time], which before was preached to you: Whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:19-21 at Quickly 11, italics removed and bracketed material in original.
i. Apostasy Implied – Bro. Brewster points out that something cannot be the subject of restitution unless, first, it has been removed. Thus, this scripture implies that an apostasy will occur. See Quickly 11.
ii. Apostasy to Precede Second Coming – “That day”—the Second Coming—“shall not come except there come a falling away first.” 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 at Quickly 11.
iii. The Restoration Through the Prophet Joseph Smith – See Doctrine and Covenants 13:1, 20:1, 27:8, 12; 115:4 at Quickly 12.
3. Another Testament of Jesus Christ is Revealed – The coming forth of the Book of Mormon, as another testament of Jesus Christ, marked the opening of the heavens and the resumption of divine revelation to man (part of the “restitution of all things”). See Quickly 12.
4. The Messenger to Precede the Messiah’s Coming: Moroni’s Appearance to Joseph Smith Heralded the Fulfillment of a Prophecy in Malachi – When the Angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith he “first quoted from [Malachi 3 and 4]. (See JS-H 1:36-39). This Old Testament Prophet foretold of a messenger who would be sent to prepare the way before the Lord, who Himself ‘shall suddenly come to his temple.’ (Malachi 3:1.)” John the Baptist came and bestowed the Aaronic Priesthood on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. See Doctrine and Covenants 13. Quickly 13.
5. Elijah the Prophet’s Return – Malachi also foretold the return of “Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. (Malachi 4:5).” This prophecy was fulfilled when Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836, delivering Priesthood keys to him. See also Doctrine and Covenants 110:13-16. Quickly 13-14.
6. An Ensign to the Nations – Malachi also quoted Isaiah 11 to Joseph. “Verse twelve tells of an ‘ensign to the for the nations’ that shall be set up and to which the outcasts of Israel shall be gathered. This ensign is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints[.]” Quickly 14.
7. Those Who Will Be Cut Off: Those Who Will Not Hear the Lord’s Voice – “In a . . . revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1831, the Lord declared that’the arm of the Lord shall be revealed, and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people.’ (D&C 1:14).” Quickly 15, ellipses added.
8. Joel’s Prophecy of the Last Days: Joel 2:28-32 – “Wonders in the Heavens and in the Earth” – “Do we not see airships of various kinds traveling through the heavens daily? Have we not had signs in the earth and through the earth with the radio, railroad trains, automobiles, submarines and satellites, and in many other ways? There are yet to be great signs; the heavens are to be shaken, the sign of the Son of Man is to be given; and then shall the tribes of the earth mourn.” Quickly 16, quoting (in part) Joseph Fielding Smith, Take Heed to Yourselves 428-429.
9. Nearness of Second Coming
a. Doctrine of Second Coming Integral to Restoration – “That the doctrine of the Second Coming is integral to the restored gospel is underscored by the fact that twelve times between October 1830 (see D&C 33: 18) and July 1837 (see D&C 112:34), the Lod declared ‘I come quickly!’ On other occasions he spoke of his coming as being ‘soon at hand.’ (D&C 29:9).” Quickly 16.
b. The Earth’s Saturday Evening: Elder Orson F. Whitney – Approximately four millennia “had passed before Christ was crucified; while nearly” two millennia “have gone by since. Consequently . . . we stand . . . in the Saturday Evening of Time[.] Is it not a time for thought, a season for solemn meditation? Morning will break upon the Millennium, the thousand years of peace, the Sabbarth of the World! ([Elder Orson F. Whitney], Saturday Night Thoughts, Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1921 12)” at Quickly 16-17, ellipses and bracketed material added.
c. “No Man Knoweth” – Speaking of the exact timing of His return, the Savior said, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my father only.” Matthew 24:36, quoted at Quickly 17.
10. Prepared, We Need Not Fear
a. Gordon B. Hinckley: We Need Not Fear His Coming – “Let us . . . live each day so that if the Lord does come while we are yet upon the earth we shall be worthy of that change which will occur as in the twinkling of an eye and under which we we shall be changed from mortal to immortal beings. And if we should die before he comes, then—if our lives have conformed to his teachings—we shall arise in that resurrection morning and be partakers of the marvelous experiences designed for those who shall live and work with the savior in that promised Millennium. . . . (“We Need Not Fear His Coming,” 1979 Devotional Speeches of the Year, Provo [UT]: Brigham Young University Press 83).” Quoted at Quickly 19, ellipses and bracketed material added.
b. Spencer W. Kimball: Parable of the Ten Virgins Refers to Members of the Church – “I believe the Ten Virgins represent the people of the Church of Jesus Christ . . . All of the virgins, wise and foolish had accepted the invitation to the wedding supper; they had knowledge of the program and had been warned of the important day to come. They were not the gentiles or the heathens or the pagans, nor were they necessarily corrupt and reprobate, but they were knowing people who were foolishly unprepared for the vital happenings that were to affect their eternal lives.” Quickly 19-20, quoting, in part, Elder Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Preceeds the Miracle, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1972 253-54, ellipses added.
c. Bruce R. McConkie: The Day of Christ’s Coming is Set, and Can Neither Be Hastened by Righteousness Nor Delayed by Wickedness: Those Attuned to Spirit Can Read the Signs of the Times – “The appointed day” of the Savior’s Second Coming “can be neither advanced nor delayed. It will come at the decreed moment, chosen before the foundations of the earth were laid, and it can be neither hastened by righteousness nor put off by wickedness.” Elder McConkie goes on to say that “all men may read the signs of the times, and those whose souls are attuned to the things of the Spirit know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the door. But they also know there are many things yet to be done before earth’s rightful King comes to change the kingdoms of this world into the kingdom of our God and of his Christ.” Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith 591, at Quickly 21, transitions between quotations added.
i. My Own Reflection: We Should Succumb Neither to Alarmism Nor to Complacency – We should succumb neither to alarmism nor to complacency. We should simply do our best to prepare. Thus, we will be ready whenever the Savior comes.
d. Events that Must Occur Before the End of the World – Per Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Quickly 21-22
i. The return to Jackson County MO
ii. The building of a temple there
iii. The building of a temple in Old Jerusalem
iv. The full return of Judah to Israel
v. The gospel preached to all the world
vi. The return of the lost tribes
vii. The gathering of prophets to Adam-Ondi-Ahman
viii. The raising up of two great prophets to minister to Israel
ix. The Battle of Armageddon
x. The sun darkened, moon turned to blood, stars fall form the heavens, and many other wonders and signs
a. David Koresh and the Branch Davidians: an Example of a False Prophet and of Priestcraft – See Quickly 3-4. See also Matthew 24:3-8: “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” Nephi defined priestcraft: “priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.” 2 Nephi 26:29. Another definition I have heard: Priest-hood says “Follow Christ.” Priest-craft says “Follow me.”
2. False Expectations
a. Other Examples of False Prophets and Their Followers: Addam Swapp and John Singer – The former revered the latter as a prophet and hoped to bring about his resurrection by bombing a Church of Jesus Christ meetinghouse in Marion UT in 1988. See Quickly 4.
b. Some “Look Beyond the Mark” (My Phrase) – Since the ascension recorded in Acts 1:11, people have awaited Christ’s return. “Many . . . expectant people have sold their homes or forsaken their jobs, and even their families to follow false prophets and teachers into the mountains, wilderness, or faraway places in anticipation of these long-awaited events.” Quickly 4, ellipses added.
c. How Soon? Soon—But Not Too Soon – Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught that we should not prematurely expect the second coming by overemphasizing some prophecies while neglecting others. See Quickly 5 and Ensign, May 1988 7.
3. False Prophets
a. Foolish or Wise? – Am I like a foolish virgin who says, “He delayeth his coming,” thus failing to keep my lamp ready? See Quickly 5 and Matthew 24:48, 25:1-13.
b. Elder Delbert L. Stapley: Be Alert to Counter Satan’s Schemes – “Satan is stirring up the hearts of men to do iniquity continually; and to thwart, if possible, faith in the great event of Christ’s second coming to earth, which I testify is sure to come to pass. Satan is alert and active. We must be more alert and perceptive of the false and insincere schemes”—or of the sincere-but-mistaken schemes of the sincere-but- unwitting—“of his agents among us.” Quickly 5, quoting Delbert L. Stapley, Conference Report, October 1961 22.
c. Accuracy More Important Than Sincerity – “No matter how well- intentioned or sincere another person may appear to be, we should always be careful about placing our temporal or spiritual welfare in his or her hands.” Quickly 6.
4. Beware of Priestcrafts
a. False Prophets’ Motives – “False prophets and teachers are usually motivated by the desire for either some tangible gain (usually monetary) or praise and popularity.” Quickly 6.
b. False Prophets’ Motives: Elder Dallin H. Oaks – “[A] man or woman might serve in Church positions or in private acts of mercy in an effort to achieve prominence or cultivate contacts that would income or aid in acquiring wealth. Others might serve in order to obtain worldly honors.” Quickly 6, quoting Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Conference Report, October 1984 14.
c. Follow the Prophet, Not the Profit – “When one without authority purports to speak for the Lord or His church in promoting products or philosophies for personal gain, we simply say, ‘Let the buyer beware!’ Follow the Lord’s true prophet rather than the profit seeker.” Quickly 6- 7.
d. Beware “Special” Revelation: Elder Boyd K. Packer – “Claims of special revelation or secret authority from the Lord or from the Brethren are false on the face of them and really utter nonsense!” Quickly 7, quoting Elder Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, May 1985 34.
e. Beware the Counterfeit to the Real Thing: Elder Boyd K. Packer – “There is safety in learning doctrine in gatherings which are sponsored by proper authority. Some members, even some who have made covenants in the temple, are associating with groups of one kind or another which have an element of secrecy about them and which pretend to have some higher source of inspiration concerning the fulfillment of prophecies than do ward or stake leaders or the General Authorities of the Church. Know this: There are counterfeit revelations which , we are warned, ‘if possible . . . shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant.’ (JS-M 1:22.).” Quickly 7, quoting Elder Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, November 1991 21, ellipses in original.
5. Follow the Duly Designated Leaders
a. Revelation Occurs Only Within Stewardships – People don’t receive revelation for those outside their own stewardships. For example, a ward member does not receive revelation for the bishop, and a stake member does not receive revelation for the stake president. Joseph Smith said, “It is contrary to the economy of God for any member of the Church, or any one, to receive instruction for those in authority, higher than themselves [sic]; therefore, you will see the impropriety of giving heed to them; but if any person have a vision or a visitation from a heavenly messenger, it must be for his own benefit and instruction.” Quickly 8-9, quoting Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith 21.
b. One Who Claims or Seeks Revelation Outside Designated Channels is Liable to be Misled: Joseph F. Smith – “We can accept nothing as authoritative but that which comes directly through the appointed channel, the constituted organizations of the Priesthood, which is the channel that God has appointed through which to make known His mind and will to the world. . . . [¶] And the moment that individuals look to any other source, that moment they throw themselves open to the seductive influences of Satan[.]” Quickly 9, partially quoting Joseph F. Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 24, pp. 188-190, ellipses added.
c. No One is Ordained, Anointed, or Appointed in Secret – “[I]t shall not be given to any one to go forth to preach my gospel, or to build up my church, except he be ordained by some one who has authority, and it is known to the church that he has authority and has been regularly ordained by the heads of the church. Doctrine and Covenants 42:11 at Quickly 9.
Hoyt W. Brewster (1994) Behold, I Come Quickly, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book. Notes by Ken K. Gourdin
PREFACE
A. WATCH AND BE READY
1. BishopGlenn L. Pace: We Must Be Participants, Not Spectators, in the Winding Up Scene – “We need to overcome fatalism. We know the prophecies of the future. We know the final outcome. We know the world collectively will not repent and consequently the last days will be filled with much pain and suffering. Therefore, we could throw up our hands and do nothing but pray for the end to come so the millennial reign could begin. To do so would forfeit our right to participate in the grand event we are all awaiting. We must all become players in the winding up scene, not spectators. We must do all we can to prevent calamities, and then do everything possible to assist and comfort the victims of tragedies that do occur. Glenn L. Pace, Ensign, November 1990 8, at Quickly, unnumbered page immediately preceding table of contents.
2. Patience in Tribulation – “Be patient in tribulation until I come. And behold, I come quickly.” Doctrine and Covenants 54:10 at Quickly, unnumbered page immediately preceding table of contents.
3. The Last Days: A Trying Yet Wonderful Time
a. The Last Days: A Trying Time – “The last days [are] a time filled with cataclysmic events and marvelous heavenly manifestations. That we are already living in such a time seems validated by the daily diety of increasing calamities and catastrophes fed to us by the news media.” Quickly xix.
b. The Last Days: A Wonderful Time – The last days are a time not only of “disasters and distresses”, but also of “marvelous blessings and wonderful events.” Quickly xix.
c. Elder Neal A. Maxwell Contrasts the Two – “Yes, there will be wrenching polarization on this planet, but also the remarkable reunion with our colleagues in Christ from the City of Enoch. Yes, nation after nation will become a house divided, but more and more unifying Houses of the Lord will grace this planet. Yes, Armageddon lies ahead, but so does Adam-Ondi-Ahman!” Ensign, November 1981 10 at Quickly xix.
4. President Joseph Fielding Smith: We May Rejoice, Even Absent Prospects for Immediate External Peace – “Trouble in the earth will continue; there will be distress, calamity, and perplexity among the nations. [¶] We need not look for [external] peace in the immediate future because peace will not come. Nevertheless, we may look forward with rejoicing; we need not be downcast, but in the spirit of faith and hope, and in the fear of the Lord, we should look to the future with feelings of joy, of humility, and of worship, with the desire in our hearts, stronger if possible than ever, of serving the Lord and keeping his commandments, for the day of his coming draws near.” Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation Vol 3, pp. 51-52 at Quickly xx, bracketed material added.
5. Elder M. Russell Ballard: Jesus Christ is Our Hope – Living in these difficult times . . . requires each one of us to maintain a positive, hopeful perspective about the future. . . . [¶] My message to you today, my brothers and sisters, is simply this: the Lord is in control. He knows the end from the beginning. He has given us adequate instruction that, if followed, will see us safely through any crisis. His purposes will be fulfilled, and someday we will understand the eternal reasons for all of these events. Therefore, today we must be careful to not overreact, nor should we be caught up in extreme preparations, but what we must do is keep the commandments of God and never lose hope! [¶] But where do we find hope in the midst of such turmoil and catastrophe? Quite simply, our one hope for spiritual safety during these turbulent times is to turn our minds and our hearts to Jesus Christ. (Ensign, November 1992 31, 32).” Quickly xxi, ellipses in original.
The Coming of the Lord (1971) By Gerald N. Lund, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book.
Notes By Ken K. Gourdin
I. A LOOK AT PROPHECY
A. Preface
1. Purposes – (Coming, Preface, unnumbered single page, ellipses added)
a. Compile Reliable Statements – Compile “reliable statements on the important subject of the Savior’s second coming, while avoiding . . . sensational, speculative and otherwise questionable material[.]”
b. Challenges Notwithstanding, The Future Should Excite Us – “[S]timulate a positive, exciting outlook toward the future,” thus overcoming “negative, anxious feelings”
c. Gratitude to the Lord – We should be “grateful to the Lord for inspiring his prophets to instruct us so completely on how to prepare for his coming”
B. Introduction
1. God Wants to Guide Us – “[W]e . . . stand at the gates of the future pleading for light to guide us safely into the lowering storm clouds. . . . Prophecy is the hand of God extended in love to a groping, floundering world. . . . God is ever anxious to guide his children through perilous times[.]” Coming 2, ellipses and brackets added and italics removed.
2. Why The Saints are Calm – President Jedediah M. Grant, Second Counselor to President Brigham Young, said that the Saints are calm even amid the turmoil of the world because “the spirit of prophecy has made known to us that such things would actually transpire upon the earth.” Coming 3, quoting President Grant.
3. God’s Word a Loving Message, Not the Curse of a Wrathful Deity – God’s word is “the loving message from a concerned Father,” not “a curse from a wrathful deity bent on the destruction of those not willing to toe the mark.” Coming 3.
C. A Look at Prophecy
1. What Prophecy Is – Prophecy, Lund writes, is more than mere prediction, though “[p]rediction of future events is an . . . essential element of prophecy.” Quoting Acts 10:43, Lund writes that prophecy is “the testimony of Jesus,” and, quoting Peter 1:21, he writes that it is “the utterances of ‘holy men of God spoken as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.’” Coming 5.
3. Three Roles of a Prophet –Coming 6, brackets and ellipses added.
a. “[T]estify of the divinity of the savior”
b. “[W]arn the [earth’s] inhabitants . . . of . . . [results] if wrong choices are made”
c. “[P]redict future events that will profoundly affect [man’s destiny]”
4. “The Purposes of Prophecy” – Coming 7
a. To Warn – “At times, what [a prophet] predicts is necessarily terrible to contemplate, but this sis so because the choices his children make bring upon themselves terrible consequences.” Coming 7.
b. To Prepare – “Another important function is to prepare people for the crises in life that will confront them. This is especially true of the signs of the times. . . . Prophecy is one of the most direct ways that the Lord has for preparing his people.” Coming 7.
i. Example: Rainbow – Bro. Lund cites Joseph Smith’s prophecy that in a year in which the rainbow is absent, the Lord’s coming is “not far distant.” Coming 8, quoting Joseph Smith.
c. To Comfort – “[N]o matter how dark the intervening days, eventually [God’s] work will emerge triumphant. . . . Let us not forget that one of the great and significant purposes of the Lord is sharing this vision of the future with us is to give us comfort.” Coming 9, ellipses and material in brackets added.
5. Test for True Prophecy – “When visions, dreams, tongues, prophecy, impressions or any extraordinary gift or inspiration conveys something out of harmony with the accepted revelations of the Church or contrary to the decisions of its authorities, Latter-day Saints may know that it is not of God, no matter how plausible it may appear.” Coming 10, quoting August 1913 First Presidency Statement.
II. HOW SOON THE END?
A. As Christ Departed, So Shall He Return – “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Coming 13, quoting Acts 1:11.
B. People in Every Age of Christianity Have Anticipated Christ’s Return – “The mind thrills at the thought that one might actually see the realization of the millennial dream come true in his own life. And so from the earliest history of Christianity, there have been those who earnestly believed that Christ’s second coming was imminent.” Coming 12.
C. “Ye Know Not What Hour” – Well-meaning people have been mistaken in their belief as to the timing of Christ’s second advent, so what justification do Latter-day Saints have that it will be “soon”? Brother Lund points to Matthew 14, where Christ says “no man knoweth” the day nor the hour. But Christ also says, “Watch, therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” Coming 15, third set of quotation marks quoting Matthew 24:42.
1. A Personal Observation; I Think Alma’s Attitude About Christ’s First Coming is Exactly the Right Attitude to Have About His Second Coming; Would That it Might Be in Our Day, but Whenever It Is, Let Us Rejoice In It – See Alma 13:25: “And now we only wait to hear the joyful news declared unto us by the mouth of angels, of his coming; for the time cometh, we know not how soon. Would to God that it might be in my day; but let it be sooner or later, in it I will rejoice.”
D. Don’t “Fear and Tremble”; Instead, “Watch and Pray” – “[W]hile the wicked fear and tremble at surrounding judgments, the Saints will watch and pray; and, waiting for the event in patience, will look calmly on the passing scenery of a corrupted world, and view transpiring events ans confirmation of the faith in the holy gospel which they profess, and rejoice more and more, as multiplied signs shall confirm the approach of the millennial day.” Coming 16, quoting Fifth General Epistle of the Presidency of the Church, issued April 7, 1851 and found in Millennial Star, Vol. 13, p. 210, July 15, 1851.
E. We Know His Coming is Nigh Because We See The Signs: President Joseph Fielding Smith – Joseph Fielding Smith testified that the Parable of the Fig Tree, in which Christ said that just as we know a fig tree is about to bear fruit when its leaves appear, when we see the signs of the times, we know that Christ’s coming is near, is being fulfilled. He also wrote “that the signs that have been pointed out [as harbingers of the Second Coming] are here.” See Coming 16-17.
F. Because We See the Signs, We Ought to Take Heed and to Prepare: President Joseph Fielding Smith – “[T]he signs that have been pointed out [as harbingers of the Second Coming] are here. The earth is full of calamity, of trouble. The hearts of men are failing them. We see the signs[,] . . . and knowing this time is near, it behooves . . . all men upon the face of the earth, to pay heed to the words of Christ, to his apostles and watch, for we know not the day nor the hour. But I tell you this, it shall come as a thief in the night, when many of us will not be ready for it.” Coming 17, quoting President Joseph Fielding Smith.
G. Natural Disasters, National and Civil Unrest Are Harbingers of His Coming: President Heber J. Grant – “The prevailing unrest among men and nations, the fury of the elements, the widespread destruction by land and sea, the frequency and intensity of volcanic and earthquake disturbances—all tell to the well-tuned ear that the gladsome yet terrible day of the Lord is nigh—aye, even at the doors!” Coming 17, quoting President Heber J. Grant, italics removed.
H. Signs That Have Already Been Fulfilled: President Joseph Fielding Smith, President of the Quorum of the Twelveon the 136th Anniversary of the Organization of the Church of Jesus Christ –Coming 18-19
1. Restoration of the Gospel
2. Organization of the Church
3. Restoration of the Priesthood
4. Dispensations Revealed, Keys of each given to the Church of Jesus Christ
5. Gathering of Israel
6. Return of Jews to Jerusalem
7. Preaching of the Gospel Throughout the World
8. Building of Temples, Performing of Saving Ordinances for the Dead
9. Hearts of the Children are Being Turned to the Fathers
10. Covenants the Lord Promised to Make With Israel Have been Revealed, Thousands are Entering Into Them
I. More Signs that His Coming is Near: Elder George Q. Morris of the Quorum of the Twelve on the 130th Anniversary of the Organization of the Church of Jesus Christ –Coming 19
1. Restoration of the Gospel
2. Rise of Communism (Elder Morris also notes the other ways in which Satan subjugates people)
3. Fulfillment of God’s Promise to Gather Jews to Jerusalem
J. The Savior Comes Tomorrow: President Joseph Fielding Smith – When someone asked him when the Savior would come, he answered “Tomorrow,” and quoted Doctrine & Covenants 64:23-24, which reads in part, “[V]erily I say, tomorrow all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up.” Coming 20.
K. Each of Revelations Seven Seals Represents a Millennium: What Will Happen at the Beginning of the Seventh Thousand Years – Revelation’s seven seals represent the seven thousand years of the Earth’s temporal existence. At the beginning of the seventh thousand years, “will the Lord God sanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of man, and shall judge all things, and shall redeem all things.” Coming 21, quoting D&C 77:12.
L. This is the “Last Day” Before the Millennium – “[S]cholars disagree on how many years [have passed] since the Fall of Adam, . . . so it cannot be said that the Millennium will occur in the year 2,000 A.D. . . . But the scriptures and the prophets make it clear that this is the ‘last day’ before the Millennium, using Peter’s definition that a day with the Lord is as a thousand of our years.” Peter’s definition is given in 2 Peter 3:8. In Doctrine and Covenants 35:3, the Lord says “The field is white already to harvest, and this is the last time that I shall call laborers into my vineyard.” Coming 21, italics removed and material in brackets and ellipses added.
M. One Should Fear God Rather Than One’s Enemies: President Brigham Young – “All you who fear and tremble because of your enemies, cease to fear to offend them and learn to fear to offend God.” Coming 21, quoting President Brigham Young.
N. What Do the Scriptures Mean that Say that “This Generation Shall Not Pass Away” Before Christ Comes Again? Elder Wilford Woodruff – Apparently, the Scriptures and the Prophets use the words “generation” and “dispensation” interchangeably, as synonyms. Elder Wilford Woodruff said, “We are living in the generation and dispensation to which Jesus referred[.] . . . [Y]ou live in the day and generation when the God of Israel has set his hand to perform his work . . . in the latter- days.” Coming 23, quoting Elder Wilford Woodruff, ellipses added.
1. No Fixed Period for a Generation: President Charles W. Penrose – “[T]here is no fixed period for a generation, no set time in the revelations of God, no year or date given when these things shall take place, and it is folly for anybody to put a date on it. Leave that in the hands of the Lord and he will take care that his word is fulfilled[.]” Coming 33, quoting President Penrose, ellipses omitted and material in brackets added.
O. This is the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times – “This dispensation is called the dispensation of the fullness of times, for in this dispensation a fullness of the gospel and blessings down through time will be gathered together in one great whole.’ Coming 25, footnote omitted.
1. What it Means to Live in “The Dispensation of the Fullness of Times”: President Charles W. Penrose – “[His] people are [to] be gathered together, [and] the glorious truths which have been made manifest in the ages that are past will be brought forth in the dispensation in which we are living, and things kept hid from before the foundations of the world will be made manifest[.]” Coming 25, quoting President Charles W. Penrose, General Conference, October 1911.
\P. Meaning of “Times of the Gentiles” – “The times of the Gentiles began with Peter’s vision and the baptism of Cornelius (see Acts 10). Paul and the other Apostles then began the great missionary work to the Gentiles, since the Jewish nation, for the most part, had rejected Jesus. As President Smith indicated, the times that the major gospel effort would be with gentile nations continued with the Restoration. The times of the Gentiles will be over, or fulfilled, when the major efforts of gospel teaching begin to focus on the house of Israel: the Lamanites, the Jews, and the ten tribes.” Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, Section 45, Salt Lake City: Church Educational System of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, accessed on line at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-student-manual/section-45-looking-forth-for-the-great-day-of-the-lord?lang=eng on August 29, 2020.
1. Establishment of the Nation and the Gathering of the People of Israel Heralds the Fulfillment of “The Times of the Gentiles”: President Joseph Fielding Smith – “Jerusalem, which was trodden down by the Gentiles, is no longer trodden down but is made the home for the Jews. They are returning to Palestine, and by this we may know that the times of the Gentiles are near their close.” Coming 29, quoting President Joseph Fielding Smith.
Q. “Angels of Destruction” Sent Forth to Reap – President Joseph Fielding Smith conducted research that shows that, in the 20th century, “calamities, destructions, and plagues” have increased from the year the Salt Lake Temple was dedicated in 1893 until about 1909. (Certainly, these things have not abated today.) Later, he referred to a study conducted by sociologists that shows an exponential increase in war in the 20th century. See Coming 31.
1. When the Angels of Destruction Would be Sent forth to Reap: President Joseph Fielding Smith – “The Lord has said that the sending forth of these angels [of destruction] was to be at the end of the harvest, and the harvest is the end of the world. Now, that ought to cause us some very serious reflections. And the angels have been pleading . . . before the lord to be sent on their mission. Until 1893 [when the Salt Lake Temple was dedicated] the Lord said to them no, and then He let them loose. According to the revelation of President Woodruff, the Lord sent them out on that mission.” Coming 32, ellipses added.
III. A CRY OF WAR
A. The Prophecy on War
1. The Prophecy on War & The Civil War – Bro. Lund quotes D&C 87:1-3 and 6 on p. 35. Then on p. 36, he says that Pres. Jackson’s firm stand quelled rebellion in North Carolina, seemingly averting the crisis, but stating that, later, it was fulfilled with the advent of the Civil War.
2. Wars & Rumors of Wars: President Joseph Fielding Smith Said The Civil War Marked the Beginning of the End – “President Joseph Fielding Smith explained that the Civil War was the Lord’s sign that the beginning of the end had come.” Coming 36.
3. Christ Spoke of “Wars and Rumors of Wars” for His “Elect’s Sake” – “And they shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. Behold I speak for mine elect’s sake; for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places.” Joseph Smith—History 1:28-29, at Coming 36.
4. War Upon All Nations
a. War the Means by Which Other Kingdoms Are Broken Up – “[T]he nations of the world will be broken up for the coming of the King of [K]ings when there shall be only one government in the world, the Kingdom of Christ. War is the means by which this end will be brought about.” Coming 37.
b. Wars to Cause People to Turn to God: President Lorenzo Snow – “Lorenzo Snow stated that these wars would help bring people to the Church [of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] for protection.” Coming 38.
5. Peace is Taken from the Earth – “And after your testimony cometh wrath and indignation on the people. For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand. And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. And all things shall be in commotion; and surely men’s hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people.” D&C 88:87-91, quoted at Coming 41.
6. More Than War
a. Storm, Hail, and Famine: John Taylor – John Taylor prophesied of coming “storm and hail enough to cause a famine.” Coming 42, quoting John Taylor, Nauvoo Neighbor, August 6, 1845 (no page given, italics omitted).
b. Missionaries to be Called Home: H.C. Kimball, Brigham Young, Orson Pratt – Heber C. Kimball, Brigham Young and Orson Pratt all testified that missionaries will be called home. See Coming 42, 43.
c. God Speaking Through Elements: Elder Melvin J. Ballard – “God is speaking through the elements.” Coming 43.
7. A New Kind of Sermon – “Both Heber C. Kimball and Brigham Young taught that the calling home of the missionaries was a literal event and one of the signs of the times. ‘The judgments of God will be poured out upon the wicked to the extent that our elders from far and near will be called home. Or, in other words, the gospel will be taken from the Gentiles and Later on will be carried to the Jews.’” Heber C. Kimball, Deseret News, Church Department [sic] May 23, 1931 3, italics omitted, at Coming 42.
8. Safety to be Found in Zion and in Her Stakes – Joseph Smith said, “God told us to flee, not dallying, or we should be scattered, one here and another there. There your children shall be blessed, and you in the midst of friends where you may be blessed[.]” Coming 44, ellipses omitted and bracketed material added.
a. New Jerusalem Will Be a Refuge – “The Lord specifically told the Prophet Joseph in a revelation that the city of New Jerusalem would be a place of refuge and safety and a land of peace for the Saints of the Lord. So great will be its glory that it will strike terror into the hearts of the wicked so that they dare not come up to battle against it. And those who will not take up the sword against their neighbor will flee to Zion for safety.” Coming 44-45, citing D&C 45:68.
9. God’s Chastening Hand – While “God must take vengeance upon the wicked because they will not repent [see D&C 29:17]”—not to mention the ways in which the wicked take vengeance on each other—“this vengeance comes only after he pleads over and over for them to forsake their evil ways and come unto him.” Coming 45.
10. Still, God Pleads With Us to Repent – “[Y]et, [despite] our eagerness to turn from him, he still patiently and lovingly seeks to warn us of future destruction so that we can repent and turn his judgments aside.” Bro. Lund then quotes Elder Melvin J. Ballard from October 1923 General Conference, who said that if the world had heeded Joseph Smith’s warning, much war and suffering would have been avoided. Coming 46.
IV. THE UNITED STATES IN PROPHECY
A. A Land Choice Above All Others
1. The Lord Told Both the Jaredites and the Nephites the Land Was “Choice Above All Others” – “[T]he Lord testified that the land to which they [both] were goingwas the promised land, a land so abundant in wealth that all who lived there in righteousness would prosper.” Coming 47, bracketed material added.
2. A Choice Land Requires a Choice People – “A land choice above all other lands requires a people choice above all other peoples. The Lord made it very clear that this land was reserved only for a people willing to serve him and keep his commandments.” Coming 47.
a. We Must Serve God or Be Swept Off – Ether 2:8-10, Coming 48.
3. The Wickedness of This Generation
a. Promise in (2)(a), Above Reiterated in Doctrine & Covenants – D&C 1:11-16, Coming 48.
b. Lord Will Rule Wicked With a “Rod of Iron”: Joseph Smith – “The nations of the Gentiles are like the waves of the sea, casting up mire and dirt. . . . [T]hey are preparing to act the part allotted to them, when the Lord rebukes the nations, when He shall rule them with a rod of iron.” Coming 48, quoting Joseph Smith (1833) (ellipses and bracketed material added).
c. Anguish, Wrath, Tribulation, Withdrawing of Spirit: Joseph Smith – “I prophesy, in the name of the Lord God of Israel, anguish and wrath and tribulation and the withdrawing of the Spirit of God from the earth await this generation.” Coming 49, quoting Joseph Smith (1833).
d. Terrible Day of Reckoning: Taylor – “A Terrible day of reckoning is approaching the nations of the earth; the Lord is coming out of his hiding place to vex the inhabitants thereof; the destroyer of the gentiles, as prophesied of, is already on his way[.]” Coming 49, quoting John Taylor (1882), bracketed material added.
e. Reaping Angels Waiting to Descend on Wicked: Woodruff – “The angels of God are waiting to fulfill the great commandment . . . to go forth and reap down the earth because of the wickedness of men.” Coming 49, quoting Wilford Woodruff (1875), ellipses added.
f. Wilford Woodruff’s Vision: “Wickedness, Abominations, Corruptions, Judgment, Destruction” – “I saw the wickedness of the nation, its abominations and corruptions and the judgments of God and the destruction that awaited it[.]” Coming 50, quoting Matthias F. Cowley, Wilford Woodruff: History of His Life and Labors, bracketed material added and ellipses removed.
g. To Vex This Nation – “This general state of wickedness violates the decree of God that all who would possess the land must do so in righteousness and will bring upon all the nations of the promised land swift destruction if they do not repent.” Coming 51.
i. The Lord Promised to Vex the Nation if the Saints’ Pleas for Redress of Injustices Went Unheard – See Doctrine & Covenants 101:86-89, Coming 51.
ii. United States Destiny Sealed by Her Government’s Disregard of Saints’ Pleas – “It was in the lack of response to these petitions that the government of the United States sealed her destiny upon the land of promise.” Coming 52.
iii. Saints’ Pleas for Redress Unsuccessful – “Although Elias Higbee was left to continue to plead the cause of the saints” after Joseph Smith’s departure, “no action to redress the saints was ever taken.” Coming 53.
4. The Future Destiny of the United States
a. States, Cities, Neighborhoods, and People All Will Turn on One Another: President Brigham Young – “Mobs will not decrease but will increase until the whole government becomes a mob, and eventually it will be State against State, city against city, neighborhood against neighborhood[.]” President Brigham Young, paraphrasing Joseph Smith at Coming 54.
b. America Falls Below Its Privileges: President John Taylor – President John Taylor said that America was “blessed with the freest, the most enlightened and magnificent government in the world today, with privileges which would exalt people to heaven if they lived up to them,” but lamented that they did not do so. John Taylor at Coming 54-55, quoting Journal of Discourses Vol. 22 p. 141, July 3, 1881, italics removed from original in Coming.
c. President Wilford Woodruff Prophesies America’s Downfall – “The American nation will be broken in pieces like a potter’s vessel, and will be cast down to hell if it does not repent—and this, because of murders, whoredoms, wickedness, and all manner of abominations, for the Lord has spoken it.” Coming 55 quoting Wilford Woodruff (1881), italics removed.
d. America, For Her Wickedness, Not to be Spared: President Woodruff – Just as the Lord destroyed Book of Mormon civilizations, “because of [its] wickedness, so will he [destroy America], and sooner or later [it] will reap the fruits of [its] own wicked acts, and be numbered among the past. [¶] There are changes awaiting us, they are even nigh at our very doors[.]” Coming 55, quoting Wilford Woodruff (1881), italics removed.
e. As America Permitted the Saints to Suffer, So Shall She Suffer: Orson Pratt – “If it be asked, why is America thus to suffer? The answer is, because they [sic] have rejected the kingdom of God, and one of the greatest divine messages ever sent to man: because they have sanctioned the killing of the Saints, and the martyrdom of the Lord’s Prophets, and have suffered his people to be driven from their midst, and have robbed them of their houses, and homes, and land, and millions of property [sic], and have refused to redress their wrongs.” Coming 56, quoting Orson Pratt, Millennial Star, Vol. 28 pp. 633-634, October 6, 1866.
5. The Constitution By A Thread – “One of the things that has made the United States of America unique in the annals of government is its Constitution. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that such a document is too unique to have come solely from the minds of men. The Lord has stated clearly in his revelations that he established the constitution by raising up wise men for that very purpose.” Bro. Lund then cites Doctrine and Covenants 101:77, 80 at Coming 56.
a. Constitution Will Not, However, Be Destroyed – “Will the Constitution be destroyed? No: it will be held inviolate by this people; and, as Joseph Smith said, ‘The time will come when the destiny of this nation will hang upon a single thread. At that critical juncture, this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction.’ It will be so.” Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, p. 15, July 4, 1854, quoted at Coming 57, italics removed.
b. Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Will Save It – “When the Constitution of the United States hangs, as it were, upon a single thread, they will have to call for the ‘Mormon’ [sic] elders to save it from utter destruction; and they will step forth and do it.” Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, p. 182, February 18, 1855, quoted at Coming 57.
c. Elder Orson Hyde’s Recollection: If the Constitution is to Be Saved, Latter-day Saint Elders Will Do It – “‘If the Constitution be saved at all, it will be by the elders of this Church.’ I believe this is about the language, as nearly as I can recollect it.” Elder Hyde goes on to say that whether the Constitution is saved or not, the Lord will provide for his people. Orson Hyde, quoting Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6 p. 152, January 3, 1858, at Coming 57.
d. Constitution’s Spirit to be Preserved in Government Church Establishes: Orson Pratt – “Orson Pratt felt that although the United States would lose the power to govern in the chaos that will be present, the spirit of the Constitution would be preserved in the government set up by the members of the Church.” Coming 58.
e. Liberties Lost Can Only be Repurchased by Blood: President J. Reuben Clark Jr. – “I say unto you with all the soberness I can, that we stand in danger of losing our liberties and that, once lost, only blood will bring them back; and once lost, we of this church will, in order to keep this church going forward, have more sacrifices to make and more persecutions to endure than we have yet known, heavy as our sacrifices and grievous as our persecutions of the past have been.” J. Reuben Clark Jr., The Improvement Era, May, 1944, p. 337, as quoted at Coming 59, italics omitted.
f. Defending the Constitution One of the Most Important Things Members of the Church of Jesus Christ Can Do: President David O. McKay – “In an editorial in The Instructor in 1956,” President McKay wrote: “‘Next to being one in worshipping God there is nothing in this world upon which this Church should be more united than in upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States.’” Coming 59, quoting David O. McKay, The Instructor, February 1956, p. 34.
g. Day to Come When Liberty Only to be Found Among the Saints: George Q. Cannon – “The day will come . . . when good government, constitutional government—liberty—will be found among the Latter-day Saints, and it will be sought for in vain elsewhere.” George Q. Cannon (citing Joseph Smith as the originator of the prophecy), Journal of Discourses, Vol. 23, p. 104, November 20, 1881, italics removed and ellipses added, as quoted at Coming 60.
6. A “Desolating Scourge” – “Webster defines a scourge as ‘an instrument of punishment or criticism; a cause of widespread or great affliction.’” Websters Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary (G. & C. Merriam Co., Springfield Mass. 1965) p. 773 at Coming 61. “This scourge seems to involve many forms of terrible calamities, including great hailstorms [D & C 29:16], tempests [D & C 88:90], plagues, pestilence, and war [D & C 97:26].” Coming 61, footnotes citing scriptures replaced with scripture references in brackets.
a. Nations in the Promised Land Must Serve God, or Other Nations Will Come Against Them – “[T]he Prophet Lehi told his son that if a nation upon the promised land did not serve the Lord [such rebellion] would result in other nations coming against it.” Bro. Lund then cites 2 Nephi 1:10-12. Coming 62.
b. The Desolating Scourge and the Civil War – “Were we surprised when the last terrible war took place here in the United States?”—that is to say, the Civil War. “No. Good Latter-day Saints were not, for they had been told about it. Joseph Smith had told them where it would start in South Carolina.” Coming 62, quoting John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 20, p. 318, October 6, 1879, italics removed.
7. City Against City – “The war, pestilence, famines, hailstorms, etc., etc., mentioned by so many of the prophets shall evidently cause such chaos in America that ordered government shall cease and the nation shall be wracked by mob violence more terrible than normal warfare.” Coming 63.
a. Family Members to Turn Against One Another – Joseph Smith “saw the father shed the blood of the son and the son the blood of the father; the mother put to death the daughter and the daughter the mother; and natural affection forsook the hearts of the wicked[.]” Elder Jedediah M. Grant, citing a vision that the Prophet Joseph Smith reported to Elder Grant, The Improvement Era, February 1915, pp. 286-287, italics removed, at Coming 64.
b. Elder Orson Pratt Prophesied the Destruction of New York City – He also said that conditions would be so terrible that people would be grateful simply to be able to flee from city to city. See Coming 65.
c. President Brigham Young on the Increase of Mobs – “Mobs will not decrease but will increase until the whole government becomes a mob, and eventually it will be State against State, city against city, neighborhood against neighborhood.” Brigham Young, Deseret News, Vol. 9, p. 2, May 1, 1861, italics removed, at Coming 66.
8. To Repent or Be Swept Off: We Are Warned So that We Might Prepare – “These times predicted so often by the prophets of the Lord will be grim ones indeed. But it is precisely for this reason that the Lord has given us a warning of their coming. When they come upon the world, those saints who have been looking forth to the signs of the times and making preparations, in terms of their own personal righteousness, will then have strength to endure.” Coming 67-68.
V. UPON MY HOUSE SHALL IT BEGIN
A. Upon the Wicked
1. If Righteousness Will Allow One to Escape the Judgments to Befall the Wicked Before the Second Coming, Then How Righteous Must One Be? – “[T]he very nature of the terrible judgments [to befall the wicked before the Second Coming is] such as to motivate a person to do all he can to avoid their consequences. It is only natural that one becomes concerned about his personal rating on the scale of righteous and evil behavior, if that behavior is to become the criteria [sic] for determining who shall escape these judgments.” Coming 69, material in brackets added.
B. Judgments On the House of God
1. Upon My House Shall It Begin – “And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord. First among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord.” Doctrine & Covenants 112:25-26 as quoted at Coming 70.
2. Why the Saints Were Unable to Redeem Zion When, First, They Tried to Do So – Doctrine & Covenants 101:6-7, Coming 70
a. Jarrings (Discord)
b. Contentions
c. Envyings
d. Strifes
e. Lustful and Covetous Desires
f. Slow to Hearken to God
3. The Antidote – “Zion shall escape if she observe to do all things whatsoever I have commanded her.” Doctrine and Covenants 97:21, Coming 71.
a. Latter-day Saints Must Keep Covenants: Joseph F. Smith – The Latter-day Saints must live their religion, must keep their covenants, must honor the Priesthood, and must “try faithfully to bring themselves into subjection to the laws of God.” Coming 71, quoting Joseph F. Smith (1880).
b. How Zion May Escape – Purity of Heart and Obedience: President Joseph F. Smith – “We believe that [God’s] judgments are poured out to bring mankind to a sense of his power and his purposes, that they may repent of their sins and prepare themselves for the second coming of Christ to reign in righteousness upon the earth. We firmly believe that Zion—which is the pure in hear—shall escape if she observes to do all things whatsoever God has commanded[.]” Coming 72, quoting Joseph F. Smith, Improvement Era, Vol. 9, p. 653, June, 1906, italics removed.
c. Gathering Not Enough; Saints Must Live Righteously
i. President Daniel H. Wells – “But if we are going to partake of her [Babylon’s] sins in Zion, and to nourish and cherish the wicked and ungodly, what better shall we be for gathering? Shall we escape her plagues by so doing? No.” Coming 72, quoting Daniel H. Wells, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 18, p. 98, October 1, 1875, italics removed and bracketed material added.
i. Elder Orson Pratt – “If we will not keep the commandments of God . . . then we shall be visited like the wicked, then we shall have the hand of the Lord upon us in judgment[.]” Coming 73, quoting Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 12, p. 345, December 27, 1868, ellipses added and italics removed.
4. The Saints to Be Tried
a. President Joseph Fielding Smith: God’s Judgments Upon the Wicked Will Be Withheld if We Keep our Covenants – “All of these things will be withheld [i.e., the judgments of God upon the wicked] while the nations are being punished, if the members of the Church will keep faithfully their commandments.” Coming 73, quoting President Joseph Fielding Smith, The Progress of Man, (Genealogical Society of Utah: Salt Lake City 1936) 467.
b. President Heber C. Kimball: Salt Lake City to Turn to Wealth, Wickedness – “President Heber C. Kimball . . . spoke of when Salt Lake City would become one of the wicked cities of the world as the saints turned their hearts to worldly wealth.” Coming 73, ellipses added.
c. President Brigham Young: Blessed if Obedient, Cursed if Not – President Young said that if we would be blessed of the Lord, we must be obedient to the commandments he has given us, but if we are not, we would be cursed. See Coming 74.
d. Zion Will Not Be Moved Out of Her Place: President Wilford Woodruff – “Zion is not going to be moved out of her place. The Lord will plead with her strong ones, and if she sins he will chastise her until she is purified before the Lord. I do not pretend to tell how much sorrow you or I are going to meet with before the coming of the Son of Man. That will depend upon our conduct.” Wilford Woodruff, Millennial Star Vol. 31, p. 547 (1889), italics removed, at Coming 75.
5. Power and Protection to the Righteous – See Coming 75
a. What we Must Do to Be Counted Among the Righteous
i. Repent
ii. Be baptized
iii. Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands
iv. Endure to the end in righteousness
v. Keep covenants
b. Why the Lord Chastened the Saints: Joseph Smith – “We have been chastened by the hand of God heretofore for not obeying His commands . . . [W]e have treated lightly His commandments, and departed from his ordinances, and the Lord has chastened us sore[.] . . . [L]et us be wise in time to come and ever remember that ‘to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.’” Joseph Smith, Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 5, p. 65, July 15, 1842, as quoted at Coming 76, ellipses and brackets added.
c. How we Achieve the Unity of the Faith – Obey Counsel: Brigham Young – “There is not another people on the earth whose faith and works are directed for the accomplishment of good like the Latter-day Saints. But we do not obey counsel as we should. . . . We must learn to listen to the whispering of the Holy Spirit, and the counsels of the servants of God, until we come to the unity of the faith.” Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses Vol. 12, p. 241, July 25, 1868, at Coming 76.
d. We Must Prepare Temporally to Sustain Ourselves: President Wilford Woodruff – “There are certain events awaiting the nations of the earth as well as Zion: and when these events overtake us we will be preserve if we take the counsel that is given us and unite our time, labor and means, and produce [or obtain] what we need for our own use; but without this we shall not be prepared to sustain ourselves and we shall suffer loss and inconvenience thereby.” Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 17, p. 70, May 8, 1874, italics removed, at Coming 76- 77.
6. Not All Suffering Comes from Wickedness
a. Sources of Suffering – Ken K. Gourdin ((i)-(v) are mine; others are Bro. Lund’s)
i. Man’s inhumanity to man
ii. Living in a fallen world
iii. Chastening to cause us to turn from sin
iv. Chastening to cause us to turn to God
v. Crap happening
vi. Persecution
b. It is Far More Important to be Saved in the Kingdom of God Than it is to Be “Saved” (i.e., to be Spared Tribulation) in the Flesh: Joseph Smith – “I explained concerning the coming of the Son of Man; also that it is a false idea that the Saints will escape all the judgments whilst the wicked suffer; for all flesh is subject to suffer, and ‘the righteous shall hardly escape;’ . . . [M]any of the righteous shall fall a prey to disease, to pestilence, etc., by reason of the weakness of the flesh, and yet be saved in the kingdom of God.” Coming 77, quoting Joseph Smith, Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 4, p. 11, September 29, 1839, italics removed.
c. Are You a Hothouse Plant? – “God does not shield the righteous from all pain and sorrow, for this is the very purpose of our existence. [Bro. Lund’s footnote references 2 Nephi 2:11.] Hothouse plants are beautiful to behold but they have no durability to weather the heat and cold of everyday life.” Coming 77-78.
d. Sources of Suffering: Persecution – “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you.” John 15:20, quoted at Coming 78.
e. Mercy in Calamities: Joseph F. Smith – “Judgment is not an end in itself. Calamities are permitted by a merciful Father, in order to bring about redemption.” Coming 78, quoting Joseph F. Smith, Improvement Era, Vol. 9, p. 653, June, 1906.
f. Suffering May Increase the Faith and Humility Even of the Already- Faithful-and-Humble – “Even though the suffering may come upon a person as a result of someone else’s wickedness, it still serves to bring him to greater depths of faith and humility.” Bro. Lund then quotes Doctrine and Covenants 98:3. I would throw Romans 8:28 in here, too. Coming 79.
g. The Nations of the Earth Will Be Arrayed Against the Saints: Brigham Young – “If we live, we shall see the nations of the earth arrayed against this people; for that time must come in fulfillment of prophecy.” Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 5, p. 339, October 18, 1857, italics removed, at Coming 79.
h. Why Live Righteously if We Won’t Be Spared Tribulation?
i. “[T]here is a joy and satisfaction in obedience to gospel principles which would, in and of itself, justify the Christ-like life.” Coming 79.
ii. “[E]ven if the righteous should fall prey to the weaknesses of the flesh, they will be saved in the kingdom of God.” Eternal glory is worth more than “a brief flash of comfort and painlessness in mortality.” Coming 79.
iii. “Although the righteous have no guarantee of escape, the wicked have no hope. It is true that some of the righteous will suffer, but all of the wicked will, and without the assurance of an eternal reward that the righteous have.” Coming 80, emphasis in original.
iv. “[T]he person who seeks diligently to live the obedient life has nothing to lose, and everything to gain. . . . The Christ-like life is not a burden but a blessing. Coming 80-81, emphasis in original, ellipses added.
7. The Chastening Hand of God
a. Calamities Inspire Charity Toward Others, Devotion to God – “[W]e believe that these severe, natural calamities are visited upon men by the Lord for the Good of His children, to quicken their devotion to others, and to bring out their better natures, that they may love and serve him.” Quoting Joseph F. Smith, Improvement Era, Vol. 9, p. 653, June, 1906, italics removed and brackets added, at Coming 81.
b. Calamities Herald the Judgment, Warn People to Prepare – “We believe, further, that they [these calamities] are the heralds and tokens of his final judgment, and the schoolmasters to teach the people to prepare themselves, by righteous living, for the coming of the Savior to reign upon the earth, when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ.” Quoting Joseph F. Smith, Improvement Era, Vol. 9, p. 653, June, 1906, italics removed and brackets added, at Coming 81.
c. Purpose of Chastisement: Wilford Woodruff – “It matters not what the minds and feelings of men are, the Lord is determined to raise up a people that will worship Him; and if He has to whip, and scourge, and drive it through a whole generation, He will chastise us until we are willing to submit to righteousness and truth, or until we are like clay in the hands of the potter.” Coming 81, quoting Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, p. 198, February 25, 1855, italics omitted.
d. Bro. Lund on Chastisement – “Strange as it may seem at first glance, these judgments are the work of a loving Father, deeply concerned about the eternal and temporal welfare of his children. If the children are wise, they shall heed the warning signs and diligently apply themselves to the task of ordering their lives in accordance with the plan laid down by the Father and his Divine Son. Only in this way will any person be sure that when the judgments start upon the house of God, he will not be in that part of the house that needs to be swept clean.” Coming 82.
VI. REFUGE IN THE MIDST OF TERROR
A. Judgments to Come Upon the World – “[T]he United States and the rest of the world will see great disasters and severe chaos before the millennial reign of the Savior begins. War, pestilence, mobocracy, famine, storms, earthquakes and other judgments of the Lord will sweep the wicked of this generation from the face of the earth. These judgments of the Almighty are necessary to cleanse theearth in preparation for the coming of the Lord.” Coming 83, bracketed material added.
B. Gathering is the Key to Safety – “[T]he righteous will generally be preserved and protected, even though some suffering will naturally come upon them.” This will be accomplished by gathering the Saints and others who are just to safety. Coming 83, bracketed material added.
1. Joseph Smith on the Gathering – “[I]f we are not sanctified and gathered to the places God has appointed . . . we must fall; we cannot stand; we cannot be saved; for God will gather out his Saints from the Gentiles, and then comes desolation and destruction, and none can escape except the pure in heart who are gathered.” Coming 85, quoting Joseph Smith, Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 2, p. 52, April 21, 1834, italics removed and ellipses added.
2. John Taylor on the Gathering – “The testimony of God is first to be made known [i.e., before the gathering], the standard is to be raised, the Gospel of the Kingdom is to be preached to all nations, the world is to be warned, and then come the troubles. The whole world is in confusion, morally, politically, and religiously; but a voice was to be heard, ‘Come ye out of her, my people, that you partake not of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Coming 85, quoting John Taylor, The Government of God, (S.W. Richards: Liverpool, England, 1852), p. 101, italics removed and bracketed material added.
C. Joseph F. Smith: Gathering is as Necessary as Any Saving Ordinance – “The gathering of this people is as necessary to be observed by believers, as faith, repentance, baptism, or any other ordinance. It is an essential part of the Gospel in this dispensation[.]” Coming 85, quoting Joseph F. Smith, Journal of Discourses, Vol 19 p. 182, September 30, 1877.
D. Gathering For Deliverance – “[T]hat this gathering together upon the land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture on the whole earth.” Doctrine and Covenants 63:33 at Coming 84.
E. Purity, Faithfulness & Unity Required of Those Who Gather – Those who gather must be pure in heart; “every man should take righteousness in his hands and faithfulness in his loins” (Doctrine & Covenants 63:37); “If ye are not one, ye are not mine.” (Doctrine and Covenants 38:29); See Coming 86.
F. No Peace but in Zion and in Her Stakes
1. Characteristics of Zion – Doctrine and Covenants 45:66-67,Coming 87
a. “[I]t shall be called the New Jerusalem”
b. “[A] land of peace”
c. “[A] city of refuge”
d. “[A] place of safety for the saints of the Most High God”
e. “[T]he glory of the Lord shall be there”
f. “[T]he terror of the Lord also shall be there”
g. “[T]he wicked will not come unto it”
2. “Songs of Everlasting Joy” – Isaiah 35: 10 – “[T]he ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads”
G. Notwithstanding the Saints’ Earlier Failure to Establish Physical Zion, It Would Not be Moved Out of the Place that the Lord Appointed – See Doctrine and Covenants 101:17-20, Coming 87.
H. Wilford Woodruff Witnessed Joseph Smith’s Prophecy Regarding the Church’s Destiny – That tens of thousands of Saints would gather to the Rocky Mountains and that the Church would fill North and South America, and the world. Wilford Woodruff, Conference Report, April, 1898 57, at Coming 89-90.
I. Other Places of Refuge
1. The Idea that Saints Must Gather to Utah for Safety is Mistaken – See Coming 91-95
2. How We Live is More Important than Where We Live
a. Joseph Fielding Smith – “We shall not escape [the judgments God is to pour out upon the wicked] unless we repent, turn to the Lord, honor our Priesthood and our membership in this church, and be true and faithful to our covenants.” Coming 93, quoting Joseph Fielding Smith, Conference Report, April, 1937 62, italics omitted.
b. John A. Widtsoe – “There is safety wherever the people of the Lord live so worthily as to claim the sacred title of citizens of the Zion of our Lord. . . . The only safety that we can expect in this or any other calamitous time lies in our conformity to gospel requirements.” Coming 93, quoting John A. Widtsoe, Conference Report, April, 1942 33, italics omitted and ellipses added.
c. Harold B. Lee – “[S]afety is where the pure in heart are, and . . . there is just as much safety wherever you are [as there may be anywhere else] if you are living and keeping the commandments of God.” Coming 95, quoting Harold B. Lee, Conference Report, April, 1970 36, ellipses and bracketed material added.
3. Live to Be Ready to Gather, Wherever, Whenever – Whoever may be called to gather, wherever, and whenever, “[t]he important thing is for the person to so live that when the instructions come from the Lord through his servants, he will be ready to heed them and to gather to the designated place[ ], be it Salt Lake City, the outlying stakes, or wherever.” Coming 95.
a. Spencer W. Kimball: Saints Should Gather to Build Zion in their Homelands – “We are building up the strength of Zion—her cords or stakes—throughout the world. Therefore, we counsel our people to remain in their native lands and gather out the elect of God and teach them the ways of the Lord. There temples are being built and the saints will be blessed wherever they live in all the world.” President Spencer W. Kimball, 148th Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (October 1978), Ensign, Nov. 1978 76, as quoted in Graham W. Doxey (April 1979), “Missouri Myths,” Ensign, Salt Lake City UT: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, accessed on line at the following address on September 6, 2020: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1979/04/missouri- myths?lang=eng
J. The “Pure-in-Heart” Qualification is Not Limited to Members of the Church: Others Will Gather to Zion With Us – Gentiles to Come “As a Flowing Stream” 1. Orson Pratt:Gentiles Will Want to Come to Zion Simply to Escape World’s Disastrous Conditions – “Orson Pratt . . . spoke about” the gathering to Zion “on several different occasions. . . . [I]n 1855 he spoke of the time when the Gentiles would come to the Church as a flowing stream, not because they will want to join the Church but simply to escape the disastrous conditions that will prevail in the world.” Coming 97, ellipses added, alluding to (but not quoting) Orson Pratt.
2. Orson Pratt Again: Gentiles Will Come to Zion Because They “Hear that Peace and Health” Prevail Among Us and that “Our Officers are Men of Righteousness – “Many” Gentiles “will come that have never heard the servants of God; but they will hear that peace and health dwell among us, and that our officers . . . [are] men of righteousness.” Coming 97, ellipses and bracketed material added, quoting Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3, p. 16, May 20, 1855.
3. George Q. Cannon: Gentiles Will Come to Zion So They Can Enjoy a Peaceful Government – “[W]e are leaving the old constitutional landmarks, and . . . the time is not far distant when there will be trouble in consequence of it, when there will be civil broils and strife; and, to escape them, we believe, men will be compelled to flee to the ‘Mormons’ [sic], despised as they are now.” Coming 97, ellipses and bracketed material added, Quoting George Q. Cannon, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 18, p. 10, April 8, 1875, italics removed.
K. God Watches Over His Own – “The times which are coming will, indeed, be such that many wonder how anyone could survive. . . . [¶] The primary task of each member of the Church today is to make sure that he has placed his own hand in the hand of God.” Coming 98. We are to gather if the Lord commands us to gather. If He does not, as we do His will, He will watch over us and make the best use of us where we are.
VII. FACES EASTWARD
A. A Holy City – The great Jaredite prophet, Ether, spoke of a New Jerusalem to be built in America. See Ether 13:4, 6, and 8. When the Saints asked Joseph Smith to inquire where it would be built, by revelation, he received Doctrine and Covenants 57:1-4, stating that it would be built in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri. See Coming 99.
1. Though the Saints Were Driven Out, the Lord Made Clear That Zion Would Not Be Moved – Notwithstanding that the Saints were driven out, the Lord made clear that their expulsion would not change where Zion was to be established, saying “only that the redemption of Zion would have to wait for a season, evidently until he had a people worthy to build and possess a city of such [a] special nature.” See Doctrine and Covenants 101:16-20. Coming 100.
2. Independence is Still the Centerplace of Zion, Notwithstanding the Church’s Massive Investment Elsewhere – “It is inconceivable that after so much investment of time, labor, and money that the Church should ever want to leave its headquarters. And yet, during the [187] years that the Church has been exiled from the lands of Jackson County, Missouri, the saints have ever been taught that Jackson County, not Utah, is to be their final, permanent headquarters.” Coming 100-101.
3. George Q. Cannon: The Saints Have Been Favored in the Intermountain West, but Zion Ever Beckons – Elder George Q. Cannon said that while other lands have been favored of God for the saints, “we look forward to that land [Zion] with indescribable feelings because it is the place where God said His City shall be built.” Coming 101, quoting George Q. Cannon, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, pp. 336-337, March 3, 1857, italics removed.
4. Orson F. Whitney: Zion (Independence) “The Joy of the Whole Earth” – Speaking of Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, Elder Whitney said, “There Zion will arise and shine, ‘the joy of the whole earth,’ and there the Lord will come to his temple in his own time, when the people shall have made the required preparation.” Orson F. Whitney, address given in Salt Lake City, April 9, 1916, recorded in Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary (Deseret Book Co.: Salt Lake City, 1967) 147 at Coming 101.
5. Lorenzo Snow: Notwithstanding Future Promises, We Should Build Zion Where We Are – “President Lorenzo snow cautioned the saints against feeling that the return to Jackson County was so close that they should not try [to] build up the area in which they were presently living.” Coming 102, bracketed material added.
6. Brigham Young: Saints Will Return “From the West” – “Brigham Young spoke of a vision he had received before the saints were driven from Missouri . . . [in which he] saw them returning to Jackson County from the west. Said he: ‘When this people return to the Center Stake of Zion, they will go from the west.’” Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, p. 17, December 11, 1854, quoted at Coming 102.
B. Not All Shall Return
1. Two Reasons We Should Continue to Build Zion Where We Are
a. Only by Building Zion Where We Are Will We Be Prepared to Do so in Missouri – “No one yet knows exactly when the call [to gather to Zion] will come; until it does come the Church must continue to build Zion and the kingdom of God in that location in which they find themselves. For only in this way will they be prepared to build up the center place of Zion.” Coming 104.
b. The Church Has Invested Such Great Resources Elsewhere That it Would be Illogical for it to Abandon Them – “The investment . . . the Church and its members have made in the building up of the Western Empire is not simply to be abandoned.” Coming 104, capitalization sic and ellipses added.
2. How Long Will the Church of Jesus Christ Stay in Utah and in the Intermountain West? Brigham Young – “If we live our religion, we shall stay here in these mountains for ever and for ever.” Coming 104, quoting Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, p. 16, December 11, 1864, italics removed.
3. Brigham Young: Physical Zion Not Large Enough to Hold all the Saints – Brigham Young said that the country [i.e., Zion, in Jackson County MO] “is not large enough to hold our present numbers,” and if that was true then, it’s certainly true now! Coming 105, quoting Journal of Discourses, Vol. 18, pp. 355-356, August 6, 1877, italics removed.
C. The Army of the Lord
1. The Parable of the Vineyard: Doctrine and Covenants 101 – A nobleman commanded his servants to raise up a vineyard in a choice spot of ground and to set watchmen and to build a tower to guard it. At first, they were watchful, but gradually, they became slothful, and did not build the tower, and the enemy broke down the hedge and destroyed the trees. The nobleman told one of his servants to gather an army to reclaim the vineyard. The Lord told the saints He would raise up someone to lead them to redeem Zion who is like Moses. See Coming 106-108 and Doctrine and Covenants 101:43-62.
2. Zion to be Redeemed by Purchasing It, Not by Force or by Bloodshed – Notwithstanding the Lord’s use of an army for a metaphor, physical Zion is to be redeemed by purchasing it, not by fighting for it. See Doctrine and Covenants 63:21, Coming 108.
a. Lorenzo Snow Said the Same Thing – “We will not take possession of the land of Zion by force. If we should do [so], it would turn out to us as it did with the people who were upon the land when this revelation [Doctrine and Covenants 63?] was given.” Coming 108, quoting Lorenzo Snow, Conference Report, October 1900 63, italics removed.
3. Orson Pratt: Cloud and Pillar to Accompany the Saints in Their Return to Jackson County? – The organization of those returning will “consist[ ] of thousands, and tens of thousands, and they will march forward, the glory of God overshadowing their camp by day in the form of a cloud, and a pillar of flaming fire by night, the Lord’s voice being uttered forth before his army[.]” Coming 109, quoting Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 15, p. 364, March 9, 1873, italics removed and bracketed material added.
a. The Imagery of “Pillar and Shadow” Comes from the Scriptures – Of course, the imagery of pillar and shadow did not originate with Pratt, as, according to Exodus 13:21-22, a cloud accompanied Israel by day and a pillar accompanied her by night in her journey out of Egypt.
4. However it is Done, The Lord’s Hand Will be Evident in the Saints’ Return to Jackson County – “Unquestionably, the return of the saints to Jackson County, Missouri, will require the power of the Lord, both in the preparation of the area round about and also in the actual journey itself.” Coming 111-112.
5. The Actual Identity of the Man “Like Unto Moses” is Less Important than Is Our Willingness to Follow Him Whom The Lord Appoints – According to Elder John A. Widtsoe, “The man like unto Moses in the Church is the President of the Church.” Bro. Lund goes on to say, “The important fact to remember is that there will be a mighty prophet of God, raised up by the Lord to deliver his people back to the site of the New Jerusalem.” John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations (Bookcraft, Salt Lake City, 1943) 197, italics removed, Coming 113.
D. Only The Worthy – Just as it is the worthy who will avoid God’s judgments, who will escape the desolating scourge, and so on, “[o]nly the worthy will be called upon to build up that great city[,]” the New Jerusalem. Coming 113.
1. We Must Prepare Ourselves
a. Joseph F. Smith: Righteousness is Key to Preparation – “[W]hen the Latter-day Saints have prepared themselves through righteousness to redeem Zion, they will accomplish that work.” Coming 114, quoting Joseph F. Smith, Millennial Star, Vol. 46, p. 385, June 18, 1894, italics removed.
b. Brigham Young: The Lord is More Prepared for Us to Redeem Zion than We Are to Redeem It – “We must be pure to be prepared to build up Zion. To all appearance the Lord is preparing that end of the route faster than we are preparing ourselves to go there.” Coming 114, quoting Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 9, p. 137, July 28, 1861, italics removed.
c. Lorenzo Snow: If We Are to Return, We Must Be Prepared to Do What the Early Saints Failed to Do – “Do you suppose that the Lord would ever send you and me back to Jackson cCounty until He could feel perfectly assured that we would do those things which the people of Jackson County failed to do for lack of experience and faith?” Coming 115, quoting Lorenzo Snow In Conference Report, October 1900, 62.
E. “All That I Have is Thine”
1. To Be a Zion People We Must Live the Law of Consecration – Evidently, the Saints’ failure to live the Law of Consecration and Stewardship led to their failure to redeem Zion. This law also is called the United Order, and it was “designed to provide for God’s children in such a way that poverty would be eliminated and all members would live together in perfect harmony and brotherhood. . . . [A]nyone returning to Jackson County must be able and willing to live the principles of the Law of Consecration.” Coming 115, 116, ellipses and brackets added.
a. John Taylor:If We Want to Live In Zion, We Will be Unable to Get Around the Law of Consecration – See Coming 116, quoting John Taylor.
b. Joseph F. Smith: We Must Love God More Than We Love the World, and Rid Ourselves of Selfishness and Greed – We will not be prepared to go to Zion as long as we “have in [our] heart[s] the love of this world more than the love of God” and as long as we are “possessed of that selfishness and greed that would induce [us] to cling to the world or [our] possessions in it, at the sacrifice of principle or truth.” Coming 116, quoting Joseph F. Smith, Millennial Star, Vol. 56, pp. 385-387, June 18, 1894, italics removed.
VIII. A LAND OF PEACE, A CITY OF REFUGE
A. Zion a Favored Land
1. Zion Holds a Special Place in the Hearts of the Saints – The Saints are not ungrateful for any other lands we have been given, but Jackson County, Missouri holds a special place in the hearts of the Saints because God said that’s where his city should be built. See Coming 119, quoting President George Q. Cannon.
2. The Lord’s Description of Zion – “And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God. . . . And it shall come to pass that the righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy.” Coming 120, quoting Doctrine and Covenants 45:66, 71, ellipses in original.
3. Joseph Smith’s Description of Zion – “[W]hen the splendor of the Lord is brought to our consideration for the good of His people, the calculations of men and the vain glory of the world vahnish, and we exclaim, ‘Out of Zion the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.’” Joseph Smith, Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 1, p. 198, August 2, 1831, quoted at Coming 121.
4. Just as God Preserved the Manna Put into the Ark of the Covenant, He Will Preserve New Jerusalem: Orson Pratt – New Jerusalem, said Elder Pratt, “will not decay any more than the pot of manna which was gathered by the children of Israel and put into a sacred place in the ark of the covenant. It was preserved from year to year by the power of God; so will he preserve the city of the New Jerusalem, the dwelling houses, the tabernacles, the Temples, etc., from the effects of storms and time.” Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol, 21, p. 153, November 1, 1879, italics omitted, quoted at Coming 121.
5. State of the Earth After it is Renewed on Christ’s Return: Orson Pratt – “Once the Earth is renewed, said Elder Pratt, New Jerusalem ‘will still be endurable as the earth itself, no more to be subject to the curse, and therefore, will no more waste; death is gone—everything that is corruptible in its nature has ceased, so far as this habitable globe is concerned, and all sorrow and mourning are done away.’” Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 18, p. 348, February 28, 1877, italics omitted, quoted at Coming 121.
6. Founding of Zion to be Accompanied by Technological and Material Advancements: David O. McKay – President McKay says that, in Zion, natural resources will abound, and progress—including advances in communication, transportation, and technology—will ensue. See Coming 121. Interestingly, he spoke of people being able to communicate “with radio in our pockets . . . . from any point at any given moment.” Did President McKay foresee the modern cell phone?
B. Built by Revelation
1. Brigham Young: Gathering, Unity, Sanctification, Necessary to Build Zion – The people must “be gathered together to be taught, that they may sanctify themselves before the Lord and become of one heart and one mind” to build Zion. Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 12, p. 38, April 14, 187 at Coming 123.
2. Orson Pratt: Role of Revelation in Building Zion – “Suffice it to say that God by revelation will inspire his servants and will dictate to them the order of the buildings of the city—the number and width of the streets, the kind of houses, the character of the Temple that is to be built therein, the kind of rock, timber, and the various materials that will have to be brought from a distance to enter into the composition of that beautiful city.” Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 15, p. 365, March 9, 1873, italics removed at Coming 123.
3. John Taylor: Zion from Above Will Meet Zion from Below – “[T]he people, from the President down, will all be under the guidance and direction of the Lord in ann the pursuits of human life, until eventually they will be enabled to erect cities that will be fit to be caught up—that when Zion descends from above, Zion will also ascend from beneath, and be prepared to associate with those from above.” John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, Vol, 10, p. 147, April 6, 1863, italics removed, at Coming 123-124.
4. Wilford Woodruff: Joseph Smith Received a City Plan by Revelation – “The plan which he [Joseph] presented was given to him by vision, and in the future will prove that the visions of Joseph concerning Jackson County, all the various stakes of Zion and the redemption of Israel will be fulfilled in the time appointed by the Lord.” Wilford Woodruff, Journal History, April 6, 1837, italics removed, at Coming 124.
C. Built Through Effort and Obedience – “The fact that the city will be built under the inspiration and revelations of God does not in any way imply that there will not be a great labor to perform.” Coming 124. Indeed, as the Lord teaches in the Doctrine and Covenants, revelation and inspiration are active, often labor-intensive, processes.
1. Brigham Young: We Must Allow the Lord to Work “By, Through, and With, Us” – The Lord “has called upon us to do this work; and if we will let Him work by, through, and with us, He can accomplish it; otherwise we shall fall short and shall never have the honor of building up Zion on the earth. Is this so? Certainly. Well, then, let us keep the commandments.” Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, p. 313, April 7, 1870 at Coming 125.
2. John Taylor: Other Characteristics Necessary in Those Who Would Build Up Zion – Those who would build up Zion must be those “who are seeking to build up the Church and Kingdom of God upon the earth; [those] of clean hands and pure hearts, every [man] honoring his Priesthood and magnifying it.” John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, Vol 26, p. 109, October 20, 1881 at Coming 125.
D. Others to Come to Zion Besides Latter-day Saints
1. Brigham Young: Religious Freedom Will Prevail in Zion – Brigham Young stated that “every knee has got to bow and every tongue confess. When you have paid this tribute to the Most High, who created you and preserves you, you may then go and worship what you please, or do what you please, if you do not infringe upon your neighbors.” Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, p. 317, July 8, 1855 at Coming 126.
2. John Taylor: Those Seeking Just and Equitable Administration of Law Will Come to Zion – “Those who will not take up their sword to fight against their neighbor must needs flee to Zion for safety. And they will come, saying, . . . we perceive that you are an honest community; you administer justice and righteousness, and we want to live with you and receive the protection of your laws[.]” John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 21, p. 8, August 31, 1879, italics removed, at Coming 126.
a. Elders Will Proclaim Liberty Under the Constitution – “When the peoples [sic] shall have torn to shreds the Constitution of the United States the Elders of Israel will be found holding it up to the nations of the earth and proclaiming liberty and equal rights to all men, and extending the hand of fellowship to the oppressed of all nations.” John Taylor, Id.
E. Life in the City of Zion
1. Residents of Zion Will Excel in All Pursuits: John Taylor – “We believe that this people will excel in literature, in science, in the arts, and in manufacture. . . . [M]en will be inspired in regard to all these matters in a manner and to an extent that they have never been before . . . [that we will be] the most healthy and most intellectual people that will reside upon the earth. This is part and parcel of our faith.” John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, p. 147, April 6, 1863, italics removed, at Coming 127. I’m reminded, also, of a particular passage from the Temple endowment.
2. Orson Pratt: Education to Play a Central Role in Zion – The saints will erect elementary and secondary schools and institutions of higher learning in Zion just as they have everywhere else they have settled. See Coming 127-128.
a. Orson Pratt: Zion Will Be Densely Populated – One man, said Elder Pratt, will not take “up six to eight miles of land.” Rather, “we expect a very dense settlement in that region of country.” Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 24, p. 23, October 26, 1879, italics removed, at Coming 128.
b. Zion’s Excellence Will Attract the Attention of Learned, Wise, and World Leaders – See John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p. 169, January 17, 1858 at Coming 128.
3. Joseph Smith: Prophets Looked Upon Our Day “With Peculiar Delight” – “It will, without question, be a highly privileged people fortunate enough to live in such a city. Little wonder that an editorial quoted by the Prophet Joseph Smith said that the prophets down through hisory looked upon our own day ‘with peculiar delight.’” Joseph Smith, Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 4, p. 609, May 2, 1842, at Coming 129.
F. Inheritances in the Land of Zion – “When the saints were driven from Jackson County they were forbidden by revelation to sell their inherintances even though they were not permitted to dwell on them at that time. Not only that, but the saints were commanded to continue to purchase lands there, even after their expulsion. This, the Lord explained, was so that the armies of the Lord would be justified in reclaiming the land of Zion when the time of its redemption would come.” Coming 129, see also Doctrine and Covenants 101:96-101, 105:28-29, and 105:30.
G. “The One Mighty and Strong”: He Who Shall Give Inheritances to Those Written “In the Book of the Law of God” – See Coming 131-135, which quotes extensively a 1905 statement from the First Presidency Regarding “The One Mighty and Strong.” All quotations in this section refer to that statement.
1. Who is “The One Mighty and Strong”? – The First Presidency statement regarding “the one mighty and strong” pointed out that Doctrine and Covenants 85, which refers to this individual, was given to Edward Partridge, appointed bishop in Jackson County, Missouri. See Coming 134, 135.
2. Who is NOT “The One Mighty and Strong”? – “Certainly, this prophecy does not allude in any way to the President of the Church, past, present, or to come. The revelation under consideration does not relate to matters that especially concern the duties of the President of the Church: but to the arranging ‘by lot the inheritances of the Saints,’ and that is the whole substance of the revelation, a matter distinctly placed under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of the Church[.]” Coming 134-135, ellipses removed and period added.
3. Role of “The One Mighty and Strong” – Doctrine and Covenants 85 states that “the one mighty and strong” shall give inheritances “to those whose names are found written in ‘the book of the law of God’”—referring to the then-still-future event of the saints settling of the New Jerusalem in Jackson County, Missouri. Coming 130.
4. Who are the Heirs Whose Names are Written “in The Book of the Law of God”? – President Joseph F. Smith said that originally, these heirs were those who were living the law of consecration, but, since the saints proved themselves incapable of living that higher law, the law of tithing was substituted in its stead. President Smith said that “those who are now recorded in that book are those who are faithfully paying their tithes. This will be the basis for determining the inheritances in Zion, according to President Smith.” Coming 130.
5. How is “The One Mighty and Strong” to be Chosen? –“[W]hen the man who shall be called upon to divide unto the Saints their inheritance comes, he will be designated by the inspiration of the Lord to the proper authorities of the Church, appointed and sustained according to the order provided for the government of the Church.” Though the statement points out that the revelation containing reference to “the one mighty and strong” was given to Edward Partridge, if, in fact, it refers to a future event (or also to a future event), the person so called “will be a future bishop of the Church who will be with the saints in Jackson County, Missouri” who “will be so blessed with the spirit and power of his calling that he will be able to set in order the house of God, pertaining to the department of the work under his jurisdiction; and in righteousness and justice will ‘arrange by lot the inheritances of the saints.’ He will hold the same high and exalted station that Edward Partridge held.” Coming 134.
6. Who is the One Who Was “To Fall by the Shaft of Death”? – This phrase, as does the phrase “the one mighty and strong,” also refers to Bishop Partridge, who, because of apostasy, had fallen out of favor with God. However, Bishop Partridge repented, so this future curse was lifted, and he later went on to serve faithfully despite further persecutions in the state of Missouri. See Coming 133- 134.
H. The Great Temple at Zion
1. Wilford Woodruff’s Vision of the Construction of the Temple at Zion – Wilford Woodruff had a dream in which angels, some of whom were clothed in Temple robes, came to help with the construction of the temple and to bring materials used therein. See Matthias F. Cowley, Wilford Woodruff, History of His Life and Labors, Bookcraft: Salt Lake City, 1964 505, Coming 135.
2. Structure and Purpose of the Temple at Zion, as Well as Other Edifices: Orson Pratt – There will be 24 rooms in the Temple, each of which will be given a specific name that was revealed to Joseph Smith and which are arranged in a circular form and arched over the center. Each room be for the specific use of a particular “order, quorum, or council” of the Priesthood. See Coming 135-136, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 24, pp. 24-25, October 26, 1839.
a. Other Edifices as Distinct from the Temple – “There will be tabernacles, there will be meeting houses for the assembling of the people on the Sabbath day. There will be various places of meeting so that the people may gather together, but the Temple will be dedicated to the Priesthood of the Most High God, and for most sacred and holy purposes.” Pratt, Id.
3. Sacrifice to be Restored: Joseph Smith – Joseph quoted Malachi 3:3, then said: “These sacrifices, as well as every ordinance belonging to the Priesthood, will, when the Temple of the Lord shall be built, and the sons of Levi be purified, be fully restored and attended to in all their powers, ramifications, and blessings.” Joseph Smith, Documentary History of the Church, Volume 4, pp. 211-212, October 5, 1840, italics omitted, at Coming 137.
4. Temple to Serve as Repository for Records: Orson Pratt – All of the records Mormon and Moroni had in their possession will be deposited in the Temple at Independence. See Coming 137.
I. We Shall See Him Face to Face – The promise of the Beatitudes, that the pure in heart would see God, will be fulfilled, literally, for some of the saints at Independence. The word translated “blessed” in the Beatitudes literally means “happy.” Brigham Young, Orson Pratt, and Charles Penrose testified that this would be so. See Coming 137-139. Lorenzo Snow suggested that some of the saints would even get the privilege of inviting the Savior into their homes. See Coming 139.
J. Seek to Be Found Worthy – “When the blessings of those who dwell in Zion are enumerated . . . [t]he desire to repent in order to escape the fearful judgments of God is swallowed up in the poingnant longing to be found worth [of] such distinctive blessings. How accurately the Lord predicts the feelings of the heart when he says: ‘And it shall come to pass that the righteous shall be gathered out from all nations, and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy.” Coming 139, ellipses and brackets added, quoting Doctrine and Covenants 45:71.
IX. THE HOUR APPROACHES
A. Five Important Events to Accompany Zion’s Establishment – Five important events will take place “either during the establishment of Zion or shortly thereafter.” They are not listed in chronological order (Coming 141):
1. “[T]he establishment of the kingdom of God”
2. “[T]he restoration of the Lamanite peoples”
3. “[T]he return of the Lost tribes of Israel”
4. “[T]he great council that is to take place at Adam-ondi-Ahman”
5. “[T]he last great missionary call to all the world”
B. The Kingdom of God
1. Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream – The Millennial Kingdom of God will break other kingdoms into pieces, and “shall stand forever.” Daniel 2: 44, Coming 142-143.
a. Joseph Fielding Smith: Kingdom of God Supersedes All Other Kingdoms – The kingdom that Daniel saw which breaks up other kingdoms is “the Church of Jesus Christ, which has been established in the earth for the last time. It is not to be destroyed but is to continue to endure and increae until it shall fill the earth in the due time of the Lord[.]” Coming 143, quoting Joseph Fielding Smith, “What is the Status of the ‘Fundamentalists?’,” The Improvement Era, February 1967, p. 4, italics removed and brackets added.
2. The Political Kingdom of God Will Shield the Ecclesiastical Kingdom of God: Brigham Young – “The Church of Jesus Christ will produce the government and cause it to grow and spread, and it will be a shield round about the Church. And under the influence and power of the Kingdom of God, the Church of God will rest secure and dwell in safety, without taking the trouble of governing and controlling the whole earth. The Kingdom of God will do this . . .” Coming 144, quoting Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, p. 317, July 8, 1855, italics removed and ellipses added.
3. God’s Government Will “Produce Happiness, Promote Union, and Establish [the People] in Strength, Righteousness, and Everlasting Peace”: Charles W. Penrose – “Of necessity some form of government must be set up among them, as they will exist in a national as well as an ecclesiastical capacity. The government will be a theocracy, or, in other words, the Kingdom of God. The laws, ordinances, regulations, etc., will be under the direction of God’s priesthood, and the people will progress in arts, sciences, and everything that will produce happiness, promote union, and establish them in strength, righteousness, and everlasting peace.” Coming 144, quoting Charles W. Penrose, “The Second Advent,” Millennial Star, Vol. 21, p. 582, September 10, 1859.
4. The Kingdom is Literal: John Taylor – “[N]ot only will there be a spiritual kingdom and organization; but there will also be a literal kingdom, a nation, or nations, a Zion, and the people will gather to that.” John Taylor, The Government of God, (S. W. Richards: Liverpool, England, 1852 97, italics removed at Coming 145.
5. God as Sovereign, Privileges of Those Who Serve God in Righteousness: John Taylor – “The Lord will be king over all the earth, and all mankind literally under his sovereignty, and every nation under the heavens will have to acknowledge his authority, and bow to his sceptre. Those ho serve him in righteousness will have communications with God, and with Jesus; will have the ministering of angels, and will know the past, present, and future.” John Taylor, The Government of God, (S. W. Richards: Liverpool, England, 1852 97, italics removed at Coming 145.
6. The Kingdom of God Will Govern All People, Both Members of the Church and Not
a. Brigham Young – While not everyone will be compelled to join the Church of Jesus Christ (they will, as the Article of Faith says, be free to “worship how [or] where . . . they may”), every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ. See Coming 145, quoting Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, p. 275, December 23, 1866.
b. Joseph Fielding Smih – “This government [of God] which embraces all the peoples of the earth both in and out of the Church, is also sometimes spoken of as the kingdom of God, because the people are subject to the Kingdom of God which Christ shall set up; but they have their agency and thousands will not be members of the Church until they are converted; yet at the same time they would be subject to the theocratic rule.” Coming 146 quoting Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation (Bruce R. McConkie, comp.) Vol. 1, p. 229 (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954)
7. The Church of God vs. the Kingdom of God – The church of God is different from the kingdom of God. The former is an ecclesiastical entity, and the latter is a political one. B.H. Roberts said that there may be people serving in the kingdom of God who are not members of the Church. See Coming 147.
a. The Kingdom of God Will Protect All People: B.H. Roberts – ”The Kingdom of God when established will not be for the protection of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints alone, but for the protection of all men, whatever their religious views or opinions may be. Under its rule, no one will be permitted to overstep the proper bounds or to interfere with the rights of others[.]” Coming 147, quoting Note by B.H. Roberts, Documentary History of the Church, Volume 7, p. 382, italics and ellipses omitted.
b. The Political Kingdom Will be Given to Christ When He Comes: Joseph Fielding Smith – “When Christ comes, the political kingdom will be given to the Church. [Here President Smith cites Daniel 7:27]. The Lord is going to make an end to all nations; that means this nation as well as any other.” Coming 148 quoting Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation (Bruce R. McConkie, comp.) Vol. 1, pp. 229-230 (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954), bracketed material in original.
8. Theocracy
a. “Theocracy” Comes from the Greek –Coming 148.
i. God = Theos
ii. Kratein = To rule (infinitive)
iii. Theocracy = A government in which God rules
b. Brigham Young’s Definition of Theocracy – “What do I understand by a theocratic government. One in which all laws are neacted and executed in righteousness, and whose officers possess that power which proceedeth from the Almighty. That is the kind of government I allude to when I speak of a theocratic government, or the kingdom of God upon the Earth. It is, in short, the eternal powers of the Gods.” Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, pp. 346, 347, July 31, 1859, italics removed, at Coming 149.
C. The Lamanites to Blossom as a Rose
1. Lamanites’ Gathering Began Before Church Organized, When Book of Mormon Translated – Gathering of scattered Israel among the Lamanites actually commenced before the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ, with the translation of the Book of Mormon. In Doctrine and Covenants 3, God told Joseph Smith that “the promises of the Lord might be fulfilled which he made to his people,” the branch of the House of Israel that had been scattered on the American Continent. See Doctrine and Covenants 3:18-19, Coming 149-150.
2. Gentiles Provide Means to Gather Scattered Israel on American Continent – “The Savior, himself, foretold that the Gentiles would be established in the land of America and be the means of bringing the word”—as contained in the Book of Mormon—“to the remnants of Israel left in the land.” 2 Nephi 21:4-6 is footnoted at Coming 150.
3. Gentiles to do “A Marvelous Work” Among Scattered Israel on the American Continent – “And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed, wherefore, it is likened unto being nourished by the Gentiles and being carried in their arms and upon their shoulders.” 2 Nephi 22: 6, 8, quoted at Coming 150; 2 Nephi 10:9, 18 also is footnoted.
4. Scattered Israel on the American Continent an Heir to God’s Greatest Blessings – Speaking, in the first person, of how others treated the Lamanites, yet claiming his title as an heir of Israel, one of the gathered, in an 1845 Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles, says, “You have hated me, and sold me, and thought I was dead; but lo! I live and am heir to the inheritance, titles, honours, priesthood, sceptre, crown, throne, and eternal life and dignity of my fathers, who live for evermore.” Coming 152.
5. We Must Reclaim Scattered Israel Among the Lamanites if We Are to Retain God’s Approval: John Taylor – “The work of the Lord among the Lamanites must not be postponed, if we desire to retain the approval of God.” Coming 153, quoting John Taylor, Millennial Star, Vol. 44, p. 733, October 18, 1882, italics removed.
6. We Must Nourish the Lamanites if We Wish to Be Saved in God’s Kingdom: Wilford Woodruff – “Those who will feed and clothe these Lamanites and see to their wants, as our President has told us”—spiritually as well as temporally— “they shall be blessed and prosper, while those who despise them shall go down and shall not stand in the kingdom of God.” Coming 153, quoting Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 9, p. 222, July 15, 1855, italics removed.
7. As a Young Lion
a. If the Gentiles Fail to Fulfill Their Duty to the Lamanites – The Gentiles had best take heed regarding their duty to the Lamanites. If they do not, the Lamanites will “be among them . . . as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through, both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.” The footnote at Coming 154 refers to 3 Nephi 20:15-16.
b. The Book of Mormon is Not the Only Source for This Prospect – The Doctrine and Covenants speaks of this possibility as well, in Section 87, verse 5. See Coming 154.
c. Who Are the Lamanites that Rise Up “As a Young Lion”? – “Evidently, this is not the remnant of the Lamanites that are converted to the gospel and participate with the members of the Church in the building up of Zion; rather, they seem to be a minority of the Lamanites which have not yet come into the Gospel fold.” Coming 154.
8. Building the City and the Temple of New Jerusalem With the Lamanites – A portion of the Lamanites, as the House of Israel, will have a hand in building the New Jerusalem, after which missionaries will be sent forth to gather more of the Lamanites into the New Jerusalem. See statements of Orson Pratt at Coming 155-156, 3 Nephi 21:22-23.
a. Glory of Remnant of House of Israel Fulfilling Lord’s Purposes – “What grand and glorious fulfillment of the purposes of the Lord, that this people so long despised of men should have the privilege of engaging in this great work of the last days!” Coming 157.
9. Who are the “Remnant of Jacob”?
a. Lamanites are a Part—But Not the Whole—of the Remnant of Jacob – “[E]ven though the evidence is clear that the Lamanites form a part of this group known as the ‘remnant of Jacob,’ that does not imply that they alone constitute the remnant.” Coming 157.
b. Joseph Fielding Smith: Members of the Church of Jesus Christ, Too, are Part of the Remnant of Jacob – President Joseph Fielding Smith “clearly shows that the intent” of scriptures referring to the remnant of Jacob “is broader than many think. He explains that the whole house of Israel who have been scattered qualify as being a part of the ‘remnant of Jacob’ and will be gathered in [to] assist in the building of Zion and the other great works of the last great day of preparation.” The footnote refers to Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation (Bruce R. McConkie comp.), Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1955, Vol. 2, pp. 247-250, italics omitted, at Coming 158.
D. From Out of the North: The Lost Ten Tribes to Return
1. The Lost Ten Tribes – The Israelites tired of King Solomon levying heavy taxes upon them to finance his empire. They asked his son and successor, Rehoboam, to lower the taxes, and Rehoboam refused. The Northern ten tribes split off and formed the Northern Kingdom of Israel, while Rehoboam formed the Kingdom of Judah, so called because it consisted primarily of the tribe of Judah, of the remaining two tribes. The Northern Kingdom degenerated into wickedness and was overthrown by Assyria in 721 BC. Evidently, some remained in Assyria and assimilated into Assyrian culture, while others traveled north and were lost to history. See Coming 159.
2. Idea That They Have Returned Already is Erroneous: They Shall Come as a Body – The idea that they have returned already is erroneous, because “the prophets have definitely stated that they shall come as a body; their coming shall be so miraculous that it could not be mistaken for a gradual response to missionary work.” Doctrine and Covenants 133:26-33 describes this miraculous return. See also Jeremiah 23:7-8. Coming 160-161, emphasis in original.
3. Return NOT Figurative – “Several of the latter-day prophets have made it clear that the return of the ten tribes is not to be some figurative event but an actual return of the group so long lost.” Coming 161-162.
a. See Charles W. Penrose, “Something About the ‘Lost Tribes’,” The Improvement Era, October, 1910, pp. 1087-1088, excerpt quoted at Coming 162.
b. James E. Talmage, Conference Report, April, 1916 130; James E. Talmage, Conference Report, October 1916 76; excerpts of both quoted at Coming 163.
4. Timing: After Building the New Jerusalem
a. Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, Melchizedek Priesthood Course of Study, Published by the Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1948, Vol. 2, p. 141, excerpt quoted at Coming 163-164.
b. Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 18, p. 68, July 25, 1875, excerpted quoted at Coming 164.
5. Blessings and Counter-Blessings – “As can be seen from the Statements of the Lord and the various prophets, this will be one of the great events of the entire world’s history and one that should be inspiring indeed to those privileged to witness it. The promises speak of these lost peoples coming to be ‘crowned with glory, even in Zion, by the hands of the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim.’ [The footnote refers to Doctrine and Covenants 133:32.] . . . This crowning of the Children of Israel by the children of Ephraim will consist in part of helping them come to a fulness of the gospel and obtaining the blessings of the temple.” Coming 165, ellipses added.
6. Blessings and Counter-Blessings, Continued – “The blessings will not flow in one direction only, however. The children of Ephraim shall receive many blessings from these children of God so long lost to us. The Doctrine and Covenants states that they will bring their rich treasures to the members of the Church awaiting them in Zion. [The footnote refers to Doctrine and Covenants 133:30.] Part of these riches will undoubtedly consist of a new book of scripture —sacred records of God’s dealings with this group of people equal to our own standard works.” Coming 165.
a. A Note on Something Intriguing in the Book of Mormon: The Lost Tribes Have Records of Their Own – Just as the Holy Bible is a record of God’s dealings with His people at Jerusalem and in other areas of the Old World, and as the Book of Mormon is a record of God’s dealings with His people in the New World, in the Book of Mormon, Christ tells us that He will speak, also, to the Lost Tribes, and that they, also, will have kept a record of His dealings with them. Consider 2 Nephi 29:12-13 (emphasis added):
“12 For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.
“13 And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.”
b. A Note on Something Intriguing in the Book of Mormon, Continued: Christ Told the Nephites that He Had Still Other Sheep Which the Father had Commanded Him to Visit – When Christ visited the Nephites, not only did He tell them that they were the “other sheep” of whom He spoke to the Jews as recorded in Matthew 10:16, He also told them that He had still other sheep who were neither at Jerusalem nor in the Americas, in 3 Nephi 16:1-3 (emphasis added):
“1 And verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep,which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister.
“2 For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them.
“3 But I have received a commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall bhear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold and one shepherd; therefore I go to show myself unto them.”
E. Adam-Ondi-Ahman
1. Daniel’s Vision – Daniel had a vision of Adam-Ondi-Ahman: See Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, quoted at Coming 166.
2. Joseph Smith Speaks of What Will Happen in the Last Days at Adam-Ondi- Ahman – “Daniel, in his seventh chapter, speaks of the Ancient of Days: he means the oldest man, our Father Adam, Michael, he will call his children together and hold a council with them to prepare them for the coming of the son of man. . . . The Son of Man stands before him, and there is given him glory and dominion. Adam delivers up his stewardship to Christ, that which was delivered to him as holding the keys of the universe, but retains his standing as head of the human family.” Coming 167, quoting Joseph Smith, Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 3, pp. 386-387, July 2, 1839, italics removed and ellipses added.
3. Orson Pratt Speaks of What Will Happen in the Last Days at Adam-Ondi- Ahman – The Ancient of days “comes, then, as a great judge, to assemble this innumerable host of which Daniel speaks[,] . . . to set in order the councils of the Priesthood pertaining to all dispensations, to arrange the Priesthood and the councils of the Saints of all former dispensations in one grand family and household. [¶] What is all this for? . . . It is to prepare the way for another august personage whom Daniel saw coming with the clouds of heaven, namely the Son of Man before the Ancient of days, behold a kingdom was given to the Son of Man, and greatness and glory, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him, and his kingdom should be an everlasting kingdom, a kingdom that never should be done away.” Coming 167-168, quoting Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 17, pp. 185-186, October 11, 1874, ellipses and bracketed material added and italics removed.
4. The Great Priesthood Council: Joseph Fielding Smith – “The Ancient of Days will sit. There will stand before him those who have held the keys of all dispensations, who shall render up their stewardships to the first Patriarch of the race, who holds the keys of salvation. This shall be a day of judgment and preparation. . . . Judgment will be set and all who have held keys will make their reports and deliver their stewardships, as they shall be required. Adam will direct this judgment, and then he will make his report, as the one holding the keys for this earth, to his Superior Officer, Jesus Christ. Our Lord will then assume the reins of government; directions will be given to the Priesthood there assembled. This grand council of priesthood will be composed . . . of those who are faithful who now dwell on this earth, [and] also of the prophets and apostles of old, who have had directing authority.” Coming 169, quoting Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, (Utah Genealogical Society: Salt Lake City, 1931), pp. 289-
291, italics removed and ellipses and bracketed material added.
a. Timing and Notice of the Great Council at Adam-Ondi-Ahman – The world, along with the majority of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will be unaware that the council has taken place. Since it is to be held in Missouri, it probably will not take place until Zion is reestablished. Daniel said that the meeting would not take place until after earthly thrones “were cast down.” See Coming 171.
F. The Last Call
1. A Great Missionary Force, 144,000 Strong – The 144,000 spoken of by John the Revelator is a great missionary force—12,000 chosen from each of the tribes of Israel, who will be called to reap one last time. They are ordained “to bring as many as will come to the Church of the Firstborn.” Coming 173, quoting Doctrine and Covenants 77:11; see also Jacob 5:62-64 (that’s my addition or suggestion, not Brother Lund’s).
a. When Will These Missionaries Be Called? – “[W]hether it [i.e., the calling of these missionaries] would happen before, during, or after the Council at Adam-Ondi-Ahman is not clear.” Coming 174.
G. The Hour Approaches – “Well did the Lord speak when he promised, “And unto you it shall be given to know the signs of the times, and the signs of the coming of the Son of Man. [Doctrine and Covenants 68:11.] [¶] The establishment of the kingdom of God, the blossoming of the Lamanite people, the return of the ten tribes, the great priesthood meeting at Adam-Ondi-Ahman and the last call to the nations of the earth are five of those signs and will signal the approaching hour of the coming of the Lord.” Coming 175.
X. THE HOUSE OF JUDAH
A. Creation of the State of Israel a Key Sign of the Times – “When the independent state of Israel was created in 1948, the words of prophets long dead were fulfilled and a new era in the long and troubled history of the House of Israel was born. With it one of the great signs of the Lord’s coming, predicted by prophets many centuries before, entered the final stages of its fulfillment.” Coming 177.
B. Elder George Q. Morris: Three Signs of the Times – Elder George Q. Morris, Conference Report, April, 1960 pp. 100-101 at Coming 177.
1. Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
2. Rise of an Evil Power
3. Gathering of Jews to Jerusalem
C. Israel The Unfaithful
1. The Abrahamic Covenant
a. All Nations of the Earth to be Blessed Through Abraham – “Abraham was promised that the hand of Jehovah would be over him and his posterity. Through the . . . covenant[ ] people which came from this great patriarch, were all the nations of the earth to be blessed. [Abraham 2:8- 11]” Coming 178, ellipses and first set of brackets added, material bracketed by second set of brackets provides references given in footnotes.
b. Abraham Given Land as “Everlasting Possession” – “As part of that covenant, Abraham was told that he and his posterity would be given a promised land as their ‘everlasting possession’ and, said Jehovah, ‘I will be their God.’ [Genesis 17:5-8].” Coming 178, reference given in footnote enclosed in brackets.
2. Israel Apostatized, and Prophets Predicted its Scattering – Though Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were faithful, “as time passed, much of their posterity were not . . . [N]otwithstanding the efforts of mighty prophets like Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and others, the House of Israel turned to idolatry and wickedneess. . . . [T]hus[,] the stage for the future tragedy of the nation was set. The prophets of israel began early in their history to predict the great scattering of the people” Coming 178, ellipses and brackets added.
3. Israel’s Repentance Was Episodic, Sporadic, and Transient: Prophetic Warnings
a. Jeremiah – “So Jeremiah warned: ‘I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.’ [Jeremiah 9:16].” Coming 179, reference given in footnote enclosed in brackets.
b. Ezekiel – “I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him, to help him [i.e., to help Israel?], and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries. [Ezekiel 12:14-15].” Coming 179, reference given in footnote enclosed in brackets.
c. Christ – Even Christ Himself mourned, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate! [Matthew 23:37-3]” Coming 180, reference given in footnotes enclosed in brackets.
4. The Scattering
a. The Kingdom Splits – “After Solomon’s death, Israel was split into two kingdoms—the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.” Coming 179.
b. Assyrian Capture of Northern Kingdom – “In 721 B.C., the Assyrians under Shalmanazer swept the northern kingdom into captivity and those ten-and-a-half-tribeswere lost to history, and remain lost to this day.” Coming 179.
c. Babylonian Capture of Southern Kingdom – In 587 B.C., “King Nebuchadnezzar brought the Babylonians against Judah, and that kingdom too was carried away. Through the righteousness of men like Daniel, his three companions, and Ezra, the house of Judah was not destroyed, but seventy years later Cyrus freed them to return to Jerusaelm. Even this did not change the hearts of the remaining idols for very long. . . . Soon, the Jews were back in virtual slavery to a variety of conquering nations.” Coming 179, ellipses added.
d. Conquest of Jerusalem by Vespasian and Titus – “The final scattering of that royal tribe was completed less than forty years after Christ was crucified. Vespasian and Titus, Roman generals, brought the mighty Roman legions to crush a Jewish revolt. The rebellion spread until Judah itself came under siege, and, in one of the great catastrophes of the world’s history the Jewish nation ceased to exist.” Coming 180.
D. Israel and Judah to Return
1. Christ Told the Nephites Israel’s Gathering is a Sign That His Return is Imminent – And verily I say unto you, I give unto you a sign that ye know the time when these things shall be about to take place—that I shal gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion.” 3 Nephi 21:1, quoted at Coming 181.
2. Orson Hyde Dedicates Israel for the Return of the Jews – “Grant, therefore, O Lord, in the name of Thy well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to remove the barrenness and sterility of this land, and let springs of living water break forth to water its thirsty soil. Let the vine and the olive produce in their strength, and the fig tree bloom and flourish. Let the land become abundantly fruitful when possessed by its rightful heirs; let it again flow with plenty to feed the returning prodigals who come home with a spirit of grace and supplication: upon it let the clouds distil [sic] virtue and richness, and let the fields smile with plenty. Let the flocks and herds greatly increase and multiply upon the mountains and the hills: and let Thy great kindness conquer and subdue the unbelief of Thy people. Do Thou take from them their stony heart, and give unto them a heart fresh; and may the Sun of Thy favor dispel the cold mists of darkness which have beclouded their admosphere. Incline them to gather in upon this land according to Thy word. Let them come like clouds and like doves to their windows. Let the large ships of the nations bring them from the distant isles: and let kings become their nursing fathers and queens with motherly fondness wipe the tear of sorrow from their eye.” Joseph Smith, Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 4, p. 457, October 24, 1841, italics added by Bro. Lund, quoted at Coming 182.
3. Jews’ “Tenacity for National Life in the Face of Nearly Overwhelming Odds” A Fulfillment of God’s Promises – “The continuing miracle of the Jewish tenacity for national life in the face of nearly overwhelming odds is yet another testimony that the promises of the Lord concerning this downtrodden people are being fulfilled.” Coming 183.
4. The Great Gathering Home
a. Return of the Jews a Sign That Must Be Fulfilled Before Christ’s Coming
i. Joseph Smith – “Judah must return, Jerusalem must be rebuilt, and the temple, and water come out from under the temple and the waters of the dead sea be healed. It will take some time to rebuild the walls of the city and the temple etc.; and all this must be done before the Son of Man will make his appearance.” Joseph Smith, Documentary History of the Church, Vol 5, p.337, April 6, 1843, quoted at Coming 185.
ii. Wilford Woodruff I – “He will never come until the Jews are gathered home and have rebuilt their temple and city and the Gentiles have gone up to battle against them.” Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 18, p. 111, September 12, 1875, quoted at Coming 185.
iii. Wilford Woodruff II – “For the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and the Lord has decreed that the Jews should be gathered from all the Gentile nations where they have been driven, into their own land, in fulfillment of the words of Moses, their law-giver.” Wilford Woodruff, Millennial Star, Vol. 41, p. 244, April 21, 1879, italics removed, quoted at Coming 185.
5. Jerusalem for the Jews and the Temple Rebuilt
a. Christ’s Prophecy of Jerusalem’s Downfall – “Christ spoke of the time when Jerusalem would be encompassed about with armies, and warned the Jews to flee from these days of vengeance. [Luke 21:20-22]. He then continued: ‘But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! For there shall be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they shall fal by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive unto all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled.’ [Luke 21:23- 24].” Coming 186, footnoted scripture references provided in brackets.
b. Subsequent Developments – See Coming 186-187.
i. Circa AD 70: Vespasian and Titus conquered Jerusalem
ii. AD 687: Khalif Omar and the Arabs take Jerusalem
iii. Christians held Jerusalem for a few years after the crusades, but it fell back under Turkish control
iv. Control alternated between Arabs and Turks for hundreds of years
v. WWI: British forces under General Allenby retook Jerusalem
vi. Not until after the Six Day War in 1967 was Jerusalem finally under complete Jewish control
c. The Temple Still Needs to be Rebuilt – The Temple still needs to be constructed on the Temple Mount. However, cf. David J. Ridges, 65 Signs of the Times Leading Up to the Second Coming 125 – “Nowhere in the scriptures does it state that the Jerusalem Temple has to be built on the exact site of the Dome of the Rock, a mosque that is so sacred to Muslims. There is actually plenty of room on the so-called ‘Temple Mount’ for both.”
6. The Great War—The Jews Find Their Messiah – “Ezekiel pictures them [i.e., Jerusalem’s enemies in the great final battle, from which Christ will deliver her] as coming up from the north [Ezekiel 38:15] and as being so numerous as to be like ‘a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee’ [Ezekiel 38:9]. Their purpose shall be to spoil and ravage the land of Israel [Ezeikiel 38:13]. [¶] And yet strangely enough, it out of this great catastrophe that the Jews will finally come to know their Master, Jesus of Nazareth.” Coming 189-190, footnoted scripture references included in brackets.
6a. Regarding the Battle of Armageddon – Regarding the Battle of Armageddon, see Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. Coming 213, referencing President Joseph Fielding Smith.
a. The Nations That Come Against Israel Will Do So to Avail Themselves of Her Wealth – See Charles W. Penrose, “The Second Advent,” Millennial Star, Vol 21, pp. 582-583, September 18, 1859 and excerpt at Coming 190.
b. Satan Will Show Forth False Miracles to Facilitate Gathering of Army to Go Forth Against Israel – See Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, p. 189, July 10, 1859, excerpt at Coming 190-191.
c. President Joseph Fielding Smith, Great Earthquakes Will (a): Split Mount of Olives and (b): Save the Jews, Respectively – These earthquakes will be felt worldwide. Joseph Fielding Smith, Signs of the Times, (Deseret Book Company: Salt Lake City, 1964) 170, excerpts at Coming 191-192.
d. Gentile Nations to Wage War Against Israel; Two Prophets Sent to Jerusalem
i. Gentiles Siege Jerusalem – “In the book of Revelation, John also spoke of this last struggle and told of the Gentiles treading down the holy city for a period of forty-two months, or three and a half years. [Revelation 11:2].” Coming 192, footnoted reference in brackets.
ii. Two Prophets Prophesy at Jerusalem – “During this period, there will be two witnesses who will be given power to prophesy and to work with the people of Judah. John spoke of the tremendous power which they would have, which probably explains the success of the Jews in holding off such a powerful army for three and one-half years. [Revelation 11:3-6].” Coming 192, footnoted reference in brackets.
iii. Doctrine and Covenants Confirms This – Joseph Smith explained that the two witnesses are prophets raised up to the Jewish nation prior to the end. ‘Q: What is to be understood by the two witnesses in the eleventh chapter of Revelation[ ]? A: They are two prophets that are to be raised up to the Jewish nation in the last days, at the time of the restoration, and to prophesy to the Jews after they are gathered and have built the city of Jerusalem in the land of their fathers.” Coming 192, quoting Doctrine and Covenants 77:15, brackets used to denote correct name of final New Testament book.
iv. Fate of the Witnesses – “John went on to say that after the witnesses had finished their testimony, they would be caught and killed by the troops besieging Jerusalem. This would cause much rejoicing and merrymaking among the armies of Gog. Rather than the bodies being buried, John predicted that they would be lying in the streets, evidently as a sign of Gog’s triumph. [Revelation 11:7-12].” Coming 191-192, footnoted reference in brackets.
v. The Witnesses Resurrected – John in the 11th Chapter of Revelation, gives us many more particulars concerning the same event[s, i.e., the witnesses’ ministry at Jerusalem, the siege of the Gentile armies there, et etera]. He informs us that, after the city and temple are rebuilt by the Jews, the Gentiles will tread it under foot forty and two months, during which time there will be two Prophets continually prophesying and working mighty miracles. And it seems that the Gentile army shall be hindered from utterly destroying and overthrowing the city, while these two Prophets continue. But, after a struggle of three years and a half, they at length succeed in destroying these two Prophets, and then overrunning much of the city, they send gifts to each other because of the death of the two Prophets, and in the meantime will not allow their dead bodies to be put in graves, but suffer them to be in the streets of Jerusalem three days and a half, during which the armies of the Gentiles, consisting of many kindreds, tongues, and nations, passing through the city, plundering the Jews, see their dead bodies lying in the street. But after three days and a half, on a sudden, the spirit of life from God enters them, and they will rise and stand upon their feet, and great fear will fall upon them that see them. And then they shall hear a voice from heaven saying, ‘Come up hither,’ and they will ascend up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies beholding them.” Coming 193, quoting Parley P. Pratt, A Voice of Warning, Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1897) 41-42.
E. The Second Coming – According to Revelation 11:14-15, Christ’s coming in glory occurs shortly after the two prophet-witnesses spoken of are taken up. See Coming 194.
F. No Middle Ground – “You cannot, therefore, stand as idle and disinterested spectators of the scenes and events which are calculated, in their very nature, to reduce all nations and creeds to one political and religious standards, and thus put an end to Babel forms and names, and to strife and war. You will, therefore, either be led by the good Spirit to cast your lot, and to take a lively interest with the Saints of the Most High, and the covenant people of the Lord; or, on the other hand, you will become their inveterate enemy, and oppose them by every means in your power.” Excerpt of “Proclamation of the Twelve Apostles,” Millennial Star, Vol 6, pp. 6-7, October 22, 1845, italics removed
XI. THE END—AND THE BEGINNING
A. Prophecy the Hand of a Loving Father – “[P]rophecy is the hand of a kind and loving Father extended to his groping and frightened children. Guiding his children through foreboding days of violence, war, corruption, and decay seems to be one of the major tasks of the Lord, and as has been amply demonstrated, he has abundantly marked the future course of the world and of his Church.” Coming 197.
B. What We Know –Coming 197-198.
1. “We know that the great turmoil and chaos that will reign on the earth prior to the return of the Master is necessary to prepare a world for his reign.”
2. “We know that Satan shall rage in the hearts of men but shall not triumph.”
3. “We know that God shall closely watch over the worthy, protecting them in times of crises and blessing them as they draw near unto him”—with such scriptures as Matthew 10:28 and Doctrine and Covenants 122:9 as important caveats.
4. “We know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was restored specifically to prepare the world for the great millennial day.”
5. “We know that the face of the future is known to God and that he is anxious to prepare his children so that its dreadful visage may be smoothed into one of smiling promise.”
6. “We know that the day shall come that the earth shall burn as an oven and the wicked as stubble.”
7. “But we also know that the signs of the times have been given so that the wicked may take heed and turn from their paths of self-destruction.”
8. “We know that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming to claim his kingdom and this magnificent King shall set the affairs of the world in order that peace shall dwell in the hearts of men.”
C. Those Who Will Not See – “It seems a difficult thing to understand how any person could live through the great events which lead to the return of the Son of God and still refuse to change his heart in preparation for that coming. Yet, there will be vast multitudes of people who shall be caught as were those in the days of Noah [Matthew 24:37-41]— living their lives of spiritual apathy; laughing at or ignoring the mounting evidence that the day of reckoning approaches.” Coming 198.
1. “Even at the Doors”? – If Christ Himself said His coming is “even at the doors,” it is probably best to not live as though it is in the far-off, indefinite future—if, indeed, one believes it is to occur at all. See Coming 200-201 and, e.g., Doctrine and Covenants 110:16.
D. Righteous Caught Up, Two Zions Unite – “As the righteous from all ages—both living and dead—are caught up to meet the coming Lord, a group of people who long ago distinguished themselves for their righteousness will also descend and join the millennial band who are to take up abode with the saints on the earth. This group of saints were so righteous in an age of wickedness that the Lord took up the entire city to himself. [Moses 7:67-69. See also Doctrine and Covenants 38:4]. That, of course, was the City of Enoch.” This will occur at the commencement of the Millennium. Coming 201.
E. He Comes!
1. See Charles W. Penrose, “The Second Advent,” Millennial Star, Vol. 21, p. 583, September 10, 1859 and excerpt at Coming 202.
F. The Great and Dreadful Day
1. Elijah and Malachi – Elijah fulfilled Malachi’s prophecy by appearing to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple. See Malachi 3:1, Doctrine and Covenants 110, Coming 202-203.
2. Why “Great and Dreadful”? – “To those who have been eagerly watching and waiting for the coming of the Lord, who have made the necessary preparations so as to be included in that group which Christ described as his ‘first fruits’ [Doctrine and Covenants 88:98], it shall indeed be a great day. To those who have ignored or rejected the innumerable warnings, who have felt sure that the Lord was delaying his coming”—or, indeed, those who have felt sure that he would not come at all—“who are not worthy to endure the brilliant presence of the Son of God, what better way to describe their experience on that day than ‘dreadful’?” Coming 203.
3. Fair Warning
a. Doctrine and Covenants 38:8-9 – “But the day soon cometh that ye shall see me, and know that I am; for the veil of darkness shall soon be rent, and he that is not purified shall not abide the day. Wherefore, gird up your loins and be prepared.” Quoted at Coming 203, italics and ellipses removed.
b. Doctrine and Covenants 45:44 – “And then they shall look for me, and behold, I will come; and they shall see me in the clouds of heaven, clothed with power and great glory; with all the holy angels; and he that watcheth not for me shall be cut off.” Quoted at Coming 203, ellipses removed.
c. Doctrine and Covenants 54:10 – “And again, be patient in tribulation until I come; and behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, and they who have sought me early shall find rest unto their souls.” Quoted at Coming 204.
G. A New World Like Unto Eden
1. Articles of Faith 1:10 – “We believe . . . that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory.”
2. Conditions “Like Unto Eden”
Doctrine and Covenants 101:26-34
a. “Enmity of all flesh shall cease from before my face”
b. “Whatsoever any man shall ask, it shall be given him”
c. “There shall be no sorrow because there is no death”
d. “An infant shall not die until he is old; his age as that of a tree”
e. “Changed in the twinkling of an eye; caught up; glorious rest”
f. “Lord shall reveal all things”
i. “Things that have passed”
ii. “Hidden things which no man knew”
iii. “Things of the earth, by which it was made, and the purpose and end thereof”
iv. “Things most precious”
v. “Things that are above”
vi. “Things that are beneath”
vii. “Things that are in the earth”
viii. “And” things that are “upon the earth”
ix. “And” things that are “in heaven”
Isaiah 65:17-25
g. “I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind”
h. “Rejoice”; “I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and here people a joy”; “And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying”
i. “There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days”
j. “And they shall build houses, and inhabit”; “They shall not plant, and another eat”; “mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands”
j. “They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them”
k. “Before they call, I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will hear”
l. “Before the call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear”
m. “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpents meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord”
3. Only Paradisaical People May Live on a Paradisaical [Terrestrial] Earth – “The rebellious and the wicked who refuse to live according to the laws of God will be destroyed so that the paradise of God may be ushered in. [Thus], the great judgments of the Lord . . . are to prepare the world for its paradisiacal glory.” Coming 205, ellipses and brackets added.
H. Moral Agency Still Preserved During the Millennium
1. During the Millennium, People of Varying Religious Stripes, as Well as People Who Do Not Believe in Christ but Who Acknowledge His Kingly Government, Will Inhabit the Earth – Brigham Young taught that although every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ, this will include people of varying religious stripes. Others will not believe in Christ, “but they will be obliged to acknowledge his kingly government.” See Coming 207.
2. Only Paradisaical People May Live on a Paradisiacal [Terrestrial] Earth, Revisited – “[O]nly those living a telestial order of things will be swept off in preparation for the Millennium. This will leave many good people who live good lives but not the kind of lives that would take them to the celestial kingdom. In short, there will be people living the terrestrial law and the celestial law during the millennium.” Coming 207.
3. “Wickedness” During the Millennium: Joseph Smith – “The heathen nations who will not come up to worship will be visited with the judgments of God, and must eventually be destroyed from the earth.” Coming 208, quoting Joseph Smith, Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 5, p. 212, December, 1842, italics removed.
I. The Great Work of the Millennium
1. In the Millennium, Humankind Will Need to Spend Much Less Time Making a Living, and Can Spend Far More Time Making a Life—Both Temporal and Eternal – “Isaiah spoke of the time when the people would have the privilege of enjoying the full fruits of their labor, and when their efforts to produce goods would not be in vain. [Isaiah 65:17-25]. This would seem to indicate that the people then will find it much easier to provide enough food and materials to take care of their temporal needs. This would free man from much of the presently required time needed to produce enough for his wants. In the telestial world in which we live, the effort a man puts into sustaining himself and his family is often robbed by storm, pestilence, disaster, or through high taxes, vandalism, and robbery. In the conditions predicted for the Millennium, it seems as though a person would have to spend much less of his time trying to maintain life than he does today.” Coming 208.
2. Likely Pursuits: Much of this List is Mine, Not Bro. Lund’s – Temple ordinances, family history research, missionary work, self-actualization activities, development of talents, pursuit of worthy interests, learning, growth, discovery, et cetera.
3. Importance of Temple Work in the Millennium
a. Brigham Young – “The Gospel is now preached to the spirits in prison, and when the time comes for the servants of God to officiate for them, the names of those who have received the Gospel in the spirit world will be revealed by the angels of God and the spirits of just men made perfect; also the places of their birth, the age in which they lived, and everything regarding them that is necessary to be recorded on earth, and they will then be saved so as to find admittance into the presence of God, with their relatives who have officiated for them.” Coming 209, quoting Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p. 347, July 31, 1859, italics removed.
b. Many Temples to be Built: Wilford Woodruff – “President Wilford Woodruff also referred to the great number of temples that will be built to accommodate the vast scope of this work.” Coming 210.
c. Knowledge of Those Awaiting Temple Ordinances to Come Through Urim and Thummim? President Joseph F. Smith – See Coming 210- 211.
d. Communication With the Deceased a Daily Occurrence: Joseph Fielding Smith – “The Great work of the millennium . . . will be for the salvation of those souls. Those who will be living here then will be in daily communication with those who have passed through the resurrection,” who will come with the information necessary for their ordinances to be completed. Coming 211, quoting Joseph Fielding Smith; the source of this quotation is unclear, ellipses added.
4. Oh, to Live in the Millennium! – “What an exciting thought! To live and work in such a way that daily communication with resurrected beings can be expected! Add to that the feelings that come when one realizes that he may raise his children in a land of peace, plenty, and love, when disease and death shall no longer run rampant through the masses of humanity, and what heart cannot help but long for the privilege to see the millennial reign of Christ ushered in!” Coming 211.
5. The Final Scenes
a. Alas, Millennial Peace and Prosperity to Be Interrupted One Last Time – “For nearly a thousand years, the earth shall know a period of paradisaical glory which shall be a great blessing to all the inhabitants thereof. But this state is not to continue forever. When Christ promised that Satan would be bound during the millennium he also told us that he would once again be loosed for a little season. [Then, Doctrine and Covenants 88:110-111 is quoted].” Coming 211-212.
b. Satan to be Loosed “For a Little Season” – “At the close of the Millennium, Satan shall once again begin to gain power over the hearts of the children of men, so much so, that he shall begin to stir them up once more to make war against the saints of the Most High God. George Q. Cannon taught that this power would result as mankind once again began to drift away from the principles of righteousness, including the Law of Consecration. [¶] . . . This rebellion will evidently lead to a last great conflict between the forces of Satan and the servants of Jesus Christ. The Lord described this great battle in the Doctrine and Covenants. [Section 88:112-114 is quoted.] [¶] As the Lord describes the hosts of heaven arrayed in battle against the hosts of hell, it brings to mind the war in heaven. It would seem that the original conflict was not decisively settled as far as Satan is concerned and he still feels he can triumph over the work of the Almighty.” Coming 212-213.
c. “Battle of Armageddon” vs. “Battle of Gog & Magog” – Per President Joseph Fielding Smith, the battle before the Millennium “is more appropriately titled the battle of Armageddon, and the second at the end of the Millennium as the battle of Gog and Magog.” Coming 213.
d. Just as a Battle Will End the Telestial World and Inaugurate the Terrestrial, a Battle Also Will End the Terrestrial World and Inaugurate the Celestial – “That final contest between the enemies of righteousness and the saints of God will end just as did the first one, fought so many years before this earth was inhabited. And just as the battle of Armageddon will signal the end of the telestial world and the coming of the terrestrial, so will the battle of Gog and Magog at the close of the Millennium signal the end of the terrestrial order and the coming of the celestial.”
J. The Celestial Kingdom—The Final Destiny – “This earth, in its sanctified and immortal state, will be made like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon, whereby all things pertaining to an inferior kingdom, or all kingdoms of a lower order, will be manifest to those who dwell on it; and this earth will be Christ’s.” Doctrine and Covenants 88:22, quoted at Coming 214.
XII. ANXIETY . . . OR ANTICIPATION?
A. Calamities to Come—If They’re Not Already Here –Coming 217-218
1. “[H]ailstorms so widespread that the crops of the earth are destroyed” D&C 29:16
2. “[E]arthquakes so powerful that even the heavens tremble” D&C 84:118
3. “[P]lagues so terrible that men’s flesh will fall from their bones, and their yes from their sockets” D&C 29:18-19
4. “[T]hunders so loud that they reach to the very ends of the earth” D&C 43:21
5. “[B]lood, and fire, and vapors of smoke” D&C 45:41
6. “[T]imes so frightening that men’s hearts shall fail them” D&C 88:91
7. “[A] presence so brilliant that the sun hides its face in shame” D&C 133:49
8. “[T]he elements melt with fervent heat” D&C 101:24-25
9. “[T]he waters boil and the mountains fall down in the face of that presence” D&C 133:41, 44
B. Why We Should “Be Not Troubled,” Calamities Notwithstanding
1. Christ’s Answer: We Can Anticipate His Coming – “Be not troubled, for, when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made to you shall be fulfilled . . . Even so it shall be in that day when they shall see all these things, then shall they know that the hour is nigh. And it shall come to pass that he that feareth me shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of Man.” Doctrine & Covenants 45:35, 38-39, at Coming 218, ellipses in original.
2. Elder Marion G. Romney’s Answer: We May Have Part Coming Events – “Not only do I hope that we are familiar with these coming events, I hope that we keep the vision of them continually before our minds. This I do because upon a knowledge of them, and an assurance of their reality and a witness that each of us may have part therein, rests the efficacy of Christ’s admonition, ‘be not troubled. . . .’” Elder Marion G. Romney, Conference Report, October, 1966, 51- 52, italics removed, ellipses in Bro. Lund’s original at Coming 219.
3. Bro. Lund’s Answer: Signs are the Lord’s Assurance That He Will Fulfill His Promises – “The Lord instructed his disciples that when they saw all of these things which he had fortold come to pass then they would know that his coming was near and he would shortly fulfill his promises to them. It is faith in the fulfillment of these prophecies that allows one to ‘be not troubled,’ for the Lord has abundantly promised that through all of the strife and turmoil, he shall prevail and conquer at last. And with him in that conquest shall be those who have qualified as saints of the Most High God.” Coming 219.
4. How to Respond to Calamities: John Taylor – “[T]hese things are in the hands of God, he dictates the affairs of the human family, and directs and controls our affairs; and the great thing that we, as a people, have to do is to seek after and cleave unto our God, to be in close affinity with him and to seek for his guidance, and his blessing and Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in the right path. Then it matters not what it is nor who it is that we have to contend with, God will give us strength according to our day.” Coming 220, quoting John Taylor, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 18, p, 281, November 5, 1876.
C. The Lord Protects His Own
1. Wilford Woodruff: Whence Protection? – “Can you tell me where the people are who will be shielded and protected from these great calamities and judgments . . . ? I’ll tell you. The priesthood of God who honor their priesthood and who are worthy of their blessings are the . . . ones who shall have this safety and protection.” Wilford Woodruff, “The Temple Workers’ Excursion,” The Young Women’s Journal, August 1894 512, ellipses added, quoted at Coming 221.
a. I Think Elder Woodruff’s Assurance of Protection Needs Some Caveats – For just a few of many examples:
i. Romans 8:28: Whatever happens to us—good or bad—if we are faithful, the Lord will ensure that it works for our good
ii. Matthew 5:45: “He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust”
iii. Daniel 3:17-18: “[O]ur God whom we serve is able to deliver
us”; “But if not”
iv. Matthew 10:28: “Fear not them which kill the body”; “[F]ear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell”
v. Job 19:28: “Though skin worms”—or anything else—“destroy this body, I know that in my flesh I shall see God”
D. The Last Days: A Choice Blessing
1. Will Our Progeny Regard Us With the Same Reverence that We Regard the Pioneers? – Will those who look back on the faithful who lived through the Last Days regard them with the same reverence that we regard the Pioneers for bearing up under all they endured? See Coming 223.
2. How Might We Participate in These Great Events? – Might we be among those privileged to build the Temple in Zion? To help build Zion otherwise? To have a special guest for dinner, at Family Home Evening, or in a Temple session? To witness the return of the Lost Ten Tribes, to meet and converse with them? To participate in the council at Adam-Ondi-Ahman? To be among the 144,000 missionary high priests? To see the face of the Lord? See Coming 224-225.
3. Future Generations Will Call Us Blessed – “Our name will be handed down to future ages; our children will rise up and call us blessed; and generations yet unborn will dwell with particular delight upon the scenes that we have passed through, the privations that we have endured; the untiring zeal that we have manifested; the all but insurmountable difficulties that we have overcome in laying the foundation of a work that brought about the glory and blessing which they will realize.” Joseph Smith, Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 4, pp. 609, 610, May 2, 1842, italics removed, at Coming 225.
E. Those Counted Worthy to Stand
1. The Worthy Will Stand – To withstand the trials that will come upon us in the last days, we must be worthy. See Coming 226-227.
2. The Five Who Are Wise – Remember the Parable of the Ten Virgins: Do you have sufficient oil for your lamp? “Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 25:1-13. See Coming 227-228.
a. How Do We Get the Oil We Need? –Coming 228, quoting Doctrine and Covenants 45:56-57
i. Be wise
ii. Receive the truth
iii. Take the Holy Spirit for our guide
iv. Be not deceived
3. Unshakable Testimony Required – Elder Harold B. Lee warned that only an unshakable testimony of the divinity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would allow one to withstand the trials of the last days. Harold B. Lee, Conference Report, October, 1950 129, quoted at Coming 228.
4. Anxiously Prepare to Withstand the Signs, Don’t Be Anxious to See the Signs – Don’t be anxious to see the signs of the times, be anxious in preparing to withstand the signs of the times. See Coming 228-229.
5. Four—Actually Five—Steps to Prepare for the Second Coming and the Millennium: Harold B. Lee – Harold B. Lee, Conference Report, October 1956 61-62 at Coming 229.
a. Learn “the personality and the nature of God and his son, Jesus Christ”
b. “[A]ccept the divinity of the mission of Jesus as the Savior of the world”
c. “[B]e cleansed and purified and sanctified to be made worthy to receive and abide that holy presence”
d. “[A]ccept the divine mission of the prophet Joseph Smith as the instrumentality through which the restoration of the gospel and the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ was accomplished”
e. Heed the prophet’s words as though they had come from the Lord’s own mouth: 5th step – President Harold B. Lee, “Uphold the Hands of the President of the Church,” The Improvement Era, December 1970 126, italics removed, at Coming 230.
F. “If Ye Are Prepared, Ye Shall Not Fear”
1. Don’t Fear, Prepare – If the primary emotion we feel when contemplating the Second Coming is fear, perhaps we should examine our relationship with the Savior: “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear”—Doctrine and Covenants 38:30 at Coming 230.
2. Elder John A. Widtsoe’s Counsel for Overcoming Fear Relating to Last Days –Coming 231, citation unclear.
a. Fear is borne of weakness and sin
b. “Many a blessing is withheld because of our fears”
c. The key to overcoming fear is to trust God more than we trust man
d. Righteous living is the way to banish fear
e. We must have trust, faith, hope, and charity
f. Remember Christ’s promise: “Be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord God am with you, and will stand by you” (D&C 68:6)
Protesters Demonstrate After Police Shooting—But No, This One Isn’t What You Think
By Ken K. Gourdin
Now, not only do people protest law enforcement when officers shoot someone. And not only do such protests occur regardless of the circumstances that led to the shooting—regardless whether the person who was shot had a weapon at the time, regardless what he might have been doing with that weapon at the time, and regardless whether anyone (law enforcement officer or member of the general public) was at imminent risk of serious bodily injury or death.
Now, people protest when law enforcement officers get shot. Someone might say, “Well, perhaps this is a counter-protest to all of the protests mentioned in the first paragraph. Perhaps it is a demonstration in support of the police. Perhaps it is the response of law-abiding people to anti-police sentiment.” I don’t deny that such pro-police demonstrations have occurred, and, as the son, brother, and cousin of law enforcement officers, certainly, I am grateful for the pro-law-enforcement sentiment that underlies these expressions of support.
Now, the world has taken a decidedly Orwellian turn, in which down is up, wrong is right, and white is black. Now, not only do we protest to demonstrate (quite literally) our displeasure when a law enforcement officers shoot someone; now, we even demonstrate to show our support (our pleasure?) when law enforcement officers get shot.
As CBS Los Angeles notes, reportedly, protesters outside the hospital where the deputies are being treated chanted “We hope they die!” and impeded access of medics trying to bring patients they had transported into the hospital for treatment. At last report, the deputies were in critical condition, so protesters might get their wish.* For law enforcement, talk about a “lose-lose,” “damned-if-they-do, damned-if-they-don’t” situation: It’s hard to escape the conclusion that for far too many protesters, it’s law enforcement—not police brutality—to which they object the most.
*Update: Although the deputies are in critical condition, they are expected to survive.
Just Spend Less Money on the Police, and More Money on Social Workers! Problem Solved?
By Ken K. Gourdin
Do we ask police to do things that are best done by others—for example, social workers? Yes. Often, do police officers themselves even protest, “Hey, we’re not social workers!”? Yes. Okay. Fine. Well and good. Correct on both counts.
But here’s the challenge when we say, “Okay, since we’re asking police to do things that are best done by social workers, why not just take money we’re now putting in the ‘police’ pot and move it to the ‘social work’ pot?”
Someone has to secure that scene. That is one big reason why, when people call 911, it is police (and not social workers, even if, ultimately, the latter are best suited to handle the situation) who respond first. Only once the scene is secure can social workers do what they do best—and what police don’t do best.
The fewer police officers there are, the harder it’s going to be, and the longer it’s going to take, to secure that scene. (Remember, we’ve shifted money from the ‘police’ pot to the ‘social work’ pot.) “Don’t worry about securing the scene!” we might say. “If someone who calls 911 wants a social worker, he should get a social worker—and not a police officer!” Okay.
But who’s going to get blamed the first time someone calls 911 and says, “I don’t want the police. Don’t send me the police. I want a social worker,” who, then, knowing that the police won’t bother responding because he’s made it clear that he wants a social worker and not the police, shoots and kills the social worker who responds?
Commentary on the passing scene 