Second Coming of Jesus Christ

            The Second Coming of Jesus Christ draws nearer every day. Those with “eyes to see” and “ears to hear” are aware that the world is spinning into destruction just as Isaiah and many other prophets have foretold. Here are just a few of the words in Isaiah 24 prophesying of the conditions in the world in the last days as shared by Brent L. Top.

·         The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled (v. 3).

·         The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away (v. 4).

·         The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left (vv. 5-6).

·         All joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone (v. 11).

·         The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly (v. 19).

·         The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again (v. 20).

·         Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed (v. 23).

            There are other scriptures in the Bible as well as in the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants prophesizing about the Last Days. We are told that there will be wars and rumors of wars. People will be “weeping” and “wailing.” There will be flies and maggots. Flesh will be falling from bones, and eyeballs will fall from their sockets.

            These prophecies and others tell of terrible times ahead for us, and we have the right to be anxious. However, we need not fear if our faith in Jesus Christ is strong enough. After Top shares the above prophecies, he states the following.

As we see many of the signs of the times fulfilled right before our eyes – “wars and rumors of wars,” “the whole earth … in commotion,” “men’s hearts shall fail them,” “iniquity shall abound” (Doctrine and Covenants 45:26-27) –  it would be easy to become discouraged, even fearful. Yet the Savior has assured us, “Be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:6). Despite the deterioration of society, with the rapid decline of long-held moral and ethical values, the full-scale assault on religion and religious people, and the many ways in which family solidarity and happiness are being eroded, we can be optimistic – even joyous.

            If the Lord wants us to be optimistic about the future, why would He inspire His prophets to tell us that there are frightening events ahead? The simple truth is that He gives us these warnings in order that we might be prepared to face them. The prophet Amos explains that “the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). God wants us to be aware of what is coming, and He sends the messages to us through His prophets, both ancient and modern day. He has prophets and apostles on earth today through whom He gives us His words. Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is one of them, and he gave the following counsel while speaking at a devotional at Brigham Young University on August 18, 2015. 

As we find our way in a world less attentive to the commandments of God, we will certainly be prayerful, but we need not be overly alarmed. The Lord will bless His Saints with the added spiritual power necessary to meet the challenges of our day.

Here is my major theme this morning: As evil increases in the world, there is a compensatory spiritual power for the righteous. As the world slides from its spiritual moorings, the Lord prepares the way for those who seek Him, offering them greater assurance, greater confirmation, and greater confidence in the spiritual direction they are traveling. The gift of the Holy Ghost becomes a brighter light in the emerging twilight.

To understand better, think of these comparisons: If the world were growing more physically dark, He could give us enhanced night vision. If loud noises were constantly in our ears, He could give us a filtering mechanism to block the unwanted sound. If the race we were running was extended, He could give us increased lung and muscle capacity. If the exam we were taking was more difficult, He could quicken our minds….

My brothers and sisters, as evil increases in the world, there is a compensatory power, an additional spiritual endowment, a revelatory gift for the righteous.

This added blessing of spiritual power does not settle upon us just because we are part of this generation. It is willingly offered to us; it is eagerly put before us. But as with all spiritual gifts, it requires our desiring it, pursuing it, and living worthy of receiving it….

Faith is the muscle of spiritual knowledge and power. Faith is a spiritual gift of God, but it is developed and magnified as we eagerly pursue our journey of embracing and following the Savior….

I emphasize once again: As evil increases in the world, the Lord does not leave us on the same footing. In a world that would diminish or discard or impair belief, there is an added spiritual power for those who are willing to set their course on increasing their faith in Jesus Christ.

            As shared by Elder Andersen, there are great blessings in store for those who love the Lord enough to keep His commandments and to prepare for His Second Coming. The only thing that we need to do is to follow Him and watch for Him. As an Apostle of the Lord, Elder Andersen promised that we will receive “added spiritual power” if we will stay on the gospel path and increase our faith in Jesus Christ.

            My thoughts keep going back to the words of the current Prophet of the Lord, even President Russell M. Nelson, in the April 2019 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These are the words with which he closed his remarks. 

My dear brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ invites us to take the covenant path back home to our Heavenly Parents and be with those we love. He invites us to “come, follow me.”

Now, as President of His Church, I plead with you who have distanced yourselves from the Church and with you who have not yet really sought to know that the Savior’s Church has been restored. Do the spiritual work to find out for yourselves, and please do it now. Time is running out.

            We have the words of many prophets and numerous signs telling us that the Savior will be returning soon. We can be like the foolish virgins who ran out of oil just as they needed it, or we can be like the wise virgins who took extra oil for their lamps. (See Matthew 25:1-13.) The choice is ours, but His return is coming sooner rather than later according to the signs of the times.