It will be a GREAT DAY for those who are prepared, although not yet perfect, and a DREADFUL DAY for those who have procrastinated and chosen the things of the world over discipleship to Jesus.
The Jews were expecting a single coming of the Messiah to deliver them from the world powers that controlled them. The Babylonians? The Persians? The Greeks? In the days when Jesus was among the Jews, they expected to be saved by a military Savior, a Lion of the Lord. The Jews were looking for a Moses or a Joshua or a political and physical Redeemer from the Romans. They did not understand that there would be two comings of the Messiah. The first coming of the Redeemer was a mission of the “Lamb.” Jesus came to be mankind’s Great Exemplar, to mark the path and lead the way and every point define. He would do so as the Lamb of God (Isaiah 53:1-12). He used his mortal powers of faith, turning his heart to the Father’s will, being baptized, receiving and being guided by the Holy Ghost (Luke 3:21), and enduring to the end of his mortal life to mark the path (John 19:30). Using his Divine Powers over death, which he received from the Father (John 10:17-18), Jesus overcame spiritual death in the Garden of Gethsemane, (providing a way for us to repent) and overcame physical death through his the resurrection from the Garden Tomb, (opening the door for all of Adam’s and Eve’s posterity to resurrect; 1 Corinthians 15:22). Overcoming both spiritual death and physical death were a part of the mission of the Lamb of God. This was the supernal Atonement prophesied from before the world began for Jesus Christ, the Anointed One (1 Peter 1:18-20).
The disciples of Jesus were not aware of a Second Coming of the Messiah until Jesus taught them late in his ministry. They believed that the Lion and the Lamb comings would be a single appearance. It wasn’t until Jesus explained to them at the Temple that he would return again that they understood the doctrine of a Second Coming.
“For I say unto you, that ye shall not see me henceforth and know that I am he of whom it is written by the prophets, until ye shall say: Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord, in the clouds of heaven, and all the holy angels with him. Then understood his disciples that he should come again on the earth, after that he was glorified and crowned on the right hand of God (JS Matthew 1:1).”
The disciples were reminded that Jesus would return in a cloud to the Mount of Olives by two angels, when the Resurrected Christ ascended into heaven from that very Mount of Olives. “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 (Acts 1:9-12).
The exact time of the Second Coming of the Messiah is known only to the Father. No man or prophet, nor the angels in heaven knows the day or the hour of the Second Coming except the Father (Matthew 24:36). However the righteous are justified in looking for the signs of the time. The faithful righteous seek for preparation in looking for signs.
And it shall come to pass that he that feareth [respects] 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. And they shall see signs and wonders, for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath. And they shall behold blood, and fire, and vapors of smoke. And before the day of the Lord shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars fall from heaven. And the remnant shall be gathered unto this place; 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 watches not for me shall be cut off (D&C 45:39-44). “They shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven (Matthew 24:30).
The final sign is the Second Coming of Jesus. The wicked seek for signs as a substitute for faith. They want external proof of God’ existence. By the time the wicked see the Resurrected Jesus coming in the clouds of glory, it will be too late to escape the purifying fire that will cleanse the earth. Some refer to the time just preceding the Second Coming as the “Tribulation.”[1] Those prophets who have seen the “Tribulation” compare it to the days of Noah just prior to the Flood (Matthew 24:37). People were going about their daily routine. They were marrying and giving in marriage, buying and selling and carrying on with life. There were wars in divers’ places and rumors of more wars to come.
We can expect that the news will report on the tragedies of the day such as we are exposed to everyday. The frequency of natural disasters will be on the increase. For example we read of three hundred killed in a tsunami in the Philippines, when the sea cast herself beyond her bounds; 2,000 killed by a volcanic eruption in Guatemala; 10,000 starved to death in Africa from a combination of war and famine. Extended cold weather can be expected to wipe out the citrus fruits in California and Florida. War, pestilence, and famine will become so common place that most people will be unaffected by the news. Their sense of compassion will become dull.
There are still a great many terrestrial and honest people on earth who will survive the holocaust. The true disciples of Jesus will be few but they will be found around the world in every nation, kindred, and tongue. Those struggling to be righteous will find that persecution in one form or another will be unrelenting. Good people will die at the hands of the rich, powerful and wicked. The faithful will patiently await the coming of Jesus.
Major Signs of the Second Comings of Jesus Christ
- The Restoration of the Gospel Keys: (1820-1844) Beginning with the First Vision in 1820.
- The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon (1830). The Book of Mormon would come to the descendants of the Lamanites (3 Nephi 21). Isaiah and Ezekiel saw the coming of the Book of Mormon (Isaiah 29:4–18; Ezekiel 37:16–20). The Book of Mormon is being taken to all the world. As of Jan. 1, 2019, ninety full translations of the Book of Mormon have been published and twenty-one portions of the Book of Mormon have been translated in 111 languages, five more languages are in the process of being translated.
- The Gospel Preached to All the World (1830-Present).
- The Coming of Elijah (Malachi 4:5-6, Kirtland Temple 1836, D&C 110:14-16). All kindred and nations will be going to the Temples (Isa 2:2-3, Official Declaration 2, June 8, 1978).
- Jews gathered and become a Jewish nation. (May 15, 1948, Orson Hyde dedicatory prayer 1840, D&C 77:15).
- Rebuild Old Jerusalem. (June 5-10, 1967: Six Day War, D&C 77:15).
- Building of the New Jerusalem: Just before the time of the coming of Jesus Christ, the faithful Saints will build a righteous city of the pure in heart, Zion, a city of God, called the New Jerusalem. Jesus Christ Himself will rule there. (3 Nephi 21:23–25; Moses 7:62–64; Articles of Faith 1:10.) The Lord said the city will be built in the state of Missouri in the United States (D&C 84:2–3).
- Christ makes several appearances to Isles of the sea [Jewish idiom for distant places], Zion and the Mount of Olives (D&C 133:20). Technically, we should refer to the “Second Comings of the Lord” because Christ will make several appearances under the title of the Second Coming. Among Christ’s visits will be the one to Adam-ondi Ahman (D&C 116): The largest Sacrament meeting ever to be held on earth will consist of the faithful saints from all Dispensations of the Gospel being in attendance.
- The final three-and-a-half years leading up to the Second Coming of Christ will be a time of tribulation for Israel and for the entire world. The world ruler, the anti-Christ of the end time will not only claim political rule over all nations but will also claim to be God (Rev. 13:8).
- All nations [United Nations?] will gather against Israel. The invading army will gather at “Har Megiddo” [Armageddon] in norther Israel’s Jezreel Valley. They will destroy everything in their pathway, children will be killed, women will be violated and eventually half of the city of Jerusalem will have been destroyed or captured.
- Two Prophets from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are to preach 3 ½ years, they will be killed and left dead in the streets of Jerusalem for 3 ½ days. Their resurrection from the dead will coincide with Jesus descending from heaven at his world-wide Second Coming on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. They will be resurrected in front of the Jews by Jesus and join him in the “clouds of glory.” (Revelation 11:3-12).
The Actual Second Coming Event
- Christ will come in the clouds of glory surrounded by the Twelve Apostles and unnumbered heavenly host from Adam to the present. Including 144,000 High Priests, 12,000 from each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, temple workers[2] (D&C 77:11). Righteous terrestrial and celestial will be caught up to meet Christ in the clouds (Some translated? Some resurrected)
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thess. 4:16-17) But before the arm of the Lord shall fall, an angel shall sound his trump, and the saints that have slept shall come forth to meet me in the cloud (D&C 45:45). Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Rev 1:7).
The righteous will resurrect [both Celestial and Terrestrial] (D&C 29:13). Graves from around the world will be opened up and as resurrected beings join the heavenly throng surrounding Jesus.
The wicked, meaning those living a telestial standard (D&C 76:81-89), will not be lifted up from the earth and return to the paradisiacal earth. They will literally burn as stubble as the earth is purified and baptized with fire. They will be delivered to hell until they learn by the things they suffer to conform their lives to living with the Holy Ghost (D&C 19:15-18; 105:6).
Wherefore, all those who are proud, and that do wickedly, the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, for they shall be as stubble. And they that kill the prophets, and the saints, the depths of the earth shall swallow them up, saith the Lord of Hosts; and mountains shall cover them, and whirlwinds shall carry them away, and buildings shall fall upon them and crush them to pieces and grind them to powder. And they shall be visited with thunderings, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and all manner of destructions, for the fire of the anger of the Lord shall be kindled against them, and they shall be as stubble, and the day that cometh shall consume them, saith the Lord of Hosts (2 Nephi 26:4-6, Isaiah 47:14).
Last of all, these all are they who will not be gathered with the saints, to be caught up unto the church of the Firstborn, and received into the cloud. These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie. These are they who suffer the wrath of God on earth. These are they who suffer the vengeance of eternal fire. These are they who are cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of Almighty God, until the fullness of times, when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under his feet,[3] and shall have perfected his work (D&C 76:102-106).
As the earth reels to and fro and leaves its orbit around the sun, several phenomena appear. Those returning with Christ will see these events. (Isaiah 13:13; 24:19-20; Rev. 6:12-14).
- The sun becomes dark.
- The moon will appear to turn red as the earth leaves its orbit.
- The stars will appear to fall from the sky as it returns to an orbit around Kolob.[4]
The millennial reign of Christ begins (D&C 29:11). The earth will have returned to its paradisiacal [Garden of Eden Terrestrial] state. (Tenth Article of Faith). The Millennial work for the redemption of the dead will continue throughout the Millennium until every ordinance necessary for the redemption of the dead has been completed. Once the law of justice and the law of mercy have had their ends met every soul except sons of perdition will have been redeemed. They will have repented on earth or in hell, they will have been baptized and they will enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost throughout eternity. Praise the Lord.
Yea, verily, the only ones who shall not be redeemed in the due time of the Lord, after the sufferings of his wrath. For all the rest shall be brought forth by the resurrection of the dead, through the triumph and the glory of the Lamb, who was slain, who was in the bosom of the Father before the worlds were made. And this is the gospel, the glad tidings, which the voice out of the heavens bore record unto us—That he came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness; That through him all might be saved whom the Father had put into his power and made by him; Who glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of his hands, except those sons of perdition who deny the Son after the Father has revealed him. Wherefore, he saves all except them.
(D&C 76:38-44).
No wonder the sons of God shouted for joy and the mourning stars sang together because the Father has provided a Plan of Salvation for every willing soul and only a Plan of Damnation for sons of perdition.
“Shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free. Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. All the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! (D&C 128:22-24).
[1] The term “Tribulation” comes from Matthew 24:29 where Jesus referred to the “Tribulation of those days” where the sun is darkened, and the moon fails to give her light, and the stars fall from heaven. Tribulation is used today to mean all the events prior to the Second Coming of Christ.
[2] There is only one place you can become a member of the Church of the First Born, which is the Patriarchal Order of the Priesthood, and that is in the House of the Lord including washing, anointing, endowment and by entering the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage. A single endowed person is a member of the Temple covenant.
[3] Christ’s mission will not have been completed until Lucifer and the sons of Perdition are cast off of the Millennial earth into outer darkness and every last man or woman who were born on earth has received a resurrection from the dead. The telestial on earth will have become sanctified through repentance in hell and baptism and be worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. The Telestial resurrect at the end of the Millennium. This means that some of the Telestial will have spent 1,000 years in the refiner’s fire of hell. When everyone that can be cleansed has been cleansed is when Jesus can present the earth and all except sons of perdition to the Father “spotless” (D&C 76:107).
[4] John Taylor, The Vision, by NB Lundwall, p. 146