Lesson 21: “Looking Forth for the Great Day of the Lord to Come” 1. The Savior will return to the earth in power and great glory. We are privileged to live in the dispensation of the fulness of times, when latter-day revelation teaches us great truths about the Second Coming, the events that will precede it, and the thousand years of peace that will begin when the Savior comes again. The Doctrine and Covenants provides a wealth of information on these important subjects. Just as every prophecy relating to the Savior’s birth was fulfilled, so too will every prophecy relating to His Second Coming be fulfilled. • D&C 29:9–11; 45:44. (Christ will come to earth in power and glory. The proud and the wicked will be burned, and there will not be wickedness on earth.) • D&C 34:7, 12; 43:17; 110:16. (The Second Coming is near.) • D&C 34:8, 11; 63:34. (All nations will tremble when the Savior comes. If we are faithful, His power and influence will be with us until He comes.) • D&C 45:45–54; 88:96–99. (The Saints who have died will be resurrected and come forth to meet the Savior. The Saints who are alive on the earth will be gathered to meet Him. He will come to the Mount of Olives, and it will divide. The Jews will recognize their Savior and weep because they persecuted Him. Then those who received the gospel in spirit prison will be resurrected.) • D&C 49:6. (The Savior will put all enemies under His feet.) • D&C 49:7. (No one, not even the angels, knows the hour or the day when the Savior will come.) • D&C 133:46–53. (The Savior will come in red apparel. His coming will be a time of vengeance upon the wicked and redemption for the righteous.) 2. The Millennium will be a time of joy and peace. The Savior’s Second Coming will usher in the thousand-year period called the Millennium. The tenth article of faith declares that during this time, “Christ will reign personally upon the earth,” and “the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.” Doctrine and Covenants 101 provides a description of the beauty and joy we can look forward to during the Millennium. What will life on earth be like during the Millennium? 1. D&C 101:23. (Everyone will be able to see the Savior.) 2. D&C 101:24. (All the wicked will be destroyed.) 3. D&C 101:25. (The earth will become new.) 4. D&C 101:26. (People and animals will live in peace.) 5. D&C 101:27. (People will be granted what they righteously desire.) 6. D&C 101:28; see also D&C 45:55; 88:110. (Satan will be bound and will not have power to tempt anyone.) 7. D&C 101:29. (There will be no sorrow or death.) 8. D&C 101:30–31. (A person will grow old, then be changed suddenly from mortal to immortal life.) 9. D&C 101:32–34. (The Lord will reveal all things about the earth and heaven, including how the earth was created and what will become of it.) 10. D&C 45:58. (Children will grow up without sin.) 11. D&C 45:59; 133:25. (The Lord will be the king and lawgiver for the whole earth.) How can this knowledge about the Millennium be a blessing in our lives now? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How does it help you to know that righteousness will eventually triumph over wickedness? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. We must prepare for the Second Coming. D&C 133:4, 10–11 Some people may feel that they can never do enough or be good enough to prepare adequately. They may become discouraged and feel that such preparation is impossible. However, the Lord has given counsel in the Doctrine and Covenants to teach us that we can prepare for this important event as part of our daily lives. What can we do in our lives now to prepare for the Second Coming? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. Watch for the signs of the Savior’s coming In the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord reveals many of the signs that will precede His Second Coming and encourages us to “be watchful” (D&C 61:38) Be Not Troubled - Video Why is it important for us to know about the signs that will precede the Savior’s Second Coming? D&C 45:36–39 What can we learn from this parable about why these signs have been given to us? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What are some of the signs that have been prophesied to precede the Savior’s Second Coming? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Positive signs D&C 45:9; 133:57–58. (The fulness of the gospel will be restored.) D&C 45:66–71. (The New Jerusalem will be built. It will be a place of peace and safety for the righteous in the last days.) D&C 65:2–6. (God’s kingdom will be established on the earth.) D&C 110:11–16. (Priesthood keys will be restored.) D&C 133:8–9, 36–39. (The gospel will be preached throughout the world.) Negative signs D&C 29:15; 88:91. (There will be great weeping, despair, and fear. Men’s hearts will fail them.) D&C 29:16; 45:31; 112:24. (There will be famines, scourges, sickness, and desolation.) D&C 34:9; 45:40–42; 88:87. (There will be signs and wonders in the heavens and in the earth.) D&C 45:26; 63:33. (There will be wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth will be in commotion.) D&C 45:27. (The love of men will become cold, and iniquity will abound.) D&C 45:33; 88:89–90. (There will be earthquakes, tempests, and great waves of the sea. Men will harden their hearts against God and fight each other.) Some of these prophecies have already been fulfilled, some are in the process of being fulfilled, and some await fulfillment. The Lord counseled us to “be not troubled” during the turmoil of the last days. D&C 45:35 How can we maintain hope and avoid feeling distressed when we are surrounded by the wickedness and turmoil of the last days? **D&C 38:30 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2. Stand in holy places D&C 27:15; 33:17. (Be steadfast in righteousness.) D&C 34:6; 39:19–20; 43:20–23. (Cry repentance and be repentant.) Why is repentance important in preparing for the Second Coming? D&C 45:32; 87:8; 101:22–23. (Stand in holy places.) What does it mean to “stand in holy places”? What are some of these holy places? (They could include our temples, our chapels, our homes, and the stakes of Zion.) What can we do to keep ourselves worthy and holy even when we are in worldly environments? D&C 45:56–57. (Have the Holy Spirit as our guide.) President Gordon B. Hinckley taught: “How do you prepare for the Second Coming? Well, you just do not worry about it. You just live the kind of life that if the Second Coming were to be tomorrow you would be ready. Nobody knows when it is going to happen. … Our responsibility is to prepare ourselves, to live worthy of the association of the Savior, to deport ourselves in such a way that we would not be embarrassed if He were to come among us. That is a challenge in this day and age” (Church News, 2 Jan. 1999, 2). Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve gave the following counsel: “Teenagers also sometimes think, ‘What’s the use? The world will soon be blown all apart and come to an end.’ That feeling comes from fear, not from faith. No one knows the hour or the day (see D&C 49:7), but the end cannot come until all of the purposes of the Lord are fulfilled. Everything that I have learned from the revelations and from life convinces me that there is time and to spare for you to carefully prepare for a long life. “One day you will cope with teenage children of your own. That will serve you right. Later, you will spoil your grandchildren, and they in turn spoil theirs. If an earlier end should happen to come to one, that is more reason to do things right” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 72; orEnsign, May 1989, 59).
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 06:10:40 +0000
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