At Least Twice As Is Recorded In The Doctrine And Covenants Joseph Saw The Face Of The Son Of Man
But there are other aspects of fulfillment that should also be considered. We do not know when it was that the Prophet earnestly prayed to know the time of the Lord’s coming. The context, , shows that it may have taken place in 1832 or earlier. At least twice, as is recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants, Joseph saw the face of the Son of Man. D& C 76:20-24 and D& C 110:2-10 both record appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ, either of which may constitute fulfillment of the Lord’s prophetic promise. He may also have seen the Lord’s face at the time of his death in 1844, as he pondered in D& C 130:16.
Joseph made reference to the incident on at least two other occasions, and indicated that his belief was not that the Lord would come by the time of his 85th birthday, but rather that the Lord would not come before that time, which of course was a correct prophecy.
In the History of the Church:
I prophesy in the name of the Lord God, and let it be written–the Son of Man will not come in the clouds of heaven till I am eighty-five years old.
Again, Joseph Smith doesn’t say the Lord will come then, but that He will not come before that time. The return to his age 85 shows that all these remarks derive from the same interpretation of his somewhat opaque revelation from the Lord, who seems determined to tell his curious prophet nothing further.
Signs Of The Saviors Second Coming
False Christs, Apostasy from truth, False ProphetsFor many shall come in my name, sayingI am Christand shall deceive many Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated of all nations, for my names sake And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many. For in those days there shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant .
Jesus clearly warned His disciples to cling to His teachings prior to His second coming. One way Mormons believe that is possible is by maintaining a relationship with God, following promptings of the Holy Ghost, and through the enabling power of Jesus Christs atonement. God promised that He would follow a pattern to reveal His truths: through prophets, through two or more witnesses, through priesthood authority and church organization.
President Joseph F. Smith counseled
Flourishing sin causes Love to was coldAnd because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold .
As sin invades our lives, we tend to grow more selfish and self-centered, viewing those around us as obstacles and opponents to our happiness. Our sinful self-interest does not allow for compassion or empathy, until finally love extinguishes.
Elder M. Russell Ballard said,
The Second Coming Of Christ
Elder LeGrand Richards
Of the Council of the Twelve
I would like to extend, with all of you, my love and welcome to these new General Authorities, and my greatest desire and wish for them is that they will get as much joy and happiness out of their service as I have had in the forty years since I was sustained as one of the General Authorities of the Church.
I thought today I would like to refer to the fact that a week ago the entire Christian world celebrated one of the greatest, if not the greatest, events that has transpired in this world since the foundations thereof were laid, and that is the resurrection of Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God. No wonder that after the apostles had seen him crucified and laid away in the tomb and the women brought the report that he had arisen from the dead, the apostles felt as if it were an idle tale. As Jesus walked along the road with two of his disciples on the way to Emmaus following his resurrection , he heard what they had to say about him and his life and crucifixion. He realized that they didnât understand all that the prophets had said concerning him, and so he said: âO fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.â Then commencing with Moses and the prophets he showed them how in all things the prophets had testified of him, and that they did even to the minutest details, even to the casting of lots for his clothing at the time of his crucifixion.
And Peter said:
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Two Great World Capitals Are To Be Established
And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem .
The Savior Will Not Come To All As A Thief In The Night
The apostle Paul explained to the leaders of the meridian Saints: But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night . That is, he will come suddenly, unexpectedly, when the generality of humankind is unprepared, unready, not watching. For such persons, the Lords Advent will be an unwelcome event. For far too many, it will be terrible.
But is this true for the members of the Church of Jesus Christ? Will the covenant people be similarly engaged in eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage meaning, will they be going about their mundane tasks, distracted and preoccupied, inattentive and unaware of the signs preceding the Masters return? No, this need not be the case with the Saints of the Most High. Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Master clarified: And again, verily I say unto you, the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, and it overtaketh the world as a thief in the nighttherefore, gird up your loins, that you may be the children of light, and that day shall not overtake you as a thief . Remember Johns words: If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief .
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The Coming Forth Of The Book Of Mormon
The Lord told the Nephites of another sign: the Book of Mormon would come to their descendants . In Old Testament times the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel foresaw the coming of the Book of Mormon . These prophecies are now being fulfilled. The Book of Mormon has been brought forth and is being taken to all the world.
Restitution Of All Things
The Book of Acts states, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven 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.” It is believed that this means that there must be a restitution of all things before the Second Coming. The Book of Revelation says, “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people”. This gospel believed to be the same church that was on the earth when Christ was here initially, and that it must be restored to the earth. It would then be established throughout the world. The LDS Church believes that the true church that was originally formed became corrupted within decades of being established by Jesus Christ. Since God is the same yesterday, today and always, this restoration would need to be done through divine revelation, the same as it has been done in times of old.
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Opposition To The Restoration
It is believed that if there is truly a God, there must truly be a Devil. If there was true doctrine taught from God, then there must truly be a force that would do everything in his power to make men believe anything but the truth. That means that if there was a true Church established by revelation, that there must be great opposition to the truth, and that those people that followed it would be seen as strange and peculiar by most.
- Believed fulfillment state: Fulfilled
- The LDS Church believes this has been fulfilled, both with the persecution of the early Saints, and the way that many view the LDS Church and its people now. There are many rumors that persist which are blatant falsehoods about the people in the Church, ranging from the practice of polygamy to members participating in secretive Masonic temple rituals.
Things You Should Know About The Second Coming
Editors note: This article was originally published on LDSLiving.com in July 2018.
Studying the signs of the times and attempting to make sense of what events lie ahead are fascinating labors. When I began writing Living in the Eleventh Hour and Living in the Millennium, I thought I had a pretty good grasp of the prophetic picture. But in looking back on the months of study and writing, I have to admit that I learned a great deal there were a number of things that were either new to me or matters that required me to do some serious rethinking and reassessment. Some of these matters you might have questions about, too.
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It Is Possible For Humble Followers To Be Deceived
In describing some of the evil that will exist in the last days before the Second Coming, Nephi spoke of vain and foolish doctrines, pride, secret works of darkness, false teachers, and false churches that persecute the poor. Then he adds: They wear stiff necks and high heads yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ.
But unfortunately, Nephi does not stop there. He goes on to point out that in many instances these humble followers of Christ do err because they are taught by the precepts of men . Even some of the people of the covenant even those who have come out of the world into the kingdom through baptism even those who are active and faithful and observant, even some of these will fall prey to the precepts of men. That is, they yield to the persuasions of the learned, the popular, the politically correct, instead of trusting in the words of living prophets and deferring to that higher learning that comes by faith as well as by study .
A New Breed Of Preppers
In 2014, Rowe, a Mormon mother of three in Kansas City, Mo., detailed her near-death experience a decade earlier in A Greater Tomorrow: My Journey Beyond the Veil. She writes that she visited the afterlife and saw visions of the past and future.
The book took off, she says, selling more than 60,000 copies, and Rowe became a sought-after speaker.
Though she did not offer specific dates for predicted events, she did describe “cities of light,” including scores of white tents where people would live in the mountains and sometimes be fed heavenly “manna.” She saw a “bomb from Libya landing in Israel, but Iran will take credit.”
LDS Church headquarters received so many inquiries about Rowe that church officials sent a letter to administrators and teachers in the Church Educational System, saying that her book was not endorsed by the church and that her experiences do not necessarily reflect church doctrine, or they may distort doctrine.
Still, her popularity ballooned as she continued to publish books with Spring Creek Book Co. in Rexburg, Idaho, run by Chad Daybell.
In 2017, Rowe and Daybell addressed a Preparing a People Conference in Orem, which drew about 200 people.
That conference was the beginning of the end of her friendship with Daybell, Rowe says. I saw a lot of red flags.
She prophesied that church leaders would eventually visit her where she would be living in Idaho after the destruction in Salt Lake City, Blythe writes, and seek her forgiveness.
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The Gospel Preached To All The World
Another sign of the last days is that the âgospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nationsâ . All people will hear the fulness of the gospel in their own language . Ever since the Restoration of the Church, missionaries have preached the gospel. The missionary effort has increased until now tens of thousands of missionaries preach in many countries of the world in many languages. Before the Second Coming and during the Millennium, the Lord will provide ways to bring the truth to all nations.
The Land Of Jerusalem Is To Be Made Productive
The desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it .
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Jesus Christ Will Return To The Earth
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What are some of the signs of the Second Coming?
The Savior told Joseph Smith, âI will reveal myself from heaven with power and great glory ⦠and dwell in righteousness with men on earth a thousand years, and the wicked shall not standâ . Jesus has told us that certain signs and events will warn us when the time of His Second Coming is near.
For teachers: Consider assigning each class member or family member one or two of the signs described in this chapter . As part of the lesson, give them time on their own to study the information about those signs and think about evidence they have seen that the signs are being fulfilled today. Then have them share their insights with each other.
For thousands of years, followers of Jesus Christ have looked forward to the Second Coming as a time of peace and joy. But before the Savior comes, the people of the earth will experience great trials and calamities. Our Heavenly Father wants us to be prepared for these troubles. He also expects us to be spiritually ready when the Savior comes in His glory. Therefore, He has given us signs, which are events that will tell us when the Saviorâs Second Coming is near. Throughout the ages God has revealed these signs to His prophets. He has said that all faithful followers of Christ will know what the signs are and will be watching for them . If we are obedient and faithful, we will study the scriptures and know of the signs.
Death Of Joseph Smith
Whenever Latter Day Saints gathered in large numbers, they met with opposition from neighbors who suspected that Mormon bloc-voting would lead to theocracy. By the mid-1840s, many non-Mormons in Hancock County felt threatened by growing Mormon political power, commercial rivalries, and a new religion with at least two elements that were hard to digest in the religious community of that time: first, Latter Day Saints had a somewhat different perspective on the nature of God from traditional Protestants second, the claim of modern revelation, together with the claim of new scripture, opened the canon of the Bible.
Smith’s destruction of the Expositor exacerbated all these fears and non-Mormons throughout Illinois began to clamor for his arrest. When Smith submitted to imprisonment in the county seat of Carthage, the Governor of Illinois, Thomas Ford, left the jail, taking the only impartial local militia unit with him. With the jail being guarded only by two guards and a unit of anti-Mormon militiamen, the Carthage Greys, a mob of disbanded militia units, attacked without resistance. Joseph and his brother Hyrum were killed.
All men who were tried for the murders were acquitted after the prosecuting attorney dismissed the testimonies of the state’s witnesses suddenly in his closing remarks.
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Increased Family History Work
Elder D. Todd Christofferson said of preparing for the Lords return, What can we do to prepare now for that day? We can prepare ourselves as a people we can gather the Lords covenant people and we can help redeem the promise of salvation made to the fathers, our ancestors. All of this must occur in some substantial measure before the Lord comes again.
We can invite the spirit of God more fully into our lives and offer needed saving ordinances to our ancestors by participating in family history work. With so many temples closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no greater time. There is also no greater need for us to expand the blessings of the temple outside of the physical temple walls. Elder Dale G. Renlund shared some of the promises of the Lord for those who do their family history work, including increased understanding of the Savior, the ability and motivation to learn and repent, an abundance of joy, and a greater measure of the Holy Ghost in our lives.
We can help gather Israel on both sides of the veil when we do family history work.