By Frank M. Keele
There is so much craziness going on in the world today ranging from the war in Ukraine to the more recent conflict between Israel and Hamas which appears to have the potential of spreading and could yet involve many more nations.
Was President Nelson shooting ahead of the target when he showed us where we were in the timeline leading to these wars back in April conference of 2020? Here’s what he said:
“We live in the day that “our forefathers have awaited with anxious expectation.” We have front-row seats to witness live what the prophet Nephi saw only in vision, that “the power of the Lamb of God” would descend “upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.”
You, my brothers and sisters, are among those men, women, and children whom Nephi saw. Think of that!”
Yes, “think of that” indeed, because when we go to the 14th chapter of 1 Nephi and continue reading verses 15-17 we find out that warfare is the very next thing in the sequence, we read:
15 And it came to pass that I beheld that the wrath of God was poured out upon that great and abominable church, insomuch that there were wars and rumors of wars among all the nations and kindreds of the earth.
16 And as there began to be wars and rumors of wars among all the nations which belonged to the mother of abominations, the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold, the wrath of God is upon the mother of harlots; and behold, thou seest all these things—
17 And when the day cometh that the wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots, which is the great and abominable church of all the earth, whose founder is the devil, then, at that day, the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel.
Since President Nelson gave the above statement, the world and particularly those nations who identify with “the mother of harlots” have plummeted into conflict and the potential for widening conflict appears to have almost no limits. However, in verse 17 above we are informed that these “mother of harlots” associated wars also mark the time when “the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel.”
So, a midst all the conflict we see that “the work of the Father shall commence” and these wars prepare “the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel”. As a result of all the chaos, the nations of the earth shall fall and Christ’s millennial kingdom will replace them!
Now, all of these wars and conflicts are detailed in the prophecy of John and so Nephi is next told about John and is informed that he will be shown the same visions that John saw, though he is not to steal John’s thunder, we read:
18 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying: Look!
19 And I looked and beheld a man, and he was dressed in a white robe.
20 And the angel said unto me: Behold one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
21 Behold, he shall see and write the remainder of these things; yea, and also many things which have been.
22 And he shall also write concerning the end of the world.
23 Wherefore, the things which he shall write are just and true; and behold they are written in the book which thou beheld proceeding out of the mouth of the Jew; and at the time they proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, or, at the time the book proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, the things which were written were plain and pure, and most precious and easy to the understanding of all men.
24 And behold, the things which this apostle of the Lamb shall write are many things which thou hast seen; and behold, the remainder shalt thou see.
25 But the things which thou shalt see hereafter thou shalt not write; for the Lord God hath ordained the apostle of the Lamb of God that he should write them.
26 And also others who have been, to them hath he shown all things, and they have written them; and they are sealed up to come forth in their purity, according to the truth which is in the Lamb, in the own due time of the Lord, unto the house of Israel.
27 And I, Nephi, heard and bear record, that the name of the apostle of the Lamb was John, according to the word of the angel.
28 And behold, I, Nephi, am forbidden that I should write the remainder of the things which I saw and heard; wherefore the things which I have written sufficeth me; and I have written but a small part of the things which I saw.
Nephi’s visions and writings give us great insight into the events of our day but if we want to really understand how these wars relate to “the end of the world” we have to go to John’s writings. We can divide what John says about these conflicts into two separate sequences…
Sequence One
This sequence leads up to the burning of “the mother of harlots” or “whore of all the earth” which is among the wicked gentiles. Their destruction precedes the coming of the Bridegroom to His saints and the descent of the New Jerusalem, which is the opening of the seventh seal, the beginning of the millennium and the half hour of silence.
Sequence Two
Here we have events that flow from sequence one and lead to the Lord’s appearance to the Jews in connection with the battle of Armageddon. This sequence is the easier one to understand because it is nicely documented in Revelation chapters eight through eleven where we have seven angels blowing trumpets which count down to the final event. All Christendom has ready access to and accepts what is found in these chapters.
The first sequence which leads to the Lord’s establishing the American Zion or the New Jerusalem is hidden from the world or those who have not yet embraced the doctrine of the restoration. (and some who have LOL…) Because the world at large is focused on Jerusalem and events that unfold there, they will be blindsided when they see “the sign of the Son of Man in heaven” when He will appear to “the elect according to the covenant” here in America next year. This is also when Christ will “come as a thief in the night” because the world won’t be looking for or expecting it.
On the other hand, how could the Lord’s appearance to the Jews be a surprise to anyone who has read Revelation 8 through 11? There will be an army of 200 million laying siege to Jerusalem for 42 month leading up to the Lord’s appearance… that doesn’t exactly fit the definition of a surprise, does it?
John gave us insight into the first sequence in a couple of places, first we go to Rev 13 where we read:
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Here John speaks of the wicked gentiles of our day, they are “the mother of harlots” that Nephi mentions above and they are permitted to “make war with the saints and to overcome them” for a time, sounds like the present American administration doesn’t it? They are making war on us and we are “overcome” in the sense that they won’t follow the constitution or the rule of law and have totally corrupted the vote… and when the vote no longer works your toast, right? We are at the point of no return and where the Lord steps in, dooms the wicked gentiles and delivers His saints. John says, “he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword”… and so he tells us how they will go down!
One thing we know about the present administration is that it began on Jan 20, 2021 (inauguration day) and these wicked gentiles are limited to just 42 months in order to accomplish their dastardly deeds! John explains, “and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months”. When we count forward 42 months or 1260 days we end up with July 3, 2024 and so it’s easy to see that we are well into this first sequence with only a bit over eight months to go as of this post…
The other place where John wrights about “the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters” is in Rev 17. To be brief we shall go to the crux of the whole matter, we read:
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
16 And the ten horns (ten nations) which thou sawest upon the beast, (beast = Russia) these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Apparently, eleven nations will combine to burn “the whore” or the wicked gentiles “with fire”. These wicked woke gentiles perpetually bully other nations and even make war in order to have their way. It’s not hard to see that Russia and China have both the motive and ability to be a part of this gang of eleven nations.
As stated above, the world is presently deep into the first sequence of wars that lead to the demise of the wicked gentiles and the Lord’s first appearance here in America. Of this process Ezra Taft Benson said:
“The Lord has declared that before the second coming of Christ it will be necessary to “. . . destroy the secret works of darkness, . . .” in order to preserve the land of Zion—the Americas”. (2 Nephi 10:11-16.) (Oct. general conference, 1961)
Elder Benson also showed us how to identify when this cleansing was about to take place and the means by which it would come, said he:
“But on the other hand, if the gentiles on this land reject the word of God and conspire to overthrow liberty and the Constitution, then their doom is fixed, and they “. . . shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant”. (1 Nephi 14:6; 3 Nephi 21:11, 14, 21; D&C 84:114-115, 117)
“The great destructive force which was to be turned loose on the earth and which the prophets for centuries have been calling the “abomination of desolation” is vividly described by those who saw it in vision. Ours is the first generation to realize how literally these prophecies can be fulfilled now that God, through science, has unlocked the secret to thermonuclear reaction. (Oct. general conference, 1961)
So here we stand, we “have front-row seats to witness live what the prophet Nephi saw only in vision” as President Nelson said… and we likewise have front row seats to the unfolding of John’s prophecies where these last days wars and conflicts are concerned. We have been placed here “during this great climax in the longstanding battle between good and evil—between truth and error” as President Nelson has further stated. My we earnestly seek to understand the times we live in and what part the Lord would have play as we prepare for the coming of the Bridegroom…