Just as the Lord’s appearance to the Nephites was preceded by destruction, so shall the celansing of America pave the way for His appearance to us!
In a general conference talk 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)
The cleansing of America is a familiar topic to many of us and something that will surely come to pass according to scripture. In his statement above Elder Benson references 2 Ne. 10:11-16, we read:
11 And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles.
12 And I will fortify this land against all other nations.
13 and he that fighteth against zion shall perish, saith god.
14 for he that raiseth up a king against me shall perish, for i, the lord, the king of heaven, will be their king, and I will be a light unto them forever, that hear my words.
15 Wherefore, for this cause, that my covenants may be fulfilled which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh, I must needs destroy the secret works of darkness, and of murders, and of abominations.
16 Wherefore, he that fighteth against Zion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free, both male and female, shall perish; for they are they who are the whore of all the earth; for they who are not for me are against me, saith our God.
It’s quite easy to see what the Lord’s telling us here, He knew that the wicked gentiles of our day would attempt to overthrow constitutional law which the Lord Himself gave us and replace it with a dictator or king and abolish freedom. And that is exactly what’s happening presently, that is precisely what the present administration is up to.
But what does the Lord say about this? Well, first He says, “there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles”… so we know that the wicked gentiles will not succeed, right? And the Lord further declares, “for he that raiseth up a king against me shall perish, for I, the lord, the king of heaven, will be their king”. So what did the Lord just tell us?
1- The wicked gentiles will attempt to destroy liberty, freedom and constitutional law in favor of a king or dictator of some sort.
2- The Lord will respond to this by lowering the boom on them, “for he that raiseth up a king against me shall perish”
3- And what happens next… the Lord says “For I, the lord, the king of heaven, will be their king”
I don’t believe there is any better indicator of the nearness of the second coming than what the Lord tells us here, He explains the circumstances that will exist, He tells us how He will respond to these wicked gentiles and He tells us who’s kingdom will replace them… who’s going to fill the vacuum when they are gone… He is!
How can it get any simpler than that? 1- The wicked gentiles here in America are doing what the Lord said they would do. 2- The Lord will soon take them down and… 3- The Lord will come. Is there anyone reading this who cannot see how obvious this is?
There’s no doubt about it… this is the sequence that will bring us the Lord’s second coming and “time is running out”!
“You will live in the midst of economic, political, and spiritual instability. When you see these signs—unmistakable evidences that his coming is nigh—be not troubled, but, “stand . . . in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come” (D&C 87:8).
Holy men and holy women stand in holy places, and these holy places include our temples, our chapels, our homes, and the stakes of Zion, which are, as the Lord declares, “for a defense, and for a refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the whole earth” (D&C 115:6). (BYU devotional, April 14, 1981
Elder Benson’s statement, spoken over 40 years ago is a very good summation of our day, don’t you think? And his advise to “stand in holy places” is especially applicable to our generation, the generation that President Benson said should “prepare to meet your God”. President Nelson has said:
“In coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior’s power that the world has ever seen”.
Immagine with me for a moment what that might look like… “the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken… then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn; and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.” (JS Matt 33 & 36)
It is true that all the inhabitants of the entire earth will be a witness to the sign of the Son of Man but He will descend only to a select group… “the elect according to the covenant”… whom He will have gathered in advance via an army of angles. From JS Matt 37 we read:
37 And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall come, and he shall send his angels before him with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the remainder of his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
This gathering of the elect to a foreordained location (AOA) via legions of angels is nothing less than a humungous rescue operation that will rival a previous rescue operation, event the parting of the Red Sea! We are the generation of the second coming and a-midst the escalating turmoil we are going to need rescuing… we are going to need a place of protection… and we will need a mode of transportation capable of gathering the elect “from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” and that mode of transport will come via an army of angels!
When it comes to understanding the sequence of the Lord’s second coming we Latter-day Saints have a huge advantage over the rest of Christendom. This advantage stems from the fact that we have been blessed both with more of the Lord’s word or a larger cannon of scripture and of course latter day prophets.
As Latter Day Saints we understand that the Lord’s first appearance will be to His saints here in America where Zion or the New Jerusalem will be established for their protection during the escalating wars and conflicts leading up to His second appearance at Jerusalem. (seven years of tribulation) From section 45 we read:
66 And it shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints of the Most High God;
67 And the glory of the Lord shall be there, and the terror of the Lord also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion.
68 And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion for safety.
69 And there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another.
70 And it shall be said among the wicked: Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible; wherefore we cannot stand.
71 And it shall come to pass that the righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy.
From the above passage we learn that the coming of the New Jerusalem will not bring an end to wars, world wide warfare and Zion will co-exist, creating a situation that will greatly contribute to the growth and expansion of Zion. This is the time when the Lord’s latter day kingdom will see exponential growth! The righteous of Israel will find it necessary to flee the warring nations… and as it says above, “there shall be gathered unto it out of every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that shall not be at war one with another.” From 3 Nephi 22 we read:
1 And then shall that which is written come to pass: Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.
2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes;
3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
This is the time when scattered Israel or “the children of the desolate” will come to outnumber those already in the church or “the married wife” and most likely by many times over. This exponential gathering of Israel must take place before the Lord will make His appearance to the Jews as their promised Messiah, which appearance is the Lord’s coming to the world at large, labeled as “that second coming” by President Russell M Nelson who said:
“Today, the Lord’s work in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is moving forward at an accelerated pace. The Church will have an unprecedented, unparalleled future. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, … the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9; see also Doctrine and Covenants 76:10).
Remember that the fulness of Christ’s ministry lies in the future. The prophecies of His Second Coming have yet to be fulfilled. We are just building up to the climax of this last dispensation—when the Savior’s Second Coming becomes a reality.
A necessary prelude to that Second Coming is the long-awaited gathering of scattered Israel (see 1 Nephi 15:18; see also the title page of the Book of Mormon). This doctrine of the gathering is one of the important teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Lord has declared: “I give unto you a sign … that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion” (3 Nephi 21:1). (Ensign, April 2020)
So the sign of the Lord’s second appearance to the Jews is… “that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion”, the pralude… as president Nelson has pointd out.
Both of these appearances are a part of the process of the second coming but “the climax” of the Lord’s coming will be at Jerusalem and the Lord’s first appearance to His saints and the establishment of Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be the “prelude” thereto. President Nelson has also said:
“But, my dear brothers and sisters, so many wonderful things are ahead. In coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior’s power that the world has ever seen. Between now and the time He returns “with power and great glory,” He will bestow countless privileges, blessings, and miracles upon the faithful.” (Overcome the World and Find Rest, Oct general conf. 2022)
We are surely in need of the “countless privileges, blessings, and miracles” promised “the faithful.” And we also need to understand that the Lord will come to His saints “with power and great glory” as part of the “prelude” We go to JS Matt and read:
32 And again shall the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, be fulfilled.
33 And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken…
36 And, as I said before, after the tribulation of those days, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn; and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory;
37 And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall come, and he shall send his angels before him with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the remainder of his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
We’ve added emphasis to the five main elements of this passage that we want to discuss, they are…
Abomination of desolation
Signs in the sun, moon, stars and heavens
The sign of the Son of Man
The Lord appears here is “with power and great glory”
The Lord sends angels “before him” to gather the elect “from the four winds”
Now, because this sequence is associated with the Lord gathering of His saints or the elect being gathered via angels, we know that this passage is describing the “prelude”, the Lord’s first appearance and yet, abomination of desolation is the very first element in the sequence. Ponder that for a moment… Those who have spent sufficient time reading about the abomination of desolation from the doctrine and covenants understand that when it repeats, it will be upon the wicked gentiles rather than on the Jews. Ezra Taft Benson has confirmed this, we read:
“But on the other hand, ifthe 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 brothers and sisters, “the gentiles on this land” have already met the conditions that will lead to them being “cut off from among my people of the covenant”! We note that this is a pruning of the wicked from among the “people of the covenant” whom the Lord will preserve. He preserves them because they are righteous and they are co-builders of His kingdom. They will be the teachers, the missionaries and the administers of the ordinances of salvation necessary to the dawning of the millennial day. Ezra Taft Benson has also 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)
This destruction of “the secret works of darkness” in America has been for-told by multiple prophets and is labled as “the abomination of desolation” by ET Benson and in JS Matt above. As you read through JS Matthew you will notice that the elect are mentioned multiple times and the Lord tells us that it (JSM) was given for “the elect’s sake”. In verse 23 we read:
“Behold, I speak these things unto you for the elect’s sake; and you also shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars”
Brother and sisters, if we are living up to our covenants we are “the elect according to the covenant” and if we are able to sift through and understand the “wars, and rumors of wars” abounding around us, we will see the abomination of desolation coming. This is the best indicator we have of the nearness of the Lord’s first appearance, to His saints!
Now, my intent in posting is to share my research and not to scare the bejeebers out of you. After all, we have all known for a long time that there would be some buppie roads ahead, right? And of course the silver lining here is that the Lord will come “immediately after the tribulation of those days”!
I’ll close with this quote from President Nelson. (Oct 22 Conference)
“As I have stated before, the gathering of Israel is the most important work taking place on earth today. One crucial element of this gathering is preparing a people who are able, ready, and worthy to receive the Lord when He comes again, a people who have already chosen Jesus Christ over this fallen world, a people who rejoice in their agency to live the higher, holier laws of Jesus Christ.
I call upon you, my dear brothers and sisters, to become this righteous people. Cherish and honor your covenants above all other commitments. As you let God prevail in your life, I promise you greater peace, confidence, joy, and yes, rest.
With the power of the holy apostleship vested in me, I bless you in your quest to overcome this world. I bless you to increase your faith in Jesus Christ and learn better how to draw upon His power. I bless you to be able to discern truth from error. I bless you to care more about the things of God than the things of this world. I bless you to see the needs of those around you and strengthen those you love. Because Jesus Christ overcame this world, you can too. I so testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
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…
We start with a quotation from D&C 45 which reads:
47 Then shall the arm of the Lord fall upon the nations.
48 And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount, and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake.
49 And the Lord shall utter his voice, and all the ends of the earth shall hear it; and the nations of the earth shall mourn, and they that have laughed shall see their folly.
50 And calamity shall cover the mocker, and the scorner shall be consumed; and they that have watched for iniquity shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.
51 And then shall the Jews look upon me and say: What are these wounds in thine hands and in thy feet?
52 Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them: These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God.
53 And then shall they weep because of their iniquities; then shall they lament because they persecuted their king.
54 And then shall the heathen nations be redeemed, and they that knew no law shall have part in the first resurrection; and it shall be tolerable for them.
As we mentioned in the previous post, this appearance to the Jews will mark the final end of the nations as they exist today because according to John, this is when “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” (Rev 11:15) So, there will be no more wars and such because the earth as a whole will be under the righteous reign of Jesus Christ.
However, the preaching of the gospel and administering of the ordinances of salvation will continue on and it is then that “the heathen nations (are to) be redeemed”. When those of the heathen nations witness the power and glory of Christ at the battle of Armageddon they will have a change of heart. We go to Ezekiel 38 and read:
16 And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes…
23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.
We get another perspective on this from D&C section 90:
9 That through your administration they may receive the word, and through their administration the word may go forth unto the ends of the earth, unto the Gentiles first, and then, behold, and lo, they shall turn unto the Jews.
10 And then cometh the day when the arm of the Lord shall be revealed in power (Armageddon) in convincing the nations, the heathen nations, the house of Joseph, of the gospel of their salvation.
11 For it shall come to pass in that day, that every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power, by the administration of the Comforter, shed forth upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ.
In verse 9 we see the order of ministering here in the last days, to the Gentiles first and the Jews last. In the meridian of time it was Jews first and gentiles last which sequence is reversed here in the fullness of times. So when the Jews finally accept Christ and the ordinances of salvation, the next group to be ministered to on a propitiatory basis is the heathen nations.
And only after, “every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language” will the Lord move forward and redeem the earth and it’s inhabitants from our present telestial status. Now, we read what Joseph Smith had to say about the Lord’s third appearance, we go to section 77 and read:
12 Q. What are we to understand by the sounding of the trumpets, mentioned in the 8th chapter of Revelation?
A. We are to understand that as God made the world in six days, and on the seventh day he finished his work, and sanctified it, and also formed man out of the dust of the earth, even so, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God sanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of man, and judge all things, and shall redeem all things, except that which he hath not put into his power, when he shall have sealed all things, unto the end of all things; and the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years—the preparing of the way before the time of his coming.
It’s easy to see that the Lord could not “complete the salvation of man, and judge all things, and… redeem all things, except that which he hath not put into his power, when he shall have sealed all things, unto the end of all things” until the gospel had gone to all of the inhabitants of the earth… including the heathen nations, right? So, this passage is not speaking of the Lord’s first or second appearance, it is “the preparing of the way before the time of his” third appearance!
At this point the Lord is ready to lift the earth and it’s inhabitants, at least those who accept His offering from a telestial status to that of terrestrial. We read about it in section 88, in occurs at the end of the half hour of silence, or some 21 years after His first appearance, we read:
Quickened and caught up to meet him
95 And there shall be silence in heaven for the space of half an hour; and immediately after shall the curtain of heaven be unfolded, as a scroll is unfolded after it is rolled up, and the face of the Lord shall be unveiled;
96 And the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him. (Quickened or changed like Enoch and others and caught up to be set down again once the earth has been terrestrialized)
Resurrection of the righteous
97 And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth, for their graves shall be opened; and they also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven—
98 They are Christ’s, the first fruits, they who shall descend with him first, and they who are on the earth and in their graves, who are first caught up to meet him; and all this by the voice of the sounding of the trump of the angel of God.
The terrestrial receive their reward
99 And after this another angel shall sound, which is the second trump; and then cometh the redemption of those who are Christ’s at his coming; who have received their part in that prison which is prepared for them, that they might receive the gospel, and be judged according to men in the flesh.
The telestial
100 And again, another trump shall sound, which is the third trump; and then come the spirits of men who are to be judged, and are found under condemnation;
101 And these are the rest of the dead; and they live not again until the thousand years are ended, neither again, until the end of the earth.
The sons of perdition
102 And another trump shall sound, which is the fourth trump, saying: There are found among those who are to remain until that great and last day, even the end, who shall remain filthy still.
Every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess
103 And another trump shall sound, which is the fifth trump, which is the fifth angel who committeth the everlasting gospel—flying through the midst of heaven, unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people;
104 And this shall be the sound of his trump, saying to all people, both in heaven and in earth, and that are under the earth—for every ear shall hear it, and every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess, while they hear the sound of the trump, saying: Fear God, and give glory to him who sitteth upon the throne, forever and ever; for the hour of his judgment is come.
The earthly kingdom of the devil has fallen
105 And again, another angel shall sound his trump, which is the sixth angel, saying: She is fallen who made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication; she is fallen, is fallen!
It is finished
106 And again, another angel shall sound his trump, which is the seventh angel, saying: It is finished; it is finished! The Lamb of God hath overcome and trodden the wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God.
107 And then shall the angels be crowned with the glory of his might, and the saints shall be filled with his glory, and receive their inheritance and be made equal with him.
The secret acts of men revealed
108 And then shall the first angel again sound his trump in the ears of all living, and reveal the secret acts of men, and the mighty works of God in the first thousand years.
109 And then shall the second angel sound his trump, and reveal the secret acts of men, and the thoughts and intents of their hearts, and the mighty works of God in the second thousand years—
110 And so on, until the seventh angel shall sound his trump; and he shall stand forth upon the land and upon the sea, and swear in the name of him who sitteth upon the throne, that there shall be time no longer; and Satan shall be bound, that old serpent, who is called the devil, and shall not be loosed for the space of a thousand years.
Above we read “there shall be time no longer”, time started with the fall and ends when the earth is again elevated and receives it’s paradisaical glory.
We get additional insight regarding the Lord’s third appearance from D&C 101 where we read:
23 And prepare for the revelation which is to come, when the veil of the covering of my temple, in my tabernacle, which hideth the earth, shall be taken off, and all flesh shall see me together.
24 And every corruptible thing, both of man, or of the beasts of the field, or of the fowls of the heavens, or of the fish of the sea, that dwells upon all the face of the earth, shall be consumed;
25 And also that of element shall melt with fervent heat; and all things shall become new, that my knowledge and glory may dwell upon all the earth.
26 And in that day the enmity of man, and the enmity of beasts, yea, the enmity of all flesh, shall cease from before my face.
27 And in that day whatsoever any man shall ask, it shall be given unto him.
28 And in that day Satan shall not have power to tempt any man.
29 And there shall be no sorrow because there is no death.
30 In that day an infant shall not die until he is old; and his life shall be as the age of a tree;
31 And when he dies he shall not sleep, that is to say in the earth, but shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and shall be caught up, and his rest shall be glorious.
The corruptible things mentioned above are those that don’t measure up to the terrestrial standard, their end comes with the end of the telestial kingdom. And finally we come to the point where there “is no death”, or at least the effects of death are reversed because in the terrestrial world because when you die you are immediately “twinkled” or resurrected. The pain of separation that death beings in the telestial world we will be a thing of the past.
We begin with a quote form Wandle Mace as follows:
“Wandle Mace, a trustworthy Church member in Nauvoo, reported that he heard Joseph Smith ‘speak of the sign of the coming of the Son of Man, which all should see’ and that it would be ‘the return of the City of Enoch to the earth.’ [Sayings of Joseph Smith as reported by those who claimed to hear him make the statements, LDS Church History Library]
Joseph Smith said of the Sign of the Son of Man:
How are we to see it? As the lighting up of the morning or the dawning of the morning cometh from the east and shineth unto the west, so also is the coming of the Son of Man. The dawning of the morning makes its appearance in the east and moves along gradually. So also will the coming of the Son of Man be. It will be small at its first appearance and gradually become larger until every eye shall see it. Shall the Saints understand it? Oh yes. Paul says so [1 Thes. 5:4-5]. Shall the wicked understand? Oh no. They [will] attribute it to a natural cause. They will probably suppose it is two great comets coming in contact with each other. It will be small at first and will grow larger and larger until it will be all in a blaze, so that every eye shall see it.” Joseph Smith | Discourse of 6 April 1843, recorded by James Burgess; WJS, p. 181
And so, after fifteen years of intense and in depth scriptural study of the sequence and timing of our Lord’s second coming… I feel compelled to say that I think we are there, soon the abomination of desolation which Ezra Taft Benson said would be thermonuclear in nature will be poured out upon the wicked gentilles or the whore of all the earth, the sun will be darkened and the moon turned to blood, the stars of heaven will fall to the earth and the heavens will depart as a scroll when it is rolled together.
“And angels shall fly through the midst of heaven, crying with a loud voice, sounding the trump of God, saying: Prepare ye, prepare ye, O inhabitants of the earth; for the judgment of our God is come. Behold, and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” (D&C 88:92)
The sign of the Son of Man will be seen in the heavens and in preporation for His coming the Lord “shall send his angels before him with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the remainder of his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
I believe that Zion, the holy city, the heavenly New Jerusalem, the city of Enoch (the sign of the Son of Man, which the which the wicked will think is a comet) or God’s tabernacle, will return durring the feast of tabernacles… is it already on it’s way? Just such a comet is slated to arrive next year just in time for tabernacles… and it, like the sign of the Son of Man, will make “its appearance in the east“…
The revolution of all revolutions is about to unfold and yet the world as a whole sleeps on. They are as the people were in the day’s of Noah before the flood, from JS Matt we read:
41 But as it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be also at the coming of the Son of Man;
42 For it shall be with them, as it was in the days which were before the flood; for until the day that Noah entered into the ark they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage;
43 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
44 Then shall be fulfilled that which is written, that in the last days, two shall be in the field, the one shall be taken, and the other left;
45 Two shall be grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken, and the other left;
46 And what I say unto one, I say unto all men; watch, therefore, for you know not at what hour your Lord doth come.
A great disaster is lurking, hanging over us like a great bird of prey ready to swoop down upon the wicked of this and other nations. It will be as Daniel said, “there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time” (Daniel 12:1) but the elect shall be gathered in one… “two shall be in the field, the one shall be taken, and the other left; Two shall be grinding at the mill, the one shall be taken, and the other left”
This is the same event prophesied of in the verses just prior to those quoted above, we read:
36 And, as I said before, after the tribulation of those days, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn; and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory;
37 And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall come, and he shall send his angels before him with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the remainder of his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The sleeping nations doze on as corrupt, foolish and self serving world leaders pave the way to destruction, even, the abomination of desolation upon the wicked gentiles. The prophetic word saith, “The Lord’s scourge shall pass over by night and by day, and the report thereof shall vex all people; yea, it shall not be stayed until the Lord come”. (D&C 97:23)
The deliverance of the elect is assured, even the heavenly New Jerusalem, (City of Enoch) from Rev 21 we read:
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
Again, the revolution of all revolutions is about to unfold, are you ready to meet the Bridegroom?
We… all of us in the church today lean towards being completely dependent on what others tell us. We have very few independent thinkers and even fewer who are willing to go to the standard works and the Lord Himself to obtain our answers. This is why we have an incorrect understanding of the Lord’s third appearance, we have never asked the hard questions of those who gave us our current understanding.
Our present views on this subject go back to Elder Charles W. Penrose who was an apostle and also served in the first presidency of the church. However, Elder Penrose was born in 1832, joined the church at the age of 18 and wrote his paper on the three events of the second coming at the age of 26, he would not be called into the apostleship for another 46 years.
And so we see that Elder Penrose was very young with very little experience in the church and was surly influenced by the beliefs or theories of others upon this topic. I find it curious that someone so young and with so little experience in the church ended up giving us the presently accepted doctrine on the Lord’s third appearance, don’t you?
So, lets look at what Elder Penrose wrote and then I’ll give you a couple of examples of why I find it so problematic, we read:
“The great and crowning advent of the Lord will be subsequent to these two appearances [to the New Jerusalem and to the Jews]; but who can describe it in the language of mortals? The tongue of man falters, and the pen drops from the hand of the writer, as the mind is rapt in contemplation of the sublime and awful majesty of his coming totakevengeance on the ungodly and to reign as King of the whole earth.
“He comes! The earth shakes, and the tall mountains tremble; the mighty deep rolls back to the north as in fear, and the rent skies glow like molten brass. He comes! The dead Saints burst forth from their tombs, and ‘those who are alive and remain’ are ‘caught up’ with them to meet him. The ungodly rush to hide themselves from his presence, and call upon the quivering rocks to cover them. He comes! with all the hosts of the righteous glorified. The breath of his lips strikes death to the wicked. His glory is a consuming fire. The proud and rebellious are as stubble; they are burned and ‘left neither root nor branch.’ He sweeps the earth ‘as with the besom of destruction.’ He deluges the earth with the fiery floods of his wrath, and the filthiness and abominations of the world are consumed. Satan and his dark hosts are taken and bound—the prince of the power of the air has lost his dominion, for He whose right it is to reign has come, and ‘the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ.’” (Penrose, “Second Advent,” 583).
The nice thing about this statement is that Elder Penrose gives us some very obvious scriptural references which we can easily locate and review. For the purposes of this post I’ve highlighted just two of them. The first, where “The ungodly rush to hide themselves from his presence, and call upon the quivering rocks to cover them” is found in Rev 6:12-17, we read:
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
So, the obvious problem of associating this even with the Lord’s third appearance is that it’s a sixth seal event and doesn’t describe anything that unfolds after the opening of the seventh seal, right?
Now for the second reference, “the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ.” We find this in Rev 11:14-15, we read:
14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
It was just two verses previous to this that we read about the two deceased prophets, lying in the streets of Jerusalem being call up to heaven, we read:
12And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
So these verses are speaking about the Lord’s second appearanc… to the Jews!, “The kingdoms of this world are (to) become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ” at the sounding of the seventh angel, it is the third woe.
We first hear about the seven angels sounding their trumps back at the opening of the seventh seal, from Rev 8:1-2 we read:
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
The sounding of these trumps and the associated events will lead us to the Lord’s second appearance, to the Jews, that’s what John tells us. It is then, when the Lord appears to His Jewish brethren that, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ”. Our Lord will make an end to all nations at His second appearance… it shall not be postponed to His third appearance! Because that’s not what His third appearane is about.
In the mind of a young Charles Penrose, the Lord’s third appearance would bring vengeance and destruction to the nations and finally lead to Christ’s triumph over them as we see in his above statement. To justify this preconceived notion he used every scripture he could think of that sounded like his notion… the problem was that he didn’t know what he didn’t know and therefore threw everything, including the kitchen sink into his statement, even if it was speaking about events back in the sixth seal, right?
Now, my purpose is not to pick on Elder Penrose, he was a great man with the purest of intentions and for sure has gone on to exaltation to my way of thinking. However, the Lord’s third appearance is something very different form what most of us think.
So what is the Lord’s third appearance all about? The answers are to be found in the standard works of the Church and shall be addressed in a future post…
In order to understand what is realy going on in the world and the present movement toward WWIII, we need to have news scources that will tell us the truth. For that reason I am suggesting you consider Judge Napolitano’s YouTube channel – Judging Freedom. I’ll post his most recent video below as a starting point…
After spending three days talking to folks about my book at the Book of Mormon Expo in April, it became obvious that it was time to update my approach to sharing the message contained in my latest book, Millennial Dawn. So I created a presentation and offered to share my message via live presentations at the local Library etc.
The next thing I learned is that in the post Covid world, people would rather stay home where they can attend meetings via technology… so, I had to become a Zoombe in order to reach my audience. And so, what we have below is the YouTube version of my first Zoom presentation. As I mentioned, this is my first attempt and so it’s not perfect but it does contain important information for those who are awake and can see that the Lord’s second coming is soooo very close.
