a Bit About Belief

Some Thoughts of the Pre-Second Coming

Mark 13, Matthew 24 and More

"Four matters are indisputable to Latter-day Saints: (1) The Savior will return to the earth in power and great glory to reign personally during a millennium of righteousness and peace. (2) At the time of His coming there will be a destruction of the wicked and a resurrection of the righteous. (3) No one knows the time of His coming, but (4) the faithful are taught to study the signs of it and to be prepared for it. I wish to speak about the fourth of these great realities: the signs of the Second Coming and what we should do to prepare for it."

(Dallin H. Oaks, April 2004 General Conference, Preparation for the Second Coming)

Today I want to discuss Elder Oak's third point: the signs of the Second Coming. These are given many times throughout the scriptures. In that same talk, Elder Oaks describes these signs in a list form:

"Biblical and modern prophecies give many signs of the Second Coming. These include:

1. The fulness of the gospel restored and preached in all the world for a witness to all nations.

2. False Christs and false prophets, deceiving many.

3. Wars and rumors of wars, with nation rising against nation.

4. Earthquakes in divers places.

5. Famine and pestilence.

6. An overflowing scourge, a desolating sickness covering the land.

7. Iniquity abounding.

8. The whole earth in commotion.

9. Men’s hearts failing them."

The time before the Second Coming, as described in Mark 13, seems to be a time of testing for the righteous believers of Christ. They will have the opportunity to display their loyalty to and faith in Jesus Christ. The faithful will look for the signs of the Savior's return, and will be ready for His arrival. Verse 32 reads:

"But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father."

No one except Heavenly Father knows the day or time: this is repeated all throughout the scriptures. There are a lot of people who claim to know the day of the Second Coming, or of other significant events involving a rapture from their earthly plights. Our job is not to try to speculate the Lord's time, but to prepare ourselves for when the Father says we are ready. 

Verse 22 reads:

"For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect."

The closer that we get to the Savior's return, the more divine fallacies will arise. The elect mentioned in the scriptures are people who have made sacred gospel covenants- people who consider themselves strong and faithful. There will be false Christs and false prophets. Who are the false prophets? Read this quote from Elder M. Russell Ballard's October 1999 General Conference talk: 

"When we think of false prophets and false teachers, we tend to think of those who espouse an obviously false doctrine or presume to have authority to teach the true gospel of Christ according to their own interpretation. We often assume that such individuals are associated with small radical groups on the fringes of society. However, I reiterate: there are false prophets and false teachers who have or at least claim to have membership in the Church. There are those who, without authority, claim Church endorsement to their products and practices. Beware of such."

(M. Russell Ballard, October 1999 General Conference, Beware of False Prophets and False Teachers)

Who are they? They are regular people, who are seemingly righteous. They pretend to do good in the name of the people, but go against the Lord's wishes. False prophets lead away many hearts that are not strong enough to see them for the spiritual virus that they are. They will suck the Lord's light out of their followers- sometimes even in the name of God, or some other value of a bleeding heart. False prophets convince good members of the gospel to follow in their ways, and together, they slowly leave the protective arms of the Spirit and eventually leave the gospel. False prophets come in the form of women seeking the priesthood, in the form of leaders of marriage equality, or even in more subtle and hidden ways. They are a careful poison, given in small enough doses to keep an unsuspecting sympathizer unaware of their spiritual malignancy. 

False prophets, false Christs, persecution of believers...these signs of the Second Coming are like a spiritual survival-of-the-fittest. Those who desire and work to be strong, will survive and be happy. Those who get complacent, who get spiritually distracted, or choose to be offended....they will fall away and find, that somewhere along the line, they lost their Salvation.

So what, then, are we to do? Here is another quote, this one from Elder Richard G. Scott:

"A strong testimony has sustained prophets throughout the ages and fortified them to act with courage and determination in times of difficulty. A powerful testimony can do the same for you. As you fortify your own personal testimony, you will have power to make correct choices so that you can stand unwaveringly against the pressures of an increasingly vicious world. Your personal security and happiness depend upon the strength of your testimony, for it will guide your actions in times of trial or uncertainty."

(Richard G. Scott, October 2001 General Conference, The Power of a Strong Testimony)

To make it through the Satan's eventual storm of trickery, Christ's followers will need to figure out what they believe and in whom their faith lies. They will need to look for Christ's coming, full of faith and loyalty. Believers will need to be able to distinguish God's own will from the will of self-serving do-gooders who profess the ability to improve and fix Heavenly Father's unbroken church. 

I know that these are the days leading up to Christ's return. I know that the Savior will come back to this Earth once more, in his fullness of wonder and amazement. I know that there will many opportunities for growth- all with the potential for both greatness and doom. As I live faithfully, and strive to remain strong in my testimony, I will pass through this life of fallacy and wickedness, and come out refined and polished. Someday, I don't know when, I will get to feel Christ's physical scars of His spiritual sacrifice for me. I will get to hear His voice, and listen to Him tell me that I made it. I know it's real, every part of my heart tells me it's true. Someday Christ will walk this earth again, I know it.