LDS Quotes on the Second Coming
This cause will roll on in majesty and power to fill the earth. Doors now closed to the preaching of the gospel will be opened. The Almighty, if necessary, may have to shake the nations to humble them and cause them to listen to the servants of the living God. Whatever is needed will come to pass.
We live in a very difficult era in the history of the world, when Satan is going to and fro on the earth among the children of God, doing all manner of evil to thwart the desires of a righteous God. The scriptures teach us that Satan’s evil designs upon the peoples of the earth will intensify as the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ draws near at hand (see 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10; D&C 10:33; 52:14; 86:3-10). . . . It is so important that all of us understand that we live in the last dispensation of the fulness of time – that we are preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and that the adversary in these last days will be able to loose more evils upon the world.
| Ensign, November 2001, pp. 39, 41
“The great and crowning advent of the Lord will be subsequent to these two appearances [to his Temple and on the Mount of Olives]; 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 to take vengeance on the ungodly and to reign as King of the whole earth.”
| “The Second Advent,” Millennial Star, 10 Sept. 1859, pp. 582-83; Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, p. 340
The coming of the Son of Man never will be, never can be, till the judgments spoken of for this hour are poured out, which judgments are commenced. . . . All this must be done before [the] Son of Man will make his appearance: wars and rumors of wars, signs in the heavens above [and] on the earth beneath, [the] sun turned into darkness [and the] moon to blood, earthquakes in diverse places, oceans heaving beyond their bounds, then one grand sign of the Son of Man in heaven. But what will the world do? They will say it is a planet, a comet, and so forth. Consequently, the Son of Man will come as the sign of [the] coming of the Son of Man.
| Discourse of 6 April 1843, recorded by Willard Richards; WJS, p. 180
“The day of the coming of the Lord is near. I do not know when . . . . I sincerely believe it will come in the very day when some of us who are here today [April 5, 1936] will be living upon the earth. That day is close at hand. It behooves us as Latter-day Saints to set our houses in order, to keep the commandments of God, to turn from evil to righteousness, if it is necessary, and serve the Lord in humility and faith and prayer.”
| Doctrines of Salvation, 3:2-3
In the Book of Mormon we find a pattern for preparing for the Second Coming. A major portion of the book centers on the few decades just prior to Christ’s coming to America. By careful study of that time period, we can determine why some were destroyed in the terrible judgments that preceded His coming and what brought others to stand at the temple in the land of Bountiful and thrust their hands into the wounds of His hands and feet.
From the Book of Mormon we learn how disciples of Christ live in times of war. From the Book of Mormon we see the evils of secret combinations portrayed in graphic and chilling reality. In the Book of Mormon we find lessons for dealing with persecution and apostasy. We learn much about how to do missionary work. And more than anywhere else, we see in the Book of Mormon the dangers of materialism and setting our hearts on the things of the world. Can anyone doubt that this book was meant for us and that in it we find great power, great comfort, and great protection?”
| “The Book of Mormon – Keystone of Our Religion,” Ensign, November 1986, p. 4
“Man who thinks he is a Jesus Christ, or INRI Cristo: “He regularly preaches on YouTube and on Facebook Live, on which he has over 330,000 followers. His disciples edit the videos at the compound in New Jerusalem. But a messiah in the age of social media also invites far more critics, reviews, and anonymous commenters than the original Jesus had to contend with. INRI’s status on Facebook as a “public figure” means he can be reviewed by the masses, much like a restaurant or musician, and collectively, they give him 3.3 out of five stars. People who leave five-star reviews seem to enjoy his message and charisma. But the one-star reviews often accuse him of being the kind of false prophet warned about in the New Testament. As one woman wrote in January this year: “Delete this page and repent!”
Before that sacred night in Bethlehem, the events of history and the words of the prophets of all dispensations prepared the way for the first coming of the Lord and His Atonement. Similarly, history and prophecy laid the groundwork for the Restoration of the gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Do we have eyes to see that the events and prophecies of our time are preparing us for the Savior’s Second Coming?
| “Preparations for the Restoration and the Second Coming: ‘My Hand Shall Be over Thee,'” Ensign, November 2005, p. 92
Many of these signs are being fulfilled. Wickedness is everywhere. Nations are constantly at war. Earthquakes and other calamities are occurring. Many people now suffer from devastating storms, drought, hunger, and diseases. We can be certain that these calamities will become more severe before the Lord comes.
However, not all the events preceding the Second Coming are dreadful. Many of them bring joy to the world.
| Gospel Principles, “Signs of the Second Coming,” p. 253
President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: “If . . . the earth is to be restored as it was in the beginning, then all the land surface will again be in one place as it was before the days of Peleg, when this great division was accomplished. Europe, Africa, and the islands of the sea including Australia, New Zealand, and other places in the Pacific must be brought back and joined together as they were in the beginning.”
| Answers to Gospel Questions, 5:74) — Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, p. 340