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INTRO
BACKGROUND
Well, this is a rare week in the Come, Follow Me schedule. Just one single section. Now it's a big section, but I'm thrilled about this because it's going to allow us to really dig deep and focus on the doctrines of the second coming. If you can recall the lesson, we had all the way back in section 1 you'll remember that one of the major purposes of the entire Doctrine and Covenants is to help us to be prepared for the Second Coming. And once again, the Section heading is going to do an excellent job of providing context and setting up the revelation that follows. Read it to yourself and see what phrases you would pull out that throw light on the purpose of section 45. What's it going to do for us? It's going to help us to not be deceived by false reports, and foolish stories. There's a lot of that in our world today, in particular about the second coming. This section is going to help encourage us to investigate the work and embrace the faith. Investigate and embrace. That's what God wants all of us to do regardless of whether we've been a member of the church our whole lives or you were baptized just last week. Maybe we've investigated it, or know it, but we have yet to embrace it--to bring it right down into our hearts. Finally, these things are meant to bring us joy. By the end of our lesson, my hope is that you feel that joy when it comes to the return of our Savior Jesus Christ. Section 45 is a joyful section.
ICEBREAKER
To get us into it. For an icebreaker, I sometimes like to pull out an alarm clock as an object lesson and it's kind of fun to have one of those old-fashioned looking ones and I'll put a link to one in the description if you're interested. https://amzn.to/3ec9Qer But then I ask my students if they've ever slept through something important. Or they missed out on something great because they forgot to set an alarm or put a reminder somewhere. I know I've done this before. Once, I was supposed to catch an early flight to join my family on vacation and failed to set an alarm the night before. When I woke up, with great dread and regret, I realized that I was not going to get to my flight in time. It was a horrible feeling. Now luckily, I was able to catch a flight later that day, but that ended up costing me some vacation time with my family. You may also ask them if any are fond of the snooze button and has that ever gotten them into trouble. Have you missed the bus, or been late to work because of your snooze button?
TRANSITION
You can then transition to the scriptures by saying that section 45 is going to teach us about an event that we don't want to miss. What is that event in section 45:16? The event is meeting the Savior in glory at His second coming. We want to make sure that we are awake and ready for that great day. Hopefully we've listened to the wakeup call of his voice before that day comes. If we're not ready, or if we've hit the snooze button too many times, then I'm afraid that day is going to fill us with dread and regret. Like so many other sections in the Doctrine and Covenants, a major theme is that of listening, or hearkening. We saw that in the very first section of the Doctrine and Covenants in the very first word and we've seen it many sections since. Most recently we saw it in section 43, where the Lord listed all the voices he's tries to get people to listen and come unto Him. Now in section 45, I see three natural divisions in section 45, each with its own distinct message. Verses one through 16. Verses 17 through 59. And versus 60 through 75. The message of the first 16 verses is a plea to listen.
SEARCH
For a search activity, I want you to find how many times and ways the Lord asks us to listen to him? And let's see.
:1 Hearken, hearken, give ear
:2 Hearken
:3 Listen
:6 Hearken, listen together, hear my voice
:11 hearken together
:15 hearken, I will speak unto you
Now, let's go through and find all the reasons why we should listen to him. I would assign each of my students a number and give them a verse or verses to study, looking for a reason for why we should listen to Christ. Then, call for volunteers or call on some of those individuals to share their findings. Jesus is going to offer us a whole bundle of reasons.
:1 Listen because I am the creator. I am the maker. We've spoken about that idea before and here he uses it again. Listen to me because I invented you, and this world, and everything on it. I know what makes you tick, and I know what will make you happy. So, trust me.
:2 Listen because the consequences of not listening are so severe. Lest death shall overtake you and your souls not saved. I don't want you to be surprised by my coming or your own death and not be prepared for it. Something we should keep in mind is that teachings on the second coming are for more than just the people that will actually be alive on the earth when it happens. If that's all it applied to, then that's a lot of space in the scriptures dedicated to a very small minority of God's children. No, the teachings on the Second Coming are for all ages of mankind. Our death is a type of second coming for us personally. That's not to discount the opportunities we have for repentance in the Spirit World, but death marks an important milestone in our eternal progress. What we do in this life matters and has a bearing on our eternal future. So listen before I come, OR listen lest death overtake you, in an hour when ye think not, and your soul has not been saved. Remember the preacher from Pollyanna? Death comes unexpectedly! We don't know the exact moment of Christ's return and we don't know the day and hour of our death either. So the implied message? The time to hearken is always now.
:3-5 Let's take some time on these next couple of verses. I really love them. One of Jesus Christ's titles is the advocate with the father. Jesus is our advocate. But notice that he is not our advocate to the father, but with the father. That's significant. We've got to be careful with this imagery. I really don't picture the final judgment being like a court room. That God is sitting there on the stand demanding justice, while Jesus is pleading from the defendant’s bench for mercy. Jesus is not all mercy and the Father all justice. Both Jesus and the Father represent the perfect balance between the two. I don't think Jesus has to try and convince God to be merciful to us. The focus here is on us. Jesus isn't telling us what he's going to say so that God will be convinced of something, but so that we will be convinced of something. That he is on our side and that this is about us. Look at how verse three begins. He's saying listen to your Savior plead for you. Here's a reason you can trust him. Because he loves you. He has your best interest at heart. Jesus and the father are looking at each other with a knowing look and glance, hoping that we will overhear the conversation. We should picture ourselves in the background listening to this conversation. And we hear Jesus say:
4 Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;
5 Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.
Can you imagine how that would feel to hear Jesus saying those words about you? Put your own name in there and notice how it affects your heart. In my mind's eye I imagine hearing Jesus say: You love me Father and because of that love that you bear to me, I bear that love to Ben Wilcox. You know that he believes in me and you. Father, I suffered and died for Ben, and I loved him enough to suffer and die, and he loves us, Father. So spare him. Give unto him eternal life. We both know that he is guilty, but he believes in us and loves us." Only the hardest of hearts wouldn't be softened by that plea. And I don't think that this pleading is a one-time thing. It's not that it only happens at some future court date--the pleading is constant. That's why he says in verse :6, "hear my voice while it is called today". This truth is for us here today, not just in the future, not just for those that are actually on the earth when the second coming occurs. It's something that he wants us always to keep in mind. I'm afraid that many of us may spend a lot of time condemning ourselves for our weaknesses, our indiscretions and imperfections. But there's the Savior constantly pleading for us saying “Father spare Ben the pain of constant condemnation. Help him to know of our love for him. Help him to feel good about his progress, because he loves us and believes in us". Wouldn't that help you to put your trust in his instruction and wisdom?
:7 Listen because I am great. There is a little bit of that theme in these verses and can stand as another reason. I don't think the major thrust of God's pleadings is that we should listen to him because he's in charge and is so powerful, but there is a bit of that. Remember he's giving us a whole list of reasons for why we should listen, and this is one of them. He is the beginning and the end of all. Doesn't it make sense to place our trust in a being of such immense power and glory?
:8 Listen because listening will lead to great blessings for you. You will do and witness miracles. You will become my sons and daughters. You will gain eternal life. So much is at stake here. The rewards are endless.
:9 Listen because what I have will give you light to guide you, a standard to follow, and a messenger to listen to. This everlasting covenant I have is going to give you direction, understanding, and guidance. The world doesn't really have a standard for us to rally to. If they do, it's that there are no absolute standards anymore. The world today has destroyed all the capitals. What do I mean by that? The world doesn't believe in capital T truth anymore. capital M, morality. capital A accountability, capital R, right. It's all relative. There are no standards. Everybody just creates their own standard. It's like George Bernard Shaw said, “The only golden rule is that there is no golden rule." Everybody gets to decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. If there is only one capital the world stands for, it is capital T, tolerance-which does and should have a place in our society. But if it's the only flag that is waved, or the flag that is raised far higher than any other, with which they can use as a club to beat down and silence all others then I believe that we will find our society in a very undesirable and dangerous position. So, instead, we look to the light, and rally around the standard, and listen to the messengers that are sent from a loving Heavenly Father for our good.
:10-11 Listen because it makes sense to. He says, "I will reason with you, as with men in days of old". I will show you my strong reasoning. I really love that. This is a great model of the very first principle of priesthood leadership. Do you know what that is? We find it in section 121 where God reveals the principles of righteous priesthood authority. What's the first word on that list? Is it loyalty? Is it strength? Is it intimidation? No. The first principle of righteous priesthood leadership is persuasion. We are to lead by persuasion. We reason with those that we lead. We impart of our wisdom and try to help them see the best course of action for themselves that will bring them and all the most benefit. God is not a do what I say because I say so kind of God. He reasons with us. This whole first section is evidence of that. Before he teaches us anything about the Second Coming, he's going to plead for us to listen to him. He's going to (verse 11) show unto us his wisdom.
:11-14 And then notice the title that he uses for himself here. What does he call himself? The God of Enoch.
let me show unto you even my wisdom--the wisdom of him whom ye say is the God of Enoch, and his brethren, 12 Who were separated from the earth, and were received unto myself--a city reserved until a day of righteousness shall come
That's the only time in all the scriptures that he calls himself by that title. Now why? Because listening to his wisdom can create a unified society, a Zion "one mind and one heart" society. A society that was separated from the earth and received unto the Lord himself. It seems that lots of individuals, and religious figures, and governments have tried to do this throughout the ages--to create a Zion-like community. But have they or do they have the wisdom and the reason to create what Enoch created? Probably not. Only God can create Zion through His wisdom. It's never going to happen with just the wisdom of man. This kind of place and circumstance is something that has been "sought for by all holy men, and women" but they have never been able to find it. And they confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Now that's worth our contemplation there. How should we feel in the world? We should feel like strangers. Which means foreigners. Or pilgrims, wanderers looking for a more holy place. We should not feel at home in a world of wickedness and abominations. That may be a good question to ask yourself. Do I feel comfortable in this world? Like I belong? According to this, hopefully not. If the entertainment, the values, the music, the language, the environment, the trends of the world make you uncomfortable, then that's probably a good sign. If you find yourself thinking and feeling "There has to be something better than this", OR "I want to find a better place, a more holy place than this. I want to be with a 13th article of faith kind of people. Those that seek after that which is virtuous, lovely, praiseworthy, or of good report." If those are our desires, that's good. However, if you are comfortable in the world, if you find yourself drawn to that environment, and language, and entertainment, constantly looking over your shoulder with longing for their standards and behaviors, then that may be a sign that you've slipped too far from the iron rod and are stumbling your way over to the great and spacious building. So, listen to him because listening will eventually lead you to find that kind of world and society. To a place where you feel at home. He's going to return to this idea in the last portion of section 45. This is one of the great promises of this section. Listening to Christ will lead you to Zion.
Verses 15 and 16 are going to reiterate his plea to hearken to his reasoning as he promises to teach us plainly about his coming.
TRUTH
The truth here. I'll keep it simple. There are so many good reasons to listen to Christ. It just makes sense. So, I hope we will.
CONCLUSION
And do you sense the Lord's care and concern and love here? He's just given us 16 verses of pleading and persuasion and reasoning before he ever even gets started in on the Second Coming stuff. You've got the carrot, you've got the stick, you've got the authority card, you've got reasoning and persuasion, and love. All done in the hopes that we will listen to Him. "Listen to me!", he pleads, because I'm the creator, because the ramifications are too great, because I love you, because the blessings are priceless, because it just makes sense, because if you listen you will one day find yourself in a place where you feel you belong. Listen because I always keep my promises. And hopefully, with that, he's got our attention, he's convinced us to listen, he's woken us up with the alarm of his voice and he says "OK, now let's talk about the Second Coming".
Verses 17-59 really covers the meat of the section.
THE THREE QUESTIONS
THE WRONG QUESTION
There are three questions that I want to talk about with you now. The wrong question. A better question. The best question. These verses in the middle are addressing a specific question asked by the Lord's disciples during Christ's mortal ministry. And section 45 is a clear companion section to Matthew 24. Which is the chapter from the New Testament that Joseph Smith so extensively retranslated that it ended up as its own book in the Pearl of Great Price called Joseph Smith-Matthew. That's the conversation that is being referred to here in verse 16. In Joseph Smith-Matthew, the disciples asked two questions of Jesus. And they are the two questions that a lot of people today still ask about the second coming. In fact, I bet you can guess what the first question is. What do you think is the first question that comes to people's minds regarding the second coming of Christ? Here it is in JS-M 1:4
4 And Jesus left them, and went upon the Mount of Olives. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying: Tell us when shall these things be which thou hast said concerning the destruction of the temple, and the Jews; and what is the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world, or the destruction of the wicked, which is the end of the world?
The first question? When? When will it happen? And that question has been debated, speculated on, and worried about for ages. Well how does the Lord usually answer that question?
Here's how he answered it in Joseph Smith-Matthew:
40 But of that day, and hour, no one knoweth; no, not the angels of God in heaven, but my Father only.
The Lord always answers that question with ambiguity. No matter how much we prod or cajole him, he's just not interested in giving us the specifics of that answer. We're not intended to know the answer. But some think that he's hidden the answer in cryptic phrases or Bible codes so that only the religious elite or scripture scholar can figure them out. But simply stated, the fact of the matter is that no man knoweth. He's not going to tell us the due date. He doesn't want to encourage procrastination of the day of our repentance or inspire apathy because "Hey, he's not coming for another 1,000 years or so". He's never going to give a straight answer to that question. A great example of this comes in section 130. Even Joseph Smith couldn't help but ask that question. And how did God answer him? 130: 14-17
14 I was once praying very earnestly to know the time of the coming of the Son of Man, when I heard a voice repeat the following:
15 Joseph, my son, if thou livest until thou art eighty-five years old, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man; therefore let this suffice, and trouble me no more on this matter.
16 I was left thus, without being able to decide whether this coming referred to the beginning of the millennium or to some previous appearing, or whether I should die and thus see his face.
17 I believe the coming of the Son of Man will not be any sooner than that time.
Don't you love that? How’s that for an ambiguous response. You may even sense a bit of exasperation in the Lord's voice. Joseph, if you live to be 85, you'll see me. Now, don't ask me anymore about that. And Joseph is left to wonder what that means. This is a perfect example of the great vagueness offered when it comes to the question of when. Interestingly enough, he doesn't even mention that question here in section 45. Perhaps indicating that he just doesn’t feel that it's important for us to know. There is wisdom and a purpose for us not knowing the answer to that question. It's the wrong question to ask.
A BETTER QUESTION-THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Now for a question that apparently it is ok to ask. A better question.
ICEBREAKER
As an Icebreaker, I do the following. I give them a "signs" quiz and ask them if they know what the following signs mean. And sometimes I'll do it as a handout like this. Here are the answers.
Electric shock hazard
Poison
Radioactive
Interstate
Biohazard
Recycle
Neighborhood Watch
And this last one is a "Dead End" sign that you would find in Brazil. Now unless you're from Brazil you're probably not going to get that one. But it's there to make a point.
Then I ask this question. What are the purposes of signs? Well, they protect us from danger by giving us warnings. They give us instruction and provide order. Signs tell us where we are or where we are going. The signs that Christ provides us with accomplish the same purposes. And in order to understand some of the signs, we've got to have prior experience or knowledge of their meaning. Like the Brazilian sign. If somebody doesn't explain that to you beforehand, you're not going to get it. The uninformed will struggle to interpret them. Now that's why God gives us the scriptures, and chapters like section 45, and the prophets, and the Spirit to help us. The righteous and those that are watching will recognize them. As I said in a previous lesson, I feel that the power of the signs comes more in their figurative, spiritual, and symbolic meetings, rather than their literal. That's not to say that there aren't literal fulfillments of these prophecies. But I always seem to find more relevance and meaning in the figurative.
TRANSITION
So, what is the better question that we can ask regarding the second coming? See if you can find it verse 16. It's the question the disciples asked Christ back in the New Testament. What are the signs of your coming, Lord? And he is going to answer that second question, in great detail. The Lord wants us to be watching for the signs as indicators of his nearing arrival. Though we don't know the exact day and hour, his coming is not going to be a huge surprise either . . . for those that know what to look for.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS?
So what are the signs? Let's take a look. And the Likening of the Scriptures in this section will occur throughout. For each of the signs it's good to ask your students if they see any evidence of these things in our current world. And if you wanted to add an activity element to it, you could do a Find the Fill in the Blank challenge. Give them a phrase from one of the signs with a word missing and see who can find the answer first. Then perhaps you could throw out a little treat to whoever identifies it. But they have to tell you what verse the answer is in. That will discourage blind guessing. So here we go.
:42 The sun shall be ___________, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars fall from heaven.
The word is darkened from verse :42
Is there any evidence of this sign in our current world? I talked about my perspective on this prophecy back in section 29. To me, this is a reference to the spiritual darkness of the latter days. That the light of the gospel, the Spirit, love, and truth will be difficult for many to find. I believe this prophecy is being fulfilled as we speak.
:27 ____________ shall abound
The word is iniquity from verse :27
Have you seen evidence of this? Crime, sexual promiscuity, pornography, violence, immodesty, dishonesty, hate, lust, vulgarity, war, and incivility are everywhere. Year by year, the world seems to be increasingly losing its moral bearings.
:33 there shall be ______________ also in divers places and many desolations
The word is earthquakes in verse :33
Is there evidence of this sign? Though it may be true that actual earthquakes seem to be increasing in frequency and intensity, I'm much more concerned with the symbolic earthquakes of the last days. One of the things that makes earthquakes so dangerous, is that things fall on you. If you're standing out in the middle of an open field during an earthquake, you probably don't have much to worry about. You could just enjoy the ride. But how do people typically die from an earthquake? Things collapse, fall on them and crush them. Perhaps this prophecy is being fulfilled as we speak as morals crumble, and families and marriages. As standards collapse, and governments, and nations. As the innocent are crushed by the weight of hatred, poverty, racism, war, confusion and temptation. Morally speaking, the world is an unstable, crumbling place.
:19 this people shall be destroyed and _____________ among all nations.
The word is scattered, and it's found in verse 19
Now verses 18-24 describe Jesus's prophecies concerning the future of the Jewish nation, since that was fresh on the minds of the disciples that were asking him this initial question. And these prophecies have been fulfilled. The temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, and the Jews were scattered among all nations.
But the Lord promises that they will be gathered once again in verse 25. That could be referring to the Jews returning to Israel and establishing a nation there, or more broadly speaking, it also could refer to the worldwide gathering of the extended House of Israel through Christ's church in the Latter-days. The gathering of Israel is a sign that we are living in the days preceding the second coming of Christ. In these next verses you're going to see the phrase "the times of the Gentiles" appear quite a few times. Indeed, the Lord would restore his Church through the Gentiles nations.
:26 Men's hearts shall _____ them
The word is fail in verse 26
Now I don't think that's a reference to cardiac arrest, but a reference to the failing of love and hope and faith in the hearts of men. Why will they fail? Take a look at Luke
21:26
26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
The last days can be a terrifying time to live. Some are going to lose their faith in humanity and their hope for a bright future. After the horrors of World War 2 and the holocaust, many in Europe lost their faith in God and the gospel. The prevalence of disillusionment or hopelessness or discouragement is a sign of the times. Have you seen any evidence of that?
:41 Blood and fire and vapors of _________.
The word is smoke in verse 41.
Sounds terrible doesn't it. Is there evidence of this in our world? Blood and fire and smoke are all indicators of destruction. This can certainly be both literal and symbolic. There are more than enough examples of literal blood and fire and smoke in our world. There is also the spiritual destruction of faith and testimony and hope.
:26 _____ and rumors of ______, and the whole earth shall be in commotion
It's the same word in both blanks. The word is war in verse 26
Evidence? That can refer to any number of conflicts. Since the restoration, our world has been embroiled in many armed conflicts. Rumors of wars refers to the threats of war, the possibility of war. The years we refer to as the Cold War are a good example of this. But then you have other types of wars to consider. We have gang wars, the war on drugs, conflicts in politics, race relations, marriages and families, and religious disputes. Above all, the war for the souls of man that started with the war in heaven and has now become war on earth. This spiritual war for our agency has been waged since the beginning. Great and widespread conflict are a sign that the Lord is coming.
:31 they shall see an overflowing scourge, for a desolating _________ shall cover the land
The word is sickness in verse and 31
I'm not so sure that's referring to any specific virus or pandemic or outbreak, although I suppose it could. I believe the overflowing scourge and sickness are war and hatred as we discussed in the previous sign. As you read the Book of Revelation, it becomes fairly clear that war becomes THE major cleansing agent of the last days-the major form of destruction of the wicked. God doesn't really need to destroy them because they just destroy themselves and each other. We'll see this more clearly in the last portion of section 45, that Zion becomes the only safe and peaceful place on earth, while the rest of the world self-destructs and tears itself apart through conflict.
Now for the sign that worries me the most. The most disturbing of the signs.
:27 The _____ of men will wax cold
The word is love from verse 27.
How's that for scary? This to me is a more frightening sign than wars, and earthquakes, and famines. When people stop loving each other, things deteriorate quickly. Political division, racism, a casual attitude toward divorce, mass shootings, bullying, and a vicious incivility prevalent in much of social media are all evidence of the love of men waxing cold. Remember what Jesus said was the greatest indicator that we were his disciples? How people would know and recognize his true followers? If they had love one to another. As the world grows more wicked, the contrast will become more and more apparent. The love of men will wax cold, and hatred will increase. Have you seen evidence of this?
WHY SIGNS?
Well, those are some of the signs that will indicate that the second coming is drawing near. And it's not that the Lord is sending these things, or causing them, but He's drawing our attention to the conditions of the world that will precede his impending arrival.
TRUTH
God reveals signs of his coming, so that we may know that his coming is nigh, and to help us know that his promises to the righteous will soon be fulfilled.
THE BEST QUESTION-WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
Now that also implies something. Another purpose for the signs. Why would he want us to know that his coming is nigh--that it's getting close? I think he's hoping that we will ask the best question that we can ask concerning the Second Coming. The most important question. And though the disciples didn't ask him that question, he spends a lot of time answering it. Can anybody guess what it is? He wants us to know when his coming is getting close so that we'll do something about it--so that we will be ready for it. The best question you can ask is "How can I prepare myself for the Second Coming?" What Christ wants most for us is that we be prepared. He's not just sitting up there ready to light matches to the world. That's why he sends signs and prophets and seems to delay his coming. He's hoping people will believe, and change, and prepare. Because if we're prepared, neither of the other two questions matter as much. It doesn't matter when he comes, and it doesn't matter how obvious or frequent the signs become, because we will be ready. Unfortunately, many people have spent countless hours researching, studying, predicting, and speculating about the date and the signs of the coming of the Lord. Wouldn't our time be much better spent studying and pondering on how to prepare ourselves for that day and then acting on it? I think so. So we're going to spend the rest of the lesson learning what we should do when we see the signs and how we can prepare. I see three major answers to that question in section 45. Send your students in to find the answers to that question with the following study guide. There is also a section to take notes on how to do that thing and a "Liken the Scriptures" question to consider.
#1 :35 BE NOT TROUBLED
When you think about the nature of the signs we just studied, we shouldn't be surprised by the disciple’s reaction. It says in verse 34 that they were troubled by those prophecies. No kidding. Wars, earthquakes, blood, sickness, hate, not the most positive of prospects described there. And I've often found that a lot of people and students over the years seem to have the same kinds of feelings surrounding the idea of the second coming. They wonder why things have to get so bad before they get better. They may begin to feel discouraged about living in the latter days. The Lord has a special instruction to those that may feel this way. He says, "be not troubled". He doesn't want us hiding in the corner and cowering in fear over the calamities of the last days. There is much to celebrate and look forward to as well. God is a great balancer. Since the conditions of the latter-days are so perilous, he's going to counteract that with the most amazing promises and opportunities as well. We have every reason in the world to be grateful and optimistic about the last days as well.
I like to entitle this section of the lesson with phrases that we find in verses 39 and 62. Read those two verses closely and tell me why we should not be troubled. :39 We shouldn't be troubled because we have so much to look forward to, and because, great things await us. There is no need to despair, there is no need to be discouraged, there is no need to be afraid. We can look forth for the great day of the Lord to come, because the Lord has so many great things in store for those that love him. Great things in the future when he comes, and great things while we wait. Let's go through this section and search for some of those great things and the promises that we can look forward to.
BECAUSE GREAT THINGS AWAIT YOU
The section is full of them. Can you find them:
:17 Can you find the 3Rs in this verse? Two of them are stated directly, and the other is alluded to. You have redemption, restoration and what would the 3rd R be? He says, "You have looked upon the long absence of your spirits from your bodies to be a bondage". What does the Lord promise those souls who long to reunite with their bodies? A glorious resurrection. The Lord will redeem the righteous from their sins, restore all things to their perfect and sanctified state, and resurrect all mankind to come forth and meet God. That sounds pretty great thing that awaits us, to me.
:28 the fulness of the gospel shall shine forth in darkness
The disciples of Christ in the latter days have the privilege of enjoying the fulness of the gospel. No generation of believers have or will be more blessed or enlightened than the generations preceding the second coming. Just ask yourself, what blessings do we have that no other previous dispensation has fully enjoyed? We have a deeper understanding of gospel doctrine. We have more scripture than any previous generation. Not only do we have the Old and New Testaments, but we have the book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price. We also receive the direction of living prophets every six months in general conference and even in between through articles in the Liahona, and Face to Faces, and trainings, and devotionals. We have access to years of church publications in the palms of our hand, and manuals and handbooks and resources. The church has never been more organized and focused than it is now. We have access to so many temples throughout the world. There aren't many places left where you have to travel extremely far in order to get to a temple anymore. We have been blessed with great fulness.
The Church of Jesus Christ has attained the highest level of sophistication that it has ever seen in the history of the world, and I'm certain that trend will continue.
:44-45 We get to see Jesus Christ in the clouds clothed with power and great glory. Can you imagine that moment in reality? This isn't a fictional or imaginary event. There will come a day when Jesus Christ, in the flesh will descend from heaven to the earth once again. And what will happen next?
:46 46 Wherefore, if ye have slept in peace blessed are you; for as you now behold me and know that I am, even so shall ye come unto me and your souls shall live, and your redemption shall be perfected; and the saints shall come forth from the four quarters of the earth.
Whether we are alive at the time of his coming, or we died centuries before it, all the righteous will take part in that experience. All of his Saints will rise to meet him in the clouds.
:54 The heathen nations will be redeemed, those that knew no law shall have part in the first resurrection and it shall be tolerable for them. Heathen is not used in a derogatory way here. But there are and will be places that did not have the same access to gospel knowledge and blessings and opportunities as others have. They too can be redeemed. Can you imagine temples dotting the Middle East, Asia, and Africa? This may well happen far before the Second Coming, but all nations will have the blessings of the fullness of the gospel.
:55 Satan shall be bound, no place in the hearts of the children of men. Oh, what a relief that will be. We no longer will have to worry about the influence of the adversary. Satan and his influence will become a distant bad memory. Nobody is going to sit around and reminisce about the bad 'ol days when Satan was around.
:58 the earth shall be given unto them for an inheritance, and they shall multiply and wax strong, and their children shall grow up without sin unto salvation. What a profound promise to parents. Can you imagine having that blessing? I pray every night that my children will be protected from the influence of the world and the adversary. I worry about their future and their faith. But once Christ comes, children shall grow up in righteousness and light. We won't have to filter their phones and monitor the movies they watch and worry about what they are doing with their friends are experiencing at school.
:59 The Lord shall be in their midst, and his glory shall be upon them, and he shall be their king and lawgiver. Jesus himself will actually be here. We can meet him and talk to him. He will be our government. Won't that be nice. I look forward to the day when I won't have to worry about politics or what's happening or not happening in Washington.
TRUTH/CONCLUSION-Great things await the righteous, so look forward to the Second Coming with hope and joy!
Can you see why we have so much to look forward to? Such great things await us. That's one of the great truths of this section. Great things await the righteous. There's no need to be troubled. No need to despair. I believe that we can remain firm optimists right up to the very day of his coming. Yes, the world is a miserable place in a lot of ways, and it's just going to get worse, BUT, we can still find joy, and hope, and love, and truth while we wait. There's a word that seems to come up quite a few times in the section and that word is look. I think the Lord wants us to look for the positive aspects of the last days and not dwell on the negative. So, be not troubled. We can be joyful and happy even in a world of commotion and war and earthquakes and desolating sickness, and darkness.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Which of the great things most helps you not to be troubled?
Another possible teaching suggestion here. There is a great church inspirational message video entitled "Men's hearts shall fail them" with President Nelson. He tells the story of a time when he was almost in a plane crash and how he was able to still remain calm even though it appeared that he was about to die. It's a very inspiring message and fits beautifully with the message of this section. I'll include a link to it here and encourage you to take the time to watch it.
#2 BE WISE
:56-57 The second thing we can do to be prepared for the second coming is found in verse 57. What is it?
It says:
56 And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins.
57 For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.
What should we do? We should be wise BY receiving the truth, and taking the Holy Spirit for our guide
We all remember the parable of the 10 virgins. In that parable, there were 5 foolish virgins and five wise. And what was it that set them apart? The wise had prepared themselves with oil in their lamps. The foolish, on the other hand, had brought none, or had allowed their lamps to go out while waiting. Therefore, when the bridegroom came at midnight, the wise were prepared for the celebration but the foolish were not and the door was closed upon them. They knock on the door of the wedding and ask to be let in. But the Lord responds with: "Ye know me not". That's a JST change by the way and a very enlightening one at that. It's not "I know you not", but you don't know me--as if to say "Why do you want to take part in my wedding when you never wanted to spend time with me before? You were too busy, too distracted, too focused on yourself, too taken by the things of the world. You don't even know me. The 5 wise virgins had oil though. Doctrine and Covenants 45 tells us what the oil represents. It tells us what is going to help us to get to know the bridegroom so that we can be welcomed into the great wedding feast-which is the second coming. The oil is truth. And with that truth, we are able to see our way by the light of the Holy Ghost. Truth is the fuel by which the light of the Spirit burns. So, we have to ask ourselves, if we have received the truth. Have we listened to the voice? The voice of the Spirit, the voice of the prophets, the voice of the scriptures. But more importantly, have we received it. We've got to act on it and allow ourselves to be guided by it.
The foolish treat the truth in a much different way. There's evidence of that as you make your way through section 45. There are those that (:6) harden their hearts against the truth, that (:29) receive it not, because they perceive not the light, of the Spirit, and they turn their hearts away from me (no wonder they wax cold, and harden, and fail them). Why do they turn away? because of the precepts of men. A precept is a rule of principle. They want to follow the rules of men. Because they're easier, more seductive, more selfish. :49-50 There are those that laugh, and mock, and scorn the truth those that follow it. That's one of Satan's major tactics he employs against the truth. Remember the number one activity of choice of those in the great and spacious building. They had nothing better to do than to point the finger of derision at the faithful. Usually those that oppose the truth don't want to sit down and have a rational discussion about why you believe what you believe or debate the nature of the validity of faith. Their only option, is to mock it. You can make anything look foolish just by the way you talk about it. Ask any comedian. There are also those that watch for iniquity, that spend all their time looking for the negative, the faults, the imperfect. Those that make a man an offender for a word a dredge up any story or quote they can find that may cast the faithful or the church in a negative light.
TRUTH/CONCLUSION
To prepare for the second coming, we must receive the truth and allow ourselves to be guided by the light of the Spirit. Verse 57 promises that those wise souls that do this will abide the day. I think that can mean two things. Yes, they will abide the actual day of his coming at some future date. But also, they will abide every day--all their todays and tomorrows are included in that promise. You will be able to abide whatever the day brings you. So, receive the truth, follow the Spirit and enjoy the wedding. That day when Christ is reunited with his bride, the Church, we will all celebrate. Let's not find ourselves on the other side of the door because we were foolish, but let the Lord find your heart willing, your mind ready, and your lamps full.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
What could you do to more fully receive the truth and follow the Spirit?
#3 STAND IN HOLY PLACES
:32 I've saved the best one for last, in my opinion. And that one is going to take us back to verse :32. What is the instruction there that will help us to be prepared?
Stand in holy places, and you shall not be moved
I believe the word stand here is an active word rather than a passive one. We are to make a stand against the wickedness and the evil of the world in our holy places, and not just hide within them. It's our holy places that will provide us with safety, peace and refuge.
What are our holy places? I can think of no better reference that illustrates this then
Isaiah 4:5-6. Isaiah describes the three holy places of the last days. Can you find them.
5 And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.
6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.
So what are they? Every dwelling place of mount Zion- Our homes
Her assemblies- Any place where Saints assemble themselves together. Our stakes, and churches, seminaries, and institutes, the conference center, any time two or more gather together in his name.
And third, a tabernacle. Now what was the tabernacle to them? OR What is our modern-day tabernacle? The temple
Those are our three holy places from which we must make our stand. Our homes, our churches, and our temples.
These three locations make up Zion, the ultimate holy place. Remember at the beginning of the section where the Lord referred to the God of Enoch and the city of Zion? That was some foreshadowing. God is going to invite the members of his church to create that holy city once again on the earth. But it's not necessarily going to be one geographical location. It's in all of these places. Wherever you have a home, a church assembly, or a temple, you have Zion--and there is a blessing promised for each of these locations.
TRUTH
If we make a stand for righteousness in our homes, our churches, and our temples we will be able to abide the calamities and the wickedness of the last days.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
How have the three holy places provided safety, peace, and refuge in your life?
CONCLUSION
Well, I think this leads us beautifully to the final portion of section 45. The Lord is going to end with a charge and a promise to his Saints. Since they are being asked to stand in holy places, they are going to need to do something first in order to follow that commandment.
Let's read verses :64-71 to see what that was.
64 Wherefore I, the Lord, have said, gather ye out from the eastern lands, assemble ye yourselves together ye elders of my church; go ye forth into the western countries, call upon the inhabitants to repent, and inasmuch as they do repent, build up churches unto me.
65 And with one heart and with one mind, gather up your riches that ye may purchase an inheritance which shall hereafter be appointed unto you.
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.
In order to stand in holy places, they had to build them first. Zion needed to be built, and guess what, it's still under construction. They started it back in 1830 and it continues to be built. We must build it too! So that we have holy places to stand in. This is another great thing about living in the latter days. We're going to build a place where people aren't fighting one another, where they don't watch for iniquity, and they don't scorn, and they don't solve problems with violence. A place where people love each other hearts aren't waxing cold. We're going to accomplish something that all righteous and holy men have sought for in the past. We're going to build a place where the holy can say "This is where I belong. I'm not a stranger here. I can raise my children here without sin and trouble. I can feel safe, and peaceful, and happy here." And the closer we get to the second coming, the more pronounced the difference between Zion and Babylon will become. Zion will be the last holy place left on earth before Christ comes. And the wicked will look at it with awe and long for what we have. And I love how in verse :69 and 71 that Zion is made up of people from every nation. There is a place for every nation, ethnicity, language, and race in the kingdom of Zion. Every nation in the world has wonderful, good people living in it. Governments and organizations and nations have not been able to figure this one out, the grand dream, how to unite people that are different in so many ways. The only hope for real world peace that we have is the gospel of Jesus Christ in the holy places of Zion. This is true now! Have you ever attended church in a foreign country with people you didn't even know? I bet you felt an instant sense of brotherhood and comfort and acceptance in that place. You could be a world away, you may not even speak the language, but you feel at home. You sing the same songs, hear the same gospel and feel the same spirit no matter where you are. I can attend church in France, or Brazil, or Nigeria, or Canada, or Tonga, or Singapore and feel at home. We may feel like strangers and pilgrims in the world, but in Zion, we're always in place where we feel we belong. And in it, we can sing the songs of everlasting joy.
So, does this section help you find joy? Does it help you to reject false reports and foolish stories? Does it encourage you to investigate the work, and embrace the faith? I pray that it has. I'd like to conclude with the words of Alma and the way that he felt about waiting for the coming of the Lord because it so beautifully describes how I feel about it.
Alma 13:25
25 And now we only wait to hear the joyful news declared unto us by the mouth of angels, of his coming; for the time cometh, we know not how soon. Would to God that it might be in my day; but let it be sooner or later, in it I will rejoice.
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