0:10

Hello fellow teachers and welcome to

0:12

Teaching with Power. This has

0:14

been Wilcox and I want you to know that

0:16

I always look forward to spending this time

0:18

with you in the scriptures each week. And

0:21

today we're going to be discussing

0:23

Doctrine and Covenants section 45. Now

0:26

this podcast is actually the audio to

0:28

my videos that I produce on

0:30

my YouTube channel teaching with power So

0:32

if you hear me referring to

0:34

visuals and you'd like to see what

0:36

I'm referring to I encourage you

0:38

to check out the video presentation on

0:40

YouTube My goal with these lessons is

0:42

not just to give you insight into

0:45

the scriptures But also give you ideas and

0:47

materials that are going to help you

0:49

teach those insights to other people in

0:51

relevant and meaningful ways

0:53

so grab your scriptures and

0:55

your marking pencils, it's time

0:57

to dig deep. This

0:59

is a rare week in the Come Follow Me

1:01

schedule. Just one single

1:04

section. Now it's

1:06

a big section, but I'm thrilled

1:08

about this because it's going to

1:10

allow us to really dig deep

1:12

and focus on the doctrines of

1:14

the second coming. And

1:16

if you can recall the lesson that we had all

1:18

the way back in section one, you're going

1:20

to remember that one of the major purposes of

1:22

the entire Doctrine and Covenants is

1:24

to help us to be prepared for the

1:26

second coming. And

1:28

once again, the section

1:30

heading is going to do

1:33

an excellent job of providing

1:35

context and setting up the revelation

1:37

that follows. So read

1:39

it to yourself and see what

1:41

phrases you would pull out that throw

1:43

light on the purpose of

1:45

section 45. What

1:48

is it going to do for us? Well,

1:51

It's going to help us

1:53

to not be deceived by false

1:56

reports and foolish stories. There's

1:59

a lot of that in our world today, in

2:01

particular about the Second Coming. This

2:04

section is going to

2:06

help encourage us to investigate

2:08

the work and embrace

2:10

the faith. Investigate

2:12

and embrace. That's what

2:14

God wants all of us to do, regardless

2:16

of whether we've been a member of the

2:18

church our whole lives, or you were just

2:20

baptized last week. Maybe

2:22

we've investigated it, or we know it,

2:24

but we have yet to embrace

2:27

it, to really bring it right down

2:29

into our hearts. And

2:31

finally, these things are

2:33

meant to bring us joy by

2:35

the end of our lesson. My

2:38

hope is that you feel that joy

2:40

when it comes to the return of our

2:42

Savior Jesus Christ. Section

2:44

45 is a joyful

2:46

section. And to

2:48

get us into it, for an icebreaker,

2:51

I sometimes like to pull out an alarm

2:53

clock as an object lesson and it's

2:55

kind of fun to have one of those

2:57

old -fashioned looking ones and I'll put a

2:59

link to one in the description if

3:01

you're interested. But then I

3:03

ask my students if they've

3:05

ever slept through something important or

3:07

they missed out on something

3:09

great because they forgot to set

3:11

an alarm or put a

3:13

reminder somewhere. And I

3:15

know that I've done this before. Once I

3:18

was supposed to catch an early flight to join

3:20

my family on vacation, and I failed

3:22

to set an alarm the night before. So

3:25

when I woke up, with

3:27

great dread and regret, I

3:30

realized that I was not going to get

3:32

to my flight on time, and it was

3:34

a horrible feeling. Now

3:36

luckily, I was able to catch a

3:38

flight later that day, but that ended up

3:40

costing me some vacation time with my family. Now

3:44

you may also want to ask them if

3:46

they're fond of the snooze button and has

3:48

that ever gotten them into trouble? Have

3:51

they missed the bus or been

3:53

late to work because of the snooze

3:55

button? You can then

3:57

transition to the scriptures by saying that

3:59

section 45 is going to teach us about

4:01

an event that we don't want to

4:03

miss. And what is that

4:05

event according to section 45 verse

4:08

16? The

4:10

event is meeting the Savior

4:12

in glory. at his second coming,

4:15

we want to make sure that we're

4:17

awake and ready for that great day. And

4:20

hopefully we've listened to the

4:22

wake -up call of his voice

4:24

before that day ever comes. If

4:27

we're not ready, or if

4:29

we've hit the snooze button too

4:31

many times, then I'm afraid

4:33

that that day is going to fill

4:35

us with dread and regret. And

4:38

like so many other sections

4:40

in the Doctrine and Covenants,

4:42

a major theme Is that

4:44

a listening or harkening? We

4:47

saw that in the very first section

4:49

of the Doctrine and Covenants in the very

4:51

first word and we've seen it in

4:53

many sections since. Most recently

4:55

we saw it in section 43

4:57

where the Lord listed all the

4:59

voices that he tries to get

5:01

people to listen and to come

5:04

follow him. Now

5:06

in section 45, I

5:08

see three natural divisions.

5:11

each with its own related

5:13

but distinct message. You've

5:16

got verses 1 through 16, verses

5:18

17 through 59, and

5:21

verses 60 through

5:23

75. The

5:26

message of the first

5:28

16 verses is a plea

5:30

to listen. So

5:32

for a search activity, I

5:34

want you to find how many times

5:36

and ways the Lord asks us

5:39

to listen to Him. And

5:41

let's see. In verse one,

5:44

you've got Harkin. And

5:47

again, he says Harkin

5:49

and then give ear. In

5:52

verse two, Harkin.

5:54

In verse three, listen.

5:57

In verse six, Harkin.

6:00

Listen together. Hear

6:02

my voice. In

6:04

11, Harkin together.

6:07

And in verse 15, Harkin and...

6:09

will speak unto you." So

6:11

you can see, he

6:13

says that over and over

6:15

again in this section. Listen

6:18

to me, please. Now

6:21

let's go through and find all the

6:23

reasons why we should listen to him. And

6:26

in a class, I would assign each

6:28

of my students a number and give them

6:30

a verse or verses to study. Looking

6:33

for a reason for why

6:35

we should listen to Christ. And

6:38

then, call for volunteers or call

6:40

on some of those individuals to share

6:42

their findings with the class. Jesus

6:45

is going to offer us a

6:47

whole bundle of different reasons to

6:49

listen to. So

6:51

number one, listen because

6:53

I am the creator. I

6:56

am the maker. We've

6:58

spoken about that idea before and here he's

7:00

using it again. You've got

7:02

to listen to me because I

7:04

invented you and this world and

7:06

everything on it. I understand it

7:09

and I understand you. I

7:11

know what makes you tick and I know what

7:13

will make you happy. So

7:15

trust me. In

7:17

verse two, listen because

7:19

the consequences of not listening

7:21

are so severe. Lest

7:23

death shall overtake you

7:26

and your souls not saved.

7:28

I don't want you to be surprised

7:31

by my coming or your own death

7:33

and not be prepared for it. Something

7:36

that we should keep in mind is that

7:38

teachings on the second coming are for more than

7:40

just the people that will actually be alive

7:42

on the earth when it happens. If

7:44

that's all it applied to, then

7:46

that's a lot of space in the

7:48

scriptures dedicated to a very small minority of

7:50

God's children. No,

7:52

the teachings of the second coming are

7:55

for all ages of mankind. Our

7:57

death is a type of

8:00

second coming for us personally.

8:03

Now that's not to discount the opportunities

8:05

that we have for repentance in the spirit

8:07

world. But death marks

8:09

an important milestone in

8:11

our eternal progress. What

8:14

we do in this life matters,

8:16

and we'll have a bearing on our

8:18

eternal future. So

8:20

he says, listen before I

8:22

come, or listen lest death

8:24

overtake you in an hour

8:26

when you think not, and

8:29

your soul not be saved. Do

8:31

you remember the preacher from Pollyanna? Death

8:35

comes unexpectedly.

8:38

Now it is true though. We

8:40

don't know the exact moment of Christ's

8:42

return and we don't know the day

8:44

and hour of our death either. So

8:47

the implied message, the

8:50

time to harken is always now. Verses

8:54

three through five. Let's

8:56

take some time on these couple

8:58

of verses. I really love

9:00

them. One of Jesus Christ's titles

9:03

is the advocate with the

9:05

Father. Jesus is

9:07

our advocate, our lawyer

9:09

in a sense. But notice

9:11

that he's not our advocate to

9:13

the Father or in front of the

9:15

Father, but with the Father. And

9:18

that's significant. We've got to be

9:20

careful with this imagery. I really

9:22

don't picture the final judgment being like

9:24

a courtroom, that God is

9:26

sitting there on the stand demanding

9:28

justice. while Jesus is

9:30

pleading from the defendant's bench

9:32

for mercy. Jesus

9:34

is not all mercy and

9:37

the Father all justice. Both

9:39

Jesus and the Father represent

9:41

the perfect balance between both principles.

9:45

And I don't think that Jesus

9:47

has to try and convince God

9:49

to be merciful to us. I

9:52

think the focus here is on us. Jesus

9:55

isn't telling us what He's going to

9:57

say so that God will be convinced

9:59

of something, but so that we will

10:01

be convinced of something. That

10:03

He is on our side and that

10:05

this is about us. Look

10:08

at how verse 3 begins. He's saying, listen

10:10

to your Savior plead for you.

10:14

This is another reason we can trust

10:16

Him because He loves us. He

10:18

loves us enough to plead for us.

10:21

He has our best interest at

10:23

heart. Jesus

10:25

and the Father are looking at

10:27

each other with a knowing

10:29

look and glance, hoping that we

10:31

will overhear the conversation. And

10:34

we should picture ourselves in the

10:36

background listening to them. And

10:38

we hear Jesus say the following words, Father,

10:42

behold the sufferings and death of him

10:44

who did no sin, in

10:46

whom thou wast well pleased. Behold

10:48

the blood of thy son which was

10:50

shed, the blood of him whom thou gave

10:53

us that thyself might be glorified. Wherefore,

10:55

Father, spare these, my

10:58

brethren, that believe on my name, that

11:00

they may come unto me and

11:02

have everlasting life. Jesus

11:05

is looking at us as he's

11:07

saying these words. Can

11:09

you imagine how it would feel to

11:11

hear Jesus say those words about you? Put

11:15

your own name in there and notice.

11:17

how it affects your heart. In

11:19

my mind's eye, I imagine

11:21

hearing Jesus say, you

11:23

love me, Father, and because of

11:25

that love that you bear to me, I

11:28

bear that love to Ben. You

11:31

know that he believes in me and

11:33

you. Father, I suffered and

11:35

I died for Ben, and I loved

11:37

him enough to suffer and die. And

11:39

he loves us, Father, so

11:41

please spare him. Give unto

11:44

him eternal life. We

11:46

both know that he is guilty,

11:48

but he believes in us and

11:50

he loves us. I

11:52

think that only the hardest of hearts

11:55

wouldn't be softened by that plea. And

11:57

I don't really think that this pleading is

11:59

a one -time thing. It's not that it

12:02

only happens at some future court date. This

12:04

pleading is constant. And

12:07

that's why he says in verse six, hear

12:09

my voice while it is called today. This

12:12

truth is for us

12:14

here today. Not

12:16

just in the future, not just for

12:18

those that are actually on the earth when

12:20

the second coming occurs. It's

12:22

something that he wants us to always keep

12:25

in mind. I'm

12:27

afraid that many of us may spend

12:29

a lot of our time condemning ourselves

12:31

for our weaknesses, our imperfections,

12:33

our indiscretions. But

12:35

there's the Savior constantly

12:37

pleading for us, saying,

12:41

Father, spare Ben

12:43

the pain of constant

12:45

condemnation. Help him to

12:47

know of our love for him

12:49

and our mercy and our grace

12:51

that's being offered Help him to

12:54

feel good about his progress

12:56

because he loves us and believes

12:58

in us Wouldn't that help you

13:00

to put your trust in

13:02

his instruction and his wisdom? verse

13:06

7 Listen because I am

13:08

great There is a little bit

13:10

of that theme in these

13:12

verses and and it can stand

13:14

as another reason I

13:16

don't think the major thrust of God's

13:18

pleadings is that we should listen to Him

13:21

because He's in charge and He's so

13:23

powerful. But there is a

13:25

bit of that. Remember, He's giving us

13:27

a whole list of reasons for why we should listen.

13:29

And this is one of them. He

13:31

is the beginning and the end

13:33

of all. Doesn't it

13:36

make sense to place our trust in

13:38

a being of such immense power and

13:40

glory? Listen,

13:44

because listening will lead to

13:46

great blessings for you. You

13:48

will do and witness miracles.

13:51

You will become my sons and daughters. You

13:54

will gain eternal life, the greatest

13:56

of all gifts. So

13:58

much is at stake here. The

14:01

rewards are endless. Verse

14:04

9, Listen, because

14:07

what I have will give you light

14:09

to guide you, a standard

14:11

to follow, and a messenger

14:13

to listen to. This everlasting

14:15

covenant I have is going

14:17

to give you direction, understanding,

14:19

and guidance. The

14:21

world doesn't really have a standard

14:23

for us to rally to. If

14:26

they do, it's that there

14:28

are no absolute standards anymore. The

14:31

world today has destroyed all

14:33

the capitals. What do

14:35

I mean by that? The world

14:38

doesn't believe in capital

14:40

T, truth, anymore. Capital

14:42

M, morality. Capital

14:45

A, accountability. Or

14:47

capital R, right. It's

14:50

all relative. There are

14:52

no standards. Everybody just

14:55

creates their own standard. It's

14:57

like George Bernard Shaw said, the

14:59

only golden rule is that there

15:01

is no golden rule. Everybody

15:04

gets to decide for themselves what's

15:06

right and what's wrong. If

15:08

there's only one capital that the world

15:10

seems to stand for, it's capital T, tolerance,

15:13

which does and should have

15:15

a place in our society. But

15:18

if it's the only flag that's

15:20

waived or the flag that's raised far

15:22

higher than any other, with

15:24

which they can use as a club

15:27

to beat down and silence all the

15:29

others, then I believe that we're going

15:31

to find our society in a very

15:33

undesirable and dangerous position. So

15:36

instead, we look to

15:38

the light. We rally

15:40

around the standard and we listen

15:42

to the messengers that are sent

15:44

from a loving Heavenly Father to

15:46

help us. Verses

15:50

10 and 11. Listen

15:52

because it just makes sense

15:54

to. He says, I will

15:56

reason with you as with men in

15:58

days of old. I will show

16:00

unto you my strong reasoning. I

16:03

really love that. This is a great

16:05

model of the very first principle of

16:07

priesthood leadership. And do you know what

16:09

that is? You're

16:11

gonna find it in section

16:13

121 where God reveals the

16:15

principles of righteous priesthood authority. And

16:18

what's the first word on

16:20

that list? Is it

16:22

loyalty? Is it strength? Is

16:25

it intimidation? Now

16:27

the first principle of

16:29

righteous priesthood leadership is persuasion.

16:32

We are to lead by

16:35

persuasion. We reason with

16:37

those that we lead. We impart

16:39

of our wisdom and try to help

16:41

them see the best course of

16:43

action for themselves is going to bring

16:45

them and all the most benefit. God

16:48

is not a do what I say

16:50

because I say so kind of God. He

16:53

reasons with us. This

16:56

whole first section is evidence of that. Before

16:58

he teaches us anything about the second

17:00

coming, he's going to plead for us

17:02

to listen to him. He's

17:05

going to, verse 11, show

17:07

unto us his wisdom. Verses

17:11

11 through 14, and

17:14

notice the title that he uses for himself

17:16

here. He calls himself

17:18

the God of Enoch. Let

17:20

me show unto you even my wisdom,

17:22

the wisdom of him whom he say is

17:24

the God of Enoch and his brethren.

17:26

who were separated from the earth and were

17:28

received unto myself, a city

17:31

reserved until a day of righteousness shall

17:33

come." And that's the only time in

17:35

all the scriptures that he calls himself

17:37

the God of Enoch. Now

17:39

why? Because listening

17:41

to his wisdom can help

17:44

you to create and live

17:46

in a unified society, a

17:48

Zion, one mind and one

17:50

heart society. A society

17:52

that was so righteous that it was

17:54

separated from the earth and received

17:57

unto the Lord himself. And

17:59

a lot of individuals, a

18:02

lot of religious figures and governments

18:04

have tried to do this throughout

18:06

the ages to create a Zion

18:08

-like community. But have

18:10

they or do they have the

18:12

wisdom and the reason to create

18:14

what Enoch created? Probably

18:17

not. Only God

18:19

can create Zion through his

18:21

wisdom. It's never going to happen

18:23

with just the wisdom of man. This

18:26

kind of place and circumstances is

18:28

something that has been sought for

18:30

by all holy men and women.

18:33

But they've never been able to find it. And

18:36

they confessed that they were

18:38

strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

18:41

Now that's worth our contemplation here. How

18:44

should we feel in the world?

18:47

We should feel like strangers,

18:50

which means foreigners, or

18:52

pilgrims, wanderers looking

18:54

for a more holy place. We

18:57

should not feel at home in a

18:59

world of wickedness and abomination. That

19:02

may be a good question to ask yourself. Do

19:05

I feel comfortable in this

19:07

world? Do I feel like I

19:09

belong? According

19:11

to this, hopefully not. Not

19:14

belonging can actually be a good thing. If

19:16

the entertainment, the values, the

19:19

music, the language, the environment, the

19:21

trends of the world make

19:23

you feel uncomfortable, then

19:25

that's probably a good sign. If

19:28

you find yourself thinking and feeling, there

19:31

has to be something better than this.

19:34

Or I want to find a better

19:36

place, a more holy place than this. I

19:38

want to live my life with 13th

19:40

article of faith kind of people. the

19:43

kind of people that seek after that which is

19:45

virtuous, lovely, praiseworthy,

19:47

or of good report. If

19:49

those are our desires, that's

19:52

good. However,

19:54

if you're comfortable in the

19:56

world, if you find yourself drawn

19:58

to that environment and language

20:00

and entertainment, constantly looking over

20:02

your shoulder with longing for their

20:04

standards and behaviors, then that

20:06

may be a sign that you've slipped a

20:09

little too far from the iron rod and

20:11

you're stumbling your way. to the Great and

20:13

Spacious Building. So

20:15

listen to him because listening will

20:17

eventually lead you to find that

20:19

kind of world and society to

20:21

a place where you feel at

20:24

home. He's going

20:26

to return to this idea in the last

20:28

portion of section 45. This

20:30

is one of the great promises of this section. Listening

20:33

to Christ will lead

20:35

you to Zion. Verses

20:38

15 and 16 are going to

20:40

reiterate his plea to Harkin to his

20:42

reasoning as he promises to teach

20:45

us more plainly about his coming. So

20:48

the truth here, and I'll keep it

20:50

simple, there are

20:52

so many good reasons

20:54

to listen to Christ.

20:57

It just makes sense.

21:00

And so I hope we will. And

21:03

do you sense the Lord's care

21:05

and concern and love here? He's

21:08

just given us 16 verses

21:10

of pleading and persuasion and reasoning

21:12

before he ever even gets

21:14

started in on the second coming

21:16

stuff You've got the carrot.

21:18

You've got the stick. You've got

21:20

the authority card. You've got

21:22

reasoning and persuasion and love All

21:24

done in the hopes that

21:26

we will listen to him Listen

21:28

to me. He pleads because

21:30

I'm the creator Because the

21:32

ramifications are too great. Because I

21:34

love you. Because the blessings are

21:37

priceless. Because it just makes sense.

21:39

Because if you listen, you will one day

21:42

find yourself in a place where you

21:44

belong. Listen because

21:46

I always keep my promises. And

21:49

hopefully, with those 16

21:51

verses, he's got our attention.

21:54

He's convinced us to listen. He's

21:57

woken us up with the alarm of

21:59

his voice. And he says,

22:01

Okay, now let's

22:03

talk about the second coming. So

22:07

verses 17 through 59

22:09

cover that truth and really

22:11

has the meat of

22:13

the section. So

22:15

there are three questions that I

22:17

want to talk about with you now.

22:19

The wrong question, a

22:22

better question, and the

22:24

best question. These

22:26

verses in the middle are addressing a

22:28

very specific question that's asked by

22:30

the Lord's disciples during Christ's mortal ministry.

22:33

And section 45 is a

22:35

clear companion section to

22:37

Matthew 24, which is the

22:39

chapter from the New Testament that

22:41

Joseph Smith so extensively retranslated that it

22:43

ended up as its own book

22:46

in the Pearl of Great Price called

22:48

Joseph Smith Matthew. That's

22:50

the conversation that's being referred to here.

22:53

In Joseph Smith Matthew, the

22:55

disciples asked two questions of

22:57

Jesus. And they are the two

22:59

questions that a lot of people today still

23:01

ask about the second coming. In

23:04

fact, I bet you can guess what the

23:06

first question is. What do

23:08

you think is the very first question

23:10

that comes to people's minds regarding the

23:12

second coming of Christ? And

23:15

here it is in Joseph Smith

23:17

Matthew verse four. And

23:20

Jesus left them and went upon the Mount

23:22

of Olives. And as he sat upon

23:24

the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto

23:26

him privately saying, Tell

23:28

us when shall these things be, which

23:30

thou hast said concerning the destruction of

23:32

the temple and the Jews? And

23:35

what is the sign of thy coming and of the

23:37

end of the world or the destruction of the wicked,

23:39

which is the end of the world? What's

23:42

the first question? When?

23:45

When will it happen? And

23:48

that question has been debated, speculated

23:50

on, and worried about

23:53

for ages. How

23:55

does the Lord usually answer that

23:57

question? Here's how

23:59

he answered it in Joseph Smith Matthew. But

24:02

of that day and hour, no

24:04

one knoweth. No,

24:07

not the angels of God in heaven, but

24:09

my Father only. The

24:11

Lord is always going to answer that

24:13

question with ambiguity. No

24:15

matter how much we prod or cajole him, He's

24:18

just not interested in giving

24:20

us the specifics of that answer.

24:23

We're not intended to know that answer.

24:26

But some people think that he's hidden

24:28

the answer in cryptic phrases or

24:30

Bible codes so that only the religious

24:32

elite or the scripture scholar can

24:34

figure them out. But

24:36

simply stated, the fact of the matter is

24:39

that no man knoweth. He's

24:41

not going to tell us the

24:43

due date. He doesn't want to

24:45

encourage procrastination or inspire apathy. because,

24:47

hey, he's not coming for another

24:49

thousand years or so. He's

24:52

never going to give a straight answer to that question. And

24:55

a perfect example of this comes

24:57

in section 130, because even Joseph Smith

24:59

couldn't help but ask that question. And

25:03

how did God answer him? I

25:05

was once praying, very earnestly, to know

25:07

the time of the coming of the Son

25:10

of Man when I heard a voice

25:12

repeat the following. Joseph,

25:14

my son, If thou

25:16

livest until thou art eighty -five years

25:18

old, thou shalt see the face of

25:20

the Son of Man. Therefore,

25:23

let this suffice and trouble me no

25:25

more on this matter." I was

25:27

left thus without being able to decide

25:29

whether this coming referred to the

25:31

beginning of the millennium or to some

25:33

previous appearing or whether I should

25:35

die and thus see his face. I

25:38

believe the coming of the Son of Man

25:40

will not be any sooner than that time.

25:44

Well, don't you love that? How's that

25:46

for an ambiguous response? And you

25:48

may even sense a bit of exasperation in

25:50

the Lord's voice. Joseph, if

25:52

you live to be 85, you'll see me.

25:54

Now don't ask me anymore about it. And

25:57

then Joseph is just sitting there wondering

25:59

what that means and how to interpret

26:01

it. This is a

26:03

perfect example of the great vagueness offered

26:05

when it comes to the question of

26:07

when. Interestingly

26:10

enough, he doesn't even mention that

26:12

question here in section 45. Perhaps

26:14

that's an indication that he just doesn't feel

26:16

that it's very important for us to know. There

26:19

is wisdom and a purpose for us not

26:21

knowing the answer to that question. It's

26:23

the wrong question to ask.

26:28

Now for a question that apparently it

26:30

is okay to ask. A

26:32

better question. As

26:34

an icebreaker, I do the following.

26:36

I give them a signs quiz and

26:39

ask them if they know what the

26:41

following signs me. And sometimes I'll do

26:43

it as a handout like this. Here

26:46

are the answers. Electric

26:49

shock hazard. Poison.

26:55

Radioactive. This

26:57

is an interstate

27:00

sign, for the United States at

27:02

least. Biohazard.

27:06

Recycle. Neighborhood

27:09

watch. And

27:11

this last one is a dead -end

27:13

sign that you would only find in

27:15

Brazil. Now, unless you're

27:17

from Brazil, you're probably not going to get that

27:19

one. But it is there just to make

27:21

a point. And I ask this

27:23

question, what are the purposes of science?

27:27

Well, they protect us from danger by

27:29

giving us warnings. They

27:31

give us instruction, and they provide

27:33

order. And signs tell

27:35

us where we are or where

27:37

we're going. The

27:39

signs that Christ provides us with

27:41

accomplish the same purposes. And

27:44

in order to understand some of

27:46

the signs, we've got to have some

27:48

prior experience or knowledge of their

27:50

meaning, like the Brazilian sign. If

27:52

somebody doesn't explain that to you beforehand,

27:54

you're just not going to get it. The

27:57

uninformed are going to struggle to

28:00

interpret them. Now

28:02

that's why God gives us the scriptures

28:04

in chapters like section 45 and the

28:06

prophets and the spirit to help us. The

28:09

righteous and those that are

28:11

watching will recognize them. And

28:14

as I said in a previous lesson,

28:16

I feel that the power of the

28:18

signs comes more in their figurative, spiritual,

28:20

and symbolic meanings rather than

28:22

their literal. And

28:24

that's not to say that there aren't literal

28:27

fulfillments of these prophecies, but I always

28:29

seem to find more relevance and meaning

28:31

in the figurative. So

28:33

what is the better question that we can ask

28:35

regarding the second coming? See if you

28:37

can find it in verse 16. It's

28:39

the question the disciples asked Christ back in

28:41

the New Testament. What

28:44

are the signs of your coming, Lord? And

28:46

he is going to answer that

28:48

second question in great detail. The

28:51

Lord wants us to be watching for

28:53

the signs as indicators of his nearing

28:55

arrival. Though we don't know the

28:57

exact day and hour, his coming

28:59

is not going to be a

29:01

huge surprise either for those that

29:03

know what to look for. So

29:07

what are the signs? Let's take

29:09

a quick look. And the likening of

29:11

the scriptures in this section is going to

29:13

occur throughout. For each of the signs,

29:15

it's good to ask your students if they

29:17

see any evidence of these things in our current

29:19

world. And if you wanted

29:21

to add an activity element to it, you

29:23

could do a fill -in -the -blank challenge.

29:26

You give them a phrase from one of the

29:28

signs with a word missing and see who can

29:30

find the answer first. And

29:33

then you could... a little treat

29:35

to whoever identifies it. But

29:37

they have to tell you what verse the

29:39

answer's in, because that's going to discourage blind

29:41

guessing. So here we go. The

29:44

sun shall be blank, and the moon be

29:46

turned to blood, and the stars fall from heaven.

29:50

The word is darkened from verse

29:52

42. Is there any evidence

29:55

of this sign in our current world? And

29:57

I talked about my perspective on this

29:59

prophecy back in section 29. To

30:01

me, this is a reference to the

30:03

spiritual darkness of the latter days. That

30:06

the light of the gospel, the spirit,

30:08

love, and truth will be difficult for

30:10

many to find. I

30:12

believe this prophecy is being fulfilled

30:14

as we speak. Next,

30:18

blank shall abound. The

30:21

word is iniquity from

30:23

verse 27. Have you

30:25

seen evidence of this? Crime.

30:28

sexual promiscuity,

30:30

pornography, violence, immodesty,

30:33

dishonesty, hate, lust, vulgarity,

30:35

war, and incivility are

30:37

everywhere. Year by

30:39

year, the world seems to be

30:41

increasingly losing its moral bearings. Next,

30:45

there shall be blank

30:47

also in divers places and

30:49

many desolations. The

30:52

word is earthquakes in

30:54

verse 33. Is there

30:56

evidence of that sign? And though

30:58

it may be true that actual earthquakes seem

31:00

to be increasing in frequency and intensity, I'm

31:03

much more concerned with the symbolic earthquakes

31:05

of the last days. One

31:07

of the things that makes earthquakes so

31:09

dangerous is that things fall on you.

31:12

If you're standing out in the middle of an

31:15

open field during an earthquake, you probably don't have

31:17

much to worry about, do you? You

31:19

could just enjoy the ride. But

31:21

how do people typically die from earthquakes? Things

31:24

collapse. they fall on them

31:27

and crush them. And

31:29

perhaps this prophecy is being fulfilled as

31:31

we speak, as morals crumble, and

31:33

families and marriages, as

31:35

standards collapse and governments and

31:38

nations, as the

31:40

innocent are crushed by the weight of

31:42

hatred, poverty, racism, war,

31:44

confusion, and temptation. Morally

31:48

speaking, the world

31:50

is an unstable, earthquake

31:52

-crumbling place. Next,

31:56

this people shall be

31:58

destroyed and blank among all

32:00

nations. The

32:02

word is scattered and it's found in

32:04

verse 19. Now

32:06

verses 18 through 24 describe

32:08

Jesus' prophecies concerning the future of

32:10

the Jewish nation. Since

32:12

that was fresh on the minds of the disciples

32:14

that were asking him the initial question. And

32:17

these prophecies have been fulfilled. The

32:20

temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and the

32:22

Jews were scattered among all nations. But

32:24

the Lord promises that they will be

32:27

gathered once again in verse 25. And

32:29

that could be referring to the Jews

32:31

returning to Israel and establishing a nation there.

32:34

Or more broadly speaking, it could also

32:36

refer to the worldwide gathering of

32:38

the extended house of Israel through Christ's

32:40

church in the latter days. The

32:43

gathering of Israel is a sign that we are

32:45

living in the days preceding the second coming of

32:47

Christ. And in these

32:49

next verses, you're going to see the phrase, the

32:51

times of the Gentiles appear quite a few

32:53

times. And indeed, the

32:55

Lord would restore his church through

32:57

the Gentile nations. Next,

33:02

men's hearts shall blank them.

33:05

The word is fail in

33:08

verse 26. Now,

33:10

I don't think that's a reference to

33:12

cardiac arrest, but a reference to the failing

33:14

of love and hope and faith in

33:16

the hearts of men. And

33:18

why will they fail? Take

33:20

a look at Luke 21, 26. Men's

33:23

hearts failing them for fear, and

33:25

for looking after those things which are

33:27

coming on the earth, for the

33:29

powers of heaven shall be shaken. The

33:33

last days can be a terrifying time

33:35

to live. Some

33:37

are going to lose their faith in humanity

33:39

and their hope for a bright future. After

33:43

the horrors of World War II and the

33:45

Holocaust, many in Europe

33:47

lost their faith in God and

33:49

the gospel. This

33:51

prevalence of disillusionment or

33:53

hopelessness or discouragement is a

33:55

sign of the times

33:57

Have you seen any evidence

33:59

of that? Next

34:02

blood and fire and vapors

34:04

of The word is smoke in

34:07

verse 41 And it sounds

34:09

terrible doesn't it? Is there evidence

34:11

of this in our world? Blood

34:14

and fire and smoke are

34:16

all indicators of destruction And

34:19

this can certainly be both literal and

34:21

symbolic. There's more than enough

34:23

examples of literal blood and fire

34:25

and smoke in our world. But

34:27

there's also the spiritual destruction of

34:30

faith and testimony and hope. Next,

34:34

blank and rumors of blank and the

34:36

whole earth shall be in commotion. It's

34:40

the same word in both blanks. The

34:42

word is war in verse 26. Evidence?

34:46

Now that can refer to any number of conflicts.

34:49

Since the restoration, our world has

34:51

been embroiled in many armed

34:54

conflicts. Rumors of wars

34:56

refers to the threats of war or

34:58

the possibility of war. The

35:00

years that we refer to as the Cold War

35:02

are a good example of this. But

35:04

then you've got other types of wars to

35:06

consider. We have gang

35:09

wars, drug wars, conflicts

35:11

in politics, race

35:13

relations, conflicts in marriages

35:15

and families, and religious disputes.

35:19

Above all, the war for the souls

35:21

of men that started with the war

35:23

in heaven and has now become war

35:25

on earth. This spiritual

35:27

war for our agency has been waged

35:29

since the beginning. So

35:32

great and widespread conflict are a

35:34

sign that the Lord is coming

35:36

soon. Next,

35:38

they shall see an

35:41

overflowing scourge For a desolating

35:43

blank shall cover the

35:45

land." The word is sickness

35:47

in verse 31. And

35:50

I'm not so sure that's referring

35:52

to any specific virus or pandemic or

35:54

outbreak, although I suppose it could. I

35:57

believe the overflowing scourge and

35:59

sickness are war and hatred, as

36:01

we discussed in a previous

36:03

sign. As you read the

36:05

book of Revelation, it becomes fairly

36:08

clear that war is the

36:10

major cleansing agent of the last

36:12

days, the major form of

36:14

destruction of the wicked. God

36:17

doesn't really need to destroy the

36:19

wicked because they just destroy themselves and

36:21

each other. And

36:23

we'll see this more clearly in the last

36:25

portion of section 45, where Zion becomes

36:27

the only safe and peaceful place on the

36:29

earth, while the rest

36:31

of the world self -destructs and tears

36:33

itself apart through conflict. And

36:36

now for the sign

36:39

that worries me the most

36:41

the most disturbing of

36:43

the signs The blank of

36:45

men will wax cold

36:47

The word is love from

36:50

verse 27 And how's

36:52

that for scary this to

36:54

me is a more

36:56

frightening sign than wars and

36:58

earthquakes and famines When

37:00

people stop loving each other

37:03

things deteriorate quickly political

37:05

division racism A casual attitude

37:07

towards divorce, mass shootings,

37:09

bullying, and a vicious

37:11

incivility prevalent in much of social

37:13

media are all evidence of the

37:15

love of men waxing cold. Remember

37:18

what Jesus said was the greatest indicator

37:20

that we were his disciples, how

37:23

people would really know and

37:25

recognize his followers if they

37:27

had love one to another.

37:30

And as the world grows more wicked, the

37:32

contrast is going to become more and

37:34

more apparent. The love of men will

37:36

wax cold and hatred will increase. Those

37:41

are some of the signs that are going to indicate

37:43

that the second coming is drawing near. And

37:45

it's not that the Lord is sending

37:47

these things or causing them, but he's drawing

37:49

our attention to the conditions of the

37:51

world that are going to precede his impending

37:54

arrival. So

37:56

the truth, God reveals signs

37:58

of his coming so that we may

38:00

know that his coming is nigh. and

38:02

to help us know that his promises to

38:04

the righteous will soon be fulfilled. Now

38:07

that also implies something, another purpose

38:10

for the signs. Why would

38:12

he want us to know that his coming is nigh,

38:14

that it's getting close? I think

38:16

he's hoping that we will ask the

38:18

best question that we can ask concerning

38:20

the second coming, the most important question.

38:23

And though the disciples didn't ask that

38:25

question, he spends a lot of time

38:27

answering it. Can anybody guess what

38:29

it is? He

38:31

wants us to know when his coming

38:33

is getting close so that we'll do

38:36

something about it so that we'll be

38:38

ready for it The best question you

38:40

can ask is how can I prepare

38:42

myself for the second coming? What

38:44

Christ wants most for us is

38:46

that we be prepared He's not

38:48

just sitting up there ready to

38:50

light matches to the world and

38:53

that's why he sends signs and

38:55

prophets and seems to delay his

38:57

coming He's hoping that people will

38:59

believe and change and prepare Because

39:01

if we're prepared, neither of the other

39:03

two questions matter as much. It doesn't

39:05

matter when he comes, and it doesn't

39:07

matter how obvious or frequent the signs

39:09

become, because we're going to be ready.

39:13

Unfortunately, many people have spent countless

39:15

hours researching, studying, predicting, and speculating

39:17

about the date and the signs

39:19

of the coming of the Lord. Wouldn't

39:22

our time be much better spent studying

39:24

and pondering on how to prepare ourselves

39:27

for that day and then acting on

39:29

it? I think so.

39:32

So we're going to spend the rest of

39:34

the lesson learning what we should do when

39:36

we see the signs and how we can

39:38

prepare. And I

39:40

see three major answers to that question

39:42

in section 45. Send your students

39:44

in to find the answers to that

39:46

question with the following study guide. And

39:49

there's also a section to take notes on

39:51

how to do that thing and a like

39:53

in the scriptures question to consider as well.

39:56

So number one from verse 35. When

40:00

you think about the nature of the signs that

40:02

we just studied, we shouldn't be surprised

40:04

by the disciples' reaction. It

40:06

says in verse 34 that they were

40:08

troubled by those prophecies. And

40:10

no kidding, wars, earthquakes,

40:13

blood, sickness, hate, not

40:15

the most positive of prospects being described

40:17

here. And I've often found

40:19

that a lot of people and students over the

40:21

years seem to have the same kinds of

40:23

feelings surrounding the idea of the second coming. They

40:26

wonder why things have to get so bad before

40:28

they get better. and they may begin

40:30

to feel discouraged about living in the

40:32

latter days. The Lord

40:34

has a special instruction to those that may

40:36

feel that way. He

40:39

says, be not troubled. He

40:42

doesn't want us hiding in the corner and

40:44

cowering in fear over the calamities of the

40:46

last days. There is much to

40:48

celebrate and look forward to as well. God

40:51

is a great balancer, since the conditions

40:53

of the latter days are so perilous.

40:56

He's going to counteract that with the

40:58

most amazing promises and opportunities as well.

41:01

We have every reason in the

41:03

world to be grateful and optimistic

41:05

about the last days. I

41:07

like to entitle this section of lesson

41:09

with phrases that we find in verses 39

41:11

and 62. And read those

41:13

two verses closely and tell me why we

41:15

shouldn't be troubled. We

41:18

shouldn't be troubled because we

41:20

have so much to look forward

41:22

to and because Great

41:25

things await us. There

41:27

is no need to despair. There's no need

41:29

to be discouraged. There's no need to be afraid.

41:32

We can look forth for the great day of the

41:34

Lord to come because the Lord has so many

41:36

great things in store for those that love Him. Great

41:40

things in the future when He comes

41:42

and great things while we wait. So

41:44

let's go through and search for some of these

41:46

great things and the promises that we can look

41:49

forward to. And the

41:51

section is full of them. In

41:53

verse 17, there are

41:55

the three R's. Two of them

41:57

are stated directly and the other is alluded to. You

42:00

have redemption, restoration, and

42:03

the third R is going

42:05

to be resurrection. It

42:07

says you have looked upon the long absence of

42:09

your spirits from your bodies to be a bondage. What

42:12

does the Lord promise those souls who

42:15

long to reunite with their bodies? A

42:17

glorious resurrection. The Lord

42:19

will redeem the righteous from their sins,

42:21

restore all things to their perfect and

42:24

sanctified state, and resurrect all

42:26

mankind to come forth and meet

42:28

God. That sounds

42:30

like a pretty great thing that waits us. Verse

42:33

28, the fullness of the gospel

42:35

shall shine forth in darkness. The

42:38

disciples of Christ in the latter

42:40

days have the privilege of enjoying the

42:42

fullness of the gospel. No generation

42:44

of believers have or will be more

42:46

blessed or enlightened than the generations

42:48

preceding the Second Coming. And

42:50

just ask yourself, what blessings do

42:53

we have that no other previous dispensation

42:55

has fully enjoyed? We

42:57

have a deeper understanding of Gospel doctrine.

42:59

We have more Scripture than any previous

43:01

generation. We

43:04

also receive the direction of living

43:06

prophets every six months in general

43:08

conference and even in between through

43:10

articles in the Leohona and devotionals

43:12

and face -to -faces trainings We have

43:14

access to years of church publications

43:16

in the palms of our hand

43:18

and manuals and handbooks and resources

43:20

The church has never been more

43:22

organized and focused than it is

43:25

now We've got access to so

43:27

many temples throughout the world There

43:29

aren't many places left where you have to

43:31

travel that far in order to get to a

43:33

temple anymore. We have

43:36

been blessed with great fullness. Verses

43:39

44 to 45, we

43:41

get to see Jesus Christ in the clouds,

43:43

clothed with power and great glory. Can

43:46

you imagine that moment in reality? And

43:49

this isn't a fictional or

43:51

imaginary event. There will come

43:53

a day when Jesus Christ in the

43:55

flesh will descend from heaven to the earth

43:57

once again. And what

43:59

will happen next? Verse

44:29

54, The heathen nations will

44:31

be redeemed, those that knew

44:33

no law shall have part in the first

44:35

resurrection, and it shall be tolerable for

44:37

them. And heathen is

44:39

not used in a derogatory way here, but

44:42

there are and will be places that

44:44

did not have the same access to

44:46

gospel knowledge and blessings and opportunities as

44:48

others have, and they too

44:50

can be redeemed. Can

44:52

you imagine temples dotting the Middle

44:54

East or Asia or Africa? And

44:57

this may well happen far before the

44:59

second coming, but all nations will have

45:02

the blessings of the fullness of the

45:04

gospel. 55.

45:06

Satan shall be bound and have no place

45:08

in the hearts of the children of men. And

45:10

oh, what a relief that's going to be. We

45:13

no longer have to worry about the influence

45:15

of the adversary. Satan

45:17

will become a distant, bad

45:19

memory. And nobody's going

45:21

to sit around and reminisce about the bad

45:23

old days when Satan was around. 58.

45:26

The earth shall be given unto

45:28

them for an inheritance, and they

45:30

shall multiply and wax strong, and

45:32

their children shall grow up without

45:34

sin unto salvation. What

45:37

a profound and beautiful promise to

45:39

parents. And can you imagine having that

45:41

blessing? I pray every

45:43

night that my children will be

45:45

protected from the influence of the world

45:47

and the adversary. I

45:49

worry about their future and their faith. But

45:52

once Christ comes, Children

45:54

are going to grow up in righteousness and

45:57

light. We're not going to

45:59

have to filter their phones and monitor the

46:01

movies they watch and worry about what they're

46:03

doing with their friends or what they're experiencing

46:05

at school. They'll grow

46:07

up without sin and desalvation. I'm

46:10

59. The Lord shall

46:12

be in their midst and his glory shall be

46:14

upon them and he shall be their king and

46:16

law giver. So

46:18

Jesus himself will actually be

46:20

here. We can meet

46:22

him and talk to him. and he'll be

46:25

our government. And won't that be

46:27

nice? I look forward to the day when

46:29

I won't have to worry about politics or

46:31

what's happening or not happening in Washington. So

46:35

the truth, great

46:37

things await the righteous. So

46:40

look forward to the second coming

46:42

with hope and joy. Can

46:45

you see why we have so much to look forward

46:47

to? Such great things. And

46:50

that's one of the great truths of this

46:52

section. There's no need to be

46:54

troubled or despair. We can

46:56

remain firm optimists right up to

46:58

the very day of his coming. Yes,

47:01

the world is a miserable place in a

47:03

lot of ways. And it's just

47:05

gonna get worse. But we can

47:07

still find joy and hope and

47:09

love and truth while we wait. There's

47:12

a word that seems to come up quite a

47:14

few times in this section. And that word is

47:16

look. I think the Lord

47:18

wants us to look for the positive

47:20

aspects of the last days. and not dwell

47:22

on the negative. So

47:24

be not troubled. We can be

47:26

joyful and happy even in a

47:29

world of commotion and war and

47:31

earthquakes and darkness. And

47:34

to liken the scriptures, which of

47:36

the great things most helps

47:38

you not to be troubled? And

47:41

another possible teaching suggestion here,

47:44

there's a great church inspirational

47:46

message video that's entitled, Men's

47:48

Hearts Shall Fail Them with

47:50

President Nelson. And he

47:52

tells the story of a time when he

47:54

was almost in a plane crash and how

47:56

he was able to still remain calm even

47:58

though it appeared that he was about die.

48:01

It's a very inspiring message and it

48:03

fits beautifully with this section. And

48:05

I'll include a link of it here and encourage

48:07

you to take the time to watch it. The

48:12

second thing that we can do to

48:14

be prepared for the second coming is

48:16

found in verses 56 and 57. And

48:19

what is it? And at

48:22

that day when I shall come in my

48:24

glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I

48:26

spate concerning the ten virgins. For

48:28

they that are wise and have received the truth, and

48:30

have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and

48:33

have not been deceived, verily

48:35

I say unto you, they shall

48:37

not be hewn down and cast

48:39

into the fire, but shall abide

48:41

the day." What should we do? We

48:44

should be wise by receiving the truth

48:46

and taking the Holy Spirit for our

48:48

guide. We all remember

48:50

the parable of the ten virgins and in

48:53

that parable there were five foolish virgins

48:55

and five wise and What was it that

48:57

set them apart? The

48:59

wise had prepared themselves with oil in

49:01

their lamps The foolish on the other

49:03

hand had brought none or had allowed

49:05

their lamps to go out while waiting

49:07

Therefore when the bridegroom came at midnight

49:09

the wise were prepared for the celebration

49:11

But the foolish were not and the

49:13

door was closed upon them They knock

49:15

on the door of the wedding and

49:17

asked to be let in But

49:20

the Lord responds with, Ye know

49:22

me not. And that's a JST

49:24

change, by the way, and a very enlightening one at that.

49:27

It's not, I know you not, but

49:29

you don't know me. As

49:31

if to say, why do you want to

49:33

take part in my wedding when you never

49:35

wanted to spend time with me before? You

49:38

were too busy, too distracted, too

49:41

focused on yourself, too taken by the things

49:43

of the world. You don't

49:45

even know me. The

49:47

five wise versions had oil

49:49

though, and Doctrine and Covenants

49:51

45 tells us what the oil

49:53

represents. It tells us what is

49:55

going to help us to get to know the

49:57

bridegroom, so that we can be welcomed to the

49:59

Great Wedding Feast, which is the second coming. The

50:03

oil is truth. And

50:05

with that truth, we are able to see our

50:07

way by the light of the Holy Ghost. Truth

50:10

is the fuel by which the light of the

50:12

Spirit burns. So we have

50:14

to ask ourselves if we have received

50:16

the truth. Have we

50:18

listened to the voice, the

50:21

voice of the Spirit, the voice of the prophets, the

50:23

voice of the scriptures? More

50:25

importantly, have we received

50:27

it? We've got to act on

50:29

it and allow ourselves to be guided by it.

50:32

The foolish treat the truth in a much

50:34

different way and there's evidence of that as

50:36

you make your way through section 45. There

50:39

are those that in verse 6

50:41

harden their hearts against the truth.

50:43

That in verse 29, receive it

50:45

not because they perceive not the

50:47

light of the Spirit and they

50:49

turn their hearts away from me.

50:52

No wonder their hearts wax cold

50:54

and harden and fail them. And

50:57

why do they turn away? Because

50:59

of the precepts of men and a

51:01

precept is a rule or a

51:03

principle. They want to follow

51:05

the rules of men because they're

51:07

easier. They're more seductive or selfish. Verses

51:11

49 through 50. There are those that

51:13

laugh and mock and scorn the truth

51:15

and those that follow it. And that's

51:17

one of Satan's major tactics he employs

51:19

against the truth. Remember the number one

51:21

activity of choice of those in the

51:23

Great and Spacious Building. They

51:25

had nothing better to do than to

51:27

point the finger of derision at the

51:29

faithful. And usually those

51:31

that oppose the truth don't want to

51:33

sit down and have a rational discussion about

51:36

why you believe or debate the nature

51:38

of the validity of faith. Their

51:40

only option is to mock it.

51:43

You can make anything look foolish by the way

51:45

that you talk about it. Ask any comedian. And

51:48

there are also those that watch for iniquity,

51:50

that spend all of their time looking for

51:52

the negative, the faults, the imperfect. Those

51:55

that make a man an offender for

51:57

a word and dredge up any story or

51:59

quote that they can find that may

52:01

cast the faithful or the church in a

52:03

negative light. So

52:05

to prepare for the second coming, We

52:07

must receive the truth and allow ourselves

52:09

to be guided by the light of

52:11

the Spirit. Verse 57

52:14

promises that those wise souls

52:16

that do this will abide the

52:18

day. And I

52:20

think that can mean two things. Yes, they

52:22

will abide the actual day of His coming at

52:24

some future date. But

52:26

also, they will abide every

52:28

day. All their

52:30

todays and tomorrows are included in

52:32

that promise. You

52:34

will be able to abide whatever the day

52:36

brings you. So receive the

52:38

truth follow the spirit and

52:41

enjoy the wedding That day when

52:43

Jesus Christ is reunited with

52:45

his bride and the church. We're

52:47

all going to celebrate Let's

52:49

not find ourselves on the other

52:52

side of the door because

52:54

we were foolish But let the

52:56

Lord find your heart willing

52:58

your mind ready and your lamps

53:00

full The like in the

53:02

scriptures, what could you do to

53:05

more fully receive the truth?

53:07

and follow the Spirit. And

53:11

our third thing. I've

53:14

saved the best one for last in my opinion.

53:16

And that one's going to take us back to verse 32.

53:19

What is the instruction that's going to help us to be prepared?

53:23

Stand in holy places and you

53:25

shall not be moved. I

53:28

believe the word stand here is an

53:30

active word rather than a passive one.

53:32

We are to make a stand against

53:34

the wickedness and the evil of the

53:36

world. in our holy places and not

53:39

just hide within them. It's

53:41

our holy places that will provide us

53:43

with safety and peace and refuge. And

53:46

what are our holy places? I

53:49

can think of no better reference that

53:51

illustrates this than Isaiah 4, 5 through

53:53

6. He's going to describe

53:55

the three holy places of the last

53:57

days. Can you find them? And

54:00

the Lord will create upon every

54:02

dwelling place of Mount Zion and

54:04

upon her assemblies a cloud and

54:06

smoke by day, and the shining

54:08

of a flaming fire by night.

54:11

For upon all the glory shall be a defense,

54:14

and there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow

54:16

in the daytime from the heat, and for a

54:18

place of refuge, and for a

54:20

covert from storm and from rain."

54:22

So did you catch them? You've

54:25

got every dwelling place of Mount

54:27

Zion, so our homes, her

54:31

assemblies, or any place

54:33

where saints assemble themselves together, our

54:35

stakes and churches, seminaries and

54:37

institutes, the conference center, or

54:39

any time two or more are gathered together

54:41

in his name. And

54:43

third, a tabernacle. Now

54:46

what was the tabernacle to them? It

54:49

was the temple. So

54:51

these are the three holy places from

54:53

which we must make our stand, our

54:56

homes, our churches, and

54:58

our temples. These

55:00

three locations make up Zion, the

55:02

ultimate holy place. Remember

55:04

at the beginning of the section where the Lord referred

55:07

to the God of Enoch and the city of Zion? That

55:10

was foreshadowing. God is

55:12

going to invite the members of his church

55:14

to create that holy city once again upon

55:16

the earth. But it's

55:18

not necessarily going to be

55:20

one geographical location. It's in

55:22

all of these places. Wherever

55:25

you have a home, a church

55:27

assembly, or a temple, you

55:29

have Zion. And

55:31

the blessing of protection is promised for

55:33

each of those locations. So

55:36

the truth, if we make

55:38

a stand for righteousness in our

55:40

homes, our churches, and our temples,

55:43

we will be able to abide the

55:45

calamities and the wickedness of the

55:47

last days. And

55:50

to liken the scriptures, how

55:52

have these three holy

55:54

places provided safety, peace, and

55:57

refuge? in your life. Well,

56:00

I think this leads us beautifully into

56:02

the final portion of section 45. The

56:05

Lord is going to end with a charge and

56:07

a promise to His saints. And

56:09

since they're being asked to stand in holy

56:11

places, they're going to need to

56:13

do something first in order to follow

56:15

that commandment. Look at

56:17

verses 64 through 71. So

56:21

in order to stand in holy

56:23

places, we have to build them first.

56:26

Zion needed to be built

56:28

and it's still under construction.

56:30

They started it back in

56:32

1830 and it continues until

56:34

now. We have holy

56:37

places to build so that we can

56:39

stand in them. This

56:41

is another great thing about living in

56:43

the latter days. We're going to build

56:45

a place where people aren't fighting one

56:47

another, where they don't watch for iniquity,

56:49

where they don't scorn and they don't

56:51

solve problems with violence. A

56:53

place where people love each other and

56:55

where hearts aren't waxing cold. We're

56:57

going to accomplish something that all righteous

56:59

and holy men have sought for in

57:02

the past. We're going to

57:04

build a place where the holy can say, this

57:06

is where I belong. I'm not

57:08

a stranger here. I

57:10

can raise my children here without sin

57:12

and trouble. I can

57:14

feel safe and peaceful and

57:17

happy here. And

57:19

the closer we get to the

57:21

second coming, the more pronounced the differences

57:23

between Zion and Babylon are going

57:25

to become. Zion is

57:27

going to be the last holy

57:29

place left on earth before Christ

57:31

comes. And the

57:33

wicked will look at it with awe

57:35

and long for what we have. And

57:38

I love how in verses 69 and

57:40

71 that Zion is made up of

57:42

people from every nation. There

57:45

is a place for every

57:47

nation, ethnicity, language, and race

57:49

in the kingdom of Zion.

57:52

Every nation in the world has

57:54

wonderful, good people living in it. Governments

57:57

and organizations and nations have not been

57:59

able to figure this one out. The

58:02

grand dream. How

58:04

to unite people that are different. The

58:07

only hope for real world peace

58:09

that we have is the

58:11

gospel of Jesus Christ in the

58:13

holy places of Zion. And

58:15

this is even true now. Have

58:18

you ever attended church in a foreign country

58:20

with people that you didn't even know? I

58:23

bet that you felt an instant

58:25

sense of brotherhood and comfort and

58:27

acceptance in that place. And

58:29

you could be a world away. You

58:31

may not even speak the language, but

58:33

you're still going to feel at home. You

58:36

sing the same songs

58:38

hear the same gospel and

58:41

feel the same spirit

58:43

no matter where you are

58:45

And I can attend

58:47

church in France or Brazil

58:49

or Nigeria or Canada

58:51

or Tonga or Singapore and

58:53

feel right at home

58:55

We may feel like strangers

58:57

and pilgrims in the

58:59

world But in Zion we're

59:01

always in a place

59:03

where we belong and in

59:05

it We sing the

59:07

songs of everlasting joy. So

59:10

does this section help you find joy? Does

59:13

it help you to reject false reports and

59:15

foolish stories? Does it encourage you

59:17

to investigate the work and embrace the faith? I

59:20

pray that it has. I'd

59:22

like to conclude with the words of Alma

59:24

and the way that he felt about waiting

59:27

for the coming of the Lord because it

59:29

so beautifully describes how I feel about it.

59:32

And now we only wait to hear

59:34

the joyful news declared unto us by

59:36

the mouth of angels of his coming. For

59:39

the time cometh, we know not

59:41

how soon. Would to God

59:43

that it might be in my day, but

59:46

let it be sooner or later, in

59:48

it I will rejoice. make

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1:00:15

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