Chicken little would approve of these messages:
"THE SIGN" of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ
The scriptures
speak of the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the signs that
will precede and accompany His arrival. These prophecies strike dread in
the hearts of the wicked, promise hope for the saints and in the calm
before the coming storm, generates feelings that range from anxiety to
shear terror for everyone. How important are the signs of the times to
those of us that live in the Last Days? Why did the Lord, even through
His Old Testament prophets, provide lists of latter-day events and
conditions as signs of His impending return? Are we to study these signs
as part of the restored gospel? These modern day scriptures provide the
answer.
D&C 45:38-39 Even so it shall be in that day when they
shall see all these things, then shall they know that the hour is nigh.
And it shall come to pass that he that feareth me shall be looking forth
for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming
of the Son of Man.
44 And then they shall look for me, and, behold, I
will come; and they shall see me in the clouds of heaven, clothed with
power and great glory; with all the holy angels; and he that watches not
for me shall be cut off.
Some signs refer to the restoration of
the Lord's church but most speak of frightful calamities that will
affect the whole world. Some even focus on events that will drastically
disrupt the lives of members of the Lord's church here in the Rocky
Mountains. Signs of the Second Coming started a long time ago and are
fast becoming current events. The following are quotes from early church
leaders, including the prophet Joseph Smith, and scriptures, both
ancient and modern, about the signs that the world will witness as the
great day of the Lord draws nearer. First, a short review of the "last
days" judgments pronounced upon this nation, included to set the stage
for the main focus expressed in the title of this study. To set this
stage I begin with words of the prophet Joseph Smith: "I will prophesy
that the signs of the coming of the Son of Man are already commenced.
One pestilence will desolate after another. We shall soon have war and
bloodshed. The moon will be turned into blood. I testify of these
things, and that the coming of the Son of Man is nigh, even at your
doors. ...The time is soon coming when no man will have any peace but in
Zion and her Stakes."
Mosiah Hancock recorded a prophetic
statement made by Joseph Smith, 8 days before his martyrdom: "There will
be two great political parties in this country. One will be called the
Republican, and the other the Democrat party. These two parties will go
to war and out of these two parties will spring another party which will
be the Independent American Party. The United States will spend her
strength and means warring in foreign lands until other nations will
say, "let's divide up the lands of the United States..."And another
related statement by the prophet: "...the land will be literally left
without a supreme government and every species of wickedness will run
rampant. Father will be against son, and son against father, mother
against daughter, and daughter against mother. The most terrible scenes
of murder and blood-shed and rapine that ever been looked upon will take
place."
President Woodruff speaking of a time, still in our
future, when all order in this nation will cease and mobs will begin to
rule. The federal and state governments will literally cease to
function.
"The judgments of God will now begin to rest more fully
upon this nation and will be increased upon it, year by year. Calamities
will come speedily upon it and it will be visited with thunder,
lightning, storms, whirlwinds, floods, pestilence, plagues, war and
devouring fire; the wicked will slay the wicked until the wicked are
wasted away."
"Can you tell me where the people are who will be
shielded and protected from these great calamities and judgments which
are even now at our doors? I'll tell you. The priesthood of God who
honor their priesthood and who are worthy of their blessings are the
only ones who shall have this safety and protection. They are the only
mortal beings. No other people have a right to be shielded from these
judgments. They are at our doors; not even this people will escape them
entirely."
President George Q. Cannon said: "You will see the
day, and it is not far distant, when these mountains will be the
stronghold of a free people, and when men will come here because the
principles of the Constitution will be maintained here; and they will be
protected in their political and religious rights." There will be no
law and order; there will be confusion everywhere except here in the
Rocky Mountains where the Church is headquartered. At first order will
be maintained by the priesthood; there will be peace and security here
while the rest of the nation destroys itself in anarchy. Because of this
lawlessness, members of the church will not be the only ones that come
to the Rocky Mountains seeking safety. George Q. Cannon, Brigham Young,
Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, and Joseph Smith spoke to this fact.
Just
prior to this time the call will go out for all Saints world wide to
gather to the Rocky Mountains. Their instruction contained in D&C
133 will be "Let them, therefore, who are among the Gentiles flee unto
Zion ...unto the mountains of the Lord's house. Go ye out from among the
nations, even from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is
spiritual Babylon. But verily, thus saith the Lord, let not your flight
be in haste, but let all things be prepared before you; and he that
goeth, let him not look back lest sudden destruction shall come upon
him." The Prophet Joseph Smith, speaking of the Saints that are called
to gather to the Rocky Mountains gave this warning; "I prophecy, that
that man who tarries after he has an opportunity of going, will be
afflicted by the devil. Wars are at hand; we must not delay; but are not
required to sacrifice. We ought to have the building up of Zion as our
greatest object. When wars come, we shall have to flee to Zion. The cry
is to make haste. ...They will follow the Saints of God from city to
city."
Orson Pratt, speaking of the future of this nation, said:
"it will be a war of neighborhood against neighborhood, city against
city, town against town, county against county, state against state, and
they will go forth, destroying and being destroyed and manufacturing
will, in a great measure, cease, for a time among the American nation.
Why? Because in these terrible wars, they will not be privileged to
manufacture, there will be too much blood shed, too much mobocracy, too
much going forth in bands and destroying and pillaging the land to
suffer people to pursue any local vocation with any degree of safety.
What will become of millions of the farmers upon that land? They will
leave their farms and they will remain uncultivated, and they will flee
before the ravages armies from place to place; and thus will they go
forth burning and pillaging the whole country; and the great and
powerful nation, now consisting of some forty millions of people, will
be wasted away, unless they repent."
Brigham Young, speaking of
this future gathering, to the Rocky Mountains, said; "An inland empire
will be established in these valleys of the mountains, which will be a
place of refuge for millions of people to gather to, when the great day
of the judgments of God comes upon the earth, and the righteous come
here for safety. Our people will go East, West, North, and South, but
the day will come, when they will be glad to come back. We will be shut
out from the rest of the world."
Another description of
conditions in the United States is recorded in a vision attributed to
Wilford Woodruff: "as I passed along upon my way east, I saw the road
full of people, mostly women, with just what they could carry in bundles
on their backs traveling to the mountains on foot. I wondered how they
could get through with such a small pack on their back. It was
remarkable to me that there were so few men among them. It did not seem
to me as though the cars were running. The rails looked rusty and
abandoned." Joseph Smith said: "You will be so numerous that you will be
in danger of famine, but not for want of seed time and harvest, but
because of so many to be fed. Many will come with bundles under their
arms to escape the calamities, and there will be no escape except by
fleeing to Zion."
With the Lord's church; the Kingdom of God was
restored to the earth and has continued to grow within the church's
organizational structure. According to the Prophet Joseph Smith the
Kingdom of God is be a separate organization from the Church of God and
will in the last days emerge as the presiding world government; the
political arm of God on earth and will, eventually grow to hold
worldwide dominion. Eventually, after the Kingdom has been established
the church will turn its attention to reclaiming Zion and the return to
Missouri for the building of the New Jerusalem.
Joseph F. Smith
describes the journey in these words. "When God leads the people back to
Jackson County, how will he do it? Let me picture to you how some of us
may be gathered and led to Jackson County. I think I see two or three
hundred thousand people wending their way across the great plains
enduring the nameless hardships of the journey, herding and guarding
their cattle by day and by night, and defending themselves and little
ones from foes on the right hand and on the left, as when they came
here. Note: the Law of Consecration (the United Order) will be
established for this journey and for settling in Missouri.
The
scriptures lists the numerous glorious and yet horrific calamities that
will precede the second coming of Jesus Christ, but there is one all
important sign referred to as THE sign of the Son of Man. Our
understanding of what this sign will be, its symbolic meaning and how it
will effect the world is key to seeing all other signs of the Second
Coming from a correct perspective. The questions this study will address
are: what will it be and when will we see it?
THE Sign:
The New Testament apostle; Matthew describes the appearance of THE sign as an event that will cause "all" to mourn:
"And
then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall
all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Latter-day scripture teaches that everyone will see THE sign together:
"And immediately there shall appear a great sign in heaven, and all people shall see it together."
Joseph
Smith said that Jerusalem and her temple must be built and the waters
of the Dead Sea healed before the Lord returns and then spoke of THE
sign: ..."then will appear one grand sign of the Son of Man in heaven.
But what will the world do? They will say it is a planet, a comet, etc.
But the Son of Man will come as the sign of the coming of the Son of
Man, which will be as the light of the morning cometh out of the east."
"For
as the light of the morning cometh out of the east, and shineth even
unto the west, and covereth the whole earth, so shall also the coming of
the Son of Man be."
The symbol that is THE sign of the Second
Coming will be something that "all people shall see ...together", and
that will cause the people of the world to "say it is a planet".
A
planet in our solar system, close enough for everyone to see together,
or did these prophets mean something else? Parley P. Pratt, with
information obviously received from the prophet, said: "We are nowhere
given to understand that all the stars will fall or even many of them:
but only "as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken
with a mighty wind. The stars which will fall to the earth are
fragments, which have been broken off from the earth from time to time,
in the mighty convulsions of nature. Some in the days of Enoch, some
perhaps in the days of Peleg, some with the ten tribes, and some at the
crucifixion of the Messiah. These all must be restored again at the
"times of restitution of all things." This will restore the ten tribes
of Israel; and also bring again Zion, even Enoch's city. It will bring
back the tree of life which is the midst of the paradise of God: that
you and I may partake of it. When these fragments, (some of which are
vastly larger than the present earth) are brought back and joined to
this earth, it will cause a convulsion of all nature: the graves of the
saints will be opened, and they rise from the dead; while the mountains
will flow down, the vallies rise, the sea retire to it's own place, the
islands and continents ill be removed, and earth be rolled together like
a scroll. The earth will be many times larger than it is now."
(Millennial Star, Vol. 1)
A similar statement, by Wilford
Woodruff, also originating with Joseph Smith, reads: "Joseph also said
that when the city of Enoch fled and was translated, it was where the
Gulf of Mexico now is; it left that gulf a body of water."
Section
45 of the Doctrine and Covenants says: "And they shall see signs and
wonders, for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above... if THE
sign is to be a planet, what will be this heavenly wonder's affect upon
the earth, its gravity, its oceans?
D&C 133: 23 "He shall command
the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries,
and the islands shall become one land; ...and the earth shall be like as
it was in the days before it was divided." foot note: Gen 10: 25
"...Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided;"
Orson Pratt
makes reference to the division of the earth in the days of Peleg, a
division that will be reversed with the restitution of all things: "Many
changes were made upon the earth in the days of Enoch; and no doubt the
flood occasioned still greater; but we must look to the days of Peleg
for the division of the earth into continents and islands, and the
letting in of the waters upon the equatorial regions," (The Seer, vol.
II)
"Letting in the waters", brings to mind the question: from
where? The only force that could possibly drive and then hold earth's
oceans at the North Pole, both in the day of Peleg and again at a future
date, is gravity. Remember this will be part of the "times of
restitution of all things" and that it will require gravity generated by
a planet of sufficient size and that is relatively close to the earth.
Peleg; a grandson of Shem; Noah's son, lived on the earth at the time
that the world's oceans long held at the north pole were released,
causing what had to have been a flood second only to the flood of Noah.
"like it was before it was divided" means that the earth as we know it
will change drastically with the restoration of this sign to its place
above the earth. Does "the earth divided" mean that half of it separated
itself and moved to another location? Bathsheba W. Smith, wife of
President George A. Smith wrote in her " Recollections of the Prophet
Joseph Smith": "I heard him say; Peradventure, the Ten Tribes were not
on this globe, but a portion of this earth cleaved off with them, went
flying into space, and when the earth reels to and fro like a drunken
man, and the stars from heaven fall, it would join on again." (Juvenile
Instructor Vol. 27 - June 1892}
Oceans "driven back into the
north countries" and then held at the North Pole, may be the cause of
what John Taylor saw in a vision: "I seemed to be standing on the west
bank of the Missouri River opposite the City of Independence, but I saw
no city. I saw the whole states of Missouri and Illinois and part of
Iowa were a complete wilderness with no living human being in them" If
it is gravity that pulls "the great deep ...back into the north
countries," the water presently filling the Gulf of Mexico would move
northward, as the object generating the gravitation pull moves closer
and closer. This would literally sweep Missouri and its neighboring
states clean of all inhabitants.
Heber C. Kimball: "Missouri will be
swept so clean of it's inhabitants that, as President Young tells us,
when we return to that place, 'there will not be left so much as a
yellow dog to wag his tail.' "
We have, from a list of scriptures
and inspired teachings, established that the whole world will see "one
grand sign of the Son of Man in heaven", that it will appear to be "a
planet", that it will be one the "fragments, which have been broken off
from the earth" some time in the distant past, that "the great deep";
the oceans, "shall be driven back into the north countries", and that
"the whole states of Missouri and Illinois": will consequently have "no
living human being in them."
The vision painted here is
mind-boggling, but it lends understanding to several scriptures like
this one in Revelation 6. These verses describe a scene so terrifying
that it will cause "the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the
rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman,
and every free man" to hide "in the dens and in the rocks of the
mountains" and to wish they could call for "the mountains and rocks,
Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne,
and from the wrath of the Lamb:" In the preceding verses we learn that
this fear follows "a great earthquake" of such immense magnitude that it
will cause "every mountain and island were moved out of their places."
In a catastrophe of this magnitude people would be busy rescuing the
injured, clearing the rubble, and rebuilding damaged structures. There
would be many survival concerns, but the scripture speaks of hiding.
Will this sign that has drawn the oceans to the North Pole, swept the
population off the mid American states, and caused an earthquake to end
all earthquakes still be ominously perched overhead? Will this scene be
taken to be, "the face of him that sitteth on the throne;" the Lord?
Another
example worth considering is: the motive of the builders of the tower
of Babel. Remember we're speaking of restoring to the earth portions
that were removed anciently. First read Genesis 11:4, look into the sky,
and ask yourself: would anyone really convince themselves that they
could "build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven"
without being able to see their destination. Now, picture the sky with
THE sign near enough for its gravitational pull to hold the oceans at
the North Pole and ask your self the same question. Orson F. Whitney in
1889 said: "This sounds, indeed, like a fairy tale ...intelligent enough
to build a great tower of which the world has not since seen the
counterpart, ...could cherish the idea that they could actually reach
the sun, moon, or one of the stars, simply by piling brick upon brick
and stone upon stone. But the Prophet Joseph Smith, whose mission it was
to shed light upon the darkness of this generation, is said to have
declared that it was not their intention to reach heaven, but to reach
Zion, which was then suspended in mid-air, between heaven and earth, or
at such a height as to render the project feasible".
Elder Joseph
Young of the First Council of the Seventy and the brother of Brigham
Young, claimed to have learned the following from Joseph Smith himself:
"...Enoch and his people, with the city which they occupied, and the
foundations on which it stood, with a large piece of earth immediately
connected with the foundations and the city, had assumed an aerial
position within the limits of our solar system..." Another student of
the prophet, Orson Pratt noted: "The descendants of Noah not having
faith sufficient to be caught up into Zion, concluded to build a tower
sufficiently high to get there without being under the necessity of
receiving a translation. From this it appears that the early descendants
of Noah had an idea that Zion was located somewhere near the earth."
(The Seer, Vol. II)
To generate a picture of this scene in our
mind we have to consider the moon's size, it's proximity to the earth,
and it's minimal tidal influence upon earth's oceans. Then try to
imagine a globe of sufficient size and position to lift and hold all the
earth's sea-water at the North Pole. This scene will also help us
understand why a scroll was used as a scriptural symbol of the
restitution of the earth to its pre-flood paradisiacal condition. We can
easily picture, in our minds eye, another planet and the earth as they
roll toward each other across the immensity of space and envision a
scroll, seen from the end, being rolled together.
Isaiah 34:4 ...the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll
Revelation
6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together;
and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
3 Nephi 26:3 ...the earth should be wrapt together as a scroll
Mormon 5:23 ...at his great command the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll
Mormon 9:2 ...that gporeat day when the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll
According
to the prophet Joseph Smith THE sign of the second coming of Jesus
Christ will be the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel returning to the earth and
Orson Pratt, of another similar event, wrote: "This city will, most
probably, not rest upon the earth but hover over it... This proves that
there will be a glorified place above the surface of the earth... The
Zion of Enoch, therefore, will probably be very near the earth, located
over the American continent where it was anciently built; and most
likely, will partake of the diurnal and annual revolutions of the earth,
so as not to change it's relative position in regard to the western
hemisphere of our planet."
In a statement above, the Apostle Parley
P. Pratt spoke about "fragments... broken off from the earth" returning
during the restitution of all things. He spoke not just about the City
"of Enoch" but also of the lost "ten tribes." In an article published in
the March 1892 Young Woman's Journal, O. B. Huntington, an intimate
associate of the Prophet Joseph Smith and a Patriarch in Springville,
Utah mentioned that the earth had two wings and drew them as
semi-circles giving the earth the appearance of having polar
elongations. Another friend, and onetime bodyguard of the Prophet, Philo
Dibble is said to have received a diagram from the Prophet in 1842,
which indicated the arrangement of this earth as a triple planet, at the
time when the Ten Tribes were directed to the northern sphere.
The
scene we are considering lends understanding to and makes it easier to
picture the ten tribes traveling from the northern axis of the earth to
the American continent. D&C 133 is describing a melting ice cap, is
it melting because it will be covered by "the great deep"?
Verse 26:
And they who are in the north countries shall come... ...and they shall
smite the rocks, and the ice shall flow down at their presence. 27 And
an highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep.
A
"restitution of all things" would, of course, return the earth to its
pre-flood condition. Something, not here now, will transform the climate
and environment of the earth into a terrarium-like condition.
Genesis
2 ...the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there
was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the
earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
These are just a
few examples, there are others that when considered under the light of
the vision suggested above become clearer, easier to picture in our
mind.
Revelation 8 ...a great mountain burning with fire was cast
into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; ...and there
fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, ...and the
third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and
the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened,
and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
In
this study we have established that THE sign of the second coming of
Jesus Christ will be a now hidden planet moving into a position very
close to the earth. The next question we will address is: when will all
the earth see THE sign.
Several scriptures link the common
elements of the appearance of THE sign to one frightful event in the
future; the battle of Armageddon. Near the end of a three and half year
siege upon the city of Jerusalem the Savior, even Jesus the Christ, will
come to the rescue of the Jews. According to Zechariah: "the city shall
be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of
the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people
shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and
fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle."
The Old Testament prophet then outlines a couple of things about the day
of the rescue that tie this scripture to other prophesies about this
event: "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives,
which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall
cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and
there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall
remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Though
not emphasized as such, to consider the breaking of the Mount of Olives
down the middle with the opposing halves moving away from each other,
creating "a very great valley," to be just another earthquake is
probably a bit of an understatement. The book of Revelation, again
speaking of "a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon" describes
the magnitude of the earthquake, along with "voices, and thunders and
lightening," as a "great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon
the earth, so mighty and earthquake, and so great" and concludes with
"every island fled away and the mountains were not found." This
earthquake to end all earthquakes will be caused by the same gravitation
pull that will drive the seas of the world back to the "north
countries." It will, by lifting and then releasing the rotating earth's
upper crust; similar to the moon's tidal influence on the oceans of the
world, level every mountain range on the planet, thus returning the
surface of the earth to its original mountain-less condition. Genesis 7
says that the flood waters were just fifteen cubits; less than 25 foot
deep: "and the mountains were covered." Ezekiel 38 described in specific
detail the destruction to be caused by the earthquake resulting from
the appearance of THE sign: "at the same time, when "Gog shall come
against the land of Israel, ...there shall be a great shaking in the
land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the
heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep
upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth,
shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and
the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground."
Zechariah
continues with a second element unique to this prophesied event:
"...And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be
clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the
LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening
time it shall be light." Modern day scripture, section 88 of the
Doctrine and Covenants, weaves the prophesied elements of the great
battle Armageddon and the appearance of the Savior on the Mount of
Olives into the appearance of THE sign of His Coming and the associated
earthquake in these words: "For not many days hence and the earth shall
tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man; and the sun shall hide his
face, and shall refuse to give light; ...earthquakes, that shall cause
groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and
shall not be able to stand. ...And all things shall be in commotion; and
surely, men's hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all
people. ...And immediately there shall appear a great sign in heaven,
and all people shall see it together.
With a picture of THE sign in
your mind read: Isaiah. 60:19-20; The sun shall be no more thy light by
day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the
LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself:
for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy
mourning shall be ended.
Will THE sign be self-luminous or perhaps reflective like a moon, will it partially obscure the light of the sun and moon?
Zech.
14:7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day,
nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be
light. 8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out
from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them
toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
Section
88 describes what will happen following the appearance of THE "great
sign in heaven" that "all people shall see ...together" "And there shall
be silence in heaven for the space of half an hour; and immediately
after shall the curtain of heaven be unfolded, as a scroll is unfolded
after it is rolled up, and the face of the Lord shall be unveiled; And
the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened
and be caught up to meet him. And they who have slept in their graves
shall come forth, for their graves shall be opened; and they also shall
be caught up to meet him ...They are Christ's, the first fruits,"
This
is of course, speaking of the Coming of Jesus Christ in power and glory
and the morning of the first resurrection when the saints, both the
living and the resurrected dead will be caught up to meet him and then
descend with Him. This appearance however, will not occur when Christ
comes to Jerusalem to rescue the Jews. Section 88's "...half an hour"
sounds like the Second Coming of the Savior will happen a short time
after He makes His appearance upon the Mount of Olive until we remember:
"that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand
years as one day." Half an hour of a thousand year day is about twenty
one years which will allow ample time, after the battle, for the chores
prophesied by the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel to be performed.
Ezek.
39:8-21 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is
the day whereof I have spoken. And they that dwell in the cities of
Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both
the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the
handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven
years: So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut
down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire:
and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed
them, saith the Lord God. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I
will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the
passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the
passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and
they shall call it The valley of Hamon-gog. And seven months shall the
house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.
...And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall
see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon
them.
Taking a chronological step backward: before Christ makes
His appearance at the climactic conclusion of the Battle of Armageddon,
Gog; the modern day Russia, from "out of the north parts", will mount a
siege; the abomination of desolation, upon the city of Jerusalem that
will last three and a half years:
Dan. 12 ...and there shall be a
time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that
same time (battle of Armageddon): and at that time thy people shall be
delivered (by Jesus Christ upon the Mount of Olives), ...And one said
...How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? And I heard the man
clothed in linen, ...it shall be for a time, times, and an half (3 ½
years); and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the
holy people (Israel), all these things shall be finished.
Dan. 12:11
And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the
abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two
hundred and ninety days (3 ½ years).
special note: verse 12 tells
when the Savior will make His appearance: Blessed is he that waiteth,
and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. (3 ½
years plus 45 days)
Rev. 11:2 But the court which is without the
temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles:
and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months (3 ½
years).
Rev. 13:4-5 And they (people of the world) worshipped the
dragon (the devil) which gave power unto the beast (McConkie -
government): and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the
beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a
mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto
him to continue forty and two months (3 ½ years)
"Gog" with
"Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya ...will think an evil thought;" and "in the
latter years ...come into the land ...against the mountain of Israel,
...to the land of unwalled villiages; ...to carry away silver and gold."
This assault will turn into a 1,290 day; 42 month; three and a half
year campaign; the "abomination of desolation" and will conclude 45 days
later with the appearance of the Savior Jesus Christ in Jerusalem at
which time an earthquake will literally level every mountain range on
the earth and all men worldwide will witness the appearance of THE sign
of the His Second Coming. This milestone event will be followed by a
twenty one year "half an hour," then and only then will the world
witness the long awaited second coming of Jesus Christ to reign upon the
earth for a thousand years.
In conclusion, referencing again the
restitution of all things before the Second Coming: in an interview of
Homer Brown of the Forest Dale ward, Granite Stake: "Brother Brown, can
you give us some light and explanation of the fifth verse ...which
speaks of the Ten Tribes of Israel on part of the earth which now forms
another planet, according to the composer, Eliza R. Snow?"
Eliza R. Snow a wife of the prophet wrote this poem:
"And when the Lord saw fit to hide
The ten lost tribes away,
Thou, earth, was severed to provide
The orb on which they stay."
And thus, from time to time, thy size
Has been diminished til
Thou seemest the law of sacrifice
Created to fulfill.
A "restitution" yet must come,
That will to thee restore,
By that grand law of worlds, thy sum
Of matter heretofore.
"Yes,
sir, I think I can-I think I can answer that question. Sister Eliza R.
Snow, when visiting my grand parents, was asked by my grandmother:
"Eliza, where did you get your idea about the Ten Lost Tribes being
taken as you explained in your hymn on page 386 of the Hymn Book?" She
answered as follows, "Why, my husband, the Prophet Joseph told me about
it."
THIS BLOG ATTEMPTS TO SHOW HOW SCIENCE IS CATCHING UP WITH REVEALED RELIGION
THIS BLOG IS AN ATTEMPT TO PUT ALL THE COOL STUFF THAT I BUMP INTO ABOUT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST AND EVENTS THAT LEAD UP TO IT INTO ONE LOCATION.
THE CONTENTS WILL BE FROM AN LDS PERSPECTIVE. IF YOU DISAGREE WITH ANYTHING IN HERE, I DO NOT PARTICULARLY CARE TO ARGUE, UNLESS YOU CAN ADD TO THIS BODY OF WORK. I HAVE AN OPEN MIND, THAT IS WHY I READ STUFF FROM ALL DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND SEEK LEARNING FROM THE BEST BOOKS. I JUST AM NOT HERE TO ARGUE ABOUT IT - BUT TO PUT IT OUT THERE WHERE OTHERS CAN PERUSE/PURSUE IT. I TAKE PARTICULAR INTEREST IN HONEST SEEKERS OF TRUTH AND BELIEVE THAT SCIENCE IS REVEALED RELIGION'S BEST ALLY. YOU WILL SEE ALOT OF TOPICS IN THIS BLOG THAT SHOW SCIENCE BACKING - AND SLOWLY CATCHING UP WITH - REVEALED RELIGION.
ENJOY!!
THE CONTENTS WILL BE FROM AN LDS PERSPECTIVE. IF YOU DISAGREE WITH ANYTHING IN HERE, I DO NOT PARTICULARLY CARE TO ARGUE, UNLESS YOU CAN ADD TO THIS BODY OF WORK. I HAVE AN OPEN MIND, THAT IS WHY I READ STUFF FROM ALL DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND SEEK LEARNING FROM THE BEST BOOKS. I JUST AM NOT HERE TO ARGUE ABOUT IT - BUT TO PUT IT OUT THERE WHERE OTHERS CAN PERUSE/PURSUE IT. I TAKE PARTICULAR INTEREST IN HONEST SEEKERS OF TRUTH AND BELIEVE THAT SCIENCE IS REVEALED RELIGION'S BEST ALLY. YOU WILL SEE ALOT OF TOPICS IN THIS BLOG THAT SHOW SCIENCE BACKING - AND SLOWLY CATCHING UP WITH - REVEALED RELIGION.
ENJOY!!
Well, I've found my sack lunch/FEAST post of the day to read! This looks meaty and soul stirring from the quick skim I made of it. Now, I have to hurry and get all my chores done so I can dive in. THANKS IRAQ! This was ALOT of work on your part brother and it does not go unappreciated. Thanks too for the way cool pictures of your trip!! You're so kind to share brother. Blessings upon you and yours from Heaven in a downpour!
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