Pattern For The Second Coming

As Latter-day Saints we are fortunate to have the Book of Mormon to help prepare us for the coming of Christ. The coming of Christ to the Americas anciently was a type and shadow of his coming to the world as a whole. President Benson taught,

If they (Nephite Prophets) saw our day, and chose those things which would be of greatest worth to us, is not that how we should study the Book of Mormon? We should constantly ask ourselves, "Why did the Lord inspire Mormon or Moroni or Alma to include that in their records? What lesson can I learn from that to help me live in this day and age?" And there is example after example of how that question will be answered. For example, in the Book of Mormon we find a pattern for preparing for the Second Coming. A major portion of the book centers on the few decades just prior to Christ's coming to America. By careful study of that time period we can determine why some were destroyed in the terrible judgments that preceded His coming and what brought others to stand at the temple in the land of Bountiful and thrust their hands into the wounds of His hands and feet. (Ezra Taft Benson, The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson , p.59) (emphasis added)

The following presentation shows some parallel events between the coming of Christ to the Americas and his second coming to the world so that we can see the pattern. There are many more parallels of which the following is but a small part. These were first presented in the 1979 Institute Book of Mormon student manual p. 395.

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We All Need Help In This Life

The quote below, by Elder John A. Widstoe, is a great motivator to do temple and genealogical work for those who have passed on. We all need as much help in this life to perform all of our responsibilities as we can get.

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You Can't Take It With You, Or Can You?

Sometimes we joke that we don't see any U-Haul trucks at funerals because you can't take it with you. However, the Law of Consecration has some unique features that allow us to believe that in some ways we can take it with us.

The Prophet Joseph Smith was once commenting on Revelations 14:13. The phrase in focus was ". . . their works do follow them." Here is his statement,

They rest from their labors for a long time, and yet their work is held in reserve for them, that they are permitted to do the same work, after they receive a resurrection for their bodies. But we shall leave this subject and the subject of the terrestrial bodies for another time, in order to treat upon them more fully.
(Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith, p.171) (emphasis added)

Don't we all wish that the Prophet would have lived long enough to get back to that subject. We see a similar phrase in D&C 63:48,

D&C 63:48
48 He that sendeth up treasures unto the land of Zion shall receive an inheritance in this world, and his works shall follow him, and also a reward in the world to come. (emphasis added)

In our doctrine, the earth becomes the Celestial kingdom because of the efforts of the righteous, combined with the atonement of Christ, and the grace and power of our Father in heaven. Whatever efforts that one puts into the building up of Zion through the law of consecration, their works will follow them.

In D&C 63:47-53, the Lord helps us better understand the purpose of consecration as it is combined with the power of the resurrection. It appears from the revelations given through the Prophet Joseph Smith that the spirit children of God have no inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom. They must be born again, through the atonement of Christ and be raised in the resurrection before they can inherit the Celestial Glory. Death is the destroyer of these blessings and therefore must be overcome before one can enjoy the presence of his God in the eternities.

A close look at these verses will reveal that doctrine,

D&C 63:47-53
47 He that is faithful and endureth shall overcome the world.
48 He that sendeth up treasures unto the land of Zion shall receive an inheritance in this world, and his works shall follow him, and also a reward in the world to come.
49 Yea, and blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, from henceforth, when the Lord shall come, and old things shall pass away, and all things become new, they shall rise from the dead and shall not die after, and shall receive an inheritance before the Lord, in the holy city.
50 And he that liveth when the Lord shall come, and hath kept the faith, blessed is he; nevertheless, it is appointed to him to die at the age of man.
51 Wherefore, children shall grow up until they become old; old men shall die; but they shall not sleep in the dust, but they shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye.
52 Wherefore, for this cause preached the apostles unto the world the resurrection of the dead.
53 These things are the things that ye must look for; and, speaking after the manner of the Lord, they are now nigh at hand, and in a time to come, even in the day of the coming of the Son of Man. (emphasis added)

Notice, the purpose of teaching the resurrection of the dead was to confirm the fact that they could receive and inheritance through the law of consecration in the world to come. Therefore, one of the major purposes of the law of consecration is to secure us a place in the world to come, that is the Celestial Glory where God and Christ live.

In the early history of the Church there were those who went to Zion but did not want to consecrate. William W. Phelps wrote the Prophet wanting to know how to handle the situation. The Prophet responded with D&C 85. Verses 1-4 and verse 9 are very telling in relation to the things just mentioned above.

D&C 85:1-4, 9
1 IT is the duty of the Lord's clerk, whom he has appointed, to keep a history, and a general church record of all things that transpire in Zion, and of all those who consecrate properties, and receive inheritances legally from the bishop;
2 And also their manner of life, their faith, and works; and also of the apostates who apostatize after receiving their inheritances.
3 It is contrary to the will and commandment of God that those who receive not their inheritance by consecration, agreeable to his law, which he has given, that he may tithe his people, to prepare them against the day of vengeance and burning, should have their names enrolled with the people of God.
4 Neither is their genealogy to be kept, or to be had where it may be found on any of the records or history of the church.

9 And all they who are not found written in the book of remembrance shall find none inheritance in that day, but they shall be cut asunder, and their portion shall be appointed them among unbelievers, where are wailing and gnashing of teeth. (emphasis added)

Here we learn that those who have received legal inheritances from a bishop in the law of consecration have an inheritance in the world to come. Those who refused the law of consecration have no inheritance at the day of judgment. In my opinion, one of the most powerful aspects of the law of consecration is the power that it has to convey an inheritance in the world to come (Millennium) and then on into the Celestial Kingdom.

No Cause For Unbelief [Hel. 14:28-29] (Part 2)

As seen in the previous post, the Lord warned the people of the Nephite/Lamanite Nations of his coming, to the degree that there was no cause for unbelief. We know from President Benson that the Book of Mormon is a blueprint or type of the Lord's coming to the whole world. The question is, "will the whole world be warned as thoroughly as the people of the Nephites/Lamanites?"

The Book of Mormon tells us that the church of the Lamb will be upon all the face of the earth (1Nephi 14:12).

After the revelation was given on the priesthood to President Kimball and other apostles, Elder Mckonie was assigned to give a talk to explain the importance of the revelation,

And so, guided by inspiration, we began to go from one nation and one culture to another. Someday, in the providences of the Lord, we shall get into Red China and Russia and the Middle East, and so on, until eventually the gospel will have been preached everywhere, to all people; and this will occur before the second coming of the Son of Man (Matt. 24:14; JS-M 1:31).

* * *

And I have no hesitancy whatever in saying that before the Lord comes, in all those nations we will have congregations that are stable, secure, devoted, and sound. We will have stakes of Zion. We will have people who have progressed in spiritual things to the point where they have received all of the blessings of the house of the Lord. That is the destiny.
(Bruce R. McConkie, Sermons and Writings of Bruce R. McConkie , pp. 163-164)

From Elder McConie's statement above, before the Lord comes we should be looking for stakes in Iraq, Iran, Pakastan, Afganistan, etc., with the people of those stakes being endowed and strong in their faith of Christ.

In the Lord's preface to the Doctrine and Covenants he declares how penetrating his warnings in the last days shall be,

D&C 1:1-5
1 Hearken, O ye people of my church, saith the voice of him who dwells on high, and whose eyes are upon all men; yea, verily I say: Hearken ye people from afar; and ye that are upon the islands of the sea, listen together.
2 For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be penetrated.
3 And the rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow; for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed.
4 And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days.
5 And they shall go forth and none shall stay them, for I the Lord have commanded them. (emphasis added)

Just as Samuel the Lamanite explained, the Lord taught us through the Prophet Joseph Smith the same principle, that he wants no one with an excuse and that each man must be responsible for his own sins beacause of the warnings given,

D&C 88:81-82
81 Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor.
82 Therefore, they are left without excuse, and their sins are upon their own heads. (emphasis added)

As with the Nephites/Lamanites the Lord will use two systems to warn the world. The first system as already stated is by the mouth of his disciples sent forth. The other system is through signs, wonders, and destruction,

D&C 88:87-92
87 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; and the moon shall be bathed in blood; and the stars shall become exceedingly angry, and shall cast themselves down as a fig that falleth from off a fig-tree.
88 And after your testimony cometh wrath and indignation upon the people.
89 For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand.
90 And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds.
91 And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men's hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people.
92 And angels shall fly through the midst of heaven, crying with a loud voice, sounding the trump of God, saying: Prepare ye, prepare ye, O inhabitants of the earth; for the judgment of our God is come. Behold, and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

Also, in D&C 43:18-25,

18 For the day cometh that the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven; the heavens shall shake and the earth shall tremble, and the trump of God shall sound both long and loud, and shall say to the sleeping nations: Ye saints arise and live; ye sinners stay and sleep until I shall call again.
19 Wherefore gird up your loins lest ye be found among the wicked.
20 Lift up your voices and spare not. Call upon the nations to repent, both old and young, both bond and free, saying: Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord;
21 For if I, who am a man, do lift up my voice and call upon you to repent, and ye hate me, what will ye say when the day cometh when the thunders shall utter their voices from the ends of the earth, speaking to the ears of all that live, saying--Repent, and prepare for the great day of the Lord?
22 Yea, and again, when the lightnings shall streak forth from the east unto the west, and shall utter forth their voices unto all that live, and make the ears of all tingle that hear, saying these words--Repent ye, for the great day of the Lord is come?
23 And again, the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven, saying: Hearken, O ye nations of the earth, and hear the words of that God who made you.
24 O, ye nations of the earth, how often would I have gathered you together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye would not!
25 How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of mercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor and the riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye would not!

Elder Orson Pratt took much of the above quote very litterally. After quoting these verses, he made this statement,

It is true that the Lord has not yet spoken by the voice of thunders, calling upon the people from the ends of the earth, saying, "Repent and prepare for the great day of the Lord," but such an event will come; and when it does come it will not be a mere ordinary, common thunderstorm, such as we experience occasionally, extending only over a small extent of country, but the Lord will cause the thunders to utter their voices from the ends of the earth until they sound in the ears of all that live, and these thunders shall use the very words here predicted-"Repent O ye inhabitants of the earth, and prepare the way of the Lord, prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord." These words will be distinctly heard by every soul that lives, whether in America, Asia, Africa, Europe, or upon the islands of the sea. And not only the thunders, but the lightings will utter forth their voices in the ears of all that live, saying, "Repent, for the great day of the Lord is come." Besides the voices of thunder and lightning, the Lord himself, before he comes in his glory, will speak by his own voice out of heaven in the ears of all that live, commanding them to repent and to prepare for his coming. I do not know how the Lord will send forth his voice so as to make all the people on the four quarters of the globe hear it, for the loudest sound that we can produce only extends over a small area, a few miles at most; but the Lord has power to make his voice heard by all that live on the four quarters of the earth, and when he fulfills this prediction, all that live will literally hear the words that are here named; and the wicked will perish out of the earth as they did in the days of Noah, and so far as they are concerned the earth will be made empty and desolate.
(Journal of Discourses, 26 vols., 15:, p.333) (emphasis added)

Just as the people of this continent were warned by the voice of the Lord in the Nephite and Lamanite world, so also, will the people of this earth be warned by his own voice and the voice of his disciples and by the voice of thunders and lightening, until their is no cause for unbelief when he comes.

No Cause For Unbelief [Hel. 14:28-29] (Part 1)

When Samuel the Lamanite stood upon the wall of Zarahemla he gave three very important reasons for the signs that would follow his prophecy,

Hel 14:28-29
28 And the angel said unto me that many shall see greater things than these, to the intent that they might believe that these signs and these wonders should come to pass upon all the face of this land, to the intent that there should be no cause for unbelief among the children of men--
29 And this to the intent that whosoever will believe might be saved, and that whosoever will not believe, a righteous judgment might come upon them; and also if they are condemned they bring upon themselves their own condemnation.

Reason one, these signs were given for the intent that the people would believe his warnings.

Reason two, these signs were given for the intent that there should be no cause for unbelief among the children of men.

Reason three, those who refused to believe the signs, a righteous judgment would come upon them, and they would bring upon themselves their own condemnation.

In other words when the Lord comes to destroy the wicked, He does not want anyone saying, "Who is this? Why is he so upset? Why is he destroying everything? Why am I in trouble? Why didn't anyone warn me?"

In order to warn the people the Lord first sent prophets to call them to repentance. When they rejected the prophets he promised to send signs and wonders by the mouth of the prophets as a second witness to the necessity of repenting and being prepared for His coming.

We know from our reading of the Book of Mormon that after the signs began rolling forth in abundance some repented while others rejected these great signs and wonders.

However, the overall affect of these signs and wonders was impressive,

3 Ne 1:17-18
17 And they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth from the west to the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth.
18 For they knew that the prophets had testified of these things for many years, and that the sign which had been given was already at hand; and they began to fear because of their iniquity and their unbelief. (emphasis added)

Again, later in the Book of Mormon we have this account,

3 Ne 5:1-3
1 AND now behold, there was not a living soul among all the people of the Nephites who did doubt in the least the words of all the holy prophets who had spoken; for they knew that it must needs be that they must be fulfilled.
2 And they knew that it must be expedient that Christ had come, because of the many signs which had been given, according to the words of the prophets; and because of the things which had come to pass already they knew that it must needs be that all things should come to pass according to that which had been spoken.
3 Therefore they did forsake all their sins, and their abominations, and their whoredoms, and did serve God with all diligence day and night. (emphasis added)

You would think that when the Lord came they would all be righteous and anxiously looking forth to His coming. However, He did not come right after all the signs had been given. He gave them time to prove their faith and dedication to His cause. Some did continue faithful but others "turned from their righteousness, like a dog to his vomit, or like the sow to her wallowing in the mire (3 Nephi 7:8)."

The important thing to remember is that when the Lord came there was "no cause for unbelief", therefore those who were destroyed had "brought upon themselves their own condemnation (Helaman 14:29."

The question that we must ask is, "Will the Lord be as thorough in His warnings to us (the world) concerning His second coming as he was to the Nephites and Lamanites?" "Will we (the world) have no cause for unbelief and bring upon ourselves our own condemnation?"

Read the next post for the answers.

Temple Mount in Jerusalem

Even though Israel controls the Old Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, the mount itself is actually administered by the Muslims. Many Orthodox Jews will not go up on the mount for fear of desecrating the spot on which the temple once stood as no one knows the exact location of the ancient temple.

Here is a quote from Wikipedia,

Controlled by Israel since 1967, both Israel and the Palestinian Authority claim sovereignty over the site, which remains a key issue in the Arab-Israeli conflict. A Muslim council, known as the Muslim Waqf, manages the site. The Israeli government enforces a controversial ban on prayer by non-Muslim visitors.

No one except Muslims are allowed to pray or worship on the Mount. If anyone tries to pray, sing, or worship God in any manner, they will be expelled from the Mount by Muslim guards that patrol the that area of approximately 37 acres that comprises the Temple Mount.

For those that are interested there is a 90 minute video of Rabbi Richmond, from the Temple Institute, who toured the Temple Mount with a video camera. Click here for the introduction and to view the video.

Independence, Missouri Temple Site

The above building is the headquarters for the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) group. They own approximately 2 1/2 acres of land which includes the spot where the Prophet Joseph Smith stood to dedicate the property for the building of the temple in the New Jerusalem.

A brief history of the site is as follows:
A. Anciently the Garden of Eden was in this location.
B. July, 1831, the Lord reveals the location for the New Jerusalem and its temple (D&C 57). Sixty three acres were purchased for the beginning of the city and the temple complex.
C. June, and August, the Prophet sent two different plans to Bishop Edward Partridge for the city and it 24 complex temple.
D. November, 1833 the saints were driven from Jackson County.
E. 1867, Grandville Hedrick purchased the 2 1/2 acre site for the headquarters of his church - Church of Christ (temple lot) group.
F. In the 1860' - 1870's, the Reorganized LDS Church (now Community of Christ) returned to this area and set up their headquarters.
G. In the 1890's, the RLDS church sued the Temple Lot Group to get their 2 1/2 acres but lost the suit.
H. 1904, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased 20 acres adjacent to the properties owned by the other two organizations.
I. 1907, the LDS Church built a building for the headquarters of the Central States Mission on their 20 acre plot.
J. The Temple Lot Group tried to build a temple and to have it completed before 1932 but failed because of lack of funds.
K. 1971, LDS Church built a visitors' center on their property which stands there today.
L. April, 1994, the RLDS Church dedicated their temple which now stands on their property.

Below is a model of the site, the city and temple complex - June plan. (click to enlarge)

Below is a picture of the location of the temple site so that you can see in perspective the different building in the area, (click to enlarge)


Below is a picture of the temple built by the Community of Christ,

Below is a description of the temple complex given by Elder Orson Pratt. It is not known how or from where he received this description:

There, however, we expect to build a temple different from all other temples in some respects. It will be built much larger, cover a larger area of ground, far larger than this Tabernacle covers, and this Tabernacle will accommodate from 12,000 to 15,000 people. We expect to build a temple much larger, very much larger, according to the revelation God gave to us forty years ago in regard to that temple. But you may ask in what form will it be built? Will it be built in one large room, like this Tabernacle? No; there will be 24 different compartments in the Temple that will be built in Jackson County. The names of these compartments were given to us some 45 or 46 years ago; the names we still have, and when we build these 24 rooms, in a circular form and arched over the centre, we shall give the names to all these different compartments just as the Lord specified through Joseph Smith. Now, our enemies do not believe one word of this. They think we are enthusiastic, they think that this is all nonsense, and I do not know but there may be some of the Latter-day Saints that begin to partake of the same spirit, owing to their assimilating themselves so much to the fashion of the world, that they have lost their strong and powerful faith in that which God has predicted by the mouth of his servants. Perhaps you may ask for what purpose these 24 compartments are to be built. I answer not to assemble the outside world in, nor to assemble the Saints all in one place, but these buildings will be built with a special view to the different orders, or in other words the different quorums or councils of the two Priesthoods that God has ordained on the earth. That is the object of having 24 rooms so that each of these different quorums, whether they be High Priests or Seventies, or Elders, or Bishops, or lesser Priesthood, or Teachers, or Deacons, or Patriarchs, or Apostles, or High Councils, or whatever may be the duties that are assigned to them, they will have rooms in the Temple of the Most High God, adapted, set apart, constructed, and dedicated for this special purpose. Now, I have not only told you that we shall have these rooms, but I have told you the object of these rooms in short, not in full. But will there be any other buildings excepting those 24 rooms that are all joined together in a circular form and arched over the center-are there any other rooms that will be built-detached from the Temple? Yes. There will be tabernacles, there will be meeting houses for the assembling of the people on the Sabbath day. There will be various places of meeting so that the people may gather together; but the Temple will be dedicated to the Priesthood of the Most High God, and for most sacred and holy purposes. (Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 24, pp. 24-25).

Parallels Between The New Jerusalem And The Old Jerusalem

Click on the above picture to enlarge

There are some amazing parallels between the New Jerusalem and the Old Jerusalem.

Adam had two trees in the Garden of Eden. On tree gave life and the other tree brought death. Adam's choice to die so that man could live became a type of Christ when he would go into the Garden of Gethsemane and chose death so that man could live.

On the Mount of Temptations, Satan tempted Christ with the 91st Psalm which promised Christ that he could be delivered and have a long life (see Psalms 91:11-16). The other Psalm that we focus on as Christ was hanging on the cross is Psalms 22, Christ quoted from it while he was suffering. This Psalm 22 reads opposite of Psalms 91 as the heavens appear to be as brass to his plea thus bringing death instead of deliverance.

Both locations are considered a center place. Jackson County, Missouri, is the Center Place of Zion. The Old Jerusalem was considered the center of the world and the navel of the earth (see Ezekiel 5:5).

Both locations are the center of two of the pillars of eternity. Elder Bruce R. McConkie referred to the three pillars of eternity as: 1. the Creation, 2. the Fall, and 3. the Atonement. Jackson County Missouri being the location of the Garden of Eden is also, the location of the Fall. The Old Jerusalem and its Garden of Gethsemane is the location of the Atonement.

Both locations had an Adam. See 1 Corinthians 15:45-47 where Paul refers to Christ as the second or last Adam.

Both locations had a serpent/Messiah. In the Hebrew alphabet each letter is also a number. Therefore, each Hebrew word has a numerical value. If two Hebrews words add up to the same value they have a relationship where they may be interchanged and they have an equivalency. Two Hebrew words add up to 358, Serpent and Messiah. In the Garden of Eden, Satan, the serpent, delivered man from life to death. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ (the serpent on the pole being a type) delivered man from death back to life again. We can see a similar event in the Exodus Pattern when Moses' rod/serpent swallowed up the rods/serpents of the court magicians, thus becoming the victorious serpent/Messiah. This may be where Isaiah got the term that Christ will swallow up death in victory (Isaiah 25:8).

Both peoples who are to build up each center place had an extermination order given against them at the time they were moving to accomplish their missions. The Saints had the infamous extermination order given by Governor Lilburn Boggs and the Jews had the extermination order of Adolf Hitler.

As already mentioned in previous posts, both locations are to have a temple before Christ comes. Those who are to build the temple do not control the proposed property upon which the temples will stand.