“And five of them were wise and five were foolish. [After making this statement, Elder Woodruff read the revelation that is now section 45 in the Doctrine and Covenants. He gives this warning to all who seek to know the meaning of the deaths of people from natural disasters and the signs of the times, without accepting the gift of his salvation through faith, mercy, and repentance (cf. The Incarnation means that God became man; our Savior entered the world in human flesh. The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, sel. . Taken from the Office of Readings, Wednesday of the First Week of Advent, Liturgy of the Hours, Vol 1. (page 252). All will be right. Some of the brethren of his time are said to have approached him … and to have inquired of him as to when he felt the end would be—when would be the coming of the Master? Temples have got to be built; Zion has got to be built up; there must be a place of safety for the people of God while his judgments are abroad in the earth, for the judgments of God will visit the earth, there is no mistake about that; the revelations are full of promises to this effect, and as the Lord has declared it, he will not fail in keeping his word.11. How can we remain “quiet, careful and wise before the Lord,” even when some of these signs include tragedy? ] …, We are living in a late age, although it is true there are a great many vast and important events to transpire in these days. Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 3 Thank you for your generosity! … We are in the last dispensation and fulness of time. He watches with Christ, who ever commemorates and renews in his own person Christ’s cross and agony, and gladly takes up that mantle of affliction which Christ wore here, and left behind Him when he ascended.3. We reflect for the first two weeks of Advent on the second and final coming of Jesus in glory “when we will come to judge the living and the dead.” We then close out Advent by prayerfully preparing and remembering his first coming in humility at Christmas with his birth as a baby boy in the manger at Bethlehem, uniting our frail human nature with his glorious divine nature. On the other hand, if we set our hearts upon the things of the world and seek for the honors of men, we shall walk in the dark and not in the light. I also am to be watchful against the dangers that sin can pose to us when drawn to the knowledge that puffs up and seeks to dominate through pride, the danger of disordered passions through the lust of the flesh, and the dangers of being fixated on earthly comforts and glories through the lust of the eyes (cf. As we prepare for the Second Coming, what can we do to “keep oil in our lamps”? Deseret News: Semi-Weekly, May 2, 1876, 4. I feel to warn my brethren and sisters, the Latter-day Saints, to live their religion, to trim their lamps, because as the Lord lives his word will be fulfilled. 4 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Norms Regarding the Manner of Proceeding in the Discernment of Presumed Apparitions or Revelations (February 25, 1978). . The eyes of the heavens are over us. Besides more prayer and soul-searching, the coronavirus disease 2019 or Covid-19 has led countless people afflicted by the pandemic and the global recession it spawned to seek out signs and knowledge of the end times. Do we realize these things? We know that’s true because Jesus spoke of it saying, “Of that There’s a day and an hour appointed for His return. If we do not value our priesthood, and the work of this priesthood, the building up of the kingdom of God, the rearing of temples, the redeeming of our dead, and the carrying out of the great work unto which we have been ordained by the God of Israel—if we do not feel that these things are more valuable to us than the things of the world, we will have no oil in our lamps, no light, and we shall fail to be present at the marriage supper of the Lamb.17, “When we are laboring for the kingdom of God, we will have oil in our lamps, our light will shine and we will feel the testimony of the Spirit of God.”, Who is going to be prepared for the coming of the Messiah? (See pages 255–56, 258; see also D&C 45:56–57. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. The Lord has raised up a kingdom of priests here in the last days to establish his church and kingdom, and to prepare the way for the second coming of the Son of Man, and the God of heaven has put into the hands of his servants the keys of the kingdom, and he has said—“Whatever I have decreed in these my servants shall be fulfilled, for to them is given power to bind and to seal both on the earth and in heaven, against the day of the wrath of Almighty God, which is to be poured out upon the world.” [See D&C 1:7–9. 1 John 2:16). This third coming is known as the coming of Jesus in mystery. Now the question arises here, brethren and sisters, are we prepared in our hearts? The Savior answered them, but in a very brief manner. As Christians, we have the wonderful opportunity to help prepare the world for Jesus' second coming. Every new day renews the hope and expectancy of our Lord’s blessed appearing. Obsession about knowing precise details of his Second Coming, to the neglect of being faithful to the grace of the moment, can lead both to intellectual pride and an unbridled zeal that can result in mistakes and errors. Advent is our time to detach from the world with the spiritual practices of Fasting, Prayer, and Alms-giving to prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus Christ at Christmas. Deseret News: Semi-Weekly, December 28, 1875, 1. And he watches with Christ, who, while he looks onto the future, looks back on the past, and does not so contemplate what his Savior has purchased for him, as to forget what He has suffered for him. Our Lord reminds me that I am to be watchful of the signs of the times in light of his coming without burying my head in the sand. 2. Follow Mark Fox on: The Son of God and all the Prophets and Patriarchs that have lived upon the earth are watching over this great work—this great organization preparing for the coming of the Son of Man.12, We are living in an important age. The Bible makes it clear that far vast majority will not be prepared for the return of Jesus Christ. “Prepare ye the way of the Lord,” declared Jesus Christ in a revelation to Joseph Smith in 1831. Although some questions can exist in a gray area, one can find definitive common consensus in the Church’s teaching regarding the events of the second coming of Jesus in Sacred Scripture, the teachings of the popes, and the teachings of the ecumenical councils. Deseret News: Semi-Weekly, February 29, 1876, 1. SCRIPTURAL STRATEGIES TO PREPARE FOR THE COMING OF JESUS CHRIST Successful people said; “when preparation meets opportunity it results into success” likewise in the kingdom of God when preparation meets the coming of … All that the Latter-day Saints have to do is to be quiet, careful and wise before the Lord, watch the signs of the times, and be true and faithful; and when you get through you will understand many things that you do not today. Anyone who hasnt secured their food supply needs to read this note from an economics professor ASAP to find out how to grow your own organic stealth garden! “The Lord Jesus Christ is coming to reign on earth. 3 Sermon 22 “Watchfulness”, Parochial and Plain Sermons, (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 1997) 940-941. No other people will be.18, I pray that we may live in such a manner as not to be among the foolish virgins, but understand the signs of the times, do our duty, maintain our integrity, overcome the world, and be prepared to receive our Redeemer when he comes, with joy, and not in grief and shame.19, Trust in God. Therefore ‘the Son of man comes’ and ‘the coming of the Son of man’ as spoken by the Lord Jesus refer to God returning in the flesh in the last days. by the bridegroom? How God Prepared the World for the First Coming of Christ Dr. J. Vernon McGee But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. November 28, 2020 He gives me this same warning just as he did to the crowds of his age. For additional help, see pages v–ix. 4) Jesus is coming again! It occurs in his Eucharistic presence, the silence of prayer, and in the joys and trials of the present moment of life with various people and events that I often overlook. 1 The Prophet, in turn, called on the Saints to prepare themselves for the Lord’s Second Coming by letting “love to God and man predominate, and reign triumphant in every mind,” that “hearts may become like unto Enoch’s 2 of old.” 3 What is represented by the marriage supper? (See pages 251–53; see also D&C 45:34–39.) Matt 24-25; Lk 13:1-5). by the oil in the lamps? We know that’s true because Jesus spoke of it saying, “Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:36). Recent current events have moved many people, especially Catholics, to look for answers that make sense of what is happening right now. In what ways can we help our families prepare? Likewise, the Church, with all its God-given powers, prepares us for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This hour my task is to show the elements of John’s work of preparation and to apply it to Christians today with Christ’s second coming in mind. … We are approaching these things. The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, 124–25. We are held responsible for presenting the gospel of Christ to all the nations of the earth. … We are held responsible for all this and for building temples to the Most High, wherein we can enter and attend to ordinances for the salvation of our dead. …, … How much has the Lord plead with the nations of the earth to give them celestial glory, honor, immortality and eternal life? None.9, The Lord has a great work ahead and he is preparing a people to do it before his coming. Moreover, an unhealthy fixation on the second coming of Christ to the neglect of his coming to me in the mystery of the present moment can lead me to be blind and vulnerable to false prophets (cf. The Lord will not delay his coming because of their unbelief, and the signs both in heaven and earth indicate that it is near. The work required at our hands is great and mighty; it is the work of Almighty God. Now, when I look at these things, I also look at what there is before us. By keeping the commandments of God, remembering our prayers, do[ing] as we are told by the revelations of Jesus Christ, and otherwise assisting in building up Zion. Prepare for the coming apocalypse! Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Do your duty. ), Related Scriptures: D&C 45:15–75; Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:21–55. This is the way I feel to-day. Review the first paragraph on page 250. Remember your prayers. Always we are cautioned that we cannot know the day or the hour of His coming. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 2 John of the Cross speaks of this mystical coming of Jesus in terms of Spiritual Marriage between God and the Soul through the perfection of the prayer of mystical union. We all have the task of preparing the world for His The fact that He is coming again bodily is either true or the Bible is false. It is mentioned 318 times in the 260 chapters of the New Testament. This watchfulness enables the individual believer to know how to cooperate with the action of the Holy Spirit in the current age of history in which I am alive. The season of Advent is when the Church calls us to prepare for the coming of Jesus in three ways. “When He appears” in Greek is literally, “if He appears.” But the uncertainty is not about the fact of His coming, but rather about the time of it. An authentic watchfulness for the coming of Christ both in the present moment and looking toward his Second Coming has a guarded openness to the workings of grace. Now, those who have got oil in their lamps, are men who live their religion, pay their tithing, pay their debts, keep the commandments of God, and do not blaspheme his name; men and women who walk in the light of the Lord; men and women who will not sell their birthright for a mess of pottage or for a little gold or silver; these are those that will be valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ. James Boice writes (The Epistles of John [Zondervan], p. 96) that in the New Testament, “… one verse in twenty-five deals with the Lord’s return. Some may ask, “Why address this at all? Who can the Lord expect to prepare for his second coming but his Saints? We have got to live our own righteousness, that is keep the commandments of God.14, The parable of the ten virgins is intended to represent the second coming of the Son of man, the coming of the Bridegroom to meet the bride, the church, the Lamb’s wife, in the last days; and I expect that the Saviour was about right when he said, in reference to the members of the church, that five of them were wise and five were foolish; for when the Lord of heaven comes in power and great glory to reward every man according to the deeds done in the body, if he finds one-half of those professing to be members of his church prepared for salvation, it will be as many as can be expected judging by the course that many are pursuing.15, The word of the Lord to me is that it is time for Zion to rise and let her light shine; and the testimony of the Spirit of God to me is that this whole kingdom, this great kingdom of priests … who have borne the priesthood, have thoroughly fulfilled one part of the parable of the ten virgins. Your email address will not be published. Just as Jesus came the first time He is coming the second time. Judgment is at the door; calamity awaits the nations of the earth; but we ourselves should be prepared to stand in holy places while the judgments of God are manifest in the earth.6, We are told in the 24th chapter of Matthew, that Jesus, on a certain occasion, taught his disciples many things concerning his gospel, the temple, the Jews, his second coming and the end of the world; and they asked him—Master, what shall be the sign of these things? He has plead with them for the last six thousand years, and has raised up his servants from time to time and called upon the inhabitants of the world to prepare themselves for the great day of his second advent and coming, which is at hand. . The Savior … compared the kingdom of God unto ten virgins, which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom [see Matthew 25:1]. The night that Jesus gave that parable, he had drank the cup and sealed the covenant He had chosen Himself a bride – every person who would receive Him as Savior 3 Ways You Can Prepare for Jesus’ Second Coming 2 Peter 3 Many have sought answers by seeking out the messages of various mystics, apparitions, prophecies, social media figures, and conspiracy theories that warn of the signs of the end of the world. They are beginning to be manifest both in heaven and on earth. Become Like Christ Both the New Testament apostle John the Beloved and the Book of Mormon prophet Mormon testified that when the Savior returns to earth in resplendent glory, the “true followers” of Christ who will greet Him will “be like Him” ( Moroni … This will prepare our hearts to receive Jesus, to receive new life in Christ in a deeper way. Everyone shall remember 2020 as a year of chaos and upheaval, both in the Church and the world. 4 {1966}, 188-190. May the Blessed Virgin Mary help us to obtain that grace of faithful watchfulness for her son’s coming this Advent season so that he may find us with joyful hearts ready to receive him.
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