To see the chronological sequence of events go to
https://understandingthelastdays.blogspot.com/2017/07/sequence-of-events.html
Introduction: the Lord’s Precise Timing
https://understandingthelastdays.blogspot.com/2017/07/sequence-of-events.html
Introduction: the Lord’s Precise Timing
“But of that day and that hour knoweth
no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the
Father” (Mark 13:32).
“I, the Lord God, have spoken it; but
the hour and the day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor shall
they know until he comes” (D&C 49:7).
The
Lord declares that He alone can prophesy accurately the future of mankind.
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am
God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from
ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand”
(Isaiah 46:9-10).
As
we consider the critical importance of prophetic events relating to the last
days, it is natural for us to inquire as to when they will occur. Do the
scriptures give any indication of this timing? Yes, they do! As we look back in
history from the beginning until now, we are confronted with a pattern of
astonishing complexity when we examine prophecies and their precise
fulfillment. More than forty of the most significant events in Israel’s history
have occurred precisely to the day on the anniversaries of feast days of the
biblical calendar. The odds against this phenomenon occurring by random chance
are staggering. For example, during the closing days of his earthly ministry
Jesus warned us about the terrible events that would constitute the “signs of
the times” leading up to his coming in glory. He told his disciples clearly
when these events would occur – after the rebirth of the nation of Israel.
Matthew 24:32-34 = 32: “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is
yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33: So
likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at
the doors. 34: Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all
these things be fulfilled.
In
the Doctrine and Covenants (hereafter D&C) 45:37-38, he has restated the
parable as follows: 37: Ye look and behold the fig-trees, and ye see them with
your eyes, and ye say when they begin to shoot forth, and their leaves are yet
tender, that summer is now nigh at hand; 38: Even so it shall be in that day
when they shall see all these things, then shall they know that the hour is
nigh.
The
key to interpreting these scriptures is that the fig tree represents the Jews
in Matthew, and the Ten Tribes in the Doctrine and Covenants. God uses the
signs of the times to keep His Saints informed of coming events in their season
and to encourage them to be vigilant in their preparations for the future. This
is our counsel: to read the signs so that when the prophet gives the word (God
will do nothing but what he will reveal it unto his servants the prophets –
Amos 3:7), we will already be prepared to follow his instructions (if ye are
prepared ye shall not fear – D&C 38:30). Consider, for example, the
following information.
After
the death of Jesus Christ, persecution from the Romans and the Jews forced the
Christians into exile. Jesus’ granduncle, Joseph of Arimathaea, Mary, the
mother of Jesus, Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha, and possibly others, escaped
to Cornwall in Britain during the persecutions of the Saints following the
death of Jesus. There they built a group of Christian believers. Then in 70
A.D., Titus ransacked Jerusalem and the temple was leveled.[1] By
the end of the first century, most of the disciples of Jesus had become
martyrs, and in time the Church fled into the wilderness for 1,260 day (Rev.
12:6). Joseph Smith changed the word days
to years in his JST of Revelation
12:5. The Church came out of the wilderness (apostasy) in 1830 (Doctrine &
Covenants 33:5). Going back 1,260 years from 1830, we come to 570 A.D., a year
of great significance; the year that marked the end of the early Christian
Church.
In
the final battle at Cornwall, the Church at Glastonbury (where Jesus’ family
had fled) fell to the decrees of the church at Rome, and King Arthur was
defeated in the Battle of Durham. Legend has it that he was fighting to protect
the Holy Grail, which fable has made out to be the cup that Christ used at the
Last Supper. What he was really defending was the last holdout of what remained
of the pure gospel; and the descendants of the Savior who were living there and
in Wales. The Times and Seasons, the
official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during
the Nauvoo period recorded: “We are informed by the renowned historian,
Whelpley, as also in the revolutions of Europe, that the church of Jesus Christ
was overrun and driven into the wilderness, AD 570, and John the Revelator
informs us it must remain there 1260 years, which makes exactly the time, the
year 1830, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized
with the gifts and blessings.”[2]
Changing
now to another time period, Rabbi Judah ben Samuel (1140-1217), was a German
rabbi who based his prophecies on the years of Jubilee. Leviticus 25 says a
Jubilee lasts fifty years.
The
Ottoman Empire (Turks) would control Jerusalem for eight Jubilees = 400 years
(1517-1917). The Turks were conquered in 1917 when the British Army, under the
command of General Edmund Allenby, liberated Jerusalem on Hanukkah (the
Festival of Lights) on December 17, 1917.[3]
On
May 14, 1948, Judah, inappropriately called Israel, became a nation – in the
precise year foretold by the prophet Ezekiel over twenty-five hundred years
earlier; and based on the Savior’s promise in Matthew 24:32-34, our generation
is the only generation that has the promise that within the natural time span
of our lives, we will witness the amazing events of the last days. We are the
only generation that can “… look up, and lift up your heads, for your
redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).
Given
the time frame outlined in this study, if 2036 is the year of the Second
Coming, and 1936 (see page 21) is the beginning of the generation, then the
Savior’s definition of a “generation” would be 100 years ± – which is critical
information. Consider then that there is another cycle into which this scenario
would fit. World War I ended in 1918, showing that 2018 is a significant year
for Israel (the “generation” in which Israel became a nation); Israel’s seventy-year
cycle, which ends May 14, 2018, confirms this significance. See Sign 13 for
more on this date.
Another
important example, and one valuable to understanding the last days, is found in
Daniel 9:24-27 = 24: Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy
holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make
reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to
seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25: Know
therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to
restore and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks,
and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall,
even in troublous times. 26: And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah
be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come
shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a
flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27: And he shall
confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he
shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading
of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and
that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
The
commencement point of Daniel’s vision is the commandment to rebuild the walls
of Jerusalem, which begins in Daniel 9:25. This decree was issued by the
Persian King Artaxerxes Longimanus “in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth
year” of his reign, according to Nehemiah 2:1. “The first day of the month of
Nisan,” according to the Talmud (a
collection of writings that constitute Jewish civil and religious law), is the
beginning of the New Year for the computation of the reign of kings and for
festivals. The first of Nisan in King Artaxerxes’ twentieth year was computed
by the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, United Kingdom, as March 14, 445 B.C. From
that date there is a period of seven “weeks” (7 x 7 = 49 years), and sixty-two
“weeks” (62 x 7 = 434 years) which total sixty-nine weeks of years (69 x 7
years = 483 biblical years). This period of 483 biblical years equals 173,880
days (483 x 360 days[4] =
173,880 days).
At
the end of the sixty-nine “weeks” (483 years), or 173,880 days, there will be a
time when, according to Daniel, the “Messiah will be cut off.” On the tenth day
of Nisan, April 6, 32 A.D., on Palm Sunday, Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem and
presented Himself as “the Messiah” in fulfillment of this prophecy. Luke
9:41-44 records a prophecy given by Jesus at that time regarding the
destruction of Jerusalem, because they rejected him at that time as their
prophesied Messiah-King. Five days later this rejection culminated in his
crucifixion and the postponement of the promised Kingdom for now almost 2,000
years.
In
70 A.D., less than forty years after the Savior’s prophecy, the Roman army
besieged Jerusalem, killing more than one million of her inhabitants. The Roman
legions leveled the city of Jerusalem, totally fulfilling His prophecy that
“they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another” (Luke 19:44). The
fearsome cry of the people, “Let him be crucified” (Matthew 27:23) and “His
blood be on us, and on our children” (Matthew 27:25) had its tragic
fulfillment, according to Flavius Josephus[5]
during that final siege when the hills surrounding Jerusalem were studded with
thousands of crosses as far as the eye could see.
Daniel’s
vision spoke of a total of seventy “sevens” or seventy “weeks” of years,
equaling 490 biblical years. That period of time, beginning on March 14, 445
B.C. until the Messiah was “cut off” (April 6, 32 A.D., the tenth of Nisan) was
seven “sevens” plus sixty-two “sevens, equaling sixty nine “weeks of years”
(173,879 days). That prophecy was fulfilled to the exact day, minus one “week.”
Given
the fact that the prophecy was interrupted with the death of the Savior, there
is one more “week” of seven critical years remaining to be fulfilled in our
“generation” (1936 – 2036: see page twenty-one). God’s prophetic clock stopped
on Calvary. Similarly, some 1,500 years earlier when Israel stopped at the very
edge of the Promised Land and awaited the report of the twelve tribal leaders
who spied out Canaan, when the report was given they disbelieved it. Through
this disobedience and disbelief of God’s promises, the people were led forty
years in the wilderness. That entire generation died without seeing the
fulfillment of the original conditional promised possession of the land of
Canaan.
During
this interval between the ending of Daniel’s sixty-ninth week (32 A.D.) and the
beginning of the final seventieth week, God has fulfilled other prophecies and
is now preparing to fulfill that final week of prophecies. This lovingkindness
of God is to allow all who will to come unto Christ to be saved. This “gospel
of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all
nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14). It was even so during
the Savior’s three-and-one-half-year ministry, which ended on Palm Sunday, the
end of the sixty-ninth “week” of years.
Note: August 11, 2012 Elder Alan F. Packer, of the 1st Quorum of
the Seventy, son of the late Boyd K. Packer, told us that the brethren are
paying close attention to the signs of the times and what the Church needs to
do to prepare for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He counseled us
all to study these signs and prepare ourselves spiritually and physically.[6] We
never know what trials and challenges we will be required to face. We can only
do what is right and let the Lord’s wisdom and mercy be shown forth.
Introduction: Sequence of Latter-day
Events
In
Avraham Gileadi’s first edition of The
Book of Isaiah[7] he gives
us a sequential list in the introduction. There are thirty signs which he
identified. However, his sequence does not coincide with mine. This is because
his sequence only pertains to the last seven years of the world’s existence.
But, some of his signs are overarching from this current period (2017) through
to the end. In his own words there are other signs which he has not included in
his list.
Never
has there been a time in our history when apocalyptic events in several areas
noted below are coming together all at once. Anyone of them could set off the
others as the balance of unrighteousness tips the scales and our Father decrees
an end to the wicked. The years 2028 and 2036 are prime examples of this as
shown in the numbered signs below.
In
studies of this nature we should be careful of being too dogmatic and certain
of our own interpretations to the exclusion of meaning and insight that we may
have completely missed. “It is better to be intellectually uncertain rather
than superficially sure. This will leave us with a great deal to be certain
about, while maintaining a humility to learn.”
Prophetic
writings sometimes portray the same events multiple times but with different
symbols. For example, Daniel offers us four visions and dreams, but each one
describes the same future reality.[8]
All
the picture of the last days deals with physical and spiritual realities. Much
of it condemns evil practices among the Lord’s people.[9]
“There are signs in heaven, earth and hell; the elders must know them all, to
be endowed with power, to finish their work…”[10]
“… 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 (D&C 45:39); … and
he that watches not for me shall be cut off” (D&C 45:44). Upon examining
the language used to describe past catastrophes and comparing it with the language
used to describe them in the future, it becomes evident that the Lord describes
both past and coming events using the same similes and metaphors. This
similarity, then, is the key to understanding prophecy.[11]
“Every major worldwide calamity was caused by extra-terrestrial bodies from
space.”[12]
A
study of The Book of Mormon also helps us understand the last days. Just as one
example: there are seven exoduses in the book, which – when studied – help us
understand the exodus of the last days both in a localized sense, and in its
worldwide dynamics. This study will bring to bear the scriptures from the Book
of Mormon as they interplay with the signs listed below.
The
key to understanding the signs of the times is to be receptive to being taught
by the Holy Ghost. There is a lot of information in the books contained in the
bibliography that show the rise in earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions,
tornadoes, floods, droughts, etc., but few reference the worldwide events that
will come at the end of the world. As you sift through the following evidence,
let the spirit be your guide as to the truthfulness of what is written and as
to whether or not the general sequence is properly organized. The Lord told the
early elders of the Church: “And unto you it shall be given to know the signs
of the times, and the signs of the coming of the Son of Man” (D&C 68:11).
Signs elicit a conditioned response: i.e., an earthquake elicits a need to
repent among the righteous. In his love and mercy, God will use disasters to
seek to bring his children to repentance.[13]
However, these are just a precursor to the worldwide events that await the
wicked.
Natural
disasters have been steadily increasing recently. According to a report by
Professor Debarati Sapir, from the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of
Disasters, more than 254,000,000 people were affected by natural disasters in
2003, which was 180% more than in 1990.[14]
In
1998, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, summarized some of the events
of that previous decade. He said: “During the past decade there have been many
examples of large-scale adversities affecting tens or hundreds of thousands or
millions. Only a few can be mentioned. In addition to wars in many nations we
have had earthquakes in Japan, California, China, Armenia, and Mexico;
hurricanes or tornadoes in Florida and the central United States; volcanic
eruptions in the Philippines; flooding in India and North America; and famine
and pestilence in Africa and elsewhere.”[15]
In
1952, Elder Joseph Fielding Smith reported the following: “In a book that has
been recently published by Robert Gordon Collier, he says this: ‘The Bible says
the earth is to be visited by earthquakes, dust storms, floods, plagues, and
disease. Science reports that from 1914 onward, there have been more freakish
weather, earthquakes, floods, and diseases than any other similar sustained
period in history.’”[16]
Elder
Smith further remarked: “The earth suffered greater shaking by earthquakes in
1950 than any other year since 1906, according to Professor L. Don Leet,
director of Harvard’s seismograph station. The total energy released in the
violent movement of the earth in the year 1950 was equal to the explosion of
4,000,000 atomic bombs. Professor Leet explained that a worldwide network of
seismograph stations “located” 796 significant earthquakes from the first of
January to December 16, including one of the two greatest earthquakes ever
recorded (New Dispatch, December 30, 1950). During the year 1951, more than one
earthquake a day was recorded; many were with extreme violence, great loss of
life and property.[17]
The
momentum of destruction appears to have picked up dramatically since the year
2000. An unprecedented tornado struck downtown Salt Lake City near the turn of
the century. In 2003, about 83,000 people were killed in an earthquake in Iran.
In 2004 four major hurricanes hit Florida within a two-month period. Over 1,700
tornadoes were reported in the United States in that same year. Then on
December 26, 2004, a 9.3 earthquake struck in the middle of the Indian Ocean, causing
the entire earth to wobble. The massive tremor created a tsunami that
swept across the ocean into thirteen different countries, killing over 225,000
people.[18]
In October, 2005, another catastrophic earthquake struck Pakistan, India and
Afghanistan, killing about 85,000 people, injuring 42,000, and leaving over
3,000,000 homeless. In August of that same year, a category five hurricane
(Katrina) struck the Gulf Coast of the United States, causing disastrous
flooding, loss of life, and billions of dollars worth of damage.
There
are prophetic events; and signs foretell their arrival.[19]
Prophecies often include signs. For example, Jesus Christ, during his last week
on earth in the Meridian of Time, prophesied about the signs of his coming: 1)
destruction of the wicked; 2) false christs; 3) false prophets; 4) wars; 5)
rumors of wars; 6) famines; 7) pestilences; 8) earthquakes; 9) love of many
waxing cold; 10) gospel preached in all the world; 11) sun darkened; 12) moon
turned to blood; and 13) stars falling.[20]
The Lord is not particularly interested in satisfying our curiosity about what
is coming. He wants us, rather, to be humble and contrite (D&C 136:32-33;
Moroni 8:26).[21]
Prophecy is moral warnings; rarely a chronological indication of the future.[22]
The
study of “types” is critical to understanding the last days, because Israel’s
ancient history repeats itself in the last days, and even within this dispensation,
history repeats itself between the beginning of the Church and the events at
the end of time. Accompanying the study of types is the need to understand the
“spirit of prophecy,” and the “letter of prophecy,” as well as the requirement
to “search the scriptures.”[23]
Searching
includes: 1) structural analysis (blocks of material such as chapters, groups
of chapters, and over-arching ideas; as well as forms of speech, poems,
chiasms, and parallelisms; 2) typological analysis (examining patterns, types,
cycles, phenomena, motifs, code names, linking ideas, imagery,[24]
metaphors, allusions, symbols, personifications, similes, ironies, paradoxes,
ambiguities, synecdoches, polysyndetons,[25]
shadows, allegorical language, literary patterns, underlying structures, double
meanings, and key words.[26]
In
reference to how we should handle the events of the last days, the Prophet
Joseph Smith in his prophetic re-translation of the Book of Revelation[27]
says, referring to our desire to be happy, to be joyful, “Blessed are they who read, and they who hear and understand the words of the
prophecy, and keepeth those things
which are written therein, for the time of
the coming of the Lord draweth nigh [highlights reflect the Prophet’s
additions to the Book of Revelation, chapter one verse three]. Also, in this
regard, Nephi says: “I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it
will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought
into the light (2 Nephi 32:4).
Following
is a sequential list of the signs of the last days. The numbers in brackets
show the order as can best be determined by comparing all that has been written
about the various prophecies.
[1] The Gathering of Israel, 1st
Phase, (1830-2028),[28]
including both the Jews and the Ten Tribes.
Ezekiel
37:7-11 7: So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a
noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. 8:
And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin
covered them above: but there was no breath in them. 9: Then said he unto me,
Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith
the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain,
that they may live. 10: So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came
into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great
army. 11: Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of
Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut
off for our parts; Ezekiel 37:21-23 21: And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord
God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither
they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own
land: 22: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of
Israel; and one king shall be king of them all: and they shall be no more two
nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: 23: Neither
shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their
detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them
out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse
them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.
Then,
just as a note for future reference, it says in verse 24: And David my servant
shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also
walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.
The
gradual growth of the Israeli nation from scattered skeleton to full body
development is startling. As Ezekiel’s prophecy indicates: “There was a noise,
and … a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.” Following
this, “the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skins covered them
above: but there was no breath in
them.”
From
the sound of an earthshaking event (World War I), the seemingly dead nation of
Israel was to gradually formulate a
body, after which the spirit would be
breathed into it. We submit that history records the birth of the nation of
Israel exactly in this manner, beginning in 1917.
By
1916 the war was going adversely for England. German machine guns and other
advanced weaponry were cutting down the flower of Europe’s manhood. England was
desperate to find a rapid method of manufacturing TNT and a smokeless
gunpowder. A brilliant Jew name Chaim Weizmann invented such a formula that
made possible the rapid production of these vital materials, thus changing the
course of the war. In return, David Lloyd George, representing the British
government, told Dr. Weizmann to name his price. Rejecting personal reward,
Weizmann requested that Palestine be declared the international homeland for
the Jewish people. Consequently, the Balfour Declaration was drawn up and
signed on November 2, 1917.
Could
it be mere coincidence of language that the impetus to officially start the
re-gathering of Israel was prophesied as a “noise and shaking,” and that the
fulfillment took place during the loudest war – due to the prodigious amounts
of TNT and gunpowder used – the world had ever yet known?
The
gathering of the Jews into Palestine after the signing of the Balfour Treaty
was indeed a gradual development – “bone to his bone.” In 1917 it is estimated
that less than 25,000 Jews lived in the land. By 1922 there were 83,000; by
1932 – 180,000; by 1935 – 300,000; by 1937 – 430,000; and by 1945, more than
500,000. Today the population is over 5,000,000 and growing.
On
May 14, 1948, David Ben Gurion was appointed prime minister, and Dr. Chaim
Weizmann was elected president of a provisional council.[29]
. . . . . . . . . .
The
initial gathering, a lengthy and complex process, is divided into the following
overlapping phases, which may be essentially looked at as an ongoing,
cumulative effort: 1) to the United States after the restoration of Jesus
Christ’s Church by Joseph Smith, Jr.; 2) centralization of converts throughout
their nations of birth; and 3) gathering to Jerusalem and Zion. See 2029 for
the end-time gathering period [#35].
Jacob
6:2-4 = 2: And the day that he shall set his hand again the second time to
recover his people, is the day, yea, even the last time, that the servants of
the Lord shall go forth in his power, to nourish and prune his vineyard; and
after that the end soon cometh. 3: And how blessed are they who have labored
diligently in his vineyard; and how cursed are they who shall be cast out into
their own place! And the world shall be burned with fire. 4: And how merciful
is our God unto us, for he remembereth the branches; and he stretches forth his
hands unto them all the day long; and they are a stiffnecked and a gainsaying
people; but as many as will not harden their hearts shall be saved in the
kingdom of God.
1st
Nephi 10:3, 12, 14 = 3: That after they should be destroyed, even that great
city Jerusalem, and many be carried away captive into Babylon, according to the
own due time of the Lord, they should return again, yea, even be brought back
out of captivity they should possess again the land of their inheritance; 12:
Yea, even my father spake much concerning the Gentiles, and also concerning the
house of Israel, that they should be compared like unto an olive-tree, whose
branches should be broken off and should be scattered upon all the face of the
earth. 14: And after the house of Israel should be scattered they should be
gathered together again; or, in fine, after the Gentiles had received the
fullness of the Gospel, the natural branches of the olive-tree, or the remnants
of the house of Israel, should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the
true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer.
1st
Nephi 15:20 = 20: And I did rehearse unto them the words of Isaiah, who spake
concerning the restoration of the Jews, or of the house of Israel; and after
they were restored they should no more be confounded, neither should they be
scattered again….
1st
Nephi 22:25 = 25: And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the
earth; and he numbereth his sheep, and they know him; and there shall be one
fold and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find
pasture.
2nd
Nephi 6:11, 14 = 11: Wherefore, after they are driven to and fro, for thus
saith the angel, many shall be afflicted in the flesh, and shall not be
suffered to perish, because of the prayers of the faithful; they shall be
scattered, and smitten, and hated; nevertheless, the Lord will be merciful unto
them, that when they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer, they shall
be gathered together again to the lands of their inheritance. 14: And behold,
according to the words of the prophet, the Messiah will set himself again the
second time to recover them; wherefore, he will manifest himself unto them in
power and great glory, unto the destruction of their enemies, when that day
cometh when they shall believe in him; and none will he destroy that believe in
him.”
3rd
Nephi 5:24 says: And as surely as the Lord liveth, will he gather in from the
four quarters of the earth all the remnant of the seed of Jacob, who are
scattered abroad upon all the face of the earth. D&C 33:6 says: And even so
will I gather mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, even as many as
will believe in me, and hearken unto my voice.
The
10th Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints states: “We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the
restoration of the Ten Tribes; …”
In
Jeremiah, the heading for chapter three states that: “In the last days, the
Lord will gather Israel, one of a city and two of a family, and bring them to
Zion” (the New Jerusalem).
Elias
Higbee, an early elder of the Church, was able to inquire of the Lord regarding
Isaiah 52:1. The answer is found in D&C 113:6-7: “What is meant by the command:
Put on thy strength, O Zion – and what people had Isaiah reference to? He had
reference to those whom God should call in the last days, who should hold the
power of priesthood to bring again Zion, and
the redemption of Israel; and to put on her strength is to put on the
authority of the priesthood, which she, Zion, has a right to by lineage; also
to return to that power which she had lost.”
D&C
113:9-10. What are we to understand by Zion loosing herself from the bands of
her neck in the 2nd verse [Isaiah 52:2]? We are to understand that
the scattered remnants are exhorted to return to the Lord from whence they have
fallen; which if they do, the promise of the Lord is that he will speak to
them, or give them revelation. See the 6th, 7th, and 8th
verses. The bands of her neck are the curses of God upon her, or the remnants
of Israel in their scattered condition and intermarried with the Gentiles.
In
reading and understanding the wealth of prophecy contained in the Book of
Mormon, it becomes obvious that remnants of the House of Israel were scattered
generally among all nations and that remnants of Israel were scattered
specifically among what the Book of Mormon refers to as the Gentile nations of
Europe and the Americas. It is to the latter that the gospel of Jesus Christ
was restored and it is they who have care for latter-day Israel throughout the
world.[30]
One
of the best summaries of the gathering of Israel is found in the work by Donald
W. Parry and Jay A. Parry.[31]
They summarize this gathering as follows: “Probably no event of the last days
has been prophesied more often than the gathering of Israel. Because of their
wickedness, the Lord allowed the children of Israel to be scattered among the
nations in the millennium before the birth of Christ as well as afterward, by
the hand of Rome. But though they were lost to history, the Lord knows where he
placed them, and he ever remembers his promises to restore them to their
inheritance. Jacob talks of this in 2 Nephi 10:6-8.
Seven
years after the publication of The Book of Mormon, the keys for gathering all
of Israel were restored to Joseph Smith; the gathering continues under the
direction of those who have succeeded the Prophet in the presidency (D&C
110:11; 115:5-6). The reasons for the gathering are: 1) to protect Israel from
the “vengeance” the Lord will take upon the ungodly; 2) to bring Israel
together to receive the blessings of the gospel and the temple; 3) and to
restore them to their covenant lands.
[2] Gospel Preached Worldwide; Church
Brought out of Obscurity; All Will Hear the Gospel in their own Tongue [this
sign overarches all of the last days, even after the elders are called home,
because of the mission of the 144,000].
D&C
42:45 = “I give unto you a commandment that ye shall teach [the doctrines of
the kingdom] unto all men; for they shall be taught unto all nations, kindreds,
tongues and people.” Since 1830, 160,000,000 copies of The Book of Mormon have
been published in 110 languages, as follows: 1) English 1830; 2) Danish 1851;
3) German 1852; 4) French 1852; 5) Italian 1852; 6) Welsh 1852; 7) Hawaiian
1855; 8) Spanish 1875 (selections only; full book in 1886); 9) Swedish 1878;
10) Maori 1889; 11) Dutch 1890; 12) Samoan 1903; 13) Tahitian 1904; 14) Turkish
1906; 15) Japanese 1909; 16) Czech 1933; 17) Armenian-Western; 18) Portuguese,
1939; 19) Tongan, 1946; 20) Norwegian 1950; 21) Finnish 1954; 22) Rarotongan,
1965; 23) Chinese 1965;[32]
24) Korean 1967; 25) Afrikaans 1972; 26) Thai 1976; 27) Indonesian 1977; 28)
Aymara 1977 (selections; full book 1986); 29) Cakchiquel 1978 (selections); 30)
Croatian 1979; 31) Quechua-Peru (selections), 1979; 32) Greek 1979 (selections;
full 1987); 33) Hungarian 1979 (selections; full 1991); 34) Kekchi (selections;
full 1983); 35) Quiche 1979 (selections); 36) Bulgarian 1980 (selection; full
1999); 37) Navajo 1980 (selections); 38) Quechua-Ecuador 1980 (selections; full
2011); 39) Arabia 1980 (selections; full 1986); 40) Vietnamese 1980
(selections; full 1982); 41) Fijian 1980; 42) Quechua-Bolivia 1981 (selections;
full 1998); 47) Kuna 1981 (selections); 48) Niuean (Niue) 1981 (selections);
49) Icelandic 1981; 50) Hindi 1982; 51) Telugu 1982 (selections; full 2000);
52) Tamil 1982 (selection; full 2005); 53) Cambodian (selections 1982; full
2001); 54) Lao (selections 1982; full 2012); 55) Swahili (selections 1982; full
2000); 56) Guarani (selections 1982; full 2009); 57) Maya (selections 1983);
58) Sinhala (selections 1983; full 2008); 59) Mam (selections 1983); 60) Efik
(selections 1983); 61) Chinese simplified characters (selections 1983; full
2000); 62) Kisii (Gusii) [selections 1983]; 63) Hmong (selections 1983; full
2000); 64) Persian (Farsi) [selections 1983; full 2015]; 65) Haitian
(selections 1983; full 1999); 66) Marshallese (selection 1984; full 2003); 67)
Bengali (selections 1983); 68) Bislama (selections 1985; full 2004); 69)
Malagasy (selection 1986; full 2000); 70) Fante (selections 1987; full 2003);
71) Zulu (selections 1987; full 2003); 72) Pohnpeian (selections 1987); 73)
Papiamento (selection 1987); 74) Chuukese (Tukese) [selections 1987; full
2005]; 75) Tagalog (selections 1987; full 1998); 76) Lingala (selections 1988;
full 2004); 77) Shona (selection 1988; full 1999); 78) Urdu (selections 1988;
full 2007); 79) Palauan (selections 1988); 80) Kirbati (selections 1988; full
2001); 81) Chamorro (selections 1989); 82) Ilokano (selections 1991; full
1995); 83) Cebuano (selection 1992; full 1998); 84) Tzotzil (selections 1994);
85) Hiligaynon (selections 1994; full 2005); 86) Pampango (selections 1994);
87) American Sign (ASL) 1995; DVD 2006); 88) Waray (selections 1996); 89)
Ukrainian 1997; 90) Bikolano (selections 1998); 91) Pangasinan 1998; 92)
Albanian 1999; 93) Estonian 2000; 94) Igbo 2000; 95) Latvian 2000; 96) Armenian
East 2000; 97) Lithuanian 2000; 98) Amharic 2000; 99) Xhosa 2000; 100)
Mongolian 2001; 101) Neomelanesian 2002; 102) Slovenian 2002; 103) Setswana
2003; 104) Yapese 2004; 105) Twi 2005; 106) Yoruba 2007; 107) Serbian 2008;
108) Slovak, 2008; 109) Malay 2013; 110) Kosraean 2015.
As
may be noted from this list, the languages into which The Book of Mormon have
been translated, cover most of the earth at this time. New editions have almost
stopped since 2008.
Note
from Ensign, January, 2016: there
were 1,600 congregations in Africa (500,000+ members); eleven times more wards
and branches and twenty times more members than in 1985; seventeen stakes were
created in 2015 alone.
D&C
1:4-5 “And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my
disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days. And they shall go forth and
none shall stay them, for I the Lord have commanded them.” D&C 133:37 “And
this gospel shall be preached unto every nation and kindred, and tongue, and
people.” JS-M 1:31 “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the
world, for a witness to all nations, and then shall the end come, or the
destruction of the wicked.”
“The
Lord is done pruning his vineyard and has his servants gathering the fruit in
the final harvest before the burning.”[33]
D&C
77:11 Question: What are we to understand by the sealing the 144,000 out of all
the tribes of Israel – 12,000 out of each tribe? Answer: We are to understand
that those who are sealed are high priests, ordained unto the holy order of
God, to administer the everlasting gospel; for they who are ordained out of
every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, by the angel to whom is given power
over the nations of the earth, to bring as many as will come to the church of
the Firstborn.”
[1]In 70 A.
D. Jerusalem was destroyed. On August 1, 691 A. D., the Dome of the Rock was
dedicated on the sight of the temple. Its destruction will signify one of the
end signs.
[2]Christ
Tolworthy, The Bible Says 1830, pages
31-33.
[3]The
British White Paper of 1939.
[4]Twelve
lunar months = 12 x 30 = a 360-day year.
[5]Wars of the Jews, book five, chapter
eleven, section two.
[6]Cedar
City Utah Stake Conference, leadership meeting.
[7]Avraham
Gileadi, The Book of Isaiah (Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1988).
[8]S.
Michael Wilcox, Who Shall be Able to
Stand: Finding Personal Meaning in the Book of Revelation (Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 2003), pages ix, 13.
[9]Avraham
Gileadi, op. cit., page 2.
[10]Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith,
page 152.
[11]Anthony
E. Larson, And the Earth Shall Reel to
and Fro: The Prophecy Trilogy, volume 2 (Orem, Utah: Zedek Book, 1983),
page 3.
[12]Ibid., page 6.
[13]Donald
W. Parry & Jay A. Parry, Understanding
the Signs of the Times (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1999), pages
9-10.
[14]“Disaster
Figures for 2003 – Millions Affected,” Platform
for the Promotion of Early Warming Newsletter, December 2, 2004 [found on
http://www.unisdr-earlywarning.org].
[15]“Adversity,”
Ensign, July 1998, page 7.
[16]Joseph
Fielding Smith, The Signs of the Times
(Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1974), page 6.
[17]Ibid., page 203.
[18]“2004
Indian Ocean Earthquake,” Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/2004_indian_ocean_earth-quake
[19]Richard
N. Skousen, His Return: Prophecy, Destiny
and Hope (Orem, Utah: Verity Publishing, Inc., 2007), page 16.
[20]Joseph Smith
– Matthew 1:22-23, 28-34.
[21]Wilcox,
op. cit., pages 17-18.
[22]Ibid., page 12.
[23]Gileadi,
op. cit., pages 1-2.
[24]Ibid., page xvi.
[25]Wilcox,
op. cit., page 7.
[26]Gileadi,
op. cit., page 4.
[27]Thomas
A. Wayment, editor, The Complete Joseph
Smith Translation of the New Testament: A Side-by-Side Comparison with the King
James Version (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 2005), page 316 [Book of
Revelation 1:3].
[28]This
sign is specifically divided into two time periods: 1) 1830-2028; and 2)
2029-2036. In D&C 45:25 the Lord tells us that the gathering of the “Jews”
would not be the first of the latter-day signs. In fact, it would be one of the
last, for they would have to wait to be gathered “until the time of the
Gentiles be fulfilled.” Yet we know the Jews have been gathering since before
1945; hence I have divided the gathering into the two periods noted. The second
period begins “near” to the time of His coming as He told His disciples.
[29]Tim
LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, Are We
Living in the End Times: Current Events in Scripture and what they Mean (Wheaton,
Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1999), pages 49-53.
[30]Marvin
R. VanDam, Mine Elect Hear my Voice: The
Gathering of Israel (Sandy, Utah: Leatherwood Press, 2006), pages 23-24.
[31]Parry
& Parry, op. cit., chapter two,
pages 48-115.
[32]Pew
Research indicates that in 2016 there were 67,000,000 Christians in China.
[33]Alan Rex
Mitchell, The Coming Calamity
(Vernon, Utah: Greenjacket Books, 2010), page 6.
[3] Widespread Selfishness and Lack of
Caring for others; Wickedness: Idolatry; Apathy, Pride and Greed [this sign
overarches all of the last days].
1st
Nephi 11:34-35 = 34: And after he was slain I saw the multitudes of the earth,
that they were gathered together to fight against the apostles of the Lamb….
35: And the multitude of the earth was gathered together; and I beheld that
they were in a large and spacious building which my father saw. And the angel
of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Behold the world and the wisdom thereof;
yea, behold the house of Israel
1st
Nephi 13:4-5 = 4: I saw among the nations of the Gentiles the formation of a
great church. 5: And the angel said unto me: Behold the formation of a church
which is most abominable above all other churches, which slayeth the saints of
God, yea, and tortureth them and bindeth them down, and yoketh them with a yoke
of iron, and bringeth them down into captivity.
1st
Nephi 22:13-15, 23 = 13: And the blood of that great and abominable church,
which is the whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads; for they
shall war among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon
their own heads, and they shall be drunken with their own blood. 14: And every
nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one
against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare
the people of the Lord. All that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and that
great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and
abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it.
15: For behold, saith the prophet, the time cometh speedily that Satan shall
have no more power over the hearts of the children of men; for the day soon
cometh that all the proud and they who do wickedly shall be as stubble; and the
day cometh that they must be burned. 23: For the time speedily shall come that
all churches which are built up to get gain, and all those who are built up to
get power over the flesh, and those who are built up to become popular in the
eyes of the world, and those who seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of
the world, and to do all manner of iniquity; yea, in fine, all those who belong
to the kingdom of the devil are they who need fear, and tremble and quake; they
are those who must be brought low in the dust; they are those who must be
consumed as stubble; and this is according to the words of the prophet.
Nephi did not write for his non-readers. He wrote for
his readers, who are almost exclusively Latter-day Saints. When we fail to heed
his warning and believe he is speaking to the unconverted or warning
non-Saints, we become prideful and deceive ourselves.[1]
Elder David R. Stone confirmed this in May 2006 in an Ensign article “Zion in the Midst of Babylon” He said: “we hardly
recognize our idolatry. The world is too much with us. I think we’ve stepped
beyond the veil of Zion.” Idolatry precedes divine judgment; in our day,
therefore, as biblical types repeat themselves, we may expect “the great day of
the Lord,” – a period of judgment upon all nations of the earth.
In
this regard – our idolatry - how we practice economics is actually a barometer
of morality. What we spend money on determines who we are. The U.S. is now
poised at the edge of an economic cliff; moral laws have been violated leading
to family disintegration and debt, which in turn brings poverty and a
dependency on government. The sins of this generation will come home to roost
in economic turmoil, followed by political unrest. The Lord has commanded us to
teach one another about “the wars and the perplexities of nations, and the
judgments which are on the land, and a knowledge also of countries and kingdoms”
(D&C 88:79) in order that we may warn the people of the coming calamities.[2]
But we must also take heed regarding our own peril if we do not repent of the
pride that is among us.
Jesus, in speaking to his disciples[3]
about our days says: “And again, because iniquity shall abound, the love of men
shall wax cold; but he that shall not be overcome, the same shall be saved.”
This prophecy shows that man-made afflictions and brutalities, marked by a
decrease in friendship, affection, and commitment between modern people, make
it easy for them to treat one another horribly. A world in which loves dies is
a world doomed to self-destruction. Paul words “without natural affection”
(Romans 1:31; 2 Timothy 3:3) denote the feelings of one who is heartless, who
has antipathy even toward those whom a good person naturally loves, such as
one’s family.
Affection stands opposite of antipathy. Paul’s use of
the words “natural affection” shows us that this kind of love is inborn and
arises easily and fully. However, it can also be destroyed, allowing people to
become “lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy (2 Timothy 3:2). Affection is
necessary to tame passion and erotic love; without it, all powers become
self-centered and hurtful. Affection promotes unselfishness, care, obedience,
and safety. Affection assures that the home will be a place of security,
protection, acceptance, and love. Righteousness promotes affection and in so
doing keeps the family and society strong and well protected. When society
becomes unrighteous and selfish, affection disappears and the family suffers.
The Savior prophesied that “because
iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” He understood that for
many living in our days, the home would cease to be a haven and become a hell.
Society would fail because family affection would disappear.[4]
When speaking of idolatry, we often think of people
venerating statues, bowing down before mute idols, or perhaps participating in
processions with icons raised on portable pedestals. Some people still
perpetuate these ancient kinds of idolatry, though not members of the Church
(except perhaps in our 4th and 24th of July parades; in
our sporting events, movies, and in our other school and church performances).
Idolatry nonetheless assumes many forms besides these – less tangible than
statue worship perhaps, but just as virulent.
Idolatry is any activity that diverts attention from
the true God and his law to a counterfeit. Idolatry is often a corruption of
what is sacred. The first of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt have none other
gods before me” (Deuteronomy 5:7) is anything less than loving the Lord God
“with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might (Deuteronomy
6:5; compare 5:10).
Ancient Israel jeopardized her chosen status by
adopting the customs of the heathens among whom they lived. When Israel did not
repent of the idolatrous practices learned from these Gentiles, the Lord cut
the Israelites off from his presence and destroyed them. In another instance of
idolatry, he removed the gospel from one group of people and gave it to another
(see Romans 11:11).
From the beginning, the scriptures mark the Gentiles –
all nations except Israel – as idolaters (see Deuteronomy 12:28-30; Jeremiah
10:1-16; and Revelation 18:2-3).
“Anytime evil accumulates, anytime there is idolatry,
anytime the culture turns materialistic, self-indulgent and immoral – anytime
children kill children [and society legalizes the wholesale killing of unborn
children] – there is a price to pay, and that price is often exacted by nature.
When a society turns to crudity and cold-heartedness, when it defies God’s
love, when it rejects HIM, it fashions its own ruin.
“Our
culture has reverted to old paganism. It has created new divinities. It is
centered on man. It is focused on worldliness. And as you will see, that has always led to devastation. Sins similar
to those in our day brought huge events in past ages. We are not
psychologically prepared to meet the challenge.[5]
In The Last Days[6]
there are identified twelve forms of idol worship:
1) images;
2) violence and sex;
3) rock music;
4) organized sports;
5) human idols;
6) imaginations of the heart;
7) nature cults;
8) mammon;
9) Babylon: manufacture, promotion and sale of idols;
10) the arm of flesh;
11) pollution of the temple;
12) elitism – Pharisaism.
Besides these forms of false worship there are also:
1) stereotypical devotion;
2) scrupulous preservation of true worship; and
3) multiplying of sacrifices at the temple.[7]
The Plague
of Apathy.
Apathy
is a major contributor to every scourge we face. While people are dying in regions hit by natural disasters,
wealthy nations burn millions of tons of food each year to maintain high prices
for their farm produce. The “haves” – the richest one fifth of the people in
the world – consume 86% of all goods and services, while the poorest one-fifth
consumes only 1.3%. The three richest people in the world have combined assets
of more than the gross domestic product of the forty-eight least developed
countries in the world. The world’s 225 richest people have a combined wealth
of over one trillion dollars. This is equal to the annual income of the poorest
47% of the entire world’s population. Of the 4.4 billion people in developing
countries, nearly three-fifths lack access to safe sewers, a third have no
access to clean water, a quarter do not have adequate housing, and a fifth have
no access to health services of any kind.
This
is happening while Americans and Europeans spend seventeen billion dollars a
year on pet food. This is four billion dollars more than the estimated annual
additional funds needed to provide basic health and nutrition for all the
hungry of the world. All those who died from starvation in the 1990s could have
been saved for the price of ten stealth bombers. In 2009 alone, over four
million people died from starvation. Every night between your bedtime and when
you awake in the morning more than 40,000 children have died of hunger.
Further
devastating stories and statistics can be found in the rest of this study,
showing the loss of great areas for food production worldwide. It is summarized
in the statement by President Spencer W. Kimball as follows: “The land will be
barren (perhaps radioactive or dry from drought). The trees will be without
fruit and the fields without verdure. There will be rationing and a scarcity of
food, and sore hunger. No traffic will jam your desolate highways. Famine will
stalk rudely through your doors and the ogre of cannibalism will rob you of
your children and your remaining virtues will disintegrate. There will be
pestilence uncontrollable. Your dead bodies will be piled upon the
materialistic things you sought so hard to accumulate and save. There will be
no protection against enemies. They that hate you shall reign over you. Your
power, your supremacy, your pride in superiority will be broken. Heaven will
not hear your pleadings nor earth bring forth its harvest. Your strength will be
spent in vain as you plow and plant and cultivate. Your cities will be
shambles; your churches in ruins. Your enemies will be astonished at the
barrenness, sterility, and desolation of the land they had been told was so
choice, so beautiful, and so fruitful. You shall have no power to stand before
your enemies. Your people will be scattered among the nations as slaves and
bondsmen. You will pay tribute and bondage, and fetters shall bind you.”[8]
The Plague of Pride and Greed.
It
is hard to separate apathy, pride and greed into separate sections; as has been
seen above apathy contains pride and greed. Pride is excessive self-esteem
arising because of a person’s possessions, position, class, or achievements.
Pride causes one to seek the things of the world rather than the riches of
eternity. “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of
the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1
John 2:16). Pride is the central cause of contention. “Only by pride cometh
contention: but with the well-advised is wisdom” (Proverbs 13:10). Pride is
wickedness and those who are proud will be destroyed at the Second Coming of
Jesus Christ. Pride and greed are included in all forms of man’s inhumanity to
man – government corruption, economic oppression, embargoes, and wars.
Greed,
most simply stated, is nothing more than selfishness. We have come to this
earth to be tested to see if we will seek the riches of eternity or the
fleeting counterfeits of this earth. Greed is the covetous grasping for an
unreasonable amount of the things of this world; it is a sin. “In thee have
they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou
hast greedily gained of thy neighbors by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith
the Lord God” (Ezekiel 22:11).
Nephi
described what greediness would yield in the end. “And the angel spake unto me,
saying: Behold the gold, and the silver, and the silks, and the scarlets, and
the fine-twisted linen, and the precious clothing, and the harlots, are the
desires of this great and abominable church [and its people]. And also for the
praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God, and bring them down into
captivity (1 Nephi 13:8-9).
Modern
revelation again reminds us to seek the riches of eternity rather than to
greedily seek earthly things. “Now I, the Lord, am not well pleased with the
inhabitants of Zion, for there are idlers among them; and their children are
also growing up in wickedness; they also seek not earnestly the riches of
eternity, but their eyes are full of greediness (D&C 68:31).
Greed
is bringing this nation and the world to the point where the end is in sight.
Humans are the creators of most of the calamities that will befall mankind in
the last days. As greed, speculation, and the worship of idols team up with
pride and arrogance, worse sins will soon follow.[9]
Apostle
Bruce R. McConkie said: “Because of iniquity and greed in the hearts of men,
there will be depressions, famines, and a frantic search for temporal security
– a security sought without turning to the Lord or obeying his precepts. We may
expect to see the insatiable desire to get something for nothing result in
further class legislation and more socialistic experiments by governments.
Economic inequalities will certainly give rise to further class warfare and
bickering. There will be riots, bloodshed, hunger, commotion, turmoil, and
panics. These are all signs of the times.[10]
In
the October 1965 general conference, Elder Harold B. Lee spoke on the test that
will come to members of the Church in the last days. In his talk he referred to
the words of President Heber C. Kimball, who said: “We think we are secure here
in the chambers of the everlasting hills, … but I want to say to you, … the
time is coming when we will be mixed up in these now peaceful valleys to the
extent that it will be difficult to tell the face of a Saint from the face of
an enemy to the people of God. Then, brethren, look out for the great sieve,
for there will be a great sifting time, and many will fall; for I say unto you
there is a test, a TEST, a TEST coming, and who will be able to stand?”[11]
We
are beginning to experience the great sifting that has been prophesied. The sad
thing is that many members of the Church are failing the test, because they are
not following the counsel of the prophets and the commandments of the Lord.
Pride and greed are causing many members to fall into Satan’s trap, as they
have become lovers of pleasure and the transitory things of the earth more than
lovers of God. This is producing some very serious consequences for those who
are choosing the bitter path.[12]
In
1977, President Spencer W. Kimball said, regarding overcoming these sins:
“First, we eliminate the individual tendency to selfishness.” This selfishness
was described as power, authority, riches, and the vain things of the world.
Selfishness does not consist of the three desires of Abraham for family,
knowledge, and salvation.[13]
Idolatry
precedes divine judgment; in our day, therefore, as biblical types repeat
themselves, we may expect “the great day of the Lord,” – a period of judgment
upon all nations of the earth.
[4] Jews Begin Returning to Jerusalem
[this sign overarches all of the last days; the largest migration is after
2029].
In
Matthew 24:32-34: “Now learn a parable of the fig tree [a synonym for Israel];
when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is
nigh; so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near,
even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till
all these things be fulfilled.”
The
Lord Jesus Christ apparently regards a generation as being longer than most
students of the last days have predicted. If the time frame indicated herein is
correct, He defined a generation as ± 100 years: 2036 – 1948 = 88 years. In
this personal study of the House of Israel Cycle, there are two forty-year
periods for Israel, from 1948 – 1987 and from 1988 – 2027. Interestingly,
Joseph Fielding Smith in Doctrines of
Salvation, volume three, pages two and three said: “The day of the coming
of the Lord is near. I do not know when…. I sincerely believe it will come in
the very day when some of us who are here today (April 5, 1936) will be living
upon the face of the earth. That day is close at hand. It behooves us as
Latter-day Saints to set our houses in order, to keep the commandments of God,
to turn from evil to righteousness, if it is necessary, and serve the Lord in
humility and faith and prayer.” His prediction (or prophesy) from 1936 is
exactly 100 years from his pronouncement to the predicted end, or the coming of
the Lord Jesus, as outlined in this study (see page six).
On
May 14, 1948, after almost nineteen hundred years of devastation and
persecution, Israel became a nation – in the precise year foretold by the
prophet Ezekiel over twenty-five hundred years earlier.[1]
The
words of the prophets concerning the Jewish people are being fulfilled in our
time.[2]
The gathering to the land of Palestine began even before the state of Israel
was founded in 1948. However, most of the Jewish people have still not returned
in significant numbers. There are still millions of Jews that live in America,
in Europe, and throughout the world. [3]
The
Lord said that the gathering to Jerusalem would not commence in earnest until
the times of the Gentiles had come to an end. He told His ancient Twelve
Apostles: “I will show unto you how the day of redemption shall come, and also
the restoration of scattered Israel
Wilford
Woodruff gave us additional information about this prophecy, describing the important
events that will take place when the Jews return in mass to their homeland:
“The gospel is now restored to us Gentiles, for we are all Gentiles in a
national capacity, and it will continue with us if we are faithful, until the
law is bound, and the testimony sealed, and the times of the Gentiles are
fulfilled, when it will again revert to the Jews, whom the Lord will have
prepared to receive it. They will gather to their own land, taking with them
their gold and silver, and will rebuild their city and temple, according to the
prediction of Moses and the prophets.[5]
On
an earlier occasion Wilford Woodruff explained that this gathering would not
occur because the Jews had been converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, but
because they were following their belief in ancient prophecies handed down by
Moses and other Old Testament prophets: “The Jews have got to gather to their
own land in unbelief. They will go and rebuild Jerusalem and their temple. They
will take their gold and silver from the nations and will gather to the Holy
Land.”[6]
[5] Persecution of the Jews [this sign
overarches all of the last days].
The
heading to chapter twenty-eight of Deuteronomy shows the historical reality of
Israel’s [including the Jew’s] rebellion against God: “If Israel is obedient
they shall be blessed temporally and spiritually – if disobedient: they shall
be cursed, smitten, and destroyed; diseases, plagues, and oppression shall come
upon them; they shall serve false gods and become [a hiss and] a byword among
all nations; fierce nations shall enslave them; they shall eat their own
children, and be scattered among all nations.”
Because
of this rebellion Israel was scattered throughout the world and is still
scattered in our day. Regarding that past period and the persecution in our
day, D&C 45:24-27 says: And this I have told you concerning Jerusalem; and
when that day shall come, shall a remnant be scattered among all nations; 25:
But they shall be gathered again; but they shall remain until the times of the
Gentiles be fulfilled. 26: And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of
wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail
them, and they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming until the end of the
earth. 27: And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound.”
THIS IS WHERE WE ARE ON THE TIMELINE OF
THE LAST DAYS
Year: 2017 From this year on the next
sign becomes an overarching sign of the last days for the righteous. The
refusal of the wicked to believe the signs is the first great sign of this part
of the latter days. See The Great Division [Sign #32].
[6] Righteous Alerted by the Signs of
the Times; Refusal of Unrighteous Men to Believe the Signs of the Times.
2
Peter 3:3-4 The heading to chapter three of 2nd Peter says:
“Latter-day scoffers deny the Second Coming….” The verses referenced say:
“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking
after their own lusts, 4: And saying, where is the promise of his coming? For
since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the
beginning of the creation.”
Helaman
16:4-5, 15-23 = 4: “For behold, Nephi was baptizing, and prophesying, and
preaching, crying repentance unto the people, showing signs and wonders, working miracles among the people, that
they might know that the Christ must shortly come – 5: Telling them of things
which must shortly come, that they might know and remember at the time of their
coming that they had been made known unto them beforehand, to the intent that
they might believe.” 15: “Nevertheless, the people began to harden their
hearts, all save it were the most believing part of them, both of the Nephites
and also of the Lamanites, and began to depend upon their own strength and upon
their own wisdom, saying: 16: Some things they may have guessed right, among so
many; but behold, we know that all these great and marvelous works cannot come
to pass, of which has been spoken. 17: And they began to reason and to contend
among themselves, saying: 18: This is not reasonable that such a being as a
Christ shall come; if so, and he be the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of
earth, as it has been spoken, why will he not show himself unto us as well as
unto them who shall be at Jerusalem? 19: Yea, why will he not show himself in
this land as well as in the land of Jerusalem? 20: But behold, we know that
this is a wicked tradition, which has been handed down unto us by our fathers,
to cause us that we should believe in some great and marvelous thing which should
come to pass, but not among us, but in a land which is far distant, a land
which we know not; therefore they can keep us in ignorance, for we cannot
witness with our own eyes that they are true. 21: And they will, by the cunning
and the mysterious arts of the evil one, work some great mystery which we
cannot understand, which will keep us down to be servants unto them, for we
depend upon them to teach us the word; and thus will they keep us in ignorance
if we will yield ourselves unto them, all the days of our lives. 22: And many
more things did the people imagine up in their hearts, which were foolish and
vain; and they were much disturbed, for Satan did stir them up to do iniquity
continually; yea, he did go about spreading rumors and contentions upon all the
face of the land, that he might harden the hearts of the people against that
which was good and against that which should come. 23: And notwithstanding the
signs and the wonders which were wrought among the people of the Lord, and the
many miracles which they did, Satan did get great hold upon the hearts of the
people upon all the face of the land.
Matthew
16:1-4 = 1: The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired
him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. 2: He answered and said unto
them, when it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3: And in the morning, it will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and
lowring (gloomy). O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can
ye not discern the signs of the times? 4: A wicked and adulterous generation
seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of
the prophet Jonas.
D&C
63:9-14 = 9: “But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those
that believe. 10: Yea, signs come by faith, not by the will of men, nor as they
please, but by the will of God. 11: Yea, signs come by faith, unto mighty
works, for without faith no man pleaseth God; and with whom God is angry he is
not well pleased; wherefore, unto such he showeth no signs, only in wrath unto
their condemnation. 12: Wherefore, I, the Lord, am not pleased with those among
you who have sought after signs and wonders for faith, and not for the good of
men unto my glory. 13: Nevertheless, I give commandments, and many have turned
away from my commandments and have not kept them. 14: There were among you
adulterers and adulteresses; some of whom have turned away from you, and others
remain with you that hereafter shall be revealed. 15: Let such beware and
repent speedily, lest judgment shall come upon them as a snare, and their folly
shall be made manifest, and their works shall follow them in the eyes of the
people.
Joseph
Smith – History 1:40 Referring to the time period near the fullness of the time
of the Gentiles, the Lord said: “…they who would not hear his voice should be
cut off from among the people,…”
[7] Spirit of Elijah [this sign
overarches all of the last days].
Temple
building and temple work are one of the signs of a people becoming pure in
heart (Zion) – D&C 97:12-19 = 12: “Behold, this is the tithing and the
sacrifice which I, the Lord, require at their hands, that there may be a house
built unto me for the salvation of Zion – 13: For a place of thanksgiving for
all saints, and for a place of instruction for all those who are called to the
work of the ministry in all their several callings and offices; 14: That they
may be perfected in the understanding of their ministry, in theory, in
principle, and in doctrine, in all things pertaining to the kingdom of God on
the earth, the keys of which kingdom have been conferred upon you; 15: And
inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not
suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall
rest upon it; 16: Yea, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it,
and all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God; 17: But if it
be defiled I will not come into it, and my glory shall not be there; for I will
not come into unholy temples; 18: And, now, behold, if Zion do these things she
shall prosper, and spread herself and become very glorious, very great, and
very horrible; 19: And the nations of the earth shall honor her, and shall say:
Surely Zion is the city of our God, and surely Zion cannot fall, neither be
moved out of her place, for God is there, and the hand of the Lord is there.
D&C
128:15-18 = 15: And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure
you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that
cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their
salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning
the fathers – that they without us cannot be made perfect – neither can we without
our dead be made perfect. 16: And now, in relation to the baptism for the dead,
I will give you another quotation of Paul, 1st Corinthians 15:29:
Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not
at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead? 17: An again, in connection
with this quotation I will give you a quotation from one of the prophets, who
had his eye fixed on the restoration of the priesthood, the glories to be
revealed in the last days, and in an especial manner this most glorious of all
subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel, namely, the baptism for the dead;
for Malachi says, last chapter [Malachi 4], verses 5th and 6th:
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and
dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the
children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite
the earth with a curse. 18: I might have rendered a plainer translation to
this,[7]
but it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands. It is sufficient
to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there
is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children,
upon some subject or other – and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism
for the dead….
Without
a legitimate claim to ancestry within the covenant, no one warrants deliverance
by virtue of the promise of protection in the Lord’s covenant with Israel.[8]
Policy
change: 2016: members can now print temple ordinance cards at home; schedule
family ordinances together; and get copies of patriarchal blessings for the
living and the dead at apps.lds.org/pbrequest.
[8] Building of Temples. As of May 9,
2017, there were 155 functioning temples, 3 under renovation, 11 under construction
and 16 announced. From 1877 to 1981 there were nineteen temples built and
dedicated, not including Kirtland and early Nauvoo. From 1981 to 1999 there
were an additional twenty-three temples brought on-line. It took 104 years for
the first nineteen; and eighteen years for the next twenty-three. From 1999 to
2012 117 temples were completed or had been announced in just thirteen years.
Surely this sign of the times is being fulfilled right before our eyes; but the
world is unaware of it; and many of the members of the Church pay little
attention to it. The following list shows the chronological progression of
temple building in this dispensation.
Temples
Completed: Kirtland, Ohio; Nauvoo, Illinois; Endowment House, Salt Lake City,
Utah; St. George, Utah; Logan, Utah; Manti, Utah; Salt Lake, Utah; Laie,
Hawaii; Cardston, Alberta, Canada; Mesa, Arizona; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Bern,
Switzerland; Los Angeles, California; Hamilton, New Zealand; London, England;
Oakland, California; Ogden, Utah; Provo, Utah; Washington, D.C.; Sâo Paulo,
Brazil; Tokyo, Japan; Seattle, Washington; Jordan River, Utah; Atlanta,
Georgia; Apia, Samoa; Nuku’alofa, Tonga; Santiago, Chile; Papeete, Tahiti;
Mexico City, Mexico; Boise, Idaho; Sydney, Australia; Manila, Philippines;
Dallas, Texas; Taipei, Taiwan; Guatemala City, Guatemala; Freiberg, Germany;
Stockholm, Sweden; Chicago, Illinois; Johannesburg, South Africa; Seoul, Korea;
Lima, Peru; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Denver, Colorado; Frankfurt, Germany;
Portland, Oregon; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; San Diego,
California; Orlando, Florida; Bountiful, Utah; Hong Kong, China; Mount
Timpanogos, Utah; St. Louis, Missouri; Vernal, Utah; Preston, England;
Monticello, Utah; Anchorage, Alaska; Colonia Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico; Madrid,
Spain; Bogota, Colombia; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Spokane, Washington; Columbus,
Ohio; Bismarck, North Dakota; Columbia, South Carolina; Detroit, Michigan;
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; Billings, Montana;
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Raleigh, North Carolina; St. Paul, Minnesota; Kona,
Hawaii; Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico; Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico;
Albuquerque, New Mexico; Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico; Tuxtla Gutierrez, Tuxtla
Gutierrez, Mexico; Louisville, Kentucky; Palmyra, New York; Fresno, California;
Medford, Oregon; Memphis, Tennessee; Reno, Nevada; Cochabamba, Bolivia;
Tampico, Mexico; Nashville, Tennessee; Villahermosa, Mexico; Montreal, Quebec,
Canada; San Jose, Costa Rica; Fukuoka, Japan; Adelaide, Australia; Melbourne
Australia; Suva, Fiji; Merida, Mexico; Veracruz, Mexico; Baton Rouge,
Louisiana; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Caracas, Venezuela; Houston, Texas;
Birmingham, Alabama; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Boston, Massachusetts;
Recife, Brazil; Porto Alegre, Brazil; Montevideo, Uruguay; Winter Quarters,
Nebraska; Guadalajara, Mexico; Perth, Australia; Columbia River, Washington;
Snowflake, Arizona; Lubbock, Texas; Monterrey, Mexico; Campinas, Brazil;
Asunción, Paraguay; Nauvoo, Illinois; The Hague, Netherlands; Brisbane,
Australia; Redlands, California; Accra, Ghana; Copenhagen, Denmark; Manhattan,
New York; San Antonio, Texas; Aba, Nigeria; Newport Beach, California;
Sacramento, California; Helsinki, Finland; Rexburg, Idaho; Curitiba, Brazil;
Panama City, Panama; Twin Falls, Idaho; Draper, Utah; Oquirrh Mountain, Utah;
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; The Gila Valley, Arizona; Cebu,
Philippines; Kyiv, Ukraine; San Salvador, El Salvador; Quezaltenango,
Guatemala; Kansas City, Missouri; Manaus, Brazil; Brigham City, Utah; Calgary,
Alberta; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Gilbert, Arizona; Fort Lauderdale, Florida;
Phoenix, Arizona; Montreal, Quebec (Nov. 2015); Córdoba, Argentina; Payson, Utah; Trujillo, Peru, Indianapolis,
Indiana; Tijuana, Mexico (Dec. 2015); Suva, Fiji (Feb. 2016); Provo City
Center, Utah (Apr. 2016); Saporro, Japan (Aug. 21, 2016); Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania (Sept. 18, 2016); Fort Collins, Colorado (Oct. 16, 2016); Star
Valley, Wyoming (Oct. 30, 2016); Hartford, Connecticut (Nov. 20, 2016); Paris,
France (May 21, 2017); Tucson, Arizona (June, 2017);
Groundbreakings:
Lisbon, Portugal (Dec. 2015); Barranquilla, Colombia (Feb. 2016); Kinshasa, D.
R. of the Congo (Feb. 2016); Durban, South Africa (Apr. 2016); Winnepeg,
Manitoba, Canada (Dec. 3, 2016);
Temples
Under Construction (with dedication dates when known): Fortaleza ,
Brazil ; Meridian ,
Idaho ; Cedar City ,
Utah (Dec. 10, 2017); Concepción ,
Chile ; Arequipa , Peru
Temples
Announced: Lisbon, Portugal; Urdaneta, Philippines; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;
Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Bangkok, Thailand; Belém, Brazil;
Quito, Ecuador; Lima, Perú (2nd); Harare, Zimbabwe; Brasilia,
Brazil; Manila, Philippines (2nd); Nairobi, Kenya; Pocatello, Idaho;
and Saratoga Springs, Utah.
Suspended
Announcements: Samoa Temple, Oct. 15, 1977, 1st Presidency;
Harrison, New York, Sept. 30, 1995, 1st Presidency;
Publicly
Proposed Temples: New Delhi, India, June, 1992, Gordon B. Hinckley; Maracaibo,
Venezuela, Aug. 3, 1999, Gordon B. Hinckley; Singapore, Indonesia, Jan. 30,
2000, and Managua, Nicaragua, Jan 18, 2012, Russell M. Nelson.
Isaiah
2:2-3, 5 = 2: And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house [a temple] shall be established in the top of the
mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow
unto it. 3: And many people shall go and say, come ye, and let us go up to the
mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of
his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the
law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 5: O house of Jacob, come ye, and
let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Micah
4:1-2, 5 = 1: But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of
the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it
shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 2: And many
nations shall come, and say, come, and let us go up to the mountain of the
Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways,
and we will walk in his paths; for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word
of the Lord from Jerusalem. 5: For all people will walk every one in the name
of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.
Ezekiel
37:26-28 = 26: Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be
an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them,
and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. 27: My tabernacle
also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
28: And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my
sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.
D&C
124:25-42 = 25: And send swift messengers, yea, chosen messengers, and say unto
them: Come ye, with all your gold, and your silver, and your precious stones,
and with all your antiquities; and with all who have knowledge of antiquities,
that will come, may come, and bring the box-tree, and the fir-tree, and the
pine-tree, together with all the precious tress of the earth; 27: And with
iron, with copper, and with brass, and with zinc, and with all your precious
things of the earth; and build a house to my name, for the Most High to dwell
therein. 28: For there is not a place found on earth that he may come to and
restore again that which was lost unto you, or which he hath taken away, even
the fullness of the priesthood. 29: For a baptismal font there is not upon the
earth, that they, my saints, may be baptized for those who are dead – 30: For
this ordinance belongeth to my house, and cannot be acceptable to me, only in
the days of your poverty, wherein ye are not able to build a house unto me. 31:
But I command you, all ye my saints, to build a house unto me; and I grant unto
you a sufficient time to build a house unto me; and during this time your
baptisms shall be acceptable unto me. 32: But behold, at the end of this
appointment your baptisms for your dead shall not be acceptable unto me; and if
you do not these things at the end of the appointment ye shall be rejected as a
church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God. 33: For verily I say unto you,
that after you have had sufficient time to build a house to me, wherein the ordinance
of baptizing for the dead belongeth, and for which the same was instituted from
before the foundation of the world, your baptisms for your dead cannot be
acceptable unto me; 34: For therein are the keys of the holy priesthood
ordained, that you may receive honor and glory. 35: And after this time, your
baptisms for the dead, by those who are scattered abroad, are not acceptable
unto me, saith the Lord. 36: For it is ordained that in Zion and in her stakes,
and in Jerusalem, those places which I have appointed for refuge, shall be the
places for your baptisms for your dead. 37: And again, verily I say unto you,
how shall your washings be acceptable unto me, except ye perform them in a
house, which you have built to my name? 38: For, for this cause I commanded
Moses that he should build a tabernacle, that they should bear it with them in
the wilderness, and to build a house in the land of promise, that those
ordinances might be revealed which had been hid from before the world was. 39:
Therefore, verily I say unto you, that your anointings, and your washings, and
your baptisms for the dead, and your solemn assemblies, and your memorials for
your sacrifices by the sons of Levi, and for your oracles in your most holy
places wherein you receive conversations, and your statutes and judgments, for
the beginning of the revelations and foundation of Zion, and for the glory,
honor, and endowment of all her municipals, are ordained by the ordinance of my
holy house, which my people are always commanded to build unto my holy name.
40: And verily I say unto you, let this house be built unto my name, that I may
reveal mine ordinances therein unto my people; 41: For I deign to reveal unto
my church things which have been kept hid from before the foundation of the
world, things that pertain to the dispensation of the fullness of times. 42:
And I will show unto my servant Joseph all things pertaining to this house, and
the priesthood thereof, and the place whereon it shall be built.
D&C
133:10, 12-13 10: … Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord. 12: Let
them, therefore, who are among the Gentiles flee unto Zion Judah flee unto Jerusalem
[9] The Disintegration of the Family
[this sign overarches all of the last days and is the primary cause for the
destruction of the wicked in the last days].
Based
on a statement in Visions of Glory[9] regarding the attempt by Satan to
destroy the family, and that it began about thirty years before the statement was
made, I estimate that the Proclamation on The Family, published in 1995, gives
us another date from which to estimate this period of thirty years, or in other
words, around 2025.
“…
Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon
individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and
modern prophets.”[10]
This prophetic warning likely was created for the world as a warning at the
approximate time referred to in the previous paragraph.
What
causes the family to disintegrate? Primarily it consists of two things: sex and
money. Irresponsible sex, including pornography, has a way of making the young
not marry and the middle-aged to leave marriage. Anyone who thinks that sex is
an individual matter needs to evaluate the consequences manifested in broken
families, poverty, disease, guilt, lack of confidence, and worst of all, the
loss of love.
Money
problems, although often listed as a primary cause of divorce, aren’t the whole
story. All marriages have money problems – their solutions are the way of
setting priorities. If they go deep into debt for all the stuff that the family
members want, the day will eventually come when at best things are repossessed,
or in worst case, Child and Family Services take away the children as the
family disintegrates.
We
need to see the dual challenges of sex and money as ways in which we make
choices. It helps if we can see the big picture, which is the eternity before
us.
By
2007 the rate of out-of-wedlock births had increased to a startling 40% of all
births. It shows no sign of decreasing. The fractured family will change nearly
every aspect of society including the poverty rate, economic production,
education, law, and medicine.
As
of 2015, 1,500,000 couples were divorcing every year in the United States. This
is more than half of those getting married.
[1]Grant
R. Jeffrey, Armageddon: Earth’s Last Days
(Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1997), page 12.
[2]Isaiah
5:6-30, 11:10-16; 49:22; 60:4; 1 Nephi 22:12; 2 Nephi 6:14; D&C 45:43.
[3]Skousen, op. cit., pages 219-220.
[4]D&C
45:17, 24-25; emphasis added; see Sign #19.
[5]Wilford
Woodruff, August 13, 1876, Journal of
Discourses 18:221.
[6]Wilford
Woodruff, January 12, 1873, Journal of
Discourses 15:277.
[7]Andrew
F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook, The Words of
Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City, Utah: Publishers Press, 1980), page 318: Now
the word turn here should be
translated bind or seal.
[8]Gileadi, The Last Days, op. cit., page 84.
[9]John
Pontius, Visions of Glory
(Springville, Utah: CFI), page 134.
[10]The
First Presidency and The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “The Family, a
Proclamation to the World.”
[10] The Mark of the Beast (1st
Phase), 1999-2027.
Note:
John M. Pontius in Visions of Glory,
page 135, writes for “Spencer” indicating that it was perhaps thirty years [ca.
1998] before the tribulations began [2028], that the Mark of the Beast began to
show forth in the actions of the people; a re-coloring, a counterculture of
political correctness.
This
“Mark of the Beast” is not the end-times one that is spoken of in Revelation,
because “Spencer” says: “In all my visions, I never saw a mark upon people, or
heard people talking of being forced to receive a mark or microchip in order to
buy and sell. It was already true that we each had a number to our name, and
that number was required for any large transaction, such as buying a home or
obtaining credit. That may have been part of the mark.
“But
what I did see was that we had spiritually marked ourselves. This marking began
perhaps thirty years before the tribulations, when the counterculture of
political correctness began, and the assault on Christian values and traditions
began. At first it seemed so ridiculous that it was harmless, kind of like a
disease to which we were all immune. Soon, however, it was re-colored to equal
compassion, fairness, acceptance, tolerance, and equality. From there it
evolved into a power with the ability to take any truth and repaint it as a
lie, to take any lie and re-label it as truth. Subscribing to this thinking and
tuning out the Holy Ghost marked us with darkness. It was a mark we placed upon
our own soul. It was not visible to another human, but those who had marked
themselves in this way could not discern the Holy Spirit, and they found
themselves completely reliant upon the foreign troops, who truthfully had no
long-term interest in their survival.
Transitional Period, 2017-2028
The
Mark of the Beast is already in place in 2017 with the bar codes on all
products; the 666 of the Book of Revelation being the beginning, middle and ending
lines representing the number 6. Thus, it will be an easy transition to force
people to comply with the “mark” noted below in the second phase.
[10] The Mark of the Beast (2nd Phase),
2028-2035.
Note:
Even though this part of the “Mark” belongs at the very end of the 6000 year
period, it is included here, so as to keep continuity within the sign.
“When
the tribulation began [2028], it was nearly impossible for those who had
received the mark of the beast to see God’s hand reaching out to lead them to
safety. They were blinded to the only thing that could redeem them, and many
were eventually lost.”[1]
The
Apostle John hints that many who refuse to take the mark of the beast will be
beheaded and millions will die as a result.[2] “In
Revelation 13:16-18 we read – 16: And he causeth all, both small and great,
rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in
their forehead. 17: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the
mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18: Here is wisdom.
Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the
number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six [666].”
[11] 2017: Strikes, Anarchy:
Overthrowing of Governments, Rise in Terrorism (2002-2017), Class Warfare, Gang
Warfare, Violence & Disrespect for Authority.
Arthur
Schlesinger said in 1991: “Ethnic and racial conflict, it now seems evident,
will soon replace the conflict of ideologies as the explosive issue of our
time.”
This
reminds us of the condition of the people in the Americas at the time of
Christ’s death. 3rd Nephi 6:18 “Now they did not sin ignorantly, for
they knew the will of God concerning them, for it had been taught unto them;
therefore they did willfully rebel against God.” 3rd Nephi 7:2 “And
the people were divided one against another; and they did separate one from
another into tribes, every man according to his family and his kindred and
friends; and thus they did destroy the government of the land.”
Referring
to the type and shadow of the Nephite nation as it applies to our day, it is
said: The natural judgments that occurred prior to Christ’s visitation were
preceded by political chaos as their enlightened government, based on democracy
and the rule of law, disintegrated into tribalism. The last straw that broke
the back of the Nephite government was the conspiracy to kill the chief judge
in order to set free the conspiring judges who had illegally murdered the
prophets (3rd Nephi, chapter seven). Three years later, the natural
calamities arrived.
Governments,
whether we like them or not, are instituted for the well-being of men (D&C
134:5); as He told the Nephites, the people of wicked King Jacob were “above
all the wickedness of the whole earth because of their secret combinations; for
it was they that did destroy the peace of my people and the government of the
land,” (3rd Nephi 9:9).
Conspiracy
to avoid the consequences of bad choices is the ultimate expression of the
price which we can see the Nephites paid.[4]
And if we look honestly at our day, we see it in many forms on many levels of
our society.
In
1887, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of
Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000
years prior:
“A
democracy [we are a Constitutional Republic] is always temporary in nature; it
simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will
continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote
themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the
majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the
public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse
over loose fiscal policy, [which is] always followed by a dictatorship.
“The
average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of
history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always
progressed through the following sequence:
From
bondage to spiritual faith;
From
spiritual faith to great courage;
From
courage to liberty;
From
liberty to abundance;
From
abundance to complacency;
From
complacency to apathy;
From
apathy to dependence;
From
dependence back into bondage.”
Professor
Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, believes
that the United States is somewhere between the “complacency and apathy” phases
of Professor Tyler’s definition of democracy; with some forty percent of the
nation’s population already having reached the “governmental dependency” phase.
Most of these people live in low-income tenements and survive from various
forms of government welfare.
D&C
45:26-27 = 26: And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and
the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them, and
they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming until the end of the earth. 27:
And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound.
A
2011 report from CNN shows that hate groups have increased dramatically in the
United States: four in Utah; and an average of sixty in several states; in that
year there were 1,300,000 million gang members in the U.S. In August of 2012,
this number had risen to 1,018 hate groups according to a television report.
Overthrowing of Governments.
This
“overthrowing of governments” in this section is preliminary to the collapse of
all world governments and the formation of a one-world government described in
Sign #30 [q.v].
From
an apocryphal source: “Bishop Koyle stated that shortly before the Relief Mine
comes in, Russia would attack Turkey and this would begin a world war. Lorin C.
Woolley said that we should look for the fall of Istanbul (Constantinople) WHEN
Russia grabs the Dardanelles of Turkey and that this event would be the
beginning of the end.”[5] The only
reason I include this quote is that some of what Bishop Koyle predicted has
come to pass. For the most part his views of the future were incorrect.
Present-day scenarios regarding this prediction look very plausible.
Rise in Terrorism.
The
Arab uprisings are another aspect of these violent times. Hate is raging in the
hearts of some nations that are bent on the total destruction of their enemies.
In September of 2012, over thirty Muslim nations began rising up against the U.
S. and Israel. Rampant drug cartel violence continues to increase in Mexico and
is spilling over into the United States: dozens of tunnels have been found
between the Mexico and the United States, showing the determination of these
evil societies to pull down this country’s moral and financial base.
Class Warfare.
In
the latter part of the Nephite/Lamanite civilization, after all were converted
to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it says: “And they had all things common among
them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all
made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift (4th Nephi 1:3). “And
the Lord did prosper them exceedingly in the land; yea, insomuch that they did
build cities again where there had been cities burned (4th Nephi
1:7). “And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of
the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people. And there were no
envying nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor
any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people
among all the people who had been created by the hand of God (4th
Nephi 1:15-16).
After
200 years of prosperity and multiplying of the people, they began to be lifted
up in pride: wearing of costly clothing, all manner of jewelry, and of the fine
things of the world. Naturally, “all things in common” was done away with.
Following that they were divided into classes, and began to separate themselves
into various churches and to deny the true church of the Savior (4th
Nephi 1:22-26). The believers in Jesus Christ were called Nephites, Jacobites,
Josephites and Zoramites. The unbelievers were called Lamanites, Lemuelites and
Ishmaelites.
With
classes firmly established the society returned to their secret oaths and
combinations, which spread rapidly over the land and eventually engulfed both
the righteous and the wicked. War broke out as the society degenerated and
eventually the Nephite nation was totally destroyed; some escaping to form
another nation [see Sign #45]. The world, the United States, yes even The
Church of Jesus Christ is on this same path, which has destroyed all nations
throughout history.
“For
behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the
adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick
and the afflicted. Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and
yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the
afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not? Yea, why do ye build up your
secret abominations to get gain and cause that widows should mourn before the
Lord, and also orphans to mourn before the Lord?” (Mormon 8:37-39).
Too
many members of the Church are putting their trust in the arm of flesh – in the
“gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor
hear, nor know” (Daniel 5:23). What we put our heart and trust in becomes our
god. If this is anything other than the true and living God, then it is
idolatry. The things of the earth – the dead things – have become the idols,
the gods, of many members of the Church. God’s way is as follows: “… if any man
shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion,
according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the needy, he shall, with
the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment (D&C 104:18).
It
is an undeniable fact that the few have been prospering at the expense of the
many in America over the past decades. Our nation has the most unequal
distribution of wealth of any industrialized country in the world, with the top
one percent owning over forty percent of America’s total wealth. It is this
kind of situation that always ends up creating class warfare. When the poor
people of the world rise up in these last days, it will be because they will
reach sufficient numbers as to be a significant social force. They will believe
that they are powerful enough to achieve their goal of raising their class to a
higher form of life. The class wars that will come about will cover this nation
and will engulf the whole world. They will occur because of the lust for
something better, but that better life will not come, because the wars will not
provide it for them.
“From
whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your
lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not; ye kill, and desire to
have, and cannot obtain; ye fight and war; yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your
lusts” (James 4:1-3).
In
a recent U.S. Intelligence Report, we see that most of Africa, and much of the
Middle East, Eastern Europe, South, Central and Southeast Asia, and South
America, could be left far behind the wealthier and more technologically
advanced countries, led by the United States. Regions, countries, and groups
left behind will face deepening economic stagnation, and political, ethnic,
ideological, and religious extremism, along with the violence that accompanies
it. Much of the violence could be directed against the United States. The
pre-eminence of the United States will undoubtedly attract opposition from
discontented groups and individuals, who could use anticipated advances in
information, communications, and weapons technology to mount terrorist attacks,
or information warfare against U.S. territories and interests. “Acts of
biological warfare against the country; near total destruction of the east
coast: Chicago , New York
City, and Boston
The
world population is growing by 80,000,000 each year; and the planet is made up
of two demographic worlds. One set is the poor, young, and growing countries; the
other is made up of the wealthy, old, and shrinking, which includes most of
Europe. These third world countries that do not have enough food or water to
feed and care for their people now, will double and triple in size over the
next decades. We can be assured that as they grow numerically, class warfare
between nations will erupt.
The
class wars will do one thing, though. The wicked will fight against the wicked
and they will in due course destroy themselves and ultimately abolish the
classes.
In
the United States, the American economy is producing less and less jobs that
pay enough to keep families out of poverty. The working poor are people who are
employed and earn wages, but still live below the poverty line. Some are
employed full time, and others can only find part-time work. In both cases,
because of low wages, their income level is below the poverty guidelines. In
addition, few of these people receive benefits that provide for such things as
health care. The number of Americans in this category is growing each year. Of
the people in this category, 62.4% of them do have jobs but still cannot make
enough to get above the poverty lines.
More
families are being forced to live below the poverty line. There were 6.9
million in 1989; 39.3 million in 1993; and today the number is still rising and
this cannot help but create more problems associated with the haves and the
have-nots that will ultimately lead to classes rising up against classes. This
will happen just as soon as their numbers become large enough that the poor
decide they have had enough of poverty. Then they will band together and
mobilize with the intent of taking by force what the rich have.
[12] 2017: Slaves Rise up Against their
Masters; Peace Taken from the Earth – Wars and Rumors of Wars: Pestilence;
[2014-2015: 4 Blood-Moon Tetrads]; Terror Attacks; March 2015 – Formation of a
5-Nation Arab Army [this sign overarches all of the last days].
Note:
This sign takes place before the Times of the Gentiles is fulfilled (D&C
45:26): see Sign #19.
[12a] Slaves Shall Rise Up Against Their
Masters.
D&C
87:4 “And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against
their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war.” There has been
controversy over the years as to the time of fulfillment of this prophesy, but
it appears that a great race war in America is facing us in the near future. We
should look to the Book of Mormon for the pattern of this warfare and how it
will develop.
[12b] Peace Taken from the Earth – Wars
and Rumors of Wars.
D&C
45:26, 33 = 26: “And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and
the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them…. 33: And
there shall be earthquakes also in divers places, and many desolations; yet men
will harden their hearts against me, and they will take up the sword, one
against another, and they will kill one another.”
The
Lord, in answering his Apostles regarding the signs of the last days said: “For
nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…[7]
In
the book Are We Living in the End Times:
Current Events Foretold in Scripture…and what they Mean,[8]
the authors say that “nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,”
(based on 2nd Chronicles 15:1-7 & Isaiah 19:1-2) is a Hebrew
idiom speaking of a war started by two nations, each soon joined by surrounding
kingdoms until all the nations involved in the prophet’s vision are included.
If you add Matthew 27:8 that war is followed by unprecedented famines,
pestilence, and multiple earthquakes, and you have the sign.
The
authors contend that this war began in June 1914 when the Archduke of Austria
was shot, followed by a declaration of war by Austria against Serbia. To that
point in history it was the greatest war ever fought. 53,000,000 soldiers were
in uniform; 13,000,000 of them were killed. The war was followed in 1918 with a
flu epidemic that killed millions more than the war. In Europe, much of the
deaths were preceded by malnutrition and famine caused by the war. So, three
parts of the first sign Jesus gave His disciples – a special kind of war,
famines, and plagues – were fulfilled from 1914-1918. (See Sign #28 for
reference to earthquakes.)
Thus
this sign, as Jesus said in Matthew 24, 8 “All these [the four parts of the one
sign] are the beginning of sorrows.” This phrase “beginning of sorrows” is a
Hebrew idiom used by four Hebrew prophets to describe a woman in labor and
comparing it to the pain Israel will endure during this period. Thus, beginning
with World War I, the first pains of labor began, but many pains and sorrows
have and will yet manifest themselves in the process. For that reason this sign
is placed at this point as a transitional sign.
“For
many governments and their publics, the mounting losses from war have ceased to
shock, as the rhythm of daily existence has settled into a routine of attack
and counterattack. Yet wars have become even more brutal. In some wars today,
ninety percent of those killed in conflict are non-combatants, compared with
less than fifteen percent when the century [1900] began. In Rwanda alone,
approximately forty percent of the population has been killed or displaced
since 1994….
“Since
the fall of the Berlin Wall [November, 1989], over four million people have
been killed in violent conflicts. In January 1997, there were over thirty-five
million refugees and internally displaced persons around the world. The
violence that generated this trauma has been in some cases chronic.”[9]
Over 2,000,000 people have been displaced in Syria in the years 2011-2012. This
has continued to increase up until this time (2017). A report in March of 2017
indicated that over 2,000,000 people are starving to death in Africa.
As
men increase in wickedness on the earth, it only stands to reason that they
will also be more inclined to use organized methods of causing death and
destruction (which is what war is) to obtain their goals. Truly, then, this is
a day of “wars and rumors of wars,” giving us a sign of the times that is
clearly in process of fulfillment. World War I cost more than 13,000,000 lives;
World War II took a total of 45,000,000 lives.
A
commission investigating violence in society declared: The twentieth century
proved to be the most violent and destructive in all human history, with armed
conflict taking the lives of over 100,000,000 people and political violence
responsible for 170,000,000 more deaths…. At the time of this writing, there is
conflict in over two dozen locations around the world in which, over the years,
tens of thousands have been killed and millions of persons displaced.
D&C
1:35: For I am no respecter of persons, and will that all men shall know that
the day speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand, when peace
shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own
dominion.
As
war continues to spread throughout the world, the time will soon come when the
Mormons will be “… the only people who shall not be at war one with another”
(D&C 45:69).
D&C
97:22-24 = 22: For behold, and lo, vengeance cometh speedily upon the ungodly
as the whirlwind; and who shall escape it? 23: The Lord’s scourge shall pass
over by night and by day, and the report thereof shall vex all people; yea, it
shall not be stayed until the Lord come: 24: For the indignation of the Lord is
kindled against their abominations and all their wicked works.
D&C
63:33-35 = 33: I have sworn in my wrath, and decreed wars upon the face of the
earth, and the wicked shall slay the wicked, and fear shall come upon every
man; 34: And the saints also shall hardly escape; nevertheless, I, the Lord, am
with them, and will come down in [from] heaven from the presence of my Father
and consume the wicked with unquenchable fire. 35: And behold, this is not yet,
but by and by.
D&C
87:6-7 = 6: And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the
earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder
of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of
the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an
Almighty God, until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all
nations; 7: That the cry of the saints, and of the blood of the saints, shall
cease to come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, from the earth, to be
avenged of their enemies.
“And
it came to pass that I beheld that the wrath of God was poured out upon that
great and abominable church, insomuch that there were wars and rumors of wars
among all the nations and kindreds of the earth (1st Nephi 14:15).
D&C
45:70-71 = 70: And it shall be said among the wicked: let us not go up to
battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible; wherefore, we
cannot stand; 71: And it shall come to pass that the righteous shall be gathered
out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of
everlasting joy.
One
of the indirect effects of the present and coming wars will be the change in
behavior it will bring to individuals. Because of the deprivation and hunger that
will result, some survivors will feel compelled to leave the area around them
which will have been devastated. Thinking that their land alone suffered the
wrath of God and not realizing that other lands have suffered the same effects,
these bands of refugees will migrate in search of undamaged crops, potable
water, etc. The compulsion to migrate in search of food and water will
naturally bring them in conflict with other groups, and warfare will result
again.
This
is seen in the Old Testament after the Israelites had left Egypt; they
encountered the Amalekites. (Exodus 17) According to Emmanuel Velikovsky,
Arabic sources describe how the Amalekites had “left Hedjaz because of plagues,
[and] followed the cloud in their wandering through the desert.” (Worlds in Collision, page 142) He
asserted that they, too, had been driven from their lands by a catastrophe.
“The fear of the Judgment Day not only did not pacify the nations, but on the
contrary, uprooted them, impelling them to migration and war.” (Ibid., page 270) Hence, in the
encounter between the Israelites and the Amalekites, we see a picture of two
wandering nations, driven from the devastation in their homeland, encountering
one another, and doing battle in the desert. Just as a note of interest, Velikovsky
indicated that the Amalekites were a powerful nation. After doing battle with
the Israelites, they continued on into Egypt, subjugated the hapless Egyptians,
and ruled there for many years. They are known to profane history as the
Hyksos.[10]
One
of the calamities that befall people during war is “the shattering and
prolonged trauma … [which can] produce psychological states which were
strikingly similar to those which we classify today as catatonic schizophrenia.[11]
Apparently
the overwhelming nature of war leaves participants no alternative but to
withdraw from the awful reality of what is happening to them. Unable to cope
with the devastating nature of war, the human mind turns to a mental defense
mechanism – catatonic schizophrenia – in an attempt to shut out the
incomprehensible changes occurring in the physical world. Two types of behavior
develop: 1) a mute type of the affliction: withdrawal into a state of absolute
silence and isolation; and 2) catatonic excitement or furor in which the individual
becomes maniacal. In this state, the person becomes extremely agitated and
destructive. In extreme cases of this hyperactive, agitated state, the
individual will attempt to kill or maim anyone he can reach. Since family and
friends, neighbors, and associates are often the most accessible to the
“mad-man,” they become his most likely first victims. This conclusion carries
tremendous implications for those who wish to survive the coming wars. Prophecy
is replete with warnings of this type of behavior. Most seem to prophecy a
state of catatonic furor:
“And
it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be
among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor, and
his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor.” (Zechariah 14:13).
“And
I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of
the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow their chariots, and those
that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one
by the sword of his brother” (Haggai 2:22).
“And
there shall be earthquakes also in divers places, and many desolations; yet men
will harden their hearts against me, and they will take up the sword, one
against another, and they will kill one another” (D&C 45:33).
“I
have sworn in my wrath, and decreed wars upon the face of the earth, and the
wicked shall slay the wicked, and fear shall come upon every man” (D&C
63:33).
“…
no man shall spare his brother” (Isaiah 9:19).
“…
every man’s sword shall be against his brother” (Ezekiel 38:21).
“I
saw men hunting the lives of their own sons, and brother murdering brother,
women killing their own daughters, and daughters seeking the lives of their
mothers” (History of the Church,
Volume 3, page 390).
The
same kind of madness among the people was seen in a vision recorded by Elder
Woodruff: “The states of Missouri and Illinois were in turmoil and strife, men
killing each other, and women joining in the fight, family against family,
cutting each other to pieces in the most horrid manner.
“…
and they were crazy mad, and in a dying condition” (Wilford Woodruff Journals, June 15, 1878).
Because
of the declaration of “madness” among men at this period, it appears possible
that this refers to a psychosomatic affliction called hysterical blindness – a
likely side effect of an overwhelming catastrophe.[12]
Given
this general doctrinal analysis of wars in the last days, we now turn to the
five end-time wars as they will unfold sequentially. These all begin before the
tribulation period (2028-2035).
1. The Psalms 83 War.
This
war is associated with the current events [starting in 2016 then beyond] taking
place in the Middle East. Iran is moving towards having nuclear bombs. At some
point Israel with need to intervene to stop this process. Included in this war
is also the prophecies regarding Damascus, Syria and the bellicose and wicked
president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, who is in league with Iran and sponsors of
terrorism and pledged to destroy Israel.
Isaiah
17:1-3 = 1: “The burden of Damascus , Behold, Damascus
This
prophecy is saying that from Damascus to Aroer mid-way south through Jordan
will be destroyed. Herein we see the application of the Principle of Occam’s
Razor, also known as the “law of succinctness, a principle that generally
recommends, when faced with competing hypotheses that are equal in other
respects, selecting the one that makes the fewest assumptions.” Just because
Aroer on the Arnon River is far from Damascus (some 150 miles) does not mean
that God couldn’t allow all the land between it and Damascus to be destroyed.
Militarily it would make sense to do so. In Revelation 6 and Matthew 24 we know
that this general time period will be fraught with total war; and if so, then
the opposing parties would want to destroy the vital trade and military route
between the two places, known since ancient times at the King’s Highway.
This
will also be a time when ancient hatreds come to their full fruition. Jordan , or the ancient lands of Ammon ,
Moab and Edom have always hated Israel Israel
Also
of note is that Syria and Jordan seem to fade away as end time players. They
are not mentioned in the Gog and Magog confederacy. We know from prophesies in
Daniel that Jordan is not delivered into the Antichrist’s hands. “He will also
enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be
rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon.” We
also know that in Matthew 24:16 the Lord told those in Judea to flee to the
mountains when the Abomination of Desolation occurs. The mountains are directly
to the east in southern Jordan where Petra is. Revelation 12:14 tells of Satan
chasing them across the desert as they flee to a place prepared for them. This
desert is between Israel and the mountains of southern Jordan around the
northern and eastern shores of the Dead Sea. And in Isaiah 63:1-6 it tells of
the Lord coming from Bozrah in Edom after single handedly defeating His enemies
there. Bozrah is the region of Edom (Jordan) where Petra is. If the fleeing
Jews head across the mountains at the top of the Dead Sea and down the King’s
Highway to Petra and if the area is already desolate and undelivered to the
Antichrist’s control, it allows for their escape route without obstacles.
Syria
has been engaged in conflict, some say civil war, since March 2011. The New
York Times reported: “The wave of Arab unrest that started with the Tunisian
revolution of January 2011 reached Syria in mid-March, when residents of a
small southern city took to the streets to protest the torture of students who
had put up anti-government graffiti. President Bashar al-Assad, who inherited
Syria’s harsh dictatorship from his father, Hafez al-Assad, at first wavered
between force and hints of reform. But in April, just days after lifting the
country’s decades-old state of emergency, he launched the first of what became
a series of withering crackdowns, sending tanks into restive cities as security
forces opened fire on demonstrators.” It has only gotten worse since then.
“But
by the fall, Syria’s economy was crumbling under the pressure of sanctions and
the unrest, with its currency weakening, its recession expanding and its
tourism industry wrecked – a serious blow to a regime whose legitimacy has
relied on economic success.” And recently, a semblance of civil war has erupted
in Homs, Syria’s third-largest city, where armed protestors are calling themselves
revolutionaries.
Assad
has threatened to attack Tel Aviv, Israel if NATO interferes in Syria’s
internal affairs. He said: “If a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, I
will need not more than six hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles
to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv.” In response, Israel said, that
if Tel Aviv is attacked they will bomb the Gaza and also the whole of Lebanon.
In addition, Israeli military circles are saying that the Jewish state’s
message to Assad “is clear in that Damascus’ fate, should it be targeted, will
not be different than Lebanon’s.” In yet another escalation, it was said:
“Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is now threatening to ignite the Middle East
and destroy Israel if NATO attacks his country, while his mufti is threatening
to dispatch suicide bombers to Europe and the United States.”
This
is why the oracle Isaiah delivered was a burden. It was a burden to Isaiah to
have to deliver the message, even to an enemy. Damascus is a thriving city and
the level of devastation prophesied indicates that there will be massive
deaths. Damascus is currently home to 2,300,000 people. In Isaiah 17:14 is
says: “Then behold, at eventide, trouble! And before the morning, he is no
more.” This predicts a strike so catastrophic and complete that the city is
wiped out by morning. What can do that? a nuclear bomb. For Damascus
2. The Destruction of Mystery Babylon
War.
The
beginning stages of this destruction will begin with the economic collapse and
other events before the last seven years (2028-2035). America is the only
significant super power on earth that did not exist when the Bible was written.
Thus, she was a super power that was a mystery to the writer of the Book of
Revelation. When the new global government comes to power as the solution to a
global financial collapse, this one world government will be led by the
Antichrist. He will not want to see the United States around to challenge its
power over the nations of the world. The global economic collapse will be the
first blow leading to the destruction of the United States as we know it. This
will be in 2028 [see Sign #30].
Revelation
17:15-16 explains a part of who will be the players in this coming destruction
of America or Mystery Babylon. “Then the second angel said to me, ‘The waters
you saw, where the prostitute sits, are people, multitudes, nations and
languages. The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They
will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn
her with fire.’”
Besides
the nations of the world combining against the United States, God’s divine
judgments will add to her destruction through earthquakes, a meteor event that
will bring a great tidal wave. In Rev. 18:21 (NIV): “Then a mighty angel picked
up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said:
‘With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be
found again.’”
In
summary, from Rev. 6:3-4 = 3: “When the Lamb opened the Second Seal, I heard
the second living creature say, ‘Come!’ 4: Then another horse came out, a fiery
red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men
slay each other. To him was given a large sword.”
3. The Battle of Gog and Magog.
Ezekiel
38:18-23 (NIV) “This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land
of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign Lord. In my
zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great
earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all
the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains
will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the
ground. I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the
Sovereign Lord. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. I will execute
judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed: I will pour down torrents of rain,
hailstones and burning sulphur on him and on his troops and on the many nations
with him. And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make
myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the
Lord.”
4. The Sixth Trumpet War.
Revelation
9:13-16: “The sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the
horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who
had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates .’ And the four angels who had been kept ready
for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of
mankind. The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard
their number.”
One
third of mankind based on the current population would be 2,400,000,000 dying
in this war. It will take time to move 200,000,000 men. This war will be
different time wise than Armageddon. This war will take about a year. At that
time the two super powers have been destroyed. The United States and Russia
have been taken out. That leaves China and the global beast government led by
the Antichrist.
5. The Battle of Armageddon.
It
is hard to believe that after the outcome of the Battle of Gog and Magog that
any nation
would
try to bring harm to God’s people. At that time Jesus will be seen coming back
on his white horse and God’s enemies will be destroyed in quick order. All who
have taken the mark of the beast will be seen as an enemy of God and
unredeemable. It will be a sad day when those who were deceived by the Antichrist
into taking the mark of the beast will call out to God for mercy and as Jesus
told the five foolish virgins, “I don’t even know you.” The beast and the false
prophet will be thrown into the lake of fire, and Satan will be bound for a
thousand years.
[12c] Pestilence
Pestilence
usually grows during times of famine and war where the poor general health of
displaced refugees leaves them susceptible to disease.[13]
Matthew 24:7-8 = 7: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in
divers places. 8: All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Notice
the phrase “nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” In the book Emerging Virusus: Aids & Ebola, Nature,
Accident or Intentional? by Leonard G. Horowitz (594 pages),[14]
Dr. Horowitz proves with overwhelming documentation that both Aids and Ebola
were created by the CIA and the State Department to test on Africans and gays.
Over 30,000,000 have been infected with the HIV virus. Neither of these
diseases came from monkeys but from cows. His study will be quoted elsewhere
but it begs the question, does “Spencer’s” reference to a manmade virus
released on the United States at about the time of the earthquake in Salt Lake
City, come from nations who were getting back at us for releasing these two
plagues on the world?
Jesus
warned that worldwide “pestilence” would be a sign that we were living in the
generation when He would return. The prophet John was given a terrifying vision
of the coming holocaust during the last seven years of this age (known as the
Tribulation Period) when God would unleash the devastating plagues of the last
days that would decimate one-quarter of the population of the world.
The
World Health Organization issued a report in April of 1997, from Geneva,
stating that “at least thirty new infectious diseases with no known treatment,
cure, or vaccine, have emerged in the past twenty years” as a result of the
increase in air travel, growing urbanization, and poor sanitation. Despite the
billions spent in the last decades battling these infections and many diseases
of the past including bubonic plague, are re-emerging as deadly threats to
mankind. The organization reported that malaria, smallpox, diphtheria, and yellow
fever are also making a comeback. Their report mentions that “the health food
craze was also partially to blame for the increase in food-borne diseases
because unprocessed food contained less preservatives (which protect food from
disease).”
The
new scourge of fifty-three sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) is a modern
form of pestilence that is a direct result of the sexual immorality and
perversions of this generation. Some doctors estimate that as many as forty
percent of all single, sexually-active adults in North America are infected
with sexually transmitted diseases. As our generation has chosen to sow the
wind of immorality and lust, we have begun to reap the whirlwind of sexually
transmitted diseases, sterility, and death. The worst of all these STDs is the
deadly virus known as AIDS, the most dangerous plague in the history of
mankind. According to a 1993 report prepared for the U. S. president by the
CIA, the AIDS virus will probably infect and destroy the lives of up to
seventy-five percent of the population of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. If
correct, this study predicts that over the next decade, 350,000,000 lives in
Africa alone will be lost to AIDS. Researchers estimate that up to fifty
percent of the population of Uganda may already be infected with AIDS. More
than 1,500,000 children are now orphans, almost ten percent of Uganda’s
population of 17,000,000. This is unprecedented for a nation that is not
involved in a current war. The Washington
Post reported on October 23, 1994 that up to fifty percent of those
admitted to hospitals in central Africa are suffering from the AIDS virus. Its
report indicated that “Africa was particularly susceptible to AIDS because of
widespread venereal disease – which facilitates the spread of HIV infection.”
The World Health Organization estimated that over 30,000,000 people are
infected with full-blown AIDS, with more than half of those people living in
Africa.
A
recent medical study concluded that more than twenty-five percent of the
population of Sub-Sahara Africa is now infected with AIDS. Twenty African
nations now refuse to publish accurate AIDS infection rates because the
devastating information is treated as a national security secret.
However,
AIDS is also exploding in Asia, with estimates of up to one in three people in
Thailand in danger of dying (Toronto Star,
October 13, 1991). Experts from the Thai Red Cross estimate that more than 500
people are infected with the deadly disease in Thailand every night. Health
workers estimate that up to ninety-six percent of the prostitutes in Thailand
are infected with the deadly AIDS virus. Studies in India suggest that the AIDS
infection rate for prostitutes now approaches sixty percent. It is estimated
that the average male in these cultures visits a prostitute several times a
week, exposes himself to the possibility of AIDS, and then brings that
possibility home to his wife.
Thus
far, AIDS has produced a 100% death rate. Very few victims have survived longer
than twelve years. The medical researchers believe that AIDS is primarily
transmitted through homosexual practices in Europe and North America. A recent
report by Harper’s Magazine revealed
that “years of AIDS education has probably produced almost no change whatsoever
in the behavior that all gay men and their grandmothers know to be the most
dangerous for transmitting HIV” (Harper’s
Magazine, May, 1995). A study released in the spring of 1994 by the AIDS & Public Policy Journal
revealed that the rate of AIDS infection for homosexual men was then approaching
a staggering fifty percent, with a forty percent infection rate among young gay
men and up to a seventy percent infection rate among older homosexuals. Other
studies indicate that over 1,500,000 male homosexuals in North America alone
will ultimately die from AIDS. AIDS is now the leading cause of death for men
aged eighteen to forty-five. The Danish
Medical Journal revealed that AIDS is now the number one killer of young
and middle-aged men in the large cities of Denmark, exceeding both heart disease
and cancer (International Express,
June 19, 1996).
Over
11,000,000 people now die annually from tuberculosis worldwide due to a new
deadly drug-resistant strain. The Laboratory Centre for Disease Control in
Ottawa, Canada reported that tens of thousands of North Americans have become
infected with a new drug-resistant form of tuberculosis that kills over seventy
percent of its victims (Toronto Star,
November 22, 1995). Our society has abused and over-prescribed antibiotics for
colds and other ailments to the point that many people can no longer derive
benefit from the antibiotics prescribed by doctors to defeat deadly diseases.
An article by science reporter Joseph Hall revealed that researchers recently
warned the American Association for the Advancement of Science that “overuse of
antibiotics is leading to a world in which the drugs are no longer effective” (Toronto Star, February 18, 1997).
University of Washington biologist Marilyn Roberts warned the international
science conference that “tons of antibiotics are being used as farm additives
on plants and animals; doctors are over-prescribing them and they are being
misused in developing countries.”
Increasing
numbers of diseases are becoming drug-resistant. There is now a new type of
malaria that causes paralysis and death. This new type of malaria has infected
over 300,000,000 victims worldwide, and it no longer responds to the
traditional drug quinine.
If
the AIDS virus ever mutates to an airborne virus like tuberculosis, the world
will experience a plague beyond anything experienced in human history.
Today
we face growing pollution and ecological problems that appear to be virtually unsolvable.
Scientists are discovering hazardous waste dumps in many communities, leeching
out their toxic elements into our water supply. Over 70,000 new chemicals,
which never existed before in nature, were introduced into the earth’s
biosphere during the last four decades. Only 10,000 of these chemicals were
ever tested as to their effect on humans. Even if a new chemical is harmless by
itself, it may be deadly when combined with other chemicals. When we add to
this deadly concoction thousands of new, environmentally untested chemicals
created in laboratories every year, we may be creating problems and diseases for
which there is no cure.
A
recent article in the Toronto Star
newspaper (May 28, 1997) reported from Dallas that a new drug-beating germ may
be unstoppable. This report claimed that “A common bacterium that is the
leading cause of hospital-related infections appears to be on the brink of
becoming an unstoppable germ. A staph infection known as Staphylococcus aureus
has for the first time defended itself against the last remaining drug capable
of killing all its strains, U. S. scientists say.”
The
continued heavy usage of pesticides has resulted in the development of new
strains of germs, known as “super bugs.” These super bugs have developed
resistance to pesticides and other chemicals. Recently, environmental studies
revealed that children living in homes that use garden pesticides have a 600%
greater risk of developing leukemia.[15]
[12d] March, 2015: Formation of a
5-nation Arabic Army
Although
this army has theoretically been formed to help fight against the invasion of
Yemen by Iran-backed fighters [2015], it could easily morph into an army that
will eventually fight against Israel.
[12e] 2014-2015: 4 Blood Moon Tetrads
Blood Moons Only three Tetrads (1492, 1949, and 1967) have been
seen in the last 500 years, each falling on specific Jewish feasts, as well as
being linked to historical events significant to Israel. The last Tetrad will also
align itself with the feasts of the Lord. Each of these has begun with a trail
of tears and ended with triumph for the Jewish people. The following four
blood-moon tetrads are as follows; this last one also being associated
perfectly with Rosh Hashanah, or the Feast of Trumpets:
Passover,
April 15, 2014 1st blood moon
Feast
of Trumpets, September 25, 2014
Feast
of Tabernacles, October 8, 2014 2nd blood moon
Total
solar eclipse: March 20, 2015
Passover,
April 4, 2015 3rd blood moon
Feast
of Trumpets, September 13, 2015
Feast
of Tabernacles, September 28, 2015 4th blood moon
“The
four Blood Moons happening on Jewish holy days has historically signaled major
events connected to the deliverance of the Jews and Israel. In 2015 there was
also a factor in that it was the last year of a seven-year Shemittah Cycle, and
that that event can also coincide with large economic downturns. I believe that
other events connected to the nation of Israel will follow the events of the
fourth Blood Moon by as much as a year
or two after the fourth Blood Moon which came on September 28, 2015” [minor
changes made to reflect a past event].[16]
One
other event associated with this sign is that on November 14, 2016, there was a
super moon. A super moon also occurred during Israel’s War of Independence in
May of 1948.
[1]John
M. Pontius, Visions of Glory, pages
134-135.
[2]Robert J.
Smith, The Last Days Unsealed (Orem, Utah: Agreka Books, 1999),
page 8.
[3]Except as
noted; some being in the process of fulfillment and overarch the whole time
period, or part of it.
[4]Mitchell,
op. cit., page 13.
[5]Lynn
Lyman Bishop, The Winding-up Scene
(Payson, Utah: Latter-day Publications, 2004), page 65.
[6]Visions of Glory, pages 116-118; page
128.
[7]Matthew
24:7.
[8]Tim
LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins (Wharton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers,
Inc., 1999), page 39.
[9]Parry and
Parry, op. cit., pages 243-244.
[10]Anthony
E. Larson, And the Earth Shall Reel to
and Fro (Orem, Utah: Zedek Books, 1983).
[11]Dr.
John V. Meyers, Language Department Chairman, Union University and Warner B.
Sizemore, Assistant Professor of Religion, Glassboro State College, in Kronos, Volume 1, Number 1, page 366).
[12]Ibid., pages 138-143; 246.
[13]Mitchell,
op. cit., page 4.
[14]Rockport,
Massachusetts: Tetrahedron, Inc., 1998.
[15]Jeffery,
op. cit., pages 246-251.
[16]John
Shorey, Part Two, The Window of the
Lord’s Return, 2010-2020: The Unfolding Signs of the End Times (priv. pub.,
2015), page 210 [I Lyman D. Platt believe this time period could be as long as
May 15, 2018: see Sign #13 above; that event is the most significant known
event relating to Israel in the immediate future].
[13] 2018: May 14: 70th Anniversary of the
Declaration of Israel as a Nation
A
70-year cycle comes to an end on this day. Those cycles in the Bible are: 1)
The Babylonian Captivity, 606 B.C. to 536 B.C.; 2) The Babylonian Desolations,
589 B.C. to 519 B.C.; and 3) The Restoration Period, 515 B.C. to 445 B.C. This
day will be significant – see page nine of the Introduction for more information
on this date. It is confirmed by the 100-year generation cycle from the end of
World War I. Psalms 91 “The War Psalm,” may be significant here (see page 40).
THE TRIBULATION PERIOD BEGINS
[14] 2028 Spirit Ceases to Strive with
the Wicked
D&C
63:32-33 = 32: I the Lord am angry with the wicked; I am [with]holding my
Spirit from the inhabitants of the earth. 33: I have sworn in my wrath, and
decreed wars upon the face of the earth, and the wicked shall slay the wicked,
and fear shall come upon every man.
D&C
1:33 And he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he
has received; for my Spirit shall not always strive with man, saith the Lord of
Hosts.
Because
of the iniquity of earth’s inhabitants in the last days, combined with their
unwillingness to repent, the time will come when they are “ripened in iniquity”
(Ether 2:9: 9:20) and the Spirit will no longer strive to bring them to
repentance. The final result will be a world war that will destroy a third of
mankind (Revelation 9:16-18), followed by a number of devastating plagues
(Revelation 16), and culminating in the destruction of the wicked at the Lord’s
coming (Malachi 4:1; Revelation 18:8).
“I
prophesy, in the name of the Lord God of Israel
The
scriptural history of the world gives a number of sad precedents for the loss
of the Spirit and the destruction that eventually resulted: 1) the days of
Noah: “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that
every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually
(Genesis 6:5); 2) The Jews in the time of Lehi were warned that Jerusalem would
be destroyed because of their wickedness: “For behold, the Spirit of the Lord
ceaseth soon to strive with them,” Nephi testified, “for behold, they have
rejected the prophets, and Jeremiah have they cast into prison. And they have
sought to take away the life of my father, insomuch that they have driven him
out of the land” (1st Nephi 7:14).
Later,
looking into the future, Nephi said that four generations after the Lord’s
ministry among the Nephites, “a speedy destruction cometh unto my people; for,
notwithstanding the pains of my soul, I have seen it; wherefore, I know that it
shall come to pass; and they sell themselves for naught; for, for the reward of
their pride and their foolishness they shall reap destruction; for because they
yield unto the devil and choose works of darkness rather than light, therefore
they must go down to hell. For the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive
with man. And when the Spirit ceaseth to strive with man then cometh speedy
destruction, and this grieveth my soul” (2nd Nephi 26:10-11).
The
Jaredites suffered a similar fate, as recorded by the prophet Ether: “The
Spirit of the Lord had ceased striving with them,” he wrote, “and Satan had
full power over the hearts of the people; for they were given up unto the
hardness of their hearts, and the blindness of their minds that they might be
destroyed” (Ether 15:19). This dreadful condition has now returned to the
earth, only this time it has become worldwide.[1]
D&C
56:1-3 = 1: Hearken, O ye people who profess my name, saith the Lord your God;
for behold, mine anger is kindled against the rebellious, and they shall know
mine arm and mine indignation, in the day of visitation and of wrath upon the
nations. 2: And he that will not take up his cross and follow me, and keep my
commandments, the same shall not be saved. 3: Behold, I, the Lord, command; and
he that will not obey shall be cut off in mine own due time, after I have
commanded and the commandment is broken.
D&C
63:6, 32 = 6: Wherefore, verily I say, let the wicked take heed, and let the
rebellious fear and tremble; and let the unbelieving hold their lips, for the
day of wrath shall come upon them as a whirlwind, and all flesh shall know that
I am God. 32: I, the Lord, am angry with the wicked; I am holding my Spirit
from the inhabitants of the earth.
D&C
64:34-36 = 34: Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the
willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.
35: And the rebellious shall be cut off out of the land of Zion, and shall be
sent away, and shall not inherit the land. 36: For, verily I say that the
rebellious are not of the blood of Ephraim, wherefore they shall be plucked
out.
Ether
15:19 But behold, the Spirit of the Lord had ceased striving with them, and
Satan had full power over the hearts of the people; for they were given up unto
the hardness of their hearts, and the blindness of their minds that they might
be destroyed; wherefore they went again to battle.
Moroni
8:28 Pray for them, my son, that repentance may come unto them. But behold, I
fear lest the Spirit hath ceased striving with them; and in this part of the
land they are also seeking to put down all power and authority which cometh
from God; and they are denying the Holy Ghost. 9:4-5 = 4: Behold, I am laboring
with them continually; and when I speak the word of God with sharpness they
tremble and anger against me; and when I use no sharpness they harden their
hearts against it; wherefore, I fear lest the Spirit of the Lord hath ceased
striving with them. 5: For so exceedingly do they anger that it seemeth me that
they have no fear of death; and they have lost their love, one towards another;
and they thirst after blood and revenge continually.
Jeremiah
6:19 “I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts.”
One
might conclude that these evil days will be brought upon the wicked Gentiles
because they have forgotten God and sought after Mammon; but consider the
following, which shows that it is true that these afflictions, pestilence and
curses will begin with those who have been the covenanted people of God – we
Mormons.
Many
refuse to hear Christ’s words and are cut off from his people (3 Nephi 20:23;
21:11). These are members of the Church, people of temple covenants. The wicked
Gentiles suffer the Lord’s justice (3 Nephi 20:13-22). The Gentiles are
destroyed after they reject the words of Christ, which words they reject after
enjoying the blessings of the gospel for a time (compare 3 Nephi 16:10-16;
26:6-11; and Ether 4:8-9).[2]
[15] 2028 The Lamanites Shall Blossom as
a Rose
D&C
49:24-28 = 24: But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall
flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose. 25:
Zion shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and shall be
assembled together unto the place which I have appointed. 26: Behold, I say
unto you, go forth as I have commanded you; repent of all your sins; ask and ye
shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you. 27: Behold, I will go
before you and be your rearward; and I will be in your midst, and you shall not
be confounded. 28: Behold, I am Jesus Christ, and I come quickly. Even so.
Amen.
2
Nephi 30:6 And then shall they rejoice; for they shall know that it is a
blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their scales of darkness shall
begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among
them, save they shall be a pure and a delightsome people.
Perhaps
the declining population of Gentiles will be replaced by the “remnant of Jacob”
who have been prophesied to rebuild the New Jerusalem (3 Nephi 20:14-16, 22).[3]
Perhaps through the Atonement they will be changed in their very natures
(Mosiah 3:19). In the D&C we are told that the Lamanites will “come to the
knowledge of their fathers, and that they might know the promises of the Lord,
and that they may believe the gospel and rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ,
and be glorified through faith in his name, and that through their repentance
they might be saved” (D&C 3:20).
The
Book of Mormon tells us that the mistreatment of the Native Americans – which
comprise several ancient cultures, including the children of Lehi – will
someday have to be answered upon the heads of the disobedient American
Gentiles. When the Savior visited the Nephites after His resurrection, he
prophesied that their descendants would act as a scourge to the wicked in the
last days:
“But
if they [the American Gentiles] will not turn unto me, and hearken unto my
voice, I will suffer them, yea, I will suffer my people, O house of Israel,
that they shall go through among them, and shall tread them down, and they
shall be as salt that hath lost its savor, which is thenceforth good for
nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of my people, O house
of Israel” (3rd Nephi 16:15).
When
the Savior appeared to the Nephites again on the following day, he expounded on
this prophecy, and described in detail how the wicked would be obliterated by
the children of Lehi: “And my people who are a remnant of Jacob shall be among
the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the
forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both
treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Their hand shall be
lifted up upon their adversaries, and all their enemies shall be cut off.
“Yea,
wo be unto the Gentiles except they repent; for it shall come to pass in that
day, saith the Father, that I will cut
off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots; and I
will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strongholds; and I
will cut off witchcrafts out of thy land, and thou shalt have no more
soothsayers; thy graven images I will also cut off, and thy standing images out
of the midst of thee, and thou shalt no more worship the works of thy hands;
and I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee; so will I destroy thy
cities. And it shall come to pass that all lyings, and deceivings, and
envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, shall be done away.
“For
it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that at that day whosoever will no
repent and come unto my Beloved Son, them will I cut off from among my people,
O house of Israel; and I will execute vengeance and fury upon them, even as
upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.” (3rd Nephi 21:12-21;
see also 3rd Nephi 20:16-20. It is significant to note that the
Savior is quoting from the prophecies given to the prophet Micah, which are
found in Micah 5:7-15).[4]
President
Marion G. Romney offered an enlightening commentary: “It is concerning the
covenants the Lord made with their fathers which run in favor of the Lamanites
and culminate in their blossoming as the rose that I wish to speak….
“Other
covenants which the Lord made with their fathers were to the effect that the
remnant would accept the gospel, regain their inheritance and former blessings
and take part in the latter-day redemption of Zion….
“…
The Lord is pouring out his spirit upon the Lamanites. They are accepting the
record of their fathers and are coming to a knowledge of the ‘things’ referred
to by Jesus…. And they will continue to accept it in ever-increasing numbers.
As they receive and live it, they are certain to regain their favored status in
the house of Israel and participate in the redemption of Zion and the building
of the New Jerusalem here in America. Jacob, even now, flourishes in the wilderness,
and shortly the ‘Lamanites shall blossom as the rose,’ heralding ‘the great day
of the Lord.’”[5]
[16] 2028 The Last Days Passover, March 13,
2028 [Monday]
It
is highly probable, based on the Lord's pattern of timing of past events
(previous anniversary patterns demonstrated in Israel’s history), that the
exodus will occur at the Feast of the Passover, which takes place on the
evening of the fourteenth of Nisan (March-April), seven years prior to the end
of time (Christ's Second Coming).[6]
Isaiah
26:20 – Gileadi translation: “Come, O my people, enter your chambers and shut
the doors behind you; hide yourselves a little while until the wrath is past.”
The
things of the past are types of future events. Here we see the last days
Passover. When the tribulation begins, the Lord counsels the righteous to be
prepared, to enter their chambers, or homes, and shut the doors until the wrath
passes over. This is the same commandment given to the Israelites as they
prepared to leave ancient Egypt. It will be the same in our day. In order to
enter into our chambers and shut the doors to wait out the initial tribulation,
we will have to be prepared, with food, fuel and clothing.[7]
The
Exodus of the righteous Saints begins the night before the war against the
Saints and America starts (or at the Passover), showing the continuity of these
two signs.[8]
See signs 32, 33, and 34 for a more probable scenario.
[17] 2028: May 15th: 80th
Anniversary of Israel: end of 2nd 40-year Jewish Cycle
At
this point in the chronology, a dramatic end has been reached; the times of the
Gentiles is over; it is now Israel’s time to receive the blessings of the Lord
in full measure; but they will be accompanied by great strife: the tribulation
(seven years) prior to Christ’s Second Coming.
[18] 2028: Elders Called Home
3
Nephi 16:10 And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you: At that
day when the Gentiles shall sin against the gospel, and shall reject the
fullness of my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts
above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be
filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all
manner of hypocrisy, and murders, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of
secret abominations; and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject
the fullness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fullness
of my gospel from among them.
D&C
88:84-85, 88-90 = 84: Therefore, tarry ye, and labor diligently, that you may
be perfected in your ministry to go forth among the Gentiles for the last time,
as many as the mouth of the Lord shall name, to bind up the law and seal up the
testimony, and to prepare the saints for the hour of judgment which is to come:
85: That their souls may escape the wrath of God, the desolation of abomination
which awaits the wicked, both in this world and in the world to come…. 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 lightenings, and the voice of tempests, and the
voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds.
What
would cause the missionaries to be called home? They will continue to work
until world conditions become such that the Church cannot safely allow
missionaries into the various countries; hence a major event will create a
condition that causes the existing missionary program to end. Many people look
for this as a preliminary sign to the last days, but in reality, it occurs
after something bad has already happened; and after all of the signs noted
above.
As
the persecution of the Church increases in the latter days, it will eventually
result in the missionaries being withdraw from the nations. This significant
event will have a number of surprising consequences, both for the Church and
for the nations of the world.[9]
Brigham
Young said: “All we have yet heard and we have experienced is scarcely a
preface to the sermon that is going to be preached. When the testimony of the
Elders ceases to be given, and the Lord says to them ‘come home; I will now
preach my own sermons to the nations of the earth,’ all you now know can
scarcely be called a preface to the sermon that will be preached with fire and
sword, tempests, earthquakes, hail, rain, thunders and lightnings, and fearful
destruction. What matters the destruction of a few railway cars? You will hear
of magnificent cities, now idolized by the people, sinking in the earth,
entombing the inhabitants. The sea will heave itself beyond its bounds,
engulfing mighty cities. Famine will spread over the nations and nation will
rise up against nation, kingdom against kingdom and states against states, in
our own country and in foreign lands; and they will destroy each other, caring
not for the blood and lives of their neighbors, of their families, or for their
own lives.” [10]
It
is sad to consider the terrible destruction and loss of life that are awaiting
these errant souls who reject the missionaries and their message of salvation.
If the wicked would only repent and join the righteous, their lives would be
preserved. But when the Lord begins to pour out His judgments, it will be too
late. The destruction that will befall them will be so catastrophic that it
will leave the people in a state of shock and honor. As the luxuries and
conveniences of modern life are stripped away, chaos will descend upon the
nation as the people fight and pillage among themselves.
The
righteous will not rejoice in these massive destructions of the wicked, but
they will grieve for the loss of so many precious souls that could have been
saved if they had only heeded the word of God. President Young continued:
“You
may think that the little you hear of now is grievous; yet the faithful of
God’s people will see days that will cause them to close their eyes because of
the sorrow that will come upon the wicked nations. The hearts of the faithful
will be filled with pain and anguish for them.”[11]
Wilford
Woodruff also added his testimony about the fate of the wicked when they reject
the missionaries of God:
“I
can further testify, that there is no nation that will escape the judgments of
the Almighty. There is no ear but what has to be penetrated with the sound of
the gospel of Christ; and by-and-by the elders of Israel will be taken from
those nations where they are now preaching, and there will be another set of
missionaries sent among the people; there will be the voice of lightning, the
noise of war, and of all those judgments which have been enumerated and
prophesied of since the beginning of time, and they will go forth among the
nations until the land is cleansed from the abominations that now reign upon
the face of the earth.”[12]
“By
and by the testimony of the gospel will be sealed among the Gentiles, and the
gospel will turn to the whole house of Israel, and the judgments of God will
back up the testimony of the elders of this Church, and the Lord will send
messengers who will go forth and reap down the earth.”[13]
[19] 2028: Times of the Gentiles
Fulfilled
The
period from the restoration of the gospel in 1830, until a point when the
gospel will no longer be preached to the Gentiles is called the “times of the
Gentiles.” The Gentiles of the last days will resemble the Jews at the time of
Jesus: some willingly will die for him even as others put him to an open shame.
D&C 25, 28-30; 25: [The Jews] shall be gathered again; but
they shall remain until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled; 28: And when
the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that
sit in darkness, and it shall be the fullness of my gospel; 29: But they
receive it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their hearts
from me because of the precepts of men; 30: And in that generation shall the
times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
The
time period during which the Gentile nations were the focus of God’s
missionaries and of the Savior and God Himself, was full of revelation and prophecy
in which doctrines and teachings never before revealed in the history of the
world were made known. The gospel was restored on the earth in its fullness.
The
Lord confided to His disciples that, unfortunately, the world would not receive
what God not only wanted them to have but verified through the outpouring of
His Spirit. Though He would have given them the gospel if they had wanted it,
“they receive[d] it not; for they perceive[d] not the light and they turn[ed]
their hearts from me because of the precepts of men” (D&C 45:29).
After
the Gentiles have had a chance to hear the gospel, the gathering of the Jews
will commence. Recognizing the Times of the Gentiles gives us a clue as to
where we are in the sequence of times. Elder Wilford Woodruff said: “No man
knows the day or the hour when Christ will come, yet the generation has been
pointed out by Jesus himself…. The Savior, when speaking to his disciples of
his second coming and the establishment of his kingdom on the earth, said the
Jews should be scattered and trodden under foot until the Times of the Gentiles
were fulfilled. But, said he, when you see light breaking forth among the
Gentiles, referring to the preaching of his Gospel amongst them; when you see
salvation offered to the Gentiles, and the Jews – the seed of Israel – passed
by, the last first and the first last; when you see this you may know that the
time of my second coming is at hand as surely as you know that summer is nigh
when the fig tree puts forth its leaves; and when these things commence that
generation shall not pass away until all are fulfilled. We are living in the
dispensation and generation to which Jesus referred.”[14]
How
does Babylon blind the majority of the people so that they cannot perceive the
light? It is through her ability to seduce people into committing the greatest
immorality. She teaches her disciples to love things and to use people. And
they commit the greatest immorality when they come to love things and use
people to get them. The tobacco industry, the drug cartels, the movie and the
pornography industries are a few of these wicked and selfish groups; as are
lawyers, doctors, priests, and the food industry. This period will be rampant
with the inebriating wine of materialism, which will fill people’s souls and
the liquor of selfishness is a near-religion for some. Its theology is ‘me,’
its hereafter is ‘now,’ and its rituals consist of sensation![15]
As
the wicked turn against the Church in the last days an important but tragic
event will soon occur: the missionaries – the messengers of the gospel – will
be withdrawn from the Gentile nations, bringing to an end the times of the
Gentiles (Luke 21:24; D&C 45:25-30). These wicked nations will then bring
upon themselves the wrath of God, and death and destruction will eventually be
unleashed upon them. Because the wicked have been filling their cup of iniquity
for many years, they will push themselves past the tipping point with a series
of false actions.[16]
When
these destructions rain down upon the heads of the wicked at the end of the
times of the Gentiles, all national unity will be destroyed as disorder fills
the land. This will begin to fulfill the prophecy of Daniel, in which he saw
that the kingdoms of the world would be destroyed and replaced by the political
Kingdom of God.[17]
Heber
C. Kimball wrote: “The judgments of God will be poured out upon the wicked to
the extent that our elders from far and near will be called home. Or in other
words, the gospel will be taken from the Gentiles and later on will be carried
to the Jews [this marks the fulfillment of the Times of the Gentiles].[18]
Orson
Pratt foretold: “When God has called out the righteous, when the warning sign
has been sufficiently proclaimed among the Gentile nations, and the Lord says,
‘It is enough,’ He will also say to His servants, ‘O, ye, my servants, come
home, come out from the midst of these Gentile nations, where you have labored
and borne testimony for so long a period; come out from among them, for they
are not worthy; they do not receive the message that I have sent forth, they do
not repent of their sins, come out from their midst, their times are fulfilled.
Seal up the testimony among them and bind up the law.’”[19]
Note:
2028 is the end of the second forty-year cycle of the Jews claiming their
homeland again on May 14, 1948. The beginning of the end must be at the end of
their two cycles and prior to the last seven years of disasters and
tribulations prior to the Second Coming. It would follow that if the Times of
the Gentiles is over, that the beginning of the Time of the Jews (or more
appropriately the Time of Israel) is the beginning of the last seven years of
the world’s existence; and the beginning of Daniel’s last week (see pages five
and six).
The
Prophet Joseph Smith said that the gospel would just be entering the last
Gentile nations when the times of the Gentiles would come to an end and
destruction would descend upon the wicked. On two different occasions he
taught: “The servants of God will not have gone over the nations of the Gentiles,
with a warning voice, until the destroying angel will commence to waste the
inhabitants of the earth, and as the prophet hath said: ‘It shall be a vexation
to hear the report’ (Isaiah 28:19).[20]
“The
last revelation says ye shall not have time to have gone over the earth until
these things come. It will come as did the cholera; war, fires, and
earthquakes; one pestilence after another, until the Ancient of Days come, then
judgment will be given to the Saints.[21]
“…
Historically, over the last two thousand years, many in the Church have written
off Israel and ignored the eternal covenant promises that God made to his
chosen people, the Jews. Many scholars have mistakenly taught that God rejected
and abandoned Israel forever when the majority of Israel rejected Jesus Christ
as the Messiah. However, the apostle Paul warned the Church against this tragic
error: ‘For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery,
lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened
to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel
shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer,
and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob’” (Romans 11:25).[22]
Luke
21:24-25 (see also the Inspired Revision of Luke 21:24-32) 24: And then his
disciples asked him, saying, Master, tell us concerning they coming? 25: And he
answered them, and said, In the generation in which the times of the Gentiles
shall be fulfilled, there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in
the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity, like the sea
and the waves roaring. The earth also shall be troubled, and the waters of the
great deep.
D&C
45:24-25 = 24: And this I have told you concerning Jerusalem; and when that day
shall come, shall a remnant be scattered among all nations: 25: But they shall
be gathered again; but they shall remain until the times of the Gentiles be
fulfilled.
[20] 2028: Famines, Depressions and
Economic Turmoil; Much Despair, Doom and Gloom and Emotional Instability [beginning
to be fulfilled]
Famine: 2nd Nephi 1:18 Referring to the land of liberty, Nephi
prophecies that famine will come upon the land because of the hardness of
hearts of the people. 2nd Nephi 6:15: “They who believe not on the
Messiah shall be destroyed by famine.” Isaiah 14:30 (also 2nd Nephi
24:30): “I will kill thy root with famine.” Alma 10:22: “If it were not for the
prayers of the righteous, ye would be visited now with famine.” Alma 62:35, 39:
war causes famine.
Helaman
10:6: Nephi is given power to smite the earth with famine. Helaman 11:4: “Let
there be famine in the land to stir the people up in remembrance of the Lord.”
Helaman 13:9: 400 years will not pass away before the Lord visits the Nephites
with famine.
D&C
43:25: “How oft has the Lord called upon the nations by the voice of famine.”
D&C 87:6: “With famine shall the inhabitants of the earth feel the wrath of
God.” JS-M 1:29: famine in the last days. JS-H 1:45: judgments to come with
great desolation by famine.
During
the summer of 2012 over 60% of the counties in the United States were
experiencing severe drought, the worst since records have been kept. Note: 1620
{arrival of the Pilgrims} + 400 years = 2020 {possible Nephite parallel to our
famine period}.
Most
people don’t recognize change until it is staring them in the face. Time is of
the essence. Those that are unprepared shall see famine and pestilence. Joseph
Smith stressed: “It was made known unto me by the Holy Spirit that there should
be prosperity, seed time, and harvest every year in which the rainbow was seen.
But in the year when the bow was not to be seen would commence desolation,
calamity, and distress among the nations, without seed time or harvest.[23]
Famine
and pestilence, in part only, is nature turned ugly. As part of the Angel
Moroni’s brief warning[24]
famine is principally caused by political conditions rather than the lack of
food. Wherever there is famine, there are armies or police states either
controlling the flow of foodstuff, or stealing it outright. The 20th
century famines in the Ukraine in 1932-1934, in China in 1958-1961, and in
Cambodia in 1975-1979, were all caused by Marxist governments enforcing Marxist
economic ideology on peasant populations. History shows that famines “have
nearly always been a hallmark of economic backwardness,” rather than
overpopulation. Unfortunately, pestilence grows during times of war where the
poor general health of displaced refugees leaves them susceptible to disease.[25]
Depression and Economic Turmoil
Isaiah
19:10 (Gileadi translation) “… and all who work for wages suffer distress.
Time, November 7, 2011, page 20 With reference to the European Union, “the
most likely scenario is a slow slide to some lesser union of fewer nations, as
weaker countries drop out of the European Union [in March of 2017 Great Britain
withdrew from the EU – certainly not one of the weaker nations]. The result
would be a drag on global growth and a lack of confidence in Europe’s future.
The end of the European dream integration would be the end of the free world as
we’ve known it. The European Union has 500,000,000 people. If Europe fails, we
do too.”
The Philadelphia Trumpet, March 2009, pages 2-3. “How Ukraine
Last
August, when Russia invaded the tiny nation of Georgia, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote that “Russia’s attack
on Georgia … marks the beginning of a dangerous new era in history.”
Dr.
George Friedman from Stratfor said this about it: “The war in Georgia … is
Russia’s public return to great-power status.”
Forcing
Georgia back into the Russian sphere of influence was stage one of Putin’s plan
to return Russia to “great-power status.” And it was successful, thanks in no
small part to Germany’s complicity….
Then
the financial crisis of September 2008 struck, and the media began to neglect
Russia’s history-altering actions…. After recognizing stage one of Putin’s
plan, Mr. Flurry anticipated what the next stage might be: “Will a crisis occur
over Ukraine
Mr.
Flurry got even more specific. “Russia has Germany – and all of Europe – over a
barrel. Cutting off part of the flow of gas to a country would wreck havoc on
the economy!” he said, implying that a gas crisis with Europe might well be
used to carry out stage two of Putin’s plan: to wrest Ukraine from Europe and
back into the Russian sphere of influence. He was right!
When
Russia reduced its natural gas exports to Ukraine on January 1, initial reports
indicated that the spat would continue between Kiev and the Kremlin, would be
short-lived and would not impact Europeans in a major way. European countries,
with supply lines and tanks at full capacity, weren’t overly concerned about
another mid-winter energy crisis like the winter 2006 debacle.
Early
reports were wrong. Three days after the first reduction, when it was apparent
Ukraine was not hurting like Russia had hoped, the Kremlin cut supplies
further. Still, that wasn’t enough. The next day, Moscow stopped natural gas
shipments through the last large operating pipeline through Ukraine, cutting
off all gas flowing to Europe via Ukraine.
Europe
was embroiled in a major energy crisis, again. It didn’t take long before the
heat and lights went out up and down the Balkan Peninsula; Bulgarian consumers
were told to switch off gas stoves; and Slovakia declared a state of emergency.
Meanwhile, deep cuts to supplies in Greece, Macedonia, Hungary, Croatia,
Austria, the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, France, Germany and Italy
affected millions and cost European industries billions.
Tensions
soared. Like the homes of countless Europeans, relations between Russia and
Europe cooled, fast. For three weeks diplomats and politicians scurried
furiously. The Kremlin argued that its beef was with Ukraine, not Europe….
Moscow was well aware [however] that the European Union imports 25% of its gas
from Russia, 80% of which flows through pipelines dissecting Ukraine. When
Russia punished Kiev, it knew the pain would resonate across Europe….
“Ukraine
hems in the south of European Russia so thoroughly that any hostile power
controlling Kiev could easily threaten a variety of core Russian interest,
including Moscow itself,” Stratfor analyst Peter Zeihan explained. “Ukraine also pushes far enough east that a
hostile Kiev would sever most existing
infrastructure connections to the Caucasus .
Simply put, a Ukraine outside the Russian sphere of influence transforms Russia
into a purely defensive power, one with little hope of resisting pressure from
anywhere. But a Russified Ukraine makes it possible for Russia to project power
outward, and to become a major regional – and potentially global – player.”
Without Ukraine , Russia
The
conspiracy between Russia and Germany – as spokesman for the EU – was struck on
January 16, 2009. In exchange for gasoline flowing, Germany agreed to allow
Russia to attack Ukraine and absorb it back into Russia. The rest of the EU was
told to get behind Germany or lose their gasoline.
During
the early part of 2014, the Crimea was taken over by Russia and the attack on
the rest of the Ukraine began and became a fait
accompli; the U.S. stood back, protested and watched it happen. Russia now
had free access to the Mediterranean and Israel.
This
war continues into 2015 and the future does not look as if any nation is going
to come to Ukraine’s defense.[26]
Seminar
[2010] with neighbor John Murray, Harmony Valley:
Lehman
Brothers, September 15, 2008, almost brought the financial community to its
knees; this is because we have become a debt-based society. September 15, 2012
Ben Bernanke began printing trillions of dollars to try and keep the country
from sliding into a depression.
We
need to localize food production as quickly as possible.
We
need to re-establish the rule of law; rebuild local economies; rebuild the
railroad system.
We
need to expect less each year; localize all needs, including money (local
medium of exchange).
How
we may be forced to live may be how we should have lived all along.
Water: water creates disease, non-waste processing; death from dehydration;
protect the water supply. John Cronin, The
Riverkeepers, says that the quantity and quality of water is decreasing.
Big rivers and waterways are polluted: fish, etc. can’t be eaten safely more
than once a week.
If
you run out of water, you have to leave.
Re-cycling
sewage for drinking water will become more common; but some sewage treatment
plants can’t process some chemicals out. We need to be able to measure what is
in our water.
Food: Food will become the problem; it is beginning now; population growth
is continuing while oil has reached its peak production. The collapse of
America has already begun. Cutbacks are beginning; failures in the
infrastructure are beginning. There were 1,500,000,000 to 2,000,000,000 people
born from Christ to the 1860s when oil was discovered. There have been
5,000,000,000 people born since 1860. The great die-off will begin as oil
production is unable to be sustained. Fossil fuels are the magic of modern
civilization; they will run out before replacement solutions are on-line; our
current lifestyle is unsustainable. [There are some recent indications that oil
replenishes itself in the ecosystem. So possibly this statement is not true.]
Oil: James Howard Kunstler
U.
S. oil peaked in 1970 at 10,000,000 barrels a day; 2011 it was at 5,000,000
barrels a day. The world peak in oil production will be reached by 2030 at the
latest. The U. S. consumes 20,000,000 barrels a day and is increasing the
demand. We import oil to maintain our way of living. The Hersh Report was
buried by the Department of Energy. Our demands will not be met without
imported oil.
Finances: Debt and sustainable resources must remain in
balance; high debt is an imbalance. You can’t solve a credit crisis with more
credit. The United States is insolvent; Bankruptcy occurs when people want
their money and countries call in their loans. We are viewing a giant ponzi
scheme; we need to retool or the economy won’t grow; innovations are relatively
recent.
Future Predictions Based on “Spencer’s” Visions of Glory
And the trends just mentioned
The time frames given here, year-wise, are mine [Lyman
De Platt] based principally on several key dates outlined above.
1) May 15,
2028: The end of two forty-year cycles of modern Israel is the key date.
2) It marks the
end of the Time of the Gentiles;
3) It marks the
beginning of the last seven years of the earth’s physical existence;
4) It marks the
worldwide economic collapse;
5) It marks the
rise of the Antichrist;
6) It marks the
rise of the Davidic King [John the Beloved];
7) It marks the
end of all nations and the creation of the New World Order;
8) It marks the
separation of the righteous from the wicked;
9) It marks the
beginning of the U. S. Civil War; including invasions of foreign troops and
nuclear attacks;
10) It marks
Israel’s full-blown apostasy;
11) It marks the
beginning of the righteous wandering in the wilderness; places of refuge; the
Lord raining down wrath and destruction upon the wicked; and
12) It marks the
start of “Spencer’s” visions of earthquakes and destructions in Utah. See also
#28 below for another possible important date.
In
2028, in the fall of the year[27]
(given as July or August elsewhere in the book, an earthquake will occur
affecting Utah and other areas. It occurs about noon, lasting for some six to
eight minutes in Salt Lake City, which at the time of the quake has developed
minor changes in the skyline, with newer model cars around; the mountains
collapse on many homes on the east bench; flooding occurs for the rest of the
day; (page 124 of Visions of Glory)
the Great Salt Lake rises about twelve feet covering parts of I-15 and I-80;
the airport shuts down; the lake grows about twice its present size; the Salt
Lake Temple is flooded to twenty feet deep; the tabernacle is destroyed.
2029:
(pages 118-119) A series of earthquakes the following spring after the Utah
quake occur along the west coast of North and South America, from Chile to
Alaska; many coastal areas are broken off, forming islands; major cities are
flattened; tidal waves are created all across the world.
2029
Summer: after the spring quakes on the west coast, a large earthquake creates a
canyon and a lake up the Mississippi River
Valley , up the Ohio River, into the Great Lakes . This mega lake creates a separate eastern
and western United States. A large landmass surfaces in the Caribbean divided
into islands throughout the area. A tidal wave goes inland as far north as
Chicago.
It
is possible that these earthquakes are the result of Apophis, the comet which
will approach earth on Friday, April 13, 2029, with its second return (the
first will be on Friday the 13th, April 2, 2024; the third in 2036);
its trajectory in 2029 will depend on several variables that the scientists
have not yet worked out. It is predicted at this time (2017) to only come
within 18,300 miles of earth.
The
earthquakes mentioned will also trigger volcanic eruptions around the world.
Scientists have discovered a volcano under nearly a mile of solid ice near the
South Pole. It is theorized that heat from this volcano may be the source of
voluminous ice streams in western Antarctica and that this abundance of water
is lubricating the slide of glaciers across the region’s ice sheet. This
condition could lead to the catastrophic collapse of an ice sheet that could
release enough water into the Pacific Ocean to raise global sea levels by
eighteen to twenty feet. Such a disaster would bury in the depths of the seas
many of the low-lying areas of the planet where a good portion of the earth’s
population lives.[28]
Ezekiel
38:19-20 and Haggai 2:6-7 state that an earthquake will occur and will be so
catastrophic that the whole world will be affected.[29]
The
timing and reason for this earthquake are important to understand. In
Revelation 16:18 it says: “And there were voices [usually the resonance caused
by a earth-approaching object from space], and thunders, and lightenings; and
there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so
mighty an earthquake, and so great.”
Another
reference to this monumental event is also found in Revelation 6:12: “And I
beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great
earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became
as blood.” We see from this that the time frame is prior to the opening of the
seventh seal, which in this study is set at October 2, 2032.
2029:
famine: manufacturing and industry come to a virtual standstill; factories and
global businesses shut down overnight; no raw materials are available;
utilities are in chaos.
[21] 2028: Worldwide Economic Collapse
Before
all the governments of the world will give up their independence, including the
United States, we will experience some sort of event that will cause a global
economic meltdown. This event will set the stag for the nations of the world to
do whatever is required to bring back order to our world.[30]
“…
whenever this time was that I was being shown, the financial structure of the
world had completely collapsed. Every bank had closed down and money was
worthless. People were learning to trade and barter. Manufacturing and industry
were at a virtual standstill. There were no raw materials and no money to pay
the workers. Factories and global businesses shut down overnight.
“All
of the utilities were in chaos. People tried to keep the necessities of life
running, but they were sporadic and mostly offline. There were blackouts
everywhere, some of them lasting many months. Almost all water was not fit to
drink because of acts of war against this country. People suffered everywhere.”[31]
A
further comprehensive study of this economic collapse is found in Alan Rex
Mitchell’s The Coming Calamity: Global
Economic Crisis & Latter-day Prophecy.[32]
Page
xii: how we practice economics is actually a barometer of morality…. Page xiii:
Not surprisingly, the earliest studies of economics were a search for
morality…. We may choose between good an evil, but we cannot re-define good and
evil without consequences. If we do, we fit the Lord’s description of the
postmodern worldview, where, “Every man walketh in his own way, and after the
image of his own god,” (D&C 1:16)…. The sins of this generation will come
home to roost in economic turmoil, followed by political unrest…. Page 2: “…
The economic problems resulting from individual and collective choices will
cause chaos and turmoil that will be followed by war and natural calamities.”
Page
8: “At this time, America is embracing socialistic policies to soften a
financial crisis. This policy guarantees that the recession will endure for
years and with it, the potential for social chaos. Nervous consumers would
rather pay off debt than keep buying. Nervous businessmen hesitate to produce.
Yet, the media reports that the sinking economy can be overcome by spending.
The President, Congress, and the Federal Reserve have responded with stimulus
packages and programs to pump money into the economy, but, at this point in
time, there has been tepid response in employment or business activity.”
“…
A few world leaders have protested America’s reckless large-scale spending,
including Angela Merkel, Mirek Topolánek, European Council President and Prime
Minister of the Czech Republic, [who] recently warned: Not only is America
repeating its mistakes from the 1930s – the large scale stimuli, the
protectionist tendencies and appeals, the ‘Buy American’ campaign – all these
steps, their combination, and worse, the initiative to establish them as
permanent, are a road to hell. We have to return to our history books, which so
far have only been gathering dust.”
Page
13: “In The Dollar Crisis, financial
analyst Richard Duncan pointed out America’s mounting private and government
debt back in 2003. He ended his book by saying: “Exactly how these events will
unfold is impossible to forecast; nevertheless, the eventual outcome is within
sight. The dollar standard is inherently flawed and increasingly unstable. Its
demise is imminent. The only question is, will it be death by fire –
hyperinflation – or death by ice – deflation? Fortunes will be made and lost,
depending on the answer to that question.”
Page
15: “According to the author Ayn Rand, the destruction of a free society is
manifest in the attitudes toward money, especially the trust in fiat money
(money declared valid by government decree) that will eventually collapse:
Whenever destroyers appear among men, they start by destroying money, for money
is men’s protection and the base of a moral existence. Destroyers seize gold
and leave to its owners a counterfeit pile of paper. This kills all objective
standards and delivers men into the arbitrary power of an arbitrary setter of
values. Gold was an objective value, an equivalent of wealth produced. Paper is
a mortgage on wealth that does not exist, backed by a gun aimed at those who
are expected to produce it. Paper is a check drawn by legal looters upon an
account which is not theirs: upon the virtue of the victims. Watch for the day
when it bounces, marked ‘Account overdrawn.’”
Page
188: “Perhaps, like the Jews of the past, the Latter-day Saints will be blamed
for hard times simply because they are different, when, in reality, the
economic troubles will be the result of the bad moral culture and economic
policies that accompany the breakup of the family.”
[22] 2028: The Rise of the Antichrist
Rev.
13:1-3 = 1: “And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and
seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and each head a blasphemous name. 2:
The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a
mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne
and great authority. 3: One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a
fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was
astonished and followed the beast.
Rev.
17:12, 14 = 12: The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a
kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the
beast. 14: They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them
because he is the Lord of lords and the King of kings and with him will be his
called, chosen and faithful followers.
Daniel
7:20-21 = 20: I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about
the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell – the horn that
looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke
boastfully. 21: As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and
defeating them.
Daniel
8:23-25 = 23: In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become
completely wicked, a stern faced king, a master of intrigue will arise. He will
become very strong, but not by his own power. 24: He will cause astounding
devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty
men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper and he will consider
himself superior. 25: When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his
stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed but not by human
hands.
These
verses give some incredible insights to the Antichrist. Intrigue means he will
be a master of deceit and lies. He will make war against all that is good and
against God’s people. He will even stand up against Christ.
The
Antichrist is alive today but he will not become the Antichrist until Satan
possesses his body and brings him back from death. He will become the leader of
the one-world government, after being fatally wounded in the head. Prior to
that time he was one of the heads of the ten states that formed the one-world
government (see Sign #29 for the formation of this government).
The
Bible says he who has wisdom may be able to figure out who the Antichrist is
before he comes to power. Rev. 13:18 KJV: Here is wisdom. Let him that hath
understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and
his number is six hundred threescore and six. Whoever he is, he will arise
after the one-world government is in place; and if we follow the money trail,
it may lead to him. Daniel 8:23-24: A stern faced king, a master of intrigue,
will arise. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself
superior. Daniel 11:37: He will show no regard for the god of his fathers or
for the one desired by women [KJV: neither shall he regard the desire of women;
or he will show no regard for babies desired by women], nor will he regard any
god but will exalt himself above them all.
[1]Parry
& Parry, op. cit., pages 234-237.
[2]Gileadi, The Last Days, page 90.
[3]Mitchell,
op. cit., page 96.
[4]Richard
N. Skousen, His Return: Prophecy, Destiny
and Hope (Orem, Utah: Verity Publishing, Inc., 2007), pages 185-186.
[5]Conference
Report, April 1963, pages 75-78.
[6]Jeffrey, op.
cit., page 157.
[7]Gileadi, The
Last Days, op. cit., page 96.
[8]Ibid.,
pages 98, 100.
[9]Skousen, op. cit., page 32.
[10]Brigham
Young, July 15, 1860, Journal of
Discourses 8:123-124
[11]Ibid.
[12]Wilford
Woodruff, July 27, 1862, Journal of
Discourses 10:16.
[13]Wilford
Woodruff, June 27, 1875, Journal of
Discourses 18:38.
[14]Wilford
Woodruff, Journal of Discourses 14:5.
[15]Neal
A. Maxwell, All These Things Shall Give
Thee Experience (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1979), page 30.
[16]Skousen,
op. cit., page 33.
[17]Daniel
7:9-14, 26-27.
[18]Heber C.
Kimball, Deseret News, Church
Department, May 23, 1931, page 3.
[19]Orson
Pratt, Journal of Discourses 18:64
(July 25, 1875).
[20]History of the Church, 2:263.
[21]Ibid., 3:390-391.
[22]Jeffery,
op. cit., pages 9-10.
[23]Kent
P. Jackson, Joseph Smith’s Commentary on
the Bible (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1994), page 124.
[24]Joseph
Smith – History 1:45: “… great desolation by famine, sword, and pestilence…”
[25]Mitchell,
op. cit., page 4.
[26]See
pages 32-33 for Russia’s possible future attack on the Dardanelles of Turkey,
with the end result that they would have full access to the Mediterranean.
[27]John
Pontius, Visions of Glory
(Springville: Cedar Fort, Inc., 2012), pages 116-117, 138.
[28]See
“Chilling Thoughts: Antarctic Volcano Gives New Meaning to ‘Meltdown,’” Salt Lake Tribune, February 11, 1993,
page A1; quoted in Hoyt W. Brewster Jr., Behold
I Come Quickly: The Last Days and Beyond (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book,
1994), page 32.
[29]Grant
R. Jeffery, Armageddon: Earth’s Last Days
(Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1997), pages 95-96.
[30]Shorey, op. cit., page 155.
[31]Pontius,
op. cit., pages 116-117.
[32]Alan
Rex Mitchell, The Coming Calamity: Global
Economic Crisis & Latter-day Prophecy (Vernon, Utah: Greenjacket Books,
2010), 224 pages.
[23] 2028: U. S. Civil War: Part of the
War of Gog and Magog
D&C
45:68-70 = 68: And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that
will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion
When
the foreign troops invade the United States, they will destroy all of the
military capabilities of the country. They will strike first without
provocation. What will be left of the government will encourage the citizens to
submit to the new order of things.
All
three battles of the last days could be called the “Battle of Gog and Magog.”
However, the 2nd war is usually called “Armaggedon,” and the third –
last – war is at the end of the Millennium and is not usually considered.
The Russian Invasion of Israel (probable date of the beginning of War of
Gog and Magog); Beginning of a Second American Civil War: the Break-up of the
Disunited States of America
2029: December 24, 2029, approximately seven years before Armaggedon. The
prophet Ezekiel (38:19 – 39:8) describes the awesome destruction God will
inflict on those nations that Russia will lead in attacking Israel. If we
compare Ezekiel 38:19-22 with Haggai 2:18-22, we see the possibility that the
24th day of Chisleu – the day before Hanukkah, in our month of
December – is probably the day for this prophetic fulfillment. The Bible does
not reveal the year of this battle. Only time will reveal whether “the day
whereof I have spoken,” will occur on this anniversary of so many of Israel
Ezekiel
38:19-20 and Haggai 2:6-7 state that an earthquake will occur and will be so
catastrophic that the whole world will be affected. [1]
Ezekiel
38:1-6 Preface = The battle of Gog and Magog against Israel shall usher in the
Second Coming – The Lord will come amid war and pestilence, and all men shall
shake at his presence. 1: And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 2: Son
of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of
Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3: And say, Thus saith the Lord
God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meschech and Tubal;
4: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring
thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with
all sorts of armour, even shields, all of them handling swords: 5: Persia,
Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6: Gomer,
and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his
bands: and many people with thee.
Russia
and her allies (the former republics of the USSR, Eastern Europe, and the Arab
and possibly the 3rd World countries), still await their appointment
with destiny.
TLD,
49-50 The U.S. is actually bankrupt and so far in debt that our national debt
is the major issue in all recent national elections. We are on the brink of
total economic collapse and when the civil war comes, it will virtually put an
end to the government’s income. That is when we will be super vulnerable, and
we will be delivered into the hand of a cruel master and harsh ruler (Isaiah
19:4).[2]
This
great ruler will be an enemy of God and of the Savior and this is why he is
called the Antichrist. He will hate the righteous Christian people, especially
members of the Church. He will blaspheme everything holy and eventually people
will worship him. John goes on to tell of a second beast or powerful individual
who will arise at about this time:
“And
I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a
lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast
before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the
first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that
he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of the beast;
saying to them that dwell on the earth, by the means of those miracles which he
had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the
earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a
sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast,
that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would
not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both
small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right
hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that
had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is
wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it
is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred three-score and six”
(Rev. 13:11-18).
TLD,
61-62 The Lord sends his scourge, the king of Assyria ,
the “rod of his anger,” and commissions him against us. The king of Assyria,
however, does not know that this is his purpose. He thinks he is doing it on
his own to annihilate people and exterminate nations. In other words, we have
an exterminator about to be turned loose on us. “Then the Lord said, Just as my
servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and
portent against Egypt and Cush, so shall the king of Assyria lead away the
captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, both young and old, naked and
barefoot, with buttocks uncovered – to Egypt’s shame. Men shall be appalled and
perplexed at Cush, their hope, and at Egypt, their boast. In that day shall the
inhabitants of this isle say, See what has become of those we looked up to, on
whom we relied for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria .
How shall we ourselves escape? (Isaiah 20:3-6)[3]
This
prophecy is against Egypt and Cush which are metaphorical names for the United
States and Canada. The king of Assyria will take the people of these two
countries captive for three and a half years leading them off barefoot and with
bare behinds. The captivity comes following the civil war and unrest which
weakens the United States so that it cannot defend itself.
This
is a gruesome picture and since we, Ephraim, live in Egypt, this will be the
fate of some of the members of the Church as well. The people of other nations
in this hemisphere, which is a huge island separated from Eurasia by water,
will be dismayed because they looked to the United States and Canada for
protection. They wonder how they will escape and of course they will not because
he is given dominion over all nations, kindreds and peoples, as both John and
Daniel told us.
The
end condition after this event occurs is the captivity of the world. Of course
the beast has his allies such as China and the countries of Europe and we do
not know what effect his reign may have on them. If this century is any
indication, the nations of Europe will become much like the Warsaw Pact nations
who had puppet Soviet governments with the people under their harsh rule and in
subjection but under conditions less severe than the other conquered countries,
such as our own.
[24] 2028: Israel’s Apostasy Begins in
its Full-blown State
Book
of Mormon, Testimony of Joseph Smith, 12th paragraph; 1st
Nephi 19:11-16; 22:55.
It
would stand to reason that this sign follows the Great Division. Once the
righteous are separated from the other members of the Church, these other
members will become as wicked as the rest of the world. See Sign #32; all these
signs are in 2028.
Israel’s
Apostasy: Isaiah 1:2-4 = 2: “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the
Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have
rebelled against me. 3: … Israel
D&C
45:29-32 = 29: But they receive not; for they perceive not the light, and they
turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men. 30: And in that
generation shall the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 31: And there shall be
men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an
overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land. 32: But my
disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the
wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die.
We
see in Isaiah that there are two forms of full-blown apostasy: 1) injustice;
1:21-23; 3:14-26) and 2) idolatry (Isaiah 2:7-8; 8:19).
Isaiah
1:21-25 = 21: How is the faithful city become an harlot! It was full of
judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. 22: Thy silver is
become dross, thy wine mixed with water: 23: Thy princes are rebellious, and
companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they
judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
24: Therefore saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah,
I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies: 25: And I
will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all
thy tin:
Isaiah
3:14-26 = 14: The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his
people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil
of the poor is in your houses. 15: What mean ye that ye beat my people to
pieces, and grind the faces of the poor saith the Lord God of hosts? 16:
Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk
with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and
making a tinkling with their feet: 17: Therefore the Lord will smite with a
scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover
their secret parts. 18: In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of
their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round
tires like the moon, 19: The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, 20:
The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets,
and the earrings, 21: The rings, and nose jewels, 22: The changeable suits of
apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, 23: The
glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the veils. 24: And it shall
come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of
a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a
stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty. 25: Thy men
shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. 26: And her gates shall
lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.
2nd
Timothy 3:1-5 = 1: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall
come; 2: For men shall be lovers of their own selves; covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3: without
natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce,
despisers of those that are good, 4: traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of
pleasures more than lovers of God; 5: having a form of godliness; but denying
the power thereof: from such turn away.
2nd
Timothy 4:3-4 = 3: For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears; 4: And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and
shall be turned into fables.
2
Nephi 27:1-5 = 1: But, behold, in the last days, or in the days of the Gentiles
– yea, behold all the nations of the Gentiles and also the Jews, both those who
shall come upon this land and those who shall be upon others lands, yea, even
upon all the lands of the earth, behold, they will be drunken with iniquity and
all manner of abominations. 2: And when that day shall come they shall be
visited of the Lord of Hosts, with thunder and with earthquake, and with a
great noise, and with storm, and with tempest, and with the flame of devouring
fire. 3: And all the nations that fight against Zion, and that distress her,
shall be as a dream of a night vision; yea, it shall be unto them, even as unto
a hungry man which dreameth, and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his soul
is empty; or like unto a thirsty man which dreameth and behold he is faint, and
his soul hath appetite; yea, even so shall the multitude of all the nations be
that fight against Mount Zion. 4: For behold, all ye that doeth iniquity, stay
yourselves and wonder, for ye shall cry out, and cry; yea, ye shall be drunken
but not with wine, ye shall stagger but not with strong drink. 5: For behold,
the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. For behold, ye have
closed your eyes, and ye have rejected the prophets; and your rulers, and the
seers hath he covered because of your iniquity.
D&C
112:23-26 = 23: Verily, verily, I say unto you, darkness covereth the earth,
and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt
before my face. 24: Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of
the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping,
of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the
face of the earth, saith the Lord. 25: And upon my house shall it begin, and
from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord; 26: First among those among
you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me,
and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord.
[25] 2028: False Churches; False
Prophets; False Miracles will Abound [this sign overarches all of the last
days].
The
Tower of Babel
Joseph
Smith History 1:22 I soon found, however, that my telling the story [The First
Vision] had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of
religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase;
and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of
age, and my circumstances in life as to make a boy of no consequence in the
world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the
public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this was common
among all the sects – all united to persecute me.
[Referring
to the Nephite record going forth in a day of wickedness, degeneracy, and apostasy]:
Mormon 8:26-41 = 26: And no one need say they shall not come, for they surely
shall, for the Lord hath spoken it; for out of the earth shall they come, by
the hand of the Lord, and none can stay it; and it shall come in a day when it
shall be said that miracles are done away; and it shall come even as if one
should speak from the dead. 27: And it shall come in a day when the blood of
saints shall cry unto the Lord, because of secret combinations and the works of
darkness. 28: Yea, it shall come in a day when the power of God shall be
denied, and churches become defiled and be lifted up in the pride of their
hearts; yea, even in a day when leaders of churches and teachers shall rise in
the pride of their hearts, even to the envying of them who belong to their
churches. 29: Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be heard of fires,
and tempests, and vapors of smoke in foreign lands. 30: And there shall also be
heard of wars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes in divers places. 31: Yea, it
shall come in a day when there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the
earth; there shall be murders, and robbings, and lying, and deceivings, and
whoredoms, and all manner of abominations; when there shall be many who will
say, Do this, or do that, and it mattereth not, for the Lord will uphold such
at the last day. But wo unto such, for they are in the gall of bitterness and
in the bonds of iniquity. 32: Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be
churches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be
forgiven of your sins. 33: O ye wicked and perverse and stiffnecked people, why
have ye built up churches unto yourselves to get gain? Why have ye transfigured
the holy word of God, that ye might bring damnation upon your souls? Behold,
look ye unto the revelations of God; for behold, the time cometh at that day
when all these things shall come forth among you.
2
Peter 3:3-4 = 3: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days
scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4: and saying, “Where is the promise
of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they
were from the beginning of the creation.
Matthew
16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall
no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them,
and departed.
2nd
Nephi 28:18-29 = 18: But behold, that great and abominable church, the whore of
all the earth, must tumble to the earth, and great must be the fall thereof.
19: For the kingdom of the devil must shake, and they which belong to it must
needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the devil will grasp them with his
everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish; 20 For behold,
at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them
up to anger against that which is good. 21: And others will he pacify, and lull
them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea,
Zion prospereth, all is well – and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and
leadeth them away carefully down to hell. 22: And behold, others he flattereth
away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil,
for there is none – and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them
with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance. 23: Yea, they are
grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that
have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged
according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for
them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment. 24:
Therefore, wo be unto him that is as ease in Zion
Revelation
18 [Preface]: The saints are called out of Babylon lest they partake of her
sins – she falls and is lamented by her supporters. 2: [The angel] … cried
mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen,
and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and
a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3: For all nations have drunk of the
wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed
fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the
abundance of her delicacies. 4: And I heard another voice from heaven, saying,
Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye
receive not of her plagues. 5: For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God
hath remembered her iniquities.
1st
Nephi 14:12-13, 17 = 12: And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the
Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and
abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that
the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face
of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small,
because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw. 13: And it came to
pass that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together
multitudes upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of the
Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God. 17: And when the day cometh that the
wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots, which is the great and
abominable church of all the earth, whose founder is the devil, then, at that
day, the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the
fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the
house of Israel.
The
destruction of the wicked will also bring about the fall of Babylon and the
collapse of the great and abominable church that John and Nephi both saw in
vision (1st Nephi 14:3, 22:14; Revelation 14:8). The prophets have
rejoiced when they have beheld the future fall of Babylon in vision, since this
will be the end of Satan’s reign upon the earth (Isaiah 14:1-24, 48:20;
Revelation 14:8; 18:1-3).
The
fall of Babylon will also result in the destruction of the great and spacious
building that Lehi and Nephi were shown in vision (1st Nephi
8:26-28; 11:35, 12:18). This building, which is filled with those who seek the
glory of the world, will tumble to the earth “and the fall thereof [will be]
exceedingly great (1st Nephi 1:35-36; 12:18). The allurement of
fame, fortune, politics and the entertainment industry will no longer deceive
the people and lead them astray (1st Nephi 8:31-31; 12:18).
The
Lord has told us that He will bring about the destruction of the great and
abominable church by internal strife and turmoil. Fratricidal war will soon
result in the overthrow of Babylon, as Nephi prophesied in 1st Nephi
22:13-14 = 13: And the blood of that great and abominable church, which is the
whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads; for they shall war
among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own
heads, and they shall be drunken with their own blood. 14: And every nation
which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against
another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the
people of the Lord. And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and
that great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that
great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the
fall of it.
The
Savior has told us that “every kingdom divided against itself is brought to
desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand
(Matthew 12:25). Babylon will bring about its own downfall, falling victim to
the very fate it had planned to use to destroy the righteous.[4]
[26] 2028: Fear of Christ Delaying His
Coming
Civilization
will come to a standstill to await the end of all life, and people will despair
aloud, saying that Jesus Christ has delayed His coming until after the end of
all life on the earth.[5]
D&C
45:24-26 = 24: And this I have told you concerning Jerusalem [referred to in
verses 16-23]; and when that day shall come, shall a remnant be scattered among
all nations; 25: But they shall be gathered again; but they shall remain until
the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 26: And in that day shall be heard of
wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s
hearts shall fail them, and they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming
until the end of the earth.
This
scripture implies that the fullness of the times of the Gentiles will have come
in and then the remnant of the House of Israel will be gathered to Jerusalem.
[27] 2028: September 13. My wife Karen died on September 13, 2015. Given the
proximity to all of the events taking place in 2028, possibly September 13,
2028 is a significant date, it being thirteen years from her death. Numbers 16
and 17 above kick off the events of the tribulation period, they beginning on
March 13 and May 15 of 2028. It is speculation at this point but this date
could be the beginning of what Spencer saw in the references below in #28.
[28] 2028: October 24 - Earthquakes Land
Movements, beginning in Salt Lake City.[6]
Tim
LaHaye says: “I have read statistics that certain earthquakes, like the one in
Baluchistan, West Pakistan, on May 31, 1935, was the most devastating
earthquake in all history, but that record has been exceeded several times
since. Major earthquakes have occurred since World War I in Kansu Province,
China; Toyko, Japan; Persia; India; Peru; Taiwan; and Southern California.
One
seismologist at the Scripps Research Center in La Jolla, California, said “It
is almost as though the earth’s plates are gyrating in anticipation of the
world’s greatest earthquake.” The Apostle John in Revelation, forewarned that
the worst earthquakes ever to hit the planet will occur during the seven-year
tribulation period.[7]
John
Shorey records a dream he had on May 11, 2013, that at this writing (May, 2017)
has not occurred, but is consistent with the events recorded by “Spencer”
following John’s record:
“On
Saturday, May 11th, I woke up from just having a dream that was not
like my normal dreams. I could remember every detail and conversation
concerning this dream.
“In
this dream, I was with people I knew from the Northwest Seattle area. It was
about an earthquake that would hit the Northwest. It had not yet happened, but
we were discussing it as if it had already happened. In the dream, we knew this
quake was of the same magnitude as the earthquake that hit Alaska in 1964,
which is said to have been a magnitude 9.2…. It was like I was warning the
people I knew, but they would not take it seriously. However, they seemed to
know it was going to happen.”
John
prayed to know if the dream was really going to happen. He continued to ask for
three days, but no answer was given. After praying again, he went to his office
to read the Bible. He was reading in Psalms and into the second page of reading
came to this scripture (Psalms 18:6-7 NIV): “In my distress I called to the
Lord: I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry
came before him, into his ears. The earth trembled and quaked, and the
foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.”[8]
In
the fall of 2028 – a month later, winter was “fast approaching;” so we can
estimate the earthquake was in September [possibly September 13th as
noted in Sign #27 above] – the following events have been foreseen by our
unnamed brother Spencer, who after some sixty years of preparation was given
permission by Heavenly Father to reveal to the world what he had experienced
and seen. It is recorded in Visions of
Glory, compiled by John Pontius (who died in December of 2013), for
Spencer. I pinpoint this time because it is the end of eighty years of Israel’s
wandering in the desert; protected by God’s power, but without knowing really
who he is. I will revise Spencer’s narrative, taking him out of the equation,
and incorporating his events into my timeline because Heavenly Father intended
that this information given to him be used to understand the signs of the times
by those who are “looking” for them and preparing for the Lord’s coming in
glory.
The
scene is downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. God says, referring to the last days:
“I will begin with my house.” The ground began rolling violently beneath
everyone’s feet. Many fell to the earth unable to rise again and were killed as
the tremors opened up underground water sources and created temporary floods
that drowned them and swept them away. The streets were broken up. Water was
shooting from manhole covers, storm drains and cracks in the earth. It was
fresh water spewing into the air with a deafening roar; gushers of some six
feet in height were seen. The ground continued to convulse for from six to
eight minutes. Cars began to be swept down the streets with people in them.
Furniture, parts of homes, dead bodies and trash of every type filled the
swirling flood which lasted for about eight hours. Water was also flooding into
Salt Lake City from Bountiful. There was also flooding from the south where the
Jordan River was running over its banks, possibly from Utah Lake being filled
and overflowing its shoreline; being inundated by water from the reservoirs
above Alpine, Provo, Springville and Payson canyons. The next morning, the
floodwaters had begun to recede. Debris was everywhere, including dead bodies
and body parts. There was no electricity. All telephone and cell services had
been disrupted. Fallen trees and buildings were everywhere throughout the
northern end of the valley. Old landmarks were gone. The mountains to the east
of the city had collapsed upon the bench areas, burying most of the large homes
above the city. Houses were pushed off their foundations further down into the
valley.
Water
remained in the streets and pooled in low places for several weeks, becoming
quickly fetid and septic. The rest of the water drained into the Great Salt
Lake, moving the salty waters of the lake in a tidal wave out into the desert
northwest of the lake. It grew double in size and rose about twelve feet.
Low-lying farm areas and homes were gone. In some places water covered I-15 and
I-80. The whole airport area was under water and it took months before military
planes could land there. Commercial air service had come to a halt.
The
Salt Lake Temple will be flooded to about twenty-five feet; the old Tabernacle
will be destroyed; only the foundation and a few timbers will remain. The
Joseph Smith Memorial Building and the Church Office Building will be damaged
on the lower floors. The Conference Center will survive with little damage;
flooding of the parking areas and lower rooms; the main auditorium will be
flooded partially, but most of it will easily be salvaged. The flood will
recede quickly, so that most people in the high rises will only be stuck there
for a few days.
There
was great confusion throughout the Church. The leadership of the Church was
stricken just as hard as the general population. At least eighteen general
authorities died at this time; but because all communications were down it
would be several weeks before the Saints heard anything from the official
channels of the Church. Some of the members being scared at having no
leadership began trying or reorganize according to their own ideas. However,
those with the Holy Ghost knew that the process of rebuilding the Church and
restoring the quorums of the priesthood was already underway even though no
details were known. The one group became angry; hoarders if they had anything;
demanding if they did not; the other group was stalwart and giving throughout
this period of discord and strife. Good people from other churches joined in
the relief efforts, in cleaning up the devastations, and in feeding and housing
the homeless and hungry. Burying of the dead was a large task. Groups rushed to
close in damaged but livable homes and to find means for heating them.
Materials were taken from damaged homes to repair the standing ones. Many
families moved in together. It was a Herculean effort.
The
next spring (2029) after the destruction in Utah, there was another devastating
series of earthquakes that occurred along the west coast of North and South
America from Alaska to Chile. The western coast of Alaska, Canada, California,
Mexico, Central America and all the way to the tip of South America, was shaken
so badly that much of it broke away from the mainland and formed a series of
islands off the coast. Seawater rushed in to fill in the canyons between the
continental land mass and the islands. Major cities were shaken to the ground,
with inland areas suffering less damage. Almost all of California was in ruins,
with less destruction further inland from the coast.
This
earthquake sent tsunamis across the world. Europe was not as badly affected and
began sending aid to various countries, including the United States. Asia and
Africa were also spared the major effects of the earthquakes and tsunamis.
About
two months later, another earthquake opened up a narrow canyon, approximately
where the Mississippi River was, though it deviated eastward where the
Mississippi and the Ohio rivers had merged. The canyon followed the old Ohio
River into the Great Lakes region. The upper Ohio and Mississippi rivers
rerouted themselves into this canyon, creating a huge lake and river system
approximately where the old Mississippi River was. This canyon created an
eastern and western United States, which figured into some of the international
situations later on.
A
great landmass arose in the Gulf of Mexico. It extended from Mexico to Florida
and consisted of a few large islands that replaced the water in the Gulf. In
some places, the new land met Mexico, Texas and Florida, but there was a large
waterway separating most of the new land from the United States. This new land
was not totally barren; large parts of it had trees and other vegetation. Some
parts of it were just muddy islands, however.
This
great landmass created a tsunami that did a great deal of devastation as far
north as Chicago. About two-thirds of the Gulf of Mexico was now a series of
large islands.
The
earthquakes did not affect the Eastern Seaboard as much as in the central and
western parts of the country, so the infrastructure was more intact. But there
had been a biological attack which will be treated in Plague #29 below.
[29] 2028: Foreign Troops Attack &
Destroy U. S. Military Capacity
After
the earthquakes begin in Utah and throughout the United States, foreign troops will
begin landing on the east and west coasts of the U.S. There will be tens of
thousands of them. They will come in large ships, some of them former cruise
ships with naval escorts. They will land thousands of vehicles, most of them
laden with relief supplies, but also with large tanks and missile launchers.
They will skip cities like Boston, Chicago and New York City because there will
be no one there to help. Those who had not already died had begun trudging west
to escape from those cities and others.
In
California, some Americans will try to fight the troops because they will see
them as invaders. There will be a few battles where the local people lose and
are subdued. The foreign troops won’t punish the survivors; they will just ask
them to cooperate, feed them, and release them. This will win over the minds of
the people. These troops will come with the expectation, however, that they
will have to kill locals, even though the Americans will be in no condition to
resist them. After lawlessness begins to increase, the troops will summarily
execute the perpetrators. Civil rights and human rights will not exist. In the Utah area, because many of the troops
will also be Mormon, many will refuse to kill their fellow members.
Relief
efforts from outside any disaster area will usually be calculated to take three
to six weeks to put into place. It will take about this time for foreign troops
to begin to arrive from across the Nevada desert from California. Most will not
speak English and will look Asian. They will be dressed in the uniforms of the
United Nations, wearing blue helmets and international insignias on their
vehicle doors, helmets and uniforms. There will be some European troops, but
none from England. There will be some American servicemen and some Mormons
among the troops, including former missionaries.
They
will come in large, strange-looking trucks – much larger than those of the
present military. Some of the trucks will have four or five driven axles and
will be too wide to drive down a single lane of the highway. In Utah, they will
come from the West Coast and make their way across large area of devastation.
They will be loaded with a great amount of cargo – food, medical supplies, fuel
and other necessities. They will set up hospitals with trained doctors. They
will begin occupying schools as their headquarters and using the gymnasiums to
store their supplies, which will be guarded closely. They will have doctors among
that will immediately set up trauma center, but they will soon be overwhelmed.
Many of the local citizens will begin helping these troops to begin using heavy
equipment to dig large graves in the schoolyards. Others will help where they are
needed.
Every
major city that these troops will come to will have been devastated from the
earthquakes and other disasters.
Because
the troops will have information of a broader nature than exists locally, we
will review what they will tell the local people; and what had been seen up to
that point in time.
The
fault that runs along the Wasatch front had moved dramatically, causing a great
deal of damage to cities along the front. The center of the quake was in the
southern end of the Salt Lake Valley, where one of the east-west faults that
branches off the main Wasatch front fault, had ruptured. The land mass in the
south end of the valley, nears the Point of the Mountain, had dropped over
fifty feet, apparently into an underground lake, causing water to fill fissures
throughout the valley and spew upward. This created a new lake in the south end
of Salt Lake Valley, which drained into the Jordan River and into the new fresh
water Great Salt Lake. This took several weeks. However, no one was stranded in
the taller buildings in the valley more than a few days.
They
told the people that Utah Valley and surrounding area was also hit hard by the
earthquake but had experienced only minor localized flooding when reservoirs
had failed; also that the California coastline had broken off into a series of
islands. Most of the devastation had occurred in North and South America. Much
of Europe, Asia and Africa had been spared for the major effects of the
earthquakes and tidal waves that had resulted. They had arrived in California
in hundred of ships and had immediately worked with those people to stabilize
things and then they had headed east. They informed the people that a large
relief effort had landed on the east coast and was working west. Every major
city that these groups had come to was devastated.
Almost
all water was unfit for drinking because of the acts of war that began against
this country – biological and nuclear. People suffered everywhere.
When
the troops arrived in Utah, they were complimentary of the Church and surprised
at how far the relief and restoration had progressed. But as the weeks
progressed, they became less and less tolerant. They started taking advantage
of any chaos that existed. Because of the collapse of civil authority, the
Church had become the only organized group of people remaining. The Church had
taken charge of rebuilding and reorganizing and did not stop just because
relief efforts had arrived. This was the first city the troops had entered that
didn’t just give up and hand control of civil matters over to the foreign
troops. The organization of the Church seemed to thwart their plans to be in
control. In a short time it became apparent that their primary goal was to
establish their own government in place of federal and local governments. When
they found the Church organized and functioning as a de facto government, it
frustrated their plans, and it also created a split in their ranks, largely by
national origin.
A
few U.S. troops among them refused to act against the Church, as did many from
Europe. Quite a few of the troops who resisted were members themselves. The
troops from Asia were not dissuaded and thereafter decided that the Church was
an enemy that had to be shut down or destroyed. But they could not proceed to
just destroy the Church because of the troops who did not agree, and because of
the fact that nearly all of the remaining population were members of the
Church, or indebted to it for their lives and welfare.
A
considerable amount of printed propaganda began coming from what appeared to be
the remnants of the federal government. They proclaimed with great fanfare that
this was the beginning of a “new world order.” They claimed that everything had
changed in the world. For the first time in memory, the United States was no longer
able to meet its own basic needs, and the rest of the world was welcoming us
into this new world. Our own government seemed to be urging all U.S. citizens
to just submit and accept the changes in civil authority. It didn’t take long
for most people to decide the federal government no longer existed and that
this propaganda was coming from the foreign troops themselves. Gradually the
people began looking at the relief troops as a foreign invasion force. There
was a huge growth of local resistance and distrust. Those who listened to the
Holy Spirit realized that resisting these troops was not the Lord’s will. He
had His own agenda, and those who obeyed Him just watched and waited upon the
Lord.
The
foreign troops at first waged a propaganda campaign, trying to destroy the
people’s trust in the Church. They did this by publishing lies and accusations.
They infiltrated the local meetings or paid people for information on what was
going on in the local wards and stakes. They would create some sort of an uproar,
just to see who was loyal to the Church and who would be loyal to the foreign
authority.
They
passed laws declaring that the Church had no authority in civil matters. Then
they falsely accused and arrested key leaders for involving themselves in civic
affairs. These were crimes against the new laws. Some of these leaders were
publicly executed, which dramatically darkened the mood of the people toward
the troops. In a short period of time they effectively ejected the Church from
all civil matters. Since they could not tell a Mormon from anyone else just by
looking at them, they made it illegal for any American to be in a position of
authority in civil matters.
The
mood of some of the people turned rebellious and along with the troops who had
defected from the foreign forces, they moved from their homes up into the
mountains. They took guns and provisions with them and periodically attacked
the foreign troops. Their efforts were poorly inspired, and they were soon
killed or captured, or they melted back into the larger society. The remainder
of the people quietly turned their attention to prayer and faith, and they
hearkened to the leadership of the Church. The Church began operating quietly
to accomplish the Lord’s mission and did not fear the troops, but they also
didn’t provoke them.
Atomic
weapons were deployed by these troops to take out major defense installations
around the nation and in Utah. There had been a first strike against the United
States and it came without provocation.
As
time went on the troops asserted greater and greater control, including
establishing martial law and suspending civil liberties. The enforcement of
their new laws was either by a warning, refusing further food and services to
your family, or by execution. They did not maintain jails.
[30] 2028: The Collapse of the United
States and other world governments – One World Government [see also Sign #21]
Before
the United States will be willing to sign up and join the one-world government,
it will have to fall apart economically, as well as suffer a complete breakdown
of society as we know it.
In
the beginning of the thirty-fourth year of the Nephite calendar (3rd
Nephi 8:5), a remarkable event occurred, one that is of critical importance to
us today. According to Mormon, on the fourth day of the first month of the
year, the Nephite nation collapsed under the weight of its own depravity. As we
are to liken Book of Mormon events to us today, we should understand that this
fall was on the scale of the cataclysms of the Flood and of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Only a small group of Christians survived. Suddenly, above the darkness that
had choked out any semblance of light, the voice of Jesus Christ was heard
announcing his identity and the fulfillment of his mission; he declared the destruction
of the wicked, lamented the evils of his people, and invited the remnant to
come unto him with full purpose of heart.
Then
the record goes silent. Mormon picks up the account “in the ending of the thirty and fourth year,”
(3rd Nephi 10:18) nearly twelve months later. What happened in the
lives of the surviving Nephites during that year? Mormon only hints at what the
people did with Jesus’ message; but when we piece together the account, we
discover one of the great sermons of the Book of Mormon – a sermon that is of
utmost importance to those of us who would become Zionlike.
We
should keep in mind that these people were not unlike many of us: either they
were new members or they were good people who were trying to live the gospel as
best they could. Perhaps some were lukewarm; maybe others were sitting atop
spiritual plateaus and lacking the motivation to keep climbing. Whatever their
condition, we do know this: The Lord declared that they had escaped the
destructions only because they were “more righteous” than the ones who had
perished. We are left to speculate as to their degree of righteousness, but as
we shall see, they needed time to change some things. The Savior was also quick
to point out that they needed to change. Therefore, he called them to
repentance and bade them strive to become truly converted so he could heal them
(3rd Nephi 9:13).
John
Storey in his work quotes Ezekiel 30:1-3 and then comments on it. “The Word of
the Lord came to me: Son of man, prophesy and say: this is what the Sovereign
Lord says; Wail and say, ‘Alas for that day! For the day is near, the day of
the Lord is near – a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.’” The
following are his summarized comments:
Clouds
denote storms, and “doom for the nations” is speaking of God’s judgment. The
Bible teaches that God decides who will be placed in leadership to the nations
of the world. I believe a nation can get to a point of no return. In America’s
case, our leaders are taking a very dangerous position concerning the nation of
Israel. This alone is enough to bring God’s judgment on America. When you look
at what is happening in our courts, where evil is called good and good is
called evil, we are heading in a direction that requires that God bring
judgment on our nation. God loves the people of this nation; therefore, the
events require that God bring judgment to turn the people of America back to
Him. Many people in our nation are upset at the direction the leadership is
taking us. I believe God has allowed the leaders of our nation to come to power
as part of his judgment of this nation. He allows the leadership to make poor
decisions that will ultimately lead to our collapse as a nation and force
America to accept the joining of a global one-world government. This must
happen for the fulfillment of the prophecies of the last days to come to pass.[9]
Then
he quotes from the prophet Jeremiah: 1) 7:16 NIV: “So do not pray for this
people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I
will not listen to you;” and 2) 11:11 NIV: “Therefore this is what the Lord
says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry
out to me, I will not listen to them.’”
“The
powers behind the formation of this future one-world government have already
laid out the division of this future global entity…. It is from this global
division that we get the ten heads of the beast.” These divisions are given as:
1) America, Canada, Mexico; 2) South America; 3) Australia and New Zealand; 4)
Western Europe; 5) Eastern Europe; 6) South Asia; 7) Central Asia; 8) North
Africa; 9) South Africa; and 10) The Middle East.[10]
[31] 2028: The Call of Abraham; The Rise
of the Davidic King
2nd
Nephi 3:24: And there shall rise up one mighty among them, who shall do much good,
both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with
exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in
the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of
Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren; 2nd Nephi 8:5: My
righteousness [the Davidic King] is near; my salvation [the Lord Jesus Christ]
is gone forth, and mine arm [the Davidic King] shall judge the people. The
isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.
The
rise of the Davidic king is at about the same time as the beast rises to power.
The Lord gave us a statement about him that has caused considerable speculation
among writers of books about last-days prophecy. Again, the writers have
skipped many scriptures relating to this man and relied instead on the
speculations of speakers of 100 years ago. The Lord said: Behold, I say unto
you, the redemption of Zion must needs come by power; therefore, I will raise
up unto my people a man, who shall lead them like as Moses led the children of
Israel. For ye are the children of Israel
Genesis
12:1-3 = 1: Now the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country, and
from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew
thee: 2: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make
thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3: And I will bless them that
bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of
the earth be blessed.
Isaiah
41:8-9 = 8: But thou, Israel, art my servant Jacob, whom I have chosen, the
seed of Abraham my friend. 9: Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the
earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee. Thou art
my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
Isaiah
51:2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you; for I called
him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.
The
pattern of the call of Abraham, personalized in the last days as the call of
the Davidic King, will happen just before the rise of the Antichrist and his invasion
of the United States; the Davidic King will lead the Exodus back to Missouri.[11]
There
are few in this dispensation, within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, who believe that there will be a Davidic King. The most prominent of
these was the late Elder Bruce R. McConkie.[12]
He called the belief “The Davidic Myth.” He says: “This wresting of the written
word assumes that someone of prophetic stature will arise in the Church in the
last days, to preside as a Second David, and to prepare the way before the
Second Coming of the Son of Man. That there may be one or many brethren called
David who preside over the Church in this dispensation is of no moment. The
scriptures that speak of King David reigning in the last days are Messianic;
they have reference to the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.” We will
have to respectfully disagree and show how this will come about. As all types
are patterns of past historical events, we must necessarily talk about Abraham
as the type and shadow of the Davidic King, who is not Christ, and who reigns
under Christ, as Abraham did under Melchizedek, the great High Priest of his
time.
This
servant of the Lord, when divinely empowered, fulfills both spiritual and
temporal functions. His mission – in heralding deliverance or destruction –
follows the pattern of Isaiah’s three-year mission in heralding the Lord’s day
of judgment anciently when the Lord sent Isaiah to his people Israel
The
servant is able to help the Lord’s people ascend the spiritual ladder in part
because of his own experience in doing so. At first, he endures humiliation and
persecution, even to the point of being unrecognizably marred. Thereupon, the
Lord heals him and gloriously empowers him to perform his redemptive mission.
His reversal of circumstances is a paradigm of Zion’s imminent reversal from
affliction to divine empowerment. As the Lord strengthens him, the poor and
needy, the blind and deaf, and the hungry and thirsty [the outcasts of Israel]
all respond to the servant’s mission of releasing them from bondage.
The
Lord’s empowerment of his servant over political and spiritual enemies brings
him worldwide recognition and renown. He attains the seraph level of the
spiritual ladder and becomes an agent of life (just as the King of
Assyria/Babylon is the agent of death). He fulfills that role initially as a
temporal savior who delivers his people from destruction. Because he functions
as a seraph or angel of the Lord’s presence, his vision and comprehension of
the Lord’s plan of salvation are equal to his divine commission. The Lord thus
acts in concert with his servant in implementing Zion’s full redemption.
A
chief role of the servant of the Lord is to provide a paradigm of righteousness
for His people. The Lord sends his servant, the Davidic king, as an exemplar to
His people after the pattern of the righteous King Hezekiah. Additionally, the
servant acts as an example of spiritual progression after the pattern of the
prophet Isaiah. The servant’s personification of righteousness in the text illustrates his ability to exemplify
righteousness – in the covenantal sense of loyalty toward the Lord – amid the
peculiar challenges people face in the last days.
As
the Lord’s people respond to the servant’s mission of establishing
righteousness among them, the Lord does for his people as he does for their
king. As the Lord heals and exalts his servant, so he heals and exalts his
people Zion. Like him, they may become kings and priests and assume a prophetic
office toward the nations of the earth. Righteous individuals among the Lord’s
people emulate the righteousness of the servant, and become like him.
Certain
servants and sons of Zion thus become as seraphs together with the Davidic
king. Like him, they fulfill a proxy role as temporal saviors toward the Lord’s
people, their royal investiture of priestly endowment empowering them to
deliver others from bondage. As with the 144,000 servants of the Lord in the
Book of Revelation, Isaiah identifies these individuals with the tribes of
Israel to whom they minister.
Like
the Davidic king, these servants suffer while serving others, thus themselves
passing severe tests of loyalty. Rising from the dust to sit enthroned, these
kings and priests of the Lord’s people are reborn as the Lord’s servants – his
vassals – following intense humiliation and shame. Isaiah depicts their
priestly endowment as a reversal of circumstances for those who mourn in Zion
As
an agent of the Lord’s redemption, the servant punishes the wicked and delivers
the righteous. He delivers the Lord’s people by releasing them from bondage and
exile and leading them in an exodus out of arch-Babylon to Zion. When led by
the servant, the Lord’s people conquer the nations who oppressed them and re-inherit
the promised land. The Lord’s righteous people assist the servant in restoring
the land’s ruins and in building the temple of the Lord. The servant
reconstitutes the tribes of Israel, unites Judah and Ephraim, and appoints the
Lord’s people lands of inheritance.
This
mission of the Davidic king provides the catalyst for a great division of the
people into two opposite categories, a division that takes place at the Lord’s
day of judgment. Those who repent will be redeemed as Zion, while those who
reject the servant’s appeal to repent will perish.[13]
Some
have thought that this person was Joseph Smith and that he will be resurrected
and return to lead the people to Zion. When he was president, some thought it
might be Brigham Young because they assumed that the retaking of Zion, or the
land where it would be, would take place in their lifetimes. But both Joseph
and Brigham have finished their ministries and gone on. This person has been
identified in scripture that we have had in the Church since the beginning of
the restoration.
With
the unsealing of Isaiah, we can see the meaning in other scriptures which we
have read over and over without beginning to understand them. So to our
amazement we find that this great personage is discussed in many places and in
fact, Joseph Smith identified him. Also, Isaiah clearly identified him: The
people walking in darkness have seen a bright light; on the inhabitants of the
land of the shadow of death has the light dawned. Thou hast enlarged the nation
and increased its joy; they rejoice at thy presence as men rejoice at harvest
time, or as men are joyous when they divide spoil. For thou hast smashed the
yoke that burdened them, the staff of submission, the rod of those who
subjected them, as in the day of Midian’s defeat. And all boots used in battle
and tunics rolled in blood have become fuel for bonfires. For to us a child is
born, a son appointed, who will shoulder the burden of government. He will be
called Wonderful Counselor, one Mighty in Valor, a Father forever, a Prince of
Peace – that sovereignty may be extended and peace have no end; that, on the
throne of David and over his kingdom, his rule may be established and upheld by
justice and righteousness from this time forth and forever. The zeal of the
Lord of Hosts will accomplish it (Isaiah 9:2-7).
Almost
everyone, including nearly all the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, has assumed that this is a messianic prophecy looking to the
birth of the Savior. The scripture is messianic
in a sense because it talks of a deliverer to free the people from bondage, but
this is not the Savior. The message is addressed to the “people walking in
darkness.” We have again assumed that this was the apostate world among whom
the Savior came as a bright light. It is true that he did so. But Isaiah was
written for Israel only; and all of Isaiah is written, and the prophecies are,
of last-days events. To be sure, Isaiah talks about the Savior in many places,
but this is not one of them except that the Savior was and is a type of this
great last-days deliverer.
The
“people walking in darkness” refers to the church in the last days. Isaiah
explains that because of the idolatry and injustice of the members of the
church, he has ceased to speak to them through the designated oracles.
“Procrastinate, and become bewildered; preoccupy yourselves, until you cry for
help. Be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not from strong drink. The Lord
has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep: he has shut your eyes, the
prophets; he has covered your heads, the seers…. But my Lord says, Because
these people approach me with their mouth and pay me homage with their lips,
while their heart remains far from me – their piety toward me consisting of the
commandments of men learned by rote – therefore it is that I shall again
astound these people with wonder, rendering void the knowledge of their sages,
the intelligence of their wise men insignificant (Isaiah 29:9-10, 13-14). What
he is saying is that he has stopped giving us revelation through the prophets
and seers. The Lord is letting us wander in darkness without revelation as our
guide. Thus, we, member of the Church, are temporarily cut off from revelation
from the Savior. We are walking in the “land of the shadow of death,” which is
the United States after the invasion by the beast. The ancient scene of the
people of Israel in bondage in Egypt is being reenacted, hence the name of
Egypt being applied to the United States today. In the midst of this terrible
suffering and bondage, a light appears. It is a messiah or savior, but not the
Lord. It is the one mighty and strong whom the Lord said would come to take
them out of bondage. As stated in D&C 103, the people of Israel must be led
out of bondage by power with a stretched out arm, a metaphor for a servant
(used throughout Isaiah). Isaiah speaks of two arms; one is the beast or king
of Assyria who is the Lord’s scourge and referred to as an arm and the other is
the one mighty and strong, who is his righteous arm who will save the people.
This
man then rescues the people from bondage of the beast or king of Assyria. The
people rejoice when they see him because he is their deliverer and smashes the
yoke of captivity just as Moses did in his day. This is a very powerful
identification of the man. Isaiah is talking about literal bondage as he uses
the example of the defeat of 120,000 Midianites by Gideon and his 300 (Judges
7:19-23). This was a miraculous event and was not accomplished by strength of
arms alone. In addition, the clothing and equipment of the invaders will be
burned as fuel.
He
will sit upon the throne of David and preside over his kingdom and will rule
forever. The Lord never did set up a temporal government with himself as king.
His rule was spiritual and although he was the de facto king of Israel, he was never crowned and so did not act as
the government. This latter-day king will, however, literally sit on the throne
of David and will be the temporal ruler of Israel. The kingdom will be
reestablished and will never more be given to another. This is what is meant by
the kingdom being given to the saints. He will rule by justice and
righteousness, which we see by the two names given to him: “A shoot [rod] will
spring up from the stock [stem] of Jesse and a branch from its graft [roots]
bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him – the spirit of wisdom
and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of valor, the spirit of
knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His intuition will be guided by the fear
of the Lord; he will not judge by what his eyes see, nor establish proof by
what his ears hear. He will judge the poor with righteousness, and with equity
arbitrate for the lowly in the land; he will smite the earth with the rod of
his mouth and with the breath of his lips slay the wicked. Righteousness will
be as a band about his waist, faithfulness a girdle round his loins. In that
day the sprig [root] of Jesse, who stands for an ensign to the peoples, shall
be sought by the nations, and his residence shall be glorious. In that day my
Lord will again raise his hand to reclaim the remnant of his people – those who
shall by left out of Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hammath, and
the islands of the sea. He will raise the ensign to the nations and assemble
the exiled of Israel; he will gather the scattered of Judah from the four
directions of the earth (Isaiah 11:1-5, 10-12).
These
verses have often been quoted and the virtues here usually assigned to the
Savior. However, Joseph Smith received a clarification about this scripture:
“Who is the stem of Jesse spoken of in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd,
4th, and 5th verses of the 11th chapter of
Isaiah? Verily thus saith the Lord: It is Christ. What is the rod spoken of in
the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of
the Stem of Jesse? Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of
Christ who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the
house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power. What is the root of Jesse
spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter? Behold,
thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto
whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an
ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days (D&C 113:1-6).
These
two scriptures give us a partial description of this man. The man will be a
descendant of Jesse, or of the royal Davidic lineage. He will be a righteous
ruler because he will judge the people; hence he is a Davidic king. He will be
a prophet because he will rely on the Spirit of the Lord which will rest upon
him. He will smite the enemies of the people with the rod, or word of his
mouth. Rod is a metaphor for word or words, such as Lehi’s iron rod which is
defined by him as the word of God. But this also means that he will have the
power to command even the elements and they will obey him. This is the fullness
of the priesthood; the power of Elijah.
Joseph
Smith reveals much more. As partly being of Ephraim, he has the right to
officiate and function with the keys of this dispensation. Much power is laid
on him (the one mighty and strong). In verse 5, Joseph asks who the root is.
This is a parallelism and the root and rod are one and the same person but the
Lord gives some additional information. He has the right to hold the keys of
the kingdom. This means he has the right to preside using all the keys held now
by the president of the Church. When he comes, then, he will preside by right.
The final thing the Lord says about this person is that his principal mission
will be to gather the people of Israel in the last days. It is important to remember
this, his primary mission, because other scriptures describe him in terms of
this mission.
The
Lord also says “last days” rather than in “these days” indicating that he
viewed the last days as yet some way off. Joseph stated that the original King
David did not receive the fullness of the priesthood, which is the spirit and
power of Elijah. He further stated that the priesthood “and the throne and
kingdom of David was to be taken from him and given to another by the name of
David in the last days, raised up out of his lineage” (DHC 6:253). He also
recognized that the “last days” were still sometime in the future.
This
king will have the power of Elijah, or the fullness of the priesthood, since,
as Isaiah says above, “he will smite the earth with the rod [word] of his
mouth…” The Lord also refers to him as his “hand,” a common metaphor in Isaiah.
He will raise his “hand” to rescue the people. When he first spoke of the one
mighty and strong, he said “I will raise up….” The act of raising is the calling
and empowering of his servant. He also says his residence shall be glorious.
His residence, of course, will be the New Jerusalem of which much is given in
the scriptures.
Jeremiah
gives some other information. He states that this will happen in a time of
apostasy or the period prior to the tribulation. He says he will place
stumbling blocks before the people and many will fall on them. Blocks are also
stones but they are other than the seer upon whom people stumble. They are
false teachers who deceive the people by saying “all is well in Zion” when we
are in dire apostasy and need to repent. For this, the Lord will send a great
nation from the North to punish the “Daughter of Zion.” There is one thing that
reveals that it is speaking of our time. Jeremiah says that this great nation
will arise from the “sides of the earth.” The beast of the last days will be a
great nation extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific or literally from the
sides of the earth. The Babylonian Empire occupied a relatively small area at
the height of its power. So while the same conditions prevailed then, it is
addressing us specifically today.
The
stone or seer, is the same Davidic prophet who was described earlier as having
the keys of the kingdom and who acts as directed by the Spirit. Those who
accept and follow him, will be able to survive. He will also be a stumbling
block to many as Peter said. He will be an offense and many people will not
accept him. Elder McConkie said that the idea of a Davidic prophet in the last
days is heresy and this has pretty much become the official position of the
Church and a major stumbling block in the last days. When he appears, those who
have followed this error, will be offended because he will not be of the
hierarchy they know, or he will not come to his office in the “proper” order of
things, as they perceive. This will be a very dangerous time. We, therefore,
must become familiar with who this great and mighty seer is to be, and the
actuality of his coming. He has been foretold by Isaiah, John, Joseph Smith and
even by the Lord in the Book of Mormon, yet there are those who deny that he
will come. He is the forerunner of Christ, the very Elias as Joseph said
(D&C 113) and to deny that Elias will come is to deny that the Savior will
come. There are many more scriptures dealing with this great individual. One
such scripture which signals his role as Elias is also found in Isaiah: “A
voice calls out, In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; in the wilderness
pave a straight highway for our God: every ravine must be raised up, every
mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground must become level and rough
terrain a plain. For the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh see
it at once. By his mouth the Lord has spoken it. See, my Lord the Lord comes
with power; his arm presides for him. His reward is with him; his work precedes
him” (Isaiah 40:3-5, 10). This has often been misquoted since the King James
Version is in error. The scripture is a parallelism: prepare the way in the
desert and pave a highway in the wilderness.
A
couple of important metaphors common in Isaiah are used here: mouth and voice.
These are the same person. He is Elias, or the forerunner of the Second Coming,
just as John the Baptist was in the First Coming. In verse 10, Isaiah says the
Lord comes with power, which is the Second Coming not the First, and “his arm
presides for him” Arm is another important metaphor for the Davidic prophet as
we discovered in D&C 113. He has the keys and presides by right, hence this
scripture is talking about the same person. Further, in Isaiah: Who has raised
up Righteousness from the east, calling him to the place of his foot?... I have
raised up one from the north who calls on my name, who shall come from the
direction of the sunrise. He shall come upon dignitaries as on mud, tread them
as clay like a potter: Who announced this beforehand, so we would know,
declared it ahead of time, that we might say, He was right? Indeed, no one
could foretell it, not one make it known; no one has heard from you any
prophetic utterance. But to Zion, he shall be her harbinger. It will appoint
him as a herald of tidings to Jerusalem (Isaiah 41:2, 25-27).
Righteousness
is a name for the Davidic king. Another name for New Jerusalem is the City of
Righteousness which is the same as the City of David, because that is what it
means. He will be a prophet to tell us of things to come, especially the Second
Coming. He will also reveal hidden things, possibly additional sacred records.
“And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living
God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angel, to whom it was given to
hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea nor the
trees, till we have sealed the servants of God in their foreheads (Rev. 7:2-3).
The seal which he holds is the keys to the kingdom. He has the authority to
command the angels who are commissioned to wreck havoc on the earth. In other
words, he has the power of Elijah. Joseph Smith also received more information
on this person: Question: What are we to understand by the angel ascending from
the east, Revelation 7:2? Answer: We are to understand that the angel ascending
from the east is he to whom is given the seal of the living God over the twelve
tribes of Israel; wherefore, he crieth unto the four angels… And if you will
receive it, this is Elias which was to come to gather the tribes of Israel
In
this verse we have confirmed much of what we already know. He is Elias, or the
precursor of the Savior; the harbinger or herald in Isaiah 41:27 above. And
again we see his mission is to gather Israel, thereby confirming him as the
same person in all the scriptures referred to previously. He holds the seal
over the Tribes of Israel, or in other words he is the king and head of the
priesthood, since he presides for the Lord, as we just read. So we have
latter-day revelation confirming that these revelations in Isaiah and
Revelation pertain to the last days and to the Davidic king who is to come. The
Lord continues talking about his chosen servant: “My servant whom I sustain, my
chosen one in whom I delight, him I have endowed with my Spirit; he will
dispense justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise his voice to make
himself heard in public. Even a bruised reed he will not break; a dim wick he
will not snuff out. He will perform the work of justice in the cause of truth.
Neither shall he himself grow dim or be bruised until he has brought about
justice to the earth. The isles await his law. Thus says the Lord God, who
frames and suspends the heavens, who gives form to the earth and its creatures,
the breath of life to the people upon it, spirit to those who walk on it: I the
Lord have rightfully called you and will grasp you by the hand; I have created
you and appointed you to be a covenant for the people, a light to the nations,
to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from confinement and from prison
those who sit in darkness (Isaiah 42:1-7).
In
verses 6 and 7, the Lord speaks to his servant. This should dispel the notion
that the subject of this prophecy is the Lord. It is clearly referring to
someone else. The Lord would not be speaking to himself in this way. In verse 5
he gives an affirmation of his godhood as the creator of the earth. Then in
verses 6 and 7 he states that he, Jehovah the creator, has called him, the
servant.
Grasping
by the hand is the endowment of power and this function is very familiar to
most of us. He is to be the living Davidic covenant in the last days. The
Davidic covenant will be in force during the tribulation and will operate the
same as in ancient times. This is the escape the Lord has prepared for the
people. The members of the Church will be taken captive, but he will free them
from prison both in the literal and metaphorical senses under the terms of the
Davidic covenant.
In
Isaiah’s chapters 41-55, he speaks much about the Davidic prophet and from
these and the previous related verses, we get a picture of this man. Since this
is the most important last days event for us, and our lives will depend on him,
it is important to look at these scriptures: “I summon a bird of prey from the
east, from a distant land the man who performs my counsel. What I have spoken,
I bring to pass; what I have planned, I do. Hear me, you stubborn-hearted, who
are far from righteousness; it is not now far off – my salvation shall no
longer be delayed. I will grant deliverance in Zion ,
and to Israel
Now
let us read the words of the Davidic king speaking in his own right: “Hear me,
O isles; listen, you distant people: The Lord called me before I was in the
belly; before I was in my mother’s womb, he mentioned me by name. He has made
my mouth like a sharp sword – in the shadow of his hand he hid me. He has made
me into a polished arrow – in his quiver he kept me secret. He said to me, You
are my servant, Israel
The
Davidic king says that he felt as though he had labored in vain, spending his
strength to no purpose. This is a very human reaction to the apparent desire to
serve and work but without a specific mission. He has labored hard, apparently,
but he trusted in the Lord to give him what he deserved. After these words, the
Lord speaks to him and empowers him. His task is to restore Jacob to him. In
Isaiah, Jacob is the name the Lord uses to refer to the Jews. At times he also
calls them Judah when he doesn’t want to hide the meaning. But Jacob can also
mean the Ten Tribes. In this case, his mission is to restore the Ten Tribes. At
the time he receives this duty or calling, Israel is already gathered to him.
This is strange unless we understand that Israel is the name the Lord uses in
Isaiah to refer to Ephraim or to the modern Church. Ephraim has been gathered
through our missionary efforts and exists as the Church today. This gives us a
rough time check. The Davidic prophet will come after the Church is organized
and Ephraim is gathered and before the Ten Tribes are restored. So we are in
the time period in which the Davidic king will come to power. Since he has not
come yet, the time of his coming must be between today and the time when the
Ten Tribes return, which is immediately following the tribulation.
[32] 2028 The Great Division
“…
the time cometh, said the Lord, that when ye shall cast out the righteous from
among you, then shall ye be ripe for destruction; yea, wo [a covenant curse] be
unto this great city, because of the wickedness and abominations which are in
her.”
2nd
Nephi 6:14-18 = 14: “And behold, according to the words of the prophet, the
Messiah will set himself again the second time to recover them; wherefore, he
will manifest himself unto them in power and great glory, unto the destruction
of their enemies, when that day cometh when they shall believe in him; and none
will he destroy that believe in him. 15: And they that believe not in him shall
be destroyed, both by fire, and by tempest, and by earthquakes, and by bloodsheds,
and by pestilence, and by famine. And they shall know that the Lord is God, the
Holy One of Israel. 16: For shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the
lawful captive delivered? 17: But thus saith the Lord: Even the captives of the
mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered;
for the Mighty God shall deliver his covenant people. For thus saith the Lord:
I will contend with them that contendeth with thee – 18: And I will feed them
that oppress thee, with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their
own blood as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy
Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
During
Israel’s captivity in Babylon, prophecies and time lines were fulfilled as
given by Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel. In the spring of 536 B.C., in the month
of Nisan, and under the decree of the Persian king, Cyrus, a small remnant –
about 50,000 people – of the house of Judah returned to Jerusalem. The vast
majority were content to remain in the pagan Persian Empire as colonists.[14]
This is instructive of the Great Division to come.
It
has always been that this division develops gradually. A true Zion community
will develop on an individual and community basis, staying mixed with Babylon
until being called together by the prophet to begin the physical separation
from Babylon.[15]
There
exists no scriptural type or precedent of the Lord’s bringing on a universal
judgment until his own people wallow in wickedness. Their righteousness can
stay such a judgment from the earth, but their transgressions become the
catalyst of judgment when the balance tips in favor of wickedness. Hence the
scripture, “upon my house shall it begin” (D&C 112:25). This catalyzing
effect occurred in two instances of biblical history: first, when the ten
tribes of Israel apostatized, leading to Assyria’s conquest and desolation of
the ancient world; and second, when Judah apostatized and Babylon repeated
Assyria’s scenario of destruction and exile. The prophets link both events to
Israel’s idolatry (compare Isaiah 10:3-11; Jeremiah 25:3-11; and Hosea
11:1-7). By likening wicked Israel to
Sodom and Gomorrah (compare Isaiah 1:10; Jeremiah 23:14; and Ezekiel 16:49),
the prophets allude both to Israel’s fate and to a deficit of righteous people
(compare Genesis 18:23-32; and 19:24-29).[16]
D&C
133:5, 7, 12-15; 5: “Go ye out from Babylon Judah
flee unto Jerusalem Babylon , from the midst of wickedness,
which is spiritual Babylon
It
would be wonderful if we could avoid divisions, but no individual has that
option. The prophesied division that is forthcoming will be tumultuous. The
late Elder Neal A. Maxwell noted that the division between the Nephites and
Lamanites (2nd Nephi 5:6) was first spiritual and then geographic.
In the following years, a geographic division has been prophesied that will be
based on obedience to the words of the Lord’s servant (D&C 1:14). Speaking
of our day, the prophet Nephi saw the split coming. “For the time speedily
cometh that the Lord God shall cause a great division among the people, and the
wicked will he destroy; and he will spare his people, yea, even if it so be
that he must destroy the wicked by fire” (2nd Nephi 30:10).
The
precise time and situation for the Great Division is placed here in the
sequence of signs because of its relationship to the calling of the Davidic
King, the times of the Gentiles being fulfilled; and other proximate signs. The
expulsion of the saints from Missouri and Illinois was kindled by fear of
political power exerted by the Mormons. Gay rights, abortion, family rights,
and other issues may spark this division in our day, but only if other
religions abdicate their positions. Perhaps, like the Jews of the past, the
Latter-day Saints will be blamed for hard times simply because they are
different, when, in reality, the economic troubles will be the result of the
bad moral culture and economic policies that accompany the breakup of the
family.
The
future division will occur based on who will listen and obey; the Lord said: “And
the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will
not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give
heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the
people” (D&C 1:14). This warning is particularly addressed to members of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
This
division will occur in conjunction with the arm, or power, of the Lord being
revealed. It will be necessary not to be ashamed of the Lord’s power. It will
occur worldwide, followed by a call to battle against The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Lord will defend his saints as the war spreads
out among all nations, but Zion will largely be protected and the only people
who shall not be at war with one another (D&C 45:69).
D&C
63:54: “And until that hour there will be foolish virgins among the wise; and
at that hour cometh an entire separation of the righteous and the wicked; and
in that day will I send mine angels to pluck out the wicked and cast them into
unquenchable fire.”
The
great division among the people at the death of Joseph Smith was a type of the
last great division. What is the catalyst that causes the division and tests
our faith?[17] The
Lord accuses the Mormons of lapsing into apostasy. This apostasy included
idolatry, injustice and violating the Sabbath.[18]
We are like the Jews at the time of Lehi. The Lehi typology points to future
events of 1) warnings; 2) Babylonian captivity of the wicked; 3) righteous
leave into the wilderness; and 4) the righteous wander for three and a half
years before arriving in Missouri.[19]
Throughout
the Church’s history, there have been periods of persecution and trial. George
Q. Cannon[20]
explained: “It is true that the Lord has said that the tares shall grow with
the wheat until harvest, but it is not said that tares will not be plucked up
from time to time, for if it were not so they would overpower and choke out the
wheat.
“The
sifting or weeding process has been going on from the commencement of this
Church until the present time; hence it is that the leaders of this Church are
stirred up in their feelings from time to time to call upon the people to
repent. They understand clearly that [otherwise] … this people would soon fall
into darkness and error, and stray from the path of righteousness.”[21]
The
Lord described this cleansing process of the Church in the parable of the tame
and wild olive trees, which was given to the prophet Zenos. Near the end of the
parable, as it describes the events of the last days, the Lord commands His
servants:
“Wherefore,
ye shall clear away the bad according as
the good shall grow, that the root and the top may be equal in strength,
until the good shall overcome the bad, and the bad be hewn down and cast into
the fire, that they cumber not the ground of my vineyard; and thus will I sweep
away the bad out of my vineyard…. And the bad shall be cast away, yea, even out
of all the land of my vineyard (Jacob 5:66, 69; emphasis added).
As
the righteous members of the Church are able to handle the removal of the
tares, the Lord will sweep more and more of the bad from the Church. This will
strengthen the Church and its members, as President Brigham Young explained:
“I
wish you to understand that when the sheep are separated from the goats, they
[the sheep] will never again bear the like afflictions they bore while they
mingled with the goats, as long as the world stands; no, neither in this world
or any other.
“…
When there are no goats to annoy the sheep, the latter will mingle with each
other and go hand in hand in full fellowship.
“But
when goats are among the sheep, they will besmear them with their stink, and
they frisk about, and behave so as to actually turn the sheep almost into
goats.”[22]
It
is important for us to know whether we are considered by the Lord to be a weedy
tare or a stock of wheat in the Church – to know where we stand in the vineyard
of the Lord. President Brigham Young gave us a key so that we can discern this
for ourselves:
“Let
us ask ourselves the question, am I a wheat or a tare? The proof as to whether
we are tares or wheat may be seen in our lives, as it is written, ‘For
whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my
brother, and sister, and mother’ (Matthew 12:50). Again, ‘not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth
the will of my Father which is in heaven’ (Matthew 7:21).
“This
is the proof – keep the commandments, observe the ordinances, and preserve the
institutions of Christ’s church inviolate, doing all things that are required
of us, as unto the Lord, sanctifying ourselves before Him, and, ‘By this shall
all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another’ (John
13:35).”[23]
Joseph
F. Smith added his testimony concerning this, and warned us that we need to be
certain we are following the Lord so that we do not fall under the judgments of
God in the latter days:
“I
further testify, that unless the Latter-day Saints will live their religion,
keep their covenants with God and their brethren, honor the priesthood which
they bear, and try faithfully to bring themselves into subjection to the laws
of God, they will be the first to fall beneath the judgments of the Almighty,
for His judgments will begin at His own house.
“Therefore,
those who have made a covenant with the Lord by baptism, and have broken that
covenant, who profess to be Saints, and are not, but are sinners, and
covenant-breakers, and partakers of the sins of Babylon, most assuredly will
‘receive of her plagues,’ for it is written that the righteous will barely
escape,” [and I would add: the wicked not at all].[24]
The
Lord has told us that the time is soon approaching when the tares will be
removed from the Church. Now is the time to prepare for the events that are
coming. It is only through a personal and firm testimony of the Savior and the
Restoration of the Church that we will be able to stand firm when the tares are
removed.
In
a modern revelation we learn that “the angels are waiting the great command to
reap down the earth, to gather the tares that they may be burned.” [D&C 38:12]
The Lord further explained: “The angels are crying unto the Lord day and night,
who are ready and waiting to be sent forth to reap down the fields; but the
Lord saith unto them, pluck not up the tares while the blade [of wheat] is yet
tender (for verily your faith is weak), lest you destroy the wheat also.
“Therefore,
let the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest is fully ripe; then
ye shall first gather out the wheat from among the tares, and after the
gathering of the wheat, behold and lo, the tares are bound in bundles, and the
field remaineth to be burned.” [D&C 86:3-7]
As
some of the tares are flushed out of the Church, this process will strengthen
and sanctify it. The persecution and trials that will come upon the Church will
help to remove the dross, and prepare the Church to be the worthy bride who
will meet the returning Bridegroom in glory and splendor. [D&C 109:73-74]
The Saints will increase in righteousness as the Church is purified, and this
will enable them to accomplish many important tasks in the latter days, to
prepare the way for the Savior’s Second Coming in glory and power. The division
may very well come as a result of how the Davidic prophet is called to preside
over the Church. As with the Jews who refused to give up the law of Moses, to
accept Christianity, many may balk at this new order of calling the prophet.
The
Lord has told us that “the day soon cometh that ye shall see me, and know that
I am; for the veil of darkness shall soon be rent, and he that is not purified shall not abide the day.” [D&C 38:8;
emphasis added]
[1]Grant
R. Jeffery, Armageddon: Earth’s Last Days
(Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1997), pages 95-96.
[2]Robert
Smith, The Last Days Unsealed (Orem,
Utah: Agreka Books, 1999) pages 49-50.
[3]Ibid., pages 61-62.
[4]Richard
Skousen, op. cit., pages 190-191.
[5]John
Pontius, op. cit., page 133.
[6]Ibid., page 117-124.
[7]LaHaye, op. cit., page 40. See Revelation
chapters 6, 11, and 16.
[8]Storey, op. cit., pages 188-189.
[9]Storey, op. cit., pages 187-188.
[10]Ibid., page 77.
[11]Gileadi,
The Last Days, op. cit., page 98.
[12]Bruce
R. McConkie, A New Witness for the
Articles of Faith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), page 518 #3.
[13]Avraham
Gileadi, The Literary Message of Isaiah (New
York: Hebraeus Press, 1994), pages 264-268.
[14]Jeffrey,
op. cit., pages 38-40.
[15]Mitchell,
op. cit., page 64.
[16]Gileadi,
The Last Days, page 14.
[17]Gileadi,
The Last Days, pages 106-107.
[18]In 2015
the Brethren began to express concern and stressed compliance with honoring the
Sabbath day.
[19]Gileadi,
The Last Days, pages 12-13.
[20]October
Conference, October 6, 1875 [recorded in JD18:84].
[21]Richard
N. Skousen, His Return, op. cit., pages 76-79.
[22]Brigham
Young, April 7, 1852 [Journal of
Discourses 6:320].
[23]Brigham
Young, March 29, 1868 [Journal of
Discourses 12:168-169].
[24]Joseph
F. Smith, Conference Report, April
1880, page 96.[23] 2028: U. S. Civil War: Part of the
War of Gog and Magog
D&C
45:68-70 = 68: And it shall come to pass among the wicked, that every man that
will not take his sword against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion
When
the foreign troops invade the United States, they will destroy all of the
military capabilities of the country. They will strike first without
provocation. What will be left of the government will encourage the citizens to
submit to the new order of things.
All
three battles of the last days could be called the “Battle of Gog and Magog.”
However, the 2nd war is usually called “Armaggedon,” and the third –
last – war is at the end of the Millennium and is not usually considered.
The Russian Invasion of Israel (probable date of the beginning of War of
Gog and Magog); Beginning of a Second American Civil War: the Break-up of the
Disunited States of America
2029: December 24, 2029, approximately seven years before Armaggedon. The
prophet Ezekiel (38:19 – 39:8) describes the awesome destruction God will
inflict on those nations that Russia will lead in attacking Israel. If we
compare Ezekiel 38:19-22 with Haggai 2:18-22, we see the possibility that the
24th day of Chisleu – the day before Hanukkah, in our month of
December – is probably the day for this prophetic fulfillment. The Bible does
not reveal the year of this battle. Only time will reveal whether “the day
whereof I have spoken,” will occur on this anniversary of so many of Israel
Ezekiel
38:19-20 and Haggai 2:6-7 state that an earthquake will occur and will be so
catastrophic that the whole world will be affected. [1]
Ezekiel
38:1-6 Preface = The battle of Gog and Magog against Israel shall usher in the
Second Coming – The Lord will come amid war and pestilence, and all men shall
shake at his presence. 1: And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 2: Son
of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of
Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3: And say, Thus saith the Lord
God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meschech and Tubal;
4: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring
thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with
all sorts of armour, even shields, all of them handling swords: 5: Persia,
Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6: Gomer,
and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his
bands: and many people with thee.
Russia
and her allies (the former republics of the USSR, Eastern Europe, and the Arab
and possibly the 3rd World countries), still await their appointment
with destiny.
TLD,
49-50 The U.S. is actually bankrupt and so far in debt that our national debt
is the major issue in all recent national elections. We are on the brink of
total economic collapse and when the civil war comes, it will virtually put an
end to the government’s income. That is when we will be super vulnerable, and
we will be delivered into the hand of a cruel master and harsh ruler (Isaiah
19:4).[2]
This
great ruler will be an enemy of God and of the Savior and this is why he is
called the Antichrist. He will hate the righteous Christian people, especially
members of the Church. He will blaspheme everything holy and eventually people
will worship him. John goes on to tell of a second beast or powerful individual
who will arise at about this time:
“And
I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a
lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast
before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the
first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that
he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of the beast;
saying to them that dwell on the earth, by the means of those miracles which he
had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the
earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a
sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast,
that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would
not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both
small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right
hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that
had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is
wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it
is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred three-score and six”
(Rev. 13:11-18).
TLD,
61-62 The Lord sends his scourge, the king of Assyria ,
the “rod of his anger,” and commissions him against us. The king of Assyria,
however, does not know that this is his purpose. He thinks he is doing it on
his own to annihilate people and exterminate nations. In other words, we have
an exterminator about to be turned loose on us. “Then the Lord said, Just as my
servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and
portent against Egypt and Cush, so shall the king of Assyria lead away the
captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, both young and old, naked and
barefoot, with buttocks uncovered – to Egypt’s shame. Men shall be appalled and
perplexed at Cush, their hope, and at Egypt, their boast. In that day shall the
inhabitants of this isle say, See what has become of those we looked up to, on
whom we relied for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria .
How shall we ourselves escape? (Isaiah 20:3-6)[3]
This
prophecy is against Egypt and Cush which are metaphorical names for the United
States and Canada. The king of Assyria will take the people of these two
countries captive for three and a half years leading them off barefoot and with
bare behinds. The captivity comes following the civil war and unrest which
weakens the United States so that it cannot defend itself.
This
is a gruesome picture and since we, Ephraim, live in Egypt, this will be the
fate of some of the members of the Church as well. The people of other nations
in this hemisphere, which is a huge island separated from Eurasia by water,
will be dismayed because they looked to the United States and Canada for
protection. They wonder how they will escape and of course they will not because
he is given dominion over all nations, kindreds and peoples, as both John and
Daniel told us.
The
end condition after this event occurs is the captivity of the world. Of course
the beast has his allies such as China and the countries of Europe and we do
not know what effect his reign may have on them. If this century is any
indication, the nations of Europe will become much like the Warsaw Pact nations
who had puppet Soviet governments with the people under their harsh rule and in
subjection but under conditions less severe than the other conquered countries,
such as our own.
[24] 2028: Israel’s Apostasy Begins in
its Full-blown State
Book
of Mormon, Testimony of Joseph Smith, 12th paragraph; 1st
Nephi 19:11-16; 22:55.
It
would stand to reason that this sign follows the Great Division. Once the
righteous are separated from the other members of the Church, these other
members will become as wicked as the rest of the world. See Sign #32; all these
signs are in 2028.
Israel’s
Apostasy: Isaiah 1:2-4 = 2: “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the
Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have
rebelled against me. 3: … Israel
D&C
45:29-32 = 29: But they receive not; for they perceive not the light, and they
turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men. 30: And in that
generation shall the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 31: And there shall be
men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an
overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land. 32: But my
disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the
wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die.
We
see in Isaiah that there are two forms of full-blown apostasy: 1) injustice;
1:21-23; 3:14-26) and 2) idolatry (Isaiah 2:7-8; 8:19).
Isaiah
1:21-25 = 21: How is the faithful city become an harlot! It was full of
judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. 22: Thy silver is
become dross, thy wine mixed with water: 23: Thy princes are rebellious, and
companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they
judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
24: Therefore saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah,
I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies: 25: And I
will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all
thy tin:
Isaiah
3:14-26 = 14: The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his
people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil
of the poor is in your houses. 15: What mean ye that ye beat my people to
pieces, and grind the faces of the poor saith the Lord God of hosts? 16:
Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk
with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and
making a tinkling with their feet: 17: Therefore the Lord will smite with a
scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover
their secret parts. 18: In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of
their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round
tires like the moon, 19: The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, 20:
The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets,
and the earrings, 21: The rings, and nose jewels, 22: The changeable suits of
apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, 23: The
glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the veils. 24: And it shall
come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of
a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a
stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty. 25: Thy men
shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. 26: And her gates shall
lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.
2nd
Timothy 3:1-5 = 1: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall
come; 2: For men shall be lovers of their own selves; covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3: without
natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce,
despisers of those that are good, 4: traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of
pleasures more than lovers of God; 5: having a form of godliness; but denying
the power thereof: from such turn away.
2nd
Timothy 4:3-4 = 3: For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears; 4: And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and
shall be turned into fables.
2
Nephi 27:1-5 = 1: But, behold, in the last days, or in the days of the Gentiles
– yea, behold all the nations of the Gentiles and also the Jews, both those who
shall come upon this land and those who shall be upon others lands, yea, even
upon all the lands of the earth, behold, they will be drunken with iniquity and
all manner of abominations. 2: And when that day shall come they shall be
visited of the Lord of Hosts, with thunder and with earthquake, and with a
great noise, and with storm, and with tempest, and with the flame of devouring
fire. 3: And all the nations that fight against Zion, and that distress her,
shall be as a dream of a night vision; yea, it shall be unto them, even as unto
a hungry man which dreameth, and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his soul
is empty; or like unto a thirsty man which dreameth and behold he is faint, and
his soul hath appetite; yea, even so shall the multitude of all the nations be
that fight against Mount Zion. 4: For behold, all ye that doeth iniquity, stay
yourselves and wonder, for ye shall cry out, and cry; yea, ye shall be drunken
but not with wine, ye shall stagger but not with strong drink. 5: For behold,
the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. For behold, ye have
closed your eyes, and ye have rejected the prophets; and your rulers, and the
seers hath he covered because of your iniquity.
D&C
112:23-26 = 23: Verily, verily, I say unto you, darkness covereth the earth,
and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt
before my face. 24: Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of
the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping,
of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the
face of the earth, saith the Lord. 25: And upon my house shall it begin, and
from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord; 26: First among those among
you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me,
and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord.
[25] 2028: False Churches; False
Prophets; False Miracles will Abound [this sign overarches all of the last
days].
The
Tower of Babel
Joseph
Smith History 1:22 I soon found, however, that my telling the story [The First
Vision] had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of
religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase;
and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of
age, and my circumstances in life as to make a boy of no consequence in the
world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the
public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this was common
among all the sects – all united to persecute me.
[Referring
to the Nephite record going forth in a day of wickedness, degeneracy, and apostasy]:
Mormon 8:26-41 = 26: And no one need say they shall not come, for they surely
shall, for the Lord hath spoken it; for out of the earth shall they come, by
the hand of the Lord, and none can stay it; and it shall come in a day when it
shall be said that miracles are done away; and it shall come even as if one
should speak from the dead. 27: And it shall come in a day when the blood of
saints shall cry unto the Lord, because of secret combinations and the works of
darkness. 28: Yea, it shall come in a day when the power of God shall be
denied, and churches become defiled and be lifted up in the pride of their
hearts; yea, even in a day when leaders of churches and teachers shall rise in
the pride of their hearts, even to the envying of them who belong to their
churches. 29: Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be heard of fires,
and tempests, and vapors of smoke in foreign lands. 30: And there shall also be
heard of wars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes in divers places. 31: Yea, it
shall come in a day when there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the
earth; there shall be murders, and robbings, and lying, and deceivings, and
whoredoms, and all manner of abominations; when there shall be many who will
say, Do this, or do that, and it mattereth not, for the Lord will uphold such
at the last day. But wo unto such, for they are in the gall of bitterness and
in the bonds of iniquity. 32: Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be
churches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be
forgiven of your sins. 33: O ye wicked and perverse and stiffnecked people, why
have ye built up churches unto yourselves to get gain? Why have ye transfigured
the holy word of God, that ye might bring damnation upon your souls? Behold,
look ye unto the revelations of God; for behold, the time cometh at that day
when all these things shall come forth among you.
2
Peter 3:3-4 = 3: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days
scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4: and saying, “Where is the promise
of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they
were from the beginning of the creation.
Matthew
16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall
no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them,
and departed.
2nd
Nephi 28:18-29 = 18: But behold, that great and abominable church, the whore of
all the earth, must tumble to the earth, and great must be the fall thereof.
19: For the kingdom of the devil must shake, and they which belong to it must
needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the devil will grasp them with his
everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish; 20 For behold,
at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them
up to anger against that which is good. 21: And others will he pacify, and lull
them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea,
Zion prospereth, all is well – and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and
leadeth them away carefully down to hell. 22: And behold, others he flattereth
away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil,
for there is none – and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them
with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance. 23: Yea, they are
grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that
have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged
according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for
them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment. 24:
Therefore, wo be unto him that is as ease in Zion
Revelation
18 [Preface]: The saints are called out of Babylon lest they partake of her
sins – she falls and is lamented by her supporters. 2: [The angel] … cried
mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen,
and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and
a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3: For all nations have drunk of the
wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed
fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the
abundance of her delicacies. 4: And I heard another voice from heaven, saying,
Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye
receive not of her plagues. 5: For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God
hath remembered her iniquities.
1st
Nephi 14:12-13, 17 = 12: And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the
Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and
abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that
the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face
of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small,
because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw. 13: And it came to
pass that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together
multitudes upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of the
Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God. 17: And when the day cometh that the
wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots, which is the great and
abominable church of all the earth, whose founder is the devil, then, at that
day, the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the
fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the
house of Israel.
The
destruction of the wicked will also bring about the fall of Babylon and the
collapse of the great and abominable church that John and Nephi both saw in
vision (1st Nephi 14:3, 22:14; Revelation 14:8). The prophets have
rejoiced when they have beheld the future fall of Babylon in vision, since this
will be the end of Satan’s reign upon the earth (Isaiah 14:1-24, 48:20;
Revelation 14:8; 18:1-3).
The
fall of Babylon will also result in the destruction of the great and spacious
building that Lehi and Nephi were shown in vision (1st Nephi
8:26-28; 11:35, 12:18). This building, which is filled with those who seek the
glory of the world, will tumble to the earth “and the fall thereof [will be]
exceedingly great (1st Nephi 1:35-36; 12:18). The allurement of
fame, fortune, politics and the entertainment industry will no longer deceive
the people and lead them astray (1st Nephi 8:31-31; 12:18).
The
Lord has told us that He will bring about the destruction of the great and
abominable church by internal strife and turmoil. Fratricidal war will soon
result in the overthrow of Babylon, as Nephi prophesied in 1st Nephi
22:13-14 = 13: And the blood of that great and abominable church, which is the
whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads; for they shall war
among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own
heads, and they shall be drunken with their own blood. 14: And every nation
which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against
another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the
people of the Lord. And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and
that great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that
great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the
fall of it.
The
Savior has told us that “every kingdom divided against itself is brought to
desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand
(Matthew 12:25). Babylon will bring about its own downfall, falling victim to
the very fate it had planned to use to destroy the righteous.[4]
[26] 2028: Fear of Christ Delaying His
Coming
Civilization
will come to a standstill to await the end of all life, and people will despair
aloud, saying that Jesus Christ has delayed His coming until after the end of
all life on the earth.[5]
D&C
45:24-26 = 24: And this I have told you concerning Jerusalem [referred to in
verses 16-23]; and when that day shall come, shall a remnant be scattered among
all nations; 25: But they shall be gathered again; but they shall remain until
the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 26: And in that day shall be heard of
wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s
hearts shall fail them, and they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming
until the end of the earth.
This
scripture implies that the fullness of the times of the Gentiles will have come
in and then the remnant of the House of Israel will be gathered to Jerusalem.
[27] 2028: September 13. My wife Karen died on September 13, 2015. Given the
proximity to all of the events taking place in 2028, possibly September 13,
2028 is a significant date, it being thirteen years from her death. Numbers 16
and 17 above kick off the events of the tribulation period, they beginning on
March 13 and May 15 of 2028. It is speculation at this point but this date
could be the beginning of what Spencer saw in the references below in #28.
[28] 2028: October 24 - Earthquakes Land
Movements, beginning in Salt Lake City.[6]
Tim
LaHaye says: “I have read statistics that certain earthquakes, like the one in
Baluchistan, West Pakistan, on May 31, 1935, was the most devastating
earthquake in all history, but that record has been exceeded several times
since. Major earthquakes have occurred since World War I in Kansu Province,
China; Toyko, Japan; Persia; India; Peru; Taiwan; and Southern California.
One
seismologist at the Scripps Research Center in La Jolla, California, said “It
is almost as though the earth’s plates are gyrating in anticipation of the
world’s greatest earthquake.” The Apostle John in Revelation, forewarned that
the worst earthquakes ever to hit the planet will occur during the seven-year
tribulation period.[7]
John
Shorey records a dream he had on May 11, 2013, that at this writing (May, 2017)
has not occurred, but is consistent with the events recorded by “Spencer”
following John’s record:
“On
Saturday, May 11th, I woke up from just having a dream that was not
like my normal dreams. I could remember every detail and conversation
concerning this dream.
“In
this dream, I was with people I knew from the Northwest Seattle area. It was
about an earthquake that would hit the Northwest. It had not yet happened, but
we were discussing it as if it had already happened. In the dream, we knew this
quake was of the same magnitude as the earthquake that hit Alaska in 1964,
which is said to have been a magnitude 9.2…. It was like I was warning the
people I knew, but they would not take it seriously. However, they seemed to
know it was going to happen.”
John
prayed to know if the dream was really going to happen. He continued to ask for
three days, but no answer was given. After praying again, he went to his office
to read the Bible. He was reading in Psalms and into the second page of reading
came to this scripture (Psalms 18:6-7 NIV): “In my distress I called to the
Lord: I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry
came before him, into his ears. The earth trembled and quaked, and the
foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.”[8]
In
the fall of 2028 – a month later, winter was “fast approaching;” so we can
estimate the earthquake was in September [possibly September 13th as
noted in Sign #27 above] – the following events have been foreseen by our
unnamed brother Spencer, who after some sixty years of preparation was given
permission by Heavenly Father to reveal to the world what he had experienced
and seen. It is recorded in Visions of
Glory, compiled by John Pontius (who died in December of 2013), for
Spencer. I pinpoint this time because it is the end of eighty years of Israel’s
wandering in the desert; protected by God’s power, but without knowing really
who he is. I will revise Spencer’s narrative, taking him out of the equation,
and incorporating his events into my timeline because Heavenly Father intended
that this information given to him be used to understand the signs of the times
by those who are “looking” for them and preparing for the Lord’s coming in
glory.
The
scene is downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. God says, referring to the last days:
“I will begin with my house.” The ground began rolling violently beneath
everyone’s feet. Many fell to the earth unable to rise again and were killed as
the tremors opened up underground water sources and created temporary floods
that drowned them and swept them away. The streets were broken up. Water was
shooting from manhole covers, storm drains and cracks in the earth. It was
fresh water spewing into the air with a deafening roar; gushers of some six
feet in height were seen. The ground continued to convulse for from six to
eight minutes. Cars began to be swept down the streets with people in them.
Furniture, parts of homes, dead bodies and trash of every type filled the
swirling flood which lasted for about eight hours. Water was also flooding into
Salt Lake City from Bountiful. There was also flooding from the south where the
Jordan River was running over its banks, possibly from Utah Lake being filled
and overflowing its shoreline; being inundated by water from the reservoirs
above Alpine, Provo, Springville and Payson canyons. The next morning, the
floodwaters had begun to recede. Debris was everywhere, including dead bodies
and body parts. There was no electricity. All telephone and cell services had
been disrupted. Fallen trees and buildings were everywhere throughout the
northern end of the valley. Old landmarks were gone. The mountains to the east
of the city had collapsed upon the bench areas, burying most of the large homes
above the city. Houses were pushed off their foundations further down into the
valley.
Water
remained in the streets and pooled in low places for several weeks, becoming
quickly fetid and septic. The rest of the water drained into the Great Salt
Lake, moving the salty waters of the lake in a tidal wave out into the desert
northwest of the lake. It grew double in size and rose about twelve feet.
Low-lying farm areas and homes were gone. In some places water covered I-15 and
I-80. The whole airport area was under water and it took months before military
planes could land there. Commercial air service had come to a halt.
The
Salt Lake Temple will be flooded to about twenty-five feet; the old Tabernacle
will be destroyed; only the foundation and a few timbers will remain. The
Joseph Smith Memorial Building and the Church Office Building will be damaged
on the lower floors. The Conference Center will survive with little damage;
flooding of the parking areas and lower rooms; the main auditorium will be
flooded partially, but most of it will easily be salvaged. The flood will
recede quickly, so that most people in the high rises will only be stuck there
for a few days.
There
was great confusion throughout the Church. The leadership of the Church was
stricken just as hard as the general population. At least eighteen general
authorities died at this time; but because all communications were down it
would be several weeks before the Saints heard anything from the official
channels of the Church. Some of the members being scared at having no
leadership began trying or reorganize according to their own ideas. However,
those with the Holy Ghost knew that the process of rebuilding the Church and
restoring the quorums of the priesthood was already underway even though no
details were known. The one group became angry; hoarders if they had anything;
demanding if they did not; the other group was stalwart and giving throughout
this period of discord and strife. Good people from other churches joined in
the relief efforts, in cleaning up the devastations, and in feeding and housing
the homeless and hungry. Burying of the dead was a large task. Groups rushed to
close in damaged but livable homes and to find means for heating them.
Materials were taken from damaged homes to repair the standing ones. Many
families moved in together. It was a Herculean effort.
The
next spring (2029) after the destruction in Utah, there was another devastating
series of earthquakes that occurred along the west coast of North and South
America from Alaska to Chile. The western coast of Alaska, Canada, California,
Mexico, Central America and all the way to the tip of South America, was shaken
so badly that much of it broke away from the mainland and formed a series of
islands off the coast. Seawater rushed in to fill in the canyons between the
continental land mass and the islands. Major cities were shaken to the ground,
with inland areas suffering less damage. Almost all of California was in ruins,
with less destruction further inland from the coast.
This
earthquake sent tsunamis across the world. Europe was not as badly affected and
began sending aid to various countries, including the United States. Asia and
Africa were also spared the major effects of the earthquakes and tsunamis.
About
two months later, another earthquake opened up a narrow canyon, approximately
where the Mississippi River was, though it deviated eastward where the
Mississippi and the Ohio rivers had merged. The canyon followed the old Ohio
River into the Great Lakes region. The upper Ohio and Mississippi rivers
rerouted themselves into this canyon, creating a huge lake and river system
approximately where the old Mississippi River was. This canyon created an
eastern and western United States, which figured into some of the international
situations later on.
A
great landmass arose in the Gulf of Mexico. It extended from Mexico to Florida
and consisted of a few large islands that replaced the water in the Gulf. In
some places, the new land met Mexico, Texas and Florida, but there was a large
waterway separating most of the new land from the United States. This new land
was not totally barren; large parts of it had trees and other vegetation. Some
parts of it were just muddy islands, however.
This
great landmass created a tsunami that did a great deal of devastation as far
north as Chicago. About two-thirds of the Gulf of Mexico was now a series of
large islands.
The
earthquakes did not affect the Eastern Seaboard as much as in the central and
western parts of the country, so the infrastructure was more intact. But there
had been a biological attack which will be treated in Plague #29 below.
[29] 2028: Foreign Troops Attack &
Destroy U. S. Military Capacity
After
the earthquakes begin in Utah and throughout the United States, foreign troops will
begin landing on the east and west coasts of the U.S. There will be tens of
thousands of them. They will come in large ships, some of them former cruise
ships with naval escorts. They will land thousands of vehicles, most of them
laden with relief supplies, but also with large tanks and missile launchers.
They will skip cities like Boston, Chicago and New York City because there will
be no one there to help. Those who had not already died had begun trudging west
to escape from those cities and others.
In
California, some Americans will try to fight the troops because they will see
them as invaders. There will be a few battles where the local people lose and
are subdued. The foreign troops won’t punish the survivors; they will just ask
them to cooperate, feed them, and release them. This will win over the minds of
the people. These troops will come with the expectation, however, that they
will have to kill locals, even though the Americans will be in no condition to
resist them. After lawlessness begins to increase, the troops will summarily
execute the perpetrators. Civil rights and human rights will not exist. In the Utah area, because many of the troops
will also be Mormon, many will refuse to kill their fellow members.
Relief
efforts from outside any disaster area will usually be calculated to take three
to six weeks to put into place. It will take about this time for foreign troops
to begin to arrive from across the Nevada desert from California. Most will not
speak English and will look Asian. They will be dressed in the uniforms of the
United Nations, wearing blue helmets and international insignias on their
vehicle doors, helmets and uniforms. There will be some European troops, but
none from England. There will be some American servicemen and some Mormons
among the troops, including former missionaries.
They
will come in large, strange-looking trucks – much larger than those of the
present military. Some of the trucks will have four or five driven axles and
will be too wide to drive down a single lane of the highway. In Utah, they will
come from the West Coast and make their way across large area of devastation.
They will be loaded with a great amount of cargo – food, medical supplies, fuel
and other necessities. They will set up hospitals with trained doctors. They
will begin occupying schools as their headquarters and using the gymnasiums to
store their supplies, which will be guarded closely. They will have doctors among
that will immediately set up trauma center, but they will soon be overwhelmed.
Many of the local citizens will begin helping these troops to begin using heavy
equipment to dig large graves in the schoolyards. Others will help where they are
needed.
Every
major city that these troops will come to will have been devastated from the
earthquakes and other disasters.
Because
the troops will have information of a broader nature than exists locally, we
will review what they will tell the local people; and what had been seen up to
that point in time.
The
fault that runs along the Wasatch front had moved dramatically, causing a great
deal of damage to cities along the front. The center of the quake was in the
southern end of the Salt Lake Valley, where one of the east-west faults that
branches off the main Wasatch front fault, had ruptured. The land mass in the
south end of the valley, nears the Point of the Mountain, had dropped over
fifty feet, apparently into an underground lake, causing water to fill fissures
throughout the valley and spew upward. This created a new lake in the south end
of Salt Lake Valley, which drained into the Jordan River and into the new fresh
water Great Salt Lake. This took several weeks. However, no one was stranded in
the taller buildings in the valley more than a few days.
They
told the people that Utah Valley and surrounding area was also hit hard by the
earthquake but had experienced only minor localized flooding when reservoirs
had failed; also that the California coastline had broken off into a series of
islands. Most of the devastation had occurred in North and South America. Much
of Europe, Asia and Africa had been spared for the major effects of the
earthquakes and tidal waves that had resulted. They had arrived in California
in hundred of ships and had immediately worked with those people to stabilize
things and then they had headed east. They informed the people that a large
relief effort had landed on the east coast and was working west. Every major
city that these groups had come to was devastated.
Almost
all water was unfit for drinking because of the acts of war that began against
this country – biological and nuclear. People suffered everywhere.
When
the troops arrived in Utah, they were complimentary of the Church and surprised
at how far the relief and restoration had progressed. But as the weeks
progressed, they became less and less tolerant. They started taking advantage
of any chaos that existed. Because of the collapse of civil authority, the
Church had become the only organized group of people remaining. The Church had
taken charge of rebuilding and reorganizing and did not stop just because
relief efforts had arrived. This was the first city the troops had entered that
didn’t just give up and hand control of civil matters over to the foreign
troops. The organization of the Church seemed to thwart their plans to be in
control. In a short time it became apparent that their primary goal was to
establish their own government in place of federal and local governments. When
they found the Church organized and functioning as a de facto government, it
frustrated their plans, and it also created a split in their ranks, largely by
national origin.
A
few U.S. troops among them refused to act against the Church, as did many from
Europe. Quite a few of the troops who resisted were members themselves. The
troops from Asia were not dissuaded and thereafter decided that the Church was
an enemy that had to be shut down or destroyed. But they could not proceed to
just destroy the Church because of the troops who did not agree, and because of
the fact that nearly all of the remaining population were members of the
Church, or indebted to it for their lives and welfare.
A
considerable amount of printed propaganda began coming from what appeared to be
the remnants of the federal government. They proclaimed with great fanfare that
this was the beginning of a “new world order.” They claimed that everything had
changed in the world. For the first time in memory, the United States was no longer
able to meet its own basic needs, and the rest of the world was welcoming us
into this new world. Our own government seemed to be urging all U.S. citizens
to just submit and accept the changes in civil authority. It didn’t take long
for most people to decide the federal government no longer existed and that
this propaganda was coming from the foreign troops themselves. Gradually the
people began looking at the relief troops as a foreign invasion force. There
was a huge growth of local resistance and distrust. Those who listened to the
Holy Spirit realized that resisting these troops was not the Lord’s will. He
had His own agenda, and those who obeyed Him just watched and waited upon the
Lord.
The
foreign troops at first waged a propaganda campaign, trying to destroy the
people’s trust in the Church. They did this by publishing lies and accusations.
They infiltrated the local meetings or paid people for information on what was
going on in the local wards and stakes. They would create some sort of an uproar,
just to see who was loyal to the Church and who would be loyal to the foreign
authority.
They
passed laws declaring that the Church had no authority in civil matters. Then
they falsely accused and arrested key leaders for involving themselves in civic
affairs. These were crimes against the new laws. Some of these leaders were
publicly executed, which dramatically darkened the mood of the people toward
the troops. In a short period of time they effectively ejected the Church from
all civil matters. Since they could not tell a Mormon from anyone else just by
looking at them, they made it illegal for any American to be in a position of
authority in civil matters.
The
mood of some of the people turned rebellious and along with the troops who had
defected from the foreign forces, they moved from their homes up into the
mountains. They took guns and provisions with them and periodically attacked
the foreign troops. Their efforts were poorly inspired, and they were soon
killed or captured, or they melted back into the larger society. The remainder
of the people quietly turned their attention to prayer and faith, and they
hearkened to the leadership of the Church. The Church began operating quietly
to accomplish the Lord’s mission and did not fear the troops, but they also
didn’t provoke them.
Atomic
weapons were deployed by these troops to take out major defense installations
around the nation and in Utah. There had been a first strike against the United
States and it came without provocation.
As
time went on the troops asserted greater and greater control, including
establishing martial law and suspending civil liberties. The enforcement of
their new laws was either by a warning, refusing further food and services to
your family, or by execution. They did not maintain jails.
[30] 2028: The Collapse of the United
States and other world governments – One World Government [see also Sign #21]
Before
the United States will be willing to sign up and join the one-world government,
it will have to fall apart economically, as well as suffer a complete breakdown
of society as we know it.
In
the beginning of the thirty-fourth year of the Nephite calendar (3rd
Nephi 8:5), a remarkable event occurred, one that is of critical importance to
us today. According to Mormon, on the fourth day of the first month of the
year, the Nephite nation collapsed under the weight of its own depravity. As we
are to liken Book of Mormon events to us today, we should understand that this
fall was on the scale of the cataclysms of the Flood and of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Only a small group of Christians survived. Suddenly, above the darkness that
had choked out any semblance of light, the voice of Jesus Christ was heard
announcing his identity and the fulfillment of his mission; he declared the destruction
of the wicked, lamented the evils of his people, and invited the remnant to
come unto him with full purpose of heart.
Then
the record goes silent. Mormon picks up the account “in the ending of the thirty and fourth year,”
(3rd Nephi 10:18) nearly twelve months later. What happened in the
lives of the surviving Nephites during that year? Mormon only hints at what the
people did with Jesus’ message; but when we piece together the account, we
discover one of the great sermons of the Book of Mormon – a sermon that is of
utmost importance to those of us who would become Zionlike.
We
should keep in mind that these people were not unlike many of us: either they
were new members or they were good people who were trying to live the gospel as
best they could. Perhaps some were lukewarm; maybe others were sitting atop
spiritual plateaus and lacking the motivation to keep climbing. Whatever their
condition, we do know this: The Lord declared that they had escaped the
destructions only because they were “more righteous” than the ones who had
perished. We are left to speculate as to their degree of righteousness, but as
we shall see, they needed time to change some things. The Savior was also quick
to point out that they needed to change. Therefore, he called them to
repentance and bade them strive to become truly converted so he could heal them
(3rd Nephi 9:13).
John
Storey in his work quotes Ezekiel 30:1-3 and then comments on it. “The Word of
the Lord came to me: Son of man, prophesy and say: this is what the Sovereign
Lord says; Wail and say, ‘Alas for that day! For the day is near, the day of
the Lord is near – a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.’” The
following are his summarized comments:
Clouds
denote storms, and “doom for the nations” is speaking of God’s judgment. The
Bible teaches that God decides who will be placed in leadership to the nations
of the world. I believe a nation can get to a point of no return. In America’s
case, our leaders are taking a very dangerous position concerning the nation of
Israel. This alone is enough to bring God’s judgment on America. When you look
at what is happening in our courts, where evil is called good and good is
called evil, we are heading in a direction that requires that God bring
judgment on our nation. God loves the people of this nation; therefore, the
events require that God bring judgment to turn the people of America back to
Him. Many people in our nation are upset at the direction the leadership is
taking us. I believe God has allowed the leaders of our nation to come to power
as part of his judgment of this nation. He allows the leadership to make poor
decisions that will ultimately lead to our collapse as a nation and force
America to accept the joining of a global one-world government. This must
happen for the fulfillment of the prophecies of the last days to come to pass.[9]
Then
he quotes from the prophet Jeremiah: 1) 7:16 NIV: “So do not pray for this
people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I
will not listen to you;” and 2) 11:11 NIV: “Therefore this is what the Lord
says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry
out to me, I will not listen to them.’”
“The
powers behind the formation of this future one-world government have already
laid out the division of this future global entity…. It is from this global
division that we get the ten heads of the beast.” These divisions are given as:
1) America, Canada, Mexico; 2) South America; 3) Australia and New Zealand; 4)
Western Europe; 5) Eastern Europe; 6) South Asia; 7) Central Asia; 8) North
Africa; 9) South Africa; and 10) The Middle East.[10]
[31] 2028: The Call of Abraham; The Rise
of the Davidic King
2nd
Nephi 3:24: And there shall rise up one mighty among them, who shall do much good,
both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with
exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in
the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of
Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren; 2nd Nephi 8:5: My
righteousness [the Davidic King] is near; my salvation [the Lord Jesus Christ]
is gone forth, and mine arm [the Davidic King] shall judge the people. The
isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.
The
rise of the Davidic king is at about the same time as the beast rises to power.
The Lord gave us a statement about him that has caused considerable speculation
among writers of books about last-days prophecy. Again, the writers have
skipped many scriptures relating to this man and relied instead on the
speculations of speakers of 100 years ago. The Lord said: Behold, I say unto
you, the redemption of Zion must needs come by power; therefore, I will raise
up unto my people a man, who shall lead them like as Moses led the children of
Israel. For ye are the children of Israel
Genesis
12:1-3 = 1: Now the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country, and
from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew
thee: 2: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make
thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3: And I will bless them that
bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of
the earth be blessed.
Isaiah
41:8-9 = 8: But thou, Israel, art my servant Jacob, whom I have chosen, the
seed of Abraham my friend. 9: Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the
earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee. Thou art
my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
Isaiah
51:2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you; for I called
him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.
The
pattern of the call of Abraham, personalized in the last days as the call of
the Davidic King, will happen just before the rise of the Antichrist and his invasion
of the United States; the Davidic King will lead the Exodus back to Missouri.[11]
There
are few in this dispensation, within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, who believe that there will be a Davidic King. The most prominent of
these was the late Elder Bruce R. McConkie.[12]
He called the belief “The Davidic Myth.” He says: “This wresting of the written
word assumes that someone of prophetic stature will arise in the Church in the
last days, to preside as a Second David, and to prepare the way before the
Second Coming of the Son of Man. That there may be one or many brethren called
David who preside over the Church in this dispensation is of no moment. The
scriptures that speak of King David reigning in the last days are Messianic;
they have reference to the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.” We will
have to respectfully disagree and show how this will come about. As all types
are patterns of past historical events, we must necessarily talk about Abraham
as the type and shadow of the Davidic King, who is not Christ, and who reigns
under Christ, as Abraham did under Melchizedek, the great High Priest of his
time.
This
servant of the Lord, when divinely empowered, fulfills both spiritual and
temporal functions. His mission – in heralding deliverance or destruction –
follows the pattern of Isaiah’s three-year mission in heralding the Lord’s day
of judgment anciently when the Lord sent Isaiah to his people Israel
The
servant is able to help the Lord’s people ascend the spiritual ladder in part
because of his own experience in doing so. At first, he endures humiliation and
persecution, even to the point of being unrecognizably marred. Thereupon, the
Lord heals him and gloriously empowers him to perform his redemptive mission.
His reversal of circumstances is a paradigm of Zion’s imminent reversal from
affliction to divine empowerment. As the Lord strengthens him, the poor and
needy, the blind and deaf, and the hungry and thirsty [the outcasts of Israel]
all respond to the servant’s mission of releasing them from bondage.
The
Lord’s empowerment of his servant over political and spiritual enemies brings
him worldwide recognition and renown. He attains the seraph level of the
spiritual ladder and becomes an agent of life (just as the King of
Assyria/Babylon is the agent of death). He fulfills that role initially as a
temporal savior who delivers his people from destruction. Because he functions
as a seraph or angel of the Lord’s presence, his vision and comprehension of
the Lord’s plan of salvation are equal to his divine commission. The Lord thus
acts in concert with his servant in implementing Zion’s full redemption.
A
chief role of the servant of the Lord is to provide a paradigm of righteousness
for His people. The Lord sends his servant, the Davidic king, as an exemplar to
His people after the pattern of the righteous King Hezekiah. Additionally, the
servant acts as an example of spiritual progression after the pattern of the
prophet Isaiah. The servant’s personification of righteousness in the text illustrates his ability to exemplify
righteousness – in the covenantal sense of loyalty toward the Lord – amid the
peculiar challenges people face in the last days.
As
the Lord’s people respond to the servant’s mission of establishing
righteousness among them, the Lord does for his people as he does for their
king. As the Lord heals and exalts his servant, so he heals and exalts his
people Zion. Like him, they may become kings and priests and assume a prophetic
office toward the nations of the earth. Righteous individuals among the Lord’s
people emulate the righteousness of the servant, and become like him.
Certain
servants and sons of Zion thus become as seraphs together with the Davidic
king. Like him, they fulfill a proxy role as temporal saviors toward the Lord’s
people, their royal investiture of priestly endowment empowering them to
deliver others from bondage. As with the 144,000 servants of the Lord in the
Book of Revelation, Isaiah identifies these individuals with the tribes of
Israel to whom they minister.
Like
the Davidic king, these servants suffer while serving others, thus themselves
passing severe tests of loyalty. Rising from the dust to sit enthroned, these
kings and priests of the Lord’s people are reborn as the Lord’s servants – his
vassals – following intense humiliation and shame. Isaiah depicts their
priestly endowment as a reversal of circumstances for those who mourn in Zion
As
an agent of the Lord’s redemption, the servant punishes the wicked and delivers
the righteous. He delivers the Lord’s people by releasing them from bondage and
exile and leading them in an exodus out of arch-Babylon to Zion. When led by
the servant, the Lord’s people conquer the nations who oppressed them and re-inherit
the promised land. The Lord’s righteous people assist the servant in restoring
the land’s ruins and in building the temple of the Lord. The servant
reconstitutes the tribes of Israel, unites Judah and Ephraim, and appoints the
Lord’s people lands of inheritance.
This
mission of the Davidic king provides the catalyst for a great division of the
people into two opposite categories, a division that takes place at the Lord’s
day of judgment. Those who repent will be redeemed as Zion, while those who
reject the servant’s appeal to repent will perish.[13]
Some
have thought that this person was Joseph Smith and that he will be resurrected
and return to lead the people to Zion. When he was president, some thought it
might be Brigham Young because they assumed that the retaking of Zion, or the
land where it would be, would take place in their lifetimes. But both Joseph
and Brigham have finished their ministries and gone on. This person has been
identified in scripture that we have had in the Church since the beginning of
the restoration.
With
the unsealing of Isaiah, we can see the meaning in other scriptures which we
have read over and over without beginning to understand them. So to our
amazement we find that this great personage is discussed in many places and in
fact, Joseph Smith identified him. Also, Isaiah clearly identified him: The
people walking in darkness have seen a bright light; on the inhabitants of the
land of the shadow of death has the light dawned. Thou hast enlarged the nation
and increased its joy; they rejoice at thy presence as men rejoice at harvest
time, or as men are joyous when they divide spoil. For thou hast smashed the
yoke that burdened them, the staff of submission, the rod of those who
subjected them, as in the day of Midian’s defeat. And all boots used in battle
and tunics rolled in blood have become fuel for bonfires. For to us a child is
born, a son appointed, who will shoulder the burden of government. He will be
called Wonderful Counselor, one Mighty in Valor, a Father forever, a Prince of
Peace – that sovereignty may be extended and peace have no end; that, on the
throne of David and over his kingdom, his rule may be established and upheld by
justice and righteousness from this time forth and forever. The zeal of the
Lord of Hosts will accomplish it (Isaiah 9:2-7).
Almost
everyone, including nearly all the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, has assumed that this is a messianic prophecy looking to the
birth of the Savior. The scripture is messianic
in a sense because it talks of a deliverer to free the people from bondage, but
this is not the Savior. The message is addressed to the “people walking in
darkness.” We have again assumed that this was the apostate world among whom
the Savior came as a bright light. It is true that he did so. But Isaiah was
written for Israel only; and all of Isaiah is written, and the prophecies are,
of last-days events. To be sure, Isaiah talks about the Savior in many places,
but this is not one of them except that the Savior was and is a type of this
great last-days deliverer.
The
“people walking in darkness” refers to the church in the last days. Isaiah
explains that because of the idolatry and injustice of the members of the
church, he has ceased to speak to them through the designated oracles.
“Procrastinate, and become bewildered; preoccupy yourselves, until you cry for
help. Be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not from strong drink. The Lord
has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep: he has shut your eyes, the
prophets; he has covered your heads, the seers…. But my Lord says, Because
these people approach me with their mouth and pay me homage with their lips,
while their heart remains far from me – their piety toward me consisting of the
commandments of men learned by rote – therefore it is that I shall again
astound these people with wonder, rendering void the knowledge of their sages,
the intelligence of their wise men insignificant (Isaiah 29:9-10, 13-14). What
he is saying is that he has stopped giving us revelation through the prophets
and seers. The Lord is letting us wander in darkness without revelation as our
guide. Thus, we, member of the Church, are temporarily cut off from revelation
from the Savior. We are walking in the “land of the shadow of death,” which is
the United States after the invasion by the beast. The ancient scene of the
people of Israel in bondage in Egypt is being reenacted, hence the name of
Egypt being applied to the United States today. In the midst of this terrible
suffering and bondage, a light appears. It is a messiah or savior, but not the
Lord. It is the one mighty and strong whom the Lord said would come to take
them out of bondage. As stated in D&C 103, the people of Israel must be led
out of bondage by power with a stretched out arm, a metaphor for a servant
(used throughout Isaiah). Isaiah speaks of two arms; one is the beast or king
of Assyria who is the Lord’s scourge and referred to as an arm and the other is
the one mighty and strong, who is his righteous arm who will save the people.
This
man then rescues the people from bondage of the beast or king of Assyria. The
people rejoice when they see him because he is their deliverer and smashes the
yoke of captivity just as Moses did in his day. This is a very powerful
identification of the man. Isaiah is talking about literal bondage as he uses
the example of the defeat of 120,000 Midianites by Gideon and his 300 (Judges
7:19-23). This was a miraculous event and was not accomplished by strength of
arms alone. In addition, the clothing and equipment of the invaders will be
burned as fuel.
He
will sit upon the throne of David and preside over his kingdom and will rule
forever. The Lord never did set up a temporal government with himself as king.
His rule was spiritual and although he was the de facto king of Israel, he was never crowned and so did not act as
the government. This latter-day king will, however, literally sit on the throne
of David and will be the temporal ruler of Israel. The kingdom will be
reestablished and will never more be given to another. This is what is meant by
the kingdom being given to the saints. He will rule by justice and
righteousness, which we see by the two names given to him: “A shoot [rod] will
spring up from the stock [stem] of Jesse and a branch from its graft [roots]
bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him – the spirit of wisdom
and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of valor, the spirit of
knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His intuition will be guided by the fear
of the Lord; he will not judge by what his eyes see, nor establish proof by
what his ears hear. He will judge the poor with righteousness, and with equity
arbitrate for the lowly in the land; he will smite the earth with the rod of
his mouth and with the breath of his lips slay the wicked. Righteousness will
be as a band about his waist, faithfulness a girdle round his loins. In that
day the sprig [root] of Jesse, who stands for an ensign to the peoples, shall
be sought by the nations, and his residence shall be glorious. In that day my
Lord will again raise his hand to reclaim the remnant of his people – those who
shall by left out of Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hammath, and
the islands of the sea. He will raise the ensign to the nations and assemble
the exiled of Israel; he will gather the scattered of Judah from the four
directions of the earth (Isaiah 11:1-5, 10-12).
These
verses have often been quoted and the virtues here usually assigned to the
Savior. However, Joseph Smith received a clarification about this scripture:
“Who is the stem of Jesse spoken of in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd,
4th, and 5th verses of the 11th chapter of
Isaiah? Verily thus saith the Lord: It is Christ. What is the rod spoken of in
the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of
the Stem of Jesse? Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of
Christ who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the
house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much power. What is the root of Jesse
spoken of in the 10th verse of the 11th chapter? Behold,
thus saith the Lord, it is a descendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto
whom rightly belongs the priesthood, and the keys of the kingdom, for an
ensign, and for the gathering of my people in the last days (D&C 113:1-6).
These
two scriptures give us a partial description of this man. The man will be a
descendant of Jesse, or of the royal Davidic lineage. He will be a righteous
ruler because he will judge the people; hence he is a Davidic king. He will be
a prophet because he will rely on the Spirit of the Lord which will rest upon
him. He will smite the enemies of the people with the rod, or word of his
mouth. Rod is a metaphor for word or words, such as Lehi’s iron rod which is
defined by him as the word of God. But this also means that he will have the
power to command even the elements and they will obey him. This is the fullness
of the priesthood; the power of Elijah.
Joseph
Smith reveals much more. As partly being of Ephraim, he has the right to
officiate and function with the keys of this dispensation. Much power is laid
on him (the one mighty and strong). In verse 5, Joseph asks who the root is.
This is a parallelism and the root and rod are one and the same person but the
Lord gives some additional information. He has the right to hold the keys of
the kingdom. This means he has the right to preside using all the keys held now
by the president of the Church. When he comes, then, he will preside by right.
The final thing the Lord says about this person is that his principal mission
will be to gather the people of Israel in the last days. It is important to remember
this, his primary mission, because other scriptures describe him in terms of
this mission.
The
Lord also says “last days” rather than in “these days” indicating that he
viewed the last days as yet some way off. Joseph stated that the original King
David did not receive the fullness of the priesthood, which is the spirit and
power of Elijah. He further stated that the priesthood “and the throne and
kingdom of David was to be taken from him and given to another by the name of
David in the last days, raised up out of his lineage” (DHC 6:253). He also
recognized that the “last days” were still sometime in the future.
This
king will have the power of Elijah, or the fullness of the priesthood, since,
as Isaiah says above, “he will smite the earth with the rod [word] of his
mouth…” The Lord also refers to him as his “hand,” a common metaphor in Isaiah.
He will raise his “hand” to rescue the people. When he first spoke of the one
mighty and strong, he said “I will raise up….” The act of raising is the calling
and empowering of his servant. He also says his residence shall be glorious.
His residence, of course, will be the New Jerusalem of which much is given in
the scriptures.
Jeremiah
gives some other information. He states that this will happen in a time of
apostasy or the period prior to the tribulation. He says he will place
stumbling blocks before the people and many will fall on them. Blocks are also
stones but they are other than the seer upon whom people stumble. They are
false teachers who deceive the people by saying “all is well in Zion” when we
are in dire apostasy and need to repent. For this, the Lord will send a great
nation from the North to punish the “Daughter of Zion.” There is one thing that
reveals that it is speaking of our time. Jeremiah says that this great nation
will arise from the “sides of the earth.” The beast of the last days will be a
great nation extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific or literally from the
sides of the earth. The Babylonian Empire occupied a relatively small area at
the height of its power. So while the same conditions prevailed then, it is
addressing us specifically today.
The
stone or seer, is the same Davidic prophet who was described earlier as having
the keys of the kingdom and who acts as directed by the Spirit. Those who
accept and follow him, will be able to survive. He will also be a stumbling
block to many as Peter said. He will be an offense and many people will not
accept him. Elder McConkie said that the idea of a Davidic prophet in the last
days is heresy and this has pretty much become the official position of the
Church and a major stumbling block in the last days. When he appears, those who
have followed this error, will be offended because he will not be of the
hierarchy they know, or he will not come to his office in the “proper” order of
things, as they perceive. This will be a very dangerous time. We, therefore,
must become familiar with who this great and mighty seer is to be, and the
actuality of his coming. He has been foretold by Isaiah, John, Joseph Smith and
even by the Lord in the Book of Mormon, yet there are those who deny that he
will come. He is the forerunner of Christ, the very Elias as Joseph said
(D&C 113) and to deny that Elias will come is to deny that the Savior will
come. There are many more scriptures dealing with this great individual. One
such scripture which signals his role as Elias is also found in Isaiah: “A
voice calls out, In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; in the wilderness
pave a straight highway for our God: every ravine must be raised up, every
mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground must become level and rough
terrain a plain. For the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh see
it at once. By his mouth the Lord has spoken it. See, my Lord the Lord comes
with power; his arm presides for him. His reward is with him; his work precedes
him” (Isaiah 40:3-5, 10). This has often been misquoted since the King James
Version is in error. The scripture is a parallelism: prepare the way in the
desert and pave a highway in the wilderness.
A
couple of important metaphors common in Isaiah are used here: mouth and voice.
These are the same person. He is Elias, or the forerunner of the Second Coming,
just as John the Baptist was in the First Coming. In verse 10, Isaiah says the
Lord comes with power, which is the Second Coming not the First, and “his arm
presides for him” Arm is another important metaphor for the Davidic prophet as
we discovered in D&C 113. He has the keys and presides by right, hence this
scripture is talking about the same person. Further, in Isaiah: Who has raised
up Righteousness from the east, calling him to the place of his foot?... I have
raised up one from the north who calls on my name, who shall come from the
direction of the sunrise. He shall come upon dignitaries as on mud, tread them
as clay like a potter: Who announced this beforehand, so we would know,
declared it ahead of time, that we might say, He was right? Indeed, no one
could foretell it, not one make it known; no one has heard from you any
prophetic utterance. But to Zion, he shall be her harbinger. It will appoint
him as a herald of tidings to Jerusalem (Isaiah 41:2, 25-27).
Righteousness
is a name for the Davidic king. Another name for New Jerusalem is the City of
Righteousness which is the same as the City of David, because that is what it
means. He will be a prophet to tell us of things to come, especially the Second
Coming. He will also reveal hidden things, possibly additional sacred records.
“And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living
God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angel, to whom it was given to
hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea nor the
trees, till we have sealed the servants of God in their foreheads (Rev. 7:2-3).
The seal which he holds is the keys to the kingdom. He has the authority to
command the angels who are commissioned to wreck havoc on the earth. In other
words, he has the power of Elijah. Joseph Smith also received more information
on this person: Question: What are we to understand by the angel ascending from
the east, Revelation 7:2? Answer: We are to understand that the angel ascending
from the east is he to whom is given the seal of the living God over the twelve
tribes of Israel; wherefore, he crieth unto the four angels… And if you will
receive it, this is Elias which was to come to gather the tribes of Israel
In
this verse we have confirmed much of what we already know. He is Elias, or the
precursor of the Savior; the harbinger or herald in Isaiah 41:27 above. And
again we see his mission is to gather Israel, thereby confirming him as the
same person in all the scriptures referred to previously. He holds the seal
over the Tribes of Israel, or in other words he is the king and head of the
priesthood, since he presides for the Lord, as we just read. So we have
latter-day revelation confirming that these revelations in Isaiah and
Revelation pertain to the last days and to the Davidic king who is to come. The
Lord continues talking about his chosen servant: “My servant whom I sustain, my
chosen one in whom I delight, him I have endowed with my Spirit; he will
dispense justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise his voice to make
himself heard in public. Even a bruised reed he will not break; a dim wick he
will not snuff out. He will perform the work of justice in the cause of truth.
Neither shall he himself grow dim or be bruised until he has brought about
justice to the earth. The isles await his law. Thus says the Lord God, who
frames and suspends the heavens, who gives form to the earth and its creatures,
the breath of life to the people upon it, spirit to those who walk on it: I the
Lord have rightfully called you and will grasp you by the hand; I have created
you and appointed you to be a covenant for the people, a light to the nations,
to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from confinement and from prison
those who sit in darkness (Isaiah 42:1-7).
In
verses 6 and 7, the Lord speaks to his servant. This should dispel the notion
that the subject of this prophecy is the Lord. It is clearly referring to
someone else. The Lord would not be speaking to himself in this way. In verse 5
he gives an affirmation of his godhood as the creator of the earth. Then in
verses 6 and 7 he states that he, Jehovah the creator, has called him, the
servant.
Grasping
by the hand is the endowment of power and this function is very familiar to
most of us. He is to be the living Davidic covenant in the last days. The
Davidic covenant will be in force during the tribulation and will operate the
same as in ancient times. This is the escape the Lord has prepared for the
people. The members of the Church will be taken captive, but he will free them
from prison both in the literal and metaphorical senses under the terms of the
Davidic covenant.
In
Isaiah’s chapters 41-55, he speaks much about the Davidic prophet and from
these and the previous related verses, we get a picture of this man. Since this
is the most important last days event for us, and our lives will depend on him,
it is important to look at these scriptures: “I summon a bird of prey from the
east, from a distant land the man who performs my counsel. What I have spoken,
I bring to pass; what I have planned, I do. Hear me, you stubborn-hearted, who
are far from righteousness; it is not now far off – my salvation shall no
longer be delayed. I will grant deliverance in Zion ,
and to Israel
Now
let us read the words of the Davidic king speaking in his own right: “Hear me,
O isles; listen, you distant people: The Lord called me before I was in the
belly; before I was in my mother’s womb, he mentioned me by name. He has made
my mouth like a sharp sword – in the shadow of his hand he hid me. He has made
me into a polished arrow – in his quiver he kept me secret. He said to me, You
are my servant, Israel
The
Davidic king says that he felt as though he had labored in vain, spending his
strength to no purpose. This is a very human reaction to the apparent desire to
serve and work but without a specific mission. He has labored hard, apparently,
but he trusted in the Lord to give him what he deserved. After these words, the
Lord speaks to him and empowers him. His task is to restore Jacob to him. In
Isaiah, Jacob is the name the Lord uses to refer to the Jews. At times he also
calls them Judah when he doesn’t want to hide the meaning. But Jacob can also
mean the Ten Tribes. In this case, his mission is to restore the Ten Tribes. At
the time he receives this duty or calling, Israel is already gathered to him.
This is strange unless we understand that Israel is the name the Lord uses in
Isaiah to refer to Ephraim or to the modern Church. Ephraim has been gathered
through our missionary efforts and exists as the Church today. This gives us a
rough time check. The Davidic prophet will come after the Church is organized
and Ephraim is gathered and before the Ten Tribes are restored. So we are in
the time period in which the Davidic king will come to power. Since he has not
come yet, the time of his coming must be between today and the time when the
Ten Tribes return, which is immediately following the tribulation.
[32] 2028 The Great Division
“…
the time cometh, said the Lord, that when ye shall cast out the righteous from
among you, then shall ye be ripe for destruction; yea, wo [a covenant curse] be
unto this great city, because of the wickedness and abominations which are in
her.”
2nd
Nephi 6:14-18 = 14: “And behold, according to the words of the prophet, the
Messiah will set himself again the second time to recover them; wherefore, he
will manifest himself unto them in power and great glory, unto the destruction
of their enemies, when that day cometh when they shall believe in him; and none
will he destroy that believe in him. 15: And they that believe not in him shall
be destroyed, both by fire, and by tempest, and by earthquakes, and by bloodsheds,
and by pestilence, and by famine. And they shall know that the Lord is God, the
Holy One of Israel. 16: For shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the
lawful captive delivered? 17: But thus saith the Lord: Even the captives of the
mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered;
for the Mighty God shall deliver his covenant people. For thus saith the Lord:
I will contend with them that contendeth with thee – 18: And I will feed them
that oppress thee, with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their
own blood as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy
Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
During
Israel’s captivity in Babylon, prophecies and time lines were fulfilled as
given by Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel. In the spring of 536 B.C., in the month
of Nisan, and under the decree of the Persian king, Cyrus, a small remnant –
about 50,000 people – of the house of Judah returned to Jerusalem. The vast
majority were content to remain in the pagan Persian Empire as colonists.[14]
This is instructive of the Great Division to come.
It
has always been that this division develops gradually. A true Zion community
will develop on an individual and community basis, staying mixed with Babylon
until being called together by the prophet to begin the physical separation
from Babylon.[15]
There
exists no scriptural type or precedent of the Lord’s bringing on a universal
judgment until his own people wallow in wickedness. Their righteousness can
stay such a judgment from the earth, but their transgressions become the
catalyst of judgment when the balance tips in favor of wickedness. Hence the
scripture, “upon my house shall it begin” (D&C 112:25). This catalyzing
effect occurred in two instances of biblical history: first, when the ten
tribes of Israel apostatized, leading to Assyria’s conquest and desolation of
the ancient world; and second, when Judah apostatized and Babylon repeated
Assyria’s scenario of destruction and exile. The prophets link both events to
Israel’s idolatry (compare Isaiah 10:3-11; Jeremiah 25:3-11; and Hosea
11:1-7). By likening wicked Israel to
Sodom and Gomorrah (compare Isaiah 1:10; Jeremiah 23:14; and Ezekiel 16:49),
the prophets allude both to Israel’s fate and to a deficit of righteous people
(compare Genesis 18:23-32; and 19:24-29).[16]
D&C
133:5, 7, 12-15; 5: “Go ye out from Babylon Judah
flee unto Jerusalem Babylon , from the midst of wickedness,
which is spiritual Babylon
It
would be wonderful if we could avoid divisions, but no individual has that
option. The prophesied division that is forthcoming will be tumultuous. The
late Elder Neal A. Maxwell noted that the division between the Nephites and
Lamanites (2nd Nephi 5:6) was first spiritual and then geographic.
In the following years, a geographic division has been prophesied that will be
based on obedience to the words of the Lord’s servant (D&C 1:14). Speaking
of our day, the prophet Nephi saw the split coming. “For the time speedily
cometh that the Lord God shall cause a great division among the people, and the
wicked will he destroy; and he will spare his people, yea, even if it so be
that he must destroy the wicked by fire” (2nd Nephi 30:10).
The
precise time and situation for the Great Division is placed here in the
sequence of signs because of its relationship to the calling of the Davidic
King, the times of the Gentiles being fulfilled; and other proximate signs. The
expulsion of the saints from Missouri and Illinois was kindled by fear of
political power exerted by the Mormons. Gay rights, abortion, family rights,
and other issues may spark this division in our day, but only if other
religions abdicate their positions. Perhaps, like the Jews of the past, the
Latter-day Saints will be blamed for hard times simply because they are
different, when, in reality, the economic troubles will be the result of the
bad moral culture and economic policies that accompany the breakup of the
family.
The
future division will occur based on who will listen and obey; the Lord said: “And
the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will
not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give
heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the
people” (D&C 1:14). This warning is particularly addressed to members of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
This
division will occur in conjunction with the arm, or power, of the Lord being
revealed. It will be necessary not to be ashamed of the Lord’s power. It will
occur worldwide, followed by a call to battle against The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Lord will defend his saints as the war spreads
out among all nations, but Zion will largely be protected and the only people
who shall not be at war with one another (D&C 45:69).
D&C
63:54: “And until that hour there will be foolish virgins among the wise; and
at that hour cometh an entire separation of the righteous and the wicked; and
in that day will I send mine angels to pluck out the wicked and cast them into
unquenchable fire.”
The
great division among the people at the death of Joseph Smith was a type of the
last great division. What is the catalyst that causes the division and tests
our faith?[17] The
Lord accuses the Mormons of lapsing into apostasy. This apostasy included
idolatry, injustice and violating the Sabbath.[18]
We are like the Jews at the time of Lehi. The Lehi typology points to future
events of 1) warnings; 2) Babylonian captivity of the wicked; 3) righteous
leave into the wilderness; and 4) the righteous wander for three and a half
years before arriving in Missouri.[19]
Throughout
the Church’s history, there have been periods of persecution and trial. George
Q. Cannon[20]
explained: “It is true that the Lord has said that the tares shall grow with
the wheat until harvest, but it is not said that tares will not be plucked up
from time to time, for if it were not so they would overpower and choke out the
wheat.
“The
sifting or weeding process has been going on from the commencement of this
Church until the present time; hence it is that the leaders of this Church are
stirred up in their feelings from time to time to call upon the people to
repent. They understand clearly that [otherwise] … this people would soon fall
into darkness and error, and stray from the path of righteousness.”[21]
The
Lord described this cleansing process of the Church in the parable of the tame
and wild olive trees, which was given to the prophet Zenos. Near the end of the
parable, as it describes the events of the last days, the Lord commands His
servants:
“Wherefore,
ye shall clear away the bad according as
the good shall grow, that the root and the top may be equal in strength,
until the good shall overcome the bad, and the bad be hewn down and cast into
the fire, that they cumber not the ground of my vineyard; and thus will I sweep
away the bad out of my vineyard…. And the bad shall be cast away, yea, even out
of all the land of my vineyard (Jacob 5:66, 69; emphasis added).
As
the righteous members of the Church are able to handle the removal of the
tares, the Lord will sweep more and more of the bad from the Church. This will
strengthen the Church and its members, as President Brigham Young explained:
“I
wish you to understand that when the sheep are separated from the goats, they
[the sheep] will never again bear the like afflictions they bore while they
mingled with the goats, as long as the world stands; no, neither in this world
or any other.
“…
When there are no goats to annoy the sheep, the latter will mingle with each
other and go hand in hand in full fellowship.
“But
when goats are among the sheep, they will besmear them with their stink, and
they frisk about, and behave so as to actually turn the sheep almost into
goats.”[22]
It
is important for us to know whether we are considered by the Lord to be a weedy
tare or a stock of wheat in the Church – to know where we stand in the vineyard
of the Lord. President Brigham Young gave us a key so that we can discern this
for ourselves:
“Let
us ask ourselves the question, am I a wheat or a tare? The proof as to whether
we are tares or wheat may be seen in our lives, as it is written, ‘For
whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my
brother, and sister, and mother’ (Matthew 12:50). Again, ‘not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth
the will of my Father which is in heaven’ (Matthew 7:21).
“This
is the proof – keep the commandments, observe the ordinances, and preserve the
institutions of Christ’s church inviolate, doing all things that are required
of us, as unto the Lord, sanctifying ourselves before Him, and, ‘By this shall
all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another’ (John
13:35).”[23]
Joseph
F. Smith added his testimony concerning this, and warned us that we need to be
certain we are following the Lord so that we do not fall under the judgments of
God in the latter days:
“I
further testify, that unless the Latter-day Saints will live their religion,
keep their covenants with God and their brethren, honor the priesthood which
they bear, and try faithfully to bring themselves into subjection to the laws
of God, they will be the first to fall beneath the judgments of the Almighty,
for His judgments will begin at His own house.
“Therefore,
those who have made a covenant with the Lord by baptism, and have broken that
covenant, who profess to be Saints, and are not, but are sinners, and
covenant-breakers, and partakers of the sins of Babylon, most assuredly will
‘receive of her plagues,’ for it is written that the righteous will barely
escape,” [and I would add: the wicked not at all].[24]
The
Lord has told us that the time is soon approaching when the tares will be
removed from the Church. Now is the time to prepare for the events that are
coming. It is only through a personal and firm testimony of the Savior and the
Restoration of the Church that we will be able to stand firm when the tares are
removed.
In
a modern revelation we learn that “the angels are waiting the great command to
reap down the earth, to gather the tares that they may be burned.” [D&C 38:12]
The Lord further explained: “The angels are crying unto the Lord day and night,
who are ready and waiting to be sent forth to reap down the fields; but the
Lord saith unto them, pluck not up the tares while the blade [of wheat] is yet
tender (for verily your faith is weak), lest you destroy the wheat also.
“Therefore,
let the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest is fully ripe; then
ye shall first gather out the wheat from among the tares, and after the
gathering of the wheat, behold and lo, the tares are bound in bundles, and the
field remaineth to be burned.” [D&C 86:3-7]
As
some of the tares are flushed out of the Church, this process will strengthen
and sanctify it. The persecution and trials that will come upon the Church will
help to remove the dross, and prepare the Church to be the worthy bride who
will meet the returning Bridegroom in glory and splendor. [D&C 109:73-74]
The Saints will increase in righteousness as the Church is purified, and this
will enable them to accomplish many important tasks in the latter days, to
prepare the way for the Savior’s Second Coming in glory and power. The division
may very well come as a result of how the Davidic prophet is called to preside
over the Church. As with the Jews who refused to give up the law of Moses, to
accept Christianity, many may balk at this new order of calling the prophet.
The
Lord has told us that “the day soon cometh that ye shall see me, and know that
I am; for the veil of darkness shall soon be rent, and he that is not purified shall not abide the day.” [D&C 38:8;
emphasis added]
[1]Grant
R. Jeffery, Armageddon: Earth’s Last Days
(Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1997), pages 95-96.
[2]Robert
Smith, The Last Days Unsealed (Orem,
Utah: Agreka Books, 1999) pages 49-50.
[3]Ibid., pages 61-62.
[4]Richard
Skousen, op. cit., pages 190-191.
[5]John
Pontius, op. cit., page 133.
[6]Ibid., page 117-124.
[7]LaHaye, op. cit., page 40. See Revelation
chapters 6, 11, and 16.
[8]Storey, op. cit., pages 188-189.
[9]Storey, op. cit., pages 187-188.
[10]Ibid., page 77.
[11]Gileadi,
The Last Days, op. cit., page 98.
[12]Bruce
R. McConkie, A New Witness for the
Articles of Faith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), page 518 #3.
[13]Avraham
Gileadi, The Literary Message of Isaiah (New
York: Hebraeus Press, 1994), pages 264-268.
[14]Jeffrey,
op. cit., pages 38-40.
[15]Mitchell,
op. cit., page 64.
[16]Gileadi,
The Last Days, page 14.
[17]Gileadi,
The Last Days, pages 106-107.
[18]In 2015
the Brethren began to express concern and stressed compliance with honoring the
Sabbath day.
[19]Gileadi,
The Last Days, pages 12-13.
[20]October
Conference, October 6, 1875 [recorded in JD18:84].
[21]Richard
N. Skousen, His Return, op. cit., pages 76-79.
[22]Brigham
Young, April 7, 1852 [Journal of
Discourses 6:320].
[23]Brigham
Young, March 29, 1868 [Journal of
Discourses 12:168-169].
[24]Joseph
F. Smith, Conference Report, April
1880, page 96.
Revelation
12:6 = “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared
of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore
days [3½ years].” For a fuller review of this prophecy, see below on page 96.
Isaiah
43:2 = 2: “When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee; and
through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the
fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
Exodus
14:21-32 = 21: “And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord
caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the
sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22: And the children of Israel went
into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall upon
them on their right hand, and on their left. 23: And the Egyptians pursued, and
went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all [of] Pharaoh’s horses, his
chariots, and his horsemen. 24: And it came to pass, that in the morning watch
the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and
of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, 25: And took off their
chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let
us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the
Egyptians. 26: And the Lord said unto Moses, stretch out thine hand over the
sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots,
and upon their horsemen. 27: For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall
disannul it? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? 28: In
the year that king Ahaz died was this burden. 29: Rejoice not thou, whole
Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the
serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery
flying serpent. 30: And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy
shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall
slay thy remnant. 31: Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art
dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone
in his appointed times. 32: What shall one then answer the messengers of the
nation? That the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust
in it.”
Lot’s
deliverance from Sodom is a type for the Exodus of the righteous Saints to Zion
(Jackson County, Missouri). Lot typifies the leader of the Exodus. Angels
appear unto Lot and told him to gather his loved ones and to prepare to leave
the city: Genesis 19:13 = “For we will destroy this place, because the cry of
them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to
destroy it.” So Lot went and tried to convince his sons-in-law to leave, but
they did not believe that God would destroy Sodom. Genesis 19:15 = “And when
the morning arose then the angels hastened Lot saying, Arise, take thy wife,
and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of
the city.” And they were taken without the city wall and warned: “Escape for
thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in the plain; escape to the
mountain, lest thou be consumed.”
D&C
133:1-2, 4-5, 7 = 1: “Hearken, O ye people of my church, saith the Lord your
God, and hear the word of the Lord concerning you – 2: The Lord who shall …
come down upon the world with a curse to judgment; yea, upon all the nations
that forget God, and upon all the ungodly among you… [“you” = The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]. 4: Wherefore, prepare ye, prepare ye, O my
people; sanctify yourselves; gather ye together, O ye people of my church, upon
the land of Zion, all you that have not been commanded to tarry. 5: Go ye out
from Babylon
How
does one flee Babylon? Spiritually, it is done by turning from sin and turning
to Christ, repenting, receiving sacred ordinances, and living the life of a
Saint. It is done by gathering to the wards and stakes of Zion and joining with
the Saints in a true unity of heart and mind.
The
modern-day exodus of the righteous is not well understood or even known about
because the majority of the scriptures having to do with it are metaphorical in
nature. Two signs that are necessary to include within the framework of this
first exodus are the rise of the Davidic King, and the tribulation that runs
parallel with the exodus. In Revelation 12:1-6 we see metaphorically the woman
as the Church, and the child she is holding as the Davidic King who the dragon
[Satan] and the King of Assyria want to destroy.
Slightly
before the tribulation begins, the Davidic prophet appears. When the
tribulation begins at the invasion of the world by the King of Assyria, or the Antichrist,
or the beast, all of whom are the same, the woman flees into the wilderness
where God has prepared a place for her to be fed for 1260 days [3½ years],
equal to the time the beast has power.
There
is the belief, not based on any scriptures, that says there will be a group of
people called to go to Jackson County to begin building the New Jerusalem and
the temple. To the extent that this is true lies in the calling of missionaries
to prepare the lands, purchase properties, prepare the water and sewer systems,
and get all things in readiness, to the extent possible, for those who will be
part of the exodus of the righteous. What the scriptures do say is that the
land will be cleansed by the King of Assyria when he comes. That land will have
to be redeemed by the shedding of blood and the manifestation of great power:
D&C 103:11-18 = 11: “But verily I say unto you, I have decreed that your
brethren which have been scattered shall return to the lands of their inheritances,
and shall build up the waste places of Zion. 12: For after much tribulation, as
I have said unto you in a former commandment, cometh the blessing. 13: Behold,
this is the blessing which I have promised after your tribulations, and the
tribulations of your brethren – your redemption, and the redemption of your
brethren, even their restoration to the land of Zion, to be established, no
more to be thrown down. 14: Nevertheless, if they pollute their inheritances
they shall be thrown down; for I will not spare them if they pollute their
inheritances. 15: Behold, I say unto you, the redemption of Zion Israel
The
man who is like Moses is the Davidic prophet as we have seen. He will lead the
people on the exodus back to New Jerusalem. The only people who will be in the
land of Jackson County, Missouri at the time of the exodus, will be the beast
and his soldiers because he sets up his North American headquarters there and
there is where he will be destroyed.
Revelation
12:14-17 = 14: “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that
she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a
time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15: And the
serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood[2]
after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16:
And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed
up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17: And the dragon was
wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which
keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
The
Saints will have to pass through tribulation before they can be restored to the
land of Zion. This is not talking about the Saints of the pre-Utah period, but
to us. We are the ones who are going to suffer the period the Lord calls the tribulation or the captivity of the King of Assyria. Why would anyone want to go
to the land of Zion today before it has been redeemed and swept clean?
Luke
17:26-37 = 26: “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the
days of the Son of Man. 27: They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they
were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the
flood came, and destroyed them all. 28: Likewise also it was in the days of
Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29: But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone
from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30: Even thus shall it be in the day when
the Son of Man is revealed. 31: In that day, he which shall be upon the
housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away:
and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. 32: Remember
Lot’s wife. 33. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and
whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. 34: I tell you, in that night
there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall
be left. 35: Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and
the other left. 36: Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and
the other left. 37: And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he
said unto them, wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered
together.
This
is the manner in which the exodus will take place. The eagle wings given to the
woman are the angels who gather the righteous remnant in one night and
transport them to the wilderness where the Saints are collected into one body.
Eagles refer to angels or to translated beings in Hebrew metaphorical language.
The eagles are also the righteous ones who are gathered out in this miraculous
manner and taken into the wilderness. Isaiah say: But they who hope in the Lord
shall be renewed in strength: they shall ascend as on eagles wings; they shall
run without wearying, they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31). Also: Who
are these aloft like clouds, flying as doves to their portals? (Isaiah 60:8).
This is the fulfillment of the promise in the oath and covenant of the
priesthood. It is realized by those who are taken on the exodus because there
will be the elderly, the infirm and the very young. All will be renewed in
their bodies and translated during the course of the exodus. The gathering of
the eagles will occur in one night or day, depending on which hemisphere you
are in, so some will be in the fields while others will be sleeping. The
righteous remnant who are to go on the exodus will be taken from the worthy
members wherever they are in the world.
Unlike
the first exodus, however, the people will not take any possessions or
supplies. They will go in the clothing they are wearing and will not be allowed
to go back for their “stuff.” The Lord will provide for the people. He will
place a canopy over them to protect from the sun and other elements.
When
Jesus told his disciples about the day when “the one shall be taken, and the
other shall be left” (Luke 17:34) his disciples asked him, “Where, Lord, shall
they be taken?” And he said unto them, “wheresoever the body is gathered, or in
other words, withersoever the Saints are gathered, thither will the eagles be
gathered together; or thither will the remainder be gathered together.” (Joseph
Smith Translation, Luke 17:36-37).
The
scriptures tell us that the resurrected righteous and the translated
“remainder” will not be taken directly to heaven, but they will be transported
to places of refuge. The Doctrine and Covenants 133:56 says, “The graves of the
saints shall be opened; and they shall come forth and stand on the right of the
Lamb when he shall stand upon Mount Zion, and upon the holy city, the New
Jerusalem.”
Isaiah
4:5-6 = 5: “And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion,
and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming
fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defense. 6: And there shall be
a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of
refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.”
[34] 2028: Places of Refuge
In
the Doctrine and Covenants, section 124, verses 33-36, it identifies cities of
refuge as places where temples will be built. “For it is ordained that in Zion,
and in her stakes, and in Jerusalem, those places which I have appointed for
refuge, shall be the places for your baptisms for your dead.” So, it is clear,
that as of May 11, 2017, there are 155 places of refuge in the last days
against the destructions predicted by the Lord throughout the scriptures,
because there are now 155 dedicated temples. There are 187 that will exist when
all that have been announced have been dedicated.
When
catastrophic destruction is about to befall the wicked, the Lord always manages
to direct the righteous to relative safety. Though this fleeing to safety is
not without hardships, toil and perhaps occasional loss of life, it is always
preferable to the plagues that affect and destroy the wicked. Oft times it is
the wicked who cast out the righteous and cause them to flee. At other times,
the Lord directs this flight of the righteous before destruction overtakes the
wicked.[3] We
can expect, therefore, that families moving to areas where temples have been
built are being moved upon by the Spirit of the Lord to do so in anticipation
of the beginning of the great calamities of the last days.
“Verily,
I say unto you, that the day of vexation and vengeance is nigh at the doors of
this nation, when wicked, ungodly and daring men will rise up in wrath and
might, and go forth in anger, like as the dust is driven by a terrible wind;
and they will be the means of the destruction of the government and cause the
death and misery of many souls; but the faithful among my people shall be
preserved in holy places during all the tribulations.”[4]
The
scriptures contain many prophecies of the protection that the Saints will find
in the city of the New Jerusalem and other cities of Zion. For example:
D&C
101:63-66 = 63: “Again, verily I say unto you, I will show unto you wisdom in
me concerning all the churches, inasmuch as they are willing to be guided in a
right and proper way for their salvation – 64: That the work of the gathering
together of my saints may continue, that I may build them up unto my name upon
holy places; for the time of harvest is come, and my word must needs be
fulfilled; 65: Therefore, I must gather together my people, according to the
parable of the wheat and the tares, that the wheat my be secured in the garners
to possess eternal life, and be crowned with celestial glory, when I shall come
in the kingdom of my Father to reward every man according as his work shall be;
66: While the tares shall be bound in bundles, and their bands made strong,
that they may be burned with unquenchable fire.”
D&C
115:5-6 = 5: “Verily I say unto you all: Arise and shine forth, that thy light
may be a standard for the nations; 6: And that the gathering together upon the
land of Zion, and upon her stakes, may be for a defense, and for a refuge from
the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without mixture upon the
whole earth.”
Isaiah
26:20-21 = 20: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors
about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation
be overpast. 21: For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the
inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her
blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
D&C
45: 43, 46-47, 65-71 = 43: “And the remnant shall be gathered unto this place;
46: … and the saints shall come forth from the four quarters of the earth. 47:
Then shall the arm of the Lord fall upon the nations.
65:
“And with one heart and with one mind, gather up your riches that ye may
purchase an inheritance which shall hereafter be appointed unto you. 66: And it
shall be called the New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place
of safety for the saints of the Most High God. 67: And the glory of the Lord
shall be there, and the terror of the Lord shall be there, insomuch that the
wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion. 68: And it shall
come to pass among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword
against his neighbor must needs flee unto Zion
The
city of the New Jerusalem will be only one of the many cities of Zion where the
Saints and other righteous people will find refuge. President Brigham Young
said: “If we live our religion, we shall stay here in these mountains [of the
American West] forever and forever, worlds without end, and a portion of the
priesthood will go and redeem and build up the Center Stake of Zion.”[5]
Elder
Boyd K. Packer has stated: “If there is to be any gathering, it will be
announced by those who have been regularly ordained and who are known to the
Church and have authority.”[6] Saints
in foreign lands have read these scriptures and wondered when this time would
come. At present there are many Saints who would gather here to the United
States and specifically to Utah if they were permitted. However, immigration
laws now favor third world countries over the western nations. This is part of
the globalist move to mix the peoples, especially those of the industrialized
nations. This is why we have seen huge ghettos spring up in our major cities.
There are large populations from many countries being brought here for one
reason, but the Lord will use this uprooting to his advantage, which is to have
all nations representing Israel redeemed from throughout the world. Many have
come here as refugees from wars and upheavals in their countries.
In
1921, a lady named Sola Cuardisto, a non-Mormon at the time, was given an
invitation to visit the Cardston Temple open house. She lived in Lethbridge,
Canada. Her revelation has generally been accepted by many of the leaders of
the Church as a revelation from God. Among other things she said: “I saw the
inspired call sent forth to all the Church to gather to the refuges of Zion;”
also “I saw the stream of your people quietly moving in the direction of their
refuge;” and “I saw the wireless message flash from Zion’s refuge to Zion’s
refuge in their several places, that all was well in the world and then the
darkness of chaos closed in around the boundaries of your people, and the last
days of tribulation had begun.”[7]
Since,
at the second coming of Jesus Christ, it is to be even as it was in the days of
Noah and Lot, then it follows that the scriptures not only describe the
wickedness and indifference of men to God, but also describe the means of
escape from wrath for the Saints. Just as the Lord commanded Noah in the
building of an ark to save his family from the flood, and as He permitted Lot
and his family to go into a small city to be saved from fiery destruction (Genesis
19:17-22), so also will He provide places of refuge for his Saints in the last
days.[8]
[35] 2028: The Returns: 1) The Gathering
of Israel, 2nd Phase, 2029-2032); 2) The Righteous Gather to
Assigned Cities of Zion; 3) The Ten Tribes Return, first to Jackson
County, then to Jerusalem; 4) The
Jews Return to their Homeland.
The
Lord is nearly done pruning his vineyard and has his servants gathering the
fruit in the final harvest before the burning. This gathering has been a
lengthy and complex process and has been or will be divided into four
overlapping phases, which may be essentially looked at as an ongoing,
cumulative effort.
Isaiah
57:1 = “The righteous disappear and no man gives it thought; the godly are
gathered out, but no one perceives it because of the impending calamity.”
D&C 101:11-13, 17-20 = 11: “Mine indignation is
soon to be poured out without measure upon all nations; and this will I do when
the cup of their iniquity is full. 12: And in that day all who are found upon
the watch-tower, or in other words, all mine Israel, shall be saved. 13: And
they that have been scattered shall be gathered; 17: Zion shall not be moved
out of her place, notwithstanding her children are scattered. 18: They that
remain, and are pure in heart, shall return, and come to their inheritances,
they and their children, with songs of everlasting joy, to build up the waste
places of Zion – 19: And all these things that the prophets might be fulfilled.
20: And, behold, there is none other place appointed than that which I have
appointed; neither shall there be any other place appointed than that which I
have appointed, for the work of the gathering of my saints.”
Amos
9 (heading); 14-15: “Heading: Israel shall be sifted among all nations – in the
last days, they will be gathered again into their own land, and it shall become
productive. 14: And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel,
and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant
vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat
the fruit of them. 15: And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no
more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy
God.”
Having
told His disciples of the signs that would announce His Second Coming, the Lord
next shared with them “how scattered Israel
In
all world history, the singular moment when God “hath made bare his holy arm in
the eyes of all the nations” (Isaiah 52:10), that is, revealed His power for
all to see, was in His rescue of Israel from Egyptian bondage. But so great
shall be the latter-day gathering of Israel that thereafter people will look to
it as the ultimate display of divine deliverance and power.
For
years the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh have been gathering into the
latter-day gospel through their own conversion process. People from all over
the world have gathered by uniting themselves first with Christianity, and
ultimately with the latter-day Church. These have been times of spiritual
adoption where all who have aligned themselves with God have been adopted into
the blessings of Israel through the latter-day Church.
“Spencer”
in Visions of Glory says regarding
the later gathering after Zion is re-built: “the work of gathering dramatically
accelerated through the use of the portals…. I was part of this gathering and
worked for many years along with unseen angels, translated people, and even
some resurrected people who had been assigned to facilitate the return of a
specific tribe. These were gathered as Jeremiah foresaw: one of a family, two
of a city, into Zion. During this stage of returning, we taught and gathered
all who had faith in Christ, both from within and without the latter-day
Church. We led them to one of the many cities of Zion, where they would thrive
through the remaining tribulations until Christ came to deliver us all. This
process was completed just shortly before the Second Coming.
Other
groups “were led by God, which is to say by His angels, specifically by we of Zion , from their long dispersion among the nations, back
to the New Jerusalem and to the other cities of Zion
“Most
of them were from scattered places, like Northern Europe, Africa, Asia, India,
the Middle East, and the Slavic regions where they had fled to escape thousands
of years ago. Even after they arrived, they sometimes struggled to identify
themselves with Zion. Even though they may have made the physical journey to
Missouri, they struggled to make the spiritual journey to Zion.
It
was a tremendous effort to teach them and to strip them of their uninspired
traditions, clothing, jewelry and body piercings, and so on. They were like
newborn spiritual babies who had to be taught in every point. The Saints worked
hard to teach them, but it was a difficult transition, and the times were
short….
“…
there were large groups of people who wandered to Zion
“All
of these [four groups] were gathered prior to the Second Coming, but all these
people constituted only a fraction of the remaining population of the world.
There were millions to whom we did not minister who were yet worthy to escape
the fire of cleansing at His coming. But without the protection of Zion, they
struggled tragically until He came.
“After
Christ came, our attention turned to these greater throngs of lost children of
God. To them we took healing, the message of the gospel of Christ, and hope. It
would yet take a thousand years before the majority of these embraced their
millennial privileges and partook of the full goodness of God. Even when the
Millennium had nearly come to a close, after nearly the whole earth had
received her millennial glory, there were tiny pockets of good people whose
agency had allowed them to choose against joining themselves to Zion.”[9]
From
other sections in Visions of Glory we
get glimpses of how the gatherings took place as follows.
From
Salt Lake City, after the initial destructions noted above “there were about
fifty companies forming… some were headed to Mexico, others to California and
almost every point of the compass. About a year after this, other groups were
sent to other continents, but for now there was no commercial transportation,
and we were relegated to what remained of our world.
“Each
company had the same task: to find those whom God showed to us, assist them in
their needs, teach them, strengthen them, and prepare them for their latter-day
labors. In most cases, those labors were to build cities of Zion in their own
locations, not to trek to the New Jerusalem. It took many years and much
teaching and testifying before the general population of the Church actually
internalized this truth. Quite understandably, they all wanted to be among the
“Saints” who came marching into Zion at long last – as did I.[10]
“When
we first entered a city, we would go to the local leaders of the Church in each
town. Often, the leaders asked us to speak to their people, and we would spread
the word. We would meet these people outside a town, build a big fire, and have
a true ‘fireside.’ We told them what had happened since the earthquake in Salt
Lake and how the Lord was advancing the work of the latter days. Everyone was
curious about what had happened in Salt Lake City, as rumors had circulated of
both awful and glorious things. We were pleased to update their view of the
work of the latter days and thereby give them a correct vision of the unfolding
strength of the latter-day kingdom.
“If
the Spirit accorded, we told them who we were and what our mission was. The
convincing power of God would move some of them to join us, and we welcomed
them. However, much more often we taught them to continue building Zion where
they were, and to prepare themselves spiritually to receive the Lord when He
came.
“I
don’t want to give the impression that everyone who was worthy was being
gathered into our company. This was not the case. We had been authorized by the
Brethren to represent the Church wherever we went, and most often the Spirit
led us to counsel them to stay where they were.
“Most
of the local leaders we met already understood that they were to gather where
they were and to make holy the ground upon which they presently stood. Their
gathering place was there or somewhere nearby. We generally found the Saints to
be in good spirits with strong hopes, and often, but not always, possessing a
fullness of the priesthood, just as we had obtained it. If they were lacking,
we counseled and admonished them to repent and live up to their potential.
Almost without exception, they humbly and gratefully received our words and
began their spiritual journey to Zion without fear….
“There
were also gatherings of people not in the Church who were full of the Spirit
and doing the Lord’s work, increasing their faith and living without fear. We
were led to these at times. When we were, we blessed and uplifted them and left
them in the hands of God to continue their work. We fully expected to see them
someday in Zion. But we first had to make our own way there and build it – this
was the focus of our hearts and minds.”[11]
“I
was aware that there were other gathering places like this [he was at Cardston,
Canada at the time] throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and
anywhere the stakes of Zion had been fully organized prior to the earthquakes.
The power of God had infused the Church, which had arisen to full capability
throughout the world. The Church had a worldwide communication system in place,
and they led us with inspired counsel and kept us informed of world events.[12]
During
a conference held in Cardston, Canada, “… we had received our assignments and
had once again been divided up into companies. We were anxious to go forth and
finish our assignments, to create our part of Zion so that the Second Coming
could occur. We had received our marching orders, and at least for now, it was
enough to be prepared to leave as soon as we got the word to head out….
“During
one of the meetings, the Brethren showed us a series of large maps that had
been drawn long ago. It showed Zion in Missouri as the center of a bull’s eye,
with scores of concentric rings drawn outward from the hub. All across North
America there were cities indicated along these lines and rings drawn around
those cities indicating their planned size. The end result was that the whole
continent was covered with evenly spaced cities flowing outward from the center
place of Zion. The whole face of the continent was more flat now, with
remaining mountains more like big hills than great obstacles to man…. The city
plan included farms, commerce, temples, and every other necessity for a Zion
society. Each city could live independently with this plan.”[13]
Referring
to the gathering out of Europe and Asia, Spencer says: “…many small groups
[began to arrive]. There were companies from Europe and Asia, and a large
company who came across a new land bridge from Russia to Alaska, and then down
through Alaska and Canada to Cardston. They may not have known who they were,
but their patriarchal blessings revealed them as being from one of the
so-called “lost” tribes of Israel. They weren’t actually lost; they just didn’t
know who they were until they arrived.
“The
people who had led them to Cardston were literally angels. To the refugees,
these angels were just people who came, gathered them, taught them, baptized
and ordained them – all during their years of exodus. Only a few righteous
leaders truly understood who was leading them. To my eyes, they were translated
people – some from thousands of years ago, some from these very times. By the
time they arrived, these people had been through the very refiner’s fire that
we had all experienced on our journey. They began in trucks and arrived in
rags, but they literally glowed with righteousness and faith when they
arrived.”[14]
In
conclusion, “Spencer” says: “Our whole society was engaged in expanding Zion,
which meant that the lands around us had to be prepared to become Zion. As time
advanced, word spread around the Americas, and then around the world, that in
Zion there was peace, safety, and food, and if you did not wish to be at war,
that you had to pay whatever price it took to go to Zion and her cities. We no longer
called this place Missouri ; it was becoming
known worldwide as Zion
“As
a result, people arrived at the gates of Zion every day. We could not admit
them until they were prepared. In fact, they were not able to enter because of
the pillars of fire guarding Zion. Our Savior visited us in the temple in Zion,
and resurrected and translated beings walked the streets of Zion. Notables of
past generations were seen every day, and only the pure could be there without
being consumed by the pillars of fire….
“When
people arrived in Zion, we had a large company assigned to greet them, give
them food, and show them where they could camp outside the city. Nobody was
turned away, even those we knew had evil intent just by looking upon them.
There was no need to deny them. They could not harm us, and they could not enter
Zion. Our job was to love them and teach them so that they could have the
opportunity to hear the gospel taught to their understanding.”[15]
1) The Gathering of Israel, 2nd
Phase, 2029 – 2036
Genesis
12:1-3 = 1: Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and
from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew
thee. 2: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and
make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. 3: And I will bless them
that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all
families of the earth be blessed.
Acts
1:6-7 = 6: When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying,
Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom of Israel? 7: And he
said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the
Father hath put in his own power.
D&C
110:11 = After this vision closed, the heavens were again open unto us; and
Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of
Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from
the land of the north.
Jesus
Christ taught the Nephites that the restoration of his people Israel would be the sign to indicate when the end was
drawing near. He also taught that the latter-day work of gathering dispersed
Israel from among all nations would begin in the day when his gospel would be
preached to the remnant of the Nephites in those places to which they had been
led away: 3rd Nephi 21:1, 26-29 = 1: And verily I say unto you, I
give unto you a sign, that ye know the time when these things shall be about to
take place – that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O
house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion. 26: And then
shall the work of the Father commence at that day, even when this gospel shall
be preached among the remnant of this
people. Verily I say unto you, at that day shall the work of the Father
commence among all the dispersed of my people, yea, even the tribes which have
been lost, which the Father hath led away out of Jerusalem. 27: Yea, the work
shall commence among all the dispersed of my people, with the Father to prepare
the way whereby they may come unto me, that they may call on the Father in my
name. 28: Yea, and then shall the work commence, with the Father among all
nations in preparing the way whereby his people may be gathered home to the
land of their inheritance. 29: And they shall go out from all nations; and they
shall not go out in haste, nor go by flight, for I will go before them, saith
the Father, and I will be their rearward.
All
Israel and all nations will be taught of Christ and will be gathered.
Deuteronomy 30:3 = That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have
compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations,
whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee. Isaiah 11:12 = And he shall set up
an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel , and gather together the dispersed of Judah
The
heathen nations will be redeemed last. They include those nations of the earth
that have not known or accepted Jesus Christ. Moses warned ancient Israel that
they would be diminished and scattered among the heathen – those that were
foreign to Israel – where Israel would worship other gods: Deuteronomy 4:25,
27-28 = 25: When thou shalt beget children, and children’s children, and ye
shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a
graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of
the Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger. 27: And the Lord shall scatter you
among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen,
whither the Lord shall lead you. 28: And there ye shall serve gods, the work of
men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
The
prophet Ezekiel prophesied that the heathen will eventually recognize that God
is with Israel : Ezekiel
37:28 = And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel
After
the Jews have been redeemed, then the gospel will go to the heathen nations who
did not know nor were subject to Christ’s gospel truths and laws. D&C
45:51-54 = 51: And then shall the Jews look upon me and say: What are these
wounds in thine hands and in thy feet? 52: Then shall they know that I am the
Lord: for I will say unto them: These wounds are the wounds with which I was
wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that
was crucified. I am the Son of God. 53: And then shall they weep because of
their iniquities; then shall they lament because they persecuted their king.
54: And then shall the heathen nations be redeemed, and they that knew no law
shall have part in the first resurrection; and it shall be tolerable for them.
The
latter-day process of gathering those who will recognize the voice and word of
the Lord – the efforts of Latter-day Saints, both members and full-time missionaries
to find those who will believe the message of Christ and the restoration – will
continue in this final dispensation according to the Lord’s will and direction:
D&C 1:4-5, 11-12 = 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.
11: Wherefore the voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that all
that will hear may hear: 12: Prepare ye, prepare ye for that which is to come,
for the Lord is nigh.
As
of 2017, organized Latter-day Saint missionary work is being carried forth in
virtually every nation of the world with the exception of the Arab nations of
the Middle East and their neighboring State of Israel. As the Lord causes
official doors to open, the gospel will be taken to all people, including the
Chinese, Islam and nations where the Jewish population is significant.
The
Jews will be taught after the Gentiles but before the heathen nations. Although
the scriptures teach that some Jews will accept Christ before he returns, there
will yet be unbelieving Jews who will not recognize Christ for who he is until
they see him descend from heaven into their midst and he shows them the wounds
in his hands and feet. Only then will they understand that they crucified their
Lord.
Moses
7:62: … and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a
flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place
which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins,
and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my
tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.
2) The Righteous Return to Jackson
County, Missouri
Just
before the tribulation begins, just before civil war and unrest begin in the
United States, in one night there will be a massive evacuation of people from
their homes; they will be carried away by angels into appointed places of
refuge, preparatory to beginning their three and a half years of being guided
by the Davidic King, and protected by Father in Heaven from the war and armies
hunting them, wandering ever closer to the New Jerusalem, centered in Jackson
County, Missouri; where our 10th Article of Faith indicates it will
be built.
Joseph
Smith’s translation of Luke 17:26-37, applies to this return to Jackson County;
also Isaiah 40:31, and Isaiah 60:8; each showing this exodus orchestrated by
the Savior and his angels. All this will be in fulfillment of the promise in
the oath and covenant of the priesthood. All of those taken by the angels will
be renewed in their bodies and translated during the course of the return.
Unlike the first exodus, however, the people will not take any possessions or
supplies. They will go with the clothing they are wearing and will not be
allowed to go back for their possessions. The Lord will provide for the people.
He will place a canopy over them to protect from the sun and the other
elements.
Mount
Zion (Isaiah 4:5-6 quoted above) is the nation of Zion formed in the day the
exodus and return take place. Isaiah 66: Heading; 7-9 = Heading: At the Second
Coming, Israel, as a nation, shall be born in a day; 7: Before she travailed,
she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. 8:
Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such a thing? Shall the earth be
made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born in one? For as soon
as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
So,
we see the prophetic understanding as follows: The Davidic prophet was born
before she [the Church] was in labor, or before the tribulation began. But then
the tribulation begins, which will be the labor of the woman bringing forth her
children. The labor lasts only one day and the nation is born at once. The
exodus happens in one day at the beginning of the tribulation and the nation of
Zion is created by the bringing together the righteous of the world. This is a
great comfort to the truly righteous remnant in the Church because they will
escape the captivity, or most of it, and the cruel oppression which the rest of
the Church will suffer throughout the world, especially in the United States.
Isaiah
33:14-19 = 14: The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the
hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us
shall dwell with everlasting burnings? 15: He that walketh righteously, and
speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppression, that shaketh his hands
from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and
shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; 16: He shall dwell on high: his place of
defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters
shall be sure. 17: Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall
behold the land that is very far off. 18: Thine heart shall meditate terror.
Where is the scribe? Where is the receiver? Where is he that counted the
towers? 19: Thou shalt not see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech
than thou canst perceive; of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not
understand.
Isaiah
describes the condition among the Church members when the tribulation arrives.
They are struck with fear and trembling. There are two dangers: the devouring
fire, which is the King of Assyria and the eternal burning which is the Lord.
Either way there is death. But he gives some of the attributes of those who can
escape.
Those
who are righteous will escape, that is, those who are not idolaters (seeking
bribes and filling their heads with television and movie violence, murder and
other wickedness). They who have these attributes and one other that we will
mention, will go on the exodus which is described here. They will be taken to
the wilderness, which is mountain country around the west, where those on the
exodus will be. The cliffs are impregnable and will be their fortress.
Perhaps
the greatest blessing on the exodus will be the privilege of seeing the
glorified Lord along with the Davidic prophet/king. The king spoken of here is
probably the Davidic king but elsewhere the Lord says he will be with the
people and they will see him. During this trek, the people will be taught both
by the Davidic prophet and by the Lord.
In
order to be in the presence of the Lord, one has to be translated and indeed,
those who go on the exodus will be translated and during the forty-two months
of the exodus, they will have their calling and election made sure.
While
looking out over the earth amid the peace that exits in this traveling people,
they will recall the terror of the King of Assyria, albeit brief, and will
wonder where the tax collectors are, etc. The babbling tongues of the invaders
who spoke foreign language(s) – Russian, Chinese, Arabic - which were unintelligible
to them, are no longer heard and are a fading memory. The Lord will provide
food and water during the journey back to Jackson County
It
is unlikely that the people will eat manna because Isaiah says they will eat
what springs up or grows wild – which is the same thing apparently. So for two
years the people on the exodus will eat along the road whatever the Lord
provides but the third year they will have reached the promised land, or Jackson County
Although
the exodus is discussed in many other places in Isaiah, one additional
scripture should be enough to get a good picture of this wondrous happening:
Isaiah, Chapter 35 = Heading: In the day of restoration the desert shall
blossom, the Lord will come, Israel shall be gathered, and Zion shall be built.
1: The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert
shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. 2: It shall blossom abundantly, and
rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon
shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel
and Sharon
This
is not a Messianic prophecy, but a metaphorical picture of the exodus. This
wilderness will blossom and break out it flowers. This does not mean that
vegetation will begin to grow. Flowers are people and blossoms are usually
children. The glory of Lebanon is elite or redeemed Israel and Carmel and
Sharon are parallel terms. In addition the glory and splendor of the Lord will
be there. This is a marvelous epiphany.
The
three verses talking about the hands being strengthened and the failing knees,
the blind and deaf being healed, are miracles that will occur on the journey.
Since the exodus will include elderly and handicapped people, they will have to
be strengthened in order to participate in the trek, which will be on foot. The
fact is that all will be healed of any infirmities they have. Their bodies will
be renewed as we learned above.
Another
blessing that will be realized is the healing of barren women. There has been a
myth around the Church for decades that says that those who have little
children who die, will be able to raise them in the Millennium. This would
amount to reincarnation which is a Hindu doctrine and is false.
Barren
women who go on the exodus and others who come to Zion later, will be healed
and have children in large numbers. There are women who have received blessings
telling them they would have and raise children when these women are barren and
some are now beyond their child-bearing age. The blessings, if they were
inspired, will come true at this time. Children who died before accountability,
however, are in the celestial worlds and during the Millennium, their mothers
may have contact with them but they will be adult, resurrected beings.
The
lakes and streams are people as has been said above. They are in the wilderness
and the blossoming and greening of the desert is because translated people of
Zion are there.
The
roads will be called holy because the holy people, the redeemed, are on them.
These roads will also be used later for the final gathering of the righteous.
The Lord also says there will be no lions there, nor other wild beasts. These
are metaphors for men also. They are soldiers or mobs, but none will be seen
here.
The
final verse is glorious in its message. The ransomed will return to the place
called Zion, in Jackson County, Missouri, where they are crowned with
everlasting joy. Singing is a metaphor for worship and there will be a new kind
of worship at that time. The crowning with everlasting joy means that these
redeemed persons are sealed up to exaltation by the Holy Spirit of Promise, who
is the Savior.
As
far as how we might prepare for this coming event, the parable of the ten
virgins should be consulted and understood fully so that we might be prepared.
The love of things, greed, and other forms of idolatry, injustice and
dishonesty, and Sabbath breaking are problems, among others, that need to be
corrected to be a virgin who has the
wick on her lamp ready, and the lamp is filled with oil [faith and good works]
when the bridegroom calls. “Virgin” in the manner of prophesying of the Jewish
prophets, means pure, righteous or holy.
There
have been various ideas put forth as to who the virgins will be, but the most
common viewpoint among Mormons is that they are members of the Church. Since
all ten are virgins, or righteous, then it can not very well refer to all the
members of the Church, unless by some stretch we can assume the half are pure
and holy when only fifteen percent qualify for temple recommends. The use of ten by the Lord means a tithe, or a
tenth. So what we have are about ten percent of the members who are pure and
righteous.
There
are other scriptures that refer to the tenth (see Isaiah 6: 11-13 = 11: Then
said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without
inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate. 12:
And the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the
midst of the land. 13: But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and
shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when
they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof).
This
does not mean that the ten percent, or the righteous virgins, are taken from
the fifteen percent who are temple recommend holders. In the temple recommend
interview, there is no question which asks if the candidate is an idolater and
since this is a major sin of Ephraim and general among the Church population, it
is obvious that many idolaters have recommends and there are many righteous who
do not have recommends.
3) The Ten Tribes Return, first to Zion,
then to Jerusalem
As
early as 2012, the Muslim faith was the fastest growing religion in the United
States.[16]
As it has been seen among Muslim converts in Russia, that all ten tribes are
represented among them, it can be assumed that this Muslim influx to the United
States is the beginning of the fulfillment of this prophecy. This would be a
gradual type of return rather than a spontaneous return of a large body of
people.
D&C
133:26-27 = 26: Joseph Smith prophesied of the event, saying that “they who are
in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the Lord: and their
prophets[17] shall
hear his voice, and shall no longer stay themselves; 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.” Though this revelation was given
just a year and a half after the Church was organized, the Prophet never again
mentioned it.
On
June 3, 1831, Joseph Smith taught “that John the Revelator was then among the
Ten Tribes of Israel who had been led away by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, to
prepare them for their return from their long dispersion, to again possess the
land of their father” (HC1:176). This idea continued to circulate during the
late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. President Wilford Woodruff noted
on one occasion that “Could I speak to the Ten Tribes of Israel, in the north
country, I would say, call upon the God of your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, that your prophets may come in remembrance before God, that they may
hear His voice and no longer stay themselves, but smite the rocks, that the
mountains of ice may flow down at their presence.”[18]
A
folk tradition has grown up in the Church that the ten tribes are hidden
somewhere in the north countries and continue faithfully with their prophets,
awaiting the day when the Lord shall cause the ice to melt and they may reveal
themselves to the world. Such a picture, however dramatically satisfying, does
not square with the scriptures.
The
standard works tell us three things that we must keep in mind when it comes to
the gathering of Israel. First, they explain, in general terms, where Israel
Second,
the scriptures state over and over that God will gather Israel “from the four
quarters of the earth unto their own lands, from whence they have been
dispersed” (3rd Nephi 5:26).
Third,
the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and no other,[19]
holds the keys of the gathering of Israel. Joseph Smith was very clear when he
said that “Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the
gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the
ten tribes from the land of the north” (D&C 110:11). Those keys still
reside with the president today. When he decides to execute those keys, he will
direct the prophets who preside over the earth, presently called Area Authority
Seventies, to bring their people, true Israel, to their pre-appointed places.[20]
In
this regard, Jeremiah 16:14-15 says: 14: Therefore, behold, the days come,
saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up
the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; 15: But, The Lord liveth, that
from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them:
and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.
Although
this dispersion of the Ten Tribes has been worldwide, as shown in recent years
through studies of traditions and DNA markers, still there is the Lord’s
statement to Nephi that needs to be correlated with what has been said above.
It would appear that during their initial wanderings, and at least up until the
time of the Savior’s resurrection, there was a body of people – the lost tribes
– that had prophets and records. It is most likely that by the time of the
restoration of the gospel to Joseph Smith, that there were no living prophets
among them, except the translated John the Revelator. Jesus said in 2nd
Nephi 29:13-14 = 13: And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the
words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and
the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel;
and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the
Jews. 14: And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel
4) The Jews Return to their Homeland
The
modern miracle of the state of Israel is well known and continues to be a
reality that only God could have created and sustained. Surrounded by enemies
on all sides; rejected by the world as a whole; the continuing dynamics of the
continuance of Israel is without precedent in the history of the world. The
Jews will continue to return and become a powerful force as we draw closer and
closer to the return of the Lord in glory.
[1]There
will be multiple exoduses: when these last-day events begin to take place, not
all people will be on the same spiritual levels. It will be a time of flux,
when big changes are set in motion, which will cause us all to react
differently. Our Father in Heaven will make provisions for each of us to return
at our own pace. The first group will participate in an exodus out of all
countries on the eve of a Sodom-and-Gomorrah type of destruction. The second
group will make a similar exodus or pilgrimage but not until after the
Millennium has begun. This second group didn’t heed the initial warnings and
wake up in time to avoid the calamities. (See Isaiah 60:1-7; and 66:18-20).
[2]We
know that moving water is an army and here the dragon acting through the beast,
sends a “flood” which is a large force to overcome the members who have been
taken into the wilderness. We are seeing the events of the first exodus
reenacted. Pharaoh sent an army to bring back or destroy the Israelites; but
his army was destroyed by a natural catastrophe caused by Moses’ control over the
elements. The same thing will happen during this first of the last days’
exoduses as the troops pursue the remnant and they will neither return nor be
heard of again. When his troops do not return, the dragon, Satan, will be angry
and cause his beast, the King of Assyria, to make war with the remnant of her seed. If the Church has
gone into the wilderness, how can the beast make war with the remnant of her
seed? We would expect that those who are wicked, or who do not want to be
active in the Church, would be left behind, but this last verse [Revelation
12:17 = “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the
remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony
of Jesus Christ] shows that some righteous people have not gone on the exodus.
[3]Roger K.
Young, The Wilderness Experience
(n.p., 2011) page 6.
[4]Fred
C. Collier, Unpublished Revelations,
Volume 1, Part 10: A Revelation Given Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, west of
Jackson County, Missouri, on July 17, 1831 (Salt Lake City: Collier’s
Publishing Co., 1979), verse 6.
[5]Brigham
Young, December 11, 1864, Journal of
Discourses 11:16; also Richard N. Skousen, op. cit., pages 211-212.
[6]Boyd K.
Packer, “To Be Learned is Good If….,” Ensign,
November 1992, page 73.
[7]Roger K.
Young, op. cit., pages 27-28.
[8]William
A. Sheldon, Babylon’s Fall and The Way of
Escape (Independence, Missouri: The Board of Publications, Church of
Christ, 1996), page 76.
[9]Pontius, Visions of Glory, op. cit., pages 212-214.
[10]Ibid., page 152.
[11]Ibid., page 157.
[12]Ibid., page 163.
[13]Ibid., pages 167-168.
[14]Ibid., pages 171-172.
[15]Ibid., pages 209-209.
[16]Association
of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, 2012.
[17]It
is probable that the only prophets that are among the ten tribes are the local
leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (see the following
page for clarification).
[18]Matthias
F. Cowley, Wilford Woodruff, History of
His Life and Labors (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1964), page 510.
[19]John
also holds these keys: see Robert Smith.
[20]Draper, The Savior’s Prophecies, op. cit., pages
41-44.
[36]
2028: Manmade Plagues Released Worldwide
Repeating
a paragraph that is found on page 43: In the book Emerging Virusus: Aids & Ebola, Nature, Accident or Intentional? by
Leonard G. Horowitz (594 pages),[1]
Dr. Horowitz proves with overwhelming documentation that both Aids and Ebola
were created by the CIA and the State Department to test on Africans and gays.
Over 30,000,000 have been infected with the HIV virus. Neither of these
diseases came from monkeys but from cows. His study will be quoted elsewhere
but it begs the question, does “Spencer’s” reference to a manmade virus
released on the United States at about the time of the earthquake in Salt Lake
City, come from nations who were getting back at us for releasing these two
plagues on the world?
Although this is just the beginning of the Tribulation
Years
I will not publish the following signs at this time.
If what has been published is not adhered to
and understood, then the rest will be
of no use to those who ignore
this first part.
BUILDING CITIES OF ZION TO THE COMING OF JESUS CHRIST
BUILDING CITIES OF ZION TO THE COMING OF JESUS CHRIST
The Last Seven Years: 1st
Phase (2029 – 2032)
3½ at the end of the 6th seal
(March 13, 2029 – October 1, 2032): 42 months
[37] 2029, September: The First
Gathering at Adam-ondi-Ahman
A
few weeks before the general conference an event took place in the valley of
Adam-ondi-Ahman; a great meeting; one apparently preliminary to the final
gathering (see Sign #50 below). The group gathered was small. Father Adam
presided. Each dispensation head was present. After Joseph Smith reported the
accomplishments fulfilled under his stewardship, Jesus Christ appeared,
received Adam’s report, and pronounced it good, and commended them all for
their faithfulness.[2]
[38] 2029, October: General Conference
The
Church announced a general conference as in the past, to be held in October; but
with different scheduling and agendas. There would be a general funeral service
for all of the dead, and for the lost General Authorities; to be held in the
Conference Center on the first Sunday of October: the 7th. There would be four
sessions that day. Large screens were to be displayed in several places outside
the center to handle the overflowing crowds. Three sessions would be broadcast;
the last was to be a closed session. The first session would be the funeral
service. Eighteen empty coffins would represent those who had been buried
previously. The second session would be dedicated to teaching powerful gospel
principles and plans for rebuilding and regrouping. The third session would
address the future of the Church and of the world. The fourth session would be
unique.
Writing
now in the present tense: none of the previous First Presidency was on the
stand. Included on the stand was the Lord Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, Jr.,
Brigham Young, John Taylor and other resurrected beings. A new First Presidency
was announced; and deceased Apostles were replaced as well. The first speaker
was the resurrected Apostle Neal A. Maxwell. He testified of Christ in such
powerful terms that everyone knew he had seen Christ and been in His arms. He
read scriptures about the fulfilling of the dispensations, but he changed some
words so that instead of speaking of future things, they were testifying of
present things.
The
Prophet Joseph Smith was the next speaker. He had a commanding use of the
language and was able to speak with color and powers of description few people
possess. Coupled with the fact that the conference attendees were infused with
the Holy Ghost, they were also stunned by his presence. He wove the prophetic
utterances of the scriptures and his own testimony together with such eloquence
that no one could doubt or deny their truth and power. Every soul present was
already flowing with light and truth, but his testimony brightly illuminated
their understanding and gave them additional cause to rejoice.
[39]
2029: Apophis; earth trembles, sun hides its face, moon bathed in blood, stars
cast down
As
a preface to this 2029 event, on April 2, 2024, Friday the 13th, the comet apophis flys by on an orbit that
comes inside the higher satellites, causing it to change its orbit and creating
some uncertainty as to its next two flybys.
Friday,
April 13, 2029, Apophis is predicted to approach within 18,300 miles of earth.
The
2036 flyby has not been determined yet [2017].
[40] 2029: Babylonian Captivity, or the Captivity
by the King of Assyria ; Judgments to Begin
Amongst Unrighteous Mormons
The
rise of the antichrist and the invasion of the U. S.
Isaiah
2: the Babylonian Captivity: Isaiah 47:6 “I was wroth with my people, I have
polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hands: thou didst shew
them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid the yoke.” Isaiah
52:5 “Now therefore, what have I here, saith the Lord, that my people is taken
away for naught? They that rule over them make them to howl, saith the Lord;
and my name continually every day is blasphemed.” Jeremiah 20:4-6; 4: “For thus
saith the Lord, Behold I will make thee a terror to thyself and to all thy
friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes
shall behold it: and I will give all Judah into the hands of the king of
Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with
the sword. 5: Moreover, I will deliver all the strength of this city, and all the
labours thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of
the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall
spoil them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon. 6: And thou, Pashur, and
all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shall come to
Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy
friends, to whom thou has prophesied lies.
[41] 2029: The Tribulation of the Saints
who stay Behind: Persecution of the Saints
The
Lord has warned the Saints in two latter-day revelations that if they are not
careful, His judgments of the last days will begin first among the members of
the Church. He has promised to cleanse the earth in the latter days by
destroying the wicked, and He will begin by destroying the wicked within the
Church:
D&C
112:24-26 = 24: Behold. vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the
earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of
mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the
face of the earth. 25: And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house
shall it go forth, saith the Lord; 26: first among those among you, saith the
Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have
blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord.
D&C
97:25-26 = 25: Nevertheless, Zion
President
Brigham Young also told us that the Savior will cleanse the kingdom of God in
preparation for His return: “When He again visits this earth, He will come to
thoroughly purge His kingdom from wickedness.”[3]
Heber
C. Kimball warned the Saints that famines are likely to strike the Saints
first, and unless they are prepared, they will suffer the consequences when the
grocery stores and warehouses are stripped of their contents and food cannot be
found anywhere:
“When
the famines begin upon the earth, we shall be very apt to feel them first. If
judgments must need begin at the house of the God, and if the righteous
scarcely are saved, how will it be with the wicked? Am I looking for famines?
Yes, the most terrible and severe that have ever come upon the nations of the
earth.”[4]
The
Saints do not need to be caught unprepared by these cataclysmic events. Heber
C. Kimball admonished the Saints to repent and change their lives and attitudes
so that they will be ready for the judgments of God in the last days:
“You
will find that judgments will be more sore upon this people if they do no
repent and lay aside their pride and their animosities, their quarreling and
contentions, their disputations among themselves.”[5]
“The
Lord’s day of vengeance will come as quickly upon earth’s inhabitants as a
whirlwind: with great speed and without forewarning…. So fearsome will this day
be to the wicked, says Zephaniah (1:14-16) that ‘the mighty man shall cry there
bitterly,’ and Joel also describes the day of the Lord as ‘a day of darkness
and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness’ (Joel 2:1-2). This day
will begin not with those who are considered to be the darkest and most ungodly
of individuals but with those who belong to the Church who are hypocrites and
blasphemers.”[6]
We
have discussed above the invasion of foreign troops. The Lord explains that the
invasion comes as a result of the apostasy (the fading wreaths) of Ephraim or
the Church. In Isaiah 28: 1-4, 11 we are cursed: Woe to the garlands of glory
of the drunkards of Ephraim! Their crowning splendor has become as fading
wreaths on the heads of the opulent overcome with wine. My Lord has in store
one mighty and strong: as a ravaging hailstorm sweeping down, or like an
inundating deluge of might waters, he will hurl them to the ground by his hand.
The proud garlands of the drunkards of Ephraim shall be trodden underfoot. And
the fading wreaths, the crowns of glory on the heads of the opulent, shall be
like the first-ripe fruit before summer harvest: he who sees it devours it the
moment he has hold of it. Therefore, by incomprensible speech and a strange tongue
must he speak to these people.
Being
drunk with the wine of Babylon is a metaphor for idolatry: the desire for
things and this has made us insensible to the things we should be thinking and
doing which is preparing Zion for the coming of the Savior.
In
Isaiah 42:22-25 the Lord, through Isaiah, speaking to the Church, tells us that
we are blind and deaf because we are caught up in idolatry. We are blind
because we see what is happening both in the Church and in the world but we do
not comprehend what we see. We are seeing the collapse of the U.S. constitution
but people go on as usual pursuing their idols. With our ears open, we hear
nothing. The idea is “all is well in Zion.”
The
Lord’s desire is that we obey his precepts and law thereby becoming
illustrious, which is a code word for translated.
We are taken captive, sacked and plundered with many thrown into dungeons and
others in hiding or fleeing into the country. There is no one to immediately
rescue them (us).
He
admonishes us to return to reality and listen and obey because it is the Lord
who is causing the captivity and oppression for this very purpose. Captivity
has always been the means of purging the Lord’s people of all their idols. Then
and only then, will the people begin to repent and return to the Lord for a
while. The final verse shows our blindness because we will not change until the
very flames of war envelop us.
The
Antichrist or arch-tyrant is of primary importance in this process, or will be,
to the Church members. It is important to look at a few more of the descriptive
prophecies concerning him from the visions of Isaiah.
“The
Lord will bring upon you and your people and your father’s house a day unlike
any since Ephraim broke away from Judah – the day of the king of Assyria. In
that day the Lord will signal for the flies from the far rivers of Egypt and
for the bees in the land of Assyria. And they will come and settle with one
accord in the riverbeds of the prairie and in rocky ravines, and by all ditches
and water holes. In that day my Lord will use a razor hired at the River – the
king of Assyria – to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to cut off
even your beard” (Isaiah 7:17-20).
Isaiah
uses metaphors to explain the invasion for those who have learned the manner of
prophesying of the Jews. The invasion by the king of Assyria, which he calls
“the day of the king of Assyria,” will be unlike any invasion in history in its
magnitude and terror. Even the name inspires horror and dread to read it, if we
are not blind and deaf.
Persecution of the Saints
The
following excellent material is taken from His
Return by Richard N. Skousen. It comprises chapter two of his book. I have
shortened and revised some of the information.
The
first useful purpose of persecution is that it purifies the Church by causing
the wicked to leave it. According to the scriptures and modern prophets, the
persecution of the righteous in the latter days will continue to rise in
crescendo until it reaches an apex. God has promised that He will then come
forth in His wrath and destroy the wicked (see Daniel 7: 21, 25; Revelation
6:9-11, 12:17, 13:7; and 1st Nephi 14:13).
The
persecution becomes extremely severe, and the righteous are identified by the
wicked and cast out, fleeing for their lives. Many may be caught unaware by
this sudden transition. It could easily stem from a general persecution against
the Church, which would cause the wicked to blame the righteous, thereby
casting them out of their presence – pursuing them from city to city (HC3:391)
and leaving themselves open for further persecution and destruction themselves.
During
this sign, a remnant of Ephraim will find the Lord a sure source of strength to
repulse the enemy attack at the gates (Isaiah 28:5-6); Though the wicked
perish, the righteous do not. The latter hearken to the prophets’ words and
suffer much persecution; yet they look forward steadfastly to Jesus’ coming (2nd
Nephi 26:8).
In
1847, when the Saints first arrived in the desolate region of the Great Basin,
they were the only settlers in the area for many years (except for a Native
American, a few trappers and the Spanish from New Mexico), and the communities
that they established were predominantly filled with Church members. But today,
the valleys of the West now contain both the righteous and the wicked. The
fulfillment of these prophecies is clearly imminent. Heber C. Kimball warned:
“There will also be a day when you will be brought to the test – when your very
hearts and your inmost souls will melt within you because of the scenes that
many of you will witness. Yes, you will be brought to the test, when you will
feel as if everything within you would dissolve. Then will be the time you will
be tried whether you will stand the test or fall away. I have no doubt but
there will hundreds who will leave us and go away to our enemies.”[7]
George
Q. Cannon, who served as first counselor to presidents John Taylor, Wilford
Woodruff and Lorenzo Snow, also spoke about the opposition that the Church will
face before the Second Coming, and about his unshakable faith that the Church
will be watched over and protected during those times of adversity. He said:
“Every kind of opposition will be brought against this work. There is nothing
that you can conceive of that will be kept back, and it will come upon us as
fast as we are able to bear it. It is only the power of God that restrains our
enemies from overwhelming us…. But it will not be without a mighty warfare, the
hostility against this work will be continuous. No man need calculate on
anything else….
“There
are legions of angels around us…. It is a cause of amazement how we are
delivered from time to time, so few in number, and so hated as we are…. But
this work of our God will go forth, despite all the opposition that will be
brought against it. It will win, because it is true.”[8]
As
the persecution of the Saints increases, the wicked will eventually terminate
all commerce with the righteous.[9]
The righteous will not be allowed to buy from or sell to the wicked. This will
be a time of testing and trial, and the Saints will need to prepare themselves
to live independent of Babylon.
John
the Revelator prophesied of this event, and he said that the righteous who will
not take a mark upon themselves will be unable to conduct any business with the
wicked. He warned that the wicked will cause “all, both small and great, rich
and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their
foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark.”[10]
President
Brigham Young also prophesied that the day would come when the Saints would be
cut off from the world, and he warned us: “By and by there will be a gulf
between the righteous and the wicked so that they cannot trade with each other,
and national intercourse will cease. It is not so now, they can pass from one
to the other with ease. But if this is the kingdom of God and if we are the
Saints of God – I leave you all to judge for yourselves about this – are we not
required to sustain ourselves and to manufacture that which we consume, to
cease our bartering, trading, mingling, drinking, smoking, chewing and joining
with all the filth of Babylon?”[11]
The
Lord expects the Saints to rise above the world, and eventually, He wants them
to stand completely independent of Babylon. He told the Prophet Joseph Smith
that His objective is “that the church may stand independent above all other
creatures beneath the celestial world.”[12]
When the wicked refuse to do business with the righteous, the Saints will need
to stand on their own, independent of the world. The Church and its members
will then be free of the influence of Babylon.[13]
Heber C. Kimball warned us that: “The time will come when we will be obliged to
depend upon our own resources; for the time is not far distant when the curtain
will be dropped between us and the United States.”[14]
As
John the Revelator was shown the period of persecution through which the Saints
would pass in the last days, he left us an important warning: “If any man have
an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity:
he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the
patience and the faith of the Saints.”[15]
Those
who patiently persevere through this period of persecution will be richly rewarded
and blessed. During this time the Lord will watch over the Saints. He will
bless them through their righteousness. He will comfort them through the calm
voice of the Holy Spirit. At the end of their trials, the Saints will be
rewarded with peace and joy, while their enemies fight among themselves and are
eventually destroyed by the wrath of almighty God.[16]
The
Lord emphasized this point again in a revelation that was given shortly after
the Saints were expelled from Jackson County, Missouri in 1833: “Therefore,
care not for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul, and
for the life of the soul. And seek the face of the Lord always, that in
patience ye may possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life.”[17]
As
the righteous pass through these difficult times, they may wonder why this
persecution is being mounted against them. Brigham Young explained it as
follows: “Let a prophet arise upon the earth, and never reveal the evils of
men, and do you suppose that the wicked would desire to kill him? No, for he
would cease to be a prophet of the Lord, and they would invite him to their
feasts, and hail him as a friend and brother. Why? Because it would be
impossible for him to be anything but one of them.
“It
is impossible for a prophet of Christ to live in an adulterous generation
without speaking of the wickedness of the people, without revealing their
faults and their failings, and there is nothing short of death that will stay
him from it.”[18]
In
addition to this, the adversary and his hosts know that The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints is the restored Church of Jesus Christ; and they
will continually agitate against this Church.
Even
though persecution can be a very difficult trial to bear, it actually serves
several usual purposes. The first is that it purifies the Church by causing the
wicked to leave it. The second is that it seals the fate of the wicked for
their eventual destruction. A third is that it causes the members of the Church
to be more faithful in their duties.
[42] 2029: Earth Begins it Journey
The
winter that this begins will roll in mild in Utah. The sky will be laden with
ash, smoke and water vapor. The sun will still be warm as before, but the
weather will be mild. Stunning sunsets and sunrises will abound. The people
will consider the events with wonder. The snows will stay themselves all winter
long. That will be a great blessing as most people will have no effective means
of heating any of the buildings they will be sheltered in.
The
atmosphere of the earth will feel different from that point on. There will be a
cleansing process taking place. Even though the people will be experiencing
great devastation, the water will grow clearer and cleaner in the rivers and
lakes. They will be able to see great distances to the bottom of the lakes. The
earth will start to cleanse and purify itself. Many people will comment and
wonder at the great “signs and wonders” that will manifest in the earth and in
the heavens. The constellations will become different, which will cause some to
wonder if the earth is being pulled from it normal orbit. Worldwide panic will
initially exist as this happens, but there will not be as much fear among the
faithful. These will be signs of the Second Coming.[19]
[43] 2029: Apostate Darkness Worldwide;
People Refuse to Believe Obvious Truth and Instead Adhere to Fables and
Falsehoods [this sign overarches all of the last days]
[44] 2029: Jerusalem Rebuilt (currently,
partially, underway) including the Temple
In 70 A. D. Jerusalem was destroyed. On August
1, 691 A. D., the Dome of the Rock was dedicated on what is called the Temple
Mount, but which is – in fact – the location of the Roman fortification of
Antonium. The actual temple sight for the 1st and 2nd
temples was in the old City of David, which is proximate to the Temple Mount
but not on it; thus the temple could be built at any time that the Jews rid
themselves of the idea that the destruction of the Dome of the Rock is required
prior to their building the temple.
The
Temple Mount Institute has [2017] over two-thirds of all of the vestiments and
items necessary to begin the daily sacrifices in the temple once they have it
completed. They continue to petition the Israeli government to allow the
beginning construction of the temple and the implementation of the daily
sacrifice.
Daniel
8:13-14, 17, 19: 2,300 days (about six and one third years) before the coming
of Christ in Glory.
UTS,
116;
GRJ,
274: Rev. 11:1-2: John tells us that the angel took him to the future temple in
Jerusalem to measure it. It will exist during the seven-year tribulation period
because the Anti-Christ will occupy it (2 Thes. 2:3-4).
TLD,
7 Daniel tell us that the temple will be built in Jerusalem in troublous times.
So something bad has to happen before the temple is built.
TPJS,
286; Zechariah 8:3-8; 14:9-21
Brown,
pages 100-101
Parry, Chapter 3
[45] 2029: New Jerusalem and Other
Cities of Zion Built
It
is clear from a careful study of The Book of Mormon that the building of the
New Jerusalem was assigned by Christ to the “remnant of Jacob,” assisted by the
covenant Gentiles, “and as many of the house of Israel as shall come” (3rd
Nephi 21:23).
Jacob,
the brother of Nephi, speaking to the descendants of Nephi, Joseph, Jacob and
Zoram, after they had separated from the Lamanites, Lemuelites and Ishmaelites,
quotes a promise given to him by the Savior: “Wherefore, I will consecrate this
land (America) unto thy seed, and them who shall be numbered among thy seed
forever, for the land of their inheritance… (2nd Nephi 10:19).
Returning
to 3rd Nephi 21 it says in verse 24: “And then shall they assist my
people (the remnant of Jacob – see verse 23 above) that they may be gathered
in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem.”
To
fully prove who the remnant of Jacob is, we have the words of Jesus Christ
himself speaking to the Nephites in the land Bountiful after his resurrection:
“… thus hath the Father commanded me – that I should give unto this people this
land for their inheritance (3rd Nephi 16:16).
If
the Nephites haven’t been totally destroyed and they take the lead in building
the New Jerusalem, then it would be critical to know where this Nephite nation
is. It could be a significant additional sign of the latter days.
When
Elder Heber J. Grant offered the dedicatory prayer that opened the Japanese
mission on August 12, 1901, he made a unique request that is not found in any
other prayer in the annals of Church history. He requested the Lord to assign
the Three Nephites to minister to the Japanese nation. Did Elder Grant know by
inspiration that the Japanese were, in fact, Nephites? There are many
indications that they are; including the etiology of many of their words,
artifacts and migration patterns.
In
an October 1980 editorial article in the Church
News, during the dedication of the Tokyo Temple, it says that up to that
time two patriarchs had given 2641 blessings to members of the Church who were
of Japanese descent. Of those blessings 1,372 had the lineage of Joseph, 444
were from Ephraim and 825 were from Manasseh. It is clear from these numbers
that Japanese members are predominately of the house of Israel.
If
Japan is the place where the Nephite nation now resides, how did it get there?
Scientific research sets the date of their first emperor’s birth at 60 or 61
B.C. and his death at 1 B.C. If this is accurate, it coincides with the
approximate exodus of Hagoth and his ships. This first emperor, Jimmu Tenno,
could have been born in America and, as a boy of six or seven, been taken to
Japan by his uncle Ninighi (and set Jimmu on the imperial throne) at that time.
The name Ninighi is pronounced very similar to that of Nephi by the Japanese.
They also pronounce the name of their country Nippon, a name that could have also been derived from Nephi’s name.
If these speculations are correct, it would coincide with The Book of Mormon
statement that all of the kings of the Nephites took the title of Nephi – 1st
Nephi, 2nd Nephi, 3rd Nephi, etc. – in honor of the
original Nephi, and show that the Nephite nation continues it existence in that
island kingdom.
Finally,
the author-scientist, James Churchward, in Children
of Mu, declared that the Japanese language still contained in 1931, nearly
40% Quiché Mayan words. The Mayan culture of Central America is purported to be
what is left of the ancient Nephite civilization and the only group in the
Americas anciently to have a written language.
Thus
we see a potential additional sign of the last days, that at a future time – prior
to 2029 – the unrighteous Gentiles will be swept off of the American continents
by the Nephites, who will utterly destroy them prior to claiming this land as
their own, and beginning the building of the New Jerusalem.
JS-M
1:31; UTS, 111-, 152-
AR10,
page 30
BOR,
188 Established by the sanctified (pure in heart) as with Enoch’s Zion
D&C
45:66-69; 84:4; 115:6
Brown,
101 According to Bruce R. McConkie “the building of these two world capitals
(see 14 for Jerusalem) will commence before the 2nd coming and
continue during the Millennium.
Brown,
162 Zion
VanDam,
Chapter 18 “The New Jerusalem.”
Parry,
Chapter 4.
D&C
105:5; Micah 4:1-2 “… for the law shall go forth of Zion ,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem
TCC,
191-193
Middle of Last Seven Years: 2nd
Phase (2032 – 2036)
3½ years at the opening of the
Millennium
(October 2, 2032 – March 1, 2036): 42
months
PART 2
[46] 2032: The Beginning of
the Millennium, October 2, 2032: ½ hour of silence [compare with #55]
Doctrine
& Covenants 77:12: The sounding of the trumps is the beginning of the
Millennium.
After
the last trump sounds, the resurrection of the dead begins.
[47] 2032: Tribulation of the Jews
Joseph
Smith-Matthew 1:18 This tribulation is upon Jerusalem
TLD,
190 Jerusalem is besieged for six years and five months of the last seven years
of the tribulation and judgment. Even though the antichrist is destroyed after
3½ years, those who succeed him will still be at war and Jerusalem will still
be under siege.
Norris,
18
TSP,87
[48] 2032: The Law of Consecration
Its
opposite is isolationism; Satan divides and conquers. The Church is beginning to
emphasize service as a precursor to creating a Zion society
TCC,
64
TPZ,
607
[49] 2032: Hidden Scriptures Revealed
1st
Nephi 5:18-19 (plates of brass); 1st Nephi 9:5 (sealed portion); 1st Nephi
14:25 John’s writings; 1st Nephi 19:10 (Nenock, Neum, Zenos); 2nd
Nephi 3:67 (Joseph of Egypt).
1. The Record of John the Beloved
Latter-day
Saints may not know the specific order of events in the last days, but we have
been promised more prophecy.[20]
Nephi’s telling of our day was halted at the point of conflict between Babylon
and the covenant people. There Nephi deferred the remainder of the vision of
“the end of the world” to the future writer, John the Revelator (1 Nephi
14:19-22). In the past, readers have understood the book of the vision to
belong in the Bible as the Revelation of St. John, which is shrouded in
symbolism and mystery. Thus, it tells us the meaning of the book has been lost
(1 Nephi 14:23). In fact, Nephi tells of a new
prophecy of John that will come to light in the last days. In verse 22, Nephi
referred to the writings of John that shall be “of the end of the world,” yet
he described the writings as if they were part of the Bible, but are not now in
the pure form that they were initially written. Shortly thereafter, Nephi says
that John’s prophecies, “were sealed up to come forth in their purity… to the
House of Israel (1 Nephi 14:26). In other words, the new words were not the
verbatim account given in Revelation, but something new. Fortunately, the
preamble to9 D&C 7 sheds light on this forthcoming work:
“Revelation
given to Joseph Smith the Prophet and Oliver Cowdery, at Harmony, Pennsylvania,
April 1829, when they inquired through the Urim and Thummim as to whether John,
the beloved disciple, tarried in the flesh or had died. The revelation is a
translated version of the record made on parchment by John and hidden up by
himself.[21]
Evidently,
the apostle John sealed up a parchment record, much like the Dead Sea Scrolls
were written on parchment, rolled up, and sealed in jars from the same time
period around the first century A.D.
Another
mention of John’s record is given in Doctrine and Covenants Section 93, which
quotes extensively from a lost gospel of John about the nature of Jesus,
including John’s testimony; after which the Lord states, “And it shall come to
pass, that if you are faithful you shall receive the fullness of the record of
John (D&C 93:18).
This
new and full record of John may be the same scripture as John’s Scroll of the
End of the World, or it may be another book that corresponds to the pure Gospel
According to St. John. In any case John’s book may be the same one that the
Lord mentioned to Daniel when he inquired about the end of the world – “What
shall be the end of these things?” (Daniel 12:8) – and received the following
response: “And he [the Lord] said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed
up and sealed till the time of the end” (Daniel 12:9).
This
parallels Nephi’s explanation that the last vision was reserved for John to
write and sealed up until the very end. In addition, the prophet Moroni, in his
translation of the Book of Ether, paused to mention the future scriptures
including the record of John. Speaking for the Lord, he said: “And then shall
my revelations which I have caused to be written by my servant John be unfolded
in the eyes of all the people. Remember, when ye see these things, ye shall
know that the time is at hand that they shall be made manifest in very deed
(Ether 4:16).
While
it is easy to interpret the phrase, “my revelations which I have caused to be
written by my servant John” as visionary predictions, Moroni may instead be
referring to the physical scroll. The
phrase, “unfolded in the eyes of all people,” may have reference to the scroll
itself; certainly the Dead Sea Scrolls were meticulously unfolded, as they had
hardened over two millennia. The phrase, “when you shall see these things,” may
be talking about physically seeing the scrolls. After their initial unfolding
and reading, the timing of their fulfillment may be immediate as stated: “The
time is at hand that they shall be manifest in very deed.”
There
is another record of John mentioned by Nephi, Daniel, and Moroni that describes
the end of times; John has sealed up parchment scrolls to come forth at that
time, but Joseph Smith received small passages of the scroll (or another book)
through direct revelation in D&C 7 and D&C 93. When the revelations of
John come forth, they will doubtless be of great comfort to the Saints who will
be in the midst of persecution as the world will be in turmoil. One can imagine
that John’s scroll may come as a natural discovery like the Dead Sea Scrolls,
and will be unfolded in the eyes of all people (through worldwide
communications). When passages of John’s record correspond to the Book of Mormon,
Doctrine and Covenants and the Book of Enoch (Moses 7) revelations of the last
days, they will confirm the saints’ faith in the Restoration and be a comfort
to them, as they will more explicitly describe the ending events. The saints
will better understand their role in the end of days and what to do to stay
clear of the calamities. Meanwhile, the world will discount the findings just
as Pharaoh’s magicians marginalized the miracles of Moses.
2. The Plates of Brass
These
were brought by the people of Lehi from Jerusalem in 598 B.C. They contain:
“the five books of Moses, … and also a record of the Jews from the beginning, …
down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, and of Judah; and also the
prophecies of the holy prophets from the beginning (1st Nephi
5:5:11-13). Many quotations from these plates, citing Isaiah and other biblical
and non-biblical prophets, appear in The Book of Mormon.
“And
now when my father saw all these things, he was filled with the Spirit, and
began to prophesy concerning his seed – that these plates of brass should go
forth unto all the nations, kindreds, tongues, and people who were of his seed;
wherefore, he said that these plates of brass should never perish; neither
should they be dimmed any more by time. And he prophesied many things
concerning his seed” (1st Nephi 5:17-19).
These
plates of brass are in the custody of the Angel Moroni and will come forth in
the due time of the Lord.
3. The Book of Lehi
As
recorded in the History of the Church,
Volume 1, the Book of Lehi was that portion of the translation which Joseph
Smith gave to Martin Harris, who lost it. The Lord commanded Joseph not to
re-translate it. It is still included in the golden plates, and will become
available to us once again when the Lord deems in appropriate.
4. Multiple Prophets: The Lord’s Work as
Revelatory in Nature
An
analysis of the terms great, marvelous, and
work, suggest that the Lord’s work is
preeminently revelatory in nature. It brings to light knowledge hidden up from
the foundation of the world because of unbelief (Ether 4:13-15). This “great
and marvelous” knowledge appears in the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon
and in other books.[22]
Such knowledge will be revealed initially among the believing Gentiles. From
them it will go forth to the House of Israel. These additional hidden records
contain the “greater things” or more important truths (Mormon 8:12; Ether
4:13). In relation to them, the Book of Mormon is called the “lesser part” (3rd
Nephi 26:6-10). Much of this new revelation has to do with the last days, the
time ushering in the millennial era of peace, as well as with the Millennium
itself: a vision of the Brother of Jared had in which he saw the end of time
(Ether 4:4-9; compare 3:25-27); a similar vision by the prophet Ether (Ether
13:13); compare 3:25-27); a vision by Joseph in Egypt about his future
descendants (2nd Nephi 4:2; compare 3:5), a vision by Nephi on the
mountain (1 Nephi 18:3; 2nd Nephi 4:17, 25); teachings by Jesus to
the Nephites that deal with the beginning and the end of the earth (3rd
Nephi 26:3-11); and visions by Moroni about our day (Mormon 8:34-35). Other
ancient records still to come forth also contain the words of Christ, whether
spoken directly or through the Lord’s prophets (1 Nephi 14:14-26; Ether 4:4-17;
Isaiah 49:5-6; compare 1st Nephi 22:8-9; 2nd Nephi 3:24;
25:17; 29:1; 30:8; Alma 17:13-16; 19:36; 26:3-4; and 3rd Nephi
21:26-28).
The
time frame of when these scriptures will come forth is typified in Nephi’s
obtaining the brass plates: prior to destruction, as the exodus begins, before
the journey to Missouri.
Sequence: near the end of the
sixth seal; after the building of the New Jerusalem (see N); prior to sealing
of 144,000, which event or mission spans the sixth and seventh seals and happens
at Adam-ondi-Ahman (see 12 and 44).
[50] 2032: Gathering at Adam-ondi-Ahman
Historical
Note: The Lord proclaimed Far West a holy and consecrated land unto him,
declaring to Joseph Smith that the very ground he stood on there was holy.
While there Joseph Smith contended with the devil face to face for some time,
upon the occasion of the power of evil menacing one of his children in the
Prophet’s home just west of the temple site. Lucifer declared that Joseph had
no right to be there, that this was his place. Whereupon the Prophet rebuked
Satan in the name of the Lord, and he departed and did not bother the child
again.
Adam-ondi-Ahman,
the place to which Adam and Eve fled when cast out of the Garden of Eden, is
where Adam erected an altar unto God, and offered sacrifices, and Far West was
the spot where Cain killed Abel. This information tends to explain why the Lord
declared Far West to be a holy, consecrated
place; and no doubt explains why Satan claimed that place as his own, as it was
there that he entered into a covenant with Cain, resulting in the death of
Abel.[23]
This
would also explain why Satan and his anti-Christ will set up their headquarters
during part of the last seven years in the immediate area, and will battle
against the Saints from that unholy headquarters.
Sequence:
after the great earthquake (see T); after J; at the very end of the 6th
Seal.
2
Thess. 1:8; Deut. 7; D&C 116.
TPJS,
157
Norris,
25-26
BOR,
167 President Ezra Taft Benson (General Conference, Ensign, May, 1987, page 4) The record of the Nephite history just
prior to the Savior’s visit, reveals many parallels to our day as we anticipate
the Savior’s second coming.
3
Nephi 8-10 Nephite cataclysm typifies great earthquake prior to
Adam-ondi-Ahman.
Joseph
Fielding Smith, Jr., The Way to
Perfection, page 290. Until this grand council is held, Satan shall hold
rule in the nations of the earth; but at that time, thrones are to be cast down
and man’s rule shall come to an end – for it is decreed that the Lord shall
make an end of all nations (D&C 87:6). Preparation for this work is now
going on. Kingdoms are already tottering, some have fallen; but eventually they
shall go the way of the earth, and he shall come whose right it is to rule.
Then shall he give the government to the Saints of the Most High; page 291: JFS
says the world and the Church will be unaware of this meeting [this could only
happen if it is done during a major disaster period, when attention is
elsewhere].
There
is a parallel between 3 Nephi and Adam-ondi-Ahman in the division of the groups
into twelve; 3 Nephi presided over by the Apostles; Adam-ondi-Ahman divided
into twelve tribes (Rev. 7:4-8).
WJS,
8-9 The Lord’s appearance at Adam-ondi-Ahman is designed to prepare his Saints
for his 2nd Coming.
WJS,
11 On one occasion the Prophet Joseph Smith spoke “of war, and fires burning
[and] earthquake, and pestilence one after another, etc., until the Ancient of
Days come[s]….
Matthew
B. Brown, Prophecies: Signs of the Times,
Second Coming, Millennium (American Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications,
2006), page 50. The dissolving of earthly kingdoms is the central reason for
the meeting and council at Adam-ondi-Ahman
Daniel
12:1 Michael at Adam-ondi-Aham
Daniel
7:9, 14 “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did
sit,… and judgment was set, and the books were opened.” Note: the council will
take place during the great war before all Chistian nations have been destroyed
but after many have ceased to exist. HC3:389; Daniel 7:21-22, Devil makes war
with the Saints until Adam comes.
HR,214-216
[51] 2032: Coronation of the Davidic
King
TLD,
57,-95; 112, 114.
Sequence: at the very end of
the 6th seal; after the beginning of the New Jerusalem; after the
return of the ten tribes:
[52] 2032: 144,000 Sealed at
Adam-ondi-Ahman
UTS,
89
In
D&C 77:11 it states: “What are we to understand by sealing the one hundred
and forty-four thousand, out of all the tribes of Israel, twelve thousand out
of every tribe? We are to understand that those who are sealed are high
priests, ordained unto the holy order of God, to administer the everlasting
gospel; for they are they who are ordained out of every nation, kindred,
tongue, and people, by the angels to whom is given power over the nations of
the earth, to bring as many as will come to the Church of the Firstborn. In Journal of Discourses 15:365-366, and in
History of the Church 5:530, Orson
Pratt said that these 144,000 missionaries be called into the temple at Jackson
County, Missouri and be sealed up unto eternal life. He said that their bodies
would be changed so that they could move out on the earth when the plagues go
forth to sweep off the wicked. “When they are prepared, when they have received
a renewal of their bodies in the Lord’s temple, and have been filled with the
Holy Ghost and purified as gold and silver in the furnace of fire, then they
will be prepared to stand before the nations of the earth and preach glad
tidings of salvation in the midst of judgments that are to come.”
Robert
Smith, 129-136
VanDamm,
343
Include
quote from old study
[53] 2032: Descent of Enoch’s Zion
Moses
7:62-64 = 62: … and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as
with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth,
unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up
their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be
my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem. 63: And the Lord
said unto Enoch: Then shalt thou and all thy city meet them there, and we will
receive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; and we will fall upon their
necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other; 64: And
there shall be mine abode, and it shall be Zion, which shall come forth out of
all the creations which I have made; and for the space of a thousand years the
earth shall rest.
[54] 2032: Political Kingdom of God
Established
SEQUENCE OF A DISASTER FROM
SPACE[24]
[55] 2032: The Arm of the Lord Falls;
Great and Terrible Day of the Lord – caused by a comet
Isaiah 10: the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Isaiah
3:9-11); 13:19); compare Genesis 19:24-25.
TPS,
124, Pestilence, earthquakes
Norris,
36
D&C
29:16 Hailstorm to destroy the crops of the earth
Zechariah
3:9 I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
TLD,
84 only a limited number of categories typify the Great and Terrible Day of the
Lord: 1) tempest through which the Lord brings his people; 2) page 85
destruction of the wicked through wars where neither side shows mercy (3 Nephi
4:12-13).
TLD,
91 The Father will “bare his holy arm in the eyes of all nations” (3rd
Nephi 20:35; compare Isaiah 52:10).
TLD,
98 When the great and marvelous work comes forth, Israel gathers out of
obscurity and comes to know the Lord (1 Nephi 22:12. All of this follows the
Lord’s bearing his arm.
VLD, 20, 116-124
As Venus (a comet created about 1450 B.C.) arched away from
perihelion passage about 1450 B.C., the earth approached the comet, entering
first the outer reaches of its tail. The tail was comprised of ferric oxide
(limonite). Venus dusted the earth liberally and the earth turned red for a
time. The dust was water soluable, turning water red; boils were formed from
the dust on man and animals; water life died.
Heat generated by the close encounter caused insects and other
vermin to rapidly propagate worldwide.
As the earth and the comet got closer to one another, the tail’s
material became coarser, becoming small stones, then hot, fiery hailstones (barad), crushing and burning the crops
of the earth.
A sticky, burning fluid also fell to the earth, some of it
igniting, consuming everything it touched.
As the distance between the earth and the comet decreased, each
was seized in the gravitational grip of the other. The rotation of each
changed. The forces of inertia and momentum tilted their axes relative to each
other. Their crusts reacted violently. A massive earthquake convulsed the
entire planet.
Great darkness occurred. The dust blotted out the sun. Volcanic
ash was ejected into the atmosphere. Almost all died in this plague. Prolonged
days and nights caused heat (burning) and extreme cold.
A low sky, blackened by the dust and low-drifting clouds, caused
the earth to be darkened for years, day and night could be distinguished but
just barely.
The inductive heat caused by the interaction of the tremendous
electromagnetic fields caused even the moon to turn redder (it had also been
blasted with the ferric oxide; the seas boiled. The earth’s rotation slowed or
stopped, causing great heat. Magma was pulled to the service, also causing
extreme heat.
The comet was so close the head appeared as a light God, the tail
as a snake or serpent.
Great lightening strikes terrified those remaining.
Trumpets and voices caused by magnetic oscillations made it appear
the gods were speaking from the heavens.
Hurricanes; might winds, and tornadoes, wracked the planet.
The seas heaved beyond their natural coastlines.
Rev. 8:8 “a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the
sea.”
The scenario above is typical of a comet
hitting earth. The following are the prophesied results of the beginning of the
end.
Elements in Commotion; Tornadoes;
Diseases, Plagues, Pollutions and Pestilences; Hailstorm Destroys the Crops of
the Earth; Disasters; Signs and Wonders on Earth and in Heaven; Sun Darkened;
Moon Turned to Blood; Rainbow Withdrawn; Worldwide Earthquake; Danger Upon the
Waters; Heavens Roll Together.[25]
Some of this is caused by a comet.
Great
Hailstorm Destroys the Crops of the Earth HR, 167-168; caused by a comet.
D&C 29:16 Hailstorm to destroy the crops of the earth
Famines,
[38] Famine to follow no Rainbows (HR,
163); STG, Chapter 9 “Famine.”
Danger
upon the waters: after the New Jerusalem is built; D&C 84:114. Sequence may be wrong.
VLD,
20-28 The destruction of the last days will be brought about by a
near-collision of a large comet with earth. The tail of the comet will produce
the hail, limonite (red dust), heat and fire, wind, lightening, sky battles, darkness,
rotation of the earth upset, earthquakes, collapsed sky, hurricanes, walls of
water, pillars of fire and smoke, trumpets (electromagnetic oscillations),
voice of God (groanings from within the earth.
General Statement: In 2011, the United States experienced a record
twelve weather disaster, each costing over one billion. Hurricanes and Cyclones
categorized according to the Saffir-Simpson Scale; Tornadoes categorized on the
enhanced Fijita (EF) scale. Fires, Floods and Droughts measured by size of area
affected. Earthquakes measured on the Richter Scale.
Tornadoes: 1) Tropical Cyclone Yasi, February 3, category 4,
cost over 3.5 billion; one of the most damaging cyclones in Australia’s
history; 2) Tropical Cyclone Bingiza, February 14, category 3, 15,000 left
homeless in Madagascar; 3) U. S. Tornado Outbreaks, April, 753 tornadoes
(maximum EF-5): the most active month for twisters in U.S. history; 4) Joplin,
Missouri, May 22, EF-5, 161 killed in one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S.
history; 5) Massachusetts, three tornadoes, maximum EF-3; Hurricane Irene,
category 3; more than 7.3 billion in damages in the U.S.
Floods: 1) Australia, January, 328,000 sq. miles; cost could top 30 billion;
2) Brazil floods and mudslides, January 6, 900 square miles; at least 800 dead
in Rio de Janeiro area; the most lethal weather disaster in the country’s
history; 3) U.S. – Canada Blizzard, February 11, one million square miles;
6,300 flights cancelled; 4) Mississippi River Flooding, May 9, 900 square
miles; Louisiana’s Morganza Spillway opened for the first time in 38 years;
Northeastern U.S. Snowstorm, October 29, 200,000 square miles, some 3 million
people lost power; 5) East Africa Drought, ongoing, 900,000 square miles; 13.3
million lives at risk; 6) Thailand Floods, ongoing, 23,000 square miles; 2.9
people affected.
Fires: 1) Australia, February 6, 3,700 acres burned, 71 buildings destroyed;
2) Florida, March 1, 18,000 acres burned; shut down part of I-95; 3) Mexico,
April, 245,000 acres burned; scorched mostly rural areas; 4) Canada, May 12,
82,000 acres burned, 10,000 evacuated; 5) Arizona, June-July, 538,000 acres
burned; largest in state’s history; 6) Texas, September 5, 34,000 acres burned;
1,600 homes destroyed.
Earthquakes: Norris, 7 There are 200 references in the scriptures
that talk about earthquakes. Fifty-five of the references talk about five
specific earthquakes; twenty-nine of those talk of the first earthquake (see
T); all twenty-nine references link the earthquake with the sun and moon sign.
Rev. 6:12 makes this connection and calls it “a great earthquake” (q.v.); verse
13 also calls it “the great day of his wrath.” Caused by a comet.
In
2011 there were a number of severe earthquakes; the Japan earthquake being one
of the five most powerful ever recorded; 1) New Zealand, Feb. 21, 6.1; 181
killed; 2) Japan, March 11, 9.0, 20,000 dead or missing after quake and large
tsunami; 3) Burma, March 24, 6.9, about eighty killed; 4) Spain, May 11, 5.1,
at least 10 killed; 5) Kyrgyzstan, July 19, 6.1, at least thirteen killed; 6)
Virginia, August 23, 5.8; social media frenzy; 7) Indonesia, Sept. 5, 6.6, at
least ten killed; 8) Turkey, October 23, 7.1, at least 534 killed; and 9)
Oklahoma, November 6, 5.6, largest in state’s history.
Joel
2:31; D&C 29:14; 88:87
Worldwide
Earthquake [T] Rev. 6:17 called “the great day of his wrath.”
Norris,
20 Twenty-eight of twenty-nine versions of the Bible say this earthquake will
take place in the winter; page 21: over twenty-five versions say it will happen
during a full moon. During the last 300 years about 94% of all earthquakes have
occurred during a full moon.
Rev.
6:12; 16:18
Ezekiel
38:19
STG,
19 The “great earthquake…” is attached to the 7th angel in Rev. 16.
Note:
It is obvious from a careful study of Rev. 6:12 and 16:18 that there are two
“great earthquakes,” one during the 6th seal and one during the 7th
seal [CC]; both are caused by a comet.
TCC,
4 History shows that famines have nearly always been a hallmark of economic
backwardness, rather than overpopulation; caused by political conditions rather
than a lack of food. Note: this points to the loss of freedom in many
countries; socialism, etc., are counterproductive to the efficient running of
nations.
“Pestilence
grows during times of war where the poor general health of displaced refugees
leaves them susceptible to disease.”
HC1:
135 hail, pestilence, famine, earthquake, before ten tribes return; all this to
prepare the land for their return.
Time, November 7, 2011, pages 36-37 AIDS first appeared in the United
States in 1981, and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS was identified in 1983. HIV
was active among people in Central Africa for decades before it spread to the
rest of the world.
TCC,
7 Individual freedom destroys poverty. Famine does not exist in a democracy and
with a free press.
HR,
38 Famines will begin as part of the destruction of the wicked after the elders
have been called home.
Seminar
with John Murray: mass famine will occur if we don’t get a handle on power,
water, finances and food.
HR,
182 Many cities destroyed after elders come home (see 2 above).
TCC,
5 Natural calamities are a direct result of the disintegration of the family,
caused by sexual perversions and money (debt).
TCC,
6 70% of single mothers are below the poverty level; disease, guilt, lack of
confidence, loss of love, are disastrous to many/most of these women and their
children.
Much
Ecological Damage will Occur
D&C
45:39-42; Joel 2:30-31; Jeremiah 25:31 (noise)
Parry,
Chapter 9
STG,
Chapter 5 “Legalized Plagues.”
STG,
Chapter 10 “Voices, Thunderings, Lightenings, & Earthquakes.”
STE,
203 Small earthquakes can be precursors to larger quakes. “It is a myth they
(small quakes) relieve pressure; just as often they are forerunners.” From
1993-1997, for example, small quakes increased from 5,500 to 15,000 in Taiwan.
In 1999 a quake there killed 1,700.
TLD,
84 tempest through which the Lord brings his people; destructions and
cataclysms, burnings, sinkings, levelings, fragmentings, breaking up of
highways and roads; pall of darkness.
Luke
21:26; D&C 45:28-31; 29:18-19; J.S. History 1:29; D&C 45:31-33; 88:85,
87-91; 29:16; D&C 61:4-5; 14-15; Jeremiah 25:32 (a great whirlwind shall be
raised up from the coasts of the earth); 2nd Nephi 26:6; D&C
43:25; Matthew 24:7; D&C 87:6; Revelation 16:18; D&C 43:33; 84:114;
JD8:123: Boston and New York to be destroyed [full quote at TCC,207]; Note: if
New York is destroyed, the economy of the nation will fall.
Rainbow
Withdrawn: HC6: 254; HR, 163
TLD,
37 Historically, the only thing that has caused people to kill each other,
especially fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, is famine. In times of
famine, people will kill and eat their own children.
[56] 2032: Jerusalem a “Cup of
Trembling” for its Enemies [this sign overarches all of the last days]
Zechariah
12:2-3 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people
round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against
Jerusalem. 3: And in that day will I make Jerusalem
Isaiah
51:17, 22-23 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand
of the Lord the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of
trembling, and wrung them out; 22: Thus saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God
that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand
the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more
drink it again: 23: But I will put it into the hands of them that afflict thee;
which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid
thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.
Isaiah
52:1-2 Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful
garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come
into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. 2: Shake thyself from the dust;
arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O
captive daughter of Zion.
As
we have seen, the prophet Zechariah prophesied twenty-five hundred years ago
that no one would come up against Israel and prosper. All their military might
and machinations would be foiled by the God of Israel.[26]
Ironically,
the first nation to formally recognize Israel was Russia. In 1948, Joseph
Stalin hoped that Israel would become a socialist nation and help offset the
growing influence that the Western powers exercised in the Middle East.
However, as Stalin soon realized, Israel would not become a Russian pawn, so
Russia quickly turned to the Arabs and encouraged their hatred toward the
Jewish state. For a continuation of this struggle, go to sign number fourteen.
[57] 2036: End of the World – Angels
Reaping the Earth – Destruction of the Wicked – Wicked Burned as Stubble –
Babylon’s Fall – Armaggedon, Full End of All Nations D&C 87:6).[27]
Isaiah 11: cosmic cataclysm
(Isaiah 13:1 (fnc); 10, 13; 24:19-20; all of Isaiah 13-14; compare Joshua
10:11-14). Destruction: a) physical (bodies); b) national (world); Sodom and
Gomorrah, Babylon; c) spiritual (sins) vs. salvation: a) resurrection; b)
prosperity; c) exaltation (saved by grace; given to all).
ANGELS ARE ACTIVE BUT NOT
DESTRUCTIVE DURING THE 6TH SEAL)
Note: some of the references in this
section need to be placed later in the sequence.
Angel
Go Forth to Destroy: D&C 77:8 describes their mission (clarifying Rev.
7:2).
BOR,
12-13
Robert
Smith, 137-159
Parry,
Chapter 8
Jeremiah
25:32 slain shall be from one end of the earth even unto the other.
Zechariah
14:12-15.
HR,
35-36 “The servants of God will not have gone over the nations of the Gentiles
with a warming voice, until the destroying angel will commence to waste the
inhabitants of the earth… until the Ancient of Days comes…”
Note:
this last quote indicates a close proximity in time to Adam-ondi-Ahman (see 44)
HR,
42-43 The wicked must be warned before they are destroyed.
HR,
Chapter 10 “The Awful Fate of the Wicked.”
Note:
Some of this is caused by the comet.
Zechariah
2:9 “I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day; 12:9 “I will seek to
destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem.
PJB,
212 No nation provides a more graphic example of what the future holds than
Russia. The Soviet Union was three times the size of the United States with
tens of millions more people; but in 1991 the USSR lost one-third of its
territory and half of its population; and it dissolved into fifteen nation,
half a dozen of them being Muslim. It is now two times the size of the United States
August
23, 1991 The communist party ceased to control the USSR ;
beginning of the breakup of the USSR
PJB,
Chapter 9 “What is a nation.”
Daniel
12: Identify who the nations are being
talked about by Daniel; Daniel 7:9-14, 26-27. See below under “Armageddon.”
Ether
2:9
HR,
39, 153
Isaiah
13 The destruction of Babylon shows the destruction of the last days.
1
Nephi 13:5; D&C 88:94; D&C 38:12; 86:5;
Parry,
Chapter 7
Sheldon,
pages 57-63
David
Jeremiah, pages 191-210
3rd
Nephi 25:1-3; ESR Appendix A, page 155-168; 1871 fires U.S./Canada – some of it
caused by a comet; also Chapter 13;
Zechariah
2:9 “I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.” 13:9
Malachi
4:1
2nd
Nephi 30:10
D&C
29:9-10; 63:34, 54;
D&C
89:18-21 The destroying angel will pass by those who obey the law of the Lord’s
covenant “as the children of Israel
D&C
101:23-31; 133:63-64
Armageddon:
Zechariah 12-14; Joel 3; Ezekiel 38-39; Rev. 9; D&C 29:14-21; David
Jeremiah, page 151; TCC, 203-204; Rev. 16:16-18.
Norris,
23 The end of the world is the destruction of the wicked, which takes place at
the Second Coming in its final sense, but begins at the opening of the 7th
Seal.
2035: ARMAGEDDON
ELD, 83-84
ELD,
190-193 The great Battle of Armageddon will
occur in northern Israel and
extend down the great Valley of Jezreel , below the mountain of Megiddo
The
battles will rage over a two-hundred-mile-long zone southward, toward the city
of Jerusalem. The battle carnage will be so terrible that horses will sink into
the resulting mire of blood, bodies, and mud until the blood reaches “to the
horses bridles” (Rev. 14:19-20). You can imagine how this whole fertile valley
could turn into a bloodbath under the assault of the massive 200-million-man
army of the “Kings of the East” against the combined armies of the Western
nations led by the Antichrist.
With
Russia already destroyed in the earlier battle of Magog and America probably
somewhat isolationist, the political-military vacuum will have been filled by
the resurgent Europe under the leadership of the Antichrist. The other major
political-military superpower will be a combination of the vast populations of
China, Southeast Asia, and India, together with the technological and economic
leadership of a remilitarized Japan. Already, China and Japan have signed a
thirty-year treaty of cooperation. In this new situation, the Antichrist and
the revived Roman Empire will have guaranteed Israel’s security and her
probable control of the oil supplies of the Middle East. From a geopolitical
standpoint, Israel’s strategic position at the meeting point of Europe, Africa
and Asia has always made the control of this land essential for a world empire.
The power, whether East or West, that controls Israel
and the Middle East oil, will control the
world.
The
prophet Daniel describes that while the Antichrist is at his headquarters in
Jerusalem, he will be attacked by African and Arab nations led by a “King of
the South” (Egypt) and another group of nations led by a “King of the North”
(probably Syria). When his forces quickly defeat these attacks, he will conquer
Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia (Daniel 11:40-43). However, the oriental nations of
the world that resent his totalitarian dictatorship will finally decide that
this is the time to attack the Antichrist in Israel and win world power. As
these nations to the East (China, India, Japan, etc.) and the North (the remaining
parts of Russia), begin to mobilize their vast armies for this final decisive
battle, the Antichrist will gather all the remaining nations of the West still
under his control and will bring them to Israel to face the approaching armies
of the “King of the East” (Daniel 11:44-45). The prophet John tells us that God
will miraculously dry up the great river Euphrates to allow this enormous
200-million-many army to cross over the river to approach northern Israel
(Revelation 16:12-16).
During
this incredible Battle of Armageddon, Christ will return from heaven with His
heavenly army (the millions of saints described in Jude 14-15) and destroy the
nations of the world that have joined in battle to destroy Israel and each
other. Christ will destroy the Antichrist and the False Prophet and their
armies. He will defend Jerusalem and all who call upon His Name for protection
(Zechariah 12:1-9). Jesus Christ will visibly return in glory as the “King of
Kings and Lord of Lords” to set up His Kingdom forever (Revelation 19:11-16).
UTS,
264-278
[1]Rockport,
Massachusetts: Tetrahedron, Inc., 1998.
[2]Pontius, op. cit., page 143.
[3]Brigham
Young, July 8, 1860, Journal of
Discourses 8:15.
[4]Heber C.
Kimball, April 6, 1857, Journal of
Discourses 5:20.
[5]Heber C.
Kimball, September 28, 1956, Journal of
Discourses 4:106.
[6]Parry and
Parry, op. cit., pages 349-350.
[7]Heber C.
Kimball, August 16, 1857, Journal of
Discourses 4:375.
[8]George Q.
Cannon, January 6, 1884, Journal of
Discourses 25:27-28.
[9]Revelation
13:15-16; Brigham Young, October 8, 1868, Journal
of Discourses 12:283; Heber C. Kimball, July 5, 1857, Journal of Discourses 5:10.
[10]Revelation
13:15-16.
[11]Brigham
Young, October 8, 1868, Journal of
Discourses 12:283.
[12]D&C
78:14.
[13]Revelation
13:15-16.
[14]Heber C.
Kimball, ibid.
[15]Revelation
13:7-10.
[16]Revelation
14:9-12.
[17]D&C
101:37-38.
[18]Brigham
Young, October 6, 1855, Journal of
Discourses, 3:48.
[19]John
Pontius, op. cit., pages 135-136.
[20]Alan
Rex Mitchell, The Coming Calamity: Global
Economic Crisis & Latter-day Prophecy (Vernon, Utah: Greenjacket Books,
2010), pages 198-200.
[21] History
of the Church, 1:35-36.
[22]See 2nd
Nephi 27:21-23, 23, 29; Words of Mormon 1:11; 3rd Nephi 5:8-9; Ether
4:4-7, 13-17.
[23]Randall
C. Bird, Adam-ondi-Ahman and the Last
Days (Springville, Utah: Cedar Fort, Inc.), pages 46-47.
[24]Old
numbers: 5, 10, 11, 26, 29, 30, 31, 36, 42, 49, I, J, P, S, T, CC.
[25]Old
numbers: 26, 29, 30, 31, 42, I, P, S, T, CC.
[26]Jeffery,
op. cit., page 99.
[27]Old
numbers: 9, 36, 45, 47, 49, B.
FULL END OF ALL NATIONS
[58] 2036: Wars of Complete Destruction
[59] 2036: Special Mission in Jerusalem
of Two Latter-day Prophets – Killed at Jerusalem
UTS,
133
Robert
Smith, 178-182
Revelation
11:3-12; D&C 77:15
STG,
3 The plagues and woes referred to in chapter eight of the Book of Revelation
shall all take place during the 7th seal (Bruce R. McConkie).
[60] 2036: Abomination of Desolation
TPS,
130
JS-M
1:12, 32
Norris,
18 The “tribulation of the Jews” is associated with this sign (see 13).
Norris,
28-30 Identified initially as the Dome of the Rock.
D&C
88:85 “That their souls may escape the wrath of God, the desolation of
abomination which awaits the wicked, both in this world and in the world to
come.”
Jeremiah
7:11 pollution of the temple; 7:30 abomination set up in the Lord’s house, to
pollute it.
Daniel
11:31 pollution of the sanctuary.
[61] 2036: Cleansing of the Millennial
Temple
ELD,
47-48
[62] 2036: Dead Sea Healed
Norris,
30
Ezekiel
47
Zechariah
14:8
[63] 2036: 2nd Worldwide
Earthquake – ½ hour of Silence
D&C
88:95-96; caused by a comet
[64] 2036: Mount of Olives Split in Two.
Sequence: This event, and the
following one, are at the 2nd Coming and are caused by a comet,
UTS,
138
Zechariah
14:4
[65] 2036: Sign of the Lord’s Coming
TSP,
115, 138, 145; UTS, 116
TPJS,
280, 286-287 (see Norris, page 6) Before this sign: 1) Judah must return (see
19); 2) Jerusalem must be rebuilt (see 14); 3) the temple at Jerusalem must be
rebuilt (see O); 4) water will come out from under the temple at Jerusalem (see
U); 5) the waters of the Dead Sea will be healed (see U); 6) wars and rumors of
wars (see 37); 7) signs in heaven above and on the earth beneath (see 42); 8)
the sun turned to darkness and the moon to blood (see J); 9) earthquakes in
divers places (see 31); and 10) the seas heaving beyond their bounds (see 31).
TPJS,
287 The Sign of the Coming of the Son of Man, some will say, 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.
D&C
88:93 equated with Matthew 24:30; the “great sign in heaven” is the sign of the
Coming of the Son of Man (JS-M 1:36).
STE,
289; AN10 comet to come in 2027, within 25,000 miles of earth; slight
possibility of hit in 2044 or 2046.
[66] 2036: The Heavens Roll Together as
a Scroll
Norris,
18
Norris,
20 “The starry heavens disappeared as though rolled up like a scroll and taken
away.
3rd
Nephi 26:3 “… even until the elements should melt with fervent heat, and the
earth should be wrapped together.”
[67] 2036: The Heavens Unfold Like a
Scroll
Norris,
18
[68] 2036: The Coming of the Lord in
Glory: the Righteous Caught Up to Meet the Lord
Ezekiel
37
David
Jeremiah, 151
1
Thess. 4:13-18
Daniel
12:2 (resurrection)
[69] 2036: Final Restitution of All
Things: All Languages Become One
D&C
101:23-31; 133:22-25; Isaiah 65:17-25.
Prophecy
and Modern Times by Skousen, 125-
PMT
125
[70] 2036: Christ to Reign Personally
Upon the Earth
But
unto you that fear my name shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in
his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves in a stall. (3rd
Nephi 25:2).
D&C
29:11; Revelation 11:15
[71] 2036: Redemption of the Heathen
Nations
TSP,
48-
[72] 2036: Satan Bound
TSP,
53
[73] 2036: A Great and Marvelous Work; A
Marvelous Work and a Wonder
GMV,
entire paper
TLD,
Chapter 2
TPZ,
604-605
TLD,
91, The Great and Marvelous Work leads to an irrevocable division between the
wicked and the righteous (1 Nephi 14:7)
2
Nephi 25:17 “And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore
his people from their lost and fallen state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do a
marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men.”
1
Nephi 14:7 something final, involving an enduring peace for some; captivity and
destruction for others.
TLD,
Chapter 2 The Book of Mormon locates the main part of the great and marvelous
work in the last days, sometime after the restoration of the gospel.
TLD,
68 … the nature of the Lord’s great and marvelous work. At least in part this
work includes a new exodus and a new wandering; page 71 a new creation; page 72
the destruction of the wicked; pages 73-75 revelation of hidden records; page
76 a polarization between the righteous and the wicked; page 77 the restoration
of the Lord’s covenant people; page 78 the restoration of all things is part of
the great and marvelous work; page 79 restoration involves 1) the conversion of
the Lamanites and all of the House of Israel to the truth; and 2) the
possession of former lands; and 3) the resurrection; page 98 The great and
marvelous work will follow the Lord’s bearing his arm.
Note:
it is obvious from this definition of the Great and Marvelous Work, that it
spans all of the time period of the last days, from the restoration of the
gospel until the resurrection.
Zechariah
13:9
3rd
Nephi 23:1; 21:9
TLD,
106 The types and shadows at the beginning of the Church show what will happen
in the last days.
1st
Nephi 22:26: people who remain are righteous.
[74] 2036±: The Final Battle in Human
History
This
final battle for the souls of men will occur at the end of the Millennium.
Millions of people born during the Millennium to those who survive the
destructions at the coming of the Lord in 2046, will join Satan in his attack
against the cities of God.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Unknown Author: The Rapture and
the Antichrist [paper, n.p., n.d.].
Armstrong, Herbert W. The United States and British
Commonwealth in Prophecy. Pasadena, California: Ambassador
College Press, 1967.
Barkdahl, Larry, The Three
Pillars of Zion
Bird, Randall C. Adam-ondi-Ahman
and the Last Days (Springville: Cedar Fort, Inc., 2011.
Bishop, Lynn Lyman. The
Winding-up Scene. 3 volumes. Payson, Utah: Latter-day Publications, 2004.
Bowers, Ken. Hiding in Plain
Sight: Unmasking the Secret Combinations of the Last Days. 2nd
ed. Springville, Utah: Bonneville Books, 2010.
Brewster, Hoyt W., Jr. Behold I
Come Quickly: The Last Days and Beyond. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1994.
Brown, Matthew B. Prophecies:
Signs of the Times, Second Coming, Millennium. American Fork, Utah:
Covenant Communications, Inc., 2006.
Brown, Michael H. Sent to Earth:
God and the Return of Ancient Disasters. Goleta, California: Queenship
Publishing Co., 2000.
Buchanan, Patrick J. State of
Emergency: The Third World Invasion and Conquest of America. New York: St.
Martin’s Press, 2006.
Crowther, Duane S. Inspired
Prophetic Warnings. Revised. Bountiful, Utah: Horizon Publishers, 2000.
Draper, Richard D. The Savior’s
Prophecies from the Fall of Jerusalem
Drosnin, Michael. Bible Code II:
The Countdown. New York: Penguin Books, Ltd., 2002.
Ehat, Andrew F. and
Cook, Lyndon W. The Words of Joseph Smith.
Salt Lake City, Utah: Publishers Press, 1980.
Evans, Michael D. The American
Prophecies: Ancient Scriptures Reveal our Nation’s Future. New York: Warner
Faith, 2004.
Jeffery, Grant R. Armageddon:
Earth’s Last Days. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1997.
Jeremiah, Dr. David. The Coming
Economic Armaggedon. New York: FaithWorks, 2010.
Gashler, S. Ted. Opening the 7th
Seal. Springville, Utah: Cedar Fort, Inc., 2009.
Gileadi, Avraham. The Book of
Isaiah. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1988.
Gileadi, Avraham. The End from
the Beginning: The Apocalyptic Vision of Israel. Cave Junction, Oregon:
Hebraeus Press, 1997.
Gileadi, Avraham. The Great and
Marvelous Work Yet to Come Forth [paper, n.p., n.d.].
Gileadi, Avraham. The Last Days:
Types and Shadows from the Bible and The Book of Mormon. Orem, Utah: Book
of Mormon Research Foundation, 1998.
Gileadi, Avraham. The Literary Message of Isaiah. New York: Hebraeus Press, 1994.
Hagee, John. Jerusalem Countdown:
A Prelude to War. Revised and updated. Lake Mary, Florida: Frontline, 2007.
Jackson, Kent
P. Joseph Smith’s Commentary on the Bible.
Salt Lake City: Deseret Book,
1994.
Larsen, Anthony E. And the Earth
Shall Reel to and Fro: The Prophecy Trilogy. Volume 2. Orem, Utah: Zedek
Book, 1983.
Larsen, Anthony E. And the Moon
Shall Turn to Blood: The Very Last Days. n.p.: Crown Summit Books, 1981.
VLD
Lindsey, Hal, and Carlson, C.C. The
Late Great Planet Earth: A Penetrating Look at Incredible Prophecies Involving
This Generation. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1970.
LGP
Lund, Gerald N. The Coming of the
Lord. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, Inc., 1971.
Lundwall, N. B. Inspired
Prophetic Warnings. 6th ed., revised. Salt Lake City: Publishers
Press, n.d.
McAlvany, Donald S. Toward a New World Order: The Countdown to Armageddon.
Phoenix, Arizona: Western Pacific Publishing Co., 1992.
Maxwell, Neal A. All
These Things Shall Give Thee Experience. Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book, 1979.
Mitchell, Alan Rex. The Coming
Calamity, 2nd ed. Vernon, Utah: Greenjacket Books, 2010.
Morrison,Alexander B. Zion: A
Light in the Darkness. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1997.
Nelson, David E. The Earth’s Time
Table: A Written Seminar on the Events of the Last Days. [pamphlet, n.p.,
n.d.]. Nelson is a disciple of Edmunds, mouthing Edmund’s false understandings.
Newquist, Jerrald L. Prophets,
Principles and National Survival. Salt Lake City: Publishers Press, 1964.
Noah, Joseph. Future Prospects of
The World According to the Bible Code. Boca Raton, Florida: New Paradigm
Books, 2002.
Parry, Donald W. & Parry, Jay A. Understanding the Signs of the Times. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1999. UTS
Ridges, David J. 65 Signs of the
Times Leading up to the Second Coming. Springville, Utah: Cedar Fort, Inc.,
2009.
Sheldon, William A. Babylon’s
Fall and the Way of Escape. Independence , Missouri : The Board of Publications, The Church of Christ
Skousen, Richard N. His Return:
Prophecy, Destiny and Hope. Orem, Utah: Verity Publishing, Inc., 2007.
Skousen, W. Clean. Prophecy and
Modern Times. Provo, Utah: Ensign Publishing, 1954.
Skousen, W. Cleon. The Cleansing
of America
Smith, Robert. The Last Days
Unsealed. n.p.: Agreka Books, 1999.
Snuffer, Denver C., Jr. Nephi’s
Isaiah: A Prophetic Look at the Latter Days. Salt Lake City: Mill Creek
Press, 2006.
Taylor, Robert. “100 Ancient Indian Prophecies,” Sun, May 14, 2007, pages 20, 22-23.
Taylor, Robert. “Nostradamus: Last Days Vision,” Sun, May 21, 2007, pages 20, 22.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “The Last Days and the
Millennium.” Chapter 18 of Seminary Manual. n.p., n.d.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “Prophecies of the
Dispensation of the Fulness of Times.” Chapter 15 of Seminary Manual. n.p.,
n.d.
Thomas, John, M.D. A Brief
Exposition of the Prophecy of Daniel. Birmingham, England: C. C. Walker,
1920.
VanDam, Marvin R. Mine Elect Hear
my Voice: The Gathering of Israel. Sandy,
Utah: Leatherwood Press, 2006.
Walvoord, John F. Oil and the Middle East Crisis. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan
Publishing House, 1990.
Wayment, Thomas A., editor. The
Complete Joseph Smith Translation of the New Testament: A Side-by-Side
Comparison with the King James Version. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
2005.
White, E. G. America
Wilcock, David. “A New Look at 2012 … 2039?” Paper. n.p., n.d.
Wilcox, S. Michael. Who Shall be
Able to Stand: Finding Personal Meaning in The Book of Revelation. Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 2003.
Young, Roger K. “.. When Ye Shall
See All these Things ..” American Fork, Utah: Celestial Publications, 1998.
Green Binder, no author. n.p., n.d.
ACRONYMS
ABM Morrison,
Alexander B. Zion: A Light in the
Darkness (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997).
AOH Bird,
Randall C. Adam-ondi-Ahman and the Last
Days (Springville: Cedar Fort, Inc., 2011).
AP Various
Apocryphal Works
ATS Wilcox,
S. Michael. Who Shall be Able to Stand:
Finding Personal Meaning in The Book of Revelation (Salt Lake City
ATT Neal A.
Maxwell, All These Things Shall Give Thee
Experience (Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book, 1979).
CJS Wayment,
Thomas A., editor. The Complete Joseph
Smith Translation of the New Testament: A Side-by-Side Comparison with the King
James Version (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 2005).
ELD Grant
R. Jeffery, Armageddon: Earth’s Last Days
(Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1997).
ESR Larsen,
Anthony E. And the Earth Shall Reel to
and Fro: The Prophecy Trilogy, volume
2 (Orem, Utah: Zedek Book, 1983).
GNL Lund
HR Skousen, Richard N. His
Return: Prophecy, Destiny and Hope. Orem, Utah: Verity Publishing, Inc.,
2007.
JSC Jackson, Kent P. Joseph
Smith’s Commentary on the Bible. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1994.
LGP Lindsey, Hal, and Carlson, C.C. The Late Great Planet Earth: A Penetrating Look at Incredible
Prophecies Involving This Generation. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan
Publishing House, 1970.
LMI Gileadi, Avraham. The Literary Message of Isaiah. New
York: Hebraeus Press, 1994.
MRV VanDam, Marvin R. Mine Elect
Hear my Voice: The Gathering of Israel (Sandy, Utah: Leatherwood Press LLC,
2006).
NI Snuffer, Denver C., Jr. Nephi’s
Isaiah: A Prophetic Look at the Latter Days. Salt Lake City: Mill Creek
Press, 2006.
PMT Skousen, W. Clean. Prophecy and Modern Times. Provo, Utah:
Ensign Publishing, 1954.
POD Thomas, John, M.D. A Brief
Exposition of the Prophecy of Daniel (Birmingham, England: C. C. Walker,
1920).
PR Personal
Revelation, followed by a date
STE Brown, Michael H. Sent to
Earth: God and the Return of Ancient Disasters. Goleta, California:
Queenship Publishing Co., 2000.
STG Gashler, S. Ted. Opening
the 7th Seal. Springville, Utah: Cedar Fort, Inc., 2009.
TAP Evans, Michael D. The
American Prophecies: Ancient Scriptures Reveal our Nation’s Future (New York
TBI Gileadi,
Avraham. The Book of Isaiah. Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1988.
TCC Mitchell, Alan Rex. The
Coming Calamity. 2nd ed. Vernon, Utah: Greenjacket Books, 2010.
TLD Gileadi, Avraham, The Last
Days: Types and Shadows from the Bible and The Book of Mormon. Orem, Utah:
Book of Mormon Research Foundation, 1998.
TSP Draper, Richard D. The
Savior’s Prophecies from the Fall of Jerusalem
UTS Parry, Donald W. & Parry, Jay A. Understanding the Signs of the Times. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1999.
VLD Larsen, Anthony E. And the
Moon Shall Turn to Blood: The Very Last Days. n.p.: Crown Summit Books,
1981.
WJS Ehat, Andrew F. and Cook,
Lyndon W. The Words of Joseph Smith.
Salt Lake City, Utah: Publishers Press, 1980.
The
Lord refers to Assyria throughout Isaiah and to the king thereof as the great
latter-day arch-tyrant or antichrist. Assyria is a metaphor for Russia.[1]
Deseret News, Sunday, November 13, 2011, page 13:
The
State Department says more than 12,000,000 people are in some form of slavery
worldwide and many of them perform hard labor under conditions not unlike those
in the antebellum South; www.notforsalecampaign.org puts slaves worldwide at
30,000,000.[2]
. . . . . . . . . . .
Typological Summaries
Dispensation of the Fullness of Times
Davidic Typology 3½ years (1260 days)
preparatory to Christ’s coming; began with a vision on
1260-0 15 October
24, 1982 and ended with an accusation on April 5, 1986.
Christ Typology 148 [151] days: the
abomination of desolation set up on May 5, 1986; the Savior
1409 [1412]-1261 21 revealed
on June 18, 1986, these two dates being 1290 and 1335 respectively. Following
this are 40 days of preparation and then the three tests each of nine days
duration, ending on August 27, 1986.
30-45-40; 3-27-3
Cyrus Typology 54 days. This time period
represents the 540 years of Israel’s preparation for the
1464-1410 [1413] 25 Christian
era, beginning with Cyrus’ preparation for and then the decree that the Jews
return to Jerusalem ,
ending October 20, 1986.
Moses Typology 80 days. The first 40 days =
forty years of wandering in the wilderness; the next
1545-1465 27 40 days represents Moses’ second 40 days on the mountain.
Moses sees God and receives commandments and promises. October 21, 1986 –
January 8, 1987
Abrahamic Typology 365 days. The sacrifice of Abraham.
January 9, 1987 – January 8, 1988
1911-1546 35 NTT 6: ; WJS 244-245
Noah Typology The
New Beginning January 9, 1988 – January 8, 1991
3004-1912 39 Chaos is unleashed against the righteous but is finally
controlled and those in the ark are freed from a wicked world. The sequence is
enacted during the first year on a family level; during the second year on a
regional level; and during the last year on a national and world level.
Enoch Typology Developing a Zion Society
January 9, 1991 – January 8, 1992
3373-3008 53
Adam Typology Choosing the Highest
Commandment January 9, 1992 – October 5, 1994
4000 – 3374 61
The Savior
spoke in 3 Ne. 23:1-3 about the greatness of the words of Isaiah and their
typological value. In fact: “All things that he spake have been and shall be
even according to the words which he spake.” In fact all prophets have spoken
in types, but none was greater than Isaiah. “Types” mean that what has happened
in the past will recur. They overlap to pull from each a full picture.
Sub-typologies
within Major Ones
Lehi Typology 69 This
typology which in itself is a witness of the whole, shows forth different
Events
within the major typologies of Moses, Abraham, and Noah. The typology
Began on November 21, 1986 and ended
September 9, 1989. This equals 600 B.C. to 421 A.D. August 15, 1988 would
represent 34 A.D. Select events are
used by the Lord to point the way,
overlapping with other typologies to present
integrated picture of events.
The Nation of Israel On May 14, 1948, Israel was established as a nation by
unbelieving Jews
Typology 77 (LGP, 38); PR March 6, 1988. The 40 years of trial are
over May 14, 1988. Following that is another 40 years ending in 2028.
The Family Typology On November 1, 1987, a revelation was received in which the
Spirit indicated
89 that Nicolle’s baptism was a key to
unlocking the present typologies. Friday and Saturday (1973-1974) were the
Arab-Israeli War. The actors were:
Lyman
= Israel (The Jewish Nation); the Church; the harlot
Paula
= Assyria: ancient Babylon – modern Iraq
Patty
= Arab Nations; she made personal attacks on me on October 6, 1986 (1948);
October 14, 1986 (1956); October 25, 1986 (1967); October 31 – November 1, 1986
(1973-1974); November 8, 1986 (1981); the unrighteous Church.
Juan
= The Lamanites
Karen
= Ephraim
Brent
= Cyrus
Barry = Ephraim, Judah, Levi,
Manassah, Nathan, Benjamin
The general sequence of the family
typology may begin in October, 1974; the main event at that time was the death
of Don Carlos; his death was a pre-earth covenant.
October 14, 1986: all branches of
the House of Israel: Judah, Levi, Ephraim, the Lamanites, the Lost Tribes, must
come together into one family.
Having
spent years studying the signs of the times in the scriptures and in most books
written on the subject; having chronologically (as nearly as humanly possible)
organized seventy-three of the major signs; and having documented the
information on each sign in a compilation of several hundred pages, it becomes
obvious to me that most people will be overwhelmed and may become lost in the
repetitive details. Therefore, I have decided to try and write a
historical/prophetic novel from the perspective of an other-worldly being who having
access to this world, to heaven, and to Satan’s domain, all past, present and
future, can see everything in a continuum that is more easily understood.
For
the readers who take exception to some of the doctrine and viewpoints expressed
in the following pages, may I just say that I do not feel the necessity of
either defending them nor of apologizing for them. This is an interpretive
work; it is how I see things. Please feel free to agree or disagree as you
wish.
Chapter 1
The War in Heaven and its Aftermath
As
I stood among the almost numberless hosts of heaven, awaiting for our Father to
speak, I was filled with an overwhelming sadness as I saw many whom I loved and
had worked with for thousands of years, milling here and there in small groups,
obviously very agitated, angry, with hate oozing like sweat from the pours in
their spiritual bodies; anticipating with dread the sentence to be pronounced
upon them and their leaders; Lucifer being chief among them, a star of the
morning, one of Father’s great sons, the persuasive and dynamic head of their
movement, their rebellion, to re-order Father’s plan for his children who would
soon begin the transition from the Spirit World to the earth, which had been
organized and created for us to populate and where we would receive our final
testing and judgments.
How
had we arrived at this point? What was the bottom line that had been crossed
where the great divergent beliefs had created a permanent schism in heaven
between Father’s sons and daughters? What was the difference between our
submissiveness and their open rebellion? Was it their fear of failing life’s
tests? Certainly Lucifer had guaranteed in his arguments that he would save
every soul; not one would be lost; he would compel obedience. Free agency would
not be part of his plan. He would de-throne Father and His teaching – that in
order for us to become like Him, we had to have the possibility of failing.
Lucifer
had judged his brothers and sisters well. He knew that even among the many who
were giving lip service to Father, most secretly wanted a free ride back to
heaven after their earth life experience. He knew he could win the battle for
the souls of men, because he knew them all intimately. From seemingly endless
discussions that he and I had engaged in, I believed he really felt his plan
was better and that in the end he would prevail. And yet within me burned a
testimony, a knowledge, that moral agency was an eternal principle that Father,
as a God, was obliged to submit to as had all his lineage of fathers before
Him. The very denying his children their agency would de-throne Him; He would
cease to be God. It was a universal, eternal law that had to be kept inviolate.
Somewhere in Lucifer’s thinking, this had never registered. I assumed that his
willingness to disregard an eternal law must stem from a serious distortion in
this thought processes; perhaps greed, arrogance, hate, jealousy, lust or any
of a number of negative characteristics had become a distorted part of his
spiritual make-up.
Father
had come into the midst of the vast assembly. Most of us knelt in reverence
before His majestic and loving presence. With the spiritual power of unlimited
vision, even as I knelt I could see multitudes standing in open defiance before
His holy majesty. He began to address those who so irreverently challenged His
authority and His plan.
“My
children, we have come to the end of the road. There can no longer be a place
for you here. You have chosen to defy eternal law after all we have done to try
and reason with you. Your rebellion is complete; your judgment has been fixed.
You are forthwith banished from heaven, never to return. Depart at once.” And
in an instant they were all gone from our presence.
Silence
reigned for what seemed like an endless period; then Father spoke again: “My
children, arise and listen to your elder brother; for he has important
instructions for you. Cherish His words; remember them always.”
As
the great Jehovah smiled at us all, we each relived the many times we had
experienced His love, His compassion, and His personal teachings. There was
absolute silence as he began to address us: “My dear brothers and sisters; it
is a sad day for all of us; we’ve lost many whom we loved dearly. Never again
will our Father’s kingdom be the same. This battle in which we’ve been engaged
will go on until the end of the new world to which we are all going. Most of
you will give in to Lucifer’s temptations during your mortal sojourn. Even
though each of you has made the right choice at this stage of your progress,
you know your own feelings; many of you have not been valiant in defending
Father’s position on moral agency. You will experience great temptations and
succumb to Lucifer’s sophistry once you go to earth. I would encourage you to
repent while you are still under Father’s protective care. Once you leave
heaven the possibilities of your returning are very small. Let us help you
prepare. There is much that can be done before you leave to go to earth.
Contact your local leaders and let them help you.” This was the end of the
Lord’s initial instruction to us.
Chapter 2
What Has Been Will Be
Reflecting
on the Savior’s words pronounced at the end of the war in heaven, I reminisced
that I had watched and participated in many earthly events over the last 6,000
years and was still waiting for my turn to be born. The Lord’s counsel given
those thousands of years ago has, unfortunately, been so true. Almost all the
former hosts of heaven, who verbally and with raised hands voted to sustain
Father’s plan, are now firmly in Satan’s kingdom, and have been consigned to
Spirit Prison after their earthly experiences. What a tragedy life has been for
so many of Father’s children! And yet there are those who have died young and
many others have been taken back into His bosom and are awaiting the glorious
resurrection and their places in the Celestial Kingdom. Some have even been
resurrected already and have gone on to begin their own kingdoms or are
learning further what they must do to begin that process.
We
now come forward in time to the Lord’s instruction to a group of us still
awaiting our birth in 1900 A.D. He said in part:
“It
is important that we review some of what you will experience as you leave
heaven. You will all go to earth soon and you will be instrumental in preparing
for my coming in the final days of the earth’s mortal existence; or you will
fight against those who are preparing for those times; some of you will be
valiant and others of you will be overcome.
“Many
of the signs of my coming have had their foreshadowing in past dispensations. I
encourage you to imprint them deeply in your spiritual hearts so that you can
bring them to remembrance as you may need them in your life’s experiences. This
review of some of these signs hopefully will focus your thoughts into a
coordinated sequence that you can review over and over until it becomes a part
of you. I want you to know and remember at the time these signs are fulfilled
that they had been made known unto you beforehand; that they may be a witness
unto you for your benefit and glory.
Sign 1 “As we near the end of the earth’s physical existence
there will be a pouring out of a spirit upon Father’s children throughout the
earth pertaining to their families, past, present, and future. At the same time
and with equal power, Satan will intensify his destructive powers on the
families of the world. Even within my Church he will make great inroads;
families will be ripped apart everywhere. But this spirit will help purify the
hearts of many and as they progress within the influence it will bring into
their lives, it will lead them to accomplish one of the greatest works of the
last days. The power of sealing will become part of their priesthood power and
the involvement in temple ordinances for the living and the dead will set them
apart as saviors to Father’s children. Now, behold, if Zion do these things she
shall prosper, and spread herself and become very glorious, very great, and
very horrible in the eyes of Satan’s hosts. And the nations shall behold Zion
and shall honor her and will recognize the power of God and my hand among my
people Zion.
“This
breakdown of the family, with abortions in the tens of millions; divorces of
over half of all marriages; rampant abuse of children and spouses; and even the
murdering of children and spouses, is the first of the signs that society is
coming apart, that Father’s children are
not focused on me but on their own selfish interests.
Sign 2 “The sign regarding the breakdown of the family is concurrent with its
parallel sign that will prove the dissolution of modern Babylon and all society
throughout the world. The financial stability of all the world’s nations will
collapse and Satan, through his antichrist, and his false prophet, will reign
with blood and horror in the world for three and a half years, causing the
death and destructions of billions of people. All of this will be allowed
because of the utter corruption of the people and also as a death knell to his
kingdom when he kills the righteous.
Sign 3 “Following the worldwide economic collapse, and the
disruption and distribution of services, food supplies, petroleum, etc., I
began the work of destruction among the people of my Church. On October 24,
2028, I created a massive earthquake along the Wasatch fault line. It caused
extensive damage to all the towns and cities along the front where the most
wicked of my children lived. The more unrighteous I destroyed instantly. The
others began a period of intense depravations. Most had not heeded the counsel
to be prepared and consequently lacked all the basic life-sustaining
necessities.”
Sign 4 We will leave the Savior’s presence for now to enter Satan’s kingdom
because, in order to understand the sequence of events at this time, it’s
necessary to view multiple places at the same time. The United States has
entered a state of civil war – part of the War of Gog and Magog. The antichrist
has moved his headquarters to Jackson County, Missouri, by Satan’s order, so as
to thwart the Lord’s plan to establish Zion. Invasion forces have attacked key
military installations and destroyed the nuclear and military capabilities of
the country. They have used nuclear weapons wherever major resistance was met.
Many of the population centers of the country have been destroyed or
neutralized. The government is on the verge of complete collapse. This is due
to anarchy, internal warfare and foreign invasions from the east, the west and
the south. Terrorism, gang warfare, violence, the breakdown of all civil
authority, has place the country into the hands of the antichrist and his
armies Virtual martial law has been instituted. Any resistence is met with
death to those who oppose the antichrist.
Sign 5 Beginning of the Tribulation, March 13, 2029 ±. As the antichrist
begins his rule of death and destruction, the Davidic King comes to the fore in
defense of the righteous. This is John the Beloved Apostle. He has assumed his
righteous position as head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
being the senior living Apostle in the world as he returns from among the Ten
Tribes. He has pronounced an end to the Time of the Gentiles; the missionaries
have been called home; he initiates the last movement of Jews to Israel and
begins with his heavenly hosts – other translated and resurrected beings – to
collect the righteous into cities of refuge. The righteous have been alerted to
these signs and the wicked are seeing them but don’t believe they are worth
noticing or following. This causes the beginning of the great division between
the righteous and the wicked. The cities of refuge are brought to the period of
three and a half years of wandering. This is also known as the last days’
Passover.
Sign 6 Manmade plagues and the Lord’s unleashing of many
catastrophes become destructive worldwide. In the spring of 2029 there occurred
more earthquakes from Alaska to the bottom of South America. [Add information
from pages 117-118, 126 of Visions of
Glory.]
Sign 7 Tribulation for the wicked; for the Saints left
behind; apostate darkness worldwide… Babylonian Captivity.
Sign 8 Earth begins its journey; apophos.
Sign 9 General Conference, October 2029; Adam-ondi-Ahman.
Sign 10 Beginning of the Millennium.
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