=8.= Another of our Lord"s predictions concerning His second coming is as follows; His citation of the signs by which the approach of the event may be known is so impressive that we should read the description in its entirety:--"And they [the disciples] asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pa.s.s? And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pa.s.s; but the end is not by and by. Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name"s sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name"s sake.... And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men"s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pa.s.s, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."[1076]
[1076] Luke xxi, 7-28; see also Mark xiii, 14-26; Rev. vi, 12-17.
=9.= Again, by way of warning, the Lord said:--"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."[1077]
[1077] Mark viii, 38.
=10.= At the time of the Ascension, as the apostles stood gazing into the firmament, where a cloud had hidden their resurrected Lord from sight, they became aware of the presence of two heavenly visitors, who said:--"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."[1078] Paul instructed the churches in the doctrines of Christ"s second advent, and described the glory of His coming.[1079] So also did others of the apostles.[1080]
[1078] Acts i, 11. See "Jesus the Christ," p. 695.
[1079] I Thess. iv, 16; II Thess. i, 7-8; Heb. ix, 28.
[1080] I Peter iv, 13; I John ii, 28; iii, 2.
=11. Among Book of Mormon Prophecies= concerning our present subject, we find the teachings of Christ Himself at the time of His ministrations to the Nephites in His resurrected state. To the mult.i.tude He explained many matters, "even from the beginning until the time that He should come in his glory."[1081] In promising the three disciples the desire of their hearts, which was that they might be spared in the flesh to continue the work of the ministry, the Lord said to them:--"Ye shall live to behold all the doings of the Father, unto the children of men, even until all things shall be fulfilled, according to the will of the Father, when I shall come in my glory, with the powers of heaven."[1082]
[1081] III Nephi xxvi, 3; see also xxv, 5.
[1082] III Nephi xxviii, 7; see also 8. See "Jesus the Christ,"
ch. x.x.xix.
=12. The Word of Modern Revelation= is no less sure regarding the appointed advent of the Redeemer. To servants, specially commissioned, instructions were given to this effect:--"Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you,[1083] that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom. For behold, verily, verily, I say unto you that I come quickly."[1084] And again, this instruction is given:--"Cry repentance unto a crooked and perverse generation, preparing the way of the Lord for his second coming; for behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, the time is soon at hand that I shall come in a cloud with power and great glory."[1085]
[1083] An allusion to the parable of the Ten Virgins; see Matt.
xxv, 1-13.
[1084] Doc. and Cov. x.x.xiii, 17.
[1085] Doc. and Cov. x.x.xiv, 6-7.
=13.= In a revelation to the people of the Church, March 7, 1831, the Lord speaks of the signs of His coming, and counsels diligence.
Consider His words:--"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; even so it shall be in that day when they shall see all these things, then shall they know that the hour is nigh. And it shall come to pa.s.s that he that feareth me shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of man; and they shall see signs and wonders, for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath; and they shall behold blood and fire, and vapors of smoke; and before the day of the Lord shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and stars fall from heaven; and the remnant shall be gathered unto this place, and then they shall look for me, and behold I will come; and they shall see me in the clouds of heaven, clothed with power and great glory, with all the holy angels; and he that watches not for me shall be cut off."[1086]
[1086] Doc. and Cov. xiv, 37-44; see also paragraphs 74-75.
=14.= The distinctive characteristic of the revelations as given in the present dispensation, regarding the second coming of our Lord, is the emphatic and oft-repeated declaration that the event is near at hand.[1087] The call is, "Prepare ye, prepare ye, for that which is to come, for the Lord is nigh." Instead of the cry of one man in the wilderness of Judea, the voice of thousands is heard authoritatively warning the nations, and inviting them to repent and flee to Zion for safety. The fig tree is rapidly putting forth its leaves; the signs in heaven and earth are increasing; surely the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near.
[1087] See the numerous references in connection with Doc. and Cov. i, 12. See "Jesus the Christ," ch. xlii.
=15. The Precise Time of Christ"s Coming= has not been made known to man. By learning to comprehend the signs of the times, by watching the development of the work of G.o.d among the nations, and by noting the rapid fulfillment of significant prophecies, we may perceive the progressive evidence of the approaching event, "But the hour and the day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor shall they know until he comes."[1088] His coming will be a surprise to those who have rejected His warnings, and who have failed to watch. "Like a thief in the night"[1089] will be the coming of the day of the Lord unto the wicked. "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."[1090]
[1088] Doc. and Cov. xlix, 7.
[1089] II Peter iii, 10; I Thess. v, 2, etc.
[1090] Matt, xxv, 13; see also xxiv, 42, 44; Mark xiii, 33, 35; Luke xii, 40.
=16. Christ"s Reign: The Kingdom.=--We have seen that, according to the words of holy prophets ancient and modern, Christ is to come, in a literal sense, and so manifest Himself in person in the last days. He is to dwell among His Saints. "Yea, even I will be in the midst of you,"[1091] He declared to the people on this continent, whom He promised to establish in the land of the New Jerusalem; and similar a.s.surances were given through the prophets of the east.[1092] In this prospective ministration among His gathered Saints, Christ is to be at once their G.o.d and their King. His government is to be that of a perfect theocracy; the laws of righteousness will be the code, and control will be administered under one authority, undisputed because indisputable.
[1091] III Nephi xx, 22; see also xxi, 25.
[1092] Ezek. x.x.xvii, 26-27; Zech. ii, 10, 11; viii, 3; II Cor. vi, 16.
=17.= The scriptures abound with declarations that the Lord will yet reign among his people. To this effect sang Moses before the hosts of Israel after their miraculous pa.s.sage through the Red Sea,--"The Lord shall reign for ever and ever;"[1093] and the psalmist echoes the refrain, "The Lord is King for ever and ever."[1094] Jeremiah calls Him "an everlasting king," before whose wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations yield;[1095] and Nebuchadnezzar, humbled through tribulation, rejoiced in honoring the King of Heaven, "whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation."[1096]
[1093] Exo. xv, 18.
[1094] Psa. x, 16 see also xxix, 10; cxlv, 13; cxlvi, 10.
[1095] Jer. x, 10.
[1096] Dan. iv, 34-37.
=18.= Even chosen Israel were not always willing to accept G.o.d as their king. Remember how they protested that Samuel, the anointed prophet and judge, was old,--a poor excuse for their claim, as the old man ministered with vigor among them for thirty-five years beyond that time,--and how they cried for a king to rule them, that they might be like other nations.[1097] Note the pathetic words with which the Lord replied to Samuel"s prayer regarding this demand of the people, and the sorrow with which He granted them their wish:--"Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them."[1098] But the Lord will not be ever rejected by His people; at the time appointed He will come with power and great glory, and will a.s.sume His rightful place of authority as King of earth.
[1097] I Sam. viii, 5.
[1098] Verse 7; see also x, 19; Hosea xiii, 10-11.
=19.= Daniel interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and spoke of the many kingdoms and divisions of kingdoms which were to be established, then added:--"And in the days of these kings shall the G.o.d of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."[1099]
Touching the extent of the great kingdom to be established the same prophet declared:--"And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him."[1100]
[1099] Dan. ii, 44.
[1100] Dan. vii, 27.
=20.= Speaking of the restoration of Judah and Israel in the last days, Micah prophesies:--"And the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever."[1101] In the annunciation to the Virgin, the angel said of the unborn Christ:--"He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end."[1102] In the visions of Patmos, the Apostle John saw the glorious consummation, and a universal recognition of the eternal King:--"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever."[1103] Modern revelation is rich in evidence of an approaching reign of righteousness, with Christ as King; witness the following:--"And also the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst."[1104] "For in my own due time will I come upon the earth in judgment, and my people shall be redeemed and shall reign with me on earth."[1105]
[1101] Micah iv, 7; see also Isa. xxiv, 23.
[1102] Luke i, 33.
[1103] Rev. xi, 15.
[1104] Doc. and Cov. i, 36.
[1105] Doc. and Cov. xliii, 29; see also lx.x.xiv, 119.
=21. Kingdom and Church.=--In the Gospel according to Matthew, the phrase "kingdom of heaven" is of frequent occurrence; while in the books of the other evangelists, and throughout the epistles, the expression is "kingdom of G.o.d," "kingdom of Christ," or simply "kingdom." It is evident that these expressions may be used interchangeably without violence to the true meaning. However, the term kingdom is used in more senses than one, and a careful study of the context in each instance may be necessary to a proper comprehension of the writers intent. The most common usages are two:--1. An expression synonymous with "the Church," having reference to the followers of Christ without distinction as to their temporal or spiritual organizations. 2. The designation of the literal kingdom over which Christ is to reign on earth in the last days.
=22.= When we contemplate the Kingdom in the latter and more general sense, the Church must be regarded as a part thereof; an essential indeed, for it is the germ from which the Kingdom is to be developed, and the very heart of the perfected organization. The Church has existed and now continues in an organized form, without the Kingdom as a visibly established power with temporal authority in the world; but the Kingdom cannot be maintained without the Church.
=23.= In modern revelation, the expressions "kingdom of G.o.d" and "kingdom of heaven" are sometimes used with distinctive meanings,--the former phrase signifying the Church, and the latter the literal kingdom which is to supersede and comprise all existing national divisions. In this sense, the kingdom of G.o.d has been set up already in these the last days; its beginning in and for the present dispensation was the establishment of the Church on its latter-day and permanent foundation. This is consistent with our conception of the Church as the vital organ of the Kingdom in general. The powers and authority committed to the Church are then the keys of the Kingdom.
Such meaning is made clear in the following revelation to the Church:--"The keys of the kingdom of G.o.d are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands[1106] shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth....
Call upon the Lord, that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, in the which the Son of man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of G.o.d which is set up on the earth; wherefore may the kingdom of G.o.d go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O G.o.d, mayest be glorified in heaven, so on earth, that thy enemies may be subdued; for thine is the honor, power and glory for ever and ever."[1107]
[1106] Allusion to Daniel"s interpretation of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar; see Dan. ii, 34, 44.