Signs of the Second Coming

This week, the assignment was Section 45 of the Doctrine and Covenants. In this section, we learn about the signs of the Second Coming and some of what will happen when Christ comes again. As I read this section, I picked out 10 signs that I feel we should know.

D&C 45:5- "...Spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life." When Christ comes to the earth again, He will spare those who were righteous. They will not be destroyed, but they will be blessed with eternal life. John 3:16 says, "...Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

D&C 45:26- "...Wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion." Before Christ comes, there will be many wars among the earth. And even though there may not be an actual war, there will be rumors of wars. I interpret this as no one having trust anymore. Our nation will not trust other nations and vice versa.

D&C 45:27- "And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound." The children of men will no longer love one another. They will love themselves more than they love God and each other, and because of this, they will start committing more and more sin.

D&C 45:28-29- "...And it shall be the fullness of my gospel; But they receive it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men." Before Christ comes again, there will be a fullness of His gospel. It will be spread to the four corners of the earth. There will be so many who accept the gospel and let it bless their lives. However, there will also be many who, despite the fullness of the gospel, will not receive it into their hearts. They will let their worldly views mask the greatness of the gospel.

D&C 45:31- "...A desolating sickness shall cover the land." If you read verse 32, it tells us that the disciples of Christ will stand in Holy places and will not be moved. Those who do not follow Christ will be cursed with a sickness that consists of a lack of the gospel and its blessings.

D&C 45:33- "And there shall be earthquakes...men will harden their hearts against me, and they will take up the sword on against another, and they will kill one another." In the footnote for "sword", it says to read D&C 63:33. That scripture further explains that the wicked will kill the wicked. There will also be earthquakes, and the children of men will not be able to let the gospel into their lives.

D&C 45:42- "...The sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars fall from heaven." D&C 88:87 says that the stars become angry. This is so powerful to me because I feel that the stars, moons, and heavens are such majestic and incredible creations. Celestial bodies have the power to be as beautiful as nothing we've ever seen, but at the same time, they can be filled with such anger against the wicked that they refuse to show themselves unto us."

D&C 45:46- "...The saints shall come forth from the four quarters of the earth." When Christ comes, the Saints will gather in one place, and that place will be Zion.

D&C 45:55- "And Satan shall be bound, that he shall have no place in the hearts of the children of men." I love this sign because it's a positive one. So many of the signs of the Second Coming are negative. They express what will happen to those who were wicked. This scripture brings great joy to my heart. It lets me know that if I am righteous, Christ will bless me by binding Satan; he will no longer be able to tempt me. He will not be in my heart anymore.

D&C 45:71- "...The righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy." I love this scripture! If we are righteous, we will be able to gather with other righteous saints and sing praises unto God together. When I think of this scripture, I think of when we all stood and sang "We Thank Thee, O God, For A Prophet" in October's General Conference. It was an amazing experience to be there, in the Conference Center, while we sang praises to our beloved prophet. When all the Saints gather in Zion, I think it will be somewhat similar to what I have already experienced.

During the reading, I was able to pick out three main principles of the gospel that we need to hearken unto, especially living in such turbulent times.
1. Verses 1-3 tell us to LISTEN and hearken unto the Lord and what He teaches us. We need to live a Christ-like life and follow the counsels of our prophets. In short, keep the commandments.
2. Believe that Christ is our Savior. If we put all our faith and trust in Him, we will not fall. We need to always use Him as the example to live by. If we do these things, it will ensure that we live righteous lives.
3. Verse 57 says, "For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived- verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewnspirit with us, we need to stand in holy places; we need to be not moved from the places where the Holy Ghost may reside.

Another principle I feel is important for us to live is to PRAY ALWAYS.
Pray for help and assistance in living righteous lives.
Pray for strength.
Pray for others.
Pray to develop a relationship with our Heavenly Father.

I know that if we do these things, we will be spared. If we do these things, we will be able to gather in Zion and sing beautiful praises unto Christ.