We Believe: Doctrines of Mormonism: Second Coming of Christ

Second Coming of Christ

Events at the Second Coming, and Doctrines Specifically Referring to the Second Coming
726. Christ will come again, this time to reign personally upon the earth.

727. At His second coming, the Lord will come in power and great glory; He will not come in secret.

728. The day and the hour of the second coming of the Lord is not known by any person, and will not be known (even by angels) until He comes.

729. The Savior's second coming has been foretold by Old and New Testament prophets, by angels, and by the Savior Himself.

730. At His second coming, the Savior will appear first to those in the New Jerusalem in America, then to the Jews in Jerusalem, and finally to all the world.

731. The second coming of the Lord is near; it will come as "a thief in the night."

732. The earth will be in great upheaval at the Savior's second coming.

733. The Lord will be clothed in red apparel when He appears to all the world at His second coming.

734. At the second coming of the Lord, the wicked will weep and wail and try to hide themselves from the glory of His presence.

735. Faithful Saints, both living and dead, will be caught up to meet Christ at His second coming.

736. The Jews will acknowledge Jesus as the Christ at His second coming.

737. When the Lord comes in the last days He will set His foot upon the Mount of Olives and it shall cleave in twain.

738. The second coming of Christ will usher in the Millennium.

739. The Saints must prepare for the Second Coming.

See topic LAST DAYS

726. Christ will come again, this time to reign personally upon the earth.

President Brigham Young
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith
Elder Wilford Woodruff
Joseph Smith
Charles A. Callis
Nephi, son of Lehi
Isaiah
Joseph B. Wirthlin
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith
Michah
Recorded in Matthew
Recorded in Mark

President Brigham Young

We believe that Jesus Christ will descend from heaven to earth again even as He ascended into heaven. "Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him." He will come to receive His own, and rule and reign king of nations as He does king of saints; "For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." He will banish sin from the earth and its dreadful consequences, tears shall be wiped from every eye and there shall be nothing to hurt or destroy in all God's holy mountain. (In Bowery, June 18, 1865, JD11:123) TLDP:620

Joseph Smith,
receiving the Word of the Lord

Joseph Smith

These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven to reign on the earth over his people. (Vision to Joseph and to Sidney Rigdon, Feb. 16, 1832) D&C 76:63 (See verses 58-63)

Elder Wilford Woodruff

The Lord Jesus Christ is coming to reign on earth. The world may say that he delays his coming until the end of the earth. But they know neither the thoughts nor the ways of the Lord. The Lord will not delay his coming because of their unbelief, and the signs both in heaven and earth indicate that it is near. The fig trees are leafing in sight of all the nations of the earth, and if they had the Spirit of God they could see and understand them. (General conference, April 1873, JD16:35) TLDP:621

Joseph Smith

We believe . . . that Christ will reign personally upon the earth. . . . (The tenth of the thirteen Articles of Faith; letter to John Wentworth, March 1, 1842) Articles of Faith :10

Charles A. Callis

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been brought forth and established by the power of God and dedicated to the mission of preparing the way for the glorious coming of the Son of God to reign in the earth in truth and righteousness and peace.
Would to God this glorious second coming of the Messiah might be in our day, but let it be sooner or later, in it we will rejoice.
Truly, God will descend from the heavens in incomparable power and glory with all His holy angels, and He will stand upon the earth at the latter day. Then heaven and earth will meet. (Fundamentals of Religion: A Series of Radio Addresses) TLDP:623

Nephi, son of Lehi

And the time cometh speedily that the righteous must be led up as calves of the stall, and the Holy One of Israel must reign in dominion, and might, and power, and great glory.
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.
26. And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth. (Nephi explains the prophecies written on the plates of brass, 588-570 B.C.) 1 Nephi 22:24-26

Isaiah

Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously. (Isaiah prophesies, near 700 B.C.) Isaiah 24:23

Joseph B. Wirthlin

Yes, the time will come when “Christ will reign personally upon the earth.” Certainly we are closer to that time now than in 1831 when the Lord admonished the elders of the Church to “labor … in my vineyard for the last time—for the last time call upon the inhabitants of the earth. … For the great Millennium, of which I have spoken by the mouth of my servants, shall come.” (CR 1998Oct; Cultivating Divine Attributes, Ensign, November 1998, p.25)

Related Witnesses:

Joseph Smith,
receiving the Word of the Lord

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.
65. And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness for the space of a thousand years; (See Moses 7:62-65.) (Revelation to Moses recording the word of the Lord to Enoch) Moses 7:64-65

Joseph Smith,
receiving the Word of the Lord

Thus saith the Lord; for I am God, and have sent mine Only Begotten Son into the world for the redemption of the world, and have decreed that he that receiveth him shall be saved, and he that receiveth him not shall be damned—
6. And they have done unto the Son of Man even as they listed; and he has taken his power on the right hand of his glory, and now reigneth in the heavens, and will reign till he descends on the earth to put all enemies under his feet, which time is nigh at hand— (Revelation, March 1831) D&C 49:5-6

Michah

And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. (Micah prophesies, about 740-700 B.C.) Micah 4:7

Recorded in Matthew

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32. And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: . . . (Jesus gives the parable of the sheep and the goats; the sheep are placed on his right hand at the Lord's second coming) Matthew 25:31-34

Recorded in Mark

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. (The Lord will come after the sun and moon are darkened) Mark 13:26-27

727. At His second coming, the Lord will come in power and great glory; He will not come in secret.

Orson Pratt
Joseph Smith
Jesus
Elder John Taylor
Joseph Smith
Charles A. Callis
Elder Ezra Taft Benson
Charles W. Penrose
Neal A. Maxwell
Joseph Smith
Isaiah
Joseph Smith
John
Paul

Orson Pratt

The second advent of the Son of God is to be something altogether of a different nature from anything that has hitherto transpired on the face of the earth, accompanied with great power and glory, something that will not be done in a small portion of the earth like Palestine, and seen only by a few; but it will be an event that will be seen by all—all flesh shall see the glory of the Lord; when he reveals himself the second time, every eye, not only those living at that time in the flesh, in mortality on the earth, but also the very dead themselves, they also who pierced him, those who lived eighteen hundred years ago, who were engaged in the cruel act of piercing his hands and his feet and his side, will also see him at that time. (In 15th Ward, March 1876, JD18:170) DGSM:102

Joseph Smith,
receiving the Word of the Lord

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. . . . (Revelation, March 7, 1831; signs and wonders to attend the Second Coming) D&C 45:44

Jesus,
recorded in Matthew

Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Jesus foretells his second coming to his disciples) Matthew 24:26-30

Elder John Taylor

There is something also to be looked to in the future. The Son of God has again to figure in the grand drama of the world. He has been here once and "In his humiliation his judgment was taken away.". . . Jesus accomplished what He was sent to do, and, feeling satisfied of this, when he was about to leave the earth he said he had finished the work his Father gave him to do. But there was another work, another event that was to transpire in the latter days, when he should not be led as a lamb to the slaughter or be like a sheep before the shearers: when he would not act in that state of humiliation and quiescence, but when he will go forth as a man of war and tread down the people in his anger and trample them in his fury, when blood should be on his garments and the day of vengeance in his heart, when he would rule the nations with an iron rod and break them to pieces like a potter's vessel. . . . When he comes again he comes to take vengeance on the ungodly and to bring deliverance unto his Saints; "For the day of vengeance," it is said, "is in my heart and the year of my redeemed is come." [Isaiah 63:4] It behooves us to be made well aware which class we belong to, that if we are not already among the redeemed we may immediately join that society, that when the Son of God shall come the second time with all the holy angels with him, arrayed in power and great glory to take vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel, or when he shall come in flaming fire, we shall be among that number who shall be ready to meet him with gladness in our hearts and hail him as our great deliverer and friend. (In Tabernacle, Feb. 22. 1863, JD10:115) TLDP:622

Joseph Smith,
receiving the Word of the Lord

For I will reveal myself from heaven with power and great glory, with all the hosts thereof. . . . (Revelation, Sept. 1830; Christ's second coming ushers in the Millennium) D&C 29:11

Charles A. Callis

Truly, God will descend from the heavens in incomparable power and glory with all His holy angels, and He will stand upon the earth at the latter day. Then heaven and earth will meet. (Fundamentals of Religion: A Series of Radio Addresses, p. 40) TLDP:623

Elder Ezra Taft Benson,

also quoting Joseph Smith
His first appearance will be to the righteous Saints who have gathered to the New Jerusalem. In this place of refuge they will be safe from the wrath of the Lord, which will be poured out without measure on all nations. . . .
The second appearance of the Lord will be to the Jews. To these beleaguered sons of Judah, surrounded by hostile Gentile armies, who again threaten to overrun Jerusalem, the Savior—their Messiah—will appear and set His feet on the Mount of Olives, "and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens shall also shake." (D&C 45:48)
The Lord Himself will then rout the Gentile armies, decimating their forces (see Ezekiel 38, 39). Judah will be spared, no longer to be persecuted and scattered. . . .
The third appearance of Christ will be to the rest of the world. . . .
All nations will see Him "in the clouds of heaven, clothed with power and great glory; with all the holy angels. . . .
"And the Lord shall utter his voice, and all the ends of the earth shall hear it; and the nations of the earth shall mourn, and they that have laughed shall see their folly.
"And calamity shall cover the mocker, and the scorner shall be consumed; and they that have watched for iniquity shall be hewn down and cast into the fire."
Yes, come He will (New Era, Dec. 1980, pp. 49-50) DGSM:101

Charles W. Penrose

The great and crowning advent of the Lord will be subsequent to these two appearances [to the New Jerusalem and to the Jews]; but who can describe it in the language of mortals? The tongue of man falters, and the pen drops from the hand of the writer, as the mind is rapt in contemplation of the sublime and awful majesty of his coming to take vengeance on the ungodly and to reign as King of the whole earth.
He comes The earth shakes, and the tall mountains tremble; the mighty deep rolls back to the north as in fear, and the rent skies glow like molten brass. He comes The dead Saints burst forth from their tombs, and "those who are alive and remain" are "caught up" with them to meet him. The ungodly rush to hide themselves from his presence, and call upon the quivering rocks to cover them. He comes with all the hosts of the righteous glorified. The breath of his lip strikes death to the wicked. His glory is a consuming fire. The proud and rebellious are as stubble; they are burned and "left neither root nor branch." He sweeps the earth "as with the besom [broom] of destruction." He deluges the earth with the fiery floods of his wrath, and the filthiness and abominations of the world are consumed. Satan and his dark hosts are taken and bound—the prince of the power of the air has lost his dominion, for He whose right it is to reign has come, and "the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ." (Millennial Star, Sept. 1859, p. 583) DGSM:101

Neal A. Maxwell

No wonder, when Christ comes in power and glory, that He will come in reminding red attire (see D&C 133:48), signifying not only the winepress of wrath, but also to bring to our remembrance how He suffered for each of us in Gethsemane and on Calvary! (CR 1987Apr; “Overcome … Even As I Also Overcame”, Ensign, May 1987, p.70)

Related Witnesses:

Joseph Smith,
receiving the Word of the Lord

Behold, it is my will, that all they who call on my name, and worship me according to mine everlasting gospel, should gather together, and stand in holy places;
23. And prepare for the revelation which is to come, when the veil of the covering of my temple, in my tabernacle, which hideth the earth, shall be taken off, and all flesh shall see me together. (Revelation, Dec. 16, 1833) D&C 101:22-23

Isaiah

And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. (Isaiah speaks, "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God" 740-659 B.C.) Isaiah 40:5

Joseph Smith

The coming of the Son of Man never will be—never can be, till the judgments spoken of for this hour are poured out: which judgments are commenced. Paul says, "Ye are the children of the light, and not of the darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief in the night." It is not the design of the Almighty to come upon the earth and crush it and grind it to powder, but he will reveal it to His servants the prophets.
Judah must return, Jerusalem must be rebuilt, and the temple, and water come out from under the temple, and the waters of the Dead Sea be healed. It will take some time to rebuild the walls of the city and the temple, and etc; and all this must be done before the Son of Man will make His appearance. There will be wars and rumors of wars, signs in the heavens above and on the earth beneath, the sun turned into darkness and the moon to blood, earthquakes in divers places, the seas heaving beyond their bounds; then will appear one grand sign of the Son of Man in heaven. But what will the world do? They will say it 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. (General conference, speaking on the judgments to come before the Second Coming of Christ, April 1843) HC5:336-37

John ,
quoted by Joseph Smith,

translating the Book of Revelation
For behold, he cometh in the clouds with ten thousands of his saints in the kingdom, clothed with the glory of his Father. And every eye shall see him, and they who pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. JST(Revelation 1:7 in appendix)

Paul

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. . . . (Paul writes to the Church at Thessalonica that the Lord shall come again and the dead shall rise, A.D. 50) 1 Thess. 4:16

728. The day and the hour of the second coming of the Lord is not known by any person, and will not be known (even by angels) until He comes.

James E. Talmage
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith
Jesus
Jesus
Elder Wilford Woodruff
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
Charles W. Penrose

James E. Talmage

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 God among the nations, and by noting the rapid fulfilment 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." His coming will be a surprise to those who have ignored His warnings, and who have failed to watch. "As a thief in the night" 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." AF:328

Joseph Smith,
receiving the Word of the Lord

[Christ] now reigneth in the heavens, and will reign till he descends on the earth to put all enemies under his feet, which time is nigh at hand—
7. 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. (Revelation, March 1831) D&C 49:6-7

Joseph Smith

Yea, let the cry go forth among all people: Awake and arise and go forth to meet the Bridegroom; behold and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord.
11. Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour. (All are commanded to flee from Babylon, come to Zion, and prepare for the great day of the Lord) D&C 133:10-11

Joseph Smith

Jesus Christ never did reveal to any man the precise time that He would come. Go and read the Scriptures, and you cannot find anything that specifies the exact hour He would come; and all that say so are false teachers. (Sermon on Elias, Elijah and Messiah, Sunday, March 10, 1844) HC6:254; TPJS:341; DGSM:101

Jesus,
recorded in Matthew

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. (Jesus foretells his second coming to his disciples) Matthew 24:36

Jesus,
quoted by Joseph Smith,

translating Matthew
But of that day, and hour, no one knoweth; no, not the angels of God in heaven, but my Father only. (An extract from the translation of the Bible as revealed to Joseph Smith, about Sept. 1831; Christ speaks of his second coming) JS-M 1:40

Elder Wilford Woodruff

No man knows the day or the hour when Christ will come, yet the generation has been pointed out by Jesus himself. He told his disciples when they passed by the temple as they walked out of Jerusalem that that generation should not pass away before not one stone of that magnificent temple should be left standing upon another and the Jews should be scattered among the nations; and history tells how remarkably that prediction was fulfilled. Moses and the prophets also prophesied of this as well as Jesus. 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. (In Tabernacle, Jan. 1, 1871, JD14:5) TLDP:620

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith

Do not think that he delayeth his coming. I want to say to you that many of the signs of the coming of the Son of God have been given and others will be given, so we may, if we will, know that the coming of the Son of God is even now, figuratively speaking, at our doors. The Lord isn't going to tell me when he is coming; he is not going to tell you; he is not going to tell anybody else—for he has made it definitely clear that he is going to come like the thief comes: when he is not expected. ("The Blessings of Eternal Glory," Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, 1968, p. 10) TLDP:621

Charles W. Penrose

There are quite a number of people who set the date to the time of the coming of the Savior. . . . That is all wrong; that should not be done. The Lord has not, at any time, so far as I am aware, in all my searchings in the revelations that have come to the earth, set a date for the coming of the Savior to reign on the earth. CR1924Apr:14

729. The Savior's second coming has been foretold by Old and New Testament prophets, by angels, and by the Savior Himself.

Elder Wilford Woodruff
Joseph Smith
Malachi
Malachi
Jesus
Recorded in Acts
Joseph Smith
President Brigham Young
Joseph Smith

Elder Wilford Woodruff

Joseph Smith,

translating the Book of Moses
And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness for the space of a thousand years; (Moses relates Enoch's vision) Moses 7:65

Related Witnesses:

Malachi

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to this temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
2. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: (The prophet Malachi to the people, about 430 B.C.) Malachi 3:1-2

Malachi,
quoted by Jesus,

quoted by Mormon
But who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. (The resurrected Christ instructs his Nephite disciples to write the words which the Father had given Malachi concerning the Second Coming, which words he then gives to them, A.D. 34) 3 Nephi 24:2

Jesus,
recorded in Matthew

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. (Jesus speaks to his disciples and foretells his death and resurrection) Matthew 16:27

Recorded in Acts

. . .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. (The Apostles witness the ascent of Jesus to heaven and two angels speak to them) Acts 1:11

Joseph Smith,
receiving the Word of the Lord

And the saints also shall hardly escape; nevertheless, I, the Lord, am with them, and will come down in heaven from the presence of my Father and consume the wicked with unquenchable fire. (Revelation, Aug. 1831) D&C 63:34

President Brigham Young

Joseph Smith,
quoted by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith

When I contemplate the rapidity with which the great and glorious day of the coming of the Son of Man advances, when He shall come to receive His Saints unto Himself, where they shall dwell in His presence, and be crowned with glory and immortality: when I consider that soon the heavens are to be shaken, and the earth tremble and reel to and fro; and that the heavens are to be unfolded as a scroll when it is rolled up; and that every mountain and island are to flee away, I cry out in my heart, What manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness (In letter to Moses C. Nickerson, Upper Canada, from the Prophet in Kirtland, Ohio, Nov. 19, 1833) HC1:441-43; TPJS:29

Author's Note: The second coming of Christ is mentioned over 1,800 times in the Bible, according to Sterling W. Sill:
"The most often mentioned event in the entire Bible is that wonderful, yet awful experience that we will have when Jesus Christ shall come to judge our world. There are many important gospel doctrines mentioned in the Bible only briefly, and some not at all. The new birth is mentioned in the Bible nine times; baptism is mentioned 52 times, repentance is mentioned 89, but the second coming of Christ is mentioned over 1,500 times in the Old Testament and 300 times in the New Testament. If God thought this subject that important, he must have wanted us to do something about it." (CR1966Apr:19)

730. At His second coming, the Savior will appear first to those in the New Jerusalem in America, then to the Jews in Jerusalem, and finally to all the world.

Elder Ezra Taft Benson
President Brigham Young
Bruce R. McConkie
Charles W. Penrose
Hugh B. Brown
Bruce R. McConkie
Joseph Smith
Jesus
Joseph Smith
Zechariah
Zechariah

Elder Ezra Taft Benson,

President Brigham Young,
quoted by John A. Widtsoe

When he comes again, he will not come as he did when the Jews rejected him; neither will he appear first at Jerusalem when he makes his second appearance on the earth; but he will appear first on the land where he commenced his work in the beginning, and planted the Garden of Eden, and that was done in the land of America.
When the Savior visits Jerusalem, and the Jews look upon him, and see the wounds in his hands and in his side and in his feet, they will then know that they have persecuted and put to death the true Messiah, and then they will acknowledge him, but not till then. They have confounded his first and second coming, expecting his first coming to be as a mighty prince instead of as a servant. They will go back by and by to Jerusalem and own their Lord and Master. We have no feelings against them. (In Tabernacle, Dec. 23, 1866, JD11:279) DBY:122

Bruce R. McConkie

Before the Lord Jesus descends openly and publicly in the clouds of glory, attended by all the hosts of heaven; before the great and dreadful day of the Lord sends terror and destruction from one end of the earth to the other; before he stands on Mount Zion, or sets his feet on Olivet, or utters his voice from an American Zion or a Jewish Jerusalem; before all flesh shall see him together; before any of his appearances, which taken together comprise the second coming of the Son of God—before all these, there is to be a secret appearance to selected members of his Church. He will come in private to his prophet and to the apostles then living. Those who have held keys and powers and authorities in all ages from Adam to the present will also be present. (The Millennial Messiah, pp. 578-79) DGSM:101

Related Witnesses:

Charles W. Penrose

His [Christ's] next appearance [after his appearance in the New Jerusalem] will be among the distressed and nearly vanquished sons of Judah. At the crisis of their fate, when the hostile troops of several nations are ravaging the city and all the horrors of war are overwhelming the people of Jerusalem, he will set his feet upon the Mount of Olives, which will cleave and part asunder at his touch. (Millennial Star, Sept. 1859, p. 583) DGSM:101

Hugh B. Brown

To the wicked, the second coming will be a great and dreadful day, a day of sorrow and desolation, of burning and vengeance and judgment.
"For the presence of the Lord shall be as the melting fire that burneth, and as the fire which causeth the waters to boil." [D&C 133:41]
But to the righteous who have waited faithfully and kept his laws, the second coming will be a day devoutly to be desired, when injustice will cease and wickedness be vanished.
The Lord will undoubtedly make many successive appearances in various parts of the earth, and Malachi asks:
"Who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth?" [Malachi 3:2] ("We Rededicate Our Lives to Establish the Kingdom of God," Church News, 28 Nov. 1964, p. 15) TLDP:622

Bruce R. McConkie

[A]nd the New Jerusalem will become, in all her glory and magnificence, the spiritual capital of the world. Jehovah himself will come to the new temple, there to be constructed after the order of his new kingdom, and the saints shall worship in those sacred halls for a thousand years. . . . (The Mortal Messiah, 3:446-47) TLDP:349-50

Joseph Smith

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 also shall be there, insomuch that the wicked will not come unto it, and it shall be called Zion. (Revelation, March 7, 1831; the Saints are commanded to gather and build the New Jerusalem) D&C 45:66-67

Jesus,
quoted by Mormon

And they shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem.
24. And then shall they assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem.
25. And then shall the power of heaven come down among them; and I also will be in the midst. (The resurrected Jesus Christ to the Nephite people, A.D. 34) 3 Nephi 21:23-25

Joseph Smith,
receiving the Word of the Lord

And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount, and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake. . . .
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. (Revelation, March 7, 1831; Christ shall stand on the Mount of Olives, and the Jews shall see the wounds in his hands and feet) D&C 45:48,51-53

Zechariah

And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (The word of the Lord to Zechariah regarding the Second Coming, the final great war at Jerusalem—then the Jews shall look upon him they crucified) Zechariah 12:10

Zechariah

For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
5. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. (Zechariah prophesies that at his second coming the Lord shall fight for Israel) Zechariah 14:2-5

731. The second coming of the Lord is near; it will come as "a thief in the night."

James E. Talmage
James E. Talmage
Joseph Smith
Paul
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
Jesus

James E. Talmage

To the unwatchful and the wicked the event will be as sudden and unexpected as the coming of a thief in the night. But we are not left without definite information as to precedent signs. JTC:785-86

James E. Talmage

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 God among the nations, and by noting the rapid fulfilment 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." His coming will be a surprise to those who have ignored His warnings, and who have failed to watch. "As a thief in the night" 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." AF:328

Joseph Smith

And again, verily I say unto you, the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, and it overtaketh the world as a thief in the night—
5. Therefore, gird up your loins, that you may be the children of light, and that day shall not overtake you as a thief. (Revelation for Warren A. Cowdery, called to serve as a local presiding officer in the Church, Nov. 25, 1834) D&C 106:4-5

Paul

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. (Letter to the Church at Thessalonica, comprising Jews and many pagan converts, A.D. 50) 1 Thess. 5:2-4

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith

Jesus,
recorded in Matthew

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. (Jesus foretells his second coming to his disciples) Matthew 24:42-44

732. The earth will be in great upheaval at the Savior's second coming.

Parley P. Pratt
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
President Brigham Young
Orson F. Whitney
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith
John

Parley P. Pratt

In the resurrection which now approaches, and in connection with the glorious coming of Jesus Christ, the earth will undergo a change in its physical features, climate, soil, productions; and in its political, moral, and spiritual government.
Its mountains will be levelled, its valleys exalted, its swamps and sickly places will be drained and become healthy, while its burning deserts, and its frigid polar regions, will be redeemed and become temperate and fruitful. (Key to the Science of Theology, pp. 139-40) TLDP:621

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith

As Isaiah has predicted, we will, when Christ comes, have "new heavens and a new earth:" for, "behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." (Isaiah 65:17-25) This great change will be when the earth is cleansed of its iniquity and becomes a terrestrial body. Speaking of this, the authors in the "Compendium," have said: "The earth will go through a purifying process to fit it for the residence of its millennial inhabitants." [Franklin D. Richards and James A. Little, A Compendium of the Doctrines of the Gospel, rev. ed. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1925), pp. 185-86]. CHMR1:294

President Brigham Young

Do you think there is calamity abroad now among the people? Not much. All we have yet heard and all 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 another, caring not for the blood and lives of their neighbors, of their families, or for their own lives. (In Bowery, July 15, 1860, JD8:123) TLDP:344-45

Orson F. Whitney

Marvel not, my hearers, that all things are in commotion. The hour of God's judgment is at hand. War, famine, pestilence, earthquake, tempest and tidal wave—these are among the predicted signs of the Savior's second coming. Tyranny and wickedness must be overthrown, and the way prepared for him who, though gracious and merciful to all, and forgiving to sinners who repent, "cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance." Earth must be freed from all oppression and cleansed from all iniquity. It is God's house; he is coming to live in it, and to make of it a glorified mansion. The world is in its Saturday night; house-cleaning is in progress; and the work of purification must be done and out of the way before the Lord of the Sabbath appears. ("The Everlasting Gospel," IE1925Feb:317) TLDP:345

Joseph Smith,
quoted by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith

Related Witnesses:

Joseph Smith

For not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man; and the sun shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light; and the moon shall be bathed in blood; and the stars shall become exceedingly angry, and shall cast themselves down as a fig that falleth from off a fig-tree. (Revelation, Dec. 27/28, 1832; the "olive leaf message of peace") D&C 88:87

Joseph Smith

And it shall be a voice as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder, which shall break down the mountains, and the valleys shall not be found.
23. He shall command the great deep, and it shall be driven back into the north countries, and the islands shall become one land;
24. And the land of Jerusalem and the land of Zion shall be turned back into their own place, and the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided. (At the Second Coming the lost tribes of Israel shall return) D&C 133:22-24

Joseph Smith

Wherefore, be not deceived, but continue in steadfastness, looking forth for the heavens to be shaken, and the earth to tremble and to reel to and fro as a drunken man, and for the valleys to be exalted, and for the mountains to be made low, and for the rough places to become smooth—and all this when the angel shall sound his trumpet. (Revelation, March 1831, refuting Shaker doctrines and elaborating on the Second Coming) D&C 49:23

John

And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
19. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
20. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. (John sees the time when the nations will assemble for Armageddon and the second coming of Christ, thereafter) Revelation 16:18-20

733. The Lord will be clothed in red apparel when He appears to all the world at His second coming.

Joseph Smith
Isaiah
John
Elder John Taylor

Joseph Smith

And it shall be said: Who is this that cometh down from God in heaven with dyed garments; yea, from the regions which are not known, clothed in his glorious apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength?
47. And he shall say: I am he who spake in righteousness, mighty to save.
48. And the Lord shall be red in his apparel, and his garments like him that treadeth in the wine-vat. (Revelation received Nov. 3, 1831; the Saints are to prepare for the Second Coming) D&C 133:46-48

Isaiah

Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?
3. I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. (Isaiah sees the last days and the second coming of the Lord, 740-659 B.C.) Isaiah 63:2-3

John

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. (John sees the day when Christ shall rule the nations as King of kings and Lord of lords) Revelation 19:11-13

Elder John Taylor

But there was another work, another event that was to transpire in the latter days, when he should not be led as a lamb to the slaughter or be like a sheep before the shearers: when he would not act in that state of humiliation and quiescence, but when he will go forth as a man of war and tread down the people in his anger and trample them in his fury, when blood should be on his garments. . . . When he comes again he comes to take vengeance on the ungodly and to bring deliverance unto his Saints; "For the day of vengeance," it is said, "is in my heart and the year of my redeemed is come." [Isaiah 63:4] It behooves us to be made well aware which class we belong to, that if we are not already among the redeemed we may immediately join that society, that when the Son of God shall come the second time with all the holy angels with him, arrayed in power and great glory to take vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel, or when he shall come in flaming fire, we shall be among that number who shall be ready to meet him with gladness in our hearts and hail him as our great deliverer and friend. (In Tabernacle, Feb. 22, 1863, JD10:115-16) TLDP:622

734. At the second coming of the Lord, the wicked will weep and wail and try to hide themselves from the glory of His presence.

Joseph Smith
Isaiah
Alma, the younger
Joseph Smith
Isaiah

Joseph Smith

And there shall be weeping and wailing among the hosts of men; (Revelation received Sept. 1830) D&C 29:15

Isaiah

And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. . . .
21. To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. (The proud and the wicked shall be brought low at the Second Coming) Isaiah 2:19, 21

Alma, the younger,
quoted by Mormon

For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence. (Alma contends with the wicked Zeezrom, about 82 B.C.) Alma 12:14

Joseph Smith

And the Lord shall utter his voice, and all the ends of the earth shall hear it; and the nations of the earth shall mourn, and they that have laughed shall see their folly. (Revelation, March 7, 1831; Christ shall stand on the Mount of Olives, and the Jews shall see the wounds in his hands and feet) D&C 45:49-50

Isaiah,
quoted by Nephi, son of Lehi,

quoted by Mormon
O ye wicked ones, enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for the fear of the Lord and the glory of his majesty shall smite thee.
11. And it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
12. For the day of the Lord of Hosts soon cometh upon all nations, yea, upon every one; yea, upon the proud and lofty, and upon every one who is lifted up, and he shall be brought low. (Nephi records the words of Isaiah from the brass plates, 559-545 B.C.) 2 Nephi 12:10-12

735. Faithful Saints, both living and dead, will be caught up to meet Christ at His second coming.

James E. Talmage
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith
Paul
Bruce R. McConkie
Paul
Joseph Smith

James E. Talmage

With Christ shall come those who have already been resurrected; and His approach shall be the means of inaugurating a general resurrection of the righteous dead, while the pure and just who are still in the flesh shall be instantaneously changed from the mortal to the immortal state and shall be caught up with the newly resurrected to meet the Lord and His celestial company, and shall descend with Him. JTC:787

Joseph Smith

And the Saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him.
97. And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth, for their graves shall be opened; and they also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven—
98. They are Christ's, the first fruits, they who shall descend with him first, and they who are on the earth and in their graves, who are first caught up to meet him; and all this by the voice of the sounding of the trump of the angel of God. (The Lord speaks to Joseph by revelation, Dec. 27/28, 1832) D&C 88:96-98

Joseph Smith

But before the arm of the Lord shall fall, an angel shall sound his trump, and the saints that have slept shall come forth to meet me in the cloud.
46. Wherefore, if ye have slept in peace blessed are you; for as you now behold me and know that I am, even so shall ye come unto me and your souls shall live, and your redemption shall be perfected; and the saints shall come forth from the four quarters of the earth. (Revelation, March 7, 1831; signs, wonders, and the resurrection are to attend the Second Coming) D&C 45:45-46

Paul

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (Paul writes to the Church at Thessalonica that the Lord shall come again and the dead shall rise, A.D. 50) 1 Thess. 4:16-17

Bruce R. McConkie

Christ's, the first fruits—who are they? They are all those who were with him in his resurrection. They are all those of Enoch's city, a righteous people who were translated and who then gained full immortality when Christ rose from his tomb. They are all those of ages past who have burst the bands of death. They are the living saints who are quickened by the power of God and are caught up to meet their Lord in the air. . . . (The Millennial Messiah, p. 636) DGSM:102

Related Witnesses:

Paul,
quoted by Joseph Smith,

translating 1 Thessalonians
Then they who are alive, shall be caught up together into the clouds with them who remain, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we be ever with the Lord. (Letter to the Church at Thessalonica, comprising Jews and many pagan converts, A.D. 50) JST (1 Thess. 4:17 fn. a)

Joseph Smith

These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven to reign on the earth over his people. (Vision to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, Feb. 16, 1832) D&C 76:63

736. The Jews will acknowledge Jesus as the Christ at His second coming.

Joseph Smith
Elder Wilford Woodruff
Zechariah
President Brigham Young
Zechariah

Joseph Smith,
receiving the Word of the Lord

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. (Revelation, March 7, 1831, signs and wonders to attend the Second Coming of Christ) D&C 45:51-53

Elder Wilford Woodruff

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, and when they have done this and rebuilt their city, the Gentiles . . . will go up against Jerusalem to battle and to take a spoil and a prey; and then when they have taken one-half of Jerusalem captive and distressed the Jews for the last time on the earth, their Great Deliverer, Shiloh, will come. They do not believe in Jesus of Nazareth now, nor ever will until he comes and sets his foot on Mount Olivet and it cleaves in twain, one part going towards the East and the other towards the West. Then, when they behold the wounds in his hands and in his feet, they will say, "Where did you get them?" and he will reply "I am Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, your Shiloh, him whom you crucified." Then, for the first time will the eyes of Judah be opened. They will remain in unbelief until that day. This is one of the events that will transpire in the latter day. (In 13th Ward, Jan. 12, 1873, JD15:277-78) TLDP:349

Zechariah

And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zechariah prophesies, about 518 B.C.) Zechariah 12:10

President Brigham Young

Related Witnesses:

Zechariah

And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. (Zechariah prophesies, about 518 B.C.) Zechariah 13:6

737. When the Lord comes in the last days He will set His foot upon the Mount of Olives and it shall cleave in twain.

Joseph Smith
Zechariah
Elder Wilford Woodruff
James E. Talmage

Joseph Smith

And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount, and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake. (Revelation, March 7, 1831; signs and wonders to attend the Second Coming) D&C 45:48

Zechariah

And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. (Zechariah prophesies that at his second coming the Lord shall fight for Israel, about 518 B.C.) Zechariah 14:4

Elder Wilford Woodruff

[The Jews] do not believe in Jesus of Nazareth now, nor ever will until he comes and sets his foot on Mount Olivet and it cleaves in twain, one part going towards the East and the other towards the West. Then, when they behold the wounds in his hands and in his feet, they will say, "Where did you get them?" and he will reply "I am Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, your Shiloh, him whom you crucified." Then, for the first time will the eyes of Judah be opened. They will remain in unbelief until that day. This is one of the events that will transpire in the latter day. (In 13th Ward, Jan. 12, 1873, JD15:277-78) TLDP:349

Related Witnesses:

James E. Talmage

He will come with the body of flesh and bones in which His Spirit was tabernacled when he ascended from Mount Olivet. CR1916Apr:126

738. The second coming of Christ will usher in the Millennium.

Elder Wilford Woodruff
Joseph Smith
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
Bruce R. McConkie

Elder Wilford Woodruff

When the Savior comes, a thousand years will be devoted to this work of redemption; and Temples will appear all over this land of Joseph—North and South America—and also in Europe and elsewhere; and all the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who received not the Gospel in the flesh, must be officiated for in the Temples of God, before the Savior can present the kingdom to the Father, saying, "It is finished." (In new Tabernacle, Sept. 16, 1877, JD19:230) TLDP:404

Joseph Smith,
receiving the Word of the Lord

For in mine own due time will I come upon the earth in judgment, and my people shall be redeemed and shall reign with me on earth.
30. For the great Millennium, of which I have spoken by the mouth of my servants, shall come.
31. For Satan shall be bound, and when he is loosed again he shall only reign for a little season, and then cometh the end of the earth.
32. And he that liveth in righteousness shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and the earth shall pass away so as by fire.
33. And the wicked shall go away into unquenchable fire, and their end no man knoweth on earth, nor ever shall know, until they come before me in judgment. (Revelation: message for the nations of the earth, Feb. 1831) D&C 43:29-33

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith

We speak of the time when the earth shall be cleansed from sin as the Millennium. We look forward to it; the prophets have spoken of it.
In our own day messengers have come from the presence of the Lord declaring that it is even now at our doors, and yet many, even among the Latter-day Saints, go about their affairs as though this coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the ushering in of this reign of peace had been indefinitely postponed for many generations. I say to you that it is at our doors. I say this with all confidence because the Lord has said it. His messengers have said it as they have come from his presence bearing witness of him. (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:55) TLDP:399

Bruce R. McConkie

Thus, when we speak of the Lord returning to reign personally upon the earth, we are talking about a literal return. We have in mind a King ruling on a throne. We mean that laws will come forth from a Lawgiver; that judges will be restored as of old; that there will be a full end of all nations as these now exist; that earth's new King will have dominion and power over all the earth; and that Israel, the chosen people, will possess the kingdom and have everlasting dominion. . . .
. . . Christ shall provide the government. He shall reign on the throne of David forever. Peace shall prevail, and justice and judgment shall be the order of the day. And it is Israel, the chosen ones, over whom he shall reign in a kingdom that shall never cease. There is nothing figurative about this; it is not something that can be spiritualized away. It is the coming reality; it shall surely come to pass. . . .
The eventual triumph of the Lord's people is assured; there is to be a millennial day of glory and honor and peace; the fulness of the earth shall be theirs in that day, and all nations and kingdoms shall serve and obey them. But all the promised rewards need not be deferred until that day. Even now the saints can begin the process of inheriting the kingdom. They have power to begin to reap some of the millennial rewards. (The Millennial Messiah, pp. 596-97,600) TLDP:401

739. The Saints must prepare for the Second Coming.

Elder Wilford Woodruff
Jesus
Joseph Smith
Charles A. Callis
Elder Harold B. Lee
Delbert L. Stapley
James E. Talmage
LeGrand Richards
Bruce R. McConkie
Mark E. Petersen

Elder Wilford Woodruff

The parable of the ten virgins is intended to represent the second coming of the Son of man, the coming of the Bridegroom to meet the bride, the Church, the Lamb's wife, in the last days; and I expect that the Savior was about right when he said, in reference to the members of the Church, that five of them were wise and five were foolish; for when the Lord of heaven comes in power and great glory to reward every man according to the deeds done in the body, if he finds one-half of those professing to be members of his Church prepared for salvation, it will be as many as can be expected, judging by the course that many are pursuing. (In new Tabernacle, Sept. 12, 1875) TLDP:623

Jesus,
recorded in Matthew

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
2. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
7. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Jesus gives the parable of the ten virgins) Matthew 25:1-13

Joseph Smith,
receiving the Word of the Lord

And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins.
57. 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 hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.
58. And the earth shall be given unto them for an inheritance; and they shall multiply and wax strong, and their children shall grow up without sin unto salvation.
59. For the Lord shall be in their midst, and his glory shall be upon them, and he will be their king and their lawgiver. (Revelation, March 7, 1831; signs, wonders, and the resurrection are to attend the Second Coming) D&C 45:56-59

Charles A. Callis

Elder Harold B. Lee

A people to receive the coming of the Lord, must be taught the personality and the nature of God and his Son, Jesus Christ. . . .
How can one meet a person whose identity is unknown? How can one be prepared to meet a person about whom he has no knowledge? How can one be prepared to meet a being whose personality he cannot comprehend? . . .
Another requisite of that preparation to receive the Lord at the beginning of his millennial reign demands that the people be taught to accept the divinity of the mission of Jesus as the Savior of the world. . . .
That last declaration of the Prophet Alma [Alma 11:37] points to still another requirement, as I see it, for a people to be prepared to receive the Savior's coming. We must be cleansed and purified and sanctified to be made worthy to receive and abide that holy presence. . . .
How can this cleansing take place? The answer is: through holy ordinances which the Lord has established for that purpose. . . .
And now, finally, there is still one more thing that is necessary, to my thinking, before that preparation is made for the millennial reign. We must accept the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith as the instrumentality through which the restoration of the gospel and the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ was accomplished. Each member of the Church, to be prepared for the millennial reign, must receive a testimony, each for himself, of the divinity of the work established by Joseph Smith. CR1956Oct:61-62

Delbert L. Stapley

Let us be sure we thoroughly understand the most important things we can do to prepare ourselves for our Lord's second coming to earth and, by our obedience and faithfulness, escape his punishment.
The following are important considerations. We must set our lives and homes in order. This means a searching of our souls, an admittance of wrongdoing, and repentance where needed. It means keeping all of God's commandments. It means loving our neighbor. It means living an exemplary life. It means being good husbands and wives. It means teaching and training our children in the ways of righteousness. It means being honest in all our doings, in business and at home. It means spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the peoples of the world.
The Lord has said: "I will hasten my work in its time." (D&C 88:73)
There is an urgency in his work. Time is getting short. This sense of urgency in promoting the Lord's kingdom in these last days does not arise out of panic, but out of a desire to move swiftly and surely to establish and strengthen his kingdom among all people who are seeking the light and truth of the gospel, which is God's plan of life for all his children.
God will hasten his work by opening the heavens and sending heavenly messengers to his prophets to warn his children to prepare themselves to receive their Lord at his second coming. CR1975Oct:71

James E. Talmage

The mission of the Church is to prepare the earth for the coming of the Lord. CR1916Apr:126

LeGrand Richards

For if this gospel that Jesus referred to was to be preached in all the world, it had to be done by his children. And hundreds of thousands of Latter-day Saint missionaries since that time have been all over the world . . . to declare the restoration of the gospel as one of the steps in the preparation for the return of the Savior, for he so indicated that it must be preached in all the world. CR1978Apr:113

Bruce R. McConkie

The Second Coming is a day of judgment, a day of rewards, a day of vengeance for the wicked, a day of glory and honor for the righteous. It is a day for which all man prepare by the lives that they live. Those who live as becometh saints shall be as their Lord; those who walk in carnal paths shall be cast out. (The Mortal Messiah, 3:51) TLDP:625

Mark E. Petersen

The Savior will come in judgment with rewards for the righteous and destruction for the wicked. When he begins his millennial reign, there must be a cleansed earth to receive him. He will not reign over a sinful world. Hence wickedness will be overthrown, wars will end, and peace will come.
For such a vast and world-shaking appearance, a worldwide preparation is required. The people—those who will survive the great events of that day—will have to be taught, as the people in the Meridian of Time were taught by John the Baptist. A modern people must be prepared to receive the Lord.
This preparation will come only through a worldwide preaching of the restored gospel "in the hour of God's judgment." The scriptures say it would be brought to earth by angelic ministry (see Revelation 14:6-7) and then be preached in all the world as a warning to all nations (Matthew 24:14).
This preaching will convert the righteous who earnestly look forward to Christ's coming, and they will join his Church. It is to be by the same means used by John the Baptist. To carry on the work in an orderly manner, the Lord fully restored his Church and priesthood in our day, and decreed that missionaries should go to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, just as in ancient times.
All of this was done under the immediate direction of the Savior himself, who sent holy angels to minister to the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Joseph was the Lord's forerunner to begin the preparation for the Second Coming of the Lord. This work still goes on under the direction of living prophets who have succeeded Joseph, and it will continue worldwide until the Lord says "enough." Then he will come.
Millions of people now converted to the restored gospel are preparing to meet him. When the time comes, they will be ready. (Malachi and the Great and Dreadful Day, p. 21) TLDP:624

We Believe: Doctrines and Principles

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Second Coming of Christ

726. Christ will come again, this time to reign personally upon the earth.

Related Witnesses:

727. At His second coming, the Lord will come in power and great glory; He will not come in secret.

Related Witnesses:

728. The day and the hour of the second coming of the Lord is not known by any person, and will not be known (even by angels) until He comes.

729. The Savior's second coming has been foretold by Old and New Testament prophets, by angels, and by the Savior Himself.

Related Witnesses:

730. At His second coming, the Savior will appear first to those in the New Jerusalem in America, then to the Jews in Jerusalem, and finally to all the world.

Related Witnesses:

731. The second coming of the Lord is near; it will come as "a thief in the night."

732. The earth will be in great upheaval at the Savior's second coming.

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733. The Lord will be clothed in red apparel when He appears to all the world at His second coming.

734. At the second coming of the Lord, the wicked will weep and wail and try to hide themselves from the glory of His presence.

735. Faithful Saints, both living and dead, will be caught up to meet Christ at His second coming.

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736. The Jews will acknowledge Jesus as the Christ at His second coming.

Related Witnesses:

737. When the Lord comes in the last days He will set His foot upon the Mount of Olives and it shall cleave in twain.

Related Witnesses:

738. The second coming of Christ will usher in the Millennium.

739. The Saints must prepare for the Second Coming.