Signs of the Times

[lds2]

I'm in primary and so didn't get the chance to hear/discuss this lesson...thought for others like me we could discuss it here.

Signs of the Times (#43 in Gospel Principles.)

"Throughout the ages God has revealed these signs to His prophets. He has said that all faithful followers of Christ will know what the signs are and will be watching for them. If we are obedient and faithful, we will study the scriptures and know of the signs."

Headings from Lesson...

Wickedness, Wars and Turmoil

What to expect...earthquakes, disease, famines, great storms, lightnings, and thunder...and hailstorms will destroy the crops of the earth. (All the rest are already happening...every year I watch for this great hailstorm for when it happens it will be too late to prepare.) We are in perilous times..."We can be certain that these calamities will become more severe before the Lord comes."

Not all Signs of the Times are dreadful...there are happy signs too...

The Restoration

The Book of Mormon

The Gospel Preached to All the World (This is a sign that will continue into the Millennium)

Spirit of Elijah

Lehi's Descendants will becom great

Building the New Jerusalem

"The Lord gives these signs to help us. We can put our lives in order and prepare ourselves and our families for those things yet to come. We have been warned of calamities and told to prepare for them..."

Two questions...

"• What evidence do you see that the signs are being fulfilled?

• How can we remain calm and at peace even when some of the signs are terrifying and dreadful?"

Scriptures...

Doctrine and Covenants 88:87-94*

Joseph Smith?Matthew 1*

Gospel Principles Chapter 43: Signs of the Second Coming

[lds2]

Elder Holland's words from April Conference

Jeffrey R. Holland, Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

An Ensign to the Nations

Brothers and sisters, in general conference we offer our testimonies in conjunction with other testimonies that will come, because one way or another God will have His voice heard. “I sent you out to testify and warn the people,” the Lord has said to His prophets. “[And] after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, … of thunderings, … lightnings, and … tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. … “And angels shall … [cry] with a loud voice, sounding the trump of God.”..."Every sermon given is always, by definition, both a testimony of love and a warning, even as nature herself will testify with love and a warning in the last days."

An Ensign to the Nations - Ensign May 2011 - ensign

Edited October 24, 2011 by lds2

[lds2]

President Joseph F. Smith, GC, April 1966

The words of the prophets are rapidly being fulfilled, but it is done on such natural principles that most of us fail to see it. Joel promised that the Lord would pour out his spirit upon all flesh: the sons and daughters should prophesy, old men should dream dreams, and young men should see visions. Wonders in heaven and in the earth would be seen, and there would be fire, blood, and pillars of smoke. Eventually the sun is to be turned into darkness and the moon as blood and then shall come the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Some of these signs have been given; some are yet to come. The sun has not yet been darkened. We are informed that this will be one of the last acts just preceding the coming of the Lord.

LDSLastDays.com

[lds2]

Shortly after 9/11, President Hinckley said, “The vision of Joel has been fulfilled wherein he declared, “And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come… ”(Joel 2:28–32).”

Living in the Fulness of Times - Ensign Nov. 2001 - ensign

[Guest gopecon]

As to the OP's 2nd question about remaining calm. I think that as things deteriorate we need to focus on the Savior. For one, whether we die before or after He comes again we need to be prepared to meet him. Second, if we are fortunate enough to be here when He returns in glory - Wow! Just think about how awesome that day will be if we are prepared. That thought gives me great peace about the future. While things are probably going to get worse, they will eventually get WAY better!

[RMGuy]

Many of the "signs of the times" have been on going since the dawn of time. Perhaps more important to live each day to the best of your ability.

Just my $.02

-RM

[MarginOfError]

Many of the "signs of the times" have been on going since the dawn of time. Perhaps more important to live each day to the best of your ability.

Just my $.02

-RM

And perhaps that's the point. If the "signs of the times" have been occurring with similar frequency for 2,000 years, then maybe we should understand that it could literally happen at any moment and we should live a life that would be acceptable to the Lord at all times.

[lds2]

"Who's On the Lord's Side", BYU-I Education Week Address, July 30, 2010

Elder Bednar

"The Lord has on the earth some potential spiritual giants whom He saved for some six thousand years to help bear off the Kingdom triumphantly, and the devil is trying to put them to sleep. The [adversary] knows that he probably won’t be too successful in getting them to commit many great and malignant sins of commission. So he puts them into a deep sleep...And what good is a sleepy, neutralized, lukewarm giant." ...

For those with eyes to see and ears to hear, spiritual warnings lead to increasingly vigilant watching. You and I live in “a day of warning." And because we have been and will be warned, we need to be...“watching … with all perseverance." As we watch and prepare, truly we have no need to fear."...

Presentations*–*BYU–Idaho

"Watching With All Perseverance", April 2010 General Conference

Elder Bednar

"Spiritual warnings should lead to increasingly vigilant watching. You and I live in “a day of warning” (D&C 63:58). And because we have been and will be warned, we need to be...“watching … with all perseverance” (Ephesians 6:18)."

http://lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/watching-with-all-perseverance?lang=eng&query=watching+with+all+perseverance+(name%3a"David+A.+Bednar")

Elder Bednar also gave this warning (I've been told) while giving talks in regional conferences...Elder Bednar is referencing the same quote that President Monson used this last conference and originated with President Benson's addresses given in 1979 and repeated in 1987.

President Benson "In His Steps" March 1979, BYU Devotional

"For nearly six thousand years, God has held you, most of you, in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming of the Lord. Every previous gospel dispensation has drifted into apostasy, but ours will not. True, there will be some individuals who will fall away; but the kingdom of God will remain intact to welcome the return of its head--even Jesus Christ. While our generation will be comparable in wickedness to the days of Noah, when the Lord cleansed the earth by flood, there is a major difference this time. It is that God has saved for the final inning some of his strongest children, who will help bear off the Kingdom triumphantly. And that is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God."

Presentations – BYU–Idaho

(Emphasis used for skimming purposes as this is a long post.)

Edited January 10, 2012 by lds2

[rbowman838]

President Packer in his talk this October General Conference mad a very important statement. His words have been taken from this talk near the end.

"Sometimes you might be tempted to think as I did from time to time in my youth: “The way things are going, the world’s going to be over with. The end of the world is going to come before I get to where I should be.” Not so! You can look forward to doing it right—getting married, having a family, seeing your children and grandchildren, maybe even great-grandchildren." President Packer -Counsel to Youth

I think he has put many things in perspective. I enjoy and I have studied much about the Last Days. I certainly am no authority but we need to watch and listen and live our lives according to the counsel of the General Authorities.

[lds2]

President Packer in his talk this October General Conference made a very important statement. His words have been taken from this talk near the end.

"Sometimes you might be tempted to think as I did from time to time in my youth: “The way things are going, the world’s going to be over with. The end of the world is going to come before I get to where I should be.” Not so! You can look forward to doing it right—getting married, having a family, seeing your children and grandchildren, maybe even great-grandchildren."

President Packer -Counsel to Youth

I think he has put many things in perspective. I enjoy and I have studied much about the Last Days. I certainly am no authority but we need to watch and listen and live our lives according to the counsel of the General Authorities.

I agree that President Packer put many things in perspective, because he said more...he said, "Today there are “wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth [is] in commotion.” You may feel uncertainty and insecurity in your lives...Sometimes you might be tempted to think as I did from time to time in my youth: “The way things are going, the world’s going to be over with. The end of the world is going to come before I get to where I should be.” Not so!

You can look forward to doing it right—getting married, having a family, seeing your children and grandchildren, maybe even great-grandchildren. If you will follow these principles, you will be watched over and protected and you yourself will know by the promptings of the Holy Ghost which way to go..."

Counsel to Youth - general-conference

What he was saying in this talk is that IF the youth follow the Spirit, repent, avoid the wicked traps of the adversary, surround themselves with good people, follow the prophets, and allow the Spirit to tell them what to do and which way to go in the future... THEN they can expect to live a long and fruitful life.

Edited October 29, 2011 by lds2

[Mamas_Girl]

Many of the "signs of the times" have been on going since the dawn of time. Perhaps more important to live each day to the best of your ability.

Just my $.02-RM

We did this lesson a couple weeks ago, and when I walked into class I thought, this is the one thing that I really disagree with the Church. After all there have always been wars and rumors of wars. There were very large earthquakes including the New Madrid quake that changed the course of the Mississippi River, and of course the natural disasters including famines, great storms that destroy the crops of the earth (potato famine, among others...)

Disease? I actually see us improving in this area. We've pretty much conquered smallpox, cholera, yellow fever, malaria, polio and many of the other diseases of earlier times. The discovery of the germ theory has lead to a better understanding of how to avoid many diseases and the discovery of antibiotics help us recover more rapidly from those germ related illnesses that we do contract. And we're making huge advancements in cancers and such that used to be a death sentence.

BUT

What I hadn't considered was the Restoration of the gospel, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, the Gospel being taken into many countries that it wasn't just 20 years ago, etc...

So yeah, I'm inclined to say that we're getting closer.

[pam]

I actually think we could see a resurgence of many of the diseases that we thought we had conquered. Many new strains of so many diseases that vaccines just aren't stopping. So I'm of the opinion we haven't see anything yet when it comes to these kinds of things in the last days.

[lds2]

Yes, we know there will be plagues/diseases, even a desolating scourge in the last days...

The germ theory helped fight these diseases...most vaccines were introduced when these diseases were already almost non-existent... See charts from England's data here...http://www.healthsentinel.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2662:historic-data-shows-vaccines-not-key-in-declines-in-death-from-disease&catid=5:eek:riginal&Itemid=24 We know that viruses are unpredictable and mutate quickly so it is hard to believe that the same strains are still active 50-100 years later...it's funny that when outbreaks occur they just keep giving kids more of the same strains...So I agree with Pam...I think we will see new more virulent strains of diseases in the last days.

It seems like the eradication of these diseases came about around the same time that food production methods boomed and we have had a giant population increase since then to around 7 billion people now. It would seem that a lot of people needed to get their bodies before the millennium?

I think we are getting closer to the major events of the last days! Does anyone else feel like something is imminent? Oh well, I've been feeling that way for more than a few days now...Anyone else feel like natural and man-made events are coming "faster?"

.

Edited December 14, 2011 by lds2

[lds2]

I came across this quote today and thought I would share it...I have often pondered what was meant by "hastening his work" and how he will "shorten" the last days "for the elect's sake"...

Neal A. Maxwell, "“My Servant Joseph”", Ensign, May 1992.

"Each day we decide the degree of our discipleship. Each day we answer the question, “Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?”

Now, my brethren, “these are [your] days” (Hel. 7:9) in the history of the Church. Mark well what kind of days they will be, days when, with special visibility, the Lord will “make bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations.” (D&C 133:3.) God will also “hasten” His work. (D&C 88:73.) He will also “shorten” the last days “for the elect’s sake”; hence, there will be a compression of events. (Matt. 24:22; JS—M 1:20.) Furthermore, “all things shall be in commotion.” (D&C 88:91.) Only those in the process of becoming the men and women of Christ will be able to keep their spiritual balance. Brethren, may we “walk by faith,” and, if necessary, even on our knees! In the name of the Lord of the universe, even Jesus Christ, amen."

[RMGuy]

Matt. 24:34

-RM

[lds2]

Thanks RM...I like reading it from all three translations...Matthew 24 from KJV, D&C, PofGP

D&C 45

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;

Doctrine and Covenants 45:31*

***

JST MATTHEW

34 Verily, I say unto you, this generation, in which these things shall be shown forth, shall not pass away until all I have told you shall be fulfilled.

***

Matt. 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

.

Edited December 14, 2011 by lds2

[lds2]

We did this lesson a couple weeks ago, and when I walked into class I thought, this is the one thing that I really disagree with the Church. After all there have always been wars and rumors of wars. There were very large earthquakes including the New Madrid quake that changed the course of the Mississippi River, and of course the natural disasters including famines, great storms that destroy the crops of the earth (potato famine, among others...)...

BUT

What I hadn't considered was the Restoration of the gospel, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, the Gospel being taken into many countries that it wasn't just 20 years ago, etc...

So yeah, I'm inclined to say that we're getting closer.

I have to agree with your conclusion as I think we are getting closer too...as far as earthquakes this year has been weird with the number of dangerous earthquakes recorded at about a 20 year record yet the TOTAL number of earthquakes recorded in 2011 is dramatically lower compared to the last several years. Most of the devastating earthquakes have been ALL around us in the ring of fire but our lcorner of it has been relatively very quiet...see here

http://www.sott.net/image/image/s4/83810/full/ff.gif

As far as earthquakes in the last days, there have been some bad ones, but I think we will see an increase in their numbers as well as intensity as we get closer to the millennium...President Eyring said that the Indian Ocean Earthquake/Tsunami was just part of the "beginning" of these things...

President Hinckley was talking of calamities in the last days in "If Ye Are Prepared, Ye Shall Not Fear," he said, "How portentous are the words of revelation found in the 88th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants concerning the calamities that should befall after the testimonies of the elders,"...

We sing the song:

When the earth begins to tremble,

Bid our fearful thoughts be still;

When thy judgments spread destruction,

Keep us safe on Zion's hill.

(“Guide Us, O Thou Great Jehovah,” Hymns, no. 83)

We can so live that we can call upon the Lord for His protection and guidance...

"Salt Lake Valley is a potential earthquake zone. This is the primary reason that we are extensively renovating the Tabernacle on Temple Square. This historic and remarkable building must be made to withstand the shaking of the earth."

***

So in the 88th Section of D&C it says...

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.

Portentous - of prophetic significance, that foreshadows a coming event...

***

In science museums I have been on an earthquake replicator where significant earthquakes of the past have been replicated and I've stood through these although for some of them it was difficult. Having them so bad that people can't stand would be pretty intense. Not saying people don't trip if they are moving, but to stand at all...whoa.

Edited December 17, 2011 by lds2

[Justice]

Helaman 12 may be discussing a not-so popular sign of the times.

2 Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.

If this great time of prosperity and relative ease for so many isn't a sign of times, then it certainly is a test. This kind of test may be part of the great sifting that is to be done before He comes again.