{"id":41661,"date":"2021-04-10T15:49:01","date_gmt":"2021-04-10T20:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/?p=41661"},"modified":"2021-04-11T16:04:54","modified_gmt":"2021-04-11T21:04:54","slug":"the-time-of-my-coming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2021\/04\/the-time-of-my-coming\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe time of my coming\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

For several days odd signs had been showing\u2014the sky was yellow and the sun was red.\u00a0 Suddenly, the sky darkened further.\u00a0 Animals ran for cover.\u00a0 When seen, the moon was red and soot was seen to be floating in the river.\u00a0 By noon it was dark, forcing people to light candles and wonder\u2014was the great and terrible day of the Lord\u2019s return at hand?\u00a0 With all the signs at hand, it was proposed that the Connecticut legislature be adjourned in case the Second Coming of Jesus Christ was going to occur.\u00a0 One of their members, Abraham Davenport, opposed the move, and supposedly went on to say that: \u201cThe day of judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, then there is no cause of an adjournment; if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty.\u201d<\/p>\n

The setting for all of this wasn\u2019t some apocalyptic novel, but 19 May 1780 A.D. in New England.\u00a0 Known as the Dark Day, the event was likely caused by smoke from severe forest fires in the area, but the highly religious Puritans didn\u2019t know that at the time.\u00a0 I can\u2019t be sure if I have the words correct (not having seen the primary documentation), but I like what is portrayed in Davenport\u2019s words above.\u00a0 Our church is committed to an apocalyptic worldview, but we don\u2019t know when the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the dawn of the Millennium will come.\u00a0 As such, it\u2019s always best to prepare as best we can for it to happen, but also plan and live for the long haul.<\/p>\n

Christians have expected the end of times since the beginnings of Christianity.\u00a0 In the words of BYU scholar Richard N. Holzapfel: \u201cIt has not been unusual for nearly every generation who has lived on the earth since the mortal ministry of Jesus Christ to believe they might witness the terrible events immediately preceding the Second Coming and be present at His coming.\u201d[1]<\/a>\u00a0 At least at one point, even Paul seemed to feel that he would be alive when it would happen, writing that \u201cthe Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel\u2019s call and with the sound of God\u2019s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.\u00a0 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air.\u201d[2]<\/a> \u00a0While later writings, such as 2 Thessalonians, indicate a longer timeline for the Lord\u2019s return, over the years various natural disasters, specific dates, plagues, conquests and political events, or declarations of religious leaders have led to speculation that the end is near on a regular basis.\u00a0 I\u2019m always reminded, for example, of my own ancestor who lived in the early 1800s, who wrote that: \u201cIn the fall of [1814] there were the most Extraordinary Northern Lights that I had Ever seen it was the Caus of many speculative notions among the people but my father said it was the signs of the Last days and of Christs second Coming of Christ<\/span> I regarded my fathers remark as specimens of good sense.\u201d[3]<\/a>\u00a0 Christians generally find good reasons to believe that they live in the end of times.<\/p>\n

The early Latter-day Saints were no exception, and the expectation of an imminent return of Jesus Christ is on full display in the sections of the Doctrine and Covenants that were focused on this week in the \u201cCome, Follow Me\u201d curriculum.\u00a0 While the major focus was on calling missionaries to \u201cPreach my Gospel\u201d and \u201cto lift up your voice as with the sound of a trump,\u201d the coming apocalypse undergirded the urgency of these calls.[4]<\/a>\u00a0 For example, Thomas Marsh was told in September 1830 that: \u201c Thou shalt\u00a0begin to preach from this time forth yea to Reap in the field\u00a0which is white already to be burned.\u201d[5]<\/a>\u00a0 Ezra Thayer and Northrop Sweet were similarly told in October 1830 that they needed to preach because \u201cit is the Elvenenth hour & for the last time that I\u00a0shall call labouerers into my vineyard,\u201d and they were warned to \u201cbe\u00a0faithful praying always having your lamps trimmed &\u00a0burning & oil with you that ye may be Ready at the coming\u00a0of the Bride groom for Behold Verily Verily I say unto you\u00a0that I come quickly.\u201d[6]<\/a>\u00a0 About a month later, Orson Pratt was told to preach as part of the efforts to prepare \u201cthe way of the Lord for his second Coming for Behold Verily Verily\u00a0I say unto you the time is soon at hand that I will come in a\u00a0cloud with power & great glory.\u201d[7]<\/a>\u00a0 Another month after that, Sidney Rigdon was told \u201cthe poor & the meek shall have the Gospel preached unto them & they shall be looking forth for the time my coming for it is nigh at hand.\u201d[8]<\/a>\u00a0 These revelations indicated that Jesus Christ was coming very soon.<\/p>\n

Although somewhat tempered by the passing of time, the trend for expecting the Second Coming continues in our own day.\u00a0 President Russell M. Nelson has continued to use rhetoric about being in or near the Last Days, including references to Millennials helping \u201cprepare the people of this world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and His millennial reign,\u201d[9]<\/a> a call during general conference to those who are not currently involved in the Church to \u201cdo the spiritual work to find out for yourselves, and please do it now\u201d because \u201ctime is running out,\u201d[10]<\/a> and an article in which he stated: \u201cWe are just building up to the climax of this last dispensation\u2014when the Savior\u2019s Second Coming becomes a reality.\u201d[11]<\/a>\u00a0 Turning to some of the general Church membership in Utah, when the COVID-19 pandemic began last year, many of my friends and family members offered passing speculation that it might be part of the prelude to the Second Coming.\u00a0 That speculation was intensified by a moderately-strong earthquake in Utah and other natural disasters around the world throughout 2020.\u00a0 Social media posts and memes abounded with mentions of apocalypse bingo, speculation about whether frogs or locusts (or Mormon crickets) were next on the list, and images of the Salt Lake City Temple Angel Moroni (sans trumpet) \u201cchecking his watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There is always the chance that the end really is near and that some of us who are alive may see the Second Coming.\u00a0 My feelings, since it seems like every generation over the last 2000 years have felt that way, is that we may not be among that group.\u00a0 I am, however, the type who likes to hedge my bets and be prepared either way.\u00a0 When Jesus taught about the Second Coming, he made it clear that it would be unexpected and we should be prepared for it at any time: \u201cBut about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son,\u00a0but only the Father. \u2026 The Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.\u201d[12]<\/a>\u00a0 He went on to teach the following parable:<\/p>\n

Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves\u00a0their allowance of food at the proper time?\u00a0Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives.\u00a0Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions.\u00a0But if that wicked slave says to himself, \u2018My master is delayed,\u2019 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards,\u00a0the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know.\u00a0He will cut him in pieces\u00a0and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.[13]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The point, to me, seems to be to live in such a way that I am prepared for the Second Coming or judgement day whether it comes in my lifetime or not. \u00a0As Wilford Woodruff reportedly once said: \u201cI would live as if it were to be tomorrow\u2014but I am still planting cherry trees!\u201d[14]<\/a><\/p>\n

While the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants do seem to indicate that the Second Coming is close, experience seems to indicate that eschatological anxieties and preparations for the Second Coming of the Christ do need to be balanced with preparations to be here for the long haul.\u00a0 As President Boyd K. Packer taught:<\/p>\n

Sometimes you might be tempted to think as I did from time to time in my youth: \u2018The way things are going, the world\u2019s going to be over with. The end of the world is going to come before I get to where I should be.\u2019 Not so! You can look forward to doing it right\u2014getting married, having a family, seeing your children and grandchildren, maybe even great-grandchildren.\u201d[15]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Whether that ongoing commitment to enduring takes the form of starting a family as President Packer suggests, to take seriously Elder Steven E. Snow\u2019s statement that \u201cGod expects every one of His sons and daughters to act as good stewards of the land He created,\u201d[16]<\/a> or any other number of things, it\u2019s worth working and planning like we have centuries before the Second Coming, even when the end seems nigh.\u00a0 As Abraham Davenport supposedly said, \u201cThe day of judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, then there is no cause of an adjournment; if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Footnotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, \u201cThe Glass if Half Full: The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ,\u201d BYU address, 10\u00a0 July 2001.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> 1 Thess. 4:16-17, NRSV.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Zerah Pulsipher Autobiographical Sketch #2, Typescript prepared by Chad L. Nielsen, September 2019. Spelling, punctuation and paragraphs retained as presented in the original. See Church History Library in Salt Lake City, MS_753_f0001_item_1-Record_book_circa_1858-1878.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> “Revelation, 4 November 1830 [D&C 34],” p. 45, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed April 11, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-4-november-1830-dc-34\/1<\/a><\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> “Revelation, September 1830\u2013F [D&C 31],” p. 43, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed April 11, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-september-1830-f-dc-31\/1<\/a><\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> “Revelation, October 1830\u2013B [D&C 33],” p. 44, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed April 11, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-october-1830-b-dc-33\/1<\/a><\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> “Revelation, 4 November 1830 [D&C 34],” p. 45, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed April 11, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-4-november-1830-dc-34\/1<\/a><\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> “Revelation, 7 December 1830 [D&C 35],” p. 47, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed April 11, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-7-december-1830-dc-35\/2<\/a><\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Russell M. Nelson, \u201cStand as True Millennials,\u201d Ensign<\/em>, Oct. 2016, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/ensign\/2016\/10\/young-adults\/stand-as-true-millennials?lang=eng<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Russell M. Nelson, \u201cCome, Follow Me,\u201d\u00a0 CR April 2019, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2019\/04\/46nelson?lang=eng<\/a><\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Russell M. Nelson, \u201cThe Future of the Church: Preparing the World for the Savior\u2019s Second Coming,\u201d Ensign <\/em>\u00a0April 2020, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/ensign\/2020\/04\/the-future-of-the-church-preparing-the-world-for-the-saviors-second-coming?lang=eng&fbclid=IwAR2Mq05-vU-zqL94LdkTmx1lmL59TBJj9cFDQr0W5JMKT7oSo0lw-js3s5E<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Matthew 24:36, 44 NRSV.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> Matthew 24:45-51, NRSV.<\/p>\n

[14]<\/a> Richard L. Evans, CR, April 1950, 105-106.<\/p>\n

[15]<\/a> Boyd K. Packer, \u201cCounsel to Youth,\u201d CR October 2011, https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/study\/general-conference\/2011\/10\/counsel-to-youth?lang=eng<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[16]<\/a> Steven E. Snow, \u201cThe Moral Imperative of Environmental Stewardship,\u201d Newsroom of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/em>, 10 October 2018, https:\/\/newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org\/article\/the-moral-imperative-of-environmental-stewardship-elder-steven-e-snow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For several days odd signs had been showing\u2014the sky was yellow and the sun was red.\u00a0 Suddenly, the sky darkened further.\u00a0 Animals ran for cover.\u00a0 When seen, the moon was red and soot was seen to be floating in the river.\u00a0 By noon it was dark, forcing people to light candles and wonder\u2014was the great and terrible day of the Lord\u2019s return at hand?\u00a0 With all the signs at hand, it was proposed that the Connecticut legislature be adjourned in case the Second Coming of Jesus Christ was going to occur.\u00a0 One of their members, Abraham Davenport, opposed the move, and supposedly went on to say that: \u201cThe day of judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, then there is no cause of an adjournment; if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty.\u201d The setting for all of this wasn\u2019t some apocalyptic novel, but 19 May 1780 A.D. in New England.\u00a0 Known as the Dark Day, the event was likely caused by smoke from severe forest fires in the area, but the highly religious Puritans didn\u2019t know that at the time.\u00a0 I can\u2019t be sure if I have the words correct (not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10397,"featured_media":41663,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2895],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-come-follow-me-currculum"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/dark_day21.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10397"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41661"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41664,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41661\/revisions\/41664"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}