The Second Coming: How Close Are We?
3 Nephi 1-7 covers roughly the period between Christ’s birth and death. Many of the conditions that existed then exist now. The list includes:
- Religious skepticism and rejection of prophecy.
- Prosperity and pride.
- The rise of coalitions of power that exist behind the scenes who seek control and power.
- Societal and political divisions that undermine the foundation of cooperation and conciliatory means of conflict resolution.
- Political instability.
- Rapid societal changes.
- A significant decline in personal righteousness.
- An increase in prophetic warnings.
The way we deal with these issues matters. The world would have us separate into tribes that involve becoming social justice warriors, protesting for changes to try something new, and forgetting past traditions and social norms. They say things like, “Change the system” or “Break down barriers”. We have witnessed these tactics devolve into violence, destruction, and death. Some of these groups wield the power to destroy people’s lives when they do not conform. These tactics seek to tear down rather than build up.
Nowhere in this philosophy is there talk of personal righteousness and responsibility. Society cannot and will not change until we, as individuals, change. The problem is that most of us can’t or won’t turn to God, which is the only way people change for the better. If you doubt that premise, take just one thing you want to change about yourself and do it yourself without God’s help. Let me know how it goes.
The thing that strikes me as odd is that the SJW types say that things must change and that we need to move away from the past. In the past, say 60 years ago, we were more civil and respectful, with some apparent exceptions regarding race among people who were ignorant of true Biblical teachings. If we would return to the teachings of Jesus Christ, the world would be a much better place.
Getting that tangent out of the way, if we compare our current conditions to those described in the Book of Mormon, we can see that we could be very close to the second advent of Christ. Some questions we could ask are:
- Are we wicked enough?
- Are we divided enough?
- Are the conflicts in the world such that only God can save us?
- Is the Kingdom of God sufficiently prepared and strong to withstand the opposition that is coming?
- Are we individuals receiving personal revelation sufficient to meet the coming challenges?
- How long will it take us to prepare?
I believe it is critical that we listen to our living prophets. However, we cannot be ignorant of the scripture we already have. By that, I mean that to understand the implications of the prophet’s words, we must know the scripture better. There are so many hidden gems in the depths of the prophecies of the past. Better yet, go to the temple often and experience communing with God.
Whether Christ comes in our lifetime or not, we must prepare to meet Him. That preparation takes a lifetime. How long is a lifetime? That’s another question we don’t have an answer for.