3
Nephi 1:8
What
8 But
behold, they did watch steadfastly for athat
day and
that night and that day which should be as one day as if there were
no night, that they might know that their faith had not been vain.
Hel.
14:4 (3–4)
3
And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at
the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in
heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no
darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day.
4 Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born.
4 Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born.
Why
They
were looking for the sign of two days and a night when it would not
be dark. Then they would know that the Savior was born. The enemies
vowed to kill all the believers if the sign did not come so they were
being persecuted for their beliefs.
Pattern
Immanuel
God
with us. Also
spelled Emmanuel. A
name-title given in Isa.
7:14 and 8:8 as
a sign of God’s deliverance. Alluded to in Micah
5:2–3.
Specifically identified by Matthew (Matt.
1:18–25)
as a prophecy of Jesus’ birth into mortality. It signifies that
Christ as God will be born into mortality of a virgin and will be
among the people to save and redeem them. This prophecy received its
fulfillment in Christ. The name appears in latter-day revelation
in 2 Ne.
17:14; 18:8; D&C
128:22.
20 But
while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord
appeared unto him in a adream,
saying, Joseph, thou son of bDavid,
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived
in her is of the cHoly
Ghost.
Matt.
1:
21 And
she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his aname BJESUS:
for he shall csave his
people from their sins.
22 Now
all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the
Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 aBehold,
a bvirgin shall
be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call
his cname dEmmanuel,
which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 Then
Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had
bidden him, and took unto him his awife:
SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST
At
the beginning of the Millennial Era, Christ will return to the earth.
This event will mark the end of the mortal probation of this earth.
The wicked will be removed from the earth and the righteous will be
caught up in a cloud while the earth is cleansed. While no man knows
exactly when Christ will come for the second time, he has given us
signs to watch for that indicate the time is drawing near (Matt.
24; JS—M
1).
- Lift up your voice and cry repentance, preparing the way of the Lord for his second coming:D&C 34:5–12;
Christ
These
prophecies are all about Jesus Christ, His coming and His purposes.
Conference
Of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Another
sign of the times is the gathering of the faithful (see D&C
133:4).
In the early years of this last dispensation, a gathering to Zion
involved various locations in the United States: to Kirtland, to
Missouri, to Nauvoo, and to the tops of the mountains. Always these
were gatherings to prospective temples. With the creation of stakes
and the construction of temples in most nations with sizeable
populations of the faithful, the current commandment is not to gather
to one place but to gather in stakes in our own homelands. There the
faithful can enjoy the full
While
we are powerless to alter the fact of the Second Coming and unable to
know its exact time, we can accelerate our own preparation and try to
influence the preparation of those around us.
A
parable that contains an important and challenging teaching on this
subject is the parable of the ten virgins. Of this parable, the Lord
said, “And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the
parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins” (D&C
45:56).
Apply
I
quote again from Elder Oaks
“What
if the day of His coming were tomorrow? If we knew that we would meet
the Lord tomorrow—through our premature death or through His
unexpected coming—what would we do today? What confessions would we
make? What practices would we discontinue? What accounts would we
settle? What forgivenesses would we extend? What testimonies would we
bear?
If
we would do those things then, why not now? Why not seek peace while
peace can be obtained? If our lamps of preparation are drawn down,
let us start immediately to replenish them.
We
need to make both temporal and spiritual preparation for the events
prophesied at the time of the Second Coming. And the preparation most
likely to be neglected is the one less visible and more difficult—the
spiritual. A 72-hour kit of temporal supplies may prove valuable for
earthly challenges, but, as the foolish virgins learned to their
sorrow, a 24-hour kit of spiritual preparation is of greater and more
enduring value.”
The
signs are constantly all around us. We can watch and prepare
ourselves. We can celebrate His birth and bear testimony of Him.
Hymns
203
Angels From On High
201
Joy To The World
Children
82-I
Wonder when He Comes Again
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