Latter-day Commentary

In our Institute class this evening we are studying Joseph Smith – Matthew from the Pearl of Great Price. This is the chapter that foretells many of the events of the last days. Of course, this is Joseph Smith’s inspired version or re-translation of Matthew chapter 24. The prophet made more corrections to Matthew 24 than to any other chapter in the New Testament. I think that tells us something about the importance of the contents therein.

The last days are a topic of great interest to many people of many faiths. I know this because it is a common search term used by those who find and visit my blog. It is a topic about which I am extremely interested and always have been. As more and more signs of the times are fulfilled and some to a greater measure than ever before, we desire to know when the Lord will return. We wonder how long things can continue like this.

The end of the world

For this essay, I would like to focus on verses 22 to 37 of Joseph Smith – Matthew. These are the verses that deal with the prophecies about the end of the world. The earlier verses in the chapter are about the prophesied events of the destruction of Jerusalem in the days shortly after the death of the Savior. Note that verses 22 to 37 deal with the end of the world, not the end of the earth, which is not until after the millennium is over.

The end of the world is the end of wickedness. That is prophesied to come about with the return of the Savior which will usher in the millennium. Until the Savior returns the rule of wickedness in the world will only increase and get worse. Today, the persecution of those who believe in the Savior and follow his teachings is fairly mild. However, it will increase until the disciples of Christ cry unto the Lord for relief from the wickedness.

Wickedness abounds in the last days

There are many signs of the last days which I will not consider here. For example, the house of Israel must be gathered from the four corners of the earth. The gospel of the kingdom must be preached in all the world. There shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in diverse places. There shall be wars and rumors of wars among all nations. There shall be false Christs and false prophets that even the very elect shall be deceived.

I have written previously about the sun being darkened and the moon not giving her light. I have also written about the stars falling from heaven and the powers of heaven being shaken as well as the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. The verse I want to concentrate on is this: “And again, because iniquity shall abound, the love of men shall wax cold; but he that shall not be overcome, the same shall be saved.” Iniquity is wickedness or sin.

The saints must endure iniquity

“I saw men hunting the lives of their own sons, and brother murdering brother, women killing their own daughters, and daughters seeking the lives of their mothers. I saw armies arrayed against armies. I saw blood, desolation, fires. The Son of Man has said that the mother shall be against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother. These things are at our doors. They will follow the Saints of God from city to city. Satan will rage, and the spirit of the devil is now enraged” (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 3:391).

“I prophesy, in the name of the Lord God of Israel, anguish and wrath and tribulation and the withdrawing of the Spirit of God from the earth await this generation, until they are visited with utter desolation. This generation is as corrupt as the generation of the Jews that crucified Christ; and if He were here to-day, and should preach the same doctrine He did then, they would put Him to death” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 328).

That day is at the doors

Although some might say that the Civil War fulfilled some of the words of these prophecies, I believe that we have not yet arrived at the day when the terrible scenes portrayed in these words of the Prophet Joseph Smith will be satisfied. He says the persecution will follow the Saints of God from city to city. Was that fulfilled as the early saints were driven from Missouri and Nauvoo? I suspect that it refers to a yet future day.

We know that the gospel must be preached in all the world. Obviously, it has not yet reached China and the Middle East counties to the extent that it has in the Americas, Europe and the “Islands of the sea.” The Lord will escalate the work of spreading the gospel to those nations in these last days through miraculous means. Part of that miracle is the Internet. I am convinced that many will be converted by what they find on the web.

Summary and conclusion

There are many who are filled with doom and gloom. They predict the end of civilization as we know it any day now. The headlines scream of the impending collapse of our economic infrastructure as well as the demise of our ecological environment. Could these be the false prophets that the Lord warned us against in Joseph Smith – Matthew? I am more concerned about the love of men waxing cold and iniquity abounding than I am with the economic ruin and environmental disaster that is the hue and cry of the day.

There is not much you and I can do about the events of the world around us. What we can do something about is our own preparation for the return of the Savior and the end of the world or the destruction of the wicked. Let us treasure up the word of the Lord in our hearts and seek to live in humility and obedience to the commandments given that we may live in peace and harmony in our homes and be prepared for events of the last days.

Across from the Los Angeles temple is the Seagull Bookstore. I usually don’t stop in because we have been buying most of our LDS books from Deseret Book online. Today, I dropped by to see some of the latest releases firsthand. There’s just something about holding a book in your hand and reading the back cover before deciding to buy. I left with four books – three more than I had intended. I confess, I’m a book collector from way book.

I also wanted to take a look at some of the LDS fiction offerings. I have never in my life bought or read an LDS fiction book other than The Work and the Glory series from Gerald Lund. I know those are fictional but they are historically accurate. I saw the latest book from Stephanie Black, Fool me Twice. I even had it in my hand to buy but just could not justify one more book without checking with the mistress of the checkbook. Sorry, Stephanie. I love your blog.

Books about the Last Days

I wanted some more books on the last days as that has been my personal course of study this year. I have re-read all the Anthony Larson books in the Prophecy Trilogy. I have also been re-reading Prophecy – Key to the Future by Duane Crowther, owner of Horizon Books (now Cedar Fort), as well as The Coming of the Lord by Gerald Lund. The two additional books I purchased on the subject today are not new, but I have wanted to read them for quite some time.

The first is Behold, I Come Quickly – The Last Days and Beyond by Hoyt W. Brewster Jr. It was first published in 1994 by Deseret Book but remains in print, attesting to both general interest in the subject and the treatment by the author. The second book is 50 Signs of the Times and the Second Coming by David J. Ridges, published by Bonneville Books (Cedar Fort) in 2004. Brother Ridges taught for the Church Educational System for thirty-five years.

I picked up the book for a quick perusal when I got home and could not put it down. I did not intend to do so but read the whole thing through in just a few hours. It is that fascinating. As usual for me, there are some interpretations of scripture in the book which which I don’t agree. But the book contains a great overview of fifty signs of the times that is worth reviewing. I highly recommend it. Interest in the last days is increasing as we enter the seventh thousand years.

Parallel Histories

Chapter four of the book contains a comparison chart of the conditions preceding the Savior’s appearance to the Nephites to the conditions leading to the Second Coming. If you are interested in a more detailed treatise on this subject, I recommend Parallel Histories: The Nephites and the Americans by Anthony E. Larson. He takes the comparisons quite a bit further with an investigation of twelve parallels that are astounding to contemplate.

Here is just one parallel from Anthony’s book worth noting: A time came in the history of the Nephites when they degenerated morally until they were more wicked than their adversaries. Essentially the same thing is happening to Americans today. If you’ll recall from Helaman 4:4 many dissenters and apostates leave personal righteousness and join the ranks of the enemies of righteousness. It was the wickedness of the people that made them weak and vulnerable.

What else do you recall from the Book of Mormon description of the government in the days just before the visit of the Savior? The Gadianton robbers infiltrated and took over the government. They passed laws that made it easier for the people to participate in wickedness. The judges and lawyers that ruled the land in their day were mostly corrupt. I don’t know about you, but I have seen an amazing parallel as the judges of our day interpret laws that allow and encourage evil.

A timeline for the last days

Brother Ridges notes in his book that it is a good idea to avoid making time lines of anticipated events of the last days. The common tendency is to make your own list of things to watch for so you can know when you really need to repent and start living more righteously. So while he presents and discusses fifty signs, he does not present them in any particular order. By the time some of the signs come to pass, it will be too late. Think of the parable of the Ten Virgins.

“The earth is rumbling, and earthquakes are occurring in ‘divers places.’ Human nature being what it is, we don’t normally pay much attention to these natural phenomena until they happen close to where we are living. But when we contemplate what has happened during the past decade, not only with earthquakes but also with regard to hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, and the like, you would see an accelerating pattern.

“So can we use this scientific data to extrapolate that the Second Coming is likely to occur during the next few years, or the next decade, or the next century? Not really. I am called as one of the apostles to be a special witness of Christ in these exciting, trying times, and I do not know when He is going to come again. As far as I know, none of my brethren in the Council of the Twelve or even in the First Presidency know.” (M Russell Ballard, 12 March 1996, BYU Devotional)

There are occasions when I feel especially appreciative of the unique perspectives of life that come from being a Mormon. Let’s face it, we see life differently than most people of the world. We have the advantage of an understanding of the purpose of life that is very different. There are times when we can see the hand of the Lord in events that leave others perplexed.

So many in the world are bothered as they read the daily news accounts of trouble and anxiety and fear. Those who write headlines and stories that capitalize on fears and worries know this well. It is gripping to read how we are just a moment away from financial disaster and ruin that could turn into anarchy and despair, isn’t it? Those who write this way are experts at this style.

It seems there is not a day that goes by that we are not warned of the awful approaching doom of global warming, of the stock market crash and resulting anarchy that will surely follow. We are treated to headlines that proclaim the breakdown of society, the discontent and angst that seem to be afflicting and tormenting everyone, especially the youth. It all seems so tragic, doesn’t it? And it’s all threatened to happen any day now with much worse stuff to follow.

I prefer the quiet reassuring words of the scriptures; the simple, sweet and enduring writings of prophets and apostles. They do not shout out with headlines of doom and gloom, death and destruction, or do they? The warnings of the prophets and apostles are subdued, quiet and yet constant and steady. They are full of patience and longsuffering because so many do not listen or give heed. And yet they are no less dire in their predictions of the events of the last days.

One of those warnings from the Lord can be found right in the first section of the Doctrine and Covenants, “And the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days.” (v4) “Wherefore, fear and tremble, O ye people, for what I have decreed…shall be fulfilled.” (v7) How do we feel when we read warnings like this?

“And the anger of the Lord is kindled, and his sword is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth.” (v13) “Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth…” What calamity? Skip to Section 45: “…they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land.” (v31) Well, there’s one.

“And there shall be earthquakes also in divers places, and many desolations…” (v. 33) “And it shall come to pass that he that feareth me shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of Man.” (v39) “And they shall see signs and wonders, for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath.” (v40).

“And they shall behold blood, and fire, and vapors of smoke. And before the day of the Lord shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall be turned into blood, and the stars fall from heaven.” (v41-42) “And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men’s hearts shall fail them.” (v 26) “And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound.” (v27) “…the heavens and the earth shall pass away.” (v22)

I offer my opinion that the Lord, through his prophets has caused to be written warnings and dire predictions that far exceed anything the fearmongers of today’s headlines could ever write. The verses I have just quoted are great examples. There are many more that are more dire in their prophetic tone about flies and maggots and hailstones of fire (meteorites). Need I go on?

No, I think I’ve made my point. The Lord has been warning us for many years, over and over again. The verses in sections 1 and 45 were given in 1831. That’s a long time ago. When will they be fulfilled? Well obviously we have seen and are seeing some of them fulfilled. How well do we recognize them for what they are? The conditions of unrest, anxiety, angst, doom, gloom and despair were foretold by the Lord. The very content of headlines are a fulfillment of prophecy.

I hope this post has not been too discouraging. It is not intended to be so. I simply wanted to point out that the tendency of the news media to find the worst and the most distressing things in the world and bring them to our front door, our televisions and our computer screens is one of the conditions foretold for our day. We should not be surprised by how desperate it all seems.

The Lord did not intend for us to live desperate lives of anxiety and fear. That’s what I meant when I started this post about having a unique perspective as a Mormon. It’s not as if we are also not alarmed by what is happening in the world. It’s just that it does not or should not have the same effect on us that the writers of the headlines and news stories perhaps intended. Our response should be the quiet determination to remain faithful as we watch and wait on the Lord.

“Pray always, that ye may not faint, until I come. Behold and lo, I will come quickly…” (88:126) “Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour.” (133:11) “And immediately there shall appear a great sign in heaven, and all people shall see it together.” (88:93) “…and immediately after shall the curtain of heaven be unfolded, as a scroll is unfolded after it is rolled up, and the face of the Lord shall be unveiled.” (88:95)

What do you think? Are the headlines of today a fulfillment of prophecy or is it just the way things are? I’ve been reading the news for many years. It just seems to be getting more obvious to me. Will the doom and gloom get worse? Will the talented and able fearmongers continue to improve in their craft? I think we can count on it. But I prefer to heed the warnings of the Lord and respond the way the prophets have asked – with faith, preparation and watchfulness.