The Restoration and Spreading of the Gospel
There are two great categories of signs of the second coming. We are all aware of those that involve calamities and destructions to precede that time, but the greater category, and more important signs are those involving the restoration of the gospel. The gospel is to spread into all the world – and must be, before His coming. Because we are in the midst of the fulfillment of these prophecies, they are often overlooked, but they are the most important prophecies relating to His coming.
Joseph Fielding Smith:
“Many things have taken place during the past one hundred and thirty-six years to impress faithful members of the Church with the fact that the coming of the Lord is near. The gospel has been restored. The Church has been fully organized. The priesthood has been conferred upon man. The various dispensations from the beginning have been revealed and their keys and authorities given to the Church. Israel has been and is being gathered to the land of Zion. The Jews are returning to Jerusalem. The gospel is being preached in all the world as a witness to every nation. Temples are being built, and ordinance work for the dead, as well as for the living, is performed in them. The hearts of the children have turned to their fathers, and the children are seeking after their dead. The covenants which the Lord promised to make with Israel in the latter days have been revealed, and thousands of gathered Israel have entered into them. Thus the work of the Lord is advancing, and all these things are signs of the near approach of our Lord.”
(In Conference Report, Apr. 1966, pp. 12–13).
In the last week of Christ’s life, His apostles came to him on the mount of olives, after the crowds had dispersed, to ask him privately about when He would come back to reign on earth. He then told them the things recorded in Matt 24, and more accurately translated in Joseph Smith Matthew.
Matt 24:14
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
While explaining these words to the Prophet Joseph Smith in a revelation, the Lord said:
D&C 45:16, 28, 32, 36-38
“ And I will show it plainly as I showed it unto my disciples as I stood before them in the flesh, and spake unto them, saying: As ye have asked of me concerning the signs of my coming, in the day when I shall come in my glory in the clouds of heaven, to fulfil the promises that I have made unto your fathers,
“And when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my gospel;
“But my disciples shall stand in holy places…
“And when the light shall begin to break forth, it shall be with them like unto a parable which I will show you—
“Ye look and behold the fig trees, and ye see them with your eyes, and ye say when they begin to shoot forth, and their leaves are yet tender, that summer is now nigh at hand;
“Even so it shall be in that day when they shall see all these things, then shall they know that the hour is nigh.
Foreseeing this time, the apostle John wrote:
Rev. 14:6-7
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
“Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Who was that angel?
Bruce R. McConkie:
“Now, as to the actual work of restoration—what angel performed this mighty deed, this work which involves the salvation of all men on earth in these latter-days? Who restored the everlasting gospel? Was it one angel or many?
“It is traditional (and true!) to reply: ‘Moroni, son of Mormon, the now resurrected Nephite prophet, who holds the keys of “the stick of Ephraim” (D. & C. 27:5), the one through whose ministry the Book of Mormon was again brought to light.’ The reasoning that the Book of Mormon contains ‘the fulness of the everlasting gospel’ (D. & C. 135:3); that therein is God’s message of salvation for all of the earth’s inhabitants; and that this gospel message is now being taken by the Lord’s witnesses to one nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people after another. . . .
“. . . But other angels were yet to come—Moses, Elias, Elijah, Gabriel, Raphael, and ‘divers angels. . . . all declaring their dispensation, their rights, their keys, their honors, their majesty and glory, and the power of their priesthood; giving line upon line, precept upon precept; here a little, and there a little.’ (D. & C. 128:21.)
“Thus the angel Moroni brought the message, that is, the word; but other angels brought the keys and priesthood, the power. And in the final analysis the fulness of the everlasting gospel consists of all of the truths and powers needed to enable men to gain a fulness of salvation in the celestial heaven.”
(McConkie, DNTC, 3:528–30.)
When Elijah appeared to Joseph and Oliver in the Kirtland temple, he told them:
D&C 110: 14-16
“Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come—
“To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse—
“Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.
The ancient prophet Joel spoke much about the preparation for the second coming in Joel 2.
Joel 2:1
“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
He then went on to tell of many things to precede Christ’s coming. President Hinckley, commenting on this chapter, said,
“The era in which we live is the fullness of times spoken of in scriptures…From the day that the Father and the Son manifested themselves to the boy Joseph, there has been a tremendous cascade of enlightenment poured out upon the world…The vision of Joel has been fulfilled.” (Joel 2)
Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, Nov. 2001, 4
Wilford Woodruff:
“Before Christ comes a people have got to be prepared by being sanctified before the Lord. Temples have got to be built; Zion has got to be built up; there must be a place of safety for the people of God while his judgments are abroad in the earth, for the judgments of God will visit the earth, there is no mistake about that; the revelations are full of promises to this effect, and as the Lord has declared it, he will not fail in keeping his word.
I think we do not realize the magnitude of this work. It is a hard matter for us to comprehend the responsibility that we are under to God, to the heavens, to the dead, as well as the living of our fellow men.
“Now, when I look at these things, I also look at what there is before us. The organizations, which have been established in this Church from the beginning, are all helps and governments, and are associated together to carry out this great work. The eyes of the heavens are over us. The Son of God and all the Prophets and Patriarchs that have lived upon the earth are watching over this great work—this great organization preparing for the coming of the Son of Man.”
“Chapter 24: Preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, 250
While the restoration of the gospel is one of the great signs of Christ’s return, the purpose of that restoration takes a much more proactive part in its fulfillment.
Joseph F. Smith:
“Obedience to the Gospel will save the world from sin, abolish war, strife and litigation, and usher in the millennial reign. It will restore the earth to its rightful owner, and prepare it for the inheritance of the just.
…
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints … regards it as part of its mission to prepare the way for the literal and glorious coming of the Son of God to the earth, to reign over it and dwell with His people.
“…Those who have received the Gospel in the world … will be factors in carrying out God’s purposes. They will be conjoint laborers with Him in bringing to pass not only their own salvation in time and in eternity, but the salvation of all Israel and of the Gentiles who will receive the Gospel. They will be fulfillers of ancient prophecies. Isaiah, in the glow of the inspiration of God, saw them and their labors when he cried aloud: “It shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it” (Isaiah ii:2–3). Of them Jeremiah was speaking when he repeated God’s promise to Israel to be fulfilled in the last days: “I will take you, one of a city and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion, and I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jeremiah iii:14–15).”
“Chapter 44: Preparing for the Second Coming of Christ,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 389
Not only is the coming forth of the gospel a fulfillment of prophecy, but it is the vessel going forth to prepare the world for The Lord’s coming, and the instrument to save individuals from many of the destructions to follow – if they will simply choose to follow.
Joseph F. Smith:
“The Lord …decreed a decree which He said His people should realize: That they should begin from that very hour to prevail over all their enemies and, inasmuch as they continued to be faithful in keeping His laws He had given unto them, it was decreed that they should prevail until all enemies were subdued—not subdued by violence or the spirit of contention or of warfare but subdued by the power of eternal truth, by the majesty and power of Almighty God. …The increased power of the righteous and of the upright covenanted people of God should be magnified and increased, until the world shall bow and acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, and that there is a people preparing for His coming in power and glory to the earth again [see D&C 103:5–8].”
“Chapter 44: Preparing for the Second Coming of Christ,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 389
Though the return of the gospel in the early days of the church was the major part of this restoration, there is still yet much restoration to come. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said:
“It is our habit in the Church—a habit born of slovenly study and a limited perspective—to think of the restoration of the gospel as a past event and of the gathering of Israel as one that, though still in process, is in large measure accomplished. It is true that we have the fulness of the everlasting gospel in the sense that we have those doctrines, priesthoods, and keys which enable us to gain the fulness of reward in our Father’s kingdom. It is also true that a remnant of Israel has been gathered; that a few of Ephraim and Manasseh (and some others) have come into the Church and been restored to the knowledge of their Redeemer.
“But the restoration of the wondrous truths known to Adam, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham has scarcely commenced. The sealed portion of the Book of Mormon is yet to be translated. All things are not to be revealed anew until the Lord comes. The greatness of the era of restoration is yet ahead. And as to Israel herself, her destiny is millennial; the glorious day when “the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High” (Dan. 7:27) is yet ahead. We are now making a beginning, but the transcendent glories and wonders to be revealed are for the future. Much of what Isaiah—prophet of the restoration—has to say is yet to be fulfilled.”
Bruce R. McConkie, “Ten Keys to Understanding Isaiah,” Ensign, Oct 1973, 78
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The Second Coming Series
Part 1:Studying the Signs of the Second Coming of Christ
Part 2:The Restoration and Spreading of the Gospel
Part 4:The Gathering of Israel
Part 5:Destruction of the Wicked
Part 9:Conditions During the Millennium
Part 10:The Work and Purpose of the Millennium
Filed under: Second Coming , Christ, church, gathering, gospel, israel, Jesus, jesus christ, Joseph Smith, kirtland temple, last days, lds, missionary, mormon, moses, preach, prepare, prophet, restoration, Second Coming, signs, temple, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, zion
