The Second Coming: Part 10

The Work and Purpose of the Millennium

Behold, I will liken these kingdoms unto a man having a field, and he sent forth his servants into the field to dig in the field.

And he said unto the first: Go ye and labor in the field, and in the first hour I will come unto you, and ye shall behold the joy of my countenance.

And he said unto the second: Go ye also into the field, and in the second hour I will visit you with the joy of my countenance.

And also unto the third, saying: I will visit you;

And unto the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth.

And the lord of the field went unto the first in the first hour, and tarried with him all that hour, and he was made glad with the light of the countenance of his lord.

And then he withdrew from the first that he might visit the second also, and the third, and the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth.

And thus they all received the light of the countenance of their lord, every man in his hour, and in his time, and in his season—

Beginning at the first, and so on unto the last, and from the last unto the first, and from the first unto the last;

Every man in his own order, until his hour was finished, even according as his lord had commanded him, that his lord might be glorified in him, and he in his lord, that they all might be glorified.

Therefore, unto this parable I will liken all these kingdoms, and the inhabitants thereof—every kingdom in its hour, and in its time, and in its season, even according to the decree which God hath made.

D&C 88:51-61

We have already discussed the lifestyle and condition of those who live mortal lives during the millennium. Now we will talk about the purpose for the millennium, and the work that we will be engaged in throughout the thousand years of Jesus Christ’s rein on earth.

D&C 138:47-48

47 The Prophet Elijah was to plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to their fathers,

48 Foreshadowing the great work to be done in the temples of the Lord in the dispensation of the fulness of times, for the redemption of the dead, and the sealing of the children to their parents, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse and utterly wasted at his coming.

There will be two major assignments that the Lord will give us to do during the millennium: proclaiming the gospel and redeeming the dead. These jobs are so important that they could be considered the whole effort of the millennium.

Elder Boyd K. Packer:

Some years ago I was in Washington, D.C., with President Harold B. Lee (1899–1973). Early one morning he called me to come into his hotel room. He was sitting in his robe reading Gospel Doctrine, by President Joseph F. Smith (1838–1918), and he said, “Listen to this!

“ ‘Jesus had not finished his work when his body was slain, neither did he finish it after his resurrection from the dead; although he had accomplished the purpose for which he then came to the earth, he had not fulfilled all his work. And when will he? Not until he has redeemed and saved every son and daughter of our father Adam that have been or ever will be born upon this earth to the end of time, except the sons of perdition. That is his mission. We will not finish our work until we have saved ourselves, and then not until we shall have saved all depending upon us; for we are to become saviors upon Mount Zion, as well as Christ. We are called to this mission.’ ”

Boyd K. Packer, “The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness,” New Era, Apr 2005, 4

The purpose of the millennium is to accomplish this mission.

Gospel Principles:

There will be two great works for members of the Church during the Millennium: temple work and missionary work. Temple work involves the ordinances that are necessary for exaltation. These include baptism, the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the temple ordinances—the endowment, temple marriage, and the sealing together of family units.

Many people have died without receiving these ordinances. People on the earth must perform these ordinances for them. This work is now being done in the temples of the Lord. There is too much work to finish before the Millennium begins, so it will be completed during that time. Resurrected beings will help us correct the mistakes we have made in doing research concerning our dead ancestors. They will also help us find the information we need to complete our records.

The other great work during the Millennium will be missionary work. The gospel will be taught with great power to all people. Eventually there will be no need to teach others the first principles of the gospel because “they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:34).

“Chapter 44: The Millennium,” Gospel Principles, 282

We are presently engaged in both of these works today, but they will be intensified during the millennium. Eventually everyone living will have had the opportunity to receive the gospel. At that point, temple work alone will be the major focus. Without wickedness or the influence of the devil, this work will become the major effort of the Saints.

Brigham Young:

“In the Millennium, when the Kingdom of God is established on the earth in power, glory and perfection, and the reign of wickedness that has so long prevailed is subdued, the Saints of God will have the privilege of building their temples, and of entering into them, becoming, as it were, pillars in the temples of God [see Revelation 3:12], and they will officiate for their dead. Then we will see our friends come up, and perhaps some that we have been acquainted with here. … And we will have revelations to know our forefathers clear back to Father Adam and Mother Eve, and we will enter into the temples of God and officiate for them. Then [children] will be sealed to [parents] until the chain is made perfect back to Adam, so that there will be a perfect chain of Priesthood from Adam to the winding-up scene.

“This will be the work of the Latter-day Saints in the Millennium (DBY, 116).”

Chapter 45: The Last Days, Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 331

Doing the temple work for every person who has ever lived will be a massive project. It would be impossible if we had to do it without the help of heaven.

Gospel Fundamentals:

The Prophet Joseph Smith said that people from heaven will visit the earth often during the Millennium. They will help with the work done in the temples and with missionary work.

Chapter 34: The Millennium, Gospel Fundamentals, 189

Joseph Smith described this gathering of names to do the ordinance work for people in the temple as a great sacrifice, and an offering that we will make to the Lord.

D&C 128:24:

Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.

Then the scripture will be fulfilled which says:

3 Nephi 25:6 (Mal. 4:6):

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

We need not wait till the millennium to do this work.

Joseph F. Smith:

“Righteous spirits who have finished earth life are busy teaching those in the spirit prison. We on the earth must perform the necessary earthly ordinances for them—baptism and temple ordinances following family history research. We can help save our dead…”

Lesson 21: Joseph F. Smith: Redemption of the Dead, The Presidents of the Church: Teacher’s Manual, 98

Some may ask the question: “If we will be doing this work in the millennium, and we will have such better resources to obtain the information then, why do we bother working so hard on it now? Why not save most of that work until that time?”

Elder Theodore M. Burton:

“Temple work cannot be done in heaven but must be done on earth. There will hardly be enough time during the thousand years of the Millennium to take care of the special cases of those whose records have been destroyed or overlooked. We should remember that out of approximately 6,000 years of time when billions of people have come and gone on the earth, we have records for only about the past 400 years. Much of the Millennium must therefore be reserved for those who need proxy work and who lived in times when no records were kept or for which records do not now exist. Then, also, the Ten Tribes have to bring their records too for their own temple work. That will also take a high priority in the Millennium.

“The use of our approximately 400 years of records and the use of temples must be a training ground for us, preparing the Church for the time when this temple work will be our major assignment using the experience already gained.

“As to records being kept on the other side, the Lord never did work that man could do for himself. “Man’s ways are not my ways,” said the Lord. He could have held up the pioneers for a hundred years and brought them across the plains in air-conditioned Cadillacs, but that would not have tried their faith nor built the strength now found in their descendants. I think there is a parallel here for the pitifully small amount of genealogical work most of our Latter-day Saints are now doing. We could and should do more to exercise our obedience to the Lord and our willingness to make sacrifices because of the faith we have developed.

“We must do all we can here and now to do this genealogical work, which sometimes does appear to be inefficient and expensive, but which the Lord, through Joseph Smith said was the “summum bonum” (or the greatest value or the most important part) in the use of the powers of the priesthood. (D&C 128:11.)”

Q&A: Questions and Answers, New Era, Sep 1974, 12–15

This work will take place. It has already begun, and it will continue into the millennium. And though it may take the entire thousand years to finish, it will be completed. Whatever delays and roadblocks we have now will eventually be swept aside. The Lord’s work will go forward.

“No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly and independent, till it has penetrated every continent; visited every clime, swept every country and sounded in every ear; till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done.”

- Joseph Smith

I know that Jesus Christ will return to the earth. I know He will rule as the perfect judge and king. I know that God lives, and that Christ is His Son. I know that what the prophets have taught is true.

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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 3:The Earth in Turmoil

Part 4:The Gathering of Israel

Part 5:Destruction of the Wicked

Part 6:The Day is at Hand

Part 7:Three Comings

Part 8:Zion

Part 9:Conditions During the Millennium

Part 10:The Work and Purpose of the Millennium

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