Second Coming

I have thought these verses were interesting since I was a kid.

D.C. 45:51-53

51And then shall the ^aJews ^blook upon me and say: What are these ^cwounds in thine hands and in thy feet?

52Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them: These wounds are the wounds with which I was ^awoundedin the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was ^bcrucified. I am the ^cSon of God.

53And then shall they ^aweep because of their iniquities; then shall they ^blament because they ^cpersecuted their ^dking.

That will be an interesting day. Also, consider these verses in D.C. 43:

23And again, the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven, saying: Hearken, O ye nations of the earth, and hear the words of that God who ^amade you.

24O, ye nations of the earth, how often would I have gathered you together as a ^ahen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye^bwould not!

Once again, this will be an incredible moment. Considering how few people really, really believe in God (especially believe that he is our Father; essentially the perfect human with all power, but we're basically the same "race" of beings), the Second Coming will be surprising to many.

Interesting that the Lord speaks so much about the Second Coming in these two chapters. This is right around the time that the Lord first starts to ask the people to move to Zion and gather themselves in one place. The Lord doesn't simply say, "move to Missouri", but he gives the people a lot of explanation about the role of the church in the last days, the need for a Zion to exist before he can come again, etc. These verses on the Second Coming are context so that the people better understand why they will be asked to move. Also, the actual directive to go to Missouri doesn't happen for quite a while. It's a topic the Saints continually ask about.

I think one takeaway is, prepare people when you ask them to do things. Also, help them see the big picture and the potential fruits of their labors before you ask them to serve. It's a leader/teacher's job to help give more information and adjust the vision of those who are asked to take part in the menial tasks in order to achieve the big things. (That's why it's so great to hear from General Authorities in Stake Conferences or on the mission in mission conferences - they help give perspective and adjust our vision.)

Have a good day.

LaDon