Mormon Bloggers

Q: Do Mormons believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ? A: Oh, yes. You probably won’t hear members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints call it the rapture, and you shouldn’t hear predictions of a certain day or time or year when He will come again from Mormons, but we do believe that He will come and that it’s important to live each day in a way that shows that we want to be ready for whenever that day may come. We plan to write a little more about this soon, but in the meantime, here are some scriptures and articles from lds.org about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. (You can find nearly 10,000 results at lds.org if you search for “second coming”) Elder recently talked about this in General Conference. Here are some of the scripture references he included in his talk: You can find a list of other scripture references from the Bible here. And read scriptures from the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price Following... Read the rest of this entry »

I’m a sucker for eschatology.  For those of you who didn’t waste their youths with dictionaries and atlases, that unpronounceable term means “the study of the end times.”  This probably has something to do with being a member of, and growing up in a religious tradition that has a pretty strong apocalyptic/millennialist strain to it.  Hence, when I heard earlier this year that radio Evangelist Harold Camping had predicted the rapture for May 21, 2011, I couldn’t help but grin and chuckle a little. Lest you mistake me for the “Antichrist” (there’s not only one, by the by) my laughter at this concept does not involve a ghoulish delight in imminent cataclysm.  Nor, is it born of scorn and derision for the poor, misguided souls who are, at this very moment, eagerly awaiting their promised translation into celestial glory while the rest of us poor heathens (I have yet to meet a single Evangelical who thinks Mormons get counted among the raptured) roast in the great apocalyptic... Read the rest of this entry »

Utah this spring has been deluged with an abundance of water. On top of record snow totals in the mountains now threatening floods near every open body of water, rain has also been falling in abundance. Last night the showers came again. Early this morning I was awakened by the emerging radiant sunshine over the mountains to the east against a wall-to-wall panorama of blue overhead. The ominous clouds amid thunder, lightning and a torrent of rain had dissipated. Isn’t that exactly what we believe as Christians? Jesus Christ is the source of our light and truth. We receive and partake in His abundant glory bit by bit, day by day, interlaced amid bursts of thundershowers. It was more than rhetoric when He declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). His declaration is truth. Nothing is appointed unto man “except it be by law, even as I and my Father ordained... Read the rest of this entry »

There are many voices on the political landscape today who openly ask, “Is there a massive deception at work, or can America be saved?” I am one who firmly believes the answer to that question is “YES!” President Barack Obama Here’s another: “It has been difficult and heart-rending to watch over the years what has happened to a nation we have all come to love. In order to awaken at least a part of the populace it has taken an imminent financial and societal disaster and the election of President Obama, who personifies the excesses of the past sixty years. He is someone steeped in radical re-distributionist ideology; he is dishonest, as he is a believer in the end justifies any means; and he is dominated by an overweening narcissism. Mr. Obama is the epitome of someone with a lack of character, as manifested in his indecisiveness and willingness to destroy America’s future in order to permanently seize control over the citizenry. “Replacing... Read the rest of this entry »

A writer in The Salt Lake Tribune the other day asserted a link between The Book of Mormon and socialism. His premise — at their very worst the people portrayed in the record were greedy capitalists, and at their best they were socialists. I suspect there are few things that get my blood boiling more than someone who asserts the law of consecration resembles socialism in any way imaginable. President Marion G. Romney I have written extensively in the past about the law of consecration. This is one example. Here’s another, where I wrote the definitive book about the establishment of Zion in the latter-days based upon the scriptures and the statements of the living prophets who succeeded Joseph Smith. I even cited President Marion G. Romney (a registered Democrat) who has written and spoken persuasively against this misinformed position. Harry Reid (D-NV), a Mormon and the Senate majority leader, embodies this flawed and misguided political philosophy better... Read the rest of this entry »

“…do not forget to pray.  Each time you pray, if you do so sincerely, there will be the flash of a new feeling in it, and a new thought as well, one you did not know before, which will give you fresh courage; and you will understand that prayer is education.  Remember also: every day and whenever you can, repeat within yourself: ‘Lord, have mercy upon all who come before you today.’  For every hour and every moment thousands of people leave their life on this earth, and their souls come before the Lord—and so many of them part with the earth in isolation, unknown to anyone, in sadness and sorrow that no one will mourn for them, or even know whether they had lived or not.  And so, perhaps from the other end of the earth, your prayer for his repose will rise up to the Lord, though you did not know him at all, nor he you.  How moving it is for this soul, coming in fear before the Lord, to feel at that moment that someone is praying for him, too, that there... Read the rest of this entry »

I was struck again yesterday with this question:  Knowing what we know about future prophecy as members of the Church, why aren’t we more fatalistic? The Gospel Doctrine lesson was about Daniel’s interpretation of the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar.  Here’s the image: King Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream Image  The stone was cut out of the mountain “without hands” and rolls forth into the last days until it destroys all the governments left on earth.  In the end there will be only one government, the one to fulfill all the ancient prophecies that gave voice to Isaiah’s prophecy in Handel’s majestic “Messiah” oratorio — “. . . and the government shall rest upon his shoulders,” speaking of the Promised Messiah.  (See Isaiah 9:6). The stone, of course, is the kingdom of God on the earth and will someday be merged with the kingdom of heaven yet to come down from above: Hearken, and lo, a... Read the rest of this entry »

“They that are wise. . . have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide” (D&C 45:57). We live in a glorious day in the earth’s history.  But we also live in perilous times when wickedness abounds.  In the preface to the Book of Commandments (now the Doctrine and Covenants) the revelation reads:  “For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men” (D&C 1:2).  Imagine that!  God speaks to all men!  He is speaking and will continue to speak.  The question is how many are listening? Learning to discern, to recognize and to receive personal revelation is a challenging quest, but it is possible. The revelation introducing the Doctrine and Covenants continues:  “And the voice of warning shall be unto all people” (verse 4). What’s the warning about?  A few verses later we read:  “Wherefore the voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear... Read the rest of this entry »

What Bruce McConkie wrote in the past is not necessarily Mormon Doctrine, but this excerpt from his book, The Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man ( p.30) is a  good explanation of when Mormons expect to be the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. ” Many scriptures attest that “the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.” (D&C 110:16.) In our revelations the Lord says, “The time is soon at hand that I shall come in a cloud with power and great glory” (D&C 34:7), and that “the great day of the Lord is nigh at hand. . . . For in mine own due time will I come upon the earth in judgment” (D&C 43:17, 29). Speaking of his coming, the Lord says in one revelation that it shall be “not many days hence” (D&C 88:87), and in another, that the wars to precede it are “not yet, but by and by” (D&C 63:35). These and like sayings fall into perspective when we hear him say:... Read the rest of this entry »

Mormons (a nickname for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) often use the term “fulness of the gospel.” Mormons refer to modern times as the dispensation of the fulness of times, referring to the fact that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored in full. Mormon beliefs teach that Adam and Eve, the first people to live on the earth, were given the full gospel. They shared it with their children. However, people often found it difficult to live the full gospel, and so, periodically, the fulness of the gospel was replaced with preparatory laws, such as the Law of Moses, to help people progress to a point where they could live the full gospel. In addition, truths were sometimes lost. There have almost always been those who wanted God to change truth to something more pleasing to them, and periodically, those false beliefs became widespread among the people. During these times, God often took away the prophets, which also removed access to God’s word. This... Read the rest of this entry »

I have a deep personal interest in the anticipated social response to the upcoming movie, 2012.  While it looks to be great entertainment from the fertile mind of Roland Emmerich, I am fascinated by the idea of how our society will react to some sort of a major catastrophic cataclysmic event like that depicted in the film. I don’t go in for conspiracy theories that the government of the United States has a secret plan for the survival of the race.  I am certain that we have plans in place to ensure the continuity of the government in event of nuclear war or some other disaster, but the survival of the citizens of this country is a whole different matter. A wise investment As I get older, I take the idea of having a usable stockpile of food and water much more seriously than when I was younger.  We have dipped into our food storage several times over the past few years as the grip of a tight economy has reached into our personal finances.  But I value my food storage for a different... Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, it may be freaky. Yes, it may be spreading all over the world. But, yes, my family and me are doing fine. People also tend to exaggerate a little. For one thing, it’s the FLU. A few hundred people die from other flus every year. Just that this one doesn’t have a cure,…yet. In the whole state where I live in, Zacatecas, there hasn’t been one reported case. So, we aren’t freaking out too much. On the positive side:•No school from April 27th until May 6th! On the negative side:•We had exams.•There was a competition with all the schools in our city April 30th.•We had girls camp this weekend, and it was canceled.•No mutual.•No church activities.•My mom is having us do home-school. Not the best thing in the world, but it isn’t the end of the world here. Besides, a ton of stuff has to happen before the Second Coming, so stay calm. See you guys later!! Em  Read More →