The final Old Testament lesson of 2006 (
Lesson 48) discusses the latter-day prophecies of two ancient prophets, Malachi and Zechariah. Zechariah?s prophecies are the more dramatic. Among other things, he saw the restoration of Israel, the great war that precedes the second coming, and the appearance of the Savior on the Mount of Olives.
Since I was a child, I have been fascinated by prophecies about the Last Days. I recall finding on my parent?s bookshelves a little green book titled The Last Days. Published in 1942, this book was a compilation of latter-day prophecies from many of our early church leaders, including Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Parley Pratt, Heber J. Grant, and others. As I read through the prophetic utterances, I wondered if I would live to see the Lord?s second coming.
As I grew older, I began to think more and more that; perhaps, I would not live to see that glorious day. World conditions seemed to change. The Cold War ended. We began sending missionaries to Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. It seemed like the dawn of a great new day when the good news of the gospel would spread throughout the earth.
In the midst of those changes, we were not paying attention to the growing threat in the Middle East. As the 90s progressed, there were a series of attacks from Islamic fundamentalists, the most dramatic being the events of September 11th. My wife and I were in London on July 7th, 2005, when the London Underground and a bus were attacked. We see the growing struggle in Iraq fueled, in part, by Syria and Iran. We hear the threats of the Iranian president about the destruction of Israel. Indeed, we hear of wars and rumors of wars.
Regardless of the timetable, we are indeed living in the last days. The Savior counseled his ancient disciples to, ?Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come? (Matthew 24:42). I think the counsel to ?watch? means more than just observing latter-day events. As I am writing, I am watching a fierce winter storm literally bury the Denver area. I am an avid weather watcher and saw this storm develop over the past few days. When we began to see the potential for this storm grow, we did a number of things in preparation, including making sure we had sufficient groceries and other supplies. Part of our watching included active preparation. We do not know the day or the hour of the Savior?s second coming; however I know that we need to be actively watching and preparing no matter when the great latter-day events lead to the return of the Master.
Read the original "Gospel Doctrine Class" post here.
Ancient Prophecies
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