I love these graphics, JB--nice and easy to work out--surely makes you think, doesn't it--how close we are to the edge of eternal things. :brght
You might find the new article on my site by Anthony Larsen to be of interest. He discusses the signs of the times and how they apply to the edge we're at--his way of putting things is pretty clear, too.
I went to your site link and enjoyed reading. Some of those signs can be comparable to the aftermath of a few nukes going off too. We have a thread about the second coming and events somewhere in here. You may wish to add the link there too. Thanks for the praise on the graphic.
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One of my favourite scriptures is Alma 34:32, which reads 'For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.' It really emphasizes the importance of this life in the overall plan of salvation.
I found that reference right away: Sorry for the length of this discourse.
Put in the Savior's terms, we Saints should be able to discern the signs of the times as readily as we can predict the weather.
The Prophet then went on to explain himself more precisely in an unequivocal statement as to what the signs of the second coming will be so there might be no room for confusion on the part of the Saints.
"It is not the design of the Almighty to come upon the earth and crush it and grind it to powder, but he will reveal it to His servants the prophets.
Judah must return, Jerusalem must be rebuilt, and the temple, and water come out from under the temple, and the waters of the Dead Sea be healed. It will take some time to rebuild the walls of the city and the temple; and all this must be done before the Son of Man will make His appearance. There will be wars and rumors of wars, signs in the heavens above and on the earth beneath, the sun turned into darkness and the moon to blood, earthquakes in divers places, the seas heaving beyond their bounds; then will appear on grand sign of the Son of Man in heaven. But what will the world do? They will say it is a planet, a comet. But the Son of Man will come as the sign of the coming of the Son of Man, which will be as the light of the morning cometh out of the east (History of the Church, Vol. 5, pp. 336-7.)
This statement is highly informative as to what we might expect to see occur prior to the second coming. Most of it is self-explanatory. However, part of it deserves further commentary.
Josephs reference to the grand sign as a planet or comet is often misconstrued to mean that the sign is not a comet or a planet. However, a careful reading of the text says otherwise. Indeed, the Prophet meant that the worlds assessment would be a correct one, that the sign would, indeed, be a comet, a planet, but that the Saints should see it as a grand sign perhaps the same sign referred to in a revelation from the Lord that says, And immediately there shall appear a great sign in heaven, and all people shall see it together. (Doctrine & Covenants 88:93.) Josephs addendum that the sign would come out of the east as the light of the morning reinforces the idea that it will be all three: a planet that looks and behaves as a comet, yet is also a sign from the Creator.
Connected to both the Saviors statement and that of Joseph Smith is one made by Elder LeGrand Richards in a 1951 General Conference address on the subject of the last days. The newspapers might announce some great phenomenon in the heavens, misplacement of planets, that have caused consternation, and scientists will have their explanation to make of it, and unless they have faith in the living God, unless as Jesus said, they can read the signs of the time, they may not know anything about what is (actually) going on in the world (Conference Report, April, 1951, pp. 40-1;)
This statement puts a lock on it. Elder Richards specifically refers to the Saviors statement and alludes to that made by Joseph Smith on the subject of the grand sign, then brings them together in a modern context. Though such pronouncements are admittedly rare, the latter-day prophets are on the record with unmistakably lucid statements as to what the signs of the last days, prior to the second coming, will be. It appears, from the above statements, that a planet-sized body that will look and behave like a comet will threaten us that is, it will be brilliant, have a great tail and move on an elliptical path that will bring it dangerously close.
These declarations are particularly noteworthy given the recent scientific revelations that cometary impacts, such as that which destroyed the dinosaurs, can cause all the natural disasters listed by Joseph Smith who directly connects them, and accurately so, to the appearance of the comet/planet/sign;earthquakes all over the world at once (earthquakes in divers places), a dust or soot filled atmosphere causing darkness nearly worldwide (the sun turned into darkness), tsunamis of epic proportions that will inundate and destroy thousands of miles of coastlines where there are large population concentrations (the seas heaving beyond their bounds), a spectacularly illuminated moon (the moon to blood) and numerous other catastrophic manifestations in the heavens and here on the earth (signs in the heavens above and on the earth beneath). We can surmise that the effects exerted by a planet passing close by the Earth would be even more pronounced than those of a mere comet. Of course, the distance and size of the body would be the determining factors.
And so I'm waiting for Nibiru to return as the Sumerians say it does approximately every 3,600 years. Â
I found this quote which I thought was good for here:
"The holy cause in which we are engaged did not begin in 1820 . . . in
Bethlehem, . . . [or] in the Garden of Eden. The underpinnings of the
everlasting gospel were in place even before the world was."
(Russell M. Nelson, "How Firm Our Foundation," Ensign, May 2002, 75)