The scriptures abound in predictions of the Lord's return. By the "second advent" we understand not the personal appearing of the Son of God to a few, such as His visitation to Saul of Tarsus, to Joseph Smith in 1820, and again in the Kirtland Temple in 1836. His yet future coming in power and great glory, accompanied by hosts of resurrected and glorified beings, to execute judgment upon the earth and to inaugurate a reign of righteousness.

The prophets of both hemispheres, who lived prior to the meridian of time, said comparatively little concerning the Lord's second coming. Certain of them were permitted to behold in vision the working out of the divine purposes even to the end of time. These testified with unsurpassed fervency concerning the glorious coming of Christ in the final dispensation. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied saying, "Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all"

In a more extended account of the Lord's revelations to Enoch than is included in the Bible, we read that after this righteous prophet had been shown the scenes of Israel's history, he pleaded with God. And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness for the space of a thousand years.

Isaiah, in rapturous contemplation of the eventual triumph of righteousness, exclaimed: "Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not" The conditions specified were not realized in the earthly life of the Redeemer. The context clearly shows that the prophet's words are applicable to the last days only.

"Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven," Jesus said. The apostles had been so impressed with the Master's assurance that He would return to earth in power and glory, that they eagerly questioned as to the time and signs of His coming. "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation," Jesus declared.

He stated explicitly, though at the time they failed to comprehend Him, that many great events would intervene between His departure and return. After the ascension, throughout the course of apostolic administration, the future coming of the Lord was preached with earnest emphasis. On the occasion of His appearing to the Nephites on the American continent shortly after His ascension from the Mount of Olives, Christ preached the gospel to assembled multitudes. "And he did expound all things, even from the beginning... until the time that he should come in his glory," he said.

In granting the wish of the three Nephite disciples who desired to continue their ministry in the flesh throughout the generations to come, the Lord said unto them: "Ye shall live to behold all the doings of the Father, unto the children of men, even until all things shall be fulfilled" The word of the Lord has come repeatedly, declaring the actuality of His second advent and the nearness of that glorious yet dreadful event. The Church of Jesus Christ has been restored and reestablished in these the last days.

But a few months after the Church was organized, the voice of Jesus Christ was heard, admonishing the elders to vigilance and proclaiming as follows: "For the hour is nigh, and the day soon at hand when the earth is ripe" "I will burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that wickedness shall not be upon the earth"

In the month following, the Lord gave instructions to certain elders, concluding with these portentous words: "Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom"

The Lord Jesus addressed a general revelation to His Church in March 1831. His earlier predictions uttered to the Twelve shortly before His betrayal were made plain. "Ye look and behold the fig-trees, and ye see them with your eyes, andYe say when they begin to shoot forth, and their leaves are yet tender, that summer is now nigh at hand"

"They shall see signs and wonders, for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath" "They shall behold blood, and fire, and vapors of smoke" "He that watches not for me shall be cut off" "Before the day of the Lord shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood"

So near is the consummation that the intervening period is called "today" In applying this time designation in the year 1831, the Lord said: "Behold, now it is called today (until the coming of the Son of man)" The date of the future advent of Christ has never been revealed to man. "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."

In the present age, a similar declaration has been made by the Father: "I, the Lord God, have spoken it, but the hour and the day no man knoweth" Only through watchfulness and prayer may the signs of the times be correctly interpreted and the imminence of the Lord's appearing be apprehended. To the unwatchful and the wicked the event will be as sudden and unexpected as the coming of a thief in the night.

War shall become so general that every man who will not take arms against his neighbor must of necessity flee to the land of Zion for safety. Ephraim shall assemble in Zion on the western continent, and Judah shall be again established in the east. The cities of Zion and Jerusalem shall be the capitals of the world empire, over which Messiah shall reign in undisputed authority. The Lost Tribes shall be brought forth from the place where God has hidden them through the centuries and receive their long deferred blessings. The people of Israel shall be restored from their scattered condition.

In addressing the elders of His Church in 1832, the Lord urged upon them the imperative need of devoted diligence. For not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man, and the sun shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light. And after your testimony cometh wrath and indignation upon the people.

A characteristic of present-day revelation is the reiteration of the fact that the event is nigh at hand, "even at the doors" The fateful time is repeatedly designated in scripture, "the great and dreadful day of the Lord" Fearful indeed will it be to individuals, families, and nations, who have so far sunk into sin as to have forfeited their claim to mercy. The time is not that of the final judgment—when the whole race of mankind shall stand in the resurrected state before the bar of God. Nevertheless it shall be a time of unprecedented blessing unto the righteous and of condemnation and vengeance upon the wicked.

With Christ shall come those who have already been resurrected. His approach shall be the means of inaugurating a general resurrection of the righteous dead. The pure and just who are still in the flesh shall be instantaneously changed from the mortal to the immortal state and shall be caught up with the newly resurrected to meet the Lord and His celestial company, and shall descend with Him. To this effect did Paul prophesy: "Even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him"

The coming of Christ in the last days is to mark the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven upon earth. The heathen nations shall be redeemed and have part in the first resurrection. The faithful apostles who were with Jesus in His earthly ministry are to be enthroned as judges of the whole house of Israel.

The Kingdom of God is the Church established by divine authority upon the earth. Its sceptre of power is that of the Holy Priesthood, to be used in the preaching of the gospel. The Kingdom of Heaven is the divinely ordained system of government and dominion in all matters, temporal and spiritual. This will be established on earth only when its rightful Head, the King of kings, Jesus the Christ, comes to reign. When Christ appears in His glory, and not before, will be realized a complete fulfilment of the supplication: "Thy kingdom come"

The Kingdom of God has been established among men to prepare them for the Kingdom of Heaven which shall come. In the blessed reign of Christ the King shall the two be made one. The relationship between them has been revealed to the Church in this wise: "Hearken, and lo, a voice as of one from on high, who is mighty and powerful, whose going forth is unto the ends of the earth, yea, whose voice is unto men"

The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth. Yea, a voice crying—Prepare ye the way of the Lord, prepare ye the supper of the Lamb, make ready for the Bridegroom.

The inauguration of Christ's reign on earth is to be the beginning of a period that shall be distinct in many important particulars from all precedent and subsequent time. The righteous dead shall have come forth from their graves, while the wicked shall remain unresurrected until the thousand years be past. Men yet in the flesh shall mingle with immortalized beings. Children shall grow to maturity and then die in peace or be changed to immortality "in the twinkling of an eye"

There shall be surcease of enmity between man and beast. The venom of serpents and the ferocity of the brute creation shall be done away, and love shall be the dominant power of control. Among the earliest revelations on the subject is that given to Enoch.

In these latter days the Lord has thus spoken, requiring preparation for the Millennial era, and describing in part the glories thereof: "And prepare for the revelation which is to come, when the veil of the covering of my temple, in my tabernacle, which hideth the earth, shall be taken off, and all flesh shall see me together" And in that day Satan shall not have power to tempt any man. And there shall be no sorrow because there is no death.

The Millennium is to precede the time designated in scriptural phrase "the end of the world" When the thousand years are passed, Satan shall be loosed for a little season, and the final test of man's integrity to God shall ensue. Such as are prone to impurity of heart shall yield to temptation while the righteous shall endure to the end.

A revelation to this effect was given the Church in 1831, in part as follows: "For the great Millennium, of which I have spoken by the mouth of my servants, shall come" "The wicked shall go away into unquenchable fire, and their end no man knoweth on earth, nor ever shall know, until they come before me in judgment" "Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. Treasure these things up in your hearts, and let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds." "The vanquishment of Satan and his hosts shall be complete"

The dead, small and great, all who have breathed the breath of life on earth, shall be resurrected. Every soul that has tabernacled in flesh, whether good or evil, shall stand before God, to be judged according to the record as written in the books. So shall be brought to glorious consummation the mission of the Christ. Then shall he be crowned with the crown of his glory, to sit on the throne of his power to reign for ever and ever.

The earth shall pass to its glorified and celestialized condition, an eternal abode for the exalted sons and daughters of God. Forever shall they reign, kings and priests to the Most High, redeemed, sanctified, and exalted through their Lord and God. JESUS THE CHRIST. NOTES TO CHAPTER 42.

"And then shall the heathen nations be redeemed, and they that knew no law shall have part in the first resurrection" (Doc. and Cov. 45:54) Such is the word of the Lord with respect to those benighted peoples who live and die in ignorance of the laws of the gospel. This affirmation is sustained by other scriptures, and by a consideration of the principles of true justice according to which humanity is to be judged. Man shall be accounted blameless or guilty according to his deeds as interpreted in the light of the law under which he is required to live. It is inconsistent with our conception of a just God to believe Him capable of inflicting condemnation upon any one for non-compliance with a requirement of which

The laws of the gospel cannot be suspended even in the case of those who have sinned in darkness and ignorance. It is reasonable to believe that the plan of redemption shall afford such benighted ones an opportunity of learning the laws of God. As fast as they so learn, will obedience be required on pain of the penalty. See Articles of Faith, xxi:33. 3. Regeneration of the Earth.

This appointed change, by which the earth shall pass to the condition of a celestialized world, is referred to in numerous scriptures as the institution of "a new heaven and a new earth" (Rev. 21:1, 3, 4) See Acts 3:20, 21; 1 Cor. 4:5; 11:26; Philip. 3: 20; 1 Thess. 1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:15-18.

The context shows that the words are those of the Father. Thess. 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10; compare Matt. 24:43, 44; 25:13; Luke 12:39, 40. See also Doc. and Cov. 49:23-28.

For a fuller treatment of this subject as also the distinction between Church and Kingdom, see "Articles of Faith," xx:16-26. Rev. 20:1-6; compare Doc. and Cov. 43:18. Doc. 63:50-51; 101:30; compare 1 Cor. 15:51-57. 1. P. of G.P., Moses 7:63-65; Doc. 101:23-32; compare Isa. 65:17-25 and 11:6-9; see also Doc. 29:11, 22; 43:30, 63:51.