Episode #3 - Why Study the 2nd Coming?
Hello Brothers and Sisters! Welcome to Jesus Christ and His 2nd Coming. I’m your host, Spencer. And this is episode three. We wish to start out by thanking those who have already subscribed to our channel. If you haven’t already, please make sure to subscribe to our channel, as it helps the YouTube algorithm know you have an interest in learning more about Jesus Christ. We really appreciate the support.
*If you haven't checked out our previous episode, you can do so by clicking here.
Now, on to this episode’s topic. This episode is going to be another layer to strengthen our testimony of Jesus Christ. Our episode last week on Who is Jesus Christ was the base layer of our foundation, as it should always be, right? We should always start with having Christ as our foundation. So, now that we’ve established a foundation on Jesus Christ, the next level to building our testimony is to talk about the Why of studying his second coming. That is why today’s episode will focus on Why we must study the 2nd Coming?
Before we jump into the details of the why, I want to actually start by reviewing a segment from an online article I found by a Christian writer, John Piper, on a site called desiringgod.org. The article is from September 2007 and is titled, “How Important Should the Study of Jesus' Second Coming Be to Us?“ I’ll make sure to put a link into the description of this video in case anyone wants to go and read the article in its entirety.
This article starts off by asking a great question that applies to our episode today. The question they pose to the reader is, “What level of importance should the doctrine of Christ's second coming have for us?”
In summary, the author’s response highlights a few things to remember. First, there are many doctrines of Christ that should be studied, and the signs and events related to the second coming is just one of those. The author then adds that Christ’s return is essential to the overall plan for the world, or as LDS would call it, the plan of salvation. If Christ doesn’t come back, there are some important things that would remain incomplete.
Let’s take a high-level look at some of the things related to the Second Coming that will help give us the way of our need to study this topic. Please note that we will come back to these different things in greater detail in future episodes, which is why it's important to subscribe. If you haven’t done so, please hit the subscribe button.
Let’s start by looking at the information provided in the Gospel Topics manual provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I’ll also include a link to this resource for anyone who wants to review it on their own.
Starting with the Overview section, we get the following information,
As Jesus Christ ascended into heaven at the completion of His mortal ministry, two angels declared to His Apostles, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Since that time, believers have looked forward to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
When the Savior comes again, He will come in power and glory to claim the earth as His kingdom. His Second Coming will mark the beginning of the Millennium. The Second Coming will be a fearful, mournful time for the wicked, but it will be a day of peace for the righteous.
The Lord declared: “They that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day."
“And the earth shall be given unto them for an inheritance, and they shall multiply and wax strong, and their children shall grow up without sin unto salvation."
“For the Lord shall be in their midst, and his glory shall be upon them, and he will be their king and their lawgiver” (Doctrine and Covenants 45:57–59).
The Lord has not revealed exactly when He will come again: “The hour and the day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven nor shall they know until he comes” (Doctrine and Covenants 49:7).
But He has revealed to His prophets the events and signs that will precede His Second Coming. Among the prophesied events and signs are:
Apostasy from gospel truth (see Matthew 24:9–12; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–3).
The Restoration of the gospel, including the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ (see Acts 3:19–21; Revelation 14:6–7; Doctrine and Covenants 45:28; 133:36).
The restoration of priesthood keys (see Malachi 4:5–6; Doctrine and Covenants 110:11–16).
The coming forth of the Book of Mormon (see Isaiah 29:4–18; 3 Nephi 21:1–11).
The preaching of the gospel throughout the world (see Matthew 24:14).
A time of wickedness, war, and turmoil (see Matthew 24:6–7; 2 Timothy 3:1–7; Doctrine and Covenants 29:17; 45:26–33; 88:91).
Signs in heaven and on the earth (see Joel 2:30–31; Matthew 24:29–30; Doctrine and Covenants 29:14–16; 45:39–42; 49:23; 88:87–90).
Based on these insights, why is it important to you to study the topic of the second coming? Share your thoughts in the comments below. If you need to pause this video while you share your comments, please do so. I think that sharing your comments about why it is important for you to study this topic, it will solidify your testimony of this topic and possibly provide some needed inspiration and motivation for your own study efforts.
The number one reason for me as to why I’ve been studying this topic for over a year now and why I continue to study it is because it has been prophesied to happen during my lifetime. With that in mind, I see it as one of the most magnificent events that I and this world will ever experience, and I don’t want to miss out on participating or witnessing these things happening simply because I wasn’t paying attention. And on that point, there will be many who will be oblivious to these events simply because they are not keeping an eye open and watching for them. I personally don’t want that to be me.
Let me also add a portion of a quote from James E. Talmage. In his book, Articles of Faith, he shares this, “His coming will be a surprise to those who have ignored His warnings, and who have failed to watch. ‘As a thief in the night’ will be the coming of the day of the Lord unto the wicked.”
Additionally, if you jump down a few verses in 1 Thessalonians 5, to verse 6, it reads, ‘Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.’
This verse makes me think about the parable of the ten virgins. Of the ten, there were five who did not bring enough oil to last them until the time the bridegroom came. Because they didn’t have enough and weren’t watching for the signs to indicate his arrival, they left close to his arrival to get more oil, but when they got back, the bridegroom and already come and collected those who had enough oil, and those who left were not able to go with the bridegroom. Similarly for us, if we are not watching, we will be distracted by taking care of worldly things and miss our call to go with the Savior into the joyous and great events of his return.
On that note, I want to pose the question to you again, why is it important to study the second coming? Share your thoughts in the comments below. And please make sure to subscribe to our channel in order to be notified when the next videos become available. Please take a second to like this video so we can prove to YouTube that these types of videos are important.
As always, I hope this topic has inspired you to learn more about and come unto Jesus Christ. Remember that unless I’m reading a direct quote, the comments made in this video are mine alone. They are not the direct opinion or position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Thank you again for joining us today, and we will see you next time.
Goodbye!
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