Chapter 31
The Redemption of the Dead

Introduction

“Some of us have had occasion to wait for someone or something for a minute, an hour, a day, a week, or even a year. Can you imagine how our progenitors must feel, some of whom have perhaps been waiting for decades and even centuries for the temple work to be done for them? I have tried, in my mind’s eye, to envision our progenitors who are anxiously waiting for those of us who are their descendants and are members of the Church on the earth to do our duty toward them. I have also thought what a dreadful feeling it would be for us to see them in the hereafter and have to acknowledge that we had not been as faithful as we should have been here on earth in performing these ordinances in their behalf” (Spencer W. Kimball, “The Things of Eternity—Stand We in Jeopardy?” Ensign, Jan. 1977, 7).

Doctrinal Outline

A. In accordance with the plan of salvation, everyone will at some time hear the gospel.

See Doctrine and Covenants 1:2, 4; 90:11.

B. The way has been opened for those who die without the gospel to receive it.

1. After His Crucifixion and before His Resurrection, the Savior preached the gospel to the righteous in the spirit world and sent messengers to preach to the spirits of the wicked (see 1 Peter 3:18–20; D&C 138:18–21, 27–30).

2. The gospel is preached to the dead so that they can be judged by the same standard that will be used to judge those who hear the gospel in mortality (see 1 Peter 4:6; D&C 138:31–34, 57; 76:73).

3. Those who would have received the gospel in this life had the opportunity been given to them will inherit the celestial kingdom (see D&C 137:7–8).

C. Ordinances performed vicariously provide the dead with the opportunity to receive full salvation.

1. Those who desire to enter the celestial kingdom must receive the essential ordinances of the gospel (see Articles of Faith 1:3; D&C 138:58; 132:4–6; 131:1–4).

2. Ordinances performed in mortality by the power of the priesthood are valid both here and in the spirit world (see D&C 128:8–9; 132:46; Matthew 16:19).

3. The Lord has commanded that vicarious baptisms be performed to enable those who receive the gospel in the spirit world to enter His kingdom (see 1 Corinthians 15:29; D&C 128:1, 5; 138:32–33).

D. Latter-day Saints have the authority and the responsibility to perform temple ordinances in behalf of the dead.

1. Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple and restored the power to seal through priesthood ordinances the fathers to the children, both the living and the dead (see D&C 110:13–15; Malachi 4:5–6; D&C 2).

2. Latter-day Israel cannot be made perfect without doing the ordinance work for their dead, nor can the dead be made perfect without this work having been done for them (see D&C 128:15, 18, 22; Hebrews 11:40).

3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members have the responsibility to keep a record of the work done in behalf of the dead (see D&C 127:6–9; 128:24).

Supporting Statements

A. In accordance with the plan of salvation, everyone will at some time hear the gospel.

■ “The Lord has made it known that his mercy extends to the uttermost bounds and that every soul is entitled to hear the gospel plan, either in this life or in the spirit world. All who hear and believe, repenting and receiving the gospel in its fulness, whether living or dead, are heirs of salvation in the celestial kingdom of God” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:133).

B. The way has been opened for those who die without the gospel to receive it.

■ “Before the crucifixion of the Lord there was a great gulf fixed separating the righteous dead from those who had not received the Gospel, and across this gulf no man could pass. (Luke 16:26.) Christ bridged that gulf and made it possible for the word of salvation to be taken to all corners of the kingdom of darkness. In this way the realms of hell were invaded and the dead prepared for the ordinances of the Gospel which must be performed on earth since they pertain to the mortal probation” (Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, 165).

C. Ordinances performed vicariously provide the dead with the opportunity to receive full salvation.

■ “And so we have two great churches, one in heaven, the other upon the earth. They are moving along parallel lines, and the temple of God, it appears to me, is the connecting link that connects the heavens with the earth, because it is through the temple that we will be able to reach our dead, and not otherwise. To pray for the dead may not be of any real assistance to them. To actually help them we must do a work for them” (Rudger Clawson, in Conference Report, Apr. 1933, 77–78).

■ “We have been authorized to perform baptisms vicariously so that when they hear the gospel preached and desire to accept it, that essential ordinance will have been performed. They need not ask for any exemption from that essential ordinance. Indeed, the Lord Himself was not exempted from it” (Boyd K. Packer, in Conference Report, Oct. 1975, 147; or Ensign, Nov. 1975, 99).

■ “We know by the scriptures that the gospel is preached to the dead and the dead are to be judged according to men in the flesh and live according to God in the spirit. Thus baptism is necessary for those who, during their lifetime, had not opportunity for this ordinance of baptism by immersion for the remission of sin” (N. Eldon Tanner, in Conference Report, Mar.–Apr. 1979, 20; or Ensign, May 1979, 15).

D. Latter-day Saints have the authority and the responsibility to perform temple ordinances in behalf of the dead.

■ “The third point included in the mission of the Church is our responsibility to redeem the dead by performing vicarious ordinances of the gospel for those who have lived on the earth.

“Our members need to be taught that it is not sufficient for a husband and wife to be sealed in the temple to guarantee their exaltation—they must also be eternally linked with their progenitors and see that the work is done for those ancestors. ‘They without us,’ said the Apostle Paul, ‘cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect’ (D&C 128:15). Our members should therefore understand that they have an individual responsibility to see that they are linked to their progenitors” (Ezra Taft Benson, regional representatives’ seminar, 3 Apr. 1981, 2).

■ “Elijah! what would you do if you were here? Would you confine your work to the living alone? No: I would refer you to the Scriptures, where the subject is manifest: that is, without us, they could not be made perfect, nor we without them; the fathers without the children, nor the children without the fathers.

“I wish you to understand this subject, for it is important; and if you will receive it, this is the spirit of Elijah, that we redeem our dead, and connect ourselves with our fathers which are in heaven, and seal up our dead to come forth in the first resurrection; and here we want the power of Elijah to seal those who dwell on earth to those who dwell in heaven. This is the power of Elijah and the keys of the kingdom of Jehovah” (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 6:252).

■ “It is not only necessary that you should be baptized for your dead, but you will have to go through all the ordinances for them, the same as you have gone through to save yourselves” (Smith, History of the Church, 6:365).

■ “The responsibility [of doing work for our dead] rests with equal force on all, according to our individual ability and opportunities.

“It matters not what else we have been called to do, or what position we may occupy, or how faithfully in other ways we have labored in the Church, none is exempt from this great obligation. It is required of the apostle as well as the humblest elder. Place, or distinction, or long service in the Church, in the mission field, the stakes of Zion, or where or how else it may have been, will not entitle one to disregard the salvation of one’s dead.

“Some may feel that if they pay their tithing, attend their regular meetings and other duties, give of their substance to the poor, perchance spend one, two, or more years preaching in the world, that they are absolved from further duty. But the greatest and grandest duty of all is to labor for the dead” (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:148–49).

■ “Those who are acquainted with Latter-day Saint scriptures and the process of genealogical research will recognize that the extraction program is but a first step in the overall program of preparing a Church book of remembrance ‘worthy of . . . acceptation.’” (Ezra Taft Benson, in Conference Report, Sept.–Oct. 1978, 41; or Ensign, Nov. 1978, 30).

■ “Our responsibility to compile our books of remembrance, including the submission of the names of our ancestors for at least the first four generations, and to have the temple ordinances performed in their behalf has not changed” (Ezra Taft Benson, in Conference Report, Sept.–Oct. 1978, 41; or Ensign, Nov. 1978, 30).

■ “There are other things we can do collectively as a church. We microfilm records worldwide. We establish libraries for use of members and nonmembers. We build vaults to store records. As a Church we develop forms and procedures to help in research. We prepare research manuals. We program conferences, meetings and seminars to motivate, instruct and inspire.

“Nevertheless genealogical and temple work are basically individual responsibilities” (Boyd K. Packer, The Holy Temple, 227).

■ “We know that the spirit world is filled with the spirits of men who are waiting for you and me to get busy—waiting as the signers of the Declaration of Independence waited. ‘Why,’ they asked President Wilford Woodruff, ‘why do you keep us waiting?’ That question continues to be asked of us also, by our own people.

“We wonder about our progenitors—grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, etc. What do they think of you and me? We are their offspring. We have the responsibility to do their temple work, and the beautiful temples of the Lord stand day after day, yet we do not fill them always. We have a grave responsibility that we cannot avoid, and may stand in jeopardy if we fail to do this important work” (Kimball, “Things of Eternity,” 5).

Chapter 32
The Resurrection and the Judgment

Introduction

“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19). The grave is not the end, for all people will yet be judged and receive again their bodies in the Resurrection. Paul, a special witness of the resurrected Lord, so testified:

“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. . . .

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:20, 22).

Doctrinal Outline

A. As part of His eternal plan, God has provided a resurrection for everyone.

1. Everyone who has lived will be resurrected (see 1 Corinthians 15:21–22; Alma 11:41; D&C 29:26; 2 Nephi 9:22).

2. Resurrection is the reuniting of the physical body and the spirit after death (see D&C 88:14–17; Alma 11:43; 40:23; 2 Nephi 9:12).

3. We cannot receive a fulness of joy when the spirit and the body are separated (see D&C 93:33–34; 45:17; 138:50).

4. Resurrection is brought about by the power of God (see John 5:21; Acts 26:8; 1 Corinthians 6:14; 2 Nephi 9:12).

5. Resurrection restores every limb and joint to its proper and perfect frame (see Alma 11:43–44; 40:23; 41:2).

B. There is order to the Resurrection.

1. Jesus Christ was the first to be resurrected, thus preparing the way for all others (see 1 Corinthians 15:20; 2 Nephi 2:8; Alma 40:2–4).

2. There are two major resurrections, one for the just and one for the unjust (see John 5:28–29; Acts 24:15; D&C 76:17).

3. The resurrection of the just precedes the resurrection of the unjust (see 1 Corinthians 15:22–23; D&C 88:97–102; Revelation 20:5–6).

4. We will be resurrected to the degree of glory consistent with our faithfulness (see 1 Corinthians 15:40–42; D&C 88:22–31; 76:96–98).

5. The degree of intelligence that we gain in this life will rise with us in the Resurrection (see D&C 130:18–19).

C. Everyone will appear before the Lord to be judged.

1. God the Father has given the keys of judgment to the Son (see John 5:22, 27; Acts 17:31; Romans 14:10; Moroni 8:21).

2. We will be judged according to our thoughts, words, deeds, and the desires of our hearts (see Alma 12:14; 5:15; 41:3–6; D&C 137:9; Matthew 12:36–37; Revelation 20:12–14).

3. The Final Judgment will be just for everyone (see Romans 2:2; 2 Nephi 9:46).

Supporting Statements

A. As part of His eternal plan, God has provided a resurrection for everyone.

■ “Man is an eternal being, composed of body and spirit: his spirit existed before he came here; his body exists with the spirit in time, and after death the spirit exists without the body. In the resurrection, both body and spirit will finally be reunited; and it requires both body and spirit to make a perfect man, whether in time, or eternity” (John Taylor, The Government of God, 27).

■ “The Lord has shown to us that the elements are eternal and that it requires the eternal union of spirit and element to obtain a fulness of joy. For the spirit part of man and the earthly, or temporal part just now, shall be united together perpetually, eternally, the body and the spirit being made one again, only joined together after the power of an endless life, that without that union a fulness of joy cannot be obtained” (Charles W. Penrose, in Conference Report, Oct. 1914, 35).

■ “Now, we have not power to lay down our lives and take them again. But Jesus had power to lay down his life, and he had power to take it up again. . . . He came into the world to die that we might live, and his atonement for sin and death is the force by which we are raised to immortality and eternal life.

“So Jesus Christ did for us something that we could not do for ourselves, through his infinite atonement. On the third day after the crucifixion he took up his body and gained the keys of the resurrection, and thus has power to open the graves for all men, but this he could not do until he had first passed through death himself and conquered” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:128).

■ “What a glorious thought it is, to me at least, and it must be to all who have conceived of the truth or received it in their hearts, that those from whom we have to part here, we will meet again and see as they are. We will meet the same identical being that we associated with here in the flesh—not some other soul, some other being, or the same being in some other form, but the same identity and the same form and likeness, the same person we knew and were associated with in our mortal existence, even to the wounds in the flesh. Not that a person will always be marred by scars, wounds, deformities, defects or infirmities, for these will be removed in their course, in their proper time, according to the merciful providence of God. Deformity will be removed; defects will be eliminated, and men and women shall attain to the perfection of their spirits, to the perfection that God designed in the beginning” (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 23).

■ “Every creature that is born in the image of God will be resurrected from the dead. . . . But just as sure as we go down into the grave, through the transgression of our first parents, by whom death came into the world, so sure will we be resurrected from the dead by the power of Jesus Christ. It matters not whether we have done well or ill, whether we have been intelligent or ignorant, or whether we have been bondsmen or slaves or freemen, all men will be raised from the dead” (Joseph F. Smith, in Millennial Star, 12 Mar. 1896, 162).

■ “There is no fundamental principle belonging to a human system that ever goes into another in this world or in the world to come; I care not what the theories of men are. We have the testimony that God will raise us up, and he has the power to do it. If any one supposes that any part of our bodies, that is, the fundamental parts thereof, ever goes into another body, he is mistaken” (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 5:339).

B. There is order to the Resurrection.

■ “Jesus was the only person who ever came into this world who had power over death, and having that great power, by the shedding of his blood on the cross, he could redeem us and get the power of the resurrection. After he came forth from the tomb, he had all power to call every other person forth from the grave. And after he came forth, on the third day after his crucifixion, he opened the graves of the righteous saints who had lived from the days of Adam to the time of his crucifixion” (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:260).

■ “Two great resurrections await the inhabitants of the earth: one is the first resurrection, the resurrection of life, the resurrection of the just; the other is the second resurrection, the resurrection of damnation, the resurrection of the unjust. (John 5:28–29; Rev. 20; D. & C. 76.) But even within these two separate resurrections, there is an order in which the dead will come forth. Those being resurrected with celestial bodies, whose destiny is to inherit a celestial kingdom, will come forth in the morning of the first resurrection. . . .

“‘And after this another angel shall sound, which is the second trump; and then cometh the redemption of those who are Christ’s at his coming; who have received their part in that prison which is prepared for them, that they might receive the gospel, and be judged according to men in the flesh.’ (D. & C. 88:99.) This is the afternoon of the first resurrection; it takes place after our Lord has ushered in the millennium. Those coming forth at that time do so with terrestrial bodies and are thus destined to inherit a terrestrial glory in eternity. (D. & C. 76:71–80.)

“At the end of the millennium, the second resurrection begins. In the forepart of this resurrection of the unjust those destined to come forth will be ‘the spirits of men who are to be judged, and are found under condemnation; And these are the rest of the dead; and they live not again until the thousand years are ended, neither again, until the end of the earth.’ (D. & C. 88:100–101.) These are the ones who have earned telestial bodies, who were wicked and carnal in mortality, and who have suffered the wrath of God in hell ‘until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb, shall have finished his work.’ (D. & C. 76:85.) Their final destiny is to inherit a telestial glory. (D. & C. 76:81–112.)

“Finally, in the latter end of the resurrection of damnation, the sons of perdition, those who ‘remain filthy still’ (D. & C. 88:102), shall come forth from their graves. (2 Ne. 9:14–16.)” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 640).

■ “It is the opinion of some that the resurrection is going on all the time now, but this is purely speculation without warrant in the scriptures. It is true that the Lord has power to call forth any person or persons from the dead, as he may desire, especially if they have a mission to perform which would require their resurrection. For example, we have the cases of Peter, James, and Moroni.

“We are given to understand that the first resurrection yet future, which means the coming forth of the righteous, will take place at one particular time, which is when our Savior shall appear in the clouds of heaven, when he shall return to reign. For us to speculate whether or not the Prophet Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Brigham Young, and others have been called forth, without any revelation from the Lord, is merely supposition. When the Lord wants any of these men, he has the power to call them, but the first resurrection, with which we have any future concern, will commence when Christ comes” (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:299–300).

C. Everyone will appear before the Lord to be judged.

■ “In his exalted state Christ has attained all power both in heaven and on earth so that the fulness of the godhead dwells in him; he has been exalted to the right hand of the Father, from whence, in due course, he shall come to judge all men. . . .

“The Son, not the Father, is the Judge of the whole earth, but his judgment is made in accordance with the will of the Father and therefore is just. . . .

“Because Jesus is the Son of Man of Holiness he has been given the power to execute judgment, to sit in judgment at the great and last day, to call all men forth in immortality to stand before his bar” (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:190, 192, 195).

■ “When we reflect upon the statement of creatures being judged without law, the question arises as to who are to be their judges. We may here state that Christ is called the judge of the quick and the dead, the judge of all the earth” (John Taylor, The Mediation and Atonement, 155).

■ “We may deceive one another, and, in some circumstances, as counterfeit coin passes for that which is considered true and valuable among men. But God searches the hearts and tries the reins of the children of men. He knows our thoughts and comprehends our desires and feelings; he knows our acts and the motives which prompt us to perform them. He is acquainted with all the doings and operations of the human family, and all the secret thoughts and acts of the children of men are open and naked before him, and for them he will bring them to judgment” (John Taylor, in Journal of Discourses, 16:301–2).

■ “God does not judge men as we do, nor look upon them in the same light that we do. He knows our imperfections—all the causes, the ‘whys and wherefores’ are made manifest unto Him. He judges us by our acts and the intents of our hearts. His judgments will be true, just and righteous; ours are obscured by the imperfections of man” (Joseph F. Smith, in Journal of Discourses, 24:78).

Chapter 33
Kingdoms of Glory and Perdition

Introduction

God’s eternal plan provides a place in the eternal worlds for each one of His children. The Prophet Joseph Smith learned this truth in the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 76.

Doctrinal Outline

A. There are three kingdoms, or degrees, of glory, which are compared to the sun, the moon, and the stars.

See 1 Corinthians 15:40–42; Doctrine and Covenants 76:96–98.

B. The Lord has prescribed requirements for eternal life in the celestial kingdom.

1. We must receive the testimony of Jesus, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and keep the commandments (see D&C 76:51–52).

2. We must overcome all things by faith and be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise (see D&C 76:53, 60).

3. We must comply with the new and everlasting covenant of marriage (see D&C 131:1–3).

C. Great opportunities and rewards have been promised to those who inherit the celestial kingdom.

1. The celestial kingdom is a kingdom of resplendent glory (see D&C 137:1–4).

2. Faithful members of the Church will come forth in the morning of the First Resurrection and receive a glorified, celestial body (see D&C 76:64–65; 88:28–29).

3. Those who inherit the celestial kingdom will dwell in the presence of God and Christ forever (see D&C 76:62).

4. Those in the celestial kingdom will minister to the inhabitants of the terrestrial kingdom (see D&C 76:86–87).

5. Those who inherit exaltation, the highest degree in the celestial kingdom, will become kings and priests unto God and members of the Church of the Firstborn (see D&C 76:54–57).

6. Through the Atonement and their own faithfulness, those who obtain exaltation become gods (see D&C 76:58; 132:19–20).

7. Exalted beings receive all things that the Father has (see D&C 76:55, 59; 84:38).

D. The Lord has described those who will inherit the terrestrial kingdom.

1. Those who inherit the terrestrial kingdom are described as honorable people who, either in this world or in the spirit world, receive the testimony of Jesus but are not valiant in that testimony (see D&C 76:71–79).

2. Among those who inherit the terrestrial kingdom will be people who died without the law, spirits kept in prison, and some members of the Church who were not sufficiently valiant (see D&C 76:72–75, 79).

3. Those who reject the prophets in this life and then accept the gospel in the spirit world will inherit the terrestrial kingdom (see D&C 76:73–74; 138:32).

E. The Lord has told us some of the conditions in the terrestrial kingdom.

1. The inhabitants of the terrestrial kingdom will enjoy the presence of the Son but not the fulness of the Father (see D&C 76:77).

2. Those in the terrestrial kingdom will minister to those in the telestial kingdom (see D&C 76:81, 86).

3. The terrestrial kingdom exceeds the glory, power, might, and dominion of the telestial kingdom (see D&C 76:91).

4. Those who inherit the terrestrial kingdom will come forth in the First Resurrection after those who inherit the celestial kingdom have been resurrected (see D&C 88:99; 45:54).

F. The Lord has described those who will inherit the telestial kingdom.

1. Those who profess to follow Christ or the prophets but willfully reject the gospel, the testimony of Jesus, the prophets, and the everlasting covenant will inherit the telestial kingdom (see D&C 76:99–101).

2. The inhabitants of the telestial kingdom will include those who were murderers, liars, sorcerers, adulterers, and whoremongers—in general, the wicked people of the earth (see D&C 76:103; Revelation 22:15). These inhabitants of the telestial kingdom will have become clean through their suffering so that they can abide telestial glory.

3. The inhabitants of the telestial kingdom will be as innumerable as the stars (see D&C 76:109).

G. The Lord has outlined the conditions and limitations of the telestial kingdom.

1. The inhabitants of the telestial kingdom will suffer the wrath of God and be cast into hell until the end of the Millennium (see D&C 76:84, 104–6; 2 Nephi 28:15).

2. Those in the telestial kingdom will receive the Holy Ghost through the ministration of those in the terrestrial kingdom (see D&C 76:86, 88).

3. Telestial glory surpasses all human understanding (see D&C 76:89).

4. Those obedient to telestial laws will be resurrected with telestial bodies in the Second, or Last, Resurrection (see D&C 76:85; 88:31; Mosiah 15:26).

5. Those in the telestial kingdom will be servants of God, “but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end” (D&C 76:112).

H. The scriptures explain who the sons of perdition are and what their fate will be.

1. Satan and the one-third of the hosts of heaven who followed him became sons of perdition (see D&C 76:25–30; 29:36–38; Revelation 12:7–9; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6).

2. Those who in mortality have known the power of God, been made partakers of it, and then later denied the truth and defied God’s power will also be sons of perdition (see D&C 76:31–32).

3. Those who deny the Holy Ghost after having received it and crucify the Savior unto themselves will have no forgiveness and will be sons of perdition (see D&C 76:34–36; Matthew 12:31–32).

4. Sons of perdition will suffer the wrath of God and partake of the second death (see D&C 76:33, 37–38).

5. Those who become sons of perdition in mortality will be resurrected but will not be redeemed in a kingdom of glory (see D&C 76:38–39, 43–44; 88:24, 32).

6. Only those who become sons of perdition will be able to comprehend the magnitude of the misery of those who inherit such a state (see D&C 76:44–48).

Supporting Statements

A. There are three kingdoms, or degrees, of glory, which are compared to the sun, the moon, and the stars.

■ “1. The Celestial Glory—There are some who have striven to obey all the divine commandments, who have accepted the testimony of Christ, obeyed ‘the laws and ordinances of the Gospel,’ and received the Holy Spirit; these are they who have overcome evil by godly works and who are therefore entitled to the highest glory; . . . they possess celestial bodies, ‘whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical’; they are admitted to the glorified company, crowned with exaltation in the celestial kingdom.

“2. The Terrestrial Glory—We read of others who receive glory of a secondary order, differing from the highest as ‘the moon differs from the sun in the firmament.’ These are they who, though honorable, failed to comply with the requirements for exaltation, were blinded by the craftiness of men and unable to receive and obey the higher laws of God. They proved ‘not valiant in the testimony of Jesus,’ and therefore are not entitled to the fulness of glory.

“3. The Telestial Glory—There is another grade, differing from the higher orders as the stars differ from the brighter orbs of the firmament; this is for those who received not the testimony of Christ, but who, nevertheless, did not deny the Holy Spirit; who have led lives exempting them from the heaviest punishment, yet whose redemption will be delayed until the last resurrection. In the telestial world there are innumerable degrees comparable to the varying light of the stars. Yet all who receive of any one of these orders of glory are at last saved, and upon them Satan will finally have no claim” (James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith, 91–92).

B. The Lord has prescribed requirements for eternal life in the celestial kingdom.

■ “Those who gain exaltation in the celestial kingdom are those who are members of the Church of the Firstborn; in other words, those who keep all the commandments of the Lord. . . .

“The higher ordinances in the temple of God pertain to exaltation in the celestial kingdom. . . . In order to receive this blessing, one must keep the full law, must abide the law by which that kingdom is governed; for, ‘He who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory’ [D&C 88:22]” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:41–42).

■ “Highest among the kingdoms of glory hereafter is the celestial kingdom. It is the kingdom of God, the glory thereof being typified by the sun in the firmament. (D. & C. 76:50–70, 92–96; 1 Cor. 15:39–42.) . . .

“. . . By entering the gate of repentance and baptism candidates find themselves on the strait and narrow path leading to the celestial kingdom. By devotion and faithfulness, by enduring to the end in righteousness and obedience, it is then possible to merit a celestial reward. (2 Ne. 31:17–21.)” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 116).

■ “I think it is of great importance to us as a people to know what we shall do. Are we content to aim for telestial glory? I never heard a prayer offered, especially in the family circle, in which the family does not beseech God to give them celestial glory. Telestial glory is not in their thoughts. Terrestrial glory may be all right for honorable Gentiles, who have not faith enough to believe the Gospel and who do right according to the best knowledge they have; but celestial glory is our aim—I perhaps should not say it is the aim, for sometimes it is not, but it is the hope. If into a family that had just offered prayer, and had asked God to lead them into the celestial kingdom, an angel should enter and should say to them that their prayers were useless and that they would never attain unto celestial glory, what a feeling would be produced in the breasts of that family! How sorrowful and afflicted they would feel! Yet, as I have said, while it is the aim of many, they do not act as if it were their true aim. They either misconceive the nature of the duties they have to perform to attain to celestial glory, or else they are very blind indeed.

“I ask again, what is your aim, or my aim? What do I desire? If I desire celestial glory, the highest law that God has revealed I will be willing to obey, and to observe every word that proceedeth from His mouth. I do not want to speak of myself, but if there is a law that God has revealed and it is necessary to be obeyed before celestial glory can be reached, I want to know it and obey it. All that I am on this earth for is to get celestial glory” (George Q. Cannon, in Conference Report, Apr. 1900, 55–56).

■ “When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the Gospel—you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave” (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 348).

C. Great opportunities and rewards have been promised to those who inherit the celestial kingdom.

■ “Through a continual course of progression, our Heavenly Father has received exaltation and glory, and He points us out the same path; and inasmuch as He is clothed with power, authority, and glory, He says, ‘Walk ye up and come in possession of the same glory and happiness that I possess.’

“In the gospel, those things have been made manifest unto us; and we are perfectly assured that, inasmuch as we are faithful, we shall eventually come in possession of everything that the mind of man can conceive of—everything that heart can desire” (Lorenzo Snow, The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, 3–4).

■ “Some might suppose that it would be a great blessing to be taken and carried directly into heaven and there set down, but in reality that would be no blessing to such persons; they could not reap a full reward, could not enjoy the glory of the kingdom, and could not comprehend and abide the light thereof, but it would be to them a hell intolerable and I suppose would consume them much quicker than would hell fire. It would be no blessing to you to be carried into the celestial kingdom, and obliged to stay therein, unless you were prepared to dwell there” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, 95).

D. The Lord has described those who will inherit the terrestrial kingdom.

■ “Into the terrestrial kingdom will go all those who are honorable and who have lived clean virtuous lives, but who would not receive the Gospel, but in the spirit world repented and accepted it as far as it can be given unto them. Many of these have been blinded by tradition and the love of the world, and have not been able to see the beauties of the Gospel” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:287–88).

■ “To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to bridle our passions, control our appetites, and rise above carnal and evil things. It is to overcome the world as did he who is our prototype and who himself was the most valiant of all our Father’s children. It is to be morally clean, to pay our tithes and offerings, to honor the Sabbath day, to pray with full purpose of heart, to lay our all upon the altar if called upon to do so.

“To be valiant in the testimony of Jesus is to take the Lord’s side on every issue. It is to vote as he would vote. It is to think what he thinks, to believe what he believes, to say what he would say and do what he would do in the same situation. It is to have the mind of Christ and be one with him as he is one with his Father” (Bruce R. McConkie, in Conference Report, Oct. 1974, 46; or Ensign, Nov. 1974, 35).

E. The Lord has told us some of the conditions in the terrestrial kingdom.

■ “After the Lord and the righteous who are caught up to meet him have descended upon the earth, there will come to pass another resurrection. This may be considered as a part of the first, although it comes later. In this resurrection will come forth those of the terrestrial order, who were not worthy to be caught up to meet him, but who are worthy to come forth to enjoy the millennial reign” (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:296).

F. The Lord has described those who will inherit the telestial kingdom.

■ “Those who enter into the telestial kingdom, where their glories differ as do the stars of heaven in their magnitude, and who are innumerable as the sands of the seashore, are the ungodly, the filthy who suffer the wrath of God on the earth, who are thrust down to hell where they will be required to pay the uttermost farthing before their redemption comes. These are they who receive not the gospel of Christ and consequently could not deny the Holy Spirit while living on the earth.

“They have no part in the first resurrection and are not redeemed from the devil and his angels until the last resurrection, because of their wicked lives and their evil deeds. Nevertheless, even these are heirs of salvation, but before they are redeemed and enter into their kingdom, they must repent of their sins, and receive the gospel, and bow the knee, and acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer of the world” (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:22).

G. The Lord has outlined the conditions and limitations of the telestial kingdom.

■ “That glory granted the inhabitants of the lowest kingdom of glory is called telestial glory. In the infinite mercy of a beneficent Father it surpasses all mortal understanding, and yet it is in no way comparable to the glory of the terrestrial and celestial worlds. Telestial glory is typified by the stars of the firmament, and ‘as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world’ (D. & C. 76:81–112; 1 Cor. 15:41), meaning that all who inherit the telestial kingdom will not receive the same glory” (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 778).

■ “Even to hell there is an exit as well as an entrance; and when sentence has been served, commuted perhaps by repentance and its attendant works, the prison doors shall open and the penitent captive be afforded opportunity to comply with the law, which he aforetime violated. . . .

“The inhabitants of the telestial world—the lowest of the kingdoms of glory prepared for resurrected souls, shall include those ‘who are thrust down to hell’ and ‘who shall not be redeemed from the devil until the last resurrection.’ ([D&C] 76:82–85.) And though these may be delivered from hell and attain to a measure of glory with possibilities of progression, yet their lot shall be that of ‘servants of the Most High, but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end.’ (v. 112.) Deliverance from hell is not admittance to heaven” (James E. Talmage, The Vitality of Mormonism, 255–56).

H. The scriptures explain who the sons of perdition are and what their fate will be.

■ “All sins shall be forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Ghost; for Jesus will save all except the sons of perdition. What must a man do to commit the unpardonable sin? He must receive the Holy Ghost, have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then sin against him. After a man has sinned against the Holy Ghost, there is no repentance for him. He has got to say that the sun does not shine while he sees it; he has got to deny Jesus Christ when the heavens have been opened unto him, and to deny the plan of salvation with his eyes open to the truth of it; and from that time he begins to be an enemy. This is the case with many apostates of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 6:314).

■ “And he that believes, is baptized, and receives the light and testimony of Jesus Christ, and walks well for a season, receiving the fulness of the blessings of the gospel in this world, and afterwards turns wholly unto sin, violating his covenants, he will be among those whom the gospel can never reach in the spirit world; and all such go beyond its saving power, they will taste the second death, and be banished from the presence of God eternally” (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 476–77).

■ “In the realms of perdition or the kingdom of darkness, where there is no light, Satan and the unembodied spirits of the pre-existence shall dwell together with those of mortality who retrogress to the level of perdition. These have lost the power of regeneration. They have sunk so low as to have lost the inclinations and ability to repent, consequently the gospel plan is useless to them as an agent of growth and development” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, 125).

Chapter 34
The Signs of the Times

Introduction

Through the prophets the Lord has revealed many signs that pertain to this dispensation to help latter-day Israel prepare for His Second Coming and the great events that will precede it. In January 1831 the Lord stated through the Prophet Joseph Smith, “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30).

Doctrinal Outline

A. The signs of the times in our day are events that were prophesied to take place in the latter days before the Second Coming of Christ.

1. A general apostasy would precede the Second Coming of Christ (see 2 Thessalonians 2:1–4; Isaiah 29:10, 13).

2. The gospel would be restored (see Daniel 2:44; Revelation 14:6; Acts 3:19–21).

3. Scattered Israel would be gathered home (see Articles of Faith 1:10; Jeremiah 16:14–16; Amos 9:8–15; 2 Nephi 25:15–17; Jeremiah 31:6–14; 1 Nephi 22:11–12).

4. Wickedness will be rampant (see 2 Timothy 3:1–7; Matthew 24:37–39; Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:30).

5. Physical calamities will occur (see Revelation 8:7–13; 16:1–16; D&C 88:87; Revelation 6:12–13; D&C 45:26, 33, 40–42; Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:29, 32–33).

6. Wars and rumors of wars will abound (see Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:28; Ezekiel 38–39; D&C 45:26; Revelation 9:1–19).

7. Babylon, the great and abominable church, will fall (see Revelation 18:1–18; D&C 29:21; 1 Nephi 22:23; D&C 88:94, 105).

8. Zion will be established (see Moses 7:62–64; D&C 45:64–71; 3 Nephi 20:18, 22; Articles of Faith 1:10).

9. Our Father in Heaven has assured us that all of His prophecies and promises pertaining to the latter days will come to pass (see D&C 1:37–38).

B. A knowledge of the signs of the times can help us turn to the Lord and prepare ourselves for His Second Coming.

1. Those who revere the Lord and receive His gospel will be looking for His coming and the signs that will precede it (see D&C 45:39; 35:15; 2 Nephi 26:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:4–6).

2. The Lord uses the signs of the times to call us back to Him (see D&C 43:24–25).

3. Those who treasure up the scriptures, which contain the signs of the times, will not be deceived; they will be ready for the Savior’s Second Coming (see Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:37, 46–48; D&C 50:45–46).

Supporting Statements

A. The signs of the times in our day are events that were prophesied to take place in the latter days before the Second Coming of Christ.

■ “Signs are the recognizable events or occurrences which identify present and which portend future events. They are omens, prodigies, wonders, and marvels of abnormal occurrence. Time means the age, era, period, or dispensation involved. Thus the signs of the times for our age or dispensation are the marvelous events—differing in kind, extent, or magnitude from events of past times—which identify the dispensation of the fulness of times and presage the Second Advent of our Lord” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 715–16).

■ “Many things have taken place during the past one hundred and thirty-six years to impress faithful members of the Church with the fact that the coming of the Lord is near. The gospel has been restored. The Church has been fully organized. The priesthood has been conferred upon man. The various dispensations from the beginning have been revealed and their keys and authorities given to the Church. Israel has been and is being gathered to the land of Zion. The Jews are returning to Jerusalem. The gospel is being preached in all the world as a witness to every nation. Temples are being built, and ordinance work for the dead, as well as for the living, is performed in them. The hearts of the children have turned to their fathers, and the children are seeking after their dead. The covenants which the Lord promised to make with Israel in the latter days have been revealed, and thousands of gathered Israel have entered into them. Thus the work of the Lord is advancing, and all these things are signs of the near approach of our Lord” (Joseph Fielding Smith, in Conference Report, Apr. 1966, 12–13).

■ “Before this earth becomes a fit habitat for the Holy One, it must be cleansed and purified. The wicked must be destroyed; peace must replace war; and the evil imaginations in the hearts of men must give way to desires for righteousness. How shall this be brought to pass? There are two ways: (1) By plagues and pestilence and wars and desolation. The wicked shall slay the wicked, as did the Nephites and the Lamanites in the day of the extinction of the Nephites as a nation. Plagues will sweep the earth, as the Black Death ravaged Asia and Europe in the fourteenth century. The carcasses of the dead will be stacked in uncounted numbers to rot and decay and fill the earth with stench. (2) Then, at his coming, the vineyard will be burned. The residue of the wicked will be consumed” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah, 378).

■ “All we have yet heard and we have experienced is scarcely a preface to the sermon that is going to be preached. When the testimony of the Elders ceases to be given, and the Lord says to them, ‘Come home; I will now preach my own sermons to the nations of the earth,’ all you now know can scarcely be called a preface to the sermon that will be preached with fire and sword, tempests, earthquakes, hail, rain, thunders and lightnings, and fearful destruction. What matters the destruction of a few railway cars? You will hear of magnificent cities, now idolized by the people, sinking in the earth, entombing the inhabitants. The sea will heave itself beyond its bounds, engulfing mighty cities. Famine will spread over the nations and nation will rise up against nation, kingdom against kingdom and states against states, in our own country and in foreign lands; and they will destroy each other, caring not for the blood and lives of their neighbors, of their families, or for their own lives” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, 111–12).

■ “In the very nature of things, the signs of the times will not cease until the Lord comes. Those that involve chaos and commotion and distress of nations will continue in the future with even greater destructive force. Men’s hearts will fail them for fear in greater degree hereafter than heretofore. Wars will get worse. Moments of armistice and peace will be less stable. Viewed in the perspective of years, all worldly things will degenerate. There will be an increasing polarization of views. There will be more apostasy from the Church, more summer saints and sunshine patriots who will be won over to the cause of the adversary. Those who support the kingdom because of the loaves and the fishes will find other bread to eat. While the faithful saints get better and better, and cleave more firmly to the heaven-sent standards, the world will get worse and worse and will cleave to the policies and views of Lucifer” (McConkie, Millennial Messiah, 404).

■ “The coming of the Son of Man never will be—never can be till the judgments spoken of for this hour are poured out: which judgments are commenced. Paul says, ‘Ye are the children of the light, and not of the darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief in the night.’ 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 etc.; 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 one grand sign of the Son of Man in heaven. But what will the world do? They will say it is a planet, a comet, etc. 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” (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 286–87).

B. A knowledge of the signs of the times can help us turn to the Lord and prepare ourselves for His Second Coming.

■ “I will prophesy that the signs of the coming of the Son of Man are already commenced. One pestilence will desolate after another. We shall soon have war and bloodshed. The moon will be turned into blood. I testify of these things, and that the coming of the Son of Man is nigh, even at your doors. If our souls and our bodies are not looking forth for the coming of the Son of Man; and after we are dead, if we are not looking forth, we shall be among those who are calling for the rocks to fall upon them” (Smith, Teachings, 160).

■ “One of the great incentives which encourages and entices men to live lives of personal righteousness, is the doctrine of the Second Coming of the Messiah. Many revelations speak of the signs which shall precede our Lord’s return; others tell of the tragic yet glorious events which shall attend and accompany his return to earth; and still others recite the good and ill which shall befall the living and the dead at that time. All this is preserved in holy writ so that men will be led to prepare themselves for the day of the Lord, the day when he shall take vengeance upon the ungodly and pour forth blessings upon those who love his appearing” (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:674–75).

■ “Treasure up the Lord’s word. Possess it, own it, make it yours by both believing it and living it. For instance: the voice of the Lord says that if men have faith, repent, and are baptized, they shall receive the Holy Ghost. It is not sufficient merely to know what the scripture says. One must treasure it up, meaning take it into his possession so affirmatively that it becomes a part of his very being; as a consequence, in the illustration given, one actually receives the companionship of the Spirit. Obviously such persons will not be deceived where the signs of the times and the Second Coming of the Messiah are concerned” (McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:662).

■ “Our souls cry out: ‘God hasten the day of the coming of thy Son,’ and yet we know that such cannot be. The day is fixed and the hour is set. The signs have been, are now, and will hereafter be shown forth. Our obligation is to discern the signs of the times lest we, with the world, be taken unawares” (McConkie, Millennial Messiah, 405).

■ “There are among us many loose writings predicting the calamities which are about to overtake us. Some of these have been publicized as though they were necessary to wake up the world to the horrors about to overtake us. Many of these are from sources upon which there cannot be unquestioned reliance.

“Are you priesthood bearers aware of the fact that we need no such publications to be forewarned, if we were only conversant with what the scriptures have already spoken to us in plainness?

“Let me give you the sure word of prophecy on which you should rely for your guide instead of these strange sources which may have great political implications.

“Read the 24th chapter of Matthew—particularly that inspired version as contained in the Pearl of Great Price [Joseph Smith—Matthew].

“Then read the 45th section of the Doctrine and Covenants where the Lord, not man, has documented the signs of the times.

“Now turn to section 101 and section 133 of the Doctrine and Covenants and hear the step-by-step recounting of events leading up to the coming of the Savior.

“Finally, turn to the promises the Lord makes to those who keep the commandments when these judgments descend upon the wicked, as set forth in the Doctrine and Covenants, section 38.

“Brethren, these are some of the writings with which you should concern yourselves, rather than commentaries that may come from those whose information may not be the most reliable and whose motives may be subject to question. And may I say, parenthetically, most of such writers are not handicapped by having any authentic information on their writings” (Harold B. Lee, in Conference Report, Oct. 1972, 128; or Ensign, Jan. 1973, 106).

Chapter 35
The Fall of Babylon and the Establishment of Zion

Introduction

The future is bright, and Latter-day Saints have every reason to be optimistic about the establishment of Zion. It might be well to remind ourselves that Enoch and his people established Zion in their day, also a time of great wickedness. We will do the same. Babylon will yet fall, and Zion will be established by the Lord’s covenant people in this dispensation, the last dispensation before the Second Coming of the Lord.

Doctrinal Outline

A. Babylon symbolizes evil.

1. God destroyed Babylon, a wicked city in the ancient world (see Isaiah 13:19–22; Jeremiah 51:37, 52–58).

2. Babylon has become the symbol of the wickedness and evils of the world (see D&C 133:14; Revelation 17:5; 18:2; D&C 86:3).

B. Spiritual Babylon will fall in utter ruin.

1. Prophets have foretold the fall of Babylon the great (see Isaiah 21:9; D&C 1:16; Revelation 18:21; D&C 35:11).

2. The Saints of God are commanded to flee out of the midst of Babylon (see D&C 133:5, 7, 14–15; Jeremiah 51:6; Revelation 18:2–4).

3. The Lord will not spare anyone that remains in spiritual Babylon (see D&C 64:24).

4. All the righteous will rejoice that righteousness has replaced wickedness at the eventual fall of Babylon (see Revelation 18:2, 10, 20; 19:1–3).

C. Zion is the name given by the Lord to His righteous Saints.

1. Zion is the pure in heart in any day, in any time, in any place (see D&C 97:21).

2. The people of Zion are of one heart and one mind; they dwell in righteousness, and there are no poor among them (see Moses 7:18).

3. Zion is a place of holiness and beauty (see Psalm 50:2; Isaiah 4:5; D&C 82:14).

4. The Lord is the founder and sustainer of Zion (see Isaiah 14:32; 60:14; D&C 97:19).

5. In his day Enoch built a city of Zion, which was translated and taken from the earth (see Moses 7:18–21).

6. The law will go forth from Zion (see 2 Nephi 12:2–5).

D. As spiritual Babylon ripens in iniquity, a great latter-day Zion will be established.

1. Zion and her stakes will be a place of peace and safety for the Saints of God (see D&C 45:66, 68–70; 82:14; 101:21; 115:5–6).

2. Zion can be built only upon celestial principles (see D&C 105:5).

3. The center place for the latter-day Zion is Independence, Jackson County, Missouri (see D&C 57:1–3).

4. The latter-day Zion will be called the New Jerusalem (see D&C 45:65–66; 3 Nephi 20:22; D&C 84:2–5; Ether 13:3, 6, 8).

5. The establishment of Zion will come by power, for all who fight against her will be destroyed (see D&C 103:15; 1 Nephi 22:14; 2 Nephi 6:13).

6. The great latter-day Zion and the City of Enoch will merge in the latter days (see Moses 7:62–64; D&C 84:99–100).

Supporting Statements

A. Babylon symbolizes evil.

■ “Anciently Babylon was the chief and capital city of the Babylonian empire. . . .

“. . . To the Lord’s people anciently, Babylon was known as the center of iniquity, carnality, and worldliness. Everything connected with it was in opposition to all righteousness and had the effect of leading men downward to the destruction of their souls” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 68–69).

■ “Babylon was also destroyed by Xerxes in 478 B.C. and again after Alexander the Great overran the Persian empire in 330 B.C. A rival city was soon built on the Tigris, and Babylon never recovered. Today the greatest world city of antiquity is a mound of desert earth that will not rise again. Babylon the great has fallen forever” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah, 423–24).

■ “In prophetic imagery, Babylon is the world with all its carnality and wickedness. Babylon is the degenerate social order created by lustful men who love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. Babylon is the almighty governmental power that takes the saints of God into captivity; it is the false churches that build false temples and worship false gods; it is every false philosophy . . . that leads men away from God and salvation. Babylon is false and degenerate religion in all its forms and branches. Babylon is the communistic system that seeks to destroy the freedom of people in all nations and kingdoms; it is the Mafia and crime syndicates that murder and rob and steal; it is the secret combinations that seek for power and unrighteous dominion over the souls of men. Babylon is the promoter of pornography; it is organized crime and prostitution; it is every evil and wicked and ungodly thing in our whole social structure” (McConkie, Millennial Messiah, 424).

B. Spiritual Babylon will fall in utter ruin.

■ “Alas! the nations are in a deep sleep! They are drunken with the abominations of great Babylon! Their cup of wickedness is nearly full! It will soon overflow! Then shall the day of their visitation come—a day of sorrow and mourning—a day of great distress—a day of peril and war! The hosts of the mighty shall fall! The strength of the nations shall cease, and their glory shall pass away! . . . Then shall the remnant of the heathen know that the Lord is God, for they shall see and hear of his judgments, which he shall execute upon the corrupt powers of the earth. . . . O Babylon! thou hast decked thyself with costly ornaments! Thou hast clothed thyself with the most gaudy apparel! . . . Thine external appearance has excited the admiration of all nations. But internally thou art rotten. . . . Thou hast gathered the tares of the earth, and bound them in bundles, and made their bands strong, that they may be ready for the burning. O Babylon, thy cup is nearly full! Thine hour is close at hand! Thou shalt fall and not rise again!” (Orson Pratt, Masterful Discourses and Writings of Orson Pratt, 86–87).

■ “Here is a truism that all men should hear: Babylon fell, and her gods with her; and Babylon shall fall, and her gods with her. False gods create an evil society. The world is the world, and Babylon is Babylon, because they worship false gods. When men worship the true God according to gospel standards, their social conditions rival those in Enoch’s city; when men worship false gods, they fall into the ways of the world, and their social conditions become as those in Babylon. When we view the fall of Babylon anciently, what we see is the destruction of her idols and ways of worship; and we shall come to the fall of Babylon in the last days, it will be—oh blessed day—the destruction of false worship. . . . The great and abominable church shall tumble to the dust. False worship shall cease” (McConkie, Millennial Messiah, 429–30).

C. Zion is the name given by the Lord to His righteous Saints.

■ There are several meanings of the word Zion.

“It may have reference to the hill named Mt. Zion or by extension in the land of Jerusalem.

“It has sometimes been used, as by the prophet Micah, to refer to the location of ‘the mountain of the house of the Lord’—as some place apart from Jerusalem. [See Micah 4:2.]

“Zion was so called by Enoch in reference to the ‘City of Holiness,’ or the ‘City of Enoch.’ [See Moses 7:18–19.] The Land of Zion has been used to refer, in some connotations, to the Western Hemisphere.

“But there is another most significant use of the term by which the Church of God is called Zion, comprising, according to the Lord’s own definition, ‘the pure in heart.’ (D&C 97:21.)” (Harold B. Lee, in Conference Report, Oct. 1968, 61–62).

■ “Zion is ‘every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God.’ (D&C 82:19.) As I understand these matters, Zion can be established only by who are pure in heart, and who labor for Zion, for ‘the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish.’ (2 Ne. 26:31.)” (Spencer W. Kimball, in Conference Report, Apr. 1978, 122; or Ensign, May 1978, 81).

■ “When Zion is established in her beauty and honor and glory, the kings and princes of the earth will come, in order that they may get information and teach the same to their people. They will come as they came to learn the wisdom of Solomon” (John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom, 216).

■ “We are here to build up the church of God, the Zion of God, and the kingdom of God, and to be on hand to do whatever God requires—first to purge ourselves from all iniquity, from covetousness and evil of every kind, to forsake sin of every sort, cultivate the Spirit of God, and help to build up his kingdom; to beautify Zion and have pleasant habitations, and pleasant gardens and orchards, until Zion shall be the most beautiful place there is on the earth. . . . Zion shall yet become the praise and the glory of the whole earth” (Taylor, Gospel Kingdom, 221).

■ “The people of the city of Enoch, because of their integrity and faithfulness, were as pilgrims and strangers on the earth. This is due to the fact that they were living the celestial law in a telestial world, and all were of one mind, perfectly obedient to all commandments of the Lord. When Christ comes, these people will be returned to the earth again, for this is their eternal abode” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 1:195).

Adam-ondi-Ahman

D. As spiritual Babylon ripens in iniquity, a great latter-day Zion will be established.

■ “In the day of regeneration, when all things are made new, there will be three great cities that will be holy. One will be the Jerusalem of old which shall be rebuilt according to the prophecy of Ezekiel. One will be the city of Zion, or of Enoch, which was taken from the earth when Enoch was translated and which will be restored; and the city Zion, or New Jerusalem, which is to be built by the seed of Joseph on this the American continent” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 2:105).

■ “[The Lord] has told us in great plainness that the world will be in distress, that there will be warfare from one end of the world to the other, that the wicked shall slay the wicked and that peace shall be taken from the earth. And He has said, too, that the only place where there will be safety will be in Zion. Will we make this Zion? Will we keep it to be Zion, because Zion means the pure in heart?” (George Albert Smith, in Conference Report, Oct. 1941, 99).

■ “Jesus will never receive the Zion of God unless its people are united according to celestial law, for all who go into the presence of God have to go there by this law. Enoch had to practice this law, and we shall have to do the same if we are ever accepted of God as he was. It has been promised that the New Jerusalem will be built up in our day and generation, and it will have to be done by the United Order of Zion and according to celestial law” (Wilford Woodruff, in Journal of Discourses, 17:250).

■ “When Zion descends from above, Zion will also ascend from beneath, and be prepared to associate with those from above. The people will be so perfected and purified, ennobled, exalted, and dignified in their feelings and so truly humble and most worthy, virtuous and intelligent that they will be fit, when caught up, to associate with that Zion that shall come down from God out of heaven” (John Taylor, in Journal of Discourses, 10:147).

■ “We live in a day when the whole social structure is dividing itself into two camps. This is a day of the polarization of all people. In the Church the faithful members are perfecting their lives and drawing nearer to the Lord and his way of life. In the world wickedness is increasing and the rebellious and carnal among men are sinking to lower levels of evil and depravity than has been the case in any past days. These trends will continue unabated until the Lord comes. When he arrives there will be, on the one hand, a people prepared to meet him, and, on the other hand, there will be greater wickedness and carnality than has ever before been known. As time goes on, fewer and fewer among men will remain aloof from one or the other of these camps.

“Then when the Lord comes, he himself will both cause and complete the division among the people. Then there will be a great day of separation in which the wicked will be consumed and the righteous will be rewarded. . . .

“. . . The Lord does not delight in the destruction of the wicked. His bounteous mercy and grace and goodness are available for all men in all ages, but they are poured out only upon those whose works merit the receipt of such a wondrous boon. ‘For behold, the righteous shall not perish; for the time surely must come that all they who fight against Zion shall be cut off.’” (McConkie, Millennial Messiah, 554–55, 560).

Chapter 36
The Lord’s Second Coming

Introduction

To the Apostles in ancient times, two heavenly messengers in white apparel declared, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? 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). The Savior will return as promised to cleanse the earth of its corruption and to reign with His covenant people for a thousand years. These events will be hailed by righteous members of the Church in all ages with excitement and joy.

Doctrinal Outline

A. The Savior’s Second Coming has been prophesied throughout the ages.

See Acts 1:9–11; Matthew 16:27; 3 Nephi 24:2; Doctrine and Covenants 63:34; Moses 7:65.

B. The Savior will make several appearances before His Second Coming to all the world.

1. Christ will appear at Adam-ondi-Ahman (see Daniel 7:9–10, 13–14; D&C 116).

2. The Savior will appear to those in the New Jerusalem in America (see 3 Nephi 21:23–25; D&C 45:66–67).

3. The Savior will appear to the Jews in Jerusalem (see D&C 45:48, 51–53; Zechariah 12:10; 14:2–5).

4. The Lord will appear in glory to all mankind (see D&C 45:44; 101:23; Matthew 24:30; Isaiah 40:5; JST, Revelation 1:7).

C. The Lord has spoken about His final appearance in some detail.

1. No man knows the day or the hour of the Savior’s final appearance (see Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:40; D&C 49:6–7; 133:10–11).

2. The coming of the Lord is near, and “it overtaketh the world as a thief in the night” (D&C 106:4; see v. 5; 1 Thessalonians 5:2–4; Matthew 24:42–44).

3. The earth will reel to and fro, and the continents will be moved back together at the Savior’s coming (see D&C 88:87; Revelation 16:18–20; D&C 133:22–24).

4. A trump will sound long and loud to signal the Lord’s final appearance (see D&C 43:18; 29:13; 88:94; 49:23).

5. The veil will be removed from the earth when the Savior appears (see D&C 88:95; 38:8; 101:23).

6. The Lord will be clothed in red apparel at His Second Coming (see D&C 133:46–48; Isaiah 63:2–3; Revelation 19:11–13).

7. Those who have laughed and mocked about the Savior’s coming will realize their folly (see D&C 45:49–50).

8. The Second Coming of the Savior will cause the wicked to weep, wail, gnash their teeth, and wish that the mountains would fall on them (see D&C 29:15; Isaiah 2:19, 21; Alma 12:14).

9. The glory of the Savior’s presence will consume the wicked (see Nahum 1:5–10; D&C 133:41; 5:19).

10. Faithful Saints, both living and dead, will be caught up to meet Christ at His coming (see D&C 88:96–98; 45:45; 76:63; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).

11. The Savior will appear to all the world sometime in the beginning of the seventh thousand years of the earth’s temporal existence (see D&C 77:12–13).

Supporting Statements

A. The Savior’s Second Coming has been prophesied throughout the ages.

■ “The most often mentioned event in the entire Bible is that wonderful, yet awful experience that we will have when Jesus Christ shall come to judge our world. There are many important gospel doctrines mentioned in the Bible only briefly, and some not at all. The new birth is mentioned in the Bible nine times; baptism is mentioned 52 times, repentance is mentioned 89, but the second coming of Christ is mentioned over 1,500 times in the Old Testament and 300 times in the New Testament. If God thought this subject that important, he must have wanted us to do something about it” (Sterling W. Sill, in Conference Report, Apr. 1966, 19).

B. The Savior will make several appearances before His Second Coming to all the world.

■ “Daniel in his seventh chapter speaks of the Ancient of Days; he means the oldest man, our Father Adam, Michael, he [who] will call his children together and hold a council with them to prepare them for the coming of the Son of Man. He (Adam) is the father of the human family, and presides over the spirits of all men, and all that have had the keys must stand before him in this grand council. This may take place before some of us leave this stage of action. The Son of Man stands before him, and there is given him glory and dominion. Adam delivers up his stewardship to Christ, that which was delivered to him as holding the keys of the universe, but retains his standing as head of the human family” (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 157).

■ “Before the Lord Jesus descends openly and publicly in the clouds of glory, attended by all the hosts of heaven; before the great and dreadful day of the Lord sends terror and destruction from one end of the earth to the other; before he stands on Mount Zion, or sets his feet on Olivet, or utters his voice from an American Zion or a Jewish Jerusalem; before all flesh shall see him together; before any of his appearances, which taken together comprise the second coming of the Son of God—before all these, there is to be a secret appearance to selected members of his Church. He will come in private to his prophet and to the apostles then living. Those who have held keys and powers and authorities in all ages from Adam to the present will also be present” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah, 578–79).

■ “[Christ’s] next appearance [after his appearance in the New Jerusalem] will be among the distressed and nearly vanquished sons of Judah. At the crisis of their fate, when the hostile troops of several nations are ravaging the city and all the horrors of war are overwhelming the people of Jerusalem, he will set his feet upon the Mount of Olives, which will cleave and part asunder at his touch. Attended by a host from heaven, he will overthrow and destroy the combined armies of the Gentiles, and appear to the worshipping Jews as the mighty Deliverer and Conquerer so long expected by their race; and while love, gratitude, awe, and admiration swell their bosoms, the Deliverer will show them the tokens of his crucifixion and disclose himself as Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had reviled and whom their fathers put to death. Then will unbelief depart from their souls, and ‘the blindness in part which has happened unto Israel’ be removed” (Charles W. Penrose, “The Second Advent,” Millennial Star, 10 Sept. 1859, 583).

■ “The great and crowning advent of the Lord will be subsequent to these two appearances [to the New Jerusalem and to the Jews]; but who can describe it in the language of mortals? The tongue of man falters, and the pen drops from the hand of the writer, as the mind is rapt in contemplation of the sublime and awful majesty of his coming to take vengeance on the ungodly and to reign as King of the whole earth.

“He comes! The earth shakes, and the tall mountains tremble; the mighty deep rolls back to the north as in fear, and the rent skies glow like molten brass. He comes! The dead Saints burst forth from their tombs, and ‘those who are alive and remain’ are ‘caught up’ with them to meet him. The ungodly rush to hide themselves from his presence, and call upon the quivering rocks to cover them. He comes! with all the hosts of the righteous glorified. The breath of his lips strikes death to the wicked. His glory is a consuming fire. The proud and rebellious are as stubble; they are burned and ‘left neither root nor branch.’ He sweeps the earth ‘as with the besom of destruction.’ He deluges the earth with the fiery floods of his wrath, and the filthiness and abominations of the world are consumed. Satan and his dark hosts are taken and bound—the prince of the power of the air has lost his dominion, for He whose right it is to reign has come, and ‘the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ.’” (Penrose, “Second Advent,” 583).

■ “His first appearance will be to the righteous Saints who have gathered to the New Jerusalem. In this place of refuge they will be safe from the wrath of the Lord, which will be poured out without measure on all nations. . . .

“The second appearance of the Lord will be to the Jews. To these beleaguered sons of Judah, surrounded by hostile Gentile armies, who again threaten to overrun Jerusalem, the Savior—their Messiah—will appear and set His feet on the Mount of Olives, ‘and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake’ (D&C 45:48).

“The Lord Himself will then rout the Gentile armies, decimating their forces (see Ezek. 38, 39). Judah will be spared, no longer to be persecuted and scattered. . . .

“The third appearance of Christ will be to the rest of the world. . . .

“All nations will see Him ‘in the clouds of heaven, clothed with power and great glory; with all the holy angels; . . .

“‘And the Lord shall utter his voice, and all the ends of the earth shall hear it; and the nations of the earth shall mourn, and they that have laughed shall see their folly.

“‘And calamity shall cover the mocker, and the scorner shall be consumed; and they that have watched for iniquity shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.’ (D&C 45:44, 49–50.)

“Yes, come He will!” (Ezra Taft Benson, “Five Marks of the Divinity of Jesus Christ,” New Era, Dec. 1980, 49–50).

C. The Lord has spoken about His final appearance in some detail.

■ “Jesus Christ never did reveal to any man the precise time that He would come. Go and read the Scriptures, and you cannot find anything that specifies the exact hour He would come; and all that say so are false teachers” (Smith, Teachings, 341).

■ “The precise time of Christ’s coming has not been made known to man. By learning to comprehend the signs of the times, by watching the development of the work of God among the nations, and by noting the rapid fulfilment of significant prophecies, we may perceive the progressive evidence of the approaching event: ‘But the hour and the day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor shall they know until he comes’ [D&C 49:7]. 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 [2 Peter 3:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:2]” (James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith, 362–63).

■ “The second advent of the Son of God is to be something altogether of a different nature from anything that has hitherto transpired on the face of the earth, accompanied with great power and glory, something that will not be done in a small portion of the earth like Palestine, and seen only by a few; but it will be an event that will be seen by all—all flesh shall see the glory of the Lord; when he reveals himself the second time, every eye, not only those living at that time in the flesh, in mortality on the earth, but also the very dead themselves, they also who pierced him, those who lived eighteen hundred years ago, who were engaged in the cruel act of piercing his hands and his feet and his side, will also see him at that time” (Orson Pratt, in Journal of Discourses, 18:170).

■ “At the time appointed by the Father, the Son of Man will come in the clouds of heaven. It is an unknown day in the beginning of the seventh thousand years of the earth’s temporal continuance. War, such as has not been known from the beginning of time, is in progress. All nations are assembled at Armageddon.

“All things are in commotion. Never has there been such a day as this. The newspapers of the world, as well as radio and television, speak only of war and calamity and the dread that hangs like a millstone around every neck. . . .

“And the signs in heaven above are like nothing man has ever seen. Blood is everywhere; fire and vapors of smoke fill the atmospheric heavens. No man has seen a rainbow this year. . . .

“And above all are the vexing words of those Mormon Elders! They are everywhere preaching their strange doctrine, saying that the coming of the Lord is near, and that unless men repent and believe the gospel they will be destroyed by the brightness of his coming.

“In this setting, as these and ten thousand like things are in progress, suddenly, quickly, as from the midst of eternity, He comes! Fire burns before him; tempests spread destruction; the earth trembles and reels to and fro as a drunken man. Every corruptible thing is consumed. He sets his foot on the Mount called Olivet; it cleaves in twain. The Lord has returned and the great millennium is here! The year of his redeemed has arrived!” (McConkie, Millennial Messiah, 21–22).

■ “When the Lord comes in his glory, in flaming fire, that fire will both cleanse the vineyard and burn the earth. In that day, so intense shall be the heat and so universal the burning, the very elements of which this earth is composed shall melt. The mountains, high and glorious and made of solid rock, shall melt like wax. They shall become molten and flow down into the valleys below. The very earth itself, as now constituted, shall be dissolved. All things shall burn with fervent heat. And out of it all shall come new heavens and a new earth whereon dwelleth righteousness” (McConkie, Millennial Messiah, 526–27).

■ “Now brethren and sisters, the great day of the Lord is coming. It is going to be a terrible day. The wicked are going to be destroyed, and when I say the wicked I do not mean everybody outside the Mormon Church. There will be countless millions of people not of this Church spared because they are not ripe in iniquity and to them we will preach the everlasting Gospel and bring them unto Christ” (Charles A. Callis, in Conference Report, Apr. 1935, 18).

■ “Christ’s, the first fruits—who are they? They are all those who were with him in his resurrection. They are all those of Enoch’s city, a righteous people who first were translated and who then gained full immortality when Christ rose from his tomb. They are all those of ages past who have burst the bands of death. They are the living saints who are quickened by the power of God and are caught up to meet their Lord in the air. They are the righteous dead who shall come forth in this, the morning of the first resurrection, to receive an inheritance of eternal life and to be one with their glorious Lord. All these shall have an inheritance of exaltation in the highest heaven of the celestial world. All these shall ‘behold’ their Lord’s ‘face in righteousness,’ for they shall ‘awake’ with his ‘likeness.’ (Ps. 17:15.)” (McConkie, Millennial Messiah, 636).

Chapter 37
The Millennium and the Glorification of the Earth

Introduction

Contrast the glorious millennial condition described by Orson Pratt with the general state of ignorance and wickedness in the world today:

“What a happy earth this creation will be, when this purifying process shall come, and the earth be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the great deep! What a change! Travel, then, from one end of the earth to another, you can find no wicked man, no drunken man, no man to blaspheme the name of the Great Creator, no one to lay hold on his neighbor’s goods, and steal them, no one to commit whoredoms” (in Journal of Discourses, 21:325).

Doctrinal Outline

A. The thousand years of the Millennium will be ushered in when the Savior comes in power and glory.

See Doctrine and Covenants 29:11; Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:36; 2 Thessalonians 1:7–8.

B. The earth will be renewed for the millennial day.

1. The earth will be transfigured and receive its paradisiacal glory (see D&C 63:20–21; Articles of Faith 1:10; Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:10–14).

2. The earth will rest for a thousand years from the wickedness that has been upon it (see Moses 7:47–49, 64–65; Isaiah 14:7).

C. The Millennium will be a time of peace.

1. Satan will be bound, unable to tempt mankind during the thousand years of millennial peace (see 1 Nephi 22:15, 26; Revelation 20:1–3; D&C 88:110; 101:28).

2. The violence of both man and beast will cease during the Millennium (see D&C 101:26; Isaiah 2:4; 11:6–9; 65:25).

3. In the Millennium children will grow up and live upon the earth until they are one hundred years old (see Isaiah 65:20; D&C 101:29–31; 63:50–51; 45:58).

4. During the Millennium, the Lord will “turn to the people a pure language” (Zephaniah 3:9).

D. During the Millennium the Savior will reign personally on the earth.

1. The millennial government is under the administration of the Savior and His righteous Saints (see Isaiah 2:1–4; Micah 4:2–3; Joel 3:16–17; D&C 43:29–30; 45:59; Revelation 5:10; 20:4, 6; D&C 133:25).

2. The Millennium will be righteous Israel’s day with the Savior, during which He will make all things known to them (see Zechariah 2:11; D&C 101:32–34; 121:26–32; 2 Nephi 30:16–18; Isaiah 11:9).

3. Not everyone will have a knowledge of the living God and belong to His Church when the Millennium begins (see Micah 4:5).

4. During the Millennium, all those living on the earth will eventually know the Lord and will join His Church (see Jeremiah 31:31–34; D&C 84:98).

E. The final glorification of the earth will take place sometime after the Millennium.

1. The devil will be loosed for a short time after the Millennium, and wickedness will again prevail upon the earth (see Revelation 20:7–8; D&C 88:110–11; 43:31).

2. A final war between Michael and his followers and the devil and his followers will result in the expulsion of the devil from the earth forever (see D&C 88:112–15; Revelation 20:7–10).

3. There will be a final judgment of all who have lived upon the earth, at which time there will be a separation of the righteous from the wicked (see D&C 29:22–28; Revelation 20:11–15; D&C 43:33).

4. The earth will be sanctified and receive its celestial glory (see D&C 88:17–20; 130:8–11; 77:1; 29:23–25; 43:32).

Supporting Statements

A. The thousand years of the Millennium will be ushered in when the Savior comes in power and glory.

■ “The time for the Second Coming of Christ is as fixed and certain as was the hour of his birth. It will not vary as much as a single second from the divine decree. He will come at the appointed time. The Millennium will not be ushered in prematurely because men turn to righteousness, nor will it be delayed because iniquity abounds. Nephi was able to state with absolute certainty that the God of Israel would come ‘in six hundred years from the time my father left Jerusalem.’ (1 Ne. 19:8.) To a later Nephi the Divine Voice acclaimed: ‘The time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world.’ (3 Ne. 1:13.)” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah, 26–27).

■ “When the reign of Jesus Christ comes during the millennium, only those who have lived the telestial law will be removed. The earth will be cleansed of all its corruption and wickedness. Those who have lived virtuous lives, who have been honest in their dealings with their fellow man and have endeavored to do good to the best of their understanding, shall remain” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3:62).

B. The earth will be renewed for the millennial day.

■ “The great change which shall come when Christ our Savior begins his Millennial reign, is to be a restoration to the conditions which prevailed before the fall of man. The tenth article of faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches us that Christ will reign personally upon the earth, and that the earth will be renewed, or restored, and receive its paradisiacal glory when that day comes.

“This new heaven and earth which will come into existence when our Lord comes to reign, is this same earth with its heavens renewed or restored to its primitive condition and beauty. Everything is to be brought back as nearly as it is possible to its position as it was in the beginning. The mountains, we are informed, are to be thrown down, the valleys are to be exalted, and ‘the earth shall be like as it was in the days before it was divided.’” (Joseph Fielding Smith, The Restoration of All Things, 294–95).

C. The Millennium will be a time of peace.

■ “Satan only gains power over man through man’s exercise of his own agency; and when Satan shall be bound, as the Lord says he will be for a thousand years, one of the great powers that will help bring this to pass will be man’s agency. The Lord has never forced men against their will to obey Him. He never will do so. If Satan, therefore, has power with man, it is because man yields to his influence. . . .

“The time is not far distant when great judgments will be poured out upon the wicked inhabitants of the earth. Every Prophet who has looked forward to our day has seen and predicted that the wicked would be destroyed. Their destruction means the destruction of Satan’s power. The righteous will be left, and because of their righteousness the Lord will have mercy upon them; they, exercising their agency in the right direction, will bring down His blessings upon them to such an extent that Satan will be bound” (George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth, 1:86–87).

■ “We talk about Satan being bound. Satan will be bound by the power of God; but he will be bound also by the determination of the people of God not to listen to him, not to be governed by him. The Lord will not bind him and take his power from the earth while there are men and women willing to be governed by him. That is contrary to the plan of salvation. To deprive men of their agency is contrary to the purposes of our God” (Cannon, Gospel Truth, 1:86).

■ “It shall be in that day that the lion shall lie down with the lamb and eat straw as the ox, and all fear, hatred, and enmity shall depart from the earth because all things having hate in their hearts shall pass away; and there shall come a change, a change over men, a change over the beasts of the field, and upon all things living upon the face of the earth.

“According to this word I have read there shall be harmony, and love, and peace, and righteousness because Satan is bound that he cannot tempt any man, and that will be the condition that shall be upon the earth for 1,000 years” (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3:58).

■ “When Christ comes the saints who are on the earth will be quickened and caught up to meet him. This does not mean that those who are living in mortality at that time will be changed and pass through the resurrection, for mortals must remain on the earth until after the thousand years are ended. A change, nevertheless, will come over all who remain on the earth; they will be quickened so that they will not be subject unto death until they are old. Men shall die when they are one hundred years of age, and the change shall be made suddenly to the immortal state. Graves will not be made during this thousand years, and Satan shall have no power to tempt any man. Children shall grow up ‘as calves of the stall’ unto righteousness, that is, without sin or the temptations which are so prevalent today” (Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, 298–99).

D. During the Millennium the Savior will reign personally on the earth.

■ “When Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, he learned that America is the land of Zion which was given to Joseph and his children and that on this land the City Zion, or New Jerusalem, is to be built. He also learned that Jerusalem in Palestine is to be rebuilt and become a holy city. [3 Nephi 20:22; 21:20–29; Ether 13:1–12.] These two cities, one in the land of Zion and one in Palestine, are to become capitals for the kingdom of God during the millennium” (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3:71).

■ “That this work may be hastened so that all who believe, in the spirit world, may receive the benefit of deliverance, it is revealed that the great work of the Millennium shall be the work in the temples for the redemption of the dead; and then we hope to enjoy the benefits of revelation through the Urim and Thummim, or by such means as the Lord may reveal concerning those for whom the work shall be done, so that we may not work by chance, or by faith alone, without knowledge, but with the actual knowledge revealed unto us” (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 438).

■ “Some members of the Church have an erroneous idea that when the millennium comes all of the people are going to be swept off the earth except righteous members of the Church. That is not so. There will be millions of people, Catholics, Protestants, agnostics, Mohammedans, people of all classes, and of all beliefs, still permitted to remain upon the face of the earth, but they will be those who have lived clean lives, those who have been free from wickedness and corruption. All who belong, by virtue of their good lives, to the terrestrial order, as well as those who have kept the celestial law, will remain upon the face of the earth during the millennium.

“Eventually, however, the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters do the sea. But there will be need for the preaching of the gospel, after the millennium is brought in, until all men are either converted or pass away” (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:86–87).

E. The final glorification of the earth will take place sometime after the Millennium.

■ “The earth will abide its creation, and will be counted worthy of receiving the blessings designed for it, and will ultimately roll back into the presence of God who formed it and established its mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms. These will all be retained upon the earth, come forth in the resurrection, and abide for ever and for ever” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, 101–2).

■ “God has said if we will honor Him and keep His commandments—if we will observe His laws He will fight our battles and destroy the wicked, and when the time comes He will come down in heaven—not from heaven—but He will bring heaven with Him—and this earth upon which we dwell, will be the celestial kingdom” (George Albert Smith, in Conference Report, Oct. 1942, 49).

■ “I remarked to my family and friends present, that when the earth was sanctified and became like a sea of glass, it would be one great urim and thummim, and the Saints could look in it and see as they are seen” (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 5:279).

■ “In that great change, or resurrection, which shall come to this earth, it shall be sanctified, celestialized and made a fit abode even for God the Father, who shall grace it with his presence. (D.C. 88:19.) Then shall the righteous, those who have become sanctified through the law of God, possess it for ever as their abode. This earth is destined to become the everlasting residence of its inhabitants who gain the glory of the celestial kingdom. It shall become in that day like the throne of God and shall shine forth with all the splendor and brightness of celestial glory in its eternal, sanctified and glorious state” (Smith, Way to Perfection, 351).