Good evening sisters, hope you have enjoyed this wonderful day.
THOUGHT: This great circle of sisters will be a protection for each of you and for your families. The Relief Society might be likened to a refuge—the place of safety and protection—the sanctuary of ancient times. You will be safe within it. It encircles each sister like a protecting wall.”
Boyd K. Packer
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Put on your calendars this very important date: December 10th. It will be our Ward Christmas Party.
- There will be a High Priest Social on November 5th at 6 pm. All High Priest and their wives are invited. Also invited are the Single Sisters.
- A big Thanks to all who participated in our 'Circle in Sweet Friendship' on Thursday. We had such a fun evening.
- Here is the link that Megan wants us to listen to:
http://lds.org/media-library/video/other-videos?lang=eng&order=most-recent#2011-09-01-the-gift-daughters-in-my-kingdom
BIRTHDAYS: Happy Birthday to Kailee Ruth Fisher on October 19th.
Our lesson today was SIGNS OF THE SECOND COMING presented by Amy Waldron.
Well, I even brought a centerpiece, my first one ever. Janet made it for me last year for my 40th birthday. I am now 41. If you remember the lesson on “The Postmortal Spirit World', today's lesson relates to that lesson. We quickly will go through that lesson. The pre-existence, mortal life, death, spirit world, resurrection, millennium, final judgment and degrees of glory.
Today we will be talking about the Signs of the Second Coming, before the Savior comes again. The first question is Why do we care about the signs of the second coming? I have been a little ambivalent about the issue. Have even felt that some people have gone a little overboard about it. It gets a little wacky. Just beyond. They seem to focus too much on the signs. I had a friend who, whenever he prayed, whether it was over the food, or whatever, always would say, please have the second coming come soon. I think it is important, but feel uncomfortable about some of the signs. So the question, why do we care?
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Janet T: I don't want to be surprised.
Jami E: We women are planners. I always want to know the gender of my chioldren. I actually as a teenager worried about the second coming. I had a Sunday School teacher who was told in his patriarchal blessing that he would not be alive when the second coming happen. So in my teenage brain, I was relief as long as he was alive, because there would be no second coming.
Well, as soon as Christ died, the Apostle Paul would say to the Saints to review things that would happen. That the Savior would not be coming anytime soon. And when the gospel was restored, the same problem happened. They expected the second coming to come very soon. We'll see if we can put things in perspective.
Lynette: The scientists try to explain why things are happening. Knowing the signs we can try to be better and be better prepared.
At the end of the lesson we'll see if we have learned anything new. We could spend hours on each item. But, it's a review.
Amy passed out a handout Signs of the Second Coming. It has three columns, the first having scripture references, the second you write in the topic and the third, we decide if it is done, in progress or not begun. It will be an attachment.
Lynette read: 2 Timothy 3:1-7
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
When I was in Seminary, this scripture scared me.
Lynette: Yes, it talks about 'creeping into our homes'.
So, is this done? It's in progress.
Jami: D&C 45:26
“And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men's hearts shall fail the, and they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming until the end of the earth.”
In progress since we are still hearing about wars and rumors of wars.
Sally J: Matthew 24:21-24
“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
The if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there: believe it not.
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
That is in progress.
Luone: 2 Thessalonians 2:3
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come expect there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”
If it is referring to the Great Apostasy, than it is done. However, in a sense there is still a falling away as far as people not have the truth yet, so then that is in progress.
Shanel W: D&C 45:28
“And when the times of the Gentiles is dome in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my gospel;”
At last, something pleasant. The restoration of the gospel with all the keys. That is Done.
Isaiah 29:11-12
“And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:
And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.”
The sealed book. It is done. The Book of Mormon
Francesca: D&C 90:11
“For it shall come to pass in that day, that every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power, by the administration of the Comforter, shed forth upon them for the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
It is in progress and it refers to missionary work.
Karen M: Malachi 4:5-6
“Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”
Genealogy and family history work. Elijah has come and restored the keys to seal families together forever. That part is done, but for those who haven't been found, it's still in progress. This work will continue through the millennium.
Robby: Isaiah 2:2-3
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations hall flow unto it.
And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountains of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
Temples in the last day. It is done and at the same time in progress because temples are still being built and the Jerusalem Temple has yet to be built.
D&C 49: 24-25
“But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose.
Zion shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and shall be assembled together unto the place which I have appointed.”
In progress.
Luone: Moses 7:62
“And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.”
The new Jerusalem has not begun.
Janet S: Zion is the pure in heart and sometimes we can lost incentive to wait until Zion is established. We do have an obligation to become the pure in heart though.
Janet T: Life goes on after the second coming.
This is the reason why we need to read the scriptures; because otherwise we are trying to translate them. Then as we read them, the spirit can teach us and bear witness to us. As long as we are anchored on the scriptures and the words of the prophets, we are safe, as to the understanding of principles. If we feel uncomfortable about something, we can go in prayer to know how we should feel about it.
I will ask Martha to stand up and read the last two scriptures.
Martha: Matthew 24: 42-47
“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered is house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh...Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.”
D&C 45:35, 39 & 44
“Be not troubled, for, when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled...And it shall come to pass that she that feareth me shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of Man...And then they shall look for me, and behold, I will come; and they shall see me in the clouds of heaven, clothed with power and great glory, with all the holy angels; and she that watches not for me shall be cut off.”
How God, if you hear the voice of God in the scripture, wants us to feel about these scriptures.
Happy and excited to see Him.
Francesca: He says we shall look for me, be excited, like children looking and watching at the window for grandma and grandpa.
Also it struck me to be not troubled. I am glad that the promises made unto you will be fulfilled. It is proof that everything will come to pass. Life on earth stinks sometimes. It can be long and sometimes evil surround us. In the end it will be OK. We see all the signs, but do we see those as God sees them.
Karen M: It could be real soon, but not even the angels in heaven know when he will come.
Lynette: Sometimes things can happen overnight. Look at the economic situation, it happened so quickly. We need to be extra diligent and remain faithful.
I'll close with this reviewing. We need to share this information. In my discomfort with the signs of the second coming, as I read “she that feareth me shall be looking forth for the great day of the Lord to come, even the signs of the coming of the Son of Man. When I read that, the thought is that we need to raise the level of preparedness, recognizing that with faith, everything he promise will happen.
Next week's lesson will be from April Conference. President Monson's talk “The Holy Temple – a Beacon tot he World”
Have a wonderful week.
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