Today I read Doctrine and Covenants section 45, which is a section where the Lord talks about the signs of the Second Coming of Christ. I'm pretty sure most of us are familiar with the signs that are given and what to look for when it comes to the Second Coming but the Lord repeats them all in this section.
Over the past 10 years or so, I have noticed many changes in this country. I'm sure it is is the world over, but since I have never left this country, I can only say with any degree of certainty that it is this country. I grew up in Louisville, KY which has lots of trees and forests and my parents house literally sat in a forest. It was wonderful to grow up in such a place as a child. All growing up and into my teen years, I could pretty much count on he weather being a certain way, for example, we would frequently have storms that would last all day long, or several hours at the least during the spring and summer months.
When I was an adult, after I returned from my mission I moved out west to go to school and spent a year in Rexburg, Idaho. I had never lived in such a place that was so devoid of trees before. Even Los Angeles, CA where I served my mission had more trees than Rexburg did. I did not have a car when I lived out there, but my roommates, when we would take long trips, would frequently ask me to drive. Until those experiences, I had never in my life driven anywhere, where the wind could be so forceful that it would affect the way the car drove. I bring this up because when I finally graduated from college I moved back to Kentucky, and to my horror, the wind had increased and what I had previously only encountered out west was now in my hometown also.
The weirdest thing about it was when I would talk to friends and family members about the wind increasing, they would not have noticed it until I pointed it out, and some of them not even then. I suppose it had happened so gradually they just hadn't noticed. The weather patterns seemed to have changed too. Storms were more violent but didn't last as long. Back in 2008 or 2009, Kentucky even had an earthquake! I couldn't believe it. It was a small one and my wife actually slept right through it, but I recognized it because I had experienced one when I lived in California.
Have you noticed that we are having a lot more earthquakes lately? I mean, back in 2009 we had one almost every month around the globe! Disasters are becoming so frequent that some people are actually becoming jaded to them. They hear that an earthquake happened in Samoa or India, and they don't even pause in their day. I moved to Alabama last year in January, and in one year, they have more snow storms than the last 5 years combined! The weather is definitely changing and it seems people are not putting two and two together that it means the Second Coming is approaching.
This has actually been on my mind for a long time. I just can't get over how blind people seem to be to it. They will comment on what a strange storm it was, but then go on their way. It's like they can't see the forest because all the trees are in the way! In a way, I guess that is kind of the way the Lord wants it, He does not approve of death bed confessions and I am sure that He does not want people to repent just because the signs of Christ's Second Coming are starting to appear. As we have discussed in the past, to become truly converted is to become like He is and that involves changing who we are and our very natures, which of course is not something we can do in a matter of minutes or even days.
As we study the signs of His Coming, it should be obvious that they are happening all around us. Just as the parable of the fig tree tells it's summer time when the leaves are tender, so too can we tell what is happening around us and for those with eyes to see can tell that the Second Coming is nigh. It is our responsibility to ensure that we are prepared to meet Him and ours alone. But He gave us these signs to help us prepare so that like the 5 wise virgins, we can have oil in our lamps. I hope you are heeding them as I am so that you too may be prepared. Until tomorrow.
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