Today I read Joseph Smith Matthew, which is a translation of Matthew 24. This chapter has particular application in our day and age since we are living in the last days and seeing some of these prophecies take place here and now. This very month in fact we had a "false prophet" predict the Second Coming was going to happen on May 21st, and like most people thought, he turned out to be wrong, although he is now saying it is going to happen on October 21st. Sadly, some people believed him and spent a lot of money on trying to spread the message. But the scriptures tell us that some of these false prophets are going to be so persuasive that they will deceive even the very elect.
Thankfully most of these people who are saying he is out in the desert or the secret places, so to speak, are very easy to spot and not too many people are taking them seriously. Although, it seems every time one does crop up, several dozen people buy into it wholeheartedly. It always makes me wonder what is going on in the lives of those people that when they hear this message they just accept it no questions asked and forget about all the scriptures that contradict what is being said to them in the present. Although sometimes, I think those preachers of supposed truth just attract the entire wrong type of people from the get go and probably have never even read the Bible, such as Charles Manson.
The other half of this though is nature in all it's majesty. The scriptures tell us that one of the ways we'll know the Second Coming is on its way is when we start to hear of earthquakes in diverse places and the sea heaves its bounds. I have noticed, ever since my mission ended back in 2001, that there have been a LOT more natural disasters in this world. We have talked about this in the past, particularly about wind. And speaking of wind, if you need further evidence of nature being out of whack, have you ever seen a spring like this one? Before last night the news was stating that we have had over 1200 tornadoes this Spring in the Midwest and the South. We had more last night. On my drive back home from work my poor car was buffeted around like a ping pong ball and I had to dodge debris including what looked like a tree about as big around as my thigh in the middle of the road.
I have never personally witnessed, or even heard of, this many tornadoes in one single season in my entire life. The closest I can even recall was back in 1997 we had several tornado scares up in Kentucky where I was living at the time, but that was nothing compared to this past month. Weather, everywhere, is changing and what used to be the norm is quickly becoming something new altogether. Some are seeing the signs, hence why we have so many people believing that a man could actually tell when the second coming is going to happen. But as the scriptures state, as long as we are preparing for the Master's return at any moment, we will not be caught off guard and will be prepared for when He does come, which will be as the sun rising in the east He tells His Apostles.
It is good to know the signs of His coming and good to watch for them, but honestly, as long as we are doing our best to live the Gospel anyway, we have nothing to worry about. If we are doing all that we can and preparing for His coming, that is all we can do. Live your life without regret and live it like you are going to live to be 100 years old and live the Gospel. As you live the Gospel and make those changes, if the Second Coming happens in our lifetime, we will be prepared and ready for it. And that's all that anyone, even the prophet, can really say about it. Until tomorrow.
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