CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
In this writing I speak to my family, friends, associates and fellow latter-day-saints and those thoughtful Christian colleagues, who bring pamphlets to my door.
Chapters 2-5 review scriptures that specifically apply to the "Last Days". This review illustrate events that will one day, impact the entire world. These chapters are an evaluation of existing scripture and review the methods the Lord will use to neutralize Satan and prepare the earth for the Lords millennial reign.
All of the circumstances illustrated in chapters 2-5 speak of dire and terrible things that will befall man, in the ... last days. Events that will virtually kill many, many people who refuse to humble themselves and repent of their sins and change their life.
Chapters 6 through 14 were written, originally as white papers, for my library and my family and also shared with a number of close friends. Later the thought come ... why not form these papers into a book?
Chapter 7, "Warning", is somewhat unique as it is a brief summary of last day events and associated timing, written to the world at large over the issue of the Mayan calendar. In fact an effort was made to publish this "Warning" to local communities through several newspapers.
The devastation described in these chapters is unprecedented in the history of the world. I believe the apocalypse will very literally isolate all people from communities, and local and Federal government ... even from Churches. These horrific events will force us to recognize that there is indeed a God and He is not pleased with us.
I am certain ... the Lord takes no delight in these prophesized devastations. Peter the Chief Apostle, a man who walked and talked with the Lord, and knew Him personally writes in 2 Peter 3:8-9, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should parish, but that all should come to repentance".
The key thought here is repentance. If we don't repent we cannot qualify for the Lords atonement.
The remainder of this introduction is divided into four sections; Pre-Apocalyptic Events, The Apocalyptic Events, Contemporary Tribulation and Summary.
Pre-Apocalyptic Events
Preparation of the Elect
The Lord has told the LDS Church in a number of different ways and places how to meet the standard of excellence that He has set as criteria for exaltation in His kingdom. For example in the parable of the ten virgins in Matt 25:1-12, the Lord illustrates very clearly what His expectations are to meet His standard of excellence. This parable likens His Church to 10 virgins. Five of these virgins were not adequately prepared to enter into the marriage and were rejected, and labeled as foolish, because they were unprepared and had ignored counsel to be prepared.
And again, in Luke 17:5-10, the Apostles ask the Lord ... "Lord increase our faith". And then He tells them a parable, of a servant working in the field for his master. And at the end of the day the servant comes in from the field, and does the master say sit down and have something to eat? No! The Lord replies. The master says to the servant, first fix my dinner, then fix one for yourself. Does the master then thank the servant for all that he has done, and the Lord answered ... no! Because the servant has only done his duty ... he is still an unprofitable servant. What then is a profitable servant ... one may ask? And I answer. One who takes the initiative to add to the build-up and growth of the kingdom on both sides of the veil.
In modern revelation the Lord provides clear insight into His expectations of a servant. In D/C 58:26-29, the Lord declares that it is not right that He must command in all things, and that he who must be commanded in all things is a slothful servant. The Lord then explains that men should be anxiously engaged, in a good cause, and bring to pass many good things of their own free will, because the power is in them to do that, because of their agency. The Lord gave us agency and a reasoning intellect, and He does not expect to have to lead us around as children. The Lord then explains that anyone who does nothing until he is commanded, and receives that commandment with a doubtful heart, and keeps the commandment slothfully, the same is damned. Notwithstanding that person is a virgin. In this scripture the guiding thought is "where much is given, much is expected". These foregoing paragraphs illustrate the Lords expectations of His Saints in these last days.
The Apocalyptic Events
3rd Nephi 21 of the book of Mormon
This chapter summarizes 3rd Nephi 21:13-29, which occurred about 34 AD. I find it interesting that Micah, in Micah 5:8-14, a prophet of the Old Testament who ministered about 721 BC, speaks to the identical prophesies of verses 14-18 of 3rd Nephi 21. These scriptures are basically a warning to the gentiles, of the last days, to repent. And also a strong warning is issued to the remnants of the house of Israel who also refuse to repent and join the Church.
These scriptures prophesy that the sons of Jacob, in the last days, are going to go forth among the gentiles as a young Lion among sheep that will kill and tear with impunity and nothing will stop them. Such destruction by the "Sons of Jacob", is not without precedence.
Just exactly who these sons of Jacob are, other than of the house of Israel, is plainly discussed in the following writing.
Now who are the "remnants" of the house of Israel, and who are the "Gentiles"?
Background
But first a little explanation. The Lord in ancient days made great covenants or promises to Abraham, the great Patriarch, his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob (Israel)
A summary of these covenants are as follows:
Covenant of Salvation, ... Baptism
Covenant of exaltation ... To receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and Celestial Marriage and eternal increase.
Covenant that Christ would come through his lineage.
Covenants of possession of certain choice lands for eternity.
Covenant of an enormous posterity.
Covenant that all of these covenants would be offered to his mortal posterity.
(See Mormon Doctrine, pg. 13, by Bruce R McConkie).
These covenants are recited here to illustrate just how much the Lord loved these three Patriarchs. And the "Restoration" demonstrates how zealous the Lord is in fulfilling these covenants to the descendants of these Patriarchs.
These same covenants were made with Abraham's son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob. The Lord later named Jacob, ... Israel. It is Israel's descendants we will be talking about.
These three men, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) known as the Patriarchs, were exceedingly valiant, in the service of the Lord, during their lifetime. The Lord loved them and covenanted to bless them that through their descendants the whole world would be blessed by the Melchizedek Priesthood that was to continue in their lineage. Also their descendants would be as numerous as the sands of the seashore.
Abraham had many descendants of whom came many nations who are called Hebrews.
But when the scriptures refer to the descendants of Israel, the remnant of Israel, or the Israelites, they are referring to the descendants of Jacob or Israel, the Grandson of Abraham.
The term "gentile" also has several meanings. One meaning is that the one so designated has no blood of Israel flowing in his veins. Another meaning is a spiritual connotation unique to the LDS Church and has reference to any individual who has not received or who has rejected the teachings of the LDS Church and the call to faith and repentance.
The house of Israel are the descendants of the great patriarch Israel. Israel had 12 sons, by four wives of whom came great nations. All who are not of this lineage are gentiles. For example the Jews who are now residing in Judea are of the tribe of Judah, one of the 12 sons of Israel, and represent one-twelfth of the house of Israel, the other eleven tribes having been dispersed through out the world to "the corners of the earth" because of wickedness.
This is a very sad comment on the tribes of Israel, because the Lord gave them great promises if they would but remain faithful to Him. For example in Deuteronomy 28:1 We read, "And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt harken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth". It would seem that if ancient Israel had been faithful they would have ruled the world instead of being dispersed through-out the world because of wickedness.
The scriptures in this writing deal with the "Sons of Jacob", or descendants of the house of Israel, and the wicked gentiles of the last days.
Sons of Jacob
This chapter will review specific scriptures where the role of the `Sons of Jacob" is prophesized.
The only reason the Lord would send forth such a destructive power, as the role these "sons of Jacob" are to play, is to destroy wickedness.
What I have observed through the scriptures is the great efforts made by the Lord to bring the people of the world to repentance.
The devastation that may be wrought by the "Sons of Jacob", is not without precedent in the scriptures.
For example when the Israelites were delivered out of 400 years of slavery to the Egyptian Pharaohs, and taken into the wildness by Moses, they were eventually led to the promised land, where each of the 12 tribes were promised, by the Lord, that they were to receive an inheritance in this "promised land". However this promised land was already occupied by nations of other peoples. By the Amorites, Bashan, seven nations of Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, Jebusites, Amalekites, Moabites, great city of Jericho, Philistines, and the Anakims (remnant of the giants).
The Lord told Moses and later Joshua to destroy most of these people, "by the edge of the sword", and the Israelites were to take possession of their houses and lands; their fields and crops that were still in the fields ready to be harvested. This was the land "flowing with milk and honey," that the Lord promised the descendants of Israel.
But why would the Lord decree destruction of these nations at the hands of Israel?
Because they were idol worshippers, and practiced sexual perversion, and the Lord considered them to be so evil, they were worthy of destruction. They practiced the same sins as Sodom and Gomorrah, plain cities that were destroyed by fire rained down from the skies, in Abraham's day.
Today we as a global society are guilty of the very same sins. And the general attitude of the present day world populace is that God will merely "wink" at our sins and life will go on as usual. But God has made His position very clear, "He is no respecter of persons". Our society may very well get the same treatment as those nations that were in the way of the tribes of Israel several thousand years ago. And why not, we are every bit as evil as they were. So as He did anciently, through the tribes of Israel, the Lord may cry repentance to the gentiles through the "Sons of Jacob", at some time in the future.
Book of Revelations 8-11
This chapter is taken from the book of Revelations. A book that was written by John the apostle while he was exiled to the penal colony on the isle of Patmos. Chapters 1-3 of the book of revelations are addressed to the Seven Churches of that day, and chapters 4-22 are revelations that are as yet futuristic, and deal with the Lords victory over evil and the restoration of all things. My review will consider verses in chapters 8-11, relating to seven plagues that are designed by the Deity to do three things: First, call the wicked to repentance. Second, cleanse the world of those who refuse to repent. Third, herald the day when the Lord has victory over evil. These "Last Days" revelations are unique among scriptures in that they quantify the amount of destruction to be accomplished, as a result of these plagues, and provide a time when these cataclysmic events will begin and how long many of them will last.
Doctrine and Covenants, section 29
This chapter is taken from a revelation that was given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in Sept 1830 in the presence of six Elders of the Church, prior to a Church conference. In this revelation the Lord declares that a "a decree hath gone forth from the Father that they (the elect) shall be gathered in unto one place". A decree is a divine mandate. This is an unequivocal declaration by the Lord that there is to be a gathering of the "elect". And the purpose for the gathering of the elect is "to prepare their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked". (See verse 8). Where is the gathering to occur and who are the elect? As to where the gathering will occur, I refer you to History of the Church, Vol. ll., Page 254, where the Prophet Joseph Smith explains that this gathering is to be; to that place known as Jackson County, Missouri, and the place is to be called Zion, or the New Jerusalem. The elect are those who have been baptized, kept the commandments, received the Priesthood (for the men), gone through the temple, and been sealed, and who endure to the end (See Mormon Doctrine, by Bruce R. McConkie, page 217-218).
Contemporary Tribulation
Present day warnings from Deity
Even today, as I write, in the state of Arkansas, and Oklahoma, great rain has fallen resulting in flooding and even deaths. The rains were noted by the national weather bureau to be greater than the 500-year level.
We have had, just recently, in the year 2010 devastating earthquakes in Haiti, and Chile, that took the lives of thousands and destroyed the homes of hundreds of thousands.
Pakistan, in the region known as SWAT has experienced unprecedented rain that has left an estimated 20,000,000 people homeless and in misery from flooding. Myself and many fellow Christians believe that these events are all calls to repent. Wars that are on going are also calls to repentance. If people would repent and come to the Lord with full purpose of heart is it not reasonable, to believe, that these things would cease to be?
Why do we not learn from the past? Through out the history of men the Prophets have made it clear how God displays His disappointment with man. On one occasion He was so upset with man that he removed them all from the earth by a flood accept for Noah and his family who he deemed righteous enough to save. Why does man prefer to think of such devastation as folklore rather than learn Gods inclinations and the point at which His tolerance level has been reached? Its all their in black and white if we but read it and accept it.
Accepting the writings of ancient prophets is easy when one realizes that God is omnipotent. If He is truly omnipotent then the scriptures we have today, all of them, are what He wants us to have and are adequate for guidance and salvation as written. If someone feels that ancient scriptures are folklore, then their God is not omnipotent. They needn't fear Him or for that matter look to Him for succor.
The earth ripens in iniquity
Today hatred is strong in the world. The Arabs hate the Jews, and strangely enough they seem to hate each other as well, because there is constant reports of war and killings between the Sunnis and the Shiites, who are differing philosophies within the Arab, ... Muslim faith.
In Europe the Bosnians and the Serbs hate each other. The leaders of North Korea hate everyone, especially South Korea.
Islam, the descendants of Ishmael want to rule the world and force everyone to believe as they do or die.
Pakistan and India, both nuclear powers, are constantly on the brink of war.
The Irish, for years, have experienced hatred between there Catholic and Protestant citizens resulting in suburban wars and killings.
The USA, and associated military coalition, is at war with the Taliban in the nation of Afghanistan.
And at present most nations hate, fear or envy, the USA.
Within our own nation hate is strong between those who love government under the constitution, and those who want to abolish the constitution an instrument, ordained by God through our founding Fathers, that has made us the mightiest nation on earth. In fact the Marxist policies of our current President and his administration is dividing the nation.
