Other Signs Preceding
According to one Latter-day Saint commentator, there are many signs, many of which have already passed.
| Sign | Believed fulfillment state | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apostate darkness covers earth | Fulfilled | This is believed to be the time before the church was restored. |
| Many false churches | Fulfilled | |
| Spirit to be poured out on all flesh | Fulfilled | Most LDS members believe this to be the pouring out of knowledge and wisdom, and can be attributed to many discoveries, and the progression of ages (i.e.: the progression out of the Dark Ages) |
| Discovery and use of printing | Fulfilled | |
| Protestant reformation and age of renaissance | Fulfilled | |
| Discovery and colonization of America | Fulfilled | |
| Establishment of the American nation | Fulfilled | |
| Translation and printing of the Bible | Fulfilled | |
| Establishment of U.S. Constitution | Fulfilled | |
| Latter-day revelation | Fulfilled | |
| Coming forth of the Book of Mormon | Fulfilled | See above: There must be a restitution of all things |
| Opposition to the Book of Mormon | Fulfilled | See above: There will be opposition to the restoration |
| Restoration of keys and priesthood | Fulfilled | See above: There must be a restitution of all things |
| Restoration of the gospel | Fulfilled | See above: There must be a restitution of all things |
| Messenger to precede second coming | Fulfilled | "And even so I have sent mine everlasting covenant into the world, to be a light to the world, and to be a standard for my people, and for the Gentiles to seek to it, and to be a messenger before my face to prepare the way before me." It is generally seen by LDS members that the gospel itself is the messenger, however it could be considered that other messengers have been sent, including Elijah and a modern day prophet, Joseph Smith Jr. |
| Church and kingdom set up again | Fulfilled | See above: There must be a restitution of all things |
| Growth of the church | Fulfilled | See above: There must be a restitution of all things |
| Gathering of Israel | Fulfilled | See above: The descendants of Judah will gather from the four corners of the earth |
| Times of Gentiles being fulfilled | Fulfilled | It is believed that the coming of the Book of Mormon to the American people fulfills this prophecy. |
| Return of Tribe of Judah to Jerusalem | Fulfilled | See above: The descendants of Judah will gather from the four corners of the earth |
| Jews to begin to believe in Christ | Fulfilled | As Christ taught primarily amongst the Jewish people during his life, most of the early converts to Christianity were Jewish, however according to the Jewish Encyclopedia, "The number of post-Mendelssohnian Jews who abandoned their ancestral faith is very large". Though there is an ongoing process of people being converted to and from the Jewish faith, it is believed that most of the Jewish faith will not believe in Christ until the second coming. |
| Building of latter-day temples | Fulfilled | |
| Lord to come suddenly to temple | Fulfilled | "As shown in the New Testament and the Book of Mormon, after his resurrection, Jesus Christ can, and also does, appear to people in this latter-day dispensation of the gospel. When these sacred manifestations are for personal instruction, they are not spoken of openly. However, when it is appropriate, the divine communication is made public. It is a principle of the gospel that the Lord Jesus Christ can, and will, manifest himself to his people, including individual members, in his own time, and 'in his own way, and according to his own will' (D&C 88:86)."
One such occasion is as follows: "One week following the dedication of the Kirtland Temple the Prophet Joseph Smith, with Oliver Cowdery, the Council of the Twelve, and several brethren of the priesthood, partook of the sacrament in the lower room of the temple. After having performed this service to the brethren of the priesthood, Joseph and Oliver retired to the pulpit on the west side of the room, and the veils that secluded them from the other brethren were dropped. The two young men then bowed their heads in solemn and silent prayer. After rising from prayer, the following glorious vision burst before them: We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us;" |
| Spirit of Elijah and genealogical research | Fulfilled | See above: Elijah the prophet is to return to the earth |
| Persecution of the saints | Fulfilled | See above: There will be opposition to the restoration |
| Persecution of the Jews | Fulfilled | |
| Peace taken from earth | Fulfilled | Modern prophets have stated that peace has been removed from the earth, and will not be restored until the Second Coming. |
| Refusal of men to believe signs of times | Fulfilled | |
| Ten tribes to return | Fulfilled and in progress | According to LDS doctrine, the gathering of Israel is believed to be both the gathering of the tribes of Israel into the membership of the church, and the literal gathering of the tribes of Israel. It is believed that the house of Israel was scattered abroad across the earth, and most people on the earth have some lineage from the literal house of Israel. A patriarchal blessing given to faithful members is believed to contain within it the lineage from the house of Israel from which the person is descended. If one is not descended from the literal lineage, it is believed that they are 'grafted' or adopted into the house of Israel when the person is baptized. |
| True gospel to be preached to all the world | Fulfilled and in progress | The LDS Church currently has missionary work in countries throughout the world, and many more countries without missionary work contain members. |
| Worldly knowledge to increase | Fulfilled and in progress | |
| Scientific and inventive progress | Fulfilled and in progress | |
| Disease, plague, pestilence to sweep earth | Fulfilled and in progress | |
| Elements in commotion | Fulfilled and in progress | This is commonly believed to be upsets in common weather patterns, possibly caused by global warming and other issues. |
| Disasters and calamities to abound | Fulfilled and in progress | |
| Social unrest, corruption, violence to increase | Fulfilled and in progress | |
| Latter-day wickedness | Fulfilled and in progress | |
| Holy Spirit ceasing to strive with wicked | Fulfilled and in progress | In the Book of Mormon, those who the Spirit ceased to strive with often became violent and uncaring about their own salvation, or the souls of others. This oftentimes resulted in the warfare and destruction of entire groups of people. Recent current events that could be seen in such a manner could include the drug trafficking wars on the border of Mexico and the U.S., and some extreme terrorist acts. |
| Angels now reaping the earth | Fulfilled and in progress | It is commonly believed that this term refers to both missionary work, and to the destruction of the wicked. At this time missionary work is in progress, however the destruction of the wicked will not occur until the Second Coming. |
| Wars and rumors of wars | Fulfilled and in progress | |
| Famines, depressions, and economic turmoil | Fulfilled and in progress | |
| Lamanites to blossom as the rose | Fulfilled and in progress | According to the footnotes on Doctrine and Covenants 49:24, this is referring to the gospel going to the Lamanites, which are believed to be the American Indians. |
| Sorrow and fear | Fulfilled and in progress | It is believed that this will get worse as we get closer to the Second Coming. |
| Beginning of the construction of the Temple of the New Jerusalem in Independence, Missouri | Pending | In August 1831, the temple grounds were marked with a cornerstone by the leadership of the church, however the Latter-day Saints were evicted from Independence in 1833. A temple was started by the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) in 1927, but was soon abandoned. |
| Signs on earth and heavens | Fulfilled | The prophecy of Joel was declared fulfilled by then President Gordon B. Hinckley in a talk titled "Living in the Fulness of Times" in the 2001 October General Conference. (http://lds.org/general-conference/2001/10/living-in-the-fulness-of-times?lang=eng) While some may say that the moon turning to blood can be seen (for example, gazing at it through the smoke of a forest fire will give it a red color), most LDS members do not believe this is a fulfillment of this prophecy yet, and that there is a more dramatic appearance yet to be had. However there is one recorded experience of such an event that covered a fairly wide area known as New England's Dark Day. |
| The gathering at Adam-ondi-Ahman | Pending | It is believed that Adam will convene a meeting at Adam-ondi-Ahman to officially turn the government of the human family over to Jesus Christ. It is also believed that other patriarchal prophets throughout the Bible will gather there to return keys of their dispensation to Christ. Such an event as this would most likely not be made public knowledge because of the sacredness of the event; thus, fulfillment would be difficult to verify. |
| Final great war | Pending | It is believed that the nations will gather near Megiddo or the Valley of Jezreel which is located in the north part of Israel near the coast. |
| Fall of the great and abominable church | Pending | |
| Special mission in Jerusalem of two latter-day prophets | Pending | See above: Two witnesses will be called to prophecy and preach within the land of Jerusalem |
Read more about this topic: Second Coming (LDS Church)
Famous quotes containing the words signs and/or preceding:
“The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
—Bible: Hebrew, Deuteronomy 26:8.
“The world is never the same as it was.... And that’s as it should be. Every generation has the obligation to make the preceding generation irrelevant. It happens in little ways: no longer knowing the names of bands or even recognizing their sounds of music; no longer implicitly understanding life’s rules: wearing plaid Bermuda shorts to the grocery and not giving it another thought.”
—Jim Shahin (20th century)