=Article 10.=--We believe ... That Christ will reign personally
upon the earth, etc.
=1. Christ's First and Second Advents.=--The facts of Christ's birth
in the flesh, of His thirty and three years of life among mortals, of
His ministry, sufferings, and death, are universally accepted as
attested history. Not alone do the records that the Christian world
regards as sacred and inspired bear testimony concerning these facts,
but the history written by man, and, in contrast, called profane, is
generally in harmony with the biblical account. Even those who reject
the doctrine of Christ's divinity, even they who refuse to accept Him
as their Redeemer, admit the historical facts of His marvelous life,
and acknowledge the incalculable effect of His precepts and example
upon the human family.
=2.= In the "Meridian of Time" Christ was born to earth, amid humble
surroundings,--in obscurity, indeed, to all except the faithful few
who had been watching for the expected advent. His coming had been
heralded through the previous centuries, even from the dawn of human
existence; every prophet of God had borne record of the great events
which were to characterize His advent. Every important incident
connected with His birth, life, death, triumphal resurrection, and
ultimate glory as King, Lord, and God, had been predicted; and even
the details of the circumstances were given with exactness. Judah and
Israel had been told to prepare for the coming of the Anointed
One;[1066] yet, behold, when He came to His own they received Him
not. Persecuted and despised, He trod the thorny path of duty, "a, man
of sorrows and acquainted with grief;" and, finally condemned by His
people, who clamored to an alien power for authority to execute their
own diabolical sentence upon their Lord, He went to the death
prescribed for malefactors.
[1066] See Note 1.
=3.= To human judgment, it surely seemed that the Divine mission of
Christ had been nullified, that His work had failed, and that the
powers of darkness had become triumphant. Blind, deaf, and hard of
heart were those who refused to see, hear, and comprehend the purport
of the Savior's mission. Similarly benighted are they who reject the
prophetic evidence of His second coming, and who fail to read the
signs of the times, which declare the event, at once so terrible and
glorious, to be near at hand. Both before and after His death, Christ
prophesied of His appointed reappearance upon the earth; and His
faithful followers are to-day waiting and watching for the signs of
the great fulfillment. The heavens are flaming with those signals, and
the burden of inspired teaching is again heard,--Repent, repent, for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
=4. Christ's Second Coming Predicted; and Signs Described. Bible
Prophecies.=--The prophets of the Old Testament, and those of Book of
Mormon record who lived and wrote before the era of Christ, had little
to say regarding the second coming of the Lord, little indeed in
comparison with their numerous and explicit predictions concerning His
first advent. As they looked into the sky of futurity, and with
prophetic power read the story of the heavenly orbs, their vision was
dazzled with the brilliancy of the Meridian Sun, and they saw little
of the glorious luminary beyond, whose proportions and radiance were
veiled by the mists of distance. A few of them saw and so testified,
as the following passages show: The Psalmist sang:--"Our God shall
come, and shall not keep silence; a fire shall devour before him, and
it shall be very tempestuous round about him."[1067] These devouring
and tempestuous conditions did not attend the coming of Bethlehem's
Babe.
[1067] Psalms l, 3.
=5.= Isaiah cries:--"Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be
strong, fear not; behold your God will come with vengeance, even God
with a recompense; he will come and save you."[1068] Aside from the
evident fact that these conditions did not attend the first coming of
Christ, the context of the prophet's words shows that he applied them
to the last days, the time of restitution, the day of the "ransomed of
the Lord," and of the triumph of Zion.[1069] Again Isaiah
speaks:--"Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm
shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work
before him."[1070]
[1068] Isa. xxxv, 4.
[1069] Verses 5-10.
[1070] Isa. xl, 10.
6. The prophet Enoch, who lived twenty centuries before the first of
those whose words are given above, spoke with vigor on the subject.
His teachings do not appear under his own name in the Bible, though
Jude, a New Testament writer, cites them.[1071] From the Book of Moses
in the Pearl of Great Price, we learn concerning the revelation given
to Enoch:--"And the Lord said unto Enoch, As I live, even so will I
come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to
fulfil the oath which I have made unto you concerning the children of
Noah."[1072]
[1071] Jude 14-15.
[1072] Pearl of Great Price: Moses vii, 60.
7. Jesus taught the disciples that His mission in the flesh was to be
of short duration, and that he would come again to earth, for we find
them enquiring in this wise, "Tell us when shall these things be? And
what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the
world?"[1073] In reply, our Lord detailed many of the signs of the
latter times, the last and greatest of which He thus stated:--"And
this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."[1074] With
great clearness, Jesus spoke of the worldliness in which the children
of men had continued to indulge, even on the eve of the Deluge, and on
the day of the fiery destruction which befell the Cities of the
Plains, and added:--"Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of
man is revealed."[1075]
[1073] Matt. xxiv, 3. See "Jesus the Christ," ch. xxxii.
[1074] Verse 14.
[1075] Luke xvii, 26-30.
=8.= Another of our Lord's predictions concerning His second coming is
as follows; His citation of the signs by which the approach of the
event may be known is so impressive that we should read the
description in its entirety:--"And they [the disciples] asked him,
saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will
there be when these things shall come to pass? And he said, Take heed
that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am
Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. But
when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these
things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. Then
said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom: and great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and
famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall
there be from heaven. But before all these, they shall lay their hands
on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and
into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's
sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in
your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will
give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be
able to gainsay nor resist. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents,
and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they
cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my
name's sake.... And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon,
and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with
perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them
for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the
earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they
see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And
when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up
your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."[1076]
[1076] Luke xxi, 7-28; see also Mark xiii, 14-26; Rev. vi, 12-17.
=9.= Again, by way of warning, the Lord said:--"Whosoever therefore
shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful
generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he
cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."[1077]
[1077] Mark viii, 38.
=10.= At the time of the Ascension, as the apostles stood gazing into
the firmament, where a cloud had hidden their resurrected Lord from
sight, they became aware of the presence of two heavenly visitors, who
said:--"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this
same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in
like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."[1078] Paul instructed
the churches in the doctrines of Christ's second advent, and described
the glory of His coming.[1079] So also did others of the
apostles.[1080]
[1078] Acts i, 11. See "Jesus the Christ," p. 695.
[1079] I Thess. iv, 16; II Thess. i, 7-8; Heb. ix, 28.
[1080] I Peter iv, 13; I John ii, 28; iii, 2.
=11. Among Book of Mormon Prophecies= concerning our present subject,
we find the teachings of Christ Himself at the time of His
ministrations to the Nephites in His resurrected state. To the
multitude He explained many matters, "even from the beginning until
the time that He should come in his glory."[1081] In promising the
three disciples the desire of their hearts, which was that they might
be spared in the flesh to continue the work of the ministry, the Lord
said to them:--"Ye shall live to behold all the doings of the Father,
unto the children of men, even until all things shall be fulfilled,
according to the will of the Father, when I shall come in my glory,
with the powers of heaven."[1082]
[1081] III Nephi xxvi, 3; see also xxv, 5.
[1082] III Nephi xxviii, 7; see also 8. See "Jesus the Christ,"
ch. xxxix.
=12. The Word of Modern Revelation= is no less sure regarding the
appointed advent of the Redeemer. To servants, specially commissioned,
instructions were given to this effect:--"Wherefore, be faithful,
praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with
you,[1083] that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom. For
behold, verily, verily, I say unto you that I come quickly."[1084] And
again, this instruction is given:--"Cry repentance unto a crooked and
perverse generation, preparing the way of the Lord for his second
coming; for behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, the time is soon
at hand that I shall come in a cloud with power and great
glory."[1085]
[1083] An allusion to the parable of the Ten Virgins; see Matt.
xxv, 1-13.
[1084] Doc. and Cov. xxxiii, 17.
[1085] Doc. and Cov. xxxiv, 6-7.
=13.= In a revelation to the people of the Church, March 7, 1831, the
Lord speaks of the signs of His coming, and counsels diligence.
Consider His words:--"Ye look and behold the fig-trees, and ye see
them with your eyes, and ye say when they begin to shoot forth, and
their leaves are yet tender, that summer is now nigh at hand; even so
it shall be in that day when they shall see all these things, then
shall they know that the hour is nigh. And it shall come to pass that
he 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
they shall see signs and wonders, for they shall be shown forth in the
heavens above, and in the earth beneath; and they shall behold blood
and fire, and vapors of smoke; and before the day of the Lord shall
come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood,
and stars fall from heaven; and the remnant shall be gathered unto
this place, 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 he that watches not for me
shall be cut off."[1086]
[1086] Doc. and Cov. xiv, 37-44; see also paragraphs 74-75.
=14.= The distinctive characteristic of the revelations as given in
the present dispensation, regarding the second coming of our Lord, is
the emphatic and oft-repeated declaration that the event is near at
hand.[1087] The call is, "Prepare ye, prepare ye, for that which is to
come, for the Lord is nigh." Instead of the cry of one man in the
wilderness of Judea, the voice of thousands is heard authoritatively
warning the nations, and inviting them to repent and flee to Zion for
safety. The fig tree is rapidly putting forth its leaves; the signs in
heaven and earth are increasing; surely the great and dreadful day of
the Lord is near.
[1087] See the numerous references in connection with Doc. and
Cov. i, 12. See "Jesus the Christ," ch. xlii.
=15. The Precise Time of Christ's Coming= has not been made known to
man. By learning to comprehend the signs of the times, by watching the
development of the work of God among the nations, and by noting the
rapid fulfillment of significant prophecies, we may perceive the
progressive evidence of the approaching event, "But the hour and the
day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor shall they know
until he comes."[1088] His coming will be a surprise to those who have
rejected His warnings, and who have failed to watch. "Like a thief in
the night"[1089] will be the coming of the day of the Lord unto the
wicked. "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour
wherein the Son of man cometh."[1090]
[1088] Doc. and Cov. xlix, 7.
[1089] II Peter iii, 10; I Thess. v, 2, etc.
[1090] Matt, xxv, 13; see also xxiv, 42, 44; Mark xiii, 33, 35;
Luke xii, 40.
=16. Christ's Reign: The Kingdom.=--We have seen that, according to
the words of holy prophets ancient and modern, Christ is to come, in a
literal sense, and so manifest Himself in person in the last days. He
is to dwell among His Saints. "Yea, even I will be in the midst of
you,"[1091] He declared to the people on this continent, whom He
promised to establish in the land of the New Jerusalem; and similar
assurances were given through the prophets of the east.[1092] In this
prospective ministration among His gathered Saints, Christ is to be at
once their God and their King. His government is to be that of a
perfect theocracy; the laws of righteousness will be the code, and
control will be administered under one authority, undisputed because
indisputable.
[1091] III Nephi xx, 22; see also xxi, 25.
[1092] Ezek. xxxvii, 26-27; Zech. ii, 10, 11; viii, 3; II Cor. vi,
16.
=17.= The scriptures abound with declarations that the Lord will yet
reign among his people. To this effect sang Moses before the hosts of
Israel after their miraculous passage through the Red Sea,--"The Lord
shall reign for ever and ever;"[1093] and the psalmist echoes the
refrain, "The Lord is King for ever and ever."[1094] Jeremiah calls
Him "an everlasting king," before whose wrath the earth shall tremble,
and the nations yield;[1095] and Nebuchadnezzar, humbled through
tribulation, rejoiced in honoring the King of Heaven, "whose dominion
is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to
generation."[1096]
[1093] Exo. xv, 18.
[1094] Psa. x, 16 see also xxix, 10; cxlv, 13; cxlvi, 10.
[1095] Jer. x, 10.
[1096] Dan. iv, 34-37.
=18.= Even chosen Israel were not always willing to accept God as
their king. Remember how they protested that Samuel, the anointed
prophet and judge, was old,--a poor excuse for their claim, as the old
man ministered with vigor among them for thirty-five years beyond that
time,--and how they cried for a king to rule them, that they might be
like other nations.[1097] Note the pathetic words with which the Lord
replied to Samuel's prayer regarding this demand of the people, and
the sorrow with which He granted them their wish:--"Hearken unto the
voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not
rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over
them."[1098] But the Lord will not be ever rejected by His people; at
the time appointed He will come with power and great glory, and will
assume His rightful place of authority as King of earth.
[1097] I Sam. viii, 5.
[1098] Verse 7; see also x, 19; Hosea xiii, 10-11.
=19.= Daniel interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and spoke of the
many kingdoms and divisions of kingdoms which were to be established,
then added:--"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven
set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom
shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and
consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."[1099]
Touching the extent of the great kingdom to be established the same
prophet declared:--"And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of
the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of
the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and all dominions shall serve and obey him."[1100]
[1099] Dan. ii, 44.
[1100] Dan. vii, 27.
=20.= Speaking of the restoration of Judah and Israel in the last
days, Micah prophesies:--"And the Lord shall reign over them in mount
Zion from henceforth, even for ever."[1101] In the annunciation to the
Virgin, the angel said of the unborn Christ:--"He shall reign over the
house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no
end."[1102] In the visions of Patmos, the Apostle John saw the
glorious consummation, and a universal recognition of the eternal
King:--"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in
heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of
our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and
ever."[1103] Modern revelation is rich in evidence of an approaching
reign of righteousness, with Christ as King; witness the
following:--"And also the Lord shall have power over his saints, and
shall reign in their midst."[1104] "For in my own due time will I come
upon the earth in judgment, and my people shall be redeemed and shall
reign with me on earth."[1105]
[1101] Micah iv, 7; see also Isa. xxiv, 23.
[1102] Luke i, 33.
[1103] Rev. xi, 15.
[1104] Doc. and Cov. i, 36.
[1105] Doc. and Cov. xliii, 29; see also lxxxiv, 119.
=21. Kingdom and Church.=--In the Gospel according to Matthew, the
phrase "kingdom of heaven" is of frequent occurrence; while in the
books of the other evangelists, and throughout the epistles, the
expression is "kingdom of God," "kingdom of Christ," or simply
"kingdom." It is evident that these expressions may be used
interchangeably without violence to the true meaning. However, the
term kingdom is used in more senses than one, and a careful study of
the context in each instance may be necessary to a proper
comprehension of the writers intent. The most common usages are
two:--1. An expression synonymous with "the Church," having reference
to the followers of Christ without distinction as to their temporal or
spiritual organizations. 2. The designation of the literal kingdom
over which Christ is to reign on earth in the last days.
=22.= When we contemplate the Kingdom in the latter and more general
sense, the Church must be regarded as a part thereof; an essential
indeed, for it is the germ from which the Kingdom is to be developed,
and the very heart of the perfected organization. The Church has
existed and now continues in an organized form, without the Kingdom as
a visibly established power with temporal authority in the world; but
the Kingdom cannot be maintained without the Church.
=23.= In modern revelation, the expressions "kingdom of God" and
"kingdom of heaven" are sometimes used with distinctive meanings,--the
former phrase signifying the Church, and the latter the literal
kingdom which is to supersede and comprise all existing national
divisions. In this sense, the kingdom of God has been set up already
in these the last days; its beginning in and for the present
dispensation was the establishment of the Church on its latter-day and
permanent foundation. This is consistent with our conception of the
Church as the vital organ of the Kingdom in general. The powers and
authority committed to the Church are then the keys of the Kingdom.
Such meaning is made clear in the following revelation to the
Church:--"The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the
earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of
the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without
hands[1106] shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth....
Call upon the Lord, that his kingdom may go forth upon the earth, that
the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days
to come, in the which the Son of man shall come down in heaven,
clothed in the brightness of his glory, to meet the kingdom of God
which is set up on the earth; wherefore may the kingdom of God go
forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come, that thou, O God, mayest
be glorified in heaven, so on earth, that thy enemies may be subdued;
for thine is the honor, power and glory for ever and ever."[1107]
[1106] Allusion to Daniel's interpretation of the dream of
Nebuchadnezzar; see Dan. ii, 34, 44.
[1107] Doc. and Cov. lxv, 2, 5-6.
=24.= At the time of His glorious advent, Christ will be accompanied
by the hosts of righteous ones who have already passed from earth; and
the Saints who are still alive on earth are to be quickened and caught
up to meet Him, and to descend with Him as partakers of His
glory.[1108] With Him too will come Enoch and his band of the pure in
heart;[1109] and a union will be effected with the Kingdom of God, or
that part of the Kingdom of Heaven previously established as the
Church of Christ on earth; and the Kingdom on earth will be one with
that in heaven. Then will be realized a complete fulfillment of the
Lord's own prayer, given as a pattern to all who pray:--"Thy kingdom
come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."[1110]
[1108] Doc. and Cov. lxxxviii, 91-98.
[1109] See pp. 358, 362-363.
[1110] Matt. vi, 10; Luke xi, 2.
=25.= The disputed question, "Is the Kingdom already set up on earth
or are we to wait for its establishment until the time of the future
advent of Christ, the King?" may properly receive answer either
affirmative or negative, according to the sense in which the term
kingdom is understood. The Kingdom of God as identical with the Church
of Christ has assuredly been established; its history is that of the
Church in these the last days; its officers are divinely commissioned,
their power is that of the holy priesthood. They claim an authority
which is spiritual, but also temporal in dealing with the members of
the organization,--Church or Kingdom as you may choose to call
it,--but they make no attempt, nor do they assert the right, to
modify, assail, or in any way interfere with, existing governments;
far less to subdue nations or to set up rival systems of control. The
Kingdom of Heaven, including the Church, and comprising all nations,
will be set up with power and great glory when the triumphant King
comes with His heavenly retinue to personally rule and reign on the
earth which He has redeemed at the sacrifice of His own life.
=26.= As seen, the Kingdom of Heaven will comprise more than the
Church. The honorable and honest among men will be accorded protection
and the privileges of citizenship under the perfect system of
government which Christ will administer; and this will be their happy
lot whether they are actually members of the Church or not.
Law-breakers and men of impure heart will meet the judgment of
destruction according to their sin; but those who live according to
the truth as they have been able to receive and comprehend it, will
enjoy the fullest liberty under the benign influences of a perfect
administration. The special privileges and blessings associated with
the Church, the right to hold and exercise the priesthood with its
boundless possibilities and eternal powers, will be, as now they are,
for those only who enter into the covenant and become part of the
Church of the Redeemer.
=27. The Millennium.=--In connection with scriptural mention of
Christ's reign on earth, a duration of a thousand years is frequently
specified. While we cannot regard this as indicating a time limit to
the Kingdom's existence, or a measure of the Savior's administration
of power, we are justified in the belief that the thousand years
immediately following the establishment of the Kingdom are to be
specially characterized, so as to be different from both preceding and
succeeding time. The gathering of Israel and the establishment of an
earthly Zion are to be effected, preparatory to His coming. His advent
is to be marked by a destruction of the wicked, and by the
inauguration of an era of peace. The Revelator saw the souls of the
martyrs, and of other righteous men, in power, living and reigning
with Christ a thousand years.[1111] At the beginning of this period
Satan is to be bound, "that he should deceive the nations no more
until the thousand years should be fulfilled."[1112] Certain of the
dead are not to live again until the thousand years are passed;[1113]
while the righteous "shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall
reign with him a thousand years."[1114] Among the most ancient of
revelations regarding the Millennium is that given to Enoch:--"And it
came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man,
in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness for the space
of a thousand years."[1115]
[1111] Rev. xx, 4; see also 6.
[1112] Rev. xx, 2-3.
[1113] Verse 5.
[1114] Verse 6.
[1115] Pearl of Great Price: Moses vii, 65.
=28.= It is evident, then, that in speaking of the Millennium we have
to consider a definite period, with important events marking its
beginning and its close, and conditions of unusual blessedness
extending throughout. It will be a sabbatical era,[1116]--a thousand
years of peace. Enmity between man and beast shall cease; the
fierceness and venom of the brute creation shall be done away,[1117]
and love shall rule.[1118] A new condition of affairs will prevail,
as was declared in the word of the Lord to Isaiah:--"For behold, I
create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be
remembered nor come into mind."[1119]
[1116] See Note 2.
[1117] Isa. xi, 6-9; lxv, 25.
[1118] See Notes 3 and 4.
[1119] Isa. lxv, 17.
=29.= Concerning the state of peace, prosperity, and duration of human
life, characteristic of that period, we read:--"There shall be no more
thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his
days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner
being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build
houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the
fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall
not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of
my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they
are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with
them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer:
and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb
shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock:
and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy
in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord."[1120]
[1120] Verses 20-23.
=30.= The Lord's voice is heard to-day declaring the same prophetic
truths, as is shown in the revelations touching the Millennium given
in the present dispensation of the Church.[1121] In 1831, the Lord
addressed the elders of His Church, and said:--"For the great
Millennium, of which I have spoken by the mouth of my servants, shall
come; for Satan shall be bound, and when he is loosed again, he shall
only reign for a little season, and then cometh the end of the
earth."[1122] On another occasion these words were spoken:--"For I
will reveal myself from heaven with power and great glory, with all
the hosts thereof, and dwell in righteousness with men on earth a
thousand years, and the wicked shall not stand.... And again, verily,
verity, I say unto you, that when the thousand years are ended, and
men again begin to deny their God, then will I spare the earth but for
a little season, and the end shall come."[1123]
[1121] Doc. and Cov. lxiii, 49-51.
[1122] Doc. and Cov. xliii, 30-31.
[1123] Doc. and Cov. xxix, 11, 22-23.
=31.= The Millennium then is to precede the events usually indicated
by the scriptural phrase, "the end of the world." During that period,
all conditions will be propitious for righteousness; Satan's power
will be suspended; and men, relieved to some extent from temptation,
will be zealous in the service of their reigning Lord. Nevertheless,
sin will not be wholly abolished, nor will death be banished; though
children will live to reach maturity in the flesh, and then may be
changed to a condition of immortality in the "twinkling of an
eye."[1124] Both mortal and immortal beings will tenant the earth, and
communion with the heavenly powers will be common. The Latter-day
Saints believe that during that millennial era they will be privileged
to continue the vicarious work for the dead, which constitutes so
important and so characteristic a feature of their duty,[1125] and
that the facilities for direct communication with the heavens will
enable them to carry on their labor of love without hindrance. When
the thousand years are passed, Satan will again assert his power, and
those who are not then numbered among the pure in heart will yield to
his influence. But the liberty thus recovered by "the prince of the
power of the air"[1126] will be of short duration; his final doom will
speedily follow, and with him will go to the punishment that is
everlasting, all who are his. Then the earth will pass to its
celestial condition, and become a fit abode for the glorified sons and
daughters of our God.
[1124] Doc. and Cov. lxiii, 50-51.
[1125] See pp. 148-159.
[1126] Eph. ii, 2.