Robert L. Millet - Living in the Eleventh Hour: Preparing for the Glorious Return of the Savior

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

CIP data on file

ISBN 978-1-60907-409-8

Printed in the United States of America

Edwards Brothers Malloy, Ann Arbor, MI

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Wherefore the voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear may hear: Prepare ye, prepare ye for that which is to come, for the Lord is nigh.

Doctrine & Covenants 1:1112

Preface

Some of the earliest memories of my childhood are of long gospel conversations between my father and my uncle Joseph. Dad had a near obsession with the postmortal spirit world, and Uncle Joseph loved to read and talk about the signs of the times, those prophetic warnings and signals of the Saviors second coming. My cousin Linda and I sat for scores of hours through the years, drinking in all that our two gospel heroes discussed. We heard of wars and thunder and lightning and false prophets and the moon turning to blood and the stars falling from heaven. We sat in awe and wonder as we heard of the cleansing of the earth by fire, the destruction of the wicked, the Lord and his faithful Saints descending to earth, and on and on. On the one hand, these ideas thrilled us; on the other hand, to be honest, there were times when we walked away from the conversations somewhat frightened.

For some reason, as a young boy I thought a great deal about the Second Coming, wondering when it would be, puzzling over who of those I knew would be spared and who would die. And I worried over what camp I would fit intothe redeemed or the destroyed. I can still remember thinking about these things quite frequently on Sunday evenings as our family drove home from church, a distance of some thirty or forty miles. I also remember having more than one nightmare about the Second Coming, about the terror in the eyes of those who were unprepared, about people coming up out of their graves. As a kid I was fixated on science fiction and horror movies, so you can appreciate just how ghoulish and graphic those dreams were!

By the time I was a young teenager, the Lords coming in glory was something that horrified me, something I wanted to avoid entirely, if at all possible. In other words, fear and serious apprehension characterized my views of the Masters second advent. I wasnt ready for that terrible dayI hadnt had a chance to live my life yet, and even what little bit I had been able to live was anything but perfect.

As the years have passed, as I have had occasion to read and study and ponder on the revelations of the Restoration and as I have been buffeted by the stresses and disappointments, the traumas and tragedies, of this telestial world, the Second Coming has become more and more attractive. I have found myself looking forward to that day when evil men and seducers will no longer be able to confuse and distract the unwary; when honesty and decency will be the norm in society; when mischief and deceit will be entirely done away; when disease and pain and death and family distress will have become a distant memory; when our missionaries will be permitted to teach the principles of the restored gospel far and wide; when the Lord Jesus Christ will reign and preach and dwell among his people on earth; and, in the words of the ancient prophets, when the knowledge of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14; Isaiah 11:9). In short, I long now for that great day.

We live in what some have called the eleventh hour of time, the last days, the final period of preparation before the Master of ocean and earth and skies returns to once again subdue the raging tempest. We of the eleventh hour live in a unique time: We can read the scriptures and realize that much of what was prophesied to take place before our Lords return in glory has in fact already taken place. But we also are aware of many significant events that are yet to be acted out on earths stage, many great and many terrible things. And so with prophecy that is now history right before our eyes, as it were, we have certain assurance that what Jesus Christ and his anointed servants have spoken relative to the Second Coming is indeed true: It has already come to pass! We have every reason therefore to have perfect confidence in holy writ, every reason to trust that what has not yet occurred will in fact come to pass. We are called upon, therefore, to live our lives in readiness, to be vigilant, ever anticipating the ushering in of the millennial day.

This work has been written with those events in mind. My intention is not to frighten but to fortify; not to startle but to solidify; not to be sensational but to be sound. My hope is to remind us of prophetic principles we need to know, the deeds of discipleship we need to do, and, perhaps most important, the kind of person we need to become in order to feel peaceful and prepared when the Savior returns in glory.

Notes

Master, the Tempest Is Raging, Hymns, no. 105.

Acknowledgments

No work of this kind comes to fruition without the assistance of many persons. Students and faculty colleagues through the years have challenged me in my thinking and teaching and motivated me to search the revelations and the prophets more thoroughly to obtain a clearer picture of the way things are and the way they will be.

In the preparation of the manuscript, I am especially appreciative of the encouragement and aid offered by Lisa Roper, Chris Schoebinger, and Heidi Taylor of Deseret Book Company, who have shepherded this project along. And as always, I thank my editor and friend Suzanne Brady, whose suggestions and recommendations, as well as her sharp and discerning editorial eye, have simply made this book better than it would otherwise have been.

Finally, I express my deep love and appreciation for Shauna, my beloved wife, companion, and best friend, whose goodness and compassion have inspired me for almost half a century. She has been the quiet but compelling influence behind all that I have accomplished in this life that is of any lasting value.

Chapter 1

While It Is Called Today

We sing in our sacrament services a beloved hymn that begins with these lines:

Jesus, once of humble birth,

Now in glory comes to earth.

Once he suffered grief and pain;

Now he comes on earth to reign.

Jesus Christ is coming to earth, this time not as the lowly Nazarene but as the returning King of Israel (John 1:49), the King of Zion (Moses 7:53), the Lord of Sabaoth (Lord of Hosts, Lord of Armies). He will come with his angels, his destroying angels: For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble; for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch (Joseph SmithHistory 1:37; emphasis added). This scene will be what the scriptures call the end of the world, meaning the end of the worldly or the destruction of the wicked (Joseph SmithMatthew 1:4). It has been described as a day that is both great and dreadful: great for those who are prepared to receive him, and dreadful for those who would prefer that the Master postpone his coming indefinitely.