When Joseph Smith prophesied that the priesthood would fill North and South America and the world he may have seen our day – when the church has as many members as the total population of the United States at the time of his prophecy.
Daniel, who staved off lions by his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the intercession of God’s ministering angels, was one who saw our day in vision. Interpreting a dream for Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel prophesied the Lord’s Church would rise in the last days as a small stone “cut out of the mountain without hands.” “Without hands,” meaning by divine intervention, the Lord’s Church would increase in magnitude until it fills the whole earth, “never [to] be destroyed … [but to] stand for ever.”
The “never to be destroyed” should give us confidence in the work.
John the Revelator prophesied of an angel of the Almighty bringing together important elements of the Restoration with these words: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” Moroni was that angel. He saw our day as recorded in the Book of Mormon. In repeated appearances, he prepared Joseph Smith for his ministry, including the translation of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
I believe it was not only the work that Moroni did which John saw, but also the imagery of Moroni “flying” over temples around the world as a symbol of the restored church of Jesus Christ.
Of great significance for the whole Church is the prophecy of Isaiah, given more than 700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, … and all nations shall flow unto it.”
In my mind today, I picture millions of our members and friends connected to these proceedings electronically by television, internet, or other means. We are sitting down as if together “in the top of the mountains.” It was Brigham Young who spoke the prophetic words “This is the right place.” The Saints, some of them my own pioneer ancestors, worked to establish Zion in the Rocky Mountains “through the will and pleasure of him who dictates the nations of the earth.”
I had always thought of people flowing to the Salt Lake Temple as the fulfillment of that prophecy and possibly people coming to see Temple Square. I had never before thought of how gathering for general conference virtually as well as physically was also such a fulfillment of that prophecy.
Many more have come to Temple Square and met in council with Church leaders. For example, this past year, to name just a few, we welcomed the United Nations 68th Civil Society Conference, a global gathering and the first of its kind outside of New York City. We have met with Vietnam’s Committee for Religious Affairs and ambassadors from Cuba, the Philippines, Argentina, Romania, Sudan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. We also welcomed the secretary general of the Muslim World League.
Again, having people come to meet with church leaders was a fulfillment I had already recognized but the UN Civil Society Conference was one I had not thought about in this light before.
I close with the prophecy of Joseph Smith, words that I testify are true: “No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.” I so testify that these prophecies of Joseph Smith are being fulfilled.
I promise as you follow the inspired counsel of our dear prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, his counselors, the Apostles, and other Church leaders, and as you pay heed to the ancient prophets who foretold of our day, you will be filled, deep in your heart and soul, with the spirit and the work of the Restoration. I promise you will see the hand of God in your lives, hear His promptings, and feel His love. In the name of Jesus Christ, with gratitude for the Restoration of His gospel and His Church, in evidence of His matchless love, amen.
Yesterday (12/30/2020) was an example of the fulfilling of that promise for me (as I wrote in my journal already).
Leave a Reply