I don't believe this world is ripe for destruction yet.

[brianj]

I believe the reason for more missionaries wasn't necessarily to baptize more but to strengthen and train more youth i.e. those missionaries that served. Then when the tribulations come and people are humbled and ready to hear the Gospel, we will have many trained returned missionaries to teach the Gospel. That is when the real missionary work and conversion will take place.

I spoke with a sister missionary who was serving at the time of the announcement, and I recall her expression that her first thought was, "Hormones..."
My first thought was, "The church divorce rate is going to plummet!" The divorce rate in the church is almost as high as the general population, but the divorce rate among returned missionaries is far lower than the rate for the church. Without young men getting established in a job or school over one year, the rate at which young men choose to serve a mission has jumped. And without having to wait until 21 the rate at which young women go on missions has seen an even greater jump. Postponing marriage just a couple of years for greater maturity in selecting a spouse, and the greater spiritual maturity gained from a mission, will help many of our youth make better choices both in family and life.

And yes, the strength they gain on their missions will be a great benefit to them and those around them as we all face the coming tribulations.

[gungadin500]

The times of the gentiles are almost fulfilled, still a great thought for a thread. We were given a sign when the age of missionaries was lowered and the number increased so fast. The next sign will be when they are called home.

Hope your right and I'm wrong.

Curiously, when the number of missionaries jumped significantly we did not see a corresponding jump in the conversion rate. In 2012 when the change 272,330 convert baptisms were reported. In 2014 that number had climbed to 296,803 - roughly an 8.99% increase over 2012. But last year the number of convert baptisms had dropped to 257,402 - 94.5% of the 2012 number. And the 2012 convert baptism total was down from 281.312 the year before.

I see the declining number of convert baptisms, especially the declining number of baptisms per missionary, as a very significant sign of the times and a sign of the level of wickedness in society.

I believe the reason for more missionaries wasn't necessarily to baptize more but to strengthen and train more youth i.e. those missionaries that served. Then when the tribulations come and people are humbled and ready to hear the Gospel, we will have many trained returned missionaries to teach the Gospel. That is when the real missionary work and conversion will take place.

That is a really interesting observation. I had never thought of looking at it that way.

[LDS Physician]

I also believe that because the youth are being exposed and lured by much more blatant evil than ever before that by encouraging them to serve missions a year earlier than ever before might save more of them.

[markharr]

Right now in this country, it might be a little awkward or uncomfortable to tell someone that you are LDS or a Christian. I bet it will get much worse before we are really ripe for destruction. I bet it will get to the point where you would be risking your life to admit to someone that you are a Christian or LDS and I am talking about this country, not Syria or Iran.

[freedomforall]

I considered that myself.

My point is that one of the deceivers tricks is to make the world look more wicked than it is. He uses the media, and the MSM to accomplish this. I believe there is far more faith in this world than we are being led to believe. I don't believe that the majority support gay marriage. I think that evil people made it look that way by forcing it through the courts. One of the things we learned recently is that the elite are not above manipulating polls in order to force an agenda.

The media will only show us the bad. They will only show us the depravity. It's up to us to find the good.

And I am not at all suggesting that anyone else stop spiritual and temporal preparations for the times of tribulation. What I am suggesting is that we stop waiting around for it, and do what we can to keep good alive.

I definitely agree with you.

I disagree, Satan's plan is to lull people into complacency and say all is well in Zion. At my children's school a few years back the one teacher asked every pupil to wear the same colour top to school on a certain day to support gay marriage - more than 90% of the school supported the initiative. In Ireland in 2015 they had a referendum on same sex marriage and the country being very staunch catholic still votes 62% for and 37% against.

Being fully ripe in inequity does not mean 100% of every person is totally wicked and has lost all their free agency due to sin. No what is coming is the separation of the wheat and the tares. In 3 Nephi many cities are listed as totally destroyed due to wickedness with many still surviving because they were more righteous than the rest. What is coming is not total destruction but a testing and sifting unlike what we read about in other destructive punishments from God.. The LDS will not be destroyed but rise up and triumph. So sure God has placed some of his best spirits on earth for the preparation of establishing Zion - so yes one can list many good deeds and many good things people do. I also know many people who have done the most heroic things but still have many addictions and great sin in their lives. A person's life is not defined by one heroic or bad act.

This is a misrepresentation of what I said. I did not say all is well in zion.

Remember the "goose bump gang", they're everywhere, even on this forum. If you look for good in people you now belong to the "all is well in Zion" crowd. Just try to consider the source.

[freedomforall]

Right now in this country, it might be a little awkward or uncomfortable to tell someone that you are LDS or a Christian. I bet it will get much worse before we are really ripe for destruction. I bet it will get to the point where you would be risking your life to admit to someone that you are a Christian or LDS and I am talking about this country, not Syria or Iran.

In response to your feelings, please listen to this:

MAJOR WARNING!!! Ex Muslim Warns all Americans. TAKE A STAND NOW!!!

[brianj]

I have pondered the subject of this thread for the last couple of days and have come to two conclusions. Please feel free to debate either point.

1: We don't have a sufficiently detailed definition of "ripe in iniquity" to know when we are ripe.

2: Good acts such as the one described in the original post must be increasingly rare to become such big news stories. If this was not a wicked and perverse society, actions such as the one in the original post would be commonplace instead of rare enough to be newsworthy. The story that was used in the original post to support the assertion that we are not ripe for destruction serves as evidence to me of just how close to destruction we are.

[butterfly]

I see it as 50/50. I think evil is increasing but goodness is increasing, too. We are seeing polarization- the light being separated from the dark- not the light being overcome by the dark.

So when we hear about the bad getting worse, we need to reach out to others (and not just to try and convert them), but because we need to know how to get along with people from all religions and cultures. The battle is good vs evil, not the LDS vs the rest of the world.

And there is a tremendous amount of good in people all around the globe.

[Spider]

When you consider that almost all couples live together now before they get married, that makes our society look ripe for destruction. And that is just one of many examples I could give.

[setyourselffree]

[Spaced_Out]

My point is that one of the deceivers tricks is to make the world look more wicked than it is. He uses the media, and the MSM to accomplish this. I believe there is far more faith in this world than we are being led to believe. I don't believe that the majority support gay marriage. I think that evil people made it look that way by forcing it through the courts. One of the things we learned recently is that the elite are not above manipulating polls in order to force an agenda.

Remember the "goose bump gang", they're everywhere, even on this forum. If you look for good in people you now belong to the "all is well in Zion" crowd. Just try to consider the source.

The highlighted comment from "markharr" is what I was commenting against. There is no scriptural backing or logic in saying one of the "deceivers tricks is to make the world look more wicked than it is". The all is well in Zion comes from 2 Nephi 28 where it plainly states the tricks that Satan uses is to rage in peoples heats against good, pacify others and tell people there is no hell. To members of the LDS church it might look like the media is making the world worse than what it is by promoting sin. But actually what the media is doing is saying these things are normal and no sin..

During the election many states had a referendum vote for recreations marijuana that came in for all states that had the vote. Nationally in the US over 60% of people support recreational marijuana use. It is the new normal. Yes things can still get more wicked - but do the heavens wait till every single person on earth is wicked like the Jaradites or the time of Noah prior to the tribulations...

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/us/po ... ation.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

SAN FRANCISCO — California, Massachusetts and Nevada legalized marijuana on Tuesday in what advocates said was a reflection of the country’s changing attitude toward the drug.
Leading up to the election, recreational marijuana use was legal in four states: Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington, along with Washington, D.C.
With the addition of California, Massachusetts and Nevada, the percentage of Americans living in states where marijuana use is legal for adults rose above 20 percent, from 5 percent.

2 Nephi 28
19 For the kingdom of the devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish;
20 For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.
21 And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.
22 And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.
23 Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.

[Spaced_Out]

I have pondered the subject of this thread for the last couple of days and have come to two conclusions. Please feel free to debate either point.

1: We don't have a sufficiently detailed definition of "ripe in iniquity" to know when we are ripe.

2: Good acts such as the one described in the original post must be increasingly rare to become such big news stories. If this was not a wicked and perverse society, actions such as the one in the original post would be commonplace instead of rare enough to be newsworthy. The story that was used in the original post to support the assertion that we are not ripe for destruction serves as evidence to me of just how close to destruction we are.

1: That is why we have living prophets -many of the general authorities have stated we have reaching/reached the wickedness as in the days of Noah, darkness has progressed many fold since those statements were made. The days that are coming will be a sifting not utter destruction.

2:One or two acts of kindness does not define a society. Those few acts of kindness and the response they get shows how wicked the world is.


Spencer W. Kimball (President)
The Lord gave us a choice world and expects righteousness and obedience to his commandments in return. But when I review the performance of this people in comparison with what is expected, I am appalled and frightened. Iniquity seems to abound. The Destroyer seems to be taking full advantage of the time remaining to him in this, the great day of his power. Evil seems about to engulf us like a great wave, and we feel that truly we are living in conditions similar to those in the days of Noah before the Flood. (Ensign, June 1976, 3)

Bruce R. McConkie (Quorum of the Twelve)
We live in a day of evil and wickedness. The generality of men are carnal, sensual, and devilish. They have forgotten God and are reveling in the lusts of the flesh. Crime, immorality, abortions, and homosexual abominations are fast becoming the norm of life among the wicked and ungodly. The world will soon be as corrupt as it was in the days of Noah. (Ensign, Nov. 1980, 50)

In this present evil and dark day, iniquity abounds. Never since the day of Noah, when the Lord destroyed all save eight souls, has there been so great wickedness among men. There are now social enclaves of homosexuals, sodomists, adulterers, murderers, Gadianton robbers, as it were, and those of every like evil ilk. Interspersed among the masses of devilish people are a few who love the Lord and let their light shine in the dark dens of sin. Our society is polarized. Though saints and sinners intermingle, they are poles apart in belief and conduct. The saints stand by themselves at one pole; evil forces without number assemble at the other pole; and in between are some who know not which way to go, and for whose souls the Lord and Lucifer are at war. Even in the Church, the tares and wheat together grow. (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.647)

Howard W. Hunter (Quorum of the Twelve)
We live in a world of temptation—temptation that seems more real and oppressively rampant than any since the days of Noah. Are we remaining faithful in such a world? Every individual in this church should ask himself, “Am I living so that I am keeping unspotted from the evils of the world?” (Ensign, Nov 1976, 17)

Neal A. Maxwell (Quorum of the Twelve)
As in the days of Noah, many individuals become preoccupied with life’s routine, such as “eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, until the day” (Matthew 24:38; see vv. 36–39). Many of those comfortably situated say, “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing” (Revelation 3:17), while being confused about causality, saying, “My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:17). It is much today as in ancient Israel when “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; also 21:25). In our time, “every man walketh in his own way, and after ... the likeness of the world” (D&C 1:16), which might be called everyman ethical relativism—and we are swamped by it in our time. (Address to CES Religious Educators, 3 February 1995)

Just as foretold, our days actually are fast resembling the days of Noah, especially notable for their pattern of corruption and violence. (See Matt. 24:37; Gen. 6:11.) No wonder the adversary steadily promotes all the ancient sins, not because he is uninventive but because his harvest is so constant. ("Behold, the Enemy is Combined," Ensign, May 1993)

Spencer W. Kimball (Quorum of the Twelve)
Through the scriptures we have a fairly clear picture of the fate of the people of Noah's day who, like many people today,ignored the testimonies of written scripture and of living prophets....

They were drowned in their sins. Their marriages were for time. They reveled in worldliness. They were possibly like many in the world today who place no curb upon their eating, drinking and licentiousness. Their ignoring the laws of God and the warning of the prophets continued until the very day when Noah and his family entered the ark. Then it was too late. Too late! What finality in that phrase!...

Too late!... The same lamentable cry of "Too late!" will apply to many of today's Church members who did not heed the warning but who proceeded—sometimes carelessly, sometimes defiantly—to bind themselves through mortality to those who could not or would not prepare for the blessings which were in reserve for them. (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p.248-249)

George Q. Cannon (First Presidency)
If the destruction of the wicked among the Nephites was necessary in order to bring about a reign of peace and righteousness for three or four generations, do you not think that there will have to be great and overwhelming destructions to cleanse the earth of the wicked and to lay the foundation of a thousand years of peace and righteousness? Will wickedness be allowed to flourish? I tell you, no.

The wicked will be destroyed, according to the words of all the Prophets, and the righteous only will survive. There will be a cleansing of the earth from the wicked as great in its place as the cleansing of the earth by the flood that came in the days of Noah, though this time it will be by fire. Malachi says the day will come when the wicked shall be ashes under the soles of the feet of the righteous. (Gospel Truth, 1:88-89)

[freedomforall]

Here is the good news folks:

Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:20
20 And except those days should be shortened, there should none of their flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake, according to the covenant, those days shall be shortened.

Matthew 24:22
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

No matter how wicked it gets, the Lord has promised to save and preserve the elect. If he were not to do this, we could all kiss heaven good bye. Evil can and does affect all of us. None of us keep all of the commandments all of the time. God's sheep are numbered and he knows them. Who are the elect? D&C 76

Also:

D&C 29:7
7 And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts;

And:

D&C 84:34 (33–34)
33 For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.
34 They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God

For some of us there is still hope. According to all of us, our own behaviors, attitudes. life style, and conduct...will determine which ones of us are among the elect. It sure won't be the people offering the Lord wooden nickles. To these the Lord will say:

3 Nephi 14:23
23 And then will I profess unto them: I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

We must strive to be spotless, clean and pure in thought and deed to really be in the loving arms of the Lord, his sheep.

[Spaced_Out]

Here is the good news folks:

The good news is that His return is getting sooner and wickedness will be swept away. I have no fear of the tribulations.

GC Oct 2016 Joy and Spiritual Survival, By President Russell M. Nelson, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/ ... l?lang=eng" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

These are the latter days, so none of us should be surprised when we see prophecy fulfilled. A host of prophets, including Isaiah, Paul, Nephi, and Mormon, foresaw that perilous times would come,1 that in our day the whole world would be in commotion,2 that men would “be lovers of their own selves, … without natural affection, … lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God,”3 and that many would become servants of Satan who uphold the adversary’s work.4 Indeed, you and I “wrestle … against the rulers of the darkness of this world, [and] against spiritual wickedness in high places.”5

As conflicts between nations escalate, as cowardly terrorists prey on the innocent, and as corruption in everything from business to government becomes increasingly commonplace, what can help us? What can help each of us with our personal struggles and with the rigorous challenge of living in these latter days?

The prophet Lehi taught a principle for spiritual survival. First, consider his circumstances: He had been persecuted for preaching truth in Jerusalem and had been commanded by the Lord to leave his possessions and flee with his family into the wilderness. He had lived in a tent and survived on what food could be found on the way to an unknown destination, and he had watched two of his sons, Laman and Lemuel, rebel against the teachings of the Lord and attack their brothers Nephi and Sam.

[markharr]

I have pondered the subject of this thread for the last couple of days and have come to two conclusions. Please feel free to debate either point.

1: We don't have a sufficiently detailed definition of "ripe in iniquity" to know when we are ripe.

2: Good acts such as the one described in the original post must be increasingly rare to become such big news stories. If this was not a wicked and perverse society, actions such as the one in the original post would be commonplace instead of rare enough to be newsworthy. The story that was used in the original post to support the assertion that we are not ripe for destruction serves as evidence to me of just how close to destruction we are.

There have been feel good stories since the advent of mass communication. This isn't a new phenomenon as you suggest. If your looking for a way to quantify whether the world is becoming increasingly wicked let's look at charitable giving. It is on the increase
[img]
https://s3.amazonaws.com/cn-web-site/Ti ... echart.png" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;[/img]

With the majority still going to religion.
[img]
https://s3.amazonaws.com/cn-web-site/Ti ... echart.png" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;[/img]

By all means. Continue to wait around for Babylon to fall. There is no question about the fact that it will eventually fall. All I'm suggesting is that instead of sitting around waiting we should do everything we can to make it a little better for as many people as possible. There is no reason why you can't do that and prepare for coming tribulations.

[brianj]

There have been feel good stories since the advent of mass communication. This isn't a new phenomenon as you suggest. If your looking for a way to quantify whether the world is becoming increasingly wicked let's look at charitable giving. It is on the increase
[img]
https://s3.amazonaws.com/cn-web-site/Ti ... echart.png" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;[/img]

With the majority still going to religion.
[img]
https://s3.amazonaws.com/cn-web-site/Ti ... echart.png" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;[/img]

By all means. Continue to wait around for Babylon to fall. There is no question about the fact that it will eventually fall. All I'm suggesting is that instead of sitting around waiting we should do everything we can to make it a little better for as many people as possible. There is no reason why you can't do that and prepare for coming tribulations.

Umm... wrong. When I earned $5,000 per year in my youth I paid $500 in tithing. This year i have paid thousands. Does that mean I am paying more or am I still paying 10% of my income? The amount being donated has steadily increased, but so has the economy. For around the lat 40 years Americans have consistently donated about 2% of the GDP to charity. The annual reports from Giving USA will confirm this.

Furthermore, your pie chart shows a minority of donations going to religion. The word majority doesn't mean the biggest recipient, but greater than 50%. And the 2014 report from Giving USA, the most recent you can download for free without registering at their online store, states that the percentage of charitable giving received by religious groups has declined for five consecutive years.

[Spaced_Out]

The "Family a proclamation to the world" - The disintegration of the family will bring all the foretold calamities -- are families disintegrated.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/unmarri ... earing.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Number of live births to unmarried women: 1,604,870
Birth rate for unmarried women: 43.9 births per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15-44 years
Percent of all births to unmarried women: 40.2%

Approximately half of marriages end in divorce.
In 2015, the Manhattan Supreme Court ruled that Ellanora Baidoo could serve her husband divorce papers through a Facebook message, and she became the first woman to legally serve her husband divorce papers via Facebook.

[gungadin500]

The "Family a proclamation to the world" - The disintegration of the family will bring all the foretold calamities -- are families disintegrated.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/unmarri ... earing.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Number of live births to unmarried women: 1,604,870
Birth rate for unmarried women: 43.9 births per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15-44 years
Percent of all births to unmarried women: 40.2%

Approximately half of marriages end in divorce.
In 2015, the Manhattan Supreme Court ruled that Ellanora Baidoo could serve her husband divorce papers through a Facebook message, and she became the first woman to legally serve her husband divorce papers via Facebook.

Great post. Can't mention disintegration of the family without also mentioning the pornography epidemic, which likely outstrips divorce and birth out-of-wedlock in terms of scope and effect. And it is absolutely rampant amongst members, our youth (male and female), and our 20-year-old returned missionaries who are too frequently being counseled against finding a celestial companion and moving forward in life until after they've been home for a few years. Ask any stake president if you don't believe it.

Bottom line: we are absolutely ripe for destruction and we should be praying for deliverance for the sake of our youth - in whatever way shape or form that deliverance can come as our Father sees fit.

[freedomforall]

To all the doomsday activists...has the gospel gone out to all creatures yet? No.
Has there been two Prophets killed in Jerusalem yet? No.
Has the earth reeled to and fro like a drunken man from simultaneous earthquakes all occurring at the same time? No.
Has the New Jerusalem been built? No
Have all the continents come back together as prophesied? No SEE: Gen 10:25 and D&C 133:24
Has God gathered all his chicks and put them under his wings? No SEE: D&C 29:2
Has Satan taken full control in all nations and people? No SEE: Revelation 13:7

We may be close to total destruction, but please do not rush it before God decides to act.
It is not our duty to speculate or predict the timing of foretold calamities and destruction, rather, it is God's mandate to watch and prepare. It is God's decision as to when to let all hell break loose, not ours.

[Spaced_Out]

The "Family a proclamation to the world" - The disintegration of the family will bring all the foretold calamities -- are families disintegrated.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/unmarri ... earing.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Number of live births to unmarried women: 1,604,870
Birth rate for unmarried women: 43.9 births per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15-44 years
Percent of all births to unmarried women: 40.2%

Approximately half of marriages end in divorce.
In 2015, the Manhattan Supreme Court ruled that Ellanora Baidoo could serve her husband divorce papers through a Facebook message, and she became the first woman to legally serve her husband divorce papers via Facebook.

Great post. Can't mention disintegration of the family without also mentioning the pornography epidemic, which likely outstrips divorce and birth out-of-wedlock in terms of scope and effect. And it is absolutely rampant amongst members, our youth (male and female), and our 20-year-old returned missionaries who are too frequently being counseled against finding a celestial companion and moving forward in life until after they've been home for a few years. Ask any stake president if you don't believe it.

Bottom line: we are absolutely ripe for destruction and we should be praying for deliverance for the sake of our youth - in whatever way shape or form that deliverance can come as our Father sees fit.

True, was going to say something about abortion (sacrifice of infants) being the sin that brought about the destruction of ancient Israel... These things all lead from porn and immorality, most children are now sexually active prior to getting to high school. .

[Spaced_Out]

To all the doomsday activists...has the gospel gone out to all creatures yet? No. That happens during the tribulations after the lost tribes return 144k are called to go and preach to all the world - it is final preaching to all the world prior to the second coming.
Has there been two Prophets killed in Jerusalem yet? No. The two prophets only come during the tribulations after the Temple is build in Jerusalem and all the world has gathered against Israel.
Has the earth reeled to and fro like a drunken man from simultaneous earthquakes all occurring at the same time? No. That starts at the opening of the 6th seal (D&C88, Rev12) it starts after the missionaries are withdrawn, one of the opening events of the tribulations and why we need food storage.
Has the New Jerusalem been built? No The tribulations is a sifting of wheat and tares and cleansing of the USA and Missouri is wiped clean in preparation so the Saints can gather there.
Have all the continents come back together as prophesied? No SEE: Gen 10:25 and D&C 133:24 Very late phase of the tribulations or start of the millennium
Has God gathered all his chicks and put them under his wings? No SEE: D&C 29:2 Cleansing comes first
Has Satan taken full control in all nations and people? No SEE: Revelation 13:7 NWO will come out of the 3WW where one government takes over - are you seriously saying don't be worried till the entire world is taken over by one government. The west is currently shifting to nationalism, Trump, Brexit, Italy vote on 4th Dec, French ultra right wing parties have majority poll going into elections next year.

We may be close to total destruction, but please do not rush it before God decides to act.
It is not our duty to speculate or predict the timing of foretold calamities and destruction, rather, it is God's mandate to watch and prepare. It is God's decision as to when to let all hell break loose, not ours.

It is not about the second coming but start of the tribulations or God's wrath pored out on the world. All those things you mention in your post are events that occur after the start of the tribulations. One needs all you preparations done prior to then, as once it starts raining it is toooooo late.
Much of the scriptures have many many signs of the start of the tribulations they are given for a reason and we are told/commanded to watch and be aware of the signs of the times. They are given for a reason, one of the sings is that many will see visions and prophecy in the last days, to deny these things is to deny the works of God. Yes we many not know the time and hour of the second coming but the start of the cleansing and separation of wheat and tares - one will definitely know the season as the fig leaf will start to bud. I and many others are saying we can see the fig leaf has cast it's buds summer is nigh.

So we are at a cross roads do we do nothing and not talk about it because some people find it scary where others are very worried about the youth of the church and the burden of sin around them that they have to deal with. Last week went with the Bishop to give sacrament to a person in hospital and she was reading cleansing of America by Skousen - I had to explain what the book was about to the Bishop like the separation of the wheat and tares that is to come - he said lately there have been many people who have been active for years and years who have now decided to stop going to church. So you think we are deceived by thinking we are months away from the start of the tribulations and that the fig leafs we see budding are just normal seasonal events nothing to be concerned about - we will soon find out who are the deceived....

http://amazingdiscoveries.org/S-decepti ... ming_signs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Much of the Bible is dedicated to the theme of the Second Coming. There are over 1500 prophecies of Jesus’ Second Coming recorded in the Bible. For every prophecy of His first coming mentioned in the Old Testament, there are eight predicting His Second Coming. Christ’s return is also mentioned once in every five verses in the New Testament.
Many Old Testament prophets were given visions and instructions concerning this period, often called “the time of the end.” Daniel was told that his writings were for the time of the end (Daniel 12:9). John’s book of Revelation is also full of prophecies concerning the Second Coming and the period just before it.

Doctrine and Covenants 45:44
44 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.

[freedomforall]

So you think we are deceived by thinking we are months away from the start of the tribulations and that the fig leafs we see budding are just normal seasonal events nothing to be concerned about - we will soon find out who are the deceived....

D&C 68:10,11
10 And he that believeth shall be blest with signs following, even as it is written.
11 And unto you it shall be given to know the signs of the times, and the signs of the coming of the Son of Man;

So in trying to setup your own timeline of events...could be off. You are correct...we will soon find out who the deceived are. Yes, we are months away, but who can say how many?

Doctrine and Covenants 45:44
44 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.

There is a difference between watching for Christ and trying to dictate when he will. Let's see what others have said, shall we? Then you can stare and compare, believe it or heave it. Caution, this stuff is for only those that have a desire to know, or curious enough to find out. Those that already have their mind made up...well...you could be off a little, right? I mean, you really want people to hang their hat on your very words, do you not? Maybe these other folks have something good to offer as well, right?

Signs of the Second Coming Gospel Principles, (2011), 251–56

7 Things That Still Need to Happen Before the World Ends by Robert L Millet

What we might Expect in the Next Twenty-Five Years by W. Cleon Skousen

[Robert Sinclair]

Don't lose hope markharr, be as the servant in Jacob 5:50, that asks of the LORD, to---

"Spare it a little longer."

For this servant was able to help the LORD, in sparing the vineyard, and finally bringing forth the fruit, that was good, and no more corrupt, and most precious unto the LORD, from the beginning.

♡ ♡

[KurtTheMormon]

We may have received a reprieve for a while now that Trump was elected and liberalism, (an enemy to the church), thrown out of any relevant power for the next 2 years.

Hopefully The Lord will have seen America's choice to do this as another last chance in a string of many last chances we've broken lately. Here's to hoping we use it.

[Hivetyrant36]

A Few examples of righteousness does not excuse the festering cesspool of filth both in our government and among our young people. How many teenagers do you know that HAVEN'T had sex? Only ultra religious ones right? Remember, outside church there is a whole lot more world out there. The US alone has about 325,000,000 people, and the church only makes up 10,000,000 give or take. How many LDS teens are sexing it up? Too many. The morals and standards of just this country alone, with youth saying vulgar things in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is too high. I don't see how we aren't rotting yet? Well, in fact, we are.