191: Responses to the New LDS Emphasis on Christ's Second Coming

In the October 2024 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ, Church president Russell M. Nelson indicated that the reason the Church is building so many new temples is related to preparations for Christ's Second Coming. "Why are we building temples at such an unprecedented pace? Why? Because the Lord has instructed us to do so. The blessings of the temple help to gather Israel on both sides of the veil. These blessings also help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord!" Throughout the talk he mentions several times and in different ways how we can prepare to that great event through temple worship, and declares: "The best is yet to come, my dear brothers and sisters, because the Savior is coming again! The best is yet to come because the Lord is hastening His work... 

I bear my solemn witness that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I am His disciple. I am honored to be His servant. At His Second Coming, “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” That day will be filled with joy for the righteous! Through the power of the sacred priesthood keys I hold, I declare this truth to you and to all the world!

With such strong language, which many Latter-day Saints will hold to as direct prophecy of things to come (and that it will come soon!), we will hear in our wards and stakes, and perhaps in our gatherings with LDS family members and groups echoes of President Nelson's message of a soon-approaching return of Jesus Christ to the world where he "will govern from both old Jerusalem and the New Jerusalem 'built upon the American continent.' From these two centers, He will direct the affairs of His Church." Many Latter-day Saints have already begun to share their thoughts on this new emphasis, and in this podcast episode, LDF host Dan Wotherspoon speaks about his own reactions to President Nelson's message and what it means going forward even if we might be skeptical an imminent Second Coming. He also offers a framing about why he thinks this emphasis is happening now. He then suggests ways that we "fellow travelers" who are actively sorting through so much related to our spiritual and church lives might be able to share our thoughts effectively on those occasions we might not agree with  how the Second Coming is being spoken about. Listen in!