“What Is the Sign of Thy Coming?”

Lesson 21

We are in the last week of Christ’s earthly life. Jesus’ disciples have two questions:

Joseph Smith-Matthew (JS-M) 1:2-42 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple; and his disciples came to him, for to hear him, saying: Master, show us concerning the buildings of the temple, as thou hast said—They shall be thrown down, and left unto you desolate.3 And Jesus said unto them: See ye not all these things, and do ye not understand them? Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here, upon this temple, one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.

4 And Jesus left them, and went upon the Mount of Olives. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying: Tell us when shall these things be which thou hast said concerning the destruction of the temple, and the Jews; and what is the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world, or the destruction of the wicked, which is the end of the world?

Jesus answered both questions in great detail

• But in the King James version, much is left out, and some of the verses are out of order.

• In his inspired translation of Matthew 24 (found in the Pearl of Great Price as Joseph Smith-Matthew), Joseph Smith received revelation of the missing verses and the correct order.– Verses 1-11: AD 33-70– Verses 12-20: AD 70– Verses 21-55: the Restoration to the Second Coming

The Jerusalem Temple would be destroyed

First question: Tell us when shall these things be which thou hast said concerning the destruction of the temple, and the Jews (v. 4)

What signs did the Savior prophesy would precede the destruction of Jerusalem?

JS-M 1:5-10• 5 And Jesus answered, and said unto them: Take heed that no man

deceive you;• 6 For many shall come in my name, saying—I am Christ—and shall

deceive many;• 7 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you, and

ye shall be hated of all nations, for my name’s sake;• 8 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another,

and shall hate one another;• 9 And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many;• 10 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax

cold;

What signs did the Savior prophesy would precede the destruction of Jerusalem?

JS-M 1:5-10• 5 And Jesus answered, and said unto them: Take heed that no man

deceive you;• 6 For many shall come in my name, saying—I am Christ—and shall

deceive many;• 7 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you, and

ye shall be hated of all nations, for my name’s sake;• 8 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another,

and shall hate one another;• 9 And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many;• 10 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax

cold;

What did Jesus tell his followers to do to avoid destruction?

JS-M 1:11-1511 But he that remaineth steadfast and is not overcome, the same shall be saved.12 When you, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, then you shall stand in the holy place; whoso readeth let him understand.13 Then let them who are in Judea flee into the mountains;14 Let him who is on the housetop flee, and not return to take anything out of his house;15 Neither let him who is in the field return back to take his clothes;

Although many Jews did not believe their great city and temple could be destroyed, the Lord’s prophecies were fulfilled in A.D. 70.Believing that the Messiah would come and help them in battle, the Jews revolted against the Romans in A.D. 66. Four years later the Romans had destroyed the entire city. Those who listened to the Savior and fled into the mountains were spared. Those who did not heed this counsel were scattered and destroyed.

Pella: the place of refuge for those who heeded Christ’s warning to flee to the mountains.

The Jews were fighting for freedom from their Roman rulers. In A.D. 70, after months of intense fighting between the Roman army and Jewish rebels, the rebels took refuge within the walls of Jerusalem, and theRomans laid siege to the city. The famine and hunger that followed were so severe that some resorted to cannibalism. Any Jew caught trying to escape was crucified in front of the walls of the city for all inside to see.

The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus described the destruction and violence that occurred when the Roman army finally broke into the city and set the

temple on fire:“While the temple blazed, the victors plundered everything that fell in their way and slaughtered wholesale all who were caught. No pity was shown for age, no reverence for rank; children and greybeards, laity and priests, alike were massacred; every class was pursued and encompassed in the grasp of war. … There were the war-cries of the Roman legions sweeping onward in mass, the howls of the rebels encircled by fire and sword, the rush of the people who, cut off from above, fled panic-stricken only to fall into the arms of the foe. … You would indeed have thought that the temple-hill was boiling over from its base, being everywhere one mass of flame, but yet that the stream of blood was more copious than the flames and the slain more numerous than the slayers” (Josephus, The Jewish War, trans. H. St. J. Thackeray, Loeb Classical Library [Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1928], 257).

In the end, the magnificent temple was destroyed and has not been rebuilt since. Josephus estimated that 1,100,000 Jews

perished in the conflict.

On the Arch of Titus in Rome is a frieze showing Roman soldiers carrying off sacred items from the temple after their victory. The Arch of Titus

was built in A.D. 81 to commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Roman general Titus and his armies.

Jesus describes the signs that will precede his Second Coming

JS-M 1:21-55

The Electvv. 22-23:22 For in those days there shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant.23 Behold, I speak these things unto you for the elect’s sake; and you also shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled, for all I have told you must come to pass; but the end is not yet.

The Elect

The term elect refers to “those who love God with all their hearts and live lives that are pleasing to Him” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Elect”; scriptures.lds.org).

In some instances, it refers more specifically to baptized members of the Church. President Harold B. Lee taught that “‘according to the covenant’ means members of the Church of Jesus Christ” (The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, ed. Clyde J. Williams [1996], 401; see also D&C 29:7; 33:6).

Elder M. Russell Ballard and the Former Missionary

What can we do to avoid being deceived?

• v. 37 And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived• How can we treasure up the Lord’s

word? • How has treasuring up the Lord’s

word helped you avoid being deceived?

What Is the “Abomination of Desolation”?

Silently read “Abomination of Desolation” in the Bible Dictionary.• “the abomination that maketh desolate” (Dan. 11:31;

12:11)• Conditions of desolation, born of abomination and

wickedness, were to occur twice in fulfillment of Daniel’s words. – The first was to be when the Roman legions under Titus, in

A.D. 70, laid siege to Jerusalem– Speaking of the last days, of the days following the Restoration of

the gospel and its declaration “for a witness unto all nations,” our Lord said: “And again shall the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, be fulfilled” (JS—M 1:31–32). That is, Jerusalem again will be under siege.

Elder M. Russell Ballard gave the following counsel of hope and encouragement:

“Although the prophecies tell us that these things are to take place, more and more people are expressing great alarm at what appears to be an acceleration of worldwide calamity. … Admittedly we have ample reason to be deeply concerned because we see no immediate answers to the seemingly unsolvable problems confronting the human family. But regardless of this dark picture, which will ultimately get worse, we must never allow ourselves to give up hope! …

“… The Lord is in control. He knows the end from the beginning. He has given us adequate instruction that, if followed, will see us safely through any crisis. His purposes will be fulfilled, and someday we will understand the eternal reasons for all of these events. Therefore, today we must be careful not to overreact, nor should we be caught up in extreme preparations; but what we must do is keep the commandments of God and never lose hope!

“But where do we find hope in the midst of such turmoil and catastrophe? Quite simply, our one hope for spiritual safety during these turbulent times is to turn our minds and our hearts to Jesus Christ. … Armed with the shield of faith, we can overcome many of our daily challenges and overpower our greatest weaknesses and fears, knowing that if we do our best to keep the commandments of God, come what may, we will be all right” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1992, 41–43; or Ensign, Nov. 1992, 31–32).

How do you avoid being weighed down by trouble and worry?

During a time of economic and social turmoil, when many people were troubled about the future, President Thomas S. Monson encouraged Latter-day Saints:“Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly Father and of our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments. There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us.“My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith” (“Be of Good Cheer,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2009, 92).

Elder Dallin H. Oaks encouraged us to be prepared always for the Second Coming:

“While we are powerless to alter the fact of the Second Coming and unable to know its exact time, we can accelerate our own preparation and try to influence the preparation of those around us. …“What if the day of His coming were tomorrow? If we knew that we would meet the Lord tomorrow—through our premature death or through His unexpected coming—what would we do today? What confessions would we make? What practices would we discontinue? What accounts would we settle? What forgivenesses would we extend? What testimonies would we bear?“If we would do those things then, why not now? Why not seek peace while peace can be obtained? If our lamps of preparation are drawn down, let us start immediately to replenish them” (“Preparation for the Second Coming,” 8–9).

Helping us to understand and prepare for the Second Coming, Jesus gave the following:

1. The parable of the fig tree (JS-M 1:38–40).2. The comparison of the Second Coming to the

days of Noah (v. 41–43).3. The prophecy of two people working in the field

and two people grinding at the mill (v. 44–46).4. The parable of the good man and the thief (v.

47–48).5. The parable of the lord and his servants (v. 49–

54).