Show J i 1 SIGNS OF CHRISTS CHRIST'S COMING I l course Delivered in i l the e T Tabernacle Sall Lake City Sun Sunday ay Afternoon noon June Juste Jd 3rd iS w by DER JOHN NICHOLSON 1 BY ARTHUR WINTER have I-have been unexpectedly requested to address this large congregation assem- assem assem I t J f for r the purpose of co considering sideri g t that pertain unto our present eternal Welfare In to fc k this important duty I earnestly e t not only the undivided undivided-atten the audience but likewise your lathy M Heathy thy and your faith that whatever be b Uttered on I his ibis occasion shall be beR R Ar of impressions made by th the mf f truth 4 tV t are ate many themes upon which it A improper 41 roper for us to dwell Upon when we j alma together as we have done today t worship p our Heavenly Father Ii It appears to me that the general condition 4 human b an affairs can profitably occupy at Sa f fa t a portion of ot our consideration esE Rt jally when they are connected in I ay way way with what the Lord has uttered cot cof r g His childr children n This thought bekie present before me I shall take erty of reading from one of the thed thed d books ot of the Church of Jesus t of Latter-day Latter Saints containing the rev revelations lations and commandments f i in bur ur day through the mighty prophet who was instrumental in found found- founding l sot ing sleet the e ch church r h to wh which h the treat great gre t ma- ma J r of thiS congregation belongs The r Ther laH a et t-d t day y Saints believe believe in present as we as past tevel revelation tion and that com com- com murn su from the Eternal Father for i dance nce of His children is lust just as z r hi 1 n now w as it was in any age of the especially in the midst of this r grew f conflict of 01 religious religions thought that it in our own gel generation er tion P Part rt of ol r tt relation 1 lati n which it is my purpose to to t 9 t refers f rs to our time time is a renewal renewal I Of f teachings Itle e teachings t achin s and predictions prediction's of je J Jes es fl Christ that were gi given ven to His des ples S when He conversed with them 46 a Mo Mount nt of Olives and d described crib d to tJ tHe e f events events that were about 0 r blur io the in th the Jewish Jewish nation of that e d 1 directed their ati at- at i n td ter our wn o-wn own day and pointed I l 11 gre great t clearness dearness to the conditions were to obtain in what are called tb t be latter times This revelation was was was- W f t to the Church in 1831 and I will willon gg on page 84 of the Book of Doc thO e it and Covenants 1 A d I 1 will show it plainly as I showed it j ip o j my aY y disciples disciple as n I stood stood- b before fore them in the hareL and sp unto them saying Oaring as y yo have hae i T Xe a the the signs of my y CO com y cod I J I e r- r e come ome I in my glory j Y i Ri R P 2 I I in the clouds of of- of heaven to fulfil the promises that I I have made unto your yom fathers For as y ye have looked upon the long absence of your spirits from your bodies to be a bond bond- bondage bondage bondage age I will show unto you how the day of redemption shall shan and also the restoration of the scattered Israel And now ye beh behold Jd this temple which is in J Jerusalem which ye call the ho house se of God and your enemies say that this house shall never fall But verily I say unto you that desolation shall come upon this generation as a thief in inthe inthe inthe the night and this people shall be destroyed and scattered among along alf all nations Anti nd And this temple Semple empe which ye now see see shall be t I thrown down that that there there ere shall sh 11 not be left one another another stone storie upon noth r I And it shall come to pass that this genera genera- generation tion of Jews shall not riot pass away until every desolation which I have bave told you concerning tb then shall come tp pass Ye Ye say that ye know that the end of the world cometh ye fe say also that ye know that the M heaved l and the earth shall pass away And in this ye say truly for so it is but these t things ings which I 1 have ve b told you shall not pass paa away And this I have told you yoc concerning Jeru Jeru- J Jerusalem Jerusalem eru- eru salem and when that day shall come shall a remnant be scattered among all nations But they shall s hall be gathered again but they shall remain until the times of the Gentiles be e fulfilled And in that day shall be heard of Wars wars and nd rumors of wars and the whole earth shall be in commotion and mens men's hearts shall fail them and they shall say that Christ his coming until the end ol ot the earth And the love lore of men shall wax cold and iniquity shall abound And when the times of the Gentiles is come comein comein comein in a light ligh shall break forth among them that sit Bitin in darkness and it shall be the of my gospel Bu But t they receive it not for they perceive not the light and they turn their hearts hearty froth rain me because of the prospects of men And in that gen generation ration snail shall the times times- of f the Gentiles be fulfilled r And there shall be bee men standing in that generation gen gen- ration that tha t shall not- not pass paS until they shall hall see an overflowing QWing l scourge for a desolating sick sick- sickness sickness sickness ness shall cover the land nd But my disciples es shall stand in holy pl planes es and shall not be De moved dj but among the wicked men shall lift up their voices and curse GOd and anddie die I 1 And there shall be earthquakes also in divers divers places and many desolations yet men will swill harden their hearts hel against me and they will take up the sword one ope one against another and they will kill one another And now when I the Lord had spoken these these words unto my disciples they were troubled And I said unto them be not troubled for tor when all these things shall shan come to pass ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled And when the light shall begin to break forth it shall be with them like unto a par par- parable parable able which I will show you Ye look and behold behold the trees fig-trees and ye see them w with th your your eyes eyes and ye say w when en enthey they begin to hoot fo forth h and their I leaves ves are are J yet t tender t that at summer tn 1 r is nigh at ha hand id W l Even Ev n so Jt t Sti C Ci 11 l be b in that i y dy day wb when n tb they they f shall see all th these ese things then i shall shall they know y that the hour lp nigh And it shall come come pome to pass that he that me shall be looking io th for the great day of t the Ibe e Lord Iod d to o come eden even for the si sins s of t the coming of the Son of Man And they ther shall see signs and wonders for they shall be shown forth in ift the heavens above and in the earth beneath And they shall behold blood and and fire and vapors of smoke And before the d day y of f the Lor Lord s shall shall O Ot Othe copse t the sun ua shall be darkened darkened d and the moot moon bg er turned into info blood and stars fall from ven And nd the remI remnant remnant ant shall be gathered unto this place I And then th shall look forine for ine n they anti and be b behold be- be behold h hold ld I will cOrrie come come and they shall Abe see ee me in inthe the clo clouds ds of hea heaven en cloth clothed d with pow power and nd great glory with all aU the holy ange angels and he her r that watches not Inot for me me shall be cut off But before the arm of ot the Lord shall fall l an ang angel l shall sound his bu trumps trump and d the he saints saints that have bave slept lil pt shall sh ll come forth to o met mein me mein me- me mein in the clouds Wherefore if if r y ye ye have slept in in p peace peace ace blessed a are you tor for as you you now now behold me and know that I am even so shall ye collie come ome unto me and your souls shall live life and ani ana your your redemption shall be perfected and the saints saint shall come forth from the four quarters of the earth the earth If 1 I were to do no more than what I have done in reading a portion of this revelation it embodies a whole sermon of itself I wish now to state that what I h have ve laid before you you is virtually a repetition of that which is contained inthe in inthe inthe the chapter of Matthew In what I have real read however the events that are defined denned come corpe in their consecutive ord order r first that which was to befay the J Jewish ewis 1 n the nation nation the tion-the the destruction of ot the temple the scattering of the nation in all th the world and the gathering together r of ofa ol a remnant remnant in th the latter days to fo wh whom tn Chr Christ st shall come conte when He shall de descend in th the clouds cl of heaven It is stated here th that in the ob for the gathering g of of the remnants a a alight t light sh should uld break forth among the G Gent Gentiles Gen Gen- m- m mr t r tiles which light shall be the of of my Gospel In the cba chapter ter Q Ma Matthew th w the language is is is i There Christ it it itis is stated i Christi said this Gospel of of the kingdom shall shall 4 preached ched in all aU the tl world worl f for r a wit winless ess un 9 all nations and then tb Q shall the end nd come come Now why why why- should the the prediction prediction tion be mad made that a light should break l forth in the latter times times and it should be bethe bethe bethe the of the Gos Gospel el of Christ Or why should Matthew say say that in the lat latter ter tar times this the Gospel Gospel the same Gospel that was taught by should Christ Christ should be preached in all the world to prepare the way for the coming of ot our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ This question can perhaps be more readily and arid definitely answered than is generally supposed Th the answer answer r is a dehne delineation tion of or what the Gospel is is We ar are are told by the Apostle t aill that at the the G Gospel Gel el is the pow power r of R God unto salvation to all them that be- be believe be believe believe lieve and obey It isa is a Gospel of power To Matthew it was this Gospel of the kingdom that was to be restored the same Gospel that Christ and the Apos Apos- Apostles tau taught ht ht The answer to this inter inter- rogato that I have put ails t I have s said d comeS comes with that tte i a of what the Gospel Gospo is not only in this condensed statement sta of the Apostle that it is the th power of God unto salvation but in inde de tail so far as these principles es can be particularized There are what are termed by the th Church to which I havethe have the honor to be- be belong belong belong of the doc doc- doctrine doctrine doctrine long the initiatory principles trine of Christ the first ol ot which is necessarily and fundamentally faith in inthe inthe the Lord Jesus Christ and in His atone atone- atonement atonement atonement ment and in God the Eternal Father There is no subject into which this prin prin- principle principle ciple of faith does not enter It is a principle of power that operates every every- everywhere everywhere everywhere where and especially in matters that pertain to salvation Without faith it is Impossible to please God and they who would receive blessings Irom from Him must believe in Him and that He is a reward reward- reward reward-er er of oi them that diligently seek Him Here is the starting-point starting of the candi candi- candidate candidate candidate date for salvation in the Kingdom of God It is impossible also to please God without repentance which is the next step for the candidate to take in order to travel onward and upward into the Kingdom of our Father When we lay the foundation by exercising faith we begin to comprehend the obligations that we are under to our Creator and to see where we have omitted to tu fulfil His Hislaw Hislaw Hislaw law and we repent of all our sins our follies and our imperfections so far as God gives us power to do so that we may be prepared to become new crea crea- creatures creatures creatures tures and have a genuine and thorough change of heart Then there are certain certain certain tain ordinances that are laid down con con- connected connected connected with the Gospel which are also necessary For as was taught in ancient times so now in order to become iden iden- identified identified identified with the Church of Christ we must not only exercise faith and repent but we must be baptized by immersion for the remission of sins This was the doctrine taught on the day of Pentecost when the ancient Apostles es spoke by the power of the holy Priesthood and of the Holy Ghost which rested upon them and when there were visible manifestations of the power of God with them confirming His word Those who heard their preaching inquired of the Apostles J uMen Men and brethren what shall we do Having believed that Christ was the Son of God they felt pricked in their hearts and repentant and asked in all earnestness this question Peter told them what they should do He said without qualification Repent and be baptized every one of you in in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost For the promise is s you and to your children and to all afar off of as as the theT that are even many T Godshall i shall t i t Lord our God snail call If It these were the doctrines of the Gospel then they are the doctrines of the Gospel now because truth is un unchangeable un- un unchangeable unchangeable changeable The Gospel is one and not many systems Therefore the Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ day of Latter day Saints who are sent abroad into the world proclaim unto the pie peo-pie peo- peo pe e that God has again gain spoken from Heaven that there are again again on earth prophets apostles high priests elders elde i and all the officers authorized and em em- empowered ei powered to edify and build up the th Church of Christ that characterized it i iia ip 1 t th days aYs of Christ and His ancient ancien Apo po es And these Elders cry unto unta ail l men n wherever they go to Have cHave in God who is a God of of revelation re re- repent repent repent pent for the kingdom of heaven is at a ayour hand be baptized baptize for the remission of o your sins sins by one havin having authority andye and andye an anye ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost There are no men on the earth other than those who possess this power and authority who dare make this pro pro- proclamation proclamation Why Because if they did the spurious character of their claims if 1 TT- TT would at once be discovered How would this discovery be made madel Be- Be Because Because Be Because cause there is a promise attached to obedience to the message which they deliver What is that promise The promise is that if you do as we teach you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost Therefore he who has not the power to lay hands upon his fellow creatures and say By the authority God has given me and in in the name of Jesus Christ receive ye the Holy Ghost cannot impart the Holy Ghost And if it is not impart imparted d then ten the s claim of him who promises it is necessarily necessarily necessarily fraudulent The Gospel of Jesus Christ through through- throughout throughout out is a system of promises and for for- fortunately fortunately fortunately for us it is not necessary in order to realize a part of them that we lay aside this mortal tenement of clay and pass into the be beyond beyond beyond yond for there are many of them that we can possess and enjoy now One of these was defined bythe by the Savior when He said My doctrine is not mine but butHis butHis butHis His that sent me If any man will do doHis doHis doHis His will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself This is the position assumed by the 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