The Drama & Majesty of the Second Coming

By Clay McConkie PhD

Along with the Atonement and the Resurrection, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will be one of the most powerful and significant events in the history of our world. The signs that declare its approach are more and more apparent every day. In his newest book, The Drama and Majesty of the Second Coming, established religious author Clay McConkie provides a detailed analysis of the signs and events that will come and of those that have already occurred. As you read about these future events, some of which seem catastrophic, you will understand the great meaning behind them, recognize that you have been prepared for this time, and feel peace, hope, and gratitude for the Lord's divine plan.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cedar Fort Publishing & Media
• Release date: Apr 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9781462100347

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Introduction

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One day, on a commercial tour in Israel, the Jewish conductor made an interesting comment. It seemed to be in jest, yet maybe not. He said that when the Messiah comes in the future, there is an important question he wants to ask: Sir, is this your first visit, or your second?

It was a humorous comment, but it is true that the Hebrew and Jewish nations have waited for a messiah for centuries. Christians today are also waiting—not for a first visit, but for a second.

Beyond the Atonement and Resurrection, certainly nothing is more prominent or important in Christian belief than the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Even before Christ left Palestine long ago, people were inquiring about when he would come again: And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (Matthew 24:3). But rather than answer directly, Christ only mentioned things that would happen first, including countless wars and rumors of wars: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. . . . And this gospel of the kingdom,—or the gospel he introduced during his ministry—shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (24:7, 14).

The last statement concerning the preaching of the gospel is especially significant and is reminiscent of the scripture in the Book of Revelation, where it says that an angel will 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 (14:6).

The everlasting gospel, of course, means not only the teachings of Jesus Christ during the meridian of time but also the message of prophets throughout the course of history, beginning with Adam and continuing periodically for four thousand years. The primary message, and the meaning behind countless sacrifices that were made upon ancient altars, was that a savior would be born who would someday perform a personal, infinite sacrifice known as the Atonement. The truth of this singular event was what was to be proclaimed to all nations of the earth.

The worldwide preaching of the gospel, in fact, is one of the key signs that is to come before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It will be part of the grand sequence of events that leads to Christ’s appearance and to the beginning of the Millennium. Along with many other signs, it will introduce the denouement of all human history in the last days and the ultimate climax at the end of the world.

Indeed, the preparations for this final event are beginning to take place. Through the ministering of angels—not just one, but many—the world is finally being prepared for the Second Coming. Every necessary thing is being provided for the entrance of a King. One by one, religious prophecies are being fulfilled, and the world and its many populations stand on the threshold of the greatest event that has ever transpired upon the earth, second only to the Resurrection and the Atonement of Jesus Christ!

Now at the beginning of the seventh millennium, six thousand years after the time of Adam and Eve, according to the present-day calendar, things are already well on their way toward the start of the thousand years known as the Millennium. In just the last two centuries, after a long period of time during which there was no recorded revelation, the heavens have once again been opened, and men have claimed to have seen angels and received communication from God. Despite a common belief that there are no longer prophets of old like Abraham, Moses, and Elijah, heavenly beings have again appeared to men during the latter days and the waning hours of time.

These events are reminiscent of older times, when people were more apt to believe in religious miracles and spiritual things. They are comparable to those events that occurred when the world was still relatively new and before mankind was confronted with so many secular ideologies, a time when by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing (Moroni 7:25).

Even in today’s modern society, things have definitely changed! After people have been conditioned for years to believe that recorded revelation ceased with the final pages of the Bible, angels, sent from the presence of God, have appeared once more to instruct mankind and prepare them for the future. Heavenly beings have come to introduce a new dispensation of the gospel. During this dispensation, people throughout the world can view what lies ahead with confidence and assurance—if they choose to do so—as they await the Second Coming of Jesus Christ!

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Six Millenia of the Gospel

In the first four millennia of human history, God spoke to mankind personally from time to time but more often through angels sent from his presence. Such was the case in Adam’s time (before and after his expulsion from the Garden of Eden), in the days of Enoch and the prophet Noah, during the period of Abraham and Moses, and throughout biblical times.

Yet even though God spoke to the people, always advocating a gospel plan, only a very small minority listened. It was characteristic of this early history that once God had revealed his will, mankind soon strayed from it and became wayward. The divine plan was for people to gather together and abide by correct principles, but mankind’s general inclination was to scatter abroad and go in different directions.

By the time of Jesus, the lost sheep of the house of Israel he had specifically been sent to teach had strayed so far from the truth that he established a new system for preaching the gospel by organizing a church and ordaining twelve apostles. He commissioned these men to begin anew and reestablish the kingdom of God on earth with a relatively new doctrine. Yet in many ways, it was not new but was rather a continuing plan for people to be gathered together so they could hear and obey God’s divine will.

Throughout the dispensations, prophets delivered this message with unmistakable clarity, admonishing people to believe in the Son of God—the future Messiah who would be born in the meridian of time and would be resurrected following his infinite Atonement and death. All nations were invited to repent and be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, consenting to be gathered together and to believe in the saving power of Jesus Christ. In regard to the people in Jerusalem, Jesus said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Matthew 23:37).

Certainly, this story occurred throughout history and was repeated again and again, people hearing the gospel message but only a very small minority accepting it. This was particularly noticeable during the two thousand years following Jesus’ life, when there was a dearth of revelation and recorded scripture. It is no surprise that much of this time period was eventually called the Dark Ages. In reality, there is no reliable explanation for this long interim during which a curtain seemed to be drawn between earth and heaven. In a very short time, the doctrine and ordinances pertaining to Jesus, the early apostles, and those who came after them underwent significant change. Consequently, an apostasy occurred that resulted in an almost innumerable amount of Christian churches. Someone occasionally had some kind of vision or unusual manifestation, but anything that resulted in the type of religious system Jesus had organized, one which included the concept of apostles and continuing revelation, never took place.

At the end of the year 1800, as time continued to draw closer to the Lord’s Second Coming, various signs of the times appeared. In the religiously fervid situation of that time, it was inevitable that something new would eventually occur and that there would be some kind of change or transformation. Something different was about to happen that would set the stage for the Second Advent and fulfill religious prophecy. This was the exact point in history, in fact, when the right confluence of conditions and circumstances finally removed the curtain between earth and heaven and initiated a consequent ministering of angels.

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The Ministering of Angels

During the spring of 1820, in a backwoods area of western New York, a fourteen-year-old boy went into a grove near his home to pray. He had never said a vocal prayer before, but on this occasion he wanted an answer to a very important question—one that he apparently felt required more than the usual, silent prayer.

A religious revival was taking place in his neighborhood at the time, and ministers of many different churches were competing for people to join their respective organizations. The boy’s mother, brother, and two of his sisters had already joined a particular church, but he, being conscientious about the matter, was still undecided.

And so, on an early spring day, he knelt in prayer and began to address God in a way he had never done before. There is no doubt that he had the faith he needed, because after reading and studying the Bible, he felt sure he had the right to ask his question. He merely wanted to know which church he should join. If not his mother’s church, which other should it be?

As he prayed that morning, he knew he would get some kind of answer, yet the possibility that he was about to have a vision probably never crossed his mind. Never would he have expected more than the normal reply that reading the Bible had prepared him for. It would not have been too unusual for him to receive some type of feeling or manifestation or maybe even some kind of sign. He could then leave the grove knowing for certain which church was the right one.

But on this occasion, much more was involved than just a young man saying a prayer. What was about to happen was much more significant than anyone could possibly have known, because it had never happened before. Nothing in the Bible could have prepared anyone, especially a boy of that age, for what took place. For in the grove that day, as he knelt in prayer, two heavenly beings suddenly appeared before him, one calling him by name and then introducing the other, who finally answered the boy’s question.

What happened on that occasion was not just a ministering of angels, though that would happen at a later time, but was a much more significant event. Again it was something that had never taken place previously, and an account of it is best described in the boy’s own words.

I saw two Personages, he said, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is my beloved Son. Hear Him! (Joseph Smith History 1:17).

The boy then asked which church he should join, and the answer was that he should join none of them. They draw near to me with their lips, he was told, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof (Joseph Smith History 1:19).

He learned many other things at the time, after which the vision ended and the two personages disappeared. A question had been asked, and an answer was given. Yet, as the young boy left the grove, he knew much more than what his church membership should be. For the first time, he knew for a certainty who God was and who his Son was. And regardless of how he had visualized them previously, he realized that they had bodies much like his own and that he could speak with them, much as he could with his own father.

The boy was a different person as he left the grove that day, and he must have sensed that he would have an unusual lifetime ahead of him. Never would he be the same as before, and regardless of what happened, his mind was now at ease and he could marvel at what had taken place. He said of the experience, "I had seen a