Year:1894
PARABLE
OF WHEAT AND TARES
Matthew
13:24-30; 36-43
24
¶ Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of
heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25
But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat,
and went his way.
26
But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then
appeared the tares also.
27
So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst
not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28
He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto
him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29
But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also
the wheat with them.
30
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest
I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and
bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
36
Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his
disciples
came
unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the
field.
37
He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the
Son of man;
38
The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the
kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
39
The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the
world; and the reapers are the angels.
40
As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall
it be in the end of this world.
41
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out
of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42
And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing
and gnashing of teeth.
43
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of
their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
“In
one of the revelations the Lord told Joseph Smith: ‘Behold, verily
I say unto you, the angels are crying unto the Lord day and night,
who are ready and waiting to be sent forth to reap down the fields; But
the Lord saith unto them, Pluck not up the tares while the blade is
yet tender (for verily your faith is weak), lest you destroy the
wheat also. Therefore let the wheat and the tares grow together until
the harvest is fully ripe, then ye shall first gather out the wheat
from among the tares, and after the gathering of the wheat, behold
and lo! the tares are bound in bundles, and the field remaineth to be
burned.’
“I
want to bear testimony to this congregation, and to the heavens and
the earth, that the day is come when those angels are privileged to
go forth and commence their work. They are laboring in the United
States of America; they are laboring among the nations of the earth;
and they will continue….
“We
cannot draw a veil over the events that await this generation. No man
that is inspired by the Spirit and power of God can close his ears,
his eyes, or his lips to these things.” (Smith,
Joseph Fielding, Progress
of Man.
[Salt Lake City, 1936] 398
- 399)
“Parables
seldom clarify a truth; rather, they obscure and hide the doctrine
involved so that none but those already enlightened and informed, on
the very point presented, are able to grasp the full meaning. Nowhere
is this better illustrated than in the parable of the wheat and the
tares. When Jesus first gave this parable, even the disciples did not
understand it. They asked for the interpretation, and he gave it,
partially at least. And then with both the parable and the
interpretation before the world, the Lord still had to give a special
revelation in latter-days so that the full meaning of this marvelous
parable might sink into the hearts of men (Daniel
H. Ludlow, A
Companion to Your Study of the Doctrine and Covenants, 2
vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1978]
2: 97 2: 97).”
Doctrine
and Covenants 38:12
12
Which causeth silence to reign, and all eternity is pained, and the
angels are waiting the great command to reap down the earth, to
gather the tares that they may be burned; and, behold, the enemy is
combined.
Doctrine
and Covenants 86:5
5
Behold, verily I say unto you, the angels are crying unto the Lord
day and night, who are ready and waiting to be sent forth to reap
down the fields;
“In
a revelation given January 2, 1831, the Lord announced: ‘The angels
are waiting the great command to reap down the earth, to gather the
tares that they may be burned; and, behold, the enemy is combined
(D&C 38:12).'
A similar announcement was repeated on December 6, 1832. (D&C
86:5)
“These
angels have now begun their work. This we learn through the spirit of
inspiration that rested upon President Wilford Woodruff. June 24,
1894, he said: ‘God has held the angels of destruction for many
years, lest they should reap down the wheat with the tares. But I
want to tell you now, that those angels have left the portals of
heaven, and they stand over this people and this nation now, and are
hovering over the earth waiting to pour out the judgments. And from
this very day they shall be poured out. Calamities and troubles are
increasing in the earth, and there is a meaning to these things. ...
Great changes are at our doors. The next 20 years will see mighty
changes among the nations of the Earth (Matthias
Cowley, Wilford
Woodruff [Salt
Lake City: Bookcraft, 1964]
230)’.
It is interesting to note that almost 20 years later to the day,
June 28, 1914, the Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated,
thus initiating the first World War.” (Bruce
R. McConkie, Mormon
Doctrine, 2d
ed. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966] 728)
Revelation
7:1
1
And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners
of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind
should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
Doctrine
and Covenants 77:8
8
Q. What are we to understand by the four angels, spoken of in the 7th
chapter and 1st verse of Revelation?
A.
We are to understand that they are four angels sent forth from God,
to whom is given power over the four parts of the earth, to save life
and to destroy; these are they who have the everlasting gospel to
commit to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people; having power to
shut up the heavens, to seal up unto life, or to cast down to the
regions of darkness.
“Four
angels are spoken of in Revelation 7:1 that have power to save and to
destroy life. President Joseph Fielding Smith observes that these
four angels seem to fit the description of those mentioned in the
parable of the wheat and the tares, and he quotes President Wilford
Woodruff as saying that these powers are already being manifest on
the earth. Furthermore, these messengers are some who have the power
of committing the gospel to the earth (Joseph
Fielding Smith, Church
History and Modern Revelation [1953
ed., 4 vols.]
1:300-301).”
(Roy
W. Doxey, The
Doctrine and Covenants Speaks [Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1964]
2: 34)
God's
Judgments On The World
“A
most striking aspect of last-days prophecy in modern scripture is the
powerful vocabulary used
to describe the Lord's acts of judgment against the wicked world.
Before Christ can dwell on earth
in glory, the wickedness of the world must be removed, because it
cannot exist where he is. Wickedness
will be removed from the earth, either voluntarily through repentance
or by some other means.
Sadly, it appears that many will reject the Lord's invitations to
repent and thus will be destroyed
before or at the time of his coming. The revelations testify that
God's judgments will indeed come
upon the world… and that he will recompense each individual
according to his or her works…. For
the wicked, it will not be a day of rejoicing.” (Byron
R. Merrill et al., comps., The
Heavens Are Open: The 1992 Sperry Symposium on the Doctrine and
Covenants and Church History [Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1993] 170
- 171)
Doctrine
and Covenants 1:36
36
And also the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign
in their midst, and shall come down in judgment upon Idumea,
or the world.
Doctrine
and Covenants 19:3-4
3
Retaining all power, even to the destroying of Satan and his works at
the end of the world, and the last great day of judgment,
which I shall pass upon the inhabitants thereof, judging every man
according to his works and the deeds which he hath done.
4
And surely every man must repent or suffer, for I, God, am endless.
Doctrine
and Covenants 109:45
45
We know that thou hast spoken by the mouth of thy prophets terrible
things concerning the wicked, in the last days—that thou wilt pour
out thy judgments, without measure;
The
Wrath Of God
“Behold,
mine anger is kindled against the rebellious, and they shall know
mine arm and mine
indignation,
in the day of visitation and of wrath upon the nations (D&C
56:1).”
As
revealed by the prophet Wilford Woodruff, these judgments had begun
by 1894. And they will continue, growing progressively worse until
the second coming of the Savoir.
“The
‘wrath of God’ is a term usually indicating his disapproval of
the deeds of the wicked and justifying the inevitable punishments
that will befall them if they do not repent…. [H]is response is a
natural application of the law of justice,1 which requires that
punishments be exacted when God's laws have been violated or the
blood of innocent Saints has been shed. The scriptures state that God
sends cursings, judgments, and destruction upon the unbelieving and
the rebellious, including all who reject the Savior or his prophets
and are not willing to confess his hand in all things. The scriptures
assert that those who attempt to destroy the righteous can expect to
give an account to an offended God. The Lord has sometimes chastened
his disobedient children through war, plague, famine, and earthquake.
Not all natural calamities, however, are the direct result of the
wrath of God, although the scriptures clearly indicate that God has
used these for his purposes.
“God's
wrath may come upon individuals or nations or civilizations when they
have ‘ripened in iniquity’. His wrath manifests itself most
completely when a majority of the people desire that which is
contrary to the laws of God and have already chosen iniquity for
themselves. The people of Noah's day, the people of Ammonihah, the
jaredites, the Nephites, and, to a small degree, the Latter-day
Saints in Missouri1 all experienced God's wrath in their time….
“While
the Lord may chasten his people in mortality, chastisement will be
tempered with his mercy and compassion as his children heed and obey
him. Those who escape the wrath of God will include all persons who
repent and keep the commandments, and prepare themselves for the hour
of judgment that is to come, gathering ‘together upon the land of
Zion, and upon her stakes’ as a place of refuge. Even God's wrath
is intended to be beneficent, for whom he loves, he chastens.”
(Encyclopedia
of Mormonism, 1-4
volumes, edited by Daniel H. Ludlow [New York: Macmillan, 1992]
1598)
D&C
1:9 Yea, verily, to seal them up unto the day when the wrath of God
shall be poured out upon the wicked without measure—
“All
we have heard and we have experienced is scarcely a preface to the
sermon that is going to be preached. When the testimony of the Elders
ceases to be given, and the Lord says to them, ‘Come home: I will
now preach my own sermons to the nations of the earth,’ all you now
know can scarcely be called a preface to the sermon that will be
preached with fire and sword, tempests, earthquakes, hail, rain,
thunders and lightnings, and fearful destruction. What matters the
destruction of a few railway cars? You will hear of magnificent
cities, now idolized by the people, sinking in the earth, entombing
the inhabitants. The sea will heave itself beyond its bounds,
engulfing mighty cities. Famine will spread over the nations and
nation will rise up against nation, kingdom against kingdom and
states against states, in our own country and in foreign lands; and
they will destroy each other, caring not for blood and lives of their
neighbors, of their families, or for their own lives.” (BRIGHAM
YOUNG, (In Bowery, July 1860; JD 8:123)
The
great judgments, tribulation, and wrath will reach a climax in the
seventh seal as described in the book of Revelation. These climatic
events are described in signs 80 thru 89.
Numerous
prophesies are made in the scriptures describing the numerous
calamities that will
befall
the earth as the wrath of God increases until it culminates in the
second coming of Jesus
Christ:
Christ
Will Put All Enemies Under His Feet
Doctrine
and Covenants 49:6
6
And they have done unto the Son of Man even as they listed; and he
has taken his power on the right hand of his glory, and now reigneth
in the heavens, and will reign till he descends on the earth to put
all enemies under his feet, which time is nigh at hand—
Doctrine
and Covenants 58:22
22
Wherefore, be subject to the powers that be, until he reigns whose
right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies under his feet.
Doctrine
and Covenants 76:61
61
Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God,
who shall subdue all enemies under his feet.
Psalms
66:3
3
Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the
greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto
thee.
“When
the Son of Man comes he will ‘put all enemies under his feet’.
This simply means that the wicked will no longer have free reign in
their pursuit of evil but will instead be in subjection to Christ and
his Father.” (Hoyt
W. Brewster, Jr., Doctrine
and Covenants Encyclopedia [Salt
Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988]
608)
His
Arm Will Fall Upon Them
Doctrine
and Covenants 45:47
47
Then shall the arm of the Lord fall upon the nations.
Doctrine
and Covenants 56:1
1
Hearken, O ye people who profess my name, saith the Lord your God;
for behold, mine anger is kindled against the rebellious, and they
shall know mine arm and mine indignation, in the day of visitation
and of wrath upon the nations.
“The
term arm
of the Lord suggests
‘the power, might, strength, or authority of God'.”
(Daniel
H. Ludlow, A
Companion to Your Study of the New Testament: The Four Gospels [Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982] 17)
His
Sword Shall Fall Upon Them
Doctrine
and Covenants 1:13
13
And the anger of the Lord is kindled, and his sword is bathed
in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth.
Doctrine
and Covenants 35:14
14
And their arm shall be my arm, and I will be their shield and their
buckler; and I will gird up their loins, and they shall fight
manfully for me; and their enemies shall be under their feet; and I
will let fall the sword in their behalf, and by the fire of
mine indignation will I preserve them.
Doctrine
and Covenants 101:10
10
I have sworn, and the decree hath gone forth by a former comandment
which I have given unto you, that I would let fall the sword
of mine indignation in behalf of my people; and even as I have said,
it shall come to pass.
“The
sword was an effective weapon of offense during many of the wars
fought in Old Testament times. It became a symbol of power and might.
Some swords even had sharp edges on both sides of the blade, making
them more fearsome weapons of war. The word of the Lord is powerful
and great, and all of his words shall be fulfilled. The Lord cautions
us to pay attention to and be careful with his words, for they are
‘quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword.’
“The
term that the sword of the Lord ‘is bathed in heaven’ is used in
both ancient and modern scriptures. Isaiah recorded the words of the
Lord as follows: ‘For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold,
it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to
judgment.’ John
recorded in the book of Revelation that the Savior will bring a sharp
sword to ‘smite the nations’ when he comes to judge the world.’”
(Daniel
H. Ludlow, A
Companion to Your Study of the New Testament:
The Four Gospels [Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982]
291)
The
Unrighteous Will Be Cut Off
Doctrine
and Covenants 1:14
14
And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that
they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of
his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and
apostles, shall be cut off from among the people;
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.
Doctrine
and Covenants 133:63
63
And upon them that hearken not to the voice of the Lord shall be
fulfilled that which was written by the prophet Moses, that they
should be cut off from among the people.
“Satan
has usurped power and authority from the beginning, and men have
followed him, but his day is drawing to its close, and the day is
dawning for Israel, for Zion, for the universal establishment of
truth, when the earth shall be cleansed of all impurity, all
wickedness, for when Christ comes that which is wicked cannot
remain.” (Joseph
Fielding Smith, Doctrines
of Salvation, 3
vols. edited by Bruce R. McConkie [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft,
1954-1956]
3:1)
The
Proud and Wicked Will Be As Stubble
Doctrine
and Covenants 29:9
9
For the hour is nigh and the day soon at hand when the earth is ripe;
and all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble;
and I will burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that wickedness
shall not be upon the earth;
Doctrine
and Covenants 64:24
24
For after today cometh the burning—this is speaking after the
manner of the Lord— for verily I say, tomorrow all the proud and
they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them
up, for I am the Lord of Hosts; and I will not spare any that remain
in Babylon.
Doctrine
and Covenants 133:64
64
And also that which was written by the prophet Malachi: For, behold,
the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea,
and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that
cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall
leave them neither root nor branch.
Joseph
Smith-History:37
37
For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the
proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble; for
they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it
shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Malachi
4:1
1
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all
the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and
the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that
it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
"Malachi…
[said]… they 'shall burn as stubble.' This means that they shall be
destroyed. By whom? Malachi explains, 'They that come shall burn
them, saith the Lord of Hosts….’
"But
what is meant by the expression 'that it shall leave them neither
root nor branch'? This expression simply means that wicked and
indifferent persons who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ will have
no family inheritance or patriarchal lineage—neither root
(ancestors or progenitors) nor branch (children or posterity). Such
persons cannot be received into the celestial kingdom of glory of
resurrected beings, but must be content with a lesser blessing."
(Theodore M. Burton, CR,
April 1965, p. 112)
They
Will Be Reaped As Tares, Tied In Bundles, And Burned
Doctrine
and Covenants 101:65-66
65
Therefore, I must gather together my people, according to the parable
of the wheat and the tares, that the wheat may be secured in the
garners to possess eternal life, and be crowned with celestial glory,
when I shall come in the kingdom of my Father to reward every man
according as his work shall be;
66
While the tares shall be bound in bundles, and their bands made
strong, that they may be burned with unquenchable fire.
Doctrine
and Covenants 109:46.
46
Therefore, O Lord, deliver thy people from the calamity of the
wicked; enable thy servants to seal up the law, and bind up the
testimony, that they may be prepared against the day of burning.
Doctrine
and Covenants 112:24
24
Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth,
a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of
weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall
come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord.
“In
the time of Noah, the wicked were destroyed by a flood; at the second
coming of the Messiah, the wicked will be destroyed by fire through
burning…. Prophets of this dispensation have indicated that the
fire which destroys the wicked at the second coming will be as
literal as the water which destroyed the wicked in ancient times.
During this time of great burning, the elements shall melt and all
things shall become new; the earth will also be renewed then and
receive its paradisiacal glory.” (Daniel
H. Ludlow, A
Companion to Your Study of the New Testament: The Four Gospels [Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982]
32)
Calamity
Doctrine
and Covenants 1:17
17
Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come
upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph
Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him
commandments;
Doctrine
and Covenants 45:50
50
And calamity shall cover the mocker, and the scorner shall be
consumed; and they that have watched for iniquity shall be hewn down
and cast into the fire.
Doctrine
and Covenants 109:46
46
Therefore, O Lord, deliver thy people from the calamity of the
wicked; enable thy servants to seal up the law, and bind up the
testimony, that they may be prepared against the day of burning.
"’The
law must take its course, and when men refuse the offer and tender
the Lord has given by which they may be saved, they cannot blame the
Lord if calamities, judgments and destructions come upon them. The
Lord cannot avert it, it must take its course, and yet our Father in
his kindness and mercy has offered the way and the means of escape….
"”I
understand from this that the Lord plainly knew the condition of the
world, what it was in 1830, and what it would be today…. Knowing
the calamities that were coming to his children, unless they changed
their course, knowing their disposition that there would be no
repentance in their hearts, and yet with a great desire to save them,
he called upon his servant, Joseph Smith, to warn men, to call
repentance, and others to join in this great proclamation to all men:
'Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.'1316 And not only to warn
men that there was peril and danger ahead, but to offer the means of
escape from the perils that would come….‘" (Daniel
H. Ludlow, A
Companion to Your Study of the Doctrine and Covenants, 2
vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1978]
1: 47)
Tribulation
of the Wicked
Doctrine
and Covenants 29:8
8
Wherefore the decree hath gone forth from the Father that they shall
be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare
their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when
tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked.
Gather
in unto one place.
“At first the Lord asked the Saints to congregate in one place but
explained that the time would come when many other gathering places
would be established…. In section 133 the Lord introduced the
further concept of a spiritual gathering: ‘Go ye out from Babylon.
Be ye clean…. Go ye out…from the midst of wickedness, which is
spiritual Babylon’. Thus wherever they lived, the Saints could stay
in their homes while gathering out of the world into the Lord's
Church.” (Richard
O. Cowan, Answers
to Your Questions About the Doctrine and Covenants [Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1996] 151)
This
gathering is necessary so the Lord can prepare a righteous people who
will be able to survive during the time when tribulation and
desolation are sent forth upon the wicked.
Tribulation
and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked. Tribulation
happens to everyone in the world from time to time. But the
tribulation referred to in this scripture is a desolation that is
sent forth upon the wicked. Scripturally, this period of tribulation
on the wicked has a beginning and an end and is frequently
referred to in the scriptures as “the tribulation” or “great
tribulations.”
Destruction
Doctrine
and Covenants 34:9
9
But before that great day shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and
the moon be turned into blood; and the stars shall refuse their
shining, and some shall fall, and great destructions await the
wicked.
Desolation
Doctrine
and Covenants 29:8
8
Wherefore the decree hath gone forth from the Father that they shall
be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare
their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when
tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked.
Doctrine
and Covenants 35:11
11
But without faith shall not anything be shown forth except
desolations upon Babylon, the same which has made all nations
drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
"’drink
of the wine of the wrath of her fornication’: This
distinctive phrase appears in three sections of the Doctrine and
Covenants. In each instance it is used in connection with Babylon
(representing the apostate world and church) or with the ‘great
church, the mother of abominations’
(representing
the apostate church of the devil). Those who ‘drink of the wine of
the wrath of her fornication’ participate in the worldly pleasures
and sins of the apostate world and church, and thus will reap the
desolations and destruction that will come upon the wicked when they
are judged.” (Daniel
H. Ludlow, A
Companion to Your Study of the Doctrine and Covenants, 2
vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1978] 1:219)
Doctrine
and Covenants 84:117
117
And verily I say unto you, the rest of my servants, go ye forth as
your circumstances shall permit, in your several callings, unto the
great and notable cities and villages, reproving the world in
righteousness of all their unrighteous and ungodly deeds, setting
forth clearly and understandingly the desolation of abomination in
the last days.
“The
phrase desolation of abomination appears twice in the Doctrine
and Covenants and is similar to the terms abomination of
desolation and the abomination that maketh desolate. In
pre-1981 editions of the Doctrine and Covenants, the footnote
cross-references to these verses referred to the numerous calamities
and judgments which are predicted to fall on the world prior to the
Second Coming. The desolation of abomination is the wrath of God
... which awaits the wicked, both in this world and in the world
to come. This is in keeping with Webster's definitions: ‘Desolation,’
the dictionary states, is the ‘act of desolating, or laying waste;
the destruction of inhabitants.’ And abominations have been
defined as ‘anything hateful, wicked or shamefully vile.’
Therefore, in what is known as the desolation of abomination, the
Lord will destroy those things which are hateful, wicked, or vile.
“The
LDS Bible Dictionary indicates that ‘conditions of desolation, born
of abomination and wickedness, were to occur twice in
fulfillment of Daniel's words’. The first of these was when
Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70, and the second is when the city
will once again be besieged in
the
last days. It further states that ‘in a general sense, abomination
of desolation also describes the
latter-day
judgments to be poured out upon the wicked wherever they may be.’”
(Hoyt
W. Brewster, Jr., Doctrine
and Covenants Encyclopedia [Salt
Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988] 131)
Woe
“Woe,
woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth (Revelation
8:13). These words clearly show God's deep displeasure
in the inhabitants of the earth, specifically those who choose sin
and worldliness and will
not
repent. God's pronouncement of a woe results in a condition of woe on
the earth.
“Woe
denotes great trouble and anguish; three woes magnify the trouble and
anguish…. God uses
three woes to encourage the wicked to repent, for he says, ‘Woe
shall come unto the inhabitants of
the earth if they will not hearken unto my words’ (D&C
5:5)”.
(Donald
W. Parry and Jay A. Parry, Understanding
the Book of Revelation [Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1998] 113)
Doctrine
and Covenants 5:5
5
Verily, I say unto you, that woe shall come unto the
inhabitants of the earth if they will not hearken unto my words;
Revelation
8:13
13
And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven,
saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of
the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three
angels, which are yet to sound!
As
the seventh seal is opened in the book of Revelation, seven trumpets
announce the final destruction that will occur before the second
coming of Jesus Christ. The final three trumpets announce the
prophesied final three woes.
The
fifth trumpet blast and the first woe. The bottomless pit is
opened containing the spiritual followers of Satan. They are released
to torment man for a limited period of time.
The
sixth trumpet blast and the second woe. This woe is the battle of
Armageddon in which a third
of mankind will be destroyed.
The
seventh trumpet blast and the third woe. This woe occurs
at the second coming of the savior when his brightness and glory burn
all of the wicked that remain.
Earthquakes
“Since
the earth has been in its present fallen or telestial state, it has
been subject to earthquakes. These are part of the Lord's plan; they
come by his power and fulfill his purposes. By them he delivers his
servants from perils, destroys the wicked, and leaves a sign that his
hand has been in transcendent events.
“Earthquakes
attended the delivery from prison of Paul and Silas in the old world,
of Lehi and Nephi in the new. Both the crucifixion and the
resurrection of our Lord were attested by earthquakes. Among the
Nephites the quakings and destructions at the time of the crucifixion
were so extensive that the whole face of the land was changed and the
wicked and rebellious were destroyed.
“Earthquakes
are given as one of the signs of the times; they foreshadow the
Second Coming. By them the testimony of the Lord's power is borne to
the people of the earth, and when the glorious Second Coming itself
arrives there will be ‘a great earthquake, such as was not since
men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.’“
(Bruce
R. McConkie, Mormon
Doctrine, 2d
ed. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966] 211)
Famines
Doctrine
and Covenants 87:6
6
And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the
earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and
earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid
lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel
the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God,
until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations;
Joseph
Smith-Matthew:29
29
Behold I speak for mine elect's sake; for nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall be famines,
and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Joseph
Smith-History1:45
45
He commenced, and again related the very same things which he had
done at his first visit, without the least variation; which having
done, he informed me of great judgments which were coming upon the
earth, with great desolations by famine, sword, and
pestilence; and that these grievous judgments would come on the earth
in this generation. Having related these things, he again ascended as
he had done before.
Flies
and Maggots
Doctrine
and Covenants 29
Wherefore,
I the Lord God will send forth flies upon the face of the
earth, which shall take hold of the inhabitants thereof, and shall
eat their flesh, and shall cause maggots to come in upon them;
Hailstorms
Doctrine
and Covenants 29:16
16
And there shall be a great hailstorm sent forth to destroy the
crops of the earth.
Doctrine
and Covenants 43:25
25
How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by
the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of
thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of
tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms,
and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the
great sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the
voice of mercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor
and the riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an
everlasting salvation, but ye would not!
Doctrine
and Covenants 109:30
30
And that all their works may be brought to naught, and be swept away
by the hail, and by the judgments which thou wilt send upon
them in thine anger, that there may be an end to lyings and slanders
against thy people.
Revelation
16:21
21
And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every
stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of
the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
“every
Stone about the weight of a talent”: Each hail stone weighs
between 60 and 80 pounds.
Shaking
of the Heavens
Doctrine
and Covenants 45:48
48
And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount, and it shall
cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro,
and the heavens also shall shake.
Doctrine
and Covenants 49:23
23
Wherefore, be not deceived, but continue in steadfastness, looking
forth for the heavens to be shaken, and the earth to tremble
and to reel to and fro as a drunken man, and for the valleys to be
exalted, and for the mountains to be made low, and for the rough
places to become smooth—and all this when the angel shall sound his
trumpet.
Joseph
Smith-Matthew:33
33
And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall
fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Joseph
Smith-Matthew:36.
36
And, as I said before, after the tribulation of those days, and the
powers of the heavens shall be shaken, then shall appear the sign
of the Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the
earth mourn; and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds
of heaven, with power and great glory;
Shaking
of the Earth
Doctrine
and Covenants 49:23
23
Wherefore, be not deceived, but continue in steadfastness, looking
forth for the heavens to be shaken, and the
earth to tremble and to reel to and fro as a drunken
man, and for the valleys to be exalted, and for the mountains to be
made low, and for the rough places to become smooth—and all this
when the angel shall sound his trumpet.
Doctrine
and Covenants 84:118
118
For, with you saith the Lord Almighty, I will rend their kingdoms; I
will not only shake the earth, but the starry heavens shall
tremble.
Doctrine
and Covenants 88:87
87
For not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to
and fro as a drunken man; and the sun shall hide his face, and
shall refuse to give light; and the moon shall be bathed in blood;
and the stars shall become exceedingly angry, and shall cast
themselves down as a fig that falleth from off a fig-tree.
Moses
7:61
61
And the day shall come that the earth shall rest, but before that day
the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the
earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and
great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people
will I preserve;
Lightning
Doctrine
and Covenants 87:6
6
... lightning, ….
Doctrine
and Covenants 88:90
90
And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the
voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice
of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds.
Pestilence
Joseph
Smith-Matthew:29
29
Behold I speak for mine elect's sake; for nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall be famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Joseph
Smith-History:45
45
He commenced, and again related the very same things which he had
done at his first visit, without the least variation; which having
done, he informed me of great judgments which were coming upon the
earth, with great desolations by famine, sword, and pestilence;
and that these grievous judgments would come on the earth in this
generation. Having related these things, he again ascended as he had
done before.
Plagues
Doctrine
and Covenants 84:97
97
And plagues shall go forth, and they shall not be taken from
the earth until I have completed my work, which shall be cut short in
righteousness—
Doctrine
and Covenants 87:6
6
... plague, ….
A
Desolating Scourge or Sickness
Doctrine
and Covenants 5:19
19
For a desolating scourge shall go forth among the inhabitants
of the earth, and shall continue to be poured out from time to time,
if they repent not, until the earth is empty, and the inhabitants
thereof are consumed away and utterly destroyed by the brightness of
my coming.
Doctrine
and Covenants 45:31-32
31
And there shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not
pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a
desolating sickness shall cover the land.
32
But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved;
but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God
and die.
Doctrine
and Covenants 97:22-25
22
For behold, and lo, vengeance cometh speedily upon the ungodly as the
whirlwind; and who shall escape it?
23
The Lord's scourge shall pass over by night and by day, and
the report thereof shall vex all people; yea, it shall not be stayed
until the Lord come;
24
For the indignation of the Lord is kindled against their abominations
and all their wicked works.
25
Nevertheless, Zion shall escape if she observe to do all things
whatsoever I have commanded her.
Isaiah
28:15, 18
15
Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with
hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall
pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our
refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
18
¶ And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your
agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge
shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
Their
Flesh Will Fall From Their Bones, And Their Eyes Will Fall From Their
sockets
Doctrine
and Covenants 29:19
19
And their tongues shall be stayed that they shall not utter against
me; and their flesh shall fall from off their bones, and their eyes
from their sockets;
“One
of the impending signs of the second coming of Jesus Christ is that a
desolating scourge or
sickness shall cover the land. Elder McConkie suggests that after the
times of the Gentiles are fulfilled,
‘new and unheard of diseases will attack the human system (Bruce
R. McConkie, Mormon
Doctrine, 2d
ed. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966]
654).”
The following will result from at least one of these afflictions:
‘their flesh shall fall from off their bones, and their eyes from
their sockets.’” (Daniel
H. Ludlow, A
Companion to Your Study of the Doctrine and Covenants, 2
vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1978] 1:
266)
Vapors
Of Smoke
Doctrine
and Covenants 45:41
41
And they shall behold blood, and fire, and vapors of smoke.
Tempests
Doctrine
and Covenants 88:90
90
And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the
voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice
of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds.
Thunders
Doctrine
and Covenants 87:6
6
And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the
earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and
the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning
also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath,
and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God.
Doctrine
and Covenants 88:90
90
And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and
the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of
the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds.
Sorrow,
Mourning and Fear
The
great calamities that will occur when god pours out his wrath without
measure will cause sorrow, mourning and fear among the wicked.
Doctrine
and Covenants 45:49-50
49
And the Lord shall utter his voice, and all the ends of the earth
shall hear it; and the nations of the earth shall mourn, and
they that have laughed shall see their folly.
50
And calamity shall cover the mocker, and the scorner shall be
consumed; and they that have watched for iniquity shall be hewn down
and cast into the fire.
Doctrine
and Covenants 45:74-75
74
For when the Lord shall appear he shall be terrible unto them, that
fear may seize upon them, and they shall stand afar off and
tremble.
75
And all nations shall be afraid because of the terror of the
Lord, and the power of his might. Even so. Amen.
Doctrine
and Covenants 87:6
6
And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the
earth shall mourn...
Calamity
Doctrine
and Covenants 1:17
17
Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come
upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph
Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him
commandments;
“The
law must take its course, and when men refuse the offer and tender
the Lord has given by which they may be saved, they cannot blame the
Lord if calamities, judgments and destructions come upon them. The
Lord cannot avert it, it must take its course, and yet our Father in
his kindness and mercy has offered the way and the means of escape….
“I
understand from this that the Lord plainly knew the condition of the
world, what it was in 1830, and what it would be today…. Knowing
the calamities that were coming to his children, unless they changed
their course, knowing their disposition that there would be no
repentance in their hearts, and yet with a great desire to save them,
he called upon his servant, Joseph Smith, to warn men, to call
repentance, and others to join in this great proclamation to all men:
'Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.' And not only to warn men
that there was peril and danger ahead, but to offer the means of
escape from the perils that would come….” (Melvin
J. Ballard, CR, October 1923, pp. 30-31)
IF
YE ARE PREPARED YE SHALL NOT FEAR
In
a talk given by Elder Ezra Taft Benson in January, 1971, he said we
do not need to fear the coming calamities if we are prepared:
“My
text today is from a revelation of the Lord to Joseph Smith, the
Prophet, at a conference of the Church January 2, 1831, as follows:
'… if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.'
“What
are some of the calamities for which we are to prepare? In section 29
the Lord warns us of 'a great hailstorm sent forth to destroy the
crops of the earth.' In section 45 we read of 'an overflowing
scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land.' In section
63 the Lord declares he has 'decreed wars upon the face of the
earth….’ In Matthew, chapter 24, we learn of 'famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes….’
The Lord declared that these and other calamities shall occur. “These
particular prophecies seem not to be conditional. The Lord, with his
foreknowledge, knows that they will happen. Some will come about
through man's manipulations; others through the forces of nature and
nature's God, but that they will come seems certain. Prophecy is but
history in reverse—a divine disclosure of future events.
“Yet,
through all of this, the Lord Jesus Christ has said: '…if ye are
prepared ye
shall
not fear.'
“What,
then, is the Lord's way to help us prepare for these calamities? The
answer is also found in section 1 of the Doctrine and Covenants,
wherein he says:
Doctrine
and Covenants 1:17-18, 37
17
Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon
the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith,
Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments;
18
And also gave commandments to others, that they should proclaim these
things unto the world; and all this that it might be fulfilled, which
was written by the prophets—
37
Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the
prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled.
“Here
then is the key—look to the prophets for the words of God, that
will show us how to prepare for the calamities which are to come.
“No
man need fear in his heart when he is conscious of having lived up to
the principles of truth and righteousness as God has required it at
his hands, according to his best knowledge and understanding.”
(Joseph
F. Smith, CR, April 1904, p.2)
QUOTES
OF CHURCH LEADERS ON THE CALAMITIES TO COME
“‘And
now I am prepared to say by the authority of Jesus Christ, that not
many years shall pass away
before the United States shall present such a scene of bloodshed as
has not a parallel in the history
of our nation; pestilence, hail, famine, and earthquake will sweep
the wicked of this generation from
off the face of the land, to open and prepare the way for the return
of the lost tribes of Israel from the
north country (Joseph
Smith, HC 1:315).
“Calamitous
phenomena, before which the wicked shall fall, are definitely
predicted as accompaniments of the second advent of our Lord. This is
the prediction made through the prophet Joseph
Smith in these days; and the fulfillment is nigh: [Sec. 88:87-91,
quoted.]
“It
may be argued that the storms, earthquakes, and other destructive
occurrences… are not natural but supernatural phenomena, specially
inflicted by Divine intent. Say rather that these happenings are supernaturally directed, following naturally and inevitably the sins
of mankind and the unregenerate state of the race.
“'The
earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they
have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the
everlasting covenant.'” (James
E. Talmage, IE, July 1919, 22:801-2)
“As
was foreseen, aye, and foretold, by the Christ Himself, and by His
prophets who lived before His mortal birth and by those who lived
after, in the earlier ages, and by the prophets of the present
dispensation, great destruction has come and shall come upon the
earth because of the sins of the human race….
“It
is beyond the wisdom of men to correctly deduce results by applying
the general laws or causes to individual cases; and whenever the
judgments of the Lord are permitted to fall upon the earth and upon
its inhabitants, there are many of the innocent who suffer with the
guilty. Many go down who are not personally culpable and who are not
directly responsible for that which has come.
“We
know the Lord does permit these calamities to come upon those who,
according to our means of judgment and powers of analysis, may not
have deserved the fate, but death, remember, is not finality. It is
that which follows death with which we should have concern. Many are
allowed to die in tempest and earthquake, whose death is but a
passage into the blessed realms because they are deserving of
blessings; while unto others death does come as a judgment; and the
Lord knows who falls because of their sins and who are permitted to
fall because of their righteousness… The Lord deals with
individuals: and salvation is an individual affair; but,
nevertheless, he deals also with nations, for he is the God of
nations, which are set up or put down, are preserved or destroyed,
according to their fitness; and all this is done in the Lord's due
time and way.” (James E.
Talmage, CR, October 1923, pp. 51-53)
“You
will find it recorded in one of the revelations to the Prophet Joseph
Smith and the elders of this church, that after the testimony of the
elders should come the testimony of lightnings, of thunder, of
earthquakes, of the sea heaving itself beyond its bounds, and of
destruction, the elements being engaged in bearing testimony—the
thunder would cry repentance. And yet in that same revelation the
Lord said they would not heed that warning voice any more than they
had heeded the warning voice of the servants of the Lord. Oh, that
men would hear the voice of the elements proclaiming repentance, and
if they shall not hear it they shall be visited with dire calamity,
for this is the day of settlement, the day of reckoning, the hour of
God's judgment has come. I rejoice not in the prospects of the
chastisement that awaits the nations of the earth, I would that they
would save themselves. The means is yet at hand. By repentance and by
turning to the Lord Jesus Christ they may find that salvation, but
without it there is no salvation for this world.” (Melvin
J. Ballard, CR, October 1923, pp. 31-32)
“It
will not be long until calamities will overtake the human family
unless there is speedy repentance. It will not be long before those
who are scattered over the face of the earth by millions will die
like flies because of what will come.” (George
Albert Smith, CR, April 1950, p. 169)
“God
has revealed that in the last days he would warn the people through
the voice of tempests, earthquakes, and seas heaving themselves
beyond their bounds. Do we hear his voice now and recognize it?
“When
an estimated half million people are stricken in one hurricane in
Pakistan, when one hundred thousand are left homeless in a single
quake in Chile, and when these two disasters come within a few weeks
of each other, can we ignore the warnings which they give?
“When
two devastating hurricanes wipe out entire communities in Mississippi
within a few months of each other, when oft-repeated earthquakes
strike Los Angeles with death and a half-billion dollar devastation,
do we hear in them the voice of God as a fair warning to the rest of
us? Can we relax and feel at ease because we take out insurance
against earthquakes, fire, and storm damage? Can an insurance policy
prevent a hurricane or stay an earthquake? Who can control such
awesome forces? Who is the God of nature? Who stood in a storm-tossed
boat with a group of frightened fishermen and rebuked the storm by
simply saying 'Peace be still,' and the wind abated and there came a
great calm? The extinct civilizations of the past now speak to us out
of the dust of the ages, giving warning against the same conditions
which brought them down to oblivion. (Listen
to what they say!’ Mark E. Petersen, Ensign, June 1971, p. 48)
“We
read in the word of the Lord that after the testimony of the elders
will come wrath and indignation upon the people. For after their
testimony will come the testimony of earthquakes that shall cause
suffering and sorrow, and men shall fall upon the ground for fear.
There shall come also the testimony of thunderings, and the voice of
lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of
the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. All things shall be
in commotion, and men's hearts shall fail them because of fear that
shall come upon the people, These things shall follow the testimony
of the elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
when the people of the world reject them and drive them from their
borders.” (Joseph
Fielding Smith, Doctrines
of Salvation, 3
vols. edited by Bruce R. McConkie [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft,
1954-1956]
3:7)
“Before
the Lord destroyed the old world, he directed Noah to prepare an ark;
before the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, he told Lot
to ‘flee to the mountains;’ before Jerusalem was destroyed Jesus
gave his disciples warning, and told them to ‘flee out of it;’
and before the destruction of the world, a message is sent; after
this, the nations will be judged, for God is now preparing his own
kingdom for his own reign, and will not be thwarted by any
conflicting influence, or opposing power. The testimony of God is
first to be made known, the standard is to be raised; the gospel of
the kingdom is to be preached to all nations, the world is to be
warned, and then come the troubles.
“Before
this earth becomes a fit habitat for the Holy One, it must be
cleansed and purified. The wicked must be destroyed; peace must
replace war, and the evil imaginations in the hearts of men must give
way to desires for righteousness. How shall this be brought to pass?
There are two ways: (1) By plagues and pestilence and wars and
desolation. . . . Plagues will sweep the earth, as the Black Death
ravaged Asia and Europe in the fourteenth century. . . . (2) Then, at
his coming, the vineyard will be burned. The residue of the wicked
will be consumed.” (Bruce
R. McConkie, The
Millennial Messiah: The Second Coming of the Son of Man [Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982]
378)
“We
do not know the duration or the extent of the calamities that are
foretold for the world, but it appears from the scriptures that they
will increase in intensity as the coming of the Lord approaches.
Included among these signs of the end of the world, ‘or the
destruction of the wicked, which is the end of the world’ are those
that are called ‘signs of the coming of the Son of Man’. Section
45 provides the key for understanding these. Following a listing of
some of the signs that would come upon the world, including natural
and man-made disasters (vv. 32-33), the Lord then told how the
righteous would look toward the ‘signs of the coming of the Son of
Man,’ which would follow (v. 39): ‘And they shall see signs and
wonders, for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above, and in
the earth beneath. And they shall behold blood, and fire, and vapors
of smoke. And before the day of the Lord shall come, the sun shall be
darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars fall from
heaven’ (D&C 45:40-42). ‘And there shall be greater signs in
heaven above and in the earth beneath’ (D&C 29:14). These are
signs on a cosmic scale; they will begin the change of the earth that
must take place to prepare it to become the millennial home of the
resurrected and glorified Lord.
“The
earth must be cleansed of all wickedness, wicked things, and wicked
people, for God will come down to it to be with his Saints. Thus it
must undergo a purification, which will include the destruction and
death of evil people and their evil ways. Whereas the early signs of
the times would be given to warn and to invite all to repent, there
must come later signs of the Lord's coming that will punish and
cleanse: ‘And it shall come to pass, because of the wickedness of
the world, that I will take vengeance upon the wicked, for they will
not repent; for the cup of mine indignation is full’. Wickedness
must be removed from the earth, whether it be through repentance or
through destruction. It can have no place in the Lord's millennial
kingdom.” (Daniel
H. Ludlow, A
Companion to Your Study of the Doctrine and Covenants, 2
vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1978]
192)
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