• Why is it important for us to know about the Second Coming?
  

What Will Jesus Do When He Comes Again?

When Jesus Christ comes again to the earth, he will do the following things:

1. He will cleanse the earth. When Jesus comes again, he will come in power and great glory. At that time the wicked will be destroyed. All things that are corrupt will be burned, and the earth will be cleansed by fire (see D&C 101:24-25).
   
2. He will judge his people (see chapter 46, "The Last Judgment"). When Jesus comes again, he will judge the nations and will divide the righteous from the wicked (see Matthew 25:31-46; see also chapter 46 in this book). John the Revelator wrote about this judgment: "I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God . . . and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." The wicked he saw "lived not again until the thousand years were finished" (Revelation 20:4-5; see also D&C 88:95-98).
   
3. He will usher in the Millennium. The Millennium is the thousand-year period when Jesus will reign on the earth. At the beginning of this period of time, tThe righteous will be caught up to meet Jesus at his coming (see D&C 88:96).. His coming will begin the millennial reign. (See chapter 45 in this book. See chapter 44, "The Millennium.")
   
   President Brigham Young said:
   
   "In the Millennium, when the Kingdom of God is established on the earth in power, glory and perfection, and the reign of wickedness that has so long prevailed is subdued, the Saints of God will have the privilege of building their temples, and of entering into them, becoming, as it were, pillars in the temples of God [see Revelation 3:12], and they will officiate for their dead. Then we will see our friends come up, and perhaps some that we have been acquainted with here. . . . And we will have revelations to know our forefathers clear back to Father Adam and Mother Eve, and we will enter into the temples of God and officiate for them. Then [children] man will be sealed to [parents] man until the chain is made perfect back to Adam, so that there will be a perfect chain of Priesthood from Adam to the winding-up scene" (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young [1997], 333-34 Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 116).
   
4. He will complete the First Resurrection. Those who have obtained the privilege of coming forth in the Rresurrection of the Jjust will rise from their graves. They will be caught up to meet the Savior as he comes down from heaven (see D&C 88:97-98.)
   
   After Jesus Christ rose from the dead, other righteous people who had died were also resurrected. They appeared in Jerusalem and also on the American continent (see Matthew 27:52-53; 3 Nephi 23:9-10). This was the beginning of the First Resurrection. Some people have been resurrected since then. Those who already have been resurrected and those who will be resurrected at the time of his coming will all inherit the glory of the celestial kingdom (see D&C 76:50-70).

After the beginning of the Millennium, those who will receive a terrestrial glory will be resurrected (see D&C 88:99; D&C 76:71-80). After the resurrection of those who will inherit celestial glory, another group will be resurrected: those who will receive a terrestrial glory. When all these people have been resurrected, the First Resurrection will be completed.

The wicked who are living at the time of the second coming of the Lord will be destroyed in the flesh. They, along with the wicked who are already dead, will have to wait until the end of the Millennium before they can come forth from their graves last resurrection. At the end of the Millennium, the Second Resurrection will take place. All of the remaining dead will rise to meet God. They will either inherit the telestial kingdom or be cast into outer darkness with Satan (see D&C 76:32-33, 81-112).

5. He will take his rightful place as king of heaven and earth. When Jesus comes, he will establish his government on the earth. The Church will become part of that kingdom. He will rule all the people of the earth in peace for a thousand 1,000 years.
   
   He will be greeted as "Lord of Llords and King of Kkings" (Revelation 17:14) He will be called "Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).
   

• What are your thoughts and feelings as you contemplate the events of the Second Coming?

Discussion