“The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again”

Posted on by Mitch Peterson

Last updated on October 27th, 2024 at 11:57 pm

General Conference Applied

S4 E1 – Thursday, October 24, 2024 | “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again” by President Russell M. Nelson; October 2024 General Conference

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Podcast Episode Outline

Introduction

  • “As the prophet Isaiah prophesied, and as memorialized in Handel’s Messiah, when Jesus Christ returns, ‘the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.’ …

    “I bear my solemn witness that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I am His disciple. I am honored to be His servant. At His Second Coming, ‘the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.’ That day will be filled with joy for the righteous!

    “Through the power of the sacred priesthood keys I hold, I declare this truth to you and to all the world!” -President Nelson
    • 10/9/2024 journal entry: In this address, President Nelson quoted this phrase from Isaiah 40:5 twice: “The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” When he stated – “I declare this truth to you and to all the world” – I believe he was referring to this statement, reaffirming that this is something that will actually happen at Jesus Christ’s Second Coming.
  • “When my wife Dantzel unexpectedly passed away, I could not reach any of our children. There I was, alone, devastated, and crying out for help. Gratefully, through His Spirit, the Lord taught me why my dear Dantzel had been taken home. With that understanding, I was comforted. Over time, I was better able to cope with my grief.” -President Nelson
    • What do you think the Lord taught President Nelson, through His Spirit, about why Dantzel had been permitted to die?

Bio

  • “Born September 9, 1924, President Nelson is the son of Marion C. and Edna Anderson Nelson. He and his wife, the former Dantzel White, have ten children. Sister Nelson passed away in February 2005. In April 2006, he married Wendy L. Watson.

    “Prior to his service as head of the Church, President Nelson served as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from July 15, 2015, until his call as the Church’s leader. He has served as a member of that quorum since April 7, 1984.

    “An internationally renowned surgeon and medical researcher, Dr. Nelson received his B.A. and M.D. degrees from the University of Utah (1945, 47). Honorary scholastic societies include Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha. He served his residency in surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and at the University of Minnesota, where he was awarded his Ph.D. Degree in 1954. He also received honorary degrees of Doctor of Science from Brigham Young University in 1970, Doctor of Medical Science from Utah State University in 1989, and Doctor of Humane Letters from Snow College in 1994.

    “His professional work included the positions of research professor of surgery and director of the Thoracic Surgery Residency at the University of Utah and chairman of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City.

    “Author of numerous publications and chapters in medical textbooks, President Nelson lectured and visited professionally throughout the United States and in many other nations prior to his call as a General Authority. A host of awards and honors have come to him, including the Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Utah; the Heart of Gold Award from the American Heart Association; a citation for International Service from the American Heart Association; and the Golden Plate Award, presented by the American Academy of Achievement. He has been awarded honorary professorships from three universities in the People’s Republic of China.

    “Dr. Nelson has served as president of the Society for Vascular Surgery, a director of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, chairman of the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery for the American Heart Association, and president of the Utah State Medical Association.

    “He is listed in Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who in Religion.

    “President Nelson has held numerous positions of responsibility in the Church. He served as stake president of the Bonneville Stake from 1964 to June, 1971, when he was called as general president of the Sunday School. Prior to his call to the Quorum of the Twelve, he was serving as a Regional Representative assigned to the Kearns Utah Region. He had previously served as Regional Representative for Brigham Young University.”
  • This was President Nelson’s 113th general conference address. Here are his five most recent addresses:

What is the speaker inviting me to do, and how might I consider taking action?

Invitations

1: “In this conference, the Lord has spoken to us through His servants. I urge you to study their messages. Use them as a litmus test of what is true and what is not during the next six months.”

  • Become familiar enough with the October 2024 general conference addresses such that they can influence your thoughts when you are exposed to other ideas and philosophies.
  • Christlike Attribute: “I appreciate direction from my leaders or teachers. (2 Nephi 9:28–29)” (Humility)
  • Questions:
    1. What is a practical example of using general conference addresses “as a litmus test of what is true and what is not during the next six months”?
      • “‘Ye Are My Friends’“, Elder David L. Buckner, October 2024 General Conference: “Brothers and sisters, we must stop looking for reasons to divide and instead seek opportunities to ‘be one.’ He has blessed us with unique gifts and attributes that invite learning from one another and personal growth. I often told my university students that if I do what you do and you do what I do, we don’t need each other. But because you don’t do what I do and I don’t do what you do, we do need each other. And that need brings us together. To divide and conquer is the adversary’s plan to destroy friendships, families, and faith. It is the Savior who unites.”
      • “Sons and Daughters of God“, Elder Rubén V. Alliaud, October 2024 General Conference: “Now, you might say, ‘But many people believe we are children of God.’ Yes, that is true, but their understanding may be a little different from the implication of its deeper meaning that we affirm. For Latter-day Saints, this teaching is not metaphorical. Rather, we truly believe that we are all literally the children of God. He is ‘the Father of [our] spirits,’ and because of that, we have the potential to become like Him, which seems to be inconceivable to some.”
        • Some people claim that they were animals before this life (“furries”).
    2. Did this invitation lead to any additional spiritual promptings?
      • 10/16/2024 journal entry: Just as President Jeffrey R. Holland recently invited us on social media never to give a talk without sharing a scripture, perhaps I could always find a way to share an insight from the most recent general conference in any talk or testimony I deliver, or class I attend.
    3. What if I focus exclusively on studying Church resources, rather than listening to, reading, or watching anything that’s not produced by the Church of Jesus Christ? Isn’t that a good way to make sure I’m always being exposed to truth?
      • “Learning from People of Other Faiths (Joshua M. Sears)“, Y Religion Podcast, October 15, 2024: Linked resource: “Learning from People of Other Faiths“: “Among all the religions in the world, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is unique in providing Restoration scripture, apostolic leadership, priesthood keys, the covenants and ordinances constituting the new and everlasting covenant, and a distinctive understanding of the plan of salvation. However, when the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles released the bicentennial proclamation ‘The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ’ in April 2020, their affirmation of the unique gifts of the Restoration opened by declaring that ‘God loves His children in every nation of the world.’ Implicit in this declaration is the belief, articulated repeatedly by Church leaders since the Prophet Joseph Smith, that God shows his love for his children by giving a portion of his light to each and every people, nation, culture, and religion.

        “Based on this understanding that God speaks to and works through other religious traditions, Church leaders have continuously taught that we must not merely tolerate other religions but sincerely respect them and seek to understand their beliefs and practices. Accordingly, Latter-day Saints have engaged in fruitful interfaith dialogues with evangelicals, Jews, Catholics, Muslims, Community of Christ, and other faith groups. Many Latter-day Saints have also benefited from the counsel to allow for ‘holy envy’—an admiration for something that people of another religion do that we may wish to emulate in our own religious devotion.

        “I have observed, however, that while fellow Latter-day Saints fully support our mandate to love and respect people of different faiths, and while many may even find inspiration in the examples of faith and service demonstrated by people of other faiths, some may hesitate to be taught by people from other religions. In other words, they wrestle with the perception that respecting and loving and even emulating others is appropriate, but that learning from others is problematic—at least when the subjects are religion, spirituality, or scripture. My purpose here is to explore the challenges and benefits of learning from people of different faiths. I will begin by recounting some of the cautions that have been given about using outside resources, and then I will highlight how Church leaders have both taught and modeled an inclusive approach to learning from others. After discussing ways to navigate these challenges and benefits, I will examine one particular scripture study resource, BibleProject, as a case study. Although appropriate care must be taken, my experience is that people of other faiths can deeply enrich our understanding of the scriptures and the beautiful doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

2: “Now is the time for you and for me to prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Now is the time for us to make our discipleship our highest priority.”

  • As members of the Church of Jesus Christ, the most important thing we can be doing is to be valiant disciples of Jesus Christ.
  • “I have learned that the most crucial question we each must answer is this: To whom or to what will I give my life?

    “My decision to follow Jesus Christ is the most important decision I have ever made. During medical school, I gained a testimony of the divinity of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Since then our Savior has been the rock upon which I have built my life. That choice has made all the difference! That decision has made so many other decisions easier. That decision has given me purpose and direction. It has also helped me weather the storms of life.” -President Nelson
  • Christlike Attribute: “I focus my efforts on the most important things. (Matthew 23:23)” (Diligence)
  • Questions:
    1. What does the word priority mean?
      • “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” by Greg McKeown: “The word priority came into the English language in the 1400s. It was singular. It meant the very first or prior thing. It stayed singular for the next five hundred years. Only in the 1900s did we pluralize the term and start talking about priorities. Illogically, we reasoned that by changing the word we could bend reality. Somehow we would now be able to have multiple ‘first’ things. People and companies routinely try to do just that. One leader told me of his experience in a company that talked of ‘Pri-1, Pri-2, Pri-3, Pri-4, and Pri-5.’ This gave the impression of many things being the priority but actually meant nothing was.

        “But when we try to do it all and have it all, we find ourselves making trade-offs at the margins that we would never take on as our intentional strategy. When we don’t purposefully and deliberately choose where to focus our energies and time, other people—our bosses, our colleagues, our clients, and even our families—will choose for us, and before long we’ll have lost sight of everything that is meaningful and important. We can either make our choices deliberately or allow other people’s agendas to control our lives.”
        • Priority = the first thing. It’s what I focus on first thing in the morning. It’s what I think about first thing when I’m bored or frustrated or sad. It’s the first thing I think to talk about with others at a gathering. (My former Bishop / Stake President consistently asks me, every time he sees me, where I’m serving in the Church. I could do something similar, consistently checking in with others to see what they’re learning about Jesus Christ.)
    2. In a way, isn’t President Nelson inviting us to consider anew the Parable of the Ten Virgins?
      • Matthew 25:1-13 – “[1] Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. [2] And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. [3] They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: [4] But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. [5] While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. [6] And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. [7] Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. [8] And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. [9] But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. [10] And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. [11] Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. [12] But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. [13] Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
    3. What might we learn from two prophets of God about the importance of being a disciple of Jesus Christ?
      • “Choices for Eternity“, President Russell M. Nelson, Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, May 15, 2022: “Who are you?

        “First and foremost, you are a child of God.

        “Second, as a member of the Church, you are a child of the covenant. And third, you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.

        “Tonight, I plead with you not to replace these three paramount and unchanging identifiers with any others, because doing so could stymie your progress or pigeonhole you in a stereotype that could potentially thwart your eternal progression.”
        • The first two identifiers – child of God and child of the covenant – are who I am. The third identifier – disciple of Jesus Christ – is what I do.
      • 3 Nephi 5:12-13 – “[12] And behold, I am called Mormon, being called after the land of Mormon, the land in which Alma did establish the church among the people … [13] Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.”
        • Just think, after abridging and narrating 415 pages, when Mormon finally introduces himself to us, the first thing he says is that he is ‘a disciple of Jesus Christ’. Is being a disciple of Jesus Christ just as important to us as it is for President Russell M. Nelson and Mormon?

3: “I urge you to devote time each week—for the rest of your life—to increase your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”

  • Increase my understanding of Jesus Christ’s Atonement every single week.
  • Christlike Attribute: “I seek to understand the truth and find answers to my questions. (Doctrine and Covenants 6:7)” (Knowledge)
  • Questions:
    1. How might I structure a weekly study of the Atonement of Jesus Christ?
      • 10/16/2024 journal entry: Create a list of resources that are available to help me learn about Jesus Christ’s Atonement. Dedicate my gospel study each Friday morning to learning about Jesus Christ’s Atonement. Develop a study group, or perhaps a Facebook group dedicated to this task.
      • “The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months” by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington: “We all know intuitively that an ability to keep commitments is fundamental to effective execution and high performance, but many of us fall short of our commitments on a regular basis. It seems that when things get difficult, we find reasons why we can’t keep our promises and we shift our focus to other activities. Often our interest wanes when things get tough. It is important to understand that there is a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit, but when you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.

        “When we commit to something, we do things that we would not ordinarily do. The question of if goes away and the only question you ask is how. Commitment is powerful, but there are times when all of us struggle to commit.

        “Here are the four keys to successful commitments:

        “1. Strong desire: In order to fully commit to something, you need a clear and personally compelling reason. Without a strong desire you will struggle when the implementation gets difficult, but with a compelling desire, seemingly insurmountable obstacles are seen as challenges to be met. The desired end result needs to be meaningful enough to get you through the hard times and keep you on track.
        “2. Keystone actions: Once you have an intense desire to accomplish something, you then need to identify the core actions that will produce the result you’re after. In today’s world, many of us have become spectators rather than participants. We must remember that it’s what we do that counts. In most endeavors there are often many activities that help you accomplish your goal. However there are usually a few core activities that account for the majority of the results, and in some cases there are only one or two keystone actions that ultimately produce the result. It is critical that you identify these keystones and focus on them.
        “3. Count the costs: Commitments require sacrifice. In any effort there are benefits and costs. Too often we claim to commit to something without considering the costs, the hardships that will have to be overcome to accomplish your desire. Costs can include time, money, risk, uncertainty, loss of comfort, and so on. Identifying the costs before you commit allow you to consciously choose whether you are willing to pay the price of your commitment. When you face any of these costs, it is extremely helpful to recognize that you anticipated them and decided that reaching your goal was worth it.
        “4. Act on commitments, not feelings: There will be times when you won’t feel like doing the critical activities. We’ve all been there. Getting out of bed at 5:30 a.m. to jog in the winter cold can be daunting, especially when you’re in a toasty warm bed. It is during these times that you will need to learn to act on your commitments instead of your feelings. If you don’t, you will never build any momentum and will get stuck continually restarting or, as is so often the case, giving up. Learning to do the things you need to do, regardless of how you feel, is a core discipline for success.

        “Many times commitments are made more arduous by the time frame for which they are made. It is difficult to commit to anything for a lifetime – even keeping a promise for an entire year can be challenging. With the 12 Week Year you are not asked to make lifetime or even annual commitments, but rather 12 week commitments. It is much more feasible to establish and keep a commitment for 12 weeks than to keep it for 12 months. At the end of the 12 weeks, you reassess your commitments and begin again.

        “Our commitments ultimately shape our lives. They support sound marriages, create lasting relationships, drive our results, and help build our character. There is just something incredibly empowering about knowing if you say you’re going to do something that you can count on yourself, that you don’t need to hedge your bets.”
    2. What are some resources I can utilize ‘to increase [my] understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ’?

4: “I call upon you to rededicate your lives to Jesus Christ. I call upon you to help gather scattered Israel and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord. I call upon you to talk of Christ, testify of Christ, have faith in Christ, and rejoice in Christ! Come unto Christ and ‘offer your whole [soul]’ to Him.”

  • By rededicating our lives to Jesus Christ, we are better able to help gather scattered Israel and prepare the world for Jesus Christ’s Second Coming.
  • Christlike Attribute: “I have faith that God will bring about good things in my life and the lives of others as we devote ourselves to Him and His Son. (Ether 12:12)” (Faith)
  • Questions:
    1. How can ‘[rededicating] [our] lives to Jesus Christ’ help us to ‘prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord’?
      • “A Pattern for Unity in Jesus Christ“, President Russell M. Nelson, October 2024 Liahona: “True followers of Jesus Christ yearn for peace and actively seek to build a different kind of society—one that is founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ. To this end, the Lord has charged us to ‘be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine’ (Doctrine and Covenants 38:27). …

        “God has invited all to come unto Him. There is room for everyone. We may differ in our cultures, politics, ethnicities, tastes, and many other ways. But as we unite in Jesus Christ, such differences fade in their significance and are superseded by our overriding desire to be one—so that we may be His.”
    2. Why is it so important ‘to talk of Christ, testify of Christ, have faith in Christ, and rejoice in Christ’?
      • “Rise! He Calleth Thee“, Elder Massimo De Feo, April 2024 General Conference: “We need to decide not to listen to the voices of the world around us. In this confusing and confused world, we must stay faithful to what we know, faithful to our covenants, faithful in keeping the commandments and reaffirm our beliefs even stronger. …

        “There are many voices today trying to lower our voices as disciples of Jesus Christ. The voices of the world are trying to silence us, but that’s exactly why we must declare our testimony of the Savior louder and stronger. Among all the voices of the world, the Lord is counting on me and you to declare our testimonies, to raise our voice, and to become His voice. If we don’t do it, who will testify of Jesus Christ? Who will speak His name and declare His divine mission?

        “We have a spiritual charge that comes from our knowledge of Jesus Christ.”
      • “We Look to Christ“, President Gordon B. Hinckley, April 2002 General Conference: “As a Church we have critics, many of them. They say we do not believe in the traditional Christ of Christianity. There is some substance to what they say. Our faith, our knowledge is not based on ancient tradition, the creeds which came of a finite understanding and out of the almost infinite discussions of men trying to arrive at a definition of the risen Christ. Our faith, our knowledge comes of the witness of a prophet in this dispensation who saw before him the great God of the universe and His Beloved Son, the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. They spoke to him. He spoke with Them. He testified openly, unequivocally, and unabashedly of that great vision. It was a vision of the Almighty and of the Redeemer of the world, glorious beyond our understanding but certain and unequivocating in the knowledge which it brought. It is out of that knowledge, rooted deep in the soil of modern revelation, that we, in the words of Nephi, ‘talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that [we and] our children may know to what source [we] may look for a remission of [our] sins’ (2 Nephi 25:26).”
    3. Do you remember President Nelson’s definition of what it means to ‘gather Israel’?
      • “Hope of Israel“, President Russell M. Nelson, Worldwide Youth Devotional, June 3, 2018: “Anytime you do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—take a step toward making covenants with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are helping to gather Israel. It is as simple as that.”
        • “It is neither too early nor too late for you to become a devout disciple of Jesus Christ. Then you will experience fully the blessings of His Atonement. You will also be more effective in helping to gather Israel.” -President Nelson
        • How is it that ‘[becoming] a devout disciple of Jesus Christ’ will help us to ‘be more effective in helping to gather Israel’?

Take Action

How will you take action on the invitations extended in this General Conference address?

Conclusion

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Tags

Atonement | Jesus Christ | Preparation | Second Coming | Temples

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