The Know

Several revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants teach and prophesy about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the ushering in of His millennial reign, prompting many readers to wonder how they can prepare for this crucial and glorious event.1 Thankfully, in addition to describing the Second Coming, the Doctrine and Covenants contains steps believers can take to prepare for the Second Coming. Critically, in Doctrine and Covenants 133, which was revealed on December 3, 1831, at the outset of this dispensation, the Lord invites all His followers to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, to repent, and to become sanctified.

Missionary Work

The Doctrine and Covenants frequently stresses the importance of missionary work in preparing all the world for the Second Coming, often teaching of the need for the faithful to gather.2 For example, in the context of passages about His Second Coming, the Lord tells His people to “send forth the elders of my church unto the nations which are afar off; unto the islands of the sea; send forth unto foreign lands; call upon all nations, first upon the Gentiles, and then upon the Jews. And behold, and lo, this shall be their cry, and the voice of the Lord unto all people: Go ye forth unto the land of Zion” (Doctrine and Covenants 133:8–9).

More on missionary work as a preparation for the Second Coming was revealed on December 27, 1832 and recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 88, in which the Lord tells His people, “I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor” (v. 81). The purpose of this warning is “to prepare the saints for the hour of judgment which is to come; that their souls may escape the wrath of God, the desolation of abomination which awaits the wicked, both in this world and in the world to come” (vv. 84–85). Section 88 then goes on to discuss the Second Coming in detail, making it clear that missionary work is meant to help the world prepare for this day.3

Doctrine and Covenants 29 had previously spoken about missionary work. That section phrases it in terms of being “called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect” so that, as the Lord says, “I will reveal myself from heaven with power and great glory, with all the hosts thereof, and dwell in righteousness with men on earth a thousand years, and the wicked shall not stand” (vv. 7, 11).

This emphasis on missionary work as a preparation for the Second Coming is how the first section in the Doctrine and Covenants begins as well. After discussing the calamities of the Second Coming, the Lord states, “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; and also gave commandments to others, that they should proclaim these things unto the world” (1:17–18). The eventual goal of this testifying was that “the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers” (v. 23). These verses all connect the Second Coming with missionary work, stressing the urgency of sharing the gospel with others in preparation for that glorious and frightful event.

Repent and Become Holy

Wisely and solemnly, the Doctrine and Covenants also frequently encourages people to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to repent and be baptized, and then become holy in order to prepare for the Second Coming.4 Doctrine and Covenants 133:4–5, for example, encourages Christ’s loyal followers thus: “Prepare ye, O my people; sanctify yourselves; gather ye together, O ye people of my church, upon the land of Zion. . . . Go ye out from Babylon. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.” That is, people are to sanctify themselves, or make themselves holy, to prepare for the Second Coming.

These verses allude to Isaiah 52:11, in which the ancient Israelites are encouraged to return from exile in Babylon and go back to Jerusalem, bringing back the vessels of the temple with them.5 In the Doctrine and Covenants, this can be understood as advising people to leave wickedness behind as they make themselves holy, consecrating themselves to God.6 They could do this physically by moving to be with the other members of the Lord’s Church, as was most common during the opening decades of the Restoration, but righteous people everywhere do this spiritually as well by abandoning sinful pursuits.7

The Doctrine and Covenants often discusses becoming holy through repentance in connection with preparing for the Second Coming. For example, Doctrine and Covenants 5:19 states, “For a desolating scourge shall go forth among the inhabitants of the earth . . . 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.” Here, people are clearly told to repent in preparation for the Second Coming. We find something similar in Doctrine and Covenants 29, in which Jesus tells us we must repent, saying, “My blood shall not cleanse them if they hear me not” (29:17). The Savior also describes the drastic consequences that will occur at the Second Coming if people do not repent (vv. 42–49). The Doctrine and Covenants repeatedly stresses that people should repent because the “kingdom of heaven” or the “day of the Lord” is at hand.8

Like the ancient requirement for sacrificial repentance and cleansing in temple courtyards as a preparation for entering the Holy Place of the temple, the Lord instructs His people in modern times to repent and become holy as a preparation for His Second Coming. This suggests the millennial day is to be seen as the temporal equivalent of the Holy Place in the temple of Jerusalem, symbolically teaching that a higher and holier order of living will be required as a final preparation for entering the highest order of the celestial kingdom.

The Why

When Latter-day Saints realize that they can prepare for the Second Coming through missionary work and by becoming sanctified, it helps them to look forward positively to the events of the Second Coming. The Doctrine and Covenants repeatedly tells the Saints to fear not, giving this advice on more than twenty occasions. Christ tells His followers, “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (6:36), and “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (38:30). This is sometimes directly connected with the Second Coming: “Fear not, little flock, the kingdom is yours until I come. Behold, I come quickly” (35:27).

In Doctrine and Covenants 45:35, Jesus tells His disciples, in the context of the Second Coming, “Be not troubled, for, when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled.” Although the Doctrine and Covenants contains what can be alarming warnings about the calamities that will precede the Second Coming, it ultimately tells all believers that they should fear not and instead trust in the Lord.9

Although the chaos of the latter days may feel overwhelming and discouraging at times, the Doctrine and Covenants does not leave its readers in a state of hopelessness about preparing for the event. Saints can prepare for that day by sharing the gospel and becoming sanctified through repentance, and this can help them learn to rely on the Lord rather than fearing the events prophesied to occur in the last days.

President Russell M. Nelson taught, “Brothers and sisters, 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.”10 Likewise, twenty-one years ago President Dallin H. Oaks instructed the Saints how to prepare for the Second Coming of the Lord:

“If we knew that we would meet the Lord tomorrow—through our premature death or through His unexpected coming—what would we do today? What confessions would we make? What practices would we discontinue? What accounts would we settle? What forgivenesses would we extend? What testimonies would we bear? If we would do those things then, why not now? Why not seek peace while peace can be obtained?”11

 Assuredly, as Latter-day Saints make discipleship their highest priority by following the counsel given in the Doctrine and Covenants to spread the gospel, to repent, and to become clean, holy, and without spot, they can be confidently prepared for the Second Coming of the Lord, looking forward to that day with hope and without fear.