Doctrine and Covenants 45

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presented a comprehensive overview of the events of the Second Coming in an article titled “When Shall These Things Be?” The article appeared in the December 1996 Ensign. It is available on LDS.org.

Doctrine and Covenants 45:3–5

President Boyd K. Packer:

“Each of us lives on a kind of spiritual credit. One day the account will be closed, a settlement demanded. However casually we may view it now, when that day comes and the foreclosure is imminent, we will look around in restless agony for someone, anyone, to help us.

“And, by eternal law, mercy cannot be extended save there be one who is both willing and able to assume our debt and pay the price and arrange the terms for our redemption.

“Unless there is a mediator, unless we have a friend, the full weight of justice untempered, unsympathetic, must, positively must fall on us. The full recompense for every transgression, however minor or however deep, will be exacted from us to the uttermost farthing.

“But know this: Truth, glorious truth, proclaims there is such a Mediator.

“‘For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.’ (1 Tim. 2:5.)” (“The Mediator,” Ensign, May 1977, 55–56).

President Boyd K. Packer:

“For some reason, we think the Atonement of Christ applies only at the end of mortal life to redemption from the Fall, from spiritual death. It is much more than that. It is an ever-present power to call upon in everyday life. When we are racked or harrowed up or tormented by guilt or burdened with grief, He can heal us. While we do not fully understand how the Atonement of Christ was made, we can experience ‘the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.’ [Philippians 4:7.]” (“The Touch of the Master’s Hand,” Ensign, May 2001, 23).

Elder D. Todd Christofferson:

“It is of great significance to me, that I may at any moment and in any circumstance approach through prayer the throne of grace, that my Heavenly Father will hear my petition, that my Advocate, him who did no sin, whose blood was shed, will plead my cause. (See D&C 45:3–5.) I rely heavily on that access to God, which he gives to all his children, for he is indeed no respecter of persons, and he that asks shall receive” (“I Know in Whom I Have Trusted,” Ensign, May 1993, 83).

Doctrine and Covenants 45:11–12

The Prophet Joseph Smith:

“Now this Enoch God reserved unto Himself, that he should not die at that time, and appointed unto him a ministry unto terrestrial bodies, of whom there has been but little revealed” (in History of the Church,4:209).

“He [the Lord] selected Enoch, whom He directed, and gave His law unto, and to the people who were with him; and when the world in general would not obey the commands of God, after walking with God, he translated Enoch and his church, and the Priesthood or government of heaven was taken away” (in History of the Church, 5:64).

Doctrine and Covenants 45:25–28

Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

“The times of the Gentiles is that time or era, that expanse of time or years, during which the gospel goes to the Gentiles on a preferential basis. In Jesus’ day the gospel was offered first to his Jewish kinsmen; only later was it preached in Gentile ears. In our day it has been restored to the Gentiles, meaning to non-Jewish people—people, however, who are of the house of Israel. It is now being taught on a preferential basis to Gentiles or non-Jewish people, for, as Paul said, ‘blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.’ (Rom. 11:25.)

“The restoration of the gospel foreshadows the end of the Gentile era and the ushering in of the Jewish era. Our revelations say that after the remnant of Jerusalem’s Jews have been scattered in all nations, an event that has long since occurred, ‘they shall be gathered again.’ They are, however, to remain in their scattered state ‘until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. … And when the times of the Gentiles is come in, a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my gospel. But they [the generality of the scattered Jews] receive it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men. And in that generation shall the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.’ (D&C 45:24–29.) That the Jews, a few of them, are now beginning to believe the restored gospel and are returning to their true Messiah is well known. The times of the Gentiles shall soon be fulfilled, and the times of the Jews once again shall come into being” (The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4 vols. [1979–81], 1:97).

Doctrine and Covenants 45:25–46

Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

"[Joseph Smith] was of the Gentiles, meaning that he was a citizen of a Gentile Nation and also that he was not a Jew. … Indeed, the gospel has come forth in the last days in the times of the Gentiles and, in large measure, will not go to the Jews until the Gentile fulness comes in. (D. & C. 45:28–30.)” (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 311).

Doctrine and Covenants 45:32, 39

“‘Holy places’ may have more to do with how one lives than where one lives. If we live worthy of the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, then we stand in a holy place. … A holy place is any place where a person enjoys the Spirit of God” (Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, 2nd ed. [Church Educational System manual, 2001], 196).

Doctrine and Covenants 45:35–38

Elder Neal A. Maxwell:

“How much time before the Second Coming? Since the angels, otherwise well-informed individuals, do not know the day or the hour (how about the year?), certainly none of us does. Even so, though we are deprived of precision, we can still observe the leaves on the fig tree and the prophesied signs of the times. On the one hand, clearly there is so much which is yet to come to pass: first, the gospel shall be preached to every nation for a witness (see Matthew 24:14). But on the other hand, many events can be compressed into a short space of time (for instance, the opening of doors to nations that are now shut)” (That Ye May Believe [1992], 7).

Doctrine and Covenants 45:55, 58–59

President Boyd K. Packer:

“We live in troubled times—very troubled times. We hope, we pray, for better days. But that is not to be. The prophecies tell us that. We will not as a people, as families, or as individuals be exempt from the trials to come. …

“We need not live in fear of the future. We have every reason to rejoice and little reason to fear. If we follow the promptings of the Spirit, we will be safe, whatever the future holds. We will be shown what to do” (“The Cloven Tongues of Fire,” Ensign, May 2000, 8).

Doctrine and Covenants 45:56–57

President Dallin H. Oaks:

“The arithmetic of this parable is chilling. The ten virgins obviously represent members of Christ’s Church, for all were invited to the wedding feast and all knew what was required to be admitted when the bridegroom came. But only half were ready when he came” (“Preparation for the Second Coming,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 8).

President Spencer W. Kimball:

“In the parable, oil can be purchased at the market. In our lives the oil of preparedness is accumulated drop by drop in righteous living. Attendance at sacrament meetings adds oil to our lamps, drop by drop over the years. Fasting, family prayer, home teaching, control of bodily appetites, preaching the gospel, studying the scriptures—each act of dedication and obedience is a drop added to our store. Deeds of kindness, payment of offerings and tithes, chaste thoughts and actions, marriage in the covenant for eternity—these, too, contribute importantly to the oil with which we can at midnight refuel our exhausted lamps” (Faith Precedes the Miracle [1972], 256).

Doctrine and Covenants 45:60–61

The Prophet Joseph Smith:

“It was apparent that many important points touching the salvation of man had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith[2007], 217).

“I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors” (Teachings: Joseph Smith, 207).

Doctrine and Covenants 45:60–61

The Joseph Smith Translation is “a revision or translation of the King James Version of the Bible begun by the Prophet Joseph Smith in June 1830. He was divinely commissioned to make the translation and regarded it as ‘a branch of his calling’ as a prophet.” Although the work was essentially completed by July 1833, the Prophet continued to make small modifications until his death in 1844. “Some parts of the translation were published during his lifetime.” (See Bible Dictionary, “Joseph Smith Translation.”)

However, due to persecution, lack of financial resources, and his responsibilities for the administration of the Church, Joseph Smith was not able to publish all of his revisions of the Bible prior to his death. In addition, the Church lacked the manuscript. It remained in the possession of Joseph’s widow, Emma Smith, after his death. In 1866 Emma gave this manuscript to the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), now known as the Community of Christ, which obtained a copyright and published the translation in 1867. (See Robert J. Matthews, “Q and A,” New Era, Apr. 1977, 46–47.)

Eventually the book of Moses and Joseph Smith—Matthew were published as part of the Joseph Smith Translation. However, what we use in our scriptures now is only a portion of Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible. “While there were several reasons why the entire text of the Joseph Smith Translation was not incorporated in the 1979 LDS edition of the Bible, unreliability of the JST text was not one of them. Passages of doctrinal significance were given preference, and since space was a major factor, not everything was included” (Robert J. Matthews, “I Have a Question,” Ensign, June 1992, 29).

Doctrine and Covenants 45:68–71

The Prophet Joseph Smith:

“Zion … is a place of righteousness, and all who build thereon are to worship the true and living God, and all believe in one doctrine, even the doctrine of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (in History of the Church, 2:254).