A New Era - One Man's Insight on Exciting Times that Lie Ahead for the Church

A new friend who follows my channel, shared a link to an audio recording from March 30th 2018 (last week) of her husband’s temple president speaking at a missionary reunion. He has served as a Seventy, mission president and temple sealer, and in this recording, he shared much insight on awesome things pertaining to where the Church is headed, behind the scenes gems and personal experiences with past prophets and current leaders, prophecy already fulfilled and currently being fulfilled, and things that were completely new to me. I felt a strong witness of what he shared and wanted to touch on many of the highlights here without sharing his personal information or identity.

I compiled these highlights below and tried to organize them as best I could. I tried to verify sources for most of what he shared. Some of these were facts he shared from memory. I also added additional facts and background on some of the topics to better help detail his points.

What I enjoyed most about listening to this audio recording was that it was an additional witness to many of the things I have been pondering, and that the Spirit has been teaching me. I feel this information will be a great benefit to many and I am so excited to share!

Here is that transcript (Mostly in his own words).

The Era We Are Living In

We are all foreordained on this earth to do something (no matter what we’ve been through). Right now we are going through a transition period.

Harold B Lee

When Harold B. Lee became president of the church, in his first meeting with the seventy he quoted D&C 1:35-37 and said, “Those verses are now fulfilled this day.” He then mentioned three disasters that would happen that year and he said, “From this day forth, the natural disasters will only increase in frequency and intensity as we prepare for the Second Coming of the Savior.” He then said, “It is now time to start the work among the Re-organized LDS church, to bring them all back.”

Thomas S. Monson

In April 2017 General Conference, President Monson said,

“We live in a time of great trouble and wickedness… If you are not reading the Book of Mormon each day, please do so. If you will read it prayerfully and with a sincere desire to know the truth, the Holy Ghost will manifest its truth to you… If you do not have a firm testimony of these things, do that which is necessary to obtain one. It is essential for you to have your own testimony in these difficult times, for the testimonies of others will carry you only so far.”

Read D&C 109:38.

"Put upon thy servants the testimony of the covenant, that when they go out and proclaim thy word they may seal up the law, and prepare the hearts of thy saints for all those judgments thou art about to send, in thy wrath, upon the inhabitants of the earth, because of their transgressions, that thy people may not faint in the day of trouble."

Church president will be joined by his wife, Wendy, and Elder and Sister Holland
this April, for a 2018 World Tour. 

We are preparing the Saints (not the world) for those things which are going to come upon the earth, to prepare for the return of the Savior which is not too far away. President Nelson has talked about activating people, preparing the Church and the missionaries to prepare the world for the return of Jesus Christ. We are in a transition period, which means there is a window of time to be on probation again. To see if we will comply and live by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. President Nelson has already scheduled a world tour, and he’ll schedule another one, because he is going to deliver the message personally.


Prophecy Fulfilled 

Spencer W. Kimball

President Kimball related one evening a vision he had seen while in Korea. He had been sent there by President Smith to set up a mission in which Korean leaders told him “No”. He later had the same vision while in Mexico trying to establish a mission there and was also told, “No” by the Mexican government. The Lord prepares his prophets years before they are called. At that time, the missionary work had slowed down in the U.S. and Canada, and Europe was at a standstill. At the time, they had baptized more people in the Utah South mission alone than all missions in Europe put together.

In his vision he saw missionary work pick up in South America, the Philippines, and other places. He saw the fall of the Iron Curtain, and the Bamboo Curtain. He said, “It is now time to start the work among the Jews.” He quoted D&;C 98:16-17. Around that time, thousands of Jews came through to the Washington D.C. temple open house and said that they were interested in learning more. As these Jews traveled back home to their different cities all over the U.S., missionaries were sent to their homes to teach them more. The missionaries were welcomed into their homes yet not one visit resulted in a single baptism, because the missionaries could not answer certain questions about the temple such as much of its symbolism. The Jews are the most knowledgeable people on the earth about temples, other than the Latter-Day Saints. We are often ignorant about our own knowledge and doctrine.

There are changes taking place in the Church at the present time. Are we prepared? The iron curtain fell in 1989 as prophesied in by Pres. Kimball in 1984. Under President Nelson, we will see the Bamboo curtain fall! Are we ready to march? The Lord prepares people along the way. Think about the Jews, China, and you. President Nelson said that when President Kimball told him to learn Mandarin, he learned it. President Nelson is the highest-ranking member of the Church and four years ago he was honored with highest award in China.

President Russell M. Nelson, center, of the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, receives a painting from the son and grandson of late Chinese opera star Fang Rongxiang, whose life was saved in 1985 by a coronary artery bypass graft operation performed by then-Elder Nelson. The painting, done by the grandson, was presented Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, at the Shangdong University School of Medicine in Jinan, Shangdong, China.

The Lord’s Ways Are Not Our ways

Russell M. Nelson

Dallan H. Oaks with President Nelson

When Russell M. Nelson was invited to China to teach the Chinese about heart surgery, he brought along Dallan H. Oaks who met with the Chinese government. Elder Oaks was successful at signing an agreement with the Chinese government which stated that the LDS church would provide full BYU scholarships to Chinese students, and the government could decide which students to send on the condition that if the students were taught the gospel and wanted to join the LDS church, they would be allowed to do so. The first 25 students were all children of the Chinese government leaders and every single one of them got baptized. Chinese students have been joining the Church ever since. This was 1987. These original converts are now at the age where they will soon take their place as heirs to government leadership positions in China, as they replace their parents.

BYU China

The Church doesn’t announce these things, so you generally won’t hear about them, but the groundwork has been laid. There are currently many LDS braches (50+) in China. People wonder why Dieter F. Uchtdorf was not kept in the presidency. Dallan H. Oaks’ lawyer skills and experience is greatly needed for this transition. He was originally involved in this great undertaking and will continue to see it through. Those contracts have to be worded and signed carefully and properly.

Prophecy About the Jews

 In 1917 Israel was asked to fight in World War I. Israelis said they would, if they were given a land where they could gather.  As prophesied, they are to gather home to their promised land. In 1917 the Balfour Declaration was passed in British Parliament stating that the Jews could have a place in Palestine to gather home.

Jewish Refugees of 1948

Later, the end of WWII led to more than 6 million displaced Jews in Europe who had nowhere to go. In a special session, the UN General Assembly voted on November 29, 1947, to partition Palestine into two new states, one Jewish and the other Arab, a recommendation that Jewish leaders accepted and the Arabs rejected.

In 1967 tensions between Israel and its surrounding neighbors became heightened and there was a 6-day war in which Israel won. Arabs relied on Soviet weaponry and Jordan’s army was equipped with American weaponry and British aircraft. Their warfare technology was far advanced and gave them the advantage. As mentioned in the recording, within three months of Israel winning the war, Jeffery R. Holland went to Jerusalem and signed a contract. He then presented the mayor of Jerusalem with a copy of the dedicatory speech given by Orson Hyde which reads:

Orson Hyde

“Thou, O Lord, did once move upon the heart of Cyrus to show favor unto Jerusalem and her children. Do Thou now also be pleased to inspire the hearts of kings and the powers of the earth to look with a friendly eye towards this place, and with a desire to see Thy righteous purposes executed in relation thereto. …

“Let that nation or that people who shall take an active part in behalf of Abraham’s children [who include both Arab and Jew], and in the raising up of Jerusalem, find favor in Thy sight. Let not their enemies prevail against them, neither let pestilence or famine overcome them, but let the glory of Israel overshadow them, and the power of the Highest protect them.”

In 1968, BYU began a study abroad program in Israel with just a handful of students renting hotel rooms. By 1989 the BYU Jerusalem Center was in full operation. This how amazing the Lord is. This is how He works in His mysterious ways. In 1974 President Kimball said, “Start the work among the Jews.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, speaks to a Mormon and
 Jewish delegation at Orson Hyde Memorial Garden in Jerusalem, October 27, 2016.

In October of 2014 Jeffery R. Holland and Quentin L. Cook (who is a lawyer) visited Israel. The Church paid the way for Rabbis all throughout the world to visit the temple mount in Jerusalem. Again, they read the Dedicatory prayer of Orson Hyde. It’s been hanging in the mayor’s office ever since 1967. Jeffery R. Holland and Quentin L. Cook signed papers with Jewish nation. We are now one nation again as prophesied in Ezekiel 37:19. Ephraim and Judah. The contract states that we will proved economic aid, medical aid, humanitarian aid, and all that we can to help the Jews gather Israel, except anything that would be military or conquest.

Israel’s Prime Minister and President Donald Trump Sept. 18 in New York.

Right after that, a strange thing happened in the United States. A resolution came up before the United Nations. It said that the Jews had to give the West Bank back to the Palestinians, for an independent nation. They had taken it from them in the 1967 war. This happens to be where the Jerusalem Center for the Church is located. The U.S., Britain, and China had veto power. The U.S. was the only one who refused to sign the veto. Obama refused, which meant that Israel would need to give the land back. Then something interesting happened during the election. Trump said, “If I’m elected president I will move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.” Everything that happens in the world whether good or bad, whether by righteous people or wicked people, God uses it to accomplish His purposes.

Finding Our Power in the Priesthood 

Boyd K. Packer

Eleven years ago, Boyd K. Packer talked about activating the power of the priesthood. President Nelson has said there is a need for righteous men and women who can activate the power of the priesthood. He has said, "Covenant-keeping men and women seek for ways to keep themselves unspotted from the world so there will be nothing blocking their access to the Savior’s power.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2017/04/drawing-the-power-of-jesus-christ-into-our-lives?lang=eng

Thirty-six years ago, in 1979, President Spencer W. Kimball made a profound prophecy about the impact that covenant-keeping women would have on the future of the Lord’s Church. He prophesied: 

“Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world … will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world.

My dear sisters, you who are our vital associates during this winding-up scene, the day that President Kimball foresaw is today. You are the women he foresaw! Your virtue, light, love, knowledge, courage, character, faith, and righteous lives will draw good women of the world, along with their families, to the Church in unprecedented numbers!

We, your brethren, need your strength, your conversion, your conviction, your ability to lead, your wisdom, and your voices. The kingdom of God is not and cannot be complete without women who make sacred covenants and then keep them, women who can speak with the power and authority of God!

Today, let me add that we need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith and who are courageous defenders of morality and families in a sin-sick world. We need women who are devoted to shepherding God’s children along the covenant path toward exaltation; women who know how to receive personal revelation, who understand the power and peace of the temple endowment; women who know how to call upon the powers of heaven to protect and strengthen children and families; women who teach fearlessly."

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/10/a-plea-to-my-sisters?lang=eng

"I fear that there are too many men who have been given the authority of the priesthood but who lack priesthood power because the flow of power has been blocked by sins such as laziness, dishonesty, pride, immorality, or preoccupation with things of the world.

I fear that there are too many priesthood bearers who have done little or nothing to develop their ability to access the powers of heaven. I worry about all who are impure in their thoughts, feelings, or actions or who demean their wives or children, thereby cutting off priesthood power.

I fear that too many have sadly surrendered their agency to the adversary and are saying by their conduct, “I care more about satisfying my own desires than I do about bearing the Savior’s power to bless others.

I fear, brethren, that some among us may one day wake up and realize what power in the priesthood really is and face the deep regret that they spent far more time seeking power over others or power at work than learning to exercise fully the power of God."

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/the-price-of-priesthood-power?lang=eng

Women are missing the point when they speak of wanting to hold the priesthood. The truth is, sisters in Zion have power in the priesthood through the ordinances of the temple. See D&C 84:19-21

19 And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.

20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.

21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;

Bruce R. McConkie

Bruce R. McConkie has said that every man, woman, and child only receives certain blessings and gifts through the temple. We covenant to live the law of consecration when we are in the temple. It hasn’t been taught in years past to missionaries in training, but it’s going to be taught now. See D&C 60:13.

13 Behold, they have been sent to preach my gospel among the congregations of the wicked; wherefore, I give unto them a commandment, thus: Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known. 

There’s an urgency coming in the Church for the ushering in of the preparation to live a consecrated life as it should be when the Lord returns. This is prophecy that is to be fulfilled. Truth and righteousness will sweep the earth as a flood, men and angels will work together to accomplish this. Moses 7:62.

"And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem."

Prophecy About the Inactive Saints

It’s true we have people falling away. It’s true we are combining wards in some places. It’s true that six out of every ten missionaries that come home, fall away from the Church. But you see, that is going to stop with President Nelson. Realize that we learn powerful lessons from the worst things that happen to us in life. We are to use those experiences to relate with others, empathize with them, and then teach them what we learned and how we overcame. This is why God allows bad things to happen to good people. We won’t understand and appreciate the sweet if we don’t taste the bitter. We can’t relate to those who are bitter if we have no experience ourselves. There are people who will only listen to and connect with certain other people. God has for-ordained all of us to go out and find these people who only we can reach through our unique personalities, talents, and gifts. Wherever we live there are people who live nearby who require a constant labor.

By being good examples and maintaining a valid temple recommend, you’ll be an instrument in the hands of God wherever you live and can bring thousands of souls unto repentance. The Lord has said, “My servants represent Me. If you reject my servants than you reject Me.” So He will speak to the wicked as follows:

See D&C 43:25. The Lord is about to speak to the wicked through increased natural disasters. The church aired a special on TV during conference in which it shared that the Church has made arrangements that the first responders in the East Coast cities will be missionaries. What kind of examples are people going to see? Good examples by the thousands. Because of this we can expect these disasters to increase. In his own words on the recording he said, "We can look for a 'real good famine. Plagues are going to go forth, until all the wicked are destroyed, accept those that remain, who are faithful and want to know God. The Lord tells us that this must needs be so that he can fulfill the promise that He made to the living. These coming years can be referred to as the 'Killing years'".

The first earthquake in Idaho was in 1854. In the last year there have been over 1,000 Idaho

San Diego, California LDS Temple

earthquakes. The very day he looked up this information, 72 earthquakes happened. Last year in the world there were 40,757 recorded earthquakes.

The power of God descends upon the covenant people of the Lord. If we repent and attend the temple, we will have the power to change the world in ways we never knew. The Lord sent forth the fullness of the gospel and His everlasting covenant so that we might be partakers of the glories. Through plainness and simplicity, He prepares the weak for the things which are coming. The weak shall confound the wise.

The Coming Record Growth of the Church

We have a new prophet. We are the ones who have been foreordained to prepare the world for the Second Coming. We have angels who have been assigned to us. We have people who are preparing and will be with us. They will be on every side of us. The Church could build thousands of temples if they wanted to. Why don’t they? We don’t have enough ordinance workers. The initiatory ordinances hold the keys that unlock the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let him that is ignorant call upon God that his eyes might be opened and his ears may hear. Start claiming the blessings that are yours in the temple.

LDS Baptisms in Nigeria

We are approaching the days when people will flock to the Church by the thousands and we will not be able to build church buildings fast enough. But the biggest problem we will face is finding leaders that know what is going on. Niue is projected to be the first nation that becomes all members of the Church.

More to Learn About Temples

1833 Plat of zion

The old Danish Bible from about 1500 A.D. spoke of baptism for the dead. It was later removed. By our righteousness we secure blessings for four generations forward and back. In June 1833, the Prophet Joseph and his counselors in the First Presidency prepared a plat for the city of Zion—a plan for the layout of the city. President Frederick G. Williams drew the plat, which called for bishops’ storehouses and 24 temples in the center of the city, surrounded by blocks divided into property for residences. Temple 17, 18, and 19 are temples where you make an appointment, you’ll schedule a room, you’ll go in, and the ancestors you are looking for will be there to give you the information you need to do their work. Some temples have to be remodeled for special ordinances that will only be performed in preparation for the Second Coming of the Lord. These are ordinances we don’t talk about publicly. They have been talking about them for the last 20 years on conference, we just don’t understand. It’s all Elder Bednar speaks about. The first talk he ever gave as an apostle had to do with this, and no one understood what he was talking about. The temple is to perfect the living more than it is to do work for the dead. We perfect the living by going and doing work for the dead. Much of the wicked will repent when the calamities are happening. There are many who have been deceived who would accept the gospel but they are blinded and don’t know where to find it. If you leave this life with a valid temple recommend, and you are righteous, you will be exalted.

There are 100,000 revelations that we can receive in the temple. We have to ask and the Lord will teach us. The Lord spoke in parables to protect the ignorant so they would not be held accountable. The symbols of the temple are filled with revelations that we can learn if we ask.

How the Book of Mormon is Key in These Very Last Days

The Church is under condemnation because we do not read the Book of Mormon and do what it says. That is going to change.

Franklin D. Richards

Where is the Church going to get all the needed leaders when they are baptizing 2-3,000 people a month? From among the inactive. In 1949 Franklin D. Richards spoke of this. “There’s more leadership among the inactive than there are the active.” In 1974 President Kimball said, “When we have activated all of the un-missioned, un-endowed, unmarried, and all who have fallen away, then we will be prepared to meet the Lord and we will live in times (prior to the Millennium) of luxury and comfort. The prophecy is simply this: we go to the temple to prepare every needful thing. What is every needful thing? It is what you are doing today to be prepared in all things, for the day when desolation and destruction shall come upon the wicked. For the day, when he sends us out to magnify the callings we were extended in the pre-existence. Are we prepared in all things to march? We are to testify and prepare the saints for the Second Coming of the Lord. We have to get the inactive back to the temple (See 2 Nephi 27:35) .This will start slow, but our main job will be just to try and motivate someone to read the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is the only book on the face of the earth that has the Divine commission from the Lord Jesus Christ to convert people, because it makes known to the people the “plain and precious things” pertaining to the gospel which have been lost from the Bible.

1 Nephi 13:39-42

39 And after it had come forth unto them I beheld other books, which came forth by the power of the Lamb, from the Gentiles unto them, unto the convincing of the Gentiles and the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the Jews who were scattered upon all the face of the earth, that the records of the prophets and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb are true.

40 And the angel spake unto me, saying: These last records, which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall establish the truth of the first, which are of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved.

41 And they must come according to the words which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb; and the words of the Lamb shall be made known in the records of thy seed, as well as in the records of the twelve apostles of the Lamb; wherefore they both shall be established in one; for there is one God and one Shepherd over all the earth.

42 And the time cometh that he shall manifest himself unto all nations, both unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles; and after he has manifested himself unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles, then he shall manifest himself unto the Gentiles and also unto the Jews, and the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.

Once we gain that testimony of the Book of Mormon, we’ll find that it’s really easy to get someone to read it. He shares a personal story of a Catholic man who was assistant to the Catholic priest and his wife was interested in learning about the Church and joining it and he was very upset and would not allow it. He was able to convince the man to allow them 15 minutes of their time in which afterwards they would never return again unless he wanted them to. He agreed and they left him with a Book of Mormon for his wife to read. He decided that night to read some of the pages before his wife did and when doing so he received a vision (the same vision that Lehi had seen), then as he proceeded to read about that same vision in the Book of Mormon he knew it was true. He was baptized right away and has since served as bishop and High Counselor. Start thinking about now what you will say to persuade someone to read the Book of Mormon, but realize when the time comes the Spirit will put the words into your mouth of what you should say. Study the scriptures so you can be a reservoir of knowledge. Be sanctified so that you can be prepared to give an answer to everyone who ask you a question. In the next five years you’ll have more questions asked to you about the Church than you’ve ever had in your life all put together!