To: Those I love From: R. M. Pratt
Re: The Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord
Thinking that my life was nearing its end, I published my autobiography titled, “Excerpts from Life and Adventures of Richard Marden Pratt” in the year of our Lord 1988. I was then very old at age 76. Now fifteen years later and having my 91st birthday March 14th it seems like I will continue in the flesh forever.
So with 10 journals to draw from I will attempt to write an addendum or second volume. As I am going through my journals for this period I came across this entry dated Sunday December 22, 1991. A new thought impressed itself upon my mind as I taught the “Second Coming” to my Sunday School class. This is it: It is now occurring. For it is an on going thing.
The Bible testifies that it will be a series of visits, at least five in number and spreading over a considerable period of time.
We are prone to think, when the subject is mentioned, that this final coming in “Power and Glory” that will cleanse the earth with fire, bind Satan so that he has no more power upon the hearts of people and Christ will rule personally on the earth at the Second coming! But that is just the finale.
That final coming will be disastrous to all who are unprepared and Isaiah says of that day: “The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse (disobedience) devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: THEREFORE THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH ARE BURNED. AND FEW MEN LEFT.
Isaiah 24: 5-6
The prophets also inform us that “there will be time NO longer.” Meaning that there is no longer time to prepare by obedience to God’s law, which is eternal law for that glorious coming.
The obedient at that time will escape the burning as Paul tells us by the following: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead, in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17
Death by fire for the disobedient is not that dreadful. Many people die by fire everyday. The dreadful part is to be removed from mortal life into the spirit world to meet their Maker with a very guilty conscience.
However, our and their loving Heavenly Father is acting in love, and shocked to their senses, in their suffering they will listen and obey and finally be prepared after 1000 years of misery for a resurrection and an assignment to a glorious place but far inferior to what the willingly obedient will receive. Paul likens or compares it to the sun, moon and stars. The sun being obviously the most desirable, the moon next and the stars final. It appears that most will inherit a glory like the stars for as they are innumerable so also will they be who failed to prepare for the second coming.
Now lets start at the beginning of the Second Coming. The disciples of Christ hoped that it would come in their day. But most of the New Testament writers wrote that their must come a “falling away, a great apostasy, a total corruption of the church of Jesus Christ as he founded it.
By the end of the first century A.D. Jesus and all his disciples had been martyred except John and he disappeared shortly thereafter. His final writings being his three Epistles. In the New Testament they should follow not precede his book of Revelations. This has been amply proven by non-LDS Bible students.
We don’t know exactly when God withdrew his authority from the earth but the year 325 A.D. Made it final when a pagan king, Constantine informed the church leaders that he was now the head of the church and using this as a political maneuver unified his kingdom. The so-called church from that date on ceased to be persecuted and became the persecutors and the whole world sank into about 1000 years of terror called by historians the dark ages. Daniel prophesied of this. (Ch. 9-12)
Touted as the greatest of all inventions, the invention of printing about 1456 began the conditioning of the world by God for the return of His Son and the restoration of His church.
In the Second Coming, the first appearance of Jesus Christ was He and the Father appearing to a fourteen year old boy, Joseph Smith, in a grove of trees in the spring of 1820. After this vision, all other recorded visitations to the prophet Joseph were verified by a second witness.
This first vision was clearly defined in Acts 1: 9-11 The resurrected Savior after forty days instructions and ten recorded visits in his final visit is walking with them from Jerusalem to Bethany some two miles away. “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
The last Old Testament prophet Malachi prophesied, “The Lord shall come suddenly to his temple,” which he did in the newly constructed temple at Kirtland, Ohio, the first recorded temple upon the face of the earth since the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 A.D.
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery said, “We saw the Lord...” This was April 3, 1836 the week after its dedication. They were also visited at this time by other former prophets including Elias, Elijah, and Moses and received from them and the Savior authority and instructions as to the organization of the church and the preparing and warning the world of its cleansing by fire. Which warning if obeyed would not have one soul burned just as not one soul would have been destroyed in the flood if they had listened. But some people will not listen so they must take the consequences. I hope all you who are reading this will listen!
There have been and will be other comings as Jesus prepares for the final one. I will only have space to mention a few more.
There will be a great leadership meeting in the Valley of Adam-on-diahman in northern Missouri. Daniel 7:22; 10:14, 12:1-13
Then he will descend and stand on the Mount of Olives at the end of the 3 ½ year battle of Armageddon and rescue his people, the Jews. The first resurrection will also take place at this time and the living Saints and resurrected Saints will be caught up into the air to ever be with God. Many scriptures indicate that the burning or coming in Power will be several years after this for the Jews will be seven years cleaning up the mess left by the battle of Armageddon.
So as we approach the end many great and terrible things will happen in rapid succession. Those prepared should have no fear but should rejoice! What a great time to live and have some foreknowledge of the great plan of redemption! Prepare and look forward to the coming of the Savior! Happy New Year! Love, Dad, Grandpa, Uncle etc.
(Richard Marden Pratt)
