Is The Eschaton A Literal Event?

[ShawFanX]

Is the second advent of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, a literal, empirical, historical occurrence, or is it only to be understood in a symbolic, allegorical, of figurative sense? If is is not a literal event in real four dimensional space-time, then some sub-questions arise:

1. What is to become of the wicked at the "great and terrible day?" How are we to understand the tares being bound in bundles and burned?

2. If the wicked (a substantial majority of earth's people, at all events) are not physically annihilated "by fire" or "by the brightness of His coming" at the Lord's second advent, as the scriptures suggest, and Church doctrine teaches, then how will they be integrated into a global Zion culture during the Millennium? If they cannot be so integrated, under what conditions will they exist at that time?

3. If the Second Coming is not a literal occurrence, then it would appear that other major features of the eschaton as understood by LDS, such as the physical return of the city of Enoch from its translated sphere, and the raising of the earth to a terrestrial, or paradisaical level of existence, immediately following the Savior's return, would also have to be abandoned as well (and also, necessarily, a literal Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, and Fall). Were this to be the case, what would be the consequences and implications for other key aspects of Church doctrine and for the plan of salvation in a systematic sense?

Loran

[longview]

Is the second advent of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, a literal, empirical, historical occurrence, or is it only to be understood in a symbolic, allegorical, of figurative sense? If is is not a literal event in real four dimensional space-time, then some sub-questions arise:

1. What is to become of the wicked at the "great and terrible day?" How are we to understand the tares being bound in bundles and burned?

They will be physically destroyed in several ways as indicated in Book of Revelation, Daniel, and others.

The Tares will be the wicked who fight against truth and righteousnous and the church of God.

2. If the wicked (a substantial majority of earth's people, at all events) are not physically annihilated "by fire" or "by the brightness of His coming" at the Lord's second advent, as the scriptures suggest, and Church doctrine teaches, then how will they be integrated into a global Zion culture during the Millennium? If they cannot be so integrated, under what conditions will they exist at that time?

The Telestial people, a vast majority, will not survive the Second Coming. The survivors will include those that have a "portion of the Terrestrial or Celestial spirit." If you are not familiar with those terms, visit scriptures.lds.org and search on them.

3. If the Second Coming is not a literal occurrence, then it would appear that other major features of the eschaton as understood by LDS, such as the physical return of the city of Enoch from its translated sphere, and the raising of the earth to a terrestrial, or paradisaical level of existence, immediately following the Savior's return, would also have to be abandoned as well (and also, necessarily, a literal Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, and Fall). Were this to be the case, what would be the consequences and implications for other key aspects of Church doctrine and for the plan of salvation in a systematic sense?

It will be a very real event just like the world wide flood in the days of Noah. There are people who do not believe the flood happened but I trust these scriptural accounts of major events. Consider the words of Heber C. Kimball:

“Yes, we think we are secure here in the chambers of these everlasting hills . . . but I want to say to you, my brethren, the time is coming when we will be mixed up in these now peaceful valleys to that extent that it will be difficult to tell the face of a Saint from the face of an enemy against the people of God. Then is the time to look out for the great sieve, for there will be a great sifting time, and many will fall. For I say unto you there is a test, a Test, a TEST coming.”