Will Christ return in your lifetime?

[Thinking]

On Sunday my wife was listening to Sunday school online and the teacher said that she believed that she would still be alive when Christ returned. She made it clear that she meant that He would return before she left this mortal probation. Some of my Sunday School teachers from my youth testified that we (the youth) would be alive to see the second coming. I'm not sure what the attraction is to making claims like this since we are told that nobody knows (Matthew 24:36).

I personally haven't heard anybody make a claim like this in a long time, so I thought it was almost weird that this teacher would make that claim.

[Ahab]

i don't know and I don't know of anyone who does know other than our Father in heaven who will be the one to tell our Lord to come down here to straiten out all of this mess in the world.  I hope he comes soon, though.  I think I have waited long enough.

[HappyJackWagon]

These claims are pretty silly. No one knows.

I've known a number of people who were promised the exact thing in their Patriarchal Blessings. Some of these people are now deceased so the blessing is verifiably false. Then enters the false claims trying to justify the error; statements like, "patriarchal blessings are for eternity so the blessings can be realized at any time." kind of nonsense in an attempt to explain away the wrongness of the claim.

Edited February 22, 2021 by HappyJackWagon

[Kenngo1969]

Will He return during my mortal probation?  I doubt it.  Will I be alive when He returns?  In the spirit, definitely.  In the flesh as one who is resurrected upon His return, I hope.  I'm with Alma:

Quote

 

Alma 13

25 And now we only wait to hear the joyful news declared unto us by the mouth of angels, of his coming; for the time cometh, we know not how soon. Would to God that it might be in my day; but let it be sooner or later, in it I will rejoice.

 

 

Edited February 22, 2021 by Kenngo1969

[bluebell]

13 minutes ago, HappyJackWagon said:

These claims are pretty silly. No one knows.

I've known a number of people who were promised the exact thing in their Patriarchal Blessings. Some of these people are now deceased so the blessing is verifiably false. Then enters the false claims trying to justify the error; statements like, "patriarchal blessings are for eternity so the blessings can be realized at any time." kind of nonsense in an attempt to explain away the wrongness of the claim.

Not to doubt your claims at all, but I always take this kind of claim with a grain of salt.  I've heard people say they were promised such a thing and then when one person actually quoted the relevant part of their blessing, their interpretation (on being alive when Christ returned) was not how I would have interpreted it.  

[HappyJackWagon]

1 minute ago, bluebell said:

Not to doubt your claims at all, but I always take this kind of claim with a grain of salt.  I've heard people say they were promised such a thing and then when one person actually quoted the relevant part of their blessing, their interpretation (on being alive when Christ returned) was not how I would have interpreted it.  

I can see that "interpretation" could definitely play in for many, but I think there is definitely a cultural push towards literalism and an expectation gleefully shared by the individual as well as family members that they at least "think" it means they will still be living when Christ returns. And I think that is by design.

It plays into one of my pet peeves in the church. The idea that people, whether parents, or spouse, or bishops, or Sunday School teachers, or apostles make promises to people in the name of God that X, Y, or Z will happen. I see the claim that "you will be living when Christ returns" to be in that same vein and it irks me. I find it irksome AND a prime example of what it truly means to take the name of God in vain.

[Stargazer]

I chose "I don't know" because I don't.

I consider it a possibility that I will be physically still alive when this happens, but I won't be surprised if I die beforehand. Especially since I turn 70 this year! Time's running out, but then there's President Nelson to consider. If I live as long as he has so far, it will be a long wait. To some people 26 years seems like a long time, but to me it seems like day after tomorrow. Time flies, man.

For @HappyJackWagon: As for Patriarchal blessings that say a recipient will live to see the Second Coming, perhaps there are patriarchs who have made rash promises not according to the Spirit. I wouldn't know -- and I sincerely hope I never get called as a patriarch. But on the other hand, if things play out like the prophecies say, won't there be resurrected beings who return with the Lord when He comes? I am thinking specifically of DC 88:97-98:

And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth, for their graves shall be opened; and they also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven. They are Christ’s, the first fruits, they who shall descend with him first, and they who are on the earth and in their graves, who are first caught up to meet him; and all this by the voice of the sounding of the trump of the angel of God.

And if these people who have received that promise in their patriarchal blessings are there amongst those who are caught up to meet him, have not their blessings been fulfilled? Or do the wordings in all these blessings promise that they will not die before He comes again?

If one is not a believer, then of course all this is chaff and dross, anyway, so what's the beef? 

[JLHPROF]

I believe if I were to live to a ripe old age, yes.  So I selected option 1.

I hesitated because I have no idea how much time I actually have left in my physical life.

But I don't believe there are several decades remaining.  A couple maybe.

Edited February 22, 2021 by JLHPROF

[let’s roll]

I’m satisfied He’s here whenever He chooses to be.  But I trust the intent of the question doesn’t speak to His coming to Earth for reasons other than to usher in the Millennium.  As to that appearance, I’m squarely in the “don’t know” camp.

[CV75]

I don't know and I don't care. When I joined the Church in the mid-70s, I believed the Second Coming would occur around the year 2000, which was a conveniently long way off at the time  . As time went on I pushed the timing further out but always hovering around the opening of the sixth seal, which conveniently gives a lot of (as in centuries) leeway. I am in no hurry, personally. The more my faith grows, the more I can envision it being after my lifetime, which I hope is long--another 30 years at least.

I know people have cited Patriarchal Blessings and so forth confirming that they will be alive to see the Second Coming and the like, or at least interpreted as such, but I don't take such pronouncements to be literal objects of faith. Each individual is responsible for his own interpretation, just as the Patriarch is responsible for what he says.

The scriptures say no one knows but the Father, and the Lord's reply to Joseph Smith when he asked about it indicates there may be a measure of conditionality involved. So, I'm thinking that maybe these Patriarchal Blessings are best-case scenarios.

2 hours ago, HappyJackWagon said:

These claims are pretty silly. No one knows.

I've known a number of people who were promised the exact thing in their Patriarchal Blessings. Some of these people are now deceased so the blessing is verifiably false. Then enters the false claims trying to justify the error; statements like, "patriarchal blessings are for eternity so the blessings can be realized at any time." kind of nonsense in an attempt to explain away the wrongness of the claim.

I see these blessings more in light of D&C 130:14-17, as conditional best-case scenarios (see my comment above), which removes the need to call out the validity of other persons' spiritual experiences.

 

 

Edited February 23, 2021 by CV75

[rpn]

Of course, but probably not in the mortal part of it.

[JLHPROF]

I find these responses fascinating from "latter-day saints".  Perhaps the Church should drop that part of the name.  It's members don't seem to think they're anywhere near the end.

[Hamba Tuhan]

42 minutes ago, JLHPROF said:

It's [sic] members don't seem to think they're anywhere near the end.

I don't. I've sat in the presence of apostles who've told us what we need to accomplish before the Lord will find a people genuinely ready for His return. We aren't there yet. Do you think we are?

In addition, Elder Bednar was here 7 (possibly 8?) years ago and told us that we'd barely finished the foundation of the Restoration and that the Lord was now ready to build the main structure, which will be a truly global Church, free of cultural adhesions.

So yeah, I think we have a bit of work still in front of us.

[JLHPROF]

5 minutes ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

I don't. I've sat in the presence of apostles who've told us what we need to accomplish before the Lord will find a people genuinely ready for His return. We aren't there yet. Do you think we are?

In addition, Elder Bednar was here 7 (possibly 8?) years ago and told us that we'd barely finished the foundation of the Restoration and that the Lord was now ready to build the main structure, which will be a truly global Church, free of cultural adhesions.

So yeah, I think we have a bit of work still in front of us.

Thanks for preserving my autocorrect error.

And what about D&C 77?

[strappinglad]

How long does a dispensation last? I assume it is variable. If we are currently in the last dispensation, did it start with Joseph S. ? When did the one before start and finish? 

Those who think that reincarnation is one of Brigham's cats " you may expect an eternity of cats, that have not yet escaped from the bag " can answer ' yes ' to the poll because the second coming is bound to happen during one of the incarnations. 

As for myself , I am not looking forward to the Second Coming in mortality because of all the terrible things foretold to come before it happens. 

 

 

 

 

[halconero]

I think Zion as a country might last at least a generation, maybe more, before the Lord’s return. If it’s during my lifetime I suspect I’ll be old.

[halconero]

4 hours ago, JLHPROF said:

I believe if I were to live to a ripe old age, yes.  So I selected option 1.

I hesitated because I have no idea how much time I actually have left in my physical life.

But I don't believe there are several decades remaining.  A couple maybe.

I’m sorta in the same boat, though I differ on the timeline. Mostly because I think there will be a “building up Zion” period that will be longer than I was previously inclined to believe.

[JLHPROF]

15 minutes ago, strappinglad said:

How long does a dispensation last? I assume it is variable. If we are currently in the last dispensation, did it start with Joseph S. ? When did the one before start and finish? 

Started when Apostolic Priesthood keys were restored in the time of Christ and ended when the authority left the earth.  Fullness of Priesthood authority is the item being dispensed each time.

[The Nehor]

My patriarchal blessing suggests I will die so probably not. Then again it also suggested I would have a wife and children specifically in mortality so I have no idea how to take those promises anymore.

[The Nehor]

58 minutes ago, strappinglad said:

How long does a dispensation last? I assume it is variable. If we are currently in the last dispensation, did it start with Joseph S. ? When did the one before start and finish? 

Those who think that reincarnation is one of Brigham's cats " you may expect an eternity of cats, that have not yet escaped from the bag " can answer ' yes ' to the poll because the second coming is bound to happen during one of the incarnations. 

As for myself , I am not looking forward to the Second Coming in mortality because of all the terrible things foretold to come before it happens. 

Dispensation lengths vary. Jesus's dispensation was probably shorter than ours has been so far. The dispensation Moses started arguably lasted until Christ. Some blend together. Most do not come from total apostasy. The best definition I have heard is that a new dispensation is the restoration of the gospel to the earth independent of previous dispensations. In other words the prophet or prophets who start it get all truth. They may and probably will use older scripture but it is not needed as a more powerful witness than that of the prophet. Note that not all dispensations get the 'whole gospel'. The only one that I suspect may have had it belonged to Adam but I am not even sure of that. The promise is this dispensation will eventually get all of it but that hasn't happened yet.

[strappinglad]

1 hour ago, JLHPROF said:

ended when the authority left the earth. 

What shall we do with John the Beloved ?

[Hamba Tuhan]

39 minutes ago, The Nehor said:

Then again it also suggested I would have a wife and children specifically in mortality so I have no idea how to take those promises anymore.

I hear you, bro. Then again, mine makes these promises conditional on my worthiness, so at least I have that as an explanation ...

[The Nehor]

2 hours ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

I hear you, bro. Then again, mine makes these promises conditional on my worthiness, so at least I have that as an explanation ...

 

Yeah, I am pretty sure the conditional thing applies whether it is said outright or not. Lack of worthiness is my current hypothesis as to what happened. So I guess that means that due to my sins I might live to see the Second Coming but presumably I will be one of those consumed at His Coming. At least it sounds like a quick way to go.

Edited February 23, 2021 by The Nehor

[The Nehor]

2 hours ago, strappinglad said:

What shall we do with John the Beloved ?

Accept that he was no longer authorized to run a Church or administer ordinances openly. He reports through a different Priesthood chain.

[The Nehor]

Double post

Edited February 23, 2021 by The Nehor