Come Follow Me (May 5 - May 11): D&C 45: Signs of the Times

00:06:26
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRqrSh-9Niw

Summary

TLDRThe video emphasizes the importance of having Christ as our advocate, who pleads for believers before the Father. It discusses the signs of the times that indicate Christ's second coming, encouraging viewers to be spiritually prepared like the ten virgins in the parable. The speaker reassures that despite the challenges of the last days, there is hope for the righteous, and emphasizes the need to fill our 'oil lamps' through good choices and reliance on the Holy Spirit. The video concludes by encouraging viewers to study the scriptures and share the message.

Takeaways

  • 🙏 Christ is our advocate with the Father.
  • 📖 The Book of Mormon guides us in the last days.
  • ⏳ Signs of the times indicate Christ's return.
  • 🕯️ Fill your oil lamps with good choices.
  • ⚔️ Challenges ahead, but hope remains.
  • 🌍 There is good in the world worth fighting for.
  • 💡 Stay close to the Holy Spirit for guidance.
  • 📅 No one knows the exact time of Christ's return.
  • 👥 Only half may be ready for the Lord's arrival.
  • 📚 Study the scriptures for personal growth.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:06:26

    The speaker emphasizes the importance of having an advocate, specifically Christ, who pleads for believers before the Father. After translating the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith was instructed to translate the Bible to correct previous errors, revealing new truths about the end times and Christ's second coming. The signs of the times, which include both alarming and positive events, serve as indicators for preparation for Christ's return. The parable of the ten virgins illustrates the necessity of being spiritually prepared, symbolized by oil in lamps, representing good choices and sacrifices in life. While many signs may seem frightening, the Lord offers hope and promises blessings for the righteous. The speaker encourages viewers to remain courageous and steadfast in their faith, likening their journey to that of heroes in stories who face challenges but ultimately find joy and fulfillment. The message concludes with a call to study scriptures and stay connected to the Holy Spirit.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • Who is our advocate according to the video?

    Christ is our advocate with the Father, pleading for those who believe in His name.

  • What does the parable of the ten virgins represent?

    It represents the need for spiritual preparedness, where only half are ready for the Lord's return.

  • What are some signs of the times mentioned?

    Wars, earthquakes, hardening hearts, and a desolating sickness are among the signs.

  • What should we do to prepare for Christ's return?

    We should fill our oil lamps through good choices, sacrifices, and reliance on the Holy Spirit.

  • What is the significance of the Book of Mormon in the last days?

    It serves as a guide and a sign of the times, helping believers prepare for Christ's return.

  • How can we find hope in challenging times?

    By staying close to our advocate, relying on the Holy Ghost, and recognizing the good in the world.

  • What does the video suggest about the timing of Christ's return?

    No one knows the exact time, but it will come when we least expect it.

  • What is the main theme of the Doctrine and Covenants regarding preparation?

    If we are prepared, we do not need to fear.

  • What unique gifts has God given us?

    Each person has unique gifts of the spirit to help them watch for signs of the times.

  • What should viewers do after watching the video?

    They should study the scriptures for themselves and share the video if it has helped them.

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Subtitles
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  • 00:00:02
    The evidence from your life has been
  • 00:00:04
    gathered and you're found guilty. Now
  • 00:00:06
    you need a defense attorney or advocate.
  • 00:00:09
    Someone to plead your case. But who will
  • 00:00:12
    you choose? They all look great. Some
  • 00:00:15
    have a great track record and are kind
  • 00:00:17
    of spendy. But one of them has already
  • 00:00:20
    paid for your crime and is available to
  • 00:00:22
    talk anytime, day or night. Well, that
  • 00:00:26
    sounds amazing. Yeah. Christ promises
  • 00:00:28
    that he will be our advocate with the
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    Father, pleading, "Father, spare these
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    that believe on my name." So, who will
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    you choose to be your advocate?
  • 00:00:40
    [Applause]
  • 00:00:45
    [Music]
  • 00:00:53
    Now, after Joseph finished translating
  • 00:00:55
    the Book of Mormon, the Lord asked him
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    to begin an inspired translation of the
  • 00:00:59
    Bible to help correct by divine
  • 00:01:01
    revelation some of the previous errors
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    and mistransations. With Sydney Rigdon
  • 00:01:05
    as his scribe, they were taught new
  • 00:01:07
    truths that have been lost regarding the
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    end of the world and Christ's second
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    coming. Joseph prayed for further
  • 00:01:13
    clarification and received answers from
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    him who is our advocate with the father.
  • 00:01:18
    Many of them are found in section 45
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    which contains some of the most detailed
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    revelations on the signs of the times.
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    All right, but what are the signs of the
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    times? The sky is falling. The end is
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    near. Given to us by the Lord. Signs of
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    the times are events to look for to help
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    us prepare for his second coming.
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    They're like the signs on the road as
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    you drive a long distance. You keep
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    looking out the window and watching the
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    signs to try and figure out how much
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    longer do we have to drive. Now, many
  • 00:01:47
    people hear the phrase signs of the
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    times and want to run and hide. But
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    actually, lots of the great things that
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    are happening today, including the
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    coming forth of the Book of Mormon, the
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    gathering of Israel, and the building of
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    temples, are signs of the times. Elder
  • 00:02:01
    Mcconi once listed 51 separate signs of
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    the times. And while 21 of them are kind
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    of scary, 30 of the signs are phenomenal
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    events and
  • 00:02:10
    blessings. Now, in section 45, Christ
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    elaborates on the parable of the 10
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    virgins where five are prepared with oil
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    in their lamps and five aren't ready, no
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    oil. The 10 virgins represent women,
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    youth, men, and children that receive
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    the truth and take the Holy Spirit for
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    their guide. The Lord invites us to live
  • 00:02:30
    with him, but only if our oil lamps are
  • 00:02:32
    full. Now, you may say, "Oil lamps? Our
  • 00:02:35
    family doesn't even have any oil lamps?"
  • 00:02:38
    Well, the oil lamps could be symbolic of
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    our lives. And the oil could represent
  • 00:02:42
    each of the sacrifices and good choices
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    we make in our lives. President Kimell
  • 00:02:47
    taught, "Sacrament meetings, fasting,
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    family prayer, preaching the gospel,
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    studying the scriptures, kindness,
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    obedience, and so forth each add oil to
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    our lamps. So, we fill our lamps drop by
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    drop, choice by choice. sacrifice by
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    sacrifice. Okay. Now, how many of the 10
  • 00:03:06
    virgins will be ready? Only five, which
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    suggests only half of us will be ready
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    and waiting when the Lord arrives. How
  • 00:03:13
    sad is that? We don't want to miss out
  • 00:03:16
    on the tremendous blessings of living in
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    the presence of the Lord with him as our
  • 00:03:21
    king. So, when exactly will Jesus
  • 00:03:24
    return? Well,
  • 00:03:26
    actually, no one knows. Yeah, the Lord
  • 00:03:30
    said it will be soon. But to God who
  • 00:03:32
    uses cosmic clocks and calendars,
  • 00:03:36
    when he says soon, it's very different
  • 00:03:38
    from when we say soon. We do know that
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    Christ will come when we least expect
  • 00:03:43
    him. And the only clues we have to help
  • 00:03:45
    us know when he'll arrive are the signs
  • 00:03:47
    of the times. So, what are these signs?
  • 00:03:51
    Well, wars, earthquakes, great waves,
  • 00:03:55
    hardening hearts against God and others,
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    and oh yeah, a desolating sickness will
  • 00:04:00
    cover the land. Sounds horrible.
  • 00:04:03
    Unfortunately, we see a lot of these
  • 00:04:05
    things happening all around us right
  • 00:04:06
    now. Gratefully, the Lord also gives
  • 00:04:09
    hope to his righteous followers in these
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    last days. He promises us a light will
  • 00:04:15
    break forth in the darkness. The
  • 00:04:17
    fullness of his gospel will fill the
  • 00:04:19
    whole earth. The Book of Mormon will
  • 00:04:21
    guide us. His temples will cover the
  • 00:04:23
    land, and our covenants will give us
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    strength. And we'll stand in holy places
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    and not be moved. All right. Now, some
  • 00:04:31
    of those might sound scary, but one of
  • 00:04:33
    the major themes of the Doctrine and
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    Covenants is that if we're prepared, we
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    don't need to fear. But even if we are
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    prepared, we may have some tough times
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    ahead of us. So, let's look at this as a
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    major motion picture adventure starring
  • 00:04:47
    you and your family. Okay, think of the
  • 00:04:50
    heroes from the Lord of the Rings, Harry
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    Potter, Star Wars, or even Dora the
  • 00:04:55
    Explorer. They all went through some
  • 00:04:57
    really tough stuff. Snakes, traps, orcs,
  • 00:05:01
    bad guys, Death Stars, Swiper the Fox.
  • 00:05:05
    But they kept going. They maintained
  • 00:05:07
    courage. They didn't give up. And they
  • 00:05:09
    even found time to laugh and have fun.
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    JRR Tolken's hobbit Sam Wise Gamji sums
  • 00:05:15
    this up well when he said these folks
  • 00:05:17
    had lots of chances to turn back only
  • 00:05:20
    they didn't. They kept going because
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    they were holding on to something that
  • 00:05:26
    there's some good in this world and it's
  • 00:05:28
    worth fighting for. Yes, there is good
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    in this world and it is worth the
  • 00:05:35
    struggle.
  • 00:05:37
    And just like these characters, we too
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    can live happily ever after and be told,
  • 00:05:42
    "Well done." Joy, peace, and contentment
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    can be ours as we keep putting oil in
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    our lamps, rely on the constant
  • 00:05:50
    influence of the Holy Ghost, and stay
  • 00:05:52
    close to our advocate, the
  • 00:05:55
    Savior. To help us as we watch for signs
  • 00:05:57
    of the times, God's given each of us
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    unique gifts of the spirit. We'll learn
  • 00:06:02
    more about these gifts next time. Thanks
  • 00:06:05
    for watching. If you feel like this
  • 00:06:07
    video has helped you on your path
  • 00:06:08
    towards truth and Christian disciplehip,
  • 00:06:11
    share it and subscribe to the channel
  • 00:06:13
    and click on the little alarm bell to
  • 00:06:14
    get notified when new videos come out.
  • 00:06:17
    Most importantly, go study the
  • 00:06:19
    scriptures for yourself.
Tags
  • advocate
  • Christ
  • second coming
  • signs of the times
  • spiritual preparedness
  • oil lamps
  • Book of Mormon
  • hope
  • Doctrine and Covenants
  • gifts of the spirit