The signs of the Second Coming are all around and seem to be increasing in frequency and intensity, said Elder Dallin H. Oaks.
"While we are powerless to alter the fact of the Second Coming and unable to know its exact time, we can accelerate our own preparation and try to influence the preparation of those around us," said Elder Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve.
During the Saturday morning address, Elder Oaks talked about the signs of the Second Coming and what members can do prepare for it.
Biblical and modern prophecies, he said, give many signs of the Second Coming: the fullness of the gospel restored and preached in all the world for a witness to all nations; false Christs and false prophets, deceiving many; wars and rumors of wars, with nation rising against nation; earthquakes in divers places; famine and pestilence; an overflowing scourge, a desolate sickness covering the land; iniquity abounds; the whole earth in commotion; and men's hearts fail them.
A parable that contains important and challenging teachings on this subject is the parable of the 10 virgins, added Elder Oaks.
"The arithmetic of this parable is chilling," he said. "The ten virgins obviously represent members of Christ's church, for all were invited to the wedding feast and all knew what was required to be admitted when the bridegroom came. But only half were ready when He came."
Elder Oaks told the worldwide congregation that this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God.
"What if the day of His coming was tomorrow? If we knew that we would meet the Lord tomorrow — through our premature death or through His unexpected coming — what would we do today? What confessions would we make? What practices would we discontinue? What accounts would we settle? What forgiveness would we extend? What testimonies would we bear?
"If we would do those things then, why not now? Why not seek peace while peace can be obtained? If our lamps of preparation are drawn down, let us start immediately to replenish them."
Church members, he said, need to make both temporal and spiritual preparation for the events prophesied at the time of the Second Coming. "And the preparation most likely to be neglected is the one less visible and more difficult — the spiritual."
Elder Oaks added that the evil that "used to be localized and covered like a boil is now legalized and paraded like a banner."
"The most fundamental roots and bulwarks of civilization are questioned or attacked. Nations disavow their religious heritage. Marriage and family responsibilities are discarded as impediments to personal indulgence. The movies and magazines and television that shape our attitudes are filled with stories or images that portray the children of God as predatory beasts or, at best, as trivial creations pursuing little more than personal pleasure. And too many of us accept this as entertainment.
"The men and women who made epic sacrifices to combat evil regimes in the past were shaped by values that are disappearing from our public teaching."
All of this, added Elder Oaks, is grievous to the Lord, who loves all of His children and forbids every practice that keeps any from returning to His presence.
"What is the state of our personal preparation for eternal life? The people of God have always been people of covenant. What is the measure of our compliance with covenants, including the sacred promises we made in the waters of baptism, in receiving the Holy Priesthood and in the temples of God? Are we promisers who do not fulfill and believers who do not perform?"
He spoke of challenges on all sides, and added, "But with faith in God, we trust the blessings He has promised those who keep His commandments. We have faith in the future, and we are preparing for the future."
