1. The Book of Revelation:
Preparing for
The Second Coming

2. Chapter 7
144,000 (& more)

3. On our television at home, I can tune in to over 200 stations
On our television at home, I can tune in to over 200 stations. Rarely do I just watch one channel over and over again, day after day. I love to surf around and find programs that interest me.  If I do tune into a show and I’m not enjoying it, I am quick to change the channel and look for other programming.  Our minds are very much the same. Often, we tune into one station and stay there.  We are tempted to stay on a station of negativity or the channel of doubt, forgetting there are hundreds of other stations to turn to. When my mind becomes negative, I love to tune into stations like, “I have been blessing with a great family” or “My wife sure loves me” or “I can’t wait  “When is our next vacation?”  Focusing on the negative programming in our minds can breed negativity; tuning to other stations brings joy. Strive always to keep your thoughts that are ‘in your forehead’ positive and uplifting.

4. Revelation 7:1-3 Where is the seal?
Cross-reference Proverbs 23:7 “For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Limbic system
Cerebral Cortex

5. Faith: Centering our Minds on Christ

6. EXERCISING Faith I have faith in the unknown and the unseen.
I have faith in what I see and know about Jesus Christ.
I can’t see what’s ahead so I walk by faith not by sight.
There is much I can’t see. However, the part I can see is my faith. My faith lights my way as I move ahead.
Faith requires me to walk in the dark.
Faith is light. My feet may be in the dark but with faith
my mind is never in the dark.
The more I am willing to walk in the dark the more my faith grows.
The more I am willing to look to Christ and become like Him the more my faith grows.

7. Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is the (assurance JST) of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
. . .things not seen in any way.
. . .things not seen with physical eyes.
. . .things not seen fully or completely.

8. Alma 32:21
“And now as I said concerning faith – faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.”
. . . ye hope for things which are not seen in any way, which are true.
. . .ye hope for things which are not seen physically, which are true.
. . .ye hope for things which are not seen fully or completely, which are true

9. Ether 12:6
“I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not”
. . . not seen in any way, wherefore, dispute not because ye see not any thing at all . . .
. . . seen spiritually, wherefore, dispute not because ye see not with your physical eyes. . .
. . . seen in part, wherefore, dispute not because ye see not everything . . .

10. Seal of God in their forehead…
“Hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes. The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue—it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know.
“This is a divine work in process, so please don’t hyperventilate if from time to time issues arise that need to be examined and resolved.”
Elder Holland, April 2013 General Conference
D&C 84:54
Jacob 7:5
2 Nephi 4:26

11. Seal of God in their forehead…
“(1) Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, (2) faith is the evidence of things not seen, and (3) faith is the principle of action.
Assurance, action, and evidence influence each other in an ongoing process…As we face an uncertain future, evidence leads to action, which further increases assurance.”

12. FAITH Evidence Action Assurance Seen Not seen Spiritual Experiences
Prophetic witnesses
Righteous living
Being true to the gospel
The unknown
The confusing
Unsettling
Evidence
Action
Assurance
What evidences have built your faith?
What actions have you taken to build your faith?
What assurances have you received that have build your faith?

13. Application for Preparation
Are you actively seeking to build your faith?
Do you strive to keep God in the forefront of your mind?

14. Application for Preparation
Chapter
Title
Verse
Application 7
The Faithful
1-3
Keep thoughts centered on Christ

15. Seal of God in their forehead…
It was a common practice in John’s day for devotees to mark their foreheads
Followers of Zeus would mark their foreheads with the thunderbolt
Followers of Poseidon with the trident

16. Why are they sealed (protected)?
Matthew 7:24-27
What is the rock?
What is the rain?
2 Nephi 28:28
Deuteronomy 6:4

17. What does the Seal do?
“The seal of God in the forehead symbolizes a protection much like the lamb’s blood that ancient Israelites in Egypt placed on their door frames to protect them from the destroying angel.”
(History of the Church, 5:530)” (New Testament Student Manual [Church Educational System manual,2014], 544).

18. What does the Seal do? D&C 76:53 D&C 132:7
“When a seal is put upon the father and mother, it secures their posterity, so that they cannot be lost, but will be saved by virtue of the covenant of their father and mother.” (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,comp. Joseph Fielding Smith (1938), 321.)

19. What does the Seal do?
Elder Orson F. Whitney: “The Prophet Joseph Smith declared—and he never taught more comforting doctrine—that the eternal sealings of faithful parents would save not only themselves but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins and may tread a thorny path. Pray for your careless and disobedient children till you see the salvation of God.” (Orson F. Whitney, in Conference Report, Apr. 1929, 110).

20. In what ways have you witnessed these Divine Tentacles?
What does the Seal do?
“The ‘tentacles of Divine Providence’ described by Elder Whitney may be considered a type of spiritual power, a heavenly pull or tug that entices a wandering child to return to the fold eventually. Such an influence cannot override the moral agency of a child but nonetheless can invite and beckon. Ultimately, a child must exercise his or her moral agency and respond in faith” (Elder David A. Bednar, Ensign, March 2014)
In what ways have you witnessed these Divine Tentacles?

21. President Wilford Woodruff
“Can you tell me who the people are who will be shielded and protected from these great calamities? Those who honor priesthood. None but those who honor priesthood will be safe from their fury.”
President Wilford Woodruff
Milton R. Hunter, Pearl of Great Price Commentary: A Selection From the Revelations, Translations, and Narrations of Joseph Smith,

22. Priesthood What does the Suffix “hood” means?
Hood = Added as a suffix, it shows a current condition or state
Motherhood = A condition or state of being a Mother
Childhood = A condition or state of being a child
Neighborhood = The condition or state of being neighbors in a proximity

23. PRIESTHOOD What is does Priesthood mean?
Answer:  The quality or state of being a Priest.
Ask:  What is a Priest?
Bible Dictionary: Priests are mediators between man and God.  
What is ‘Priesthood’?
The condition or state of being a mediator between man and God.
In what ways can men do this?

24. Application for Preparation
Do you sustain and honor the Priesthood? Do you sustain the Prophet and Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators? Do you sustain your Stake President?  Do you sustain your Bishop?

25. Application for Preparation
Chapter
Title
Verse
Application 7
The Faithful
1-3
Keep thoughts centered on Christ
Honor the priesthood

26. Glance at Revelation 7:5-8
“There will be twelve thousand chosen out of each of these tribes, one hundred and forty-four thousand in all. Chosen for what? …To gather up and hunt out the house of Israel and bring as many as they possibly can into the Church of the firstborn, preparatory to the great day of the coming of the Lord. Quite a host of missionaries.”  (Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, 18:25)
How many are chosen? (see vs 9)

27. Seven years (two 3.5yr periods)
Revelation 7
Revelation 7:13-14
THE TRIBULATION
Seven years (two 3.5yr periods)
Daniel 7:25
Daniel 12:7,11
Revelation 11:2-3
Revelation 12:6,14
Revelation 13:5
Matthew 24:21-22
Why a period of tribulation before His Second Coming?

28. How could they get the fish across the country and still keep it fresh?
PLAN A: Freeze the fish
(mushy and lacked flavor)
PLAN B: Ship the fish live
(still mushy and tasteless)
PLAN C: Catfish

29. Abraham Isaac Jacob Rachel Leah
Esau
Jacob
Rachel
Leah

30. Blessings: Gen. 12:2-3 & Abr. 2:9-11
Abraham
Isaac
Esau
Israel
Rachel
Leah
Zilpah
Bilhah
Joseph
Reuben Simeon
Levi
Judah
Ephraim
Manasseh
Gad
Asher
Issachar
Zebulun
Dinah
Dan
Naphtali
Benjamin
Blessings: Gen. 12:2-3 & Abr. 2:9-11
Condition: Ezekiel 37:27

31. Application for Preparation
Chapter
Title
Verse
Application 7
The Faithful
1-3
Keep thoughts centered on Christ
Honor the priesthood
13-14
Be grateful for tribulations

32. Revelation 7:15-17 Where does the tribulation lead?
  "I foresee the day when we will make around-the-clock use of all these sacred, holy edifices. . .The day is coming and not too far ahead of us when all temples on this earth will be going day and night.’” (Spender W. Kimball, "Temples—Now and in the Future,“ BYU Speeches, 1 September 1977, 4-5)

33. Chapter 8
Six Judgments

34. The Sixth Seal
Revelation 8:1 "What is meant by the half hour of silence has not yet been revealed. If it is to be reckoned on the basis of "the Lord's time" of 1000 years to a day, the duration would be some 21 of our years." (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, ], 3: 499.)

35. What if the answer doesn’t ‘fit’?
Some of you struggle with certain doctrines or practices of the Church, past or present; they just don’t quite seem to fit for you. I say, so what? That’s okay. You’re still young. Be patient, but be persistent. Keep studying them, thinking about them, and praying about them. Everyone has questions. I suppose even the prophets themselves had and have some questions. But don’t throw away the jewels you do have in the meantime. Hold on to them; build on them. Did you know that the two greatest intellectual achievements of the first half of the last century (the General Theory of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics) are in some points in conflict with each other? They cannot both be right in every detail. Yet scientists rely on both of these theories every day to advance scientific knowledge, knowing that someday the differences will be understood, reconciled, and corrected.

36. What if the answer doesn’t ‘fit’?
Like the scientist who uses relativity and quantum mechanics, we do not discard the gospel or our testimony because not every piece “fits” today. Years ago a Church leader used the following metaphor: Have you ever watched a stonemason build a rock wall? He will sometimes pick up a rock that just does not fit anywhere in the niches in the wall. But does he abandon the wall and walk away? No, he simply sets the rock aside and keeps building until a niche appears where it fits and then proceeds until the wall is finished. So perhaps should we temporarily set aside questions that we continue to struggle with and that we cannot quite seem to answer today, having faith that at sometime in the future a niche will appear in the rock wall of our testimony where they fit perfectly.

37. What if the answer doesn’t ‘fit’?
“Don’t abandon the rock wall of your testimony because one or two rocks don’t seem to fit.” (Elder Richard G Hinckley, 15 May 2007 BYU Devotional).
In what ways can silence be a blessing?

39. Can you imagine her thoughts?
Did he hear me?
Should I repeat my question?
Is he paying attention to me?
Am I not good enough for him?
Am I not asking correctly?
Am I not using the right language?
Is there some secret code I don’t know?
Is he pre-occupied?
What is his problem?
Does he not love me and my daughter like he seems to love everyone else?
Boxing in the Lord
What’s Christ primary objective?

40. You can give me revelation within this box (and only within this box)
When I am graduated, 24, have a job, then you can give me revelation on marriage.
I will do any job on this list . . .
I will serve in any calling except . . .
I will have as many kids as you want as long as it is not more than 4.
Mosiah 2:9 LOOK IT UP

41. Are you faithful when the Lord is silent?
Application for Preparation
Are you faithful when the Lord is silent?

42. Application for Preparation
Chapter
Title
Verse
Application 7
The Faithful
1-3
Keep thoughts centered on Christ
Honor the priesthood
13-14
Be grateful for tribulations 8
The 6 Judgments 1
Be patient when God is silent

43. The Sixth Seal
Revelation 8:2-12 Trumpets & Destruction D&C 77:12 D&C 88:88-89

44. The Sixth Seal
“When the testimony of the Elders ceases, the Lord will say to them, "Come home; I will now preach my own sermons to the nations of the earth." All you know the sermon that will be preached with fire and sword, tempests, earthquakes, hail, rain, thunders and lightnings and fearful destruction. You will hear of magnificent cities, now idolized by the people, sinking in the earth,. The sea will heave itself beyond its bounds, engulfing mighty cities. Famine will spread over the nations, and nation will rise up against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and states against states” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 8:123).

45. Application for Preparation
Do you repent quickly?

46. Application for Preparation
Chapter
Title
Verse
Application 7
The Faithful
1-3
Keep thoughts centered on Christ
Honor the priesthood
13-14
Be grateful for tribulations 8
The 6 Judgments 1
Be patient when God is silent
2-12
Be quick to repent

47. Trumpets: Revelation 8-9
Hail and fire mingled with blood (Revelation 8:7)
A great burning mountain is cast into the sea (Revelation 8:8-9)
1/3 of fresh water (Revelation 8: 10-11)
1/3 of heavenly bodies turn dark (Revelation 8:12)
5-month battle (Revelation 9:1-2)
13-month war [Armageddon] (Revelation 9:13-16)
Revelation 8:13 Big trouble

48. Trumpets in Revelation 8-9
The Seventh Angel:  Christ Comes 
Three Woes
Battles at the time of Adam Ondi Ahman (Rev. 9:1-12.)
The final great war (Armageddon) (Rev. 9:12-21; 10; 11:1-14.)
The destruction of the wicked when Christ appears to the World (Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah, )

49. Great or Dreadful?
I hate winters in Utah. I don’t snow ski or snow board or ice skate. Our first Christmas in Utah it was -26 degrees when we pulled out of our garage heading to San Diego. I’ve been miserable each winter. I don’t like winter. I dread it each year. Let’s say my boss offered me a three week all expenses paid vacation to Hawaii once the temperatures stayed below freezing for 10 consecutive days. How would my attitude and demeanor about winter change with this offer from my employer? I’d check the weather each day, hoping for cold so I could get my trip in. My feelings about winter and the cold haven’t changed, but because of his promises, my attitude and approach have changed dramatically. The Second Coming

50. “I know these are unpleasant things
“I know these are unpleasant things. Don't you think the Lord has given us these things that we might know and we might prepare ourselves through humility, through repentance, through faith, that we might escape from these dreadful conditions that are portrayed by these ancient prophets? So I pray everyday of my life that the Lord will hasten His work; I am praying for the end of the world because I want a better world. I want the coming of Christ. I want the reign of peace. I want the time to come when every man can live in peace and in the spirit of faith, humility and prayer.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Signs of the Times [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1952], 132, )

51. The Book of Revelation:
Preparing for
The Second Coming