Where are we?

[NoGreaterLove]

Here is a challenge we can all participate in.

Throw away the calendar for this one. The challenge. What is happening today, to us personally, to our families, our nation and our world? Lets list the signs of the times that we are witnessing today. Not what someone told us we are supposed to be witnessing, not some unseen, what it might be interpretation, but the stone cold, hard core facts.

After we have listed these, we can then apply the scriptures, etc. to them. But first lets get the dirt!

[NoGreaterLove]

I will start.
1. We are definitely see wars and rumors of wars.
2. The seas heaving themselves beyond their bounds.
3. Earthquakes in diverse places.
4. Children behaving inappropriately against their elders.
5. Famines
6. The master oppressing the hireling in his wages.
7. Anger, malice, pride, unrighteous judgment.
8. People calling evil, good, and good, evil.
9. Breaking the sabbath day.
10. Loving sports or entertainment more than loving god.

[believer]

FIRES
Herriman, Utah
Colorado
California (Explosion)
Detroit, Michigan
Bridge - New York
Russia
Portugal

FLOODS
Pakistan
India
China

EARTHQUAKES
New Zealand
Haiti
Chile

SHORTAGES
wheat
rice
chocolate
cotton

FINANCIAL
Aaauugh!!! It's too depressing to try to list them all. Just go to the grocery store to see how much food has gone up.

These are just a few that I can think of off hand. I'm sure that if I took some time, I could think of a lot more.


Believer

[Henmasher]

1. Human Sacrifice
2. Idolatry in every form
3. Evil in plain site and accepted broadly out of fear
4. Temple covenants being broken or advocated to be broken based on selfishness
5. Seperation of God and State
6. Broken Homes
7. Proposition 8
8. If you live on the west bench the moon turned to blood last night

[clarkkent14]

What!? Come on guys, eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die, and it shall be well with us! Yea, All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well... 8)

[pjbrownie]

From my book on the topic, this is where I see us (including many members of the Church):

Love of many waxing cold, lovers of selves more than lovers of God.
Sexual immorality running rampant, including accepting the practice of homosexuality (a major sign I should add).
Men's heart lifted in the pride of their riches. Secret combinations abound, so that men may get gain and enslave his brother. There is an effort to destroy the freedom of all man.
Treasures becoming slippery
Sabbath breaking becoming endemic (another major sign, and a protective sign to those that keep the Sabbath).
Tithes and offerings absent (another major sign to help escape the cleansing calamities).

Calamity Signs

Earthquakes in diverse places (you will HEAR of earthquakes). For now, earthquakes aren't really that much more, they're just more deadly and we hear about them more than we used to. I sill think there is more to this for total fulfillment to be complete.
Blood, Fire, and Pillars of Smoke (Blood is WWI, WWII, Cold War, Soviet and Chinese atrocities) This has been fulfilled but we still will see more (WWIII). Fire is bombs and nuclear bombs in particular (Fulfilled by Hiroshima and Nagasaki) but will also see a more complete fulfillment when fire destroys the Gentile cities (see Isaiah).
Pillars of Smoke (9/11 twin towers)
Seas Heaving themselves beyond their bounds (Tsunamis, but we'll see cities like New York be swallowed in the sea to complete this fulfillment).

Not Fulfilled (WWIII)
Sign of the coming of the Son of Man (this will look like a comet, and it HAS not happened yet.)
Gentile cities destroyed by fire "in one day."
Invasion of Gentiles (Ephraim) by the north countries/tribes of Israel/Gog/the Beast (see Isaiah, Joel, Ezekiel, 2 Nephi, 3 Nephi)

[tsc]

Temples dotting the earth

Gospel being preached to all nations (missionaries are not everywhere, but with technology...)

[NoGreaterLove]

Wow
Look at the list. And we have not even listed them all yet!

[Chip45]

(1) My grandchildren, healthy, full of love, the joy of my life
(2) personally debt-free for over 7 years.
(3) son-in-law's company ... debt-free for some years now, the admonition to be debt-free not solely for families, but also, companies and even governments.
(4) Personal food storage quite adequate, same for some of my children
(5) not addicted to nicotine, alcohol, pornography, not terrible overweight.
(6) living well within our means
(7) still upright.

[Amore Vero]

The fact that it seems that 2 Nephi 28 'last days prophesy' has been fulfilled, where 'everyone' has gone astray & become corrupt & deceived to do evil, even in the Church, except a rare few.

[haddomr]

Secret combinations have gotten above us, as we were warned in Ether 8.

[Amore Vero]

The fact that it seems that 2 Nephi 28 'last days prophesy' has been fulfilled, where 'everyone' has gone astray & become corrupt & deceived to do evil, even in the Church, except a rare few.

Who are those "rare few" AV?

The scriptures say they are 'the few humble followers of Christ' who also do error at times because of all the preaching of the philosophies of men, but they have the Spirit enough to warn them & catch themselves before they go off the path.

It is so easy for every single person to be deceived today no matter how good we may feel we are, that to be safe we should all just consider ourselves deceived in some way & try to watch ourselves continually & figure out where we might be wrong & if we are really being Christlike.

[Nan]

I would say that when you compare the number of members there are, to the number of the people in the world, we are few.

1)A spirit of depression over the world.
2)I believe we are starting to see plagues. There are supposed to be seven major plagues. I have been told (at education week) that the first 3 will affect members too. The last four will only affect the wicked. I believe the first plague is pornography, masturbation and sexual immorality. And it is hitting members and non members alike.

[loquaciousmomma]

2)I believe we are starting to see plagues.

Nan: I think we are seeing all kinds of plagues. Especially the kinds no one wants to talk about, like Bedbugs and lice.

Of course, there are the 'superbugs' and various other bugs to worry about.

Any others?

[Henmasher]

2)I believe we are starting to see plagues.

Nan: I think we are seeing all kinds of plagues. Especially the kinds no one wants to talk about, like Bedbugs and lice.

Of course, there are the 'superbugs' and various other bugs to worry about.

Any others?

I see the plagues are spiritual just as they are physical. For these plagues target certain individuals and cater to wickedness

[sbsion]

The fact that it seems that 2 Nephi 28 'last days prophesy' has been fulfilled, where 'everyone' has gone astray & become corrupt & deceived to do evil, even in the Church, except a rare few.

Who are those "rare few" AV?

The scriptures say they are 'the few humble followers of Christ' who also do error at times because of all the preaching of the philosophies of men, but they have the Spirit enough to warn them & catch themselves before they go off the path.
It is so easy for every single person to be deceived today no matter how good we may feel we are, that to be safe we should all just consider ourselves deceived in some way & try to watch ourselves continually & figure out where we might be wrong & if we are really being Christlike.

Agreed, the church is full of "followers of theirownselves", and, well, how's your home teaching......doing any good?........

[clarkkent14]

The fact that it seems that 2 Nephi 28 'last days prophesy' has been fulfilled, where 'everyone' has gone astray & become corrupt & deceived to do evil, even in the Church, except a rare few.

Who are those "rare few" AV?

The scriptures say they are 'the few humble followers of Christ' who also do error at times because of all the preaching of the philosophies of men, but they have the Spirit enough to warn them & catch themselves before they go off the path.

It is so easy for every single person to be deceived today no matter how good we may feel we are, that to be safe we should all just consider ourselves deceived in some way & try to watch ourselves continually & figure out where we might be wrong & if we are really being Christlike.

"1 Nephi 14:12 And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw."

"2 Nephi 28:14 They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men."

[pjbrownie]

I would say that when you compare the number of members there are, to the number of the people in the world, we are few.

1)A spirit of depression over the world.
2)I believe we are starting to see plagues. There are supposed to be seven major plagues. I have been told (at education week) that the first 3 will affect members too. The last four will only affect the wicked. I believe the first plague is pornography, masturbation and sexual immorality. And it is hitting members and non members alike.

Masturbation and sexuality immorality are as old as time. They may be on the increase, but the have affected the righteous since the Jews left Egypt. Pornography, on the other hand, really is a plague. However, I'm more comfortable just calling it a sin. Plagues are like things that make you sick and you die, like the bubonic plague, or AIDS.

I'm also curious where the person got their seven plagues and knowing that the firs three will affect members?

[Henmasher]

Plagues are like things that make you sick and you die, like the bubonic plague, or AIDS.

Spiritually or physically?

[pjbrownie]

And if plagues are sins, then I would call the large, fat, monstrosities in Alpine plagues of pride, debt, and financial ruin.

[pjbrownie]

Plagues are like things that make you sick and you die, like the bubonic plague, or AIDS.

Spiritually or physically?

I'm more comfortable with the physical varieties, like the flesh-eating flies, and the baldness on the daughters of Zion kind of plagues. Spiritual plagues are vague, they've been around all the time, so there's nothing special about today. Pornography is a good one because it hasn't been around or as rampant as it has been in the last 15 years. Pride is good, riches, but those come in cycles--they're not particular to the last days.

No, I think AIDS, nuclear sickness, superbugs, obesity (how about that one), purple spots that appear on hands and end up killing you, or flesh-eating maggots are the best descriptions of plagues.

[Original_Intent]

I almsot wonder if some form of leprosy might become prevalent. In OT times, leprosy was a sign of God's punishment, and my understanding is that leprosy is still largely not understood and untreatable. The purple spot on the hand or on the face - I wonder if it might be something like that?

[ChelC]

Here's one. I let my boys play with a neighbor child on his porch for a half hour - talking and playing with his DS. Half an hour, and my son comes home talking about this game where you have to hot wire a car, but he got busted. He didn't know the name, but I'm guessing this friend (age 9) was playing Grand Theft Auto. That's the only game I know of like that.

When we live in a time when parents buy nine year old children games like this, it's a sign of the times!

I can't protect my kids from everything, but it sure would be helpful if other parents weren't supplying my child's friends with the materials to corrupt their innocence!

[Henmasher]

How about the plague of bad examples. We have an adult generation that teaches the children casual membership in the church is acceptable. Last priesthood session of conference we were seating in the gym. When they dimmed the lights so we could see it lit back up with I-phones checking the football scores
Plagues are God withdrawing his hand and allowing satan some room to stretch. Think of Job. Those were spiritual and physical plagues.