"Time is running out". How to better prepare for a prophetic prophesy

Have you ever wondered what the 2nd coming of the Savior Jesus Christ will be like? I remember as a young seminary student hearing about all of the signs of the 2nd coming and thinking, "Well shoot we are all just going to die!" As I have grown older and studied more about it, I realize that it is something that we should be looking forward to. Not everyone feels that way, but those who truly have a relationship with the Savior are looking forward to His glorious return.

Just last weekend in General Conference, Pres. Russell M. Nelson stated, "My dear brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ invites us to take the covenant path back home to our Heavenly Parents and be with those we love. He invites us to ‘come, follow me.’ Now, as President of His Church, I plead with you who have distanced yourselves from the Church and with you who have not yet really sought to know that the Savior’s Church has been restored. Do the spiritual work to find out for yourselves, and please do it now. Time is running out.” That's a pretty straight forward invitation from the prophet. Now, let your mind go wherever it might with that last sentence, but I know that it has inspired me to start preparing now, even more than ever before, for the 2nd coming of Jesus.

But how do we prepare for something that we don't know when it will happen? In the Doctrine and Covenants, we learn in section 133 different ways that we can prepare. The list includes sanctifying ourselves, gathering together, being clean, building Zion, calling upon God, warning our neighbors, and so much more. Then in verse 17, we get this beautiful description. "For behold, the Lord God hath sent forth the angel crying through the midst of heaven, saying: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight, for the hour of his coming is nigh."

As I had the chance to think deeply about this verse and what prophets of God are telling us today, I thought of the example of a corn-maze. Many of us have been to one, and if you are anything like me, you find yourself getting pretty turned around and confused while in there. One time specifically, we went as a family, and after a very long time inside, thought that we had found our way out. When we were outside and realized where we were, we also soon realized that we had gone out the entrance! But what does this have to do with the 2nd Coming? In verse 17, we are invited by the angel of God to make His paths straight. I believe that the Savior set the path straight when He walked this Earth. He provided for us the perfect example, or path, to return to the Father.

We, however, are not perfect, and our path will take us through a corn-maze like experience unless we are extra careful. One wrong turn in the corn-maze can add multiple minutes to the time spent inside it. Likewise, one bad choice or wrong decision can lead us further from the correct path that leads us to our heavenly home. There have been other experiences in corn-mazes where helpers have been in the maze and asked me if I wanted help, to which, being prideful, I would comment that I could do it all on my own.Trying to make it back to the Savior's perfect path alone is impossible. As we follow the counsel given in section 133 and of modern-day prophets, our helpers today along with the Godhead, we are preparing for the 2nd coming by planting firmly our feet on the covenant path. That path is straight, and always leads to the Savior.

Once then on the path, we will feel a great desire to share the knowledge we have with those around us, our brothers and sisters. Some are close to the path, and can see just how close they are. Others are far off, feeling lost and alone, and desperately needing guidance and help. We can then be the helpers for them to help them return to the safety of the covenant path. Far before we can ever reach out to others, we must make sure that our feet are on the path. President Howard W. Hunter once taught, "Any time we experience the blessings of the Atonement in our lives, we cannot help but have a concern for the welfare of our brethren....A great indicator of one's personal conversion is the desire to share the gospel with others." President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency has also counseled, "The intensity of our desire to share the gospel is a great indicator of the extent of our personal conversion." If we have been truly converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and find ourselves centered on the covenant path, almost automatically we will feel the desire to help others.

I don't know when the Savior will make His triumphant return to this Earth. No one does. I do know, however, what prophets of God are teaching about His return and how I can prepare. And since I know that prophets speak the word and will of the Lord, I know that He, Jesus Christ, is inviting me to prepare more fully for His return because "time is running out." I cannot wait for that glorious day, when He will appear. I hope that when He comes, I will be like those mentioned in verse 52 of section 133, that "shall mention the loving kindness of their Lord, and all that he has bestowed upon them according to his goodness, and according to his loving kindness, forever and ever." I believe that the best way for me to prepare for that glorious day is to repent each and every day, because that will help me become more like Jesus. And we have been promised in verse 62 of section 133 that "unto him that repenteth and sanctifieth himself before the Lord shall be given eternal life."