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Francis Harper Message March 8, 2019
Getting Our Ducks in a Row
The Lord Jesus will be accompanied by ten thousands of his saints from celestial glory when he returns to the earth. See Revelation 1:7. The saints, who are living on the earth when he comes, will not taste of death. They will be changed from mortality to immortality in the twinkling of an eye and shall be caught up into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. These two groups will comprise the first resurrection. See 1 Thessalonians 4:17.
Paul wrote: “Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep [die], but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, . . . for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible [body] must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
“Enoch, the seventh [generation] from Adam,” [Jude 1:14] and his city were caught up to be with the Lord. See Genesis 7:78 IV; 5:24 KJV. The catching up of Enoch and his city is a type and shadow of those who will be caught up to be with Jesus when he returns. We are the seventh [millennium] from Adam.
Jesus said; “. . . as it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be also at the coming of the Son of Man. The earth will be cleansed. During the night of September 21-22, 1823, an angel appeared to eighteen year old, Joseph Smith Jr., three times. During each of these appearances the angel began by quoting prophesies from the Old Testament. First he quoted from Malachi: “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up” (Malachi 4:1). Later the following day [September 22, 1823], in the full light of day, the angel appeared and quoted the same prophetic words again! The saints of the Restoration have certainly been warned. Four times should be enough! Other prophecies of the cleansing fire are Isaiah 24:6: “. . . the inhabitants of the earth are burned and few men left.” The parable of the Wheat and Tares is recorded in Matthew 13:35-45. Those who have been warned should not neglect to warn their neighbors.
On July 10, 2015, the Holy Spirit brought these words of scripture to me: “Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor; therefore they are left without excuse, and their sins are upon their own heads” (Doctrine and Covenants 85:22a). O son of man, I have set thee a watchman . . . thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me” (Ezekiel 33:7).
According to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, the saints; living and dead, will be gathered to Jesus and “will be ever with the Lord” from that time forth. Although the Scriptures do not state it, this seems to the most appropriate time for the marriage supper of the Lamb. John heard a voice of a mighty thundering, saying, . . . “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, these are the true sayings of God” (Revelation 19:7-9). What a joyous occasion this will be.
The Parable of the Marriage Supper is recorded in Matthew 22:1-14 and Luke 14:16-24. Jesus concluded with: “For many are called, but few chosen; wherefore all do not have on the wedding garment” (Matthew 22:14).
Meanwhile, back on earth, “the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly” (Malachi 4:1) will be destroyed. Yet some of the “more righteous” will be spared. This will be similar to the sparing of some of the more righteous in the Book of Mormon: O all ye that are spared, because ye were more righteous than they . . .” (3 Nephi 4:41). Those who are spared will also include innocent children and those who have not heard the gospel. So during the millennium the resurrected immortals will be living here on earth with mortals.
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Dear Ones,
A few weeks ago, I went to see an attorney about some legal transactions I needed to do before my departure from this world. He agreed with me that the transactions I was proposing needed to be done. He said, “Yes, it’s time for you to get your ducks in a row.”
Later, I thought, how appropriate and applicable his words are to all of us as we consider our readiness to meet the Lord. Do we have our spiritual ducks in a row? Have we warned our neighbors of the day that shall burn as an oven? Have we repented? Have we been born again of water and the Spirit? (John 3:5). Have we been born again as it is prescribed in Mosiah 11:187-188? Have we retained a remission of our sins by doing that which was preached by King Benjamin, which is recorded in Mosiah 2:21-22? Are we “arrayed in fine linen, clean and white [which is] the righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19:8)? Are we like Jesus? It was John who wrote: “We know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him” (1 John 3:2).
Most of us have heard of someone being placed on probation for a specified length of time to determine their worthiness to continue to attend a school or to live in society as a free person. Likewise the Lord gives us a period of time to prove our worthiness to be resurrected with the saints at the first resurrection. We dare not procrastinate our preparations for this greatest of all the attainments of man. Attaining unto the resurrection of the just exceeds by far, all the other achievements of men, such as climbing Mount Everest or walking on the moon! The Apostle Paul understood this when he wrote: “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the just” (Philippians 3:11). Only with divine assistance will we attain unto the first resurrection.
Those of the first resurrection shall be “ever [always] with the Lord. In other words these immortal saints will be privileged to live with the Lord throughout his millennial reign and beyond; into all of eternity!
During the millennium, the earth will become as it was in Eden. “For the Lord shall comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody . . . the redeemed of the Lord shall come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away” (Isaiah 51:3, 11).
Peter wrote: “We look for a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). The mortals will be raising families. Their children will “grow up without sin unto salvation, for the Lord will be in their midst, and his glory shall be upon them and he will be their king and lawgiver” (Doctrine and Covenants 45:10-d). Can we say without reservation, the words spoken by the Apostle Paul: “If by any means [pay any price, bear any burden] I might attain unto the resurrection of the just;” the first resurrection? “It is high time to awake out of sleep . . . The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:11-12).
Love to All,
Seventy Francis Harper
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