A Unprecedented, Unparalleled Future

President Nelson recently wrote an article for the Ensign titled The Future of the Church: Preparing the World for the Savior’s Second Coming. In it he made some powerful statements about what lies in store for us in the future. He declared, “The Church will have an unprecedented, unparalleled future. ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, … the things which God hath prepared for them that love him’” (1 Corinthians 2:9). He continued, “Remember that the fulness of Christ’s ministry lies in the future. The prophecies of His Second Coming have yet to be fulfilled. We are just building up to the climax of this last dispensation.” One of those prophecies is how the gospel will be taken to all the world. President Nelson reaffirmed that through faith we will “take the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord.” He also asserted, “I humbly testify to you that—as the Prophet Joseph Smith proclaimed—the restored gospel of Jesus Christ ‘will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.’” His words are a reminder that there is much work to do yet, that the Restoration is not complete, that we have a role to play in preparing the world for the Second Coming as the gospel goes to all the world.

               So how do we play a part in this “unprecedented, unparalleled future” that President Nelson spoke of? His message was that we need to develop “resilient faith” in God. He said, “We are to be builders of an individual faith in God, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and faith in His Church.” The prophet pleaded with us, “Do whatever it takes to strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ by increasing your understanding of the doctrine taught in His restored Church and by relentlessly seeking truth. Anchored in pure doctrine, you will be able to step forward with faith and dogged persistence and cheerfully do all that lies in your power to fulfill the purposes of the Lord.” Surely there are many ways for us to strengthen our faith in Christ, but here the prophet highlighted our need to increase our understanding of the truths of the gospel through “relentlessly seeking truth.” Surely the most important way that we do that is in our study of the scriptures and the words of the prophets. Samuel the Lamanites described how the Lamanites who were converted were “led to believe the holy scriptures, yea, the prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written, which leadeth them to faith on the Lord” (Helaman 15:7). It was their study of the scriptures and words of the prophets that led them to faith in Jesus Christ. So too it is for us—our sincere study of the words of ancient and modern prophets is a powerful way to develop our faith in the Lord. And if we are to adequately prepare to play our part in the ongoing Restoration, we will need all the faith in Christ that we can muster!