All Flesh See It Together

In response to the belief of the Shakers that the Savior had already come in the form of a woman, the Lord said this to the Prophet Joseph: “Verily I say unto you, that the Son of Man cometh not in the form of a woman, neither of a man traveling on the earth. Wherefore, be not deceived, but continue in steadfastness, looking forth for the heavens to be shaken, and the earth to tremble and to reel to and fro as a drunken man, and for the valleys to be exalted, and for the mountains to be made low, and for the rough places to become smooth—and all this when the angel shall sound his trumpet” (Doctrine and Covenants 49:22-23). The point seems to be that the Lord is not going to secretly come in some way that only a few know; rather, the heavens will be shaken and the earth will tremble such that everyone will know that He is coming. As Isaiah put it using similar language, “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (Isaiah 40:4-5). It will not be hidden from the world but rather as the Savior said again in our day, “All flesh shall see me together” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:23). Paul said to Festus concerning the Savior’s first coming, “This thing was not done in a corner” (Acts 26:26). That will be even more true of the second coming when literally everyone will know that the Savior has returned and “there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be penetrated” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:2).

                The revelation to the Shakers continues with a brief description of some things that will happen before the Second Coming. The Lord declared, “But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose. Zion shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and shall be assembled together unto the place which I have appointed.” This language is similar to the prophecy of Isaiah which says, “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose” (Isaiah 35:1). Surely the Saints gathering to Utah—a wilderness indeed—and building up the Church from there was at least part of the fulfillment of the prophecy that Jacob would flourish in the wilderness. And they did indeed make the desert blossom as a rose. What about the Lamanites—have they too blossomed as a rose? Certainly if we consider those of Central America to be part of the Lamanites, then the conversion of so many among them to the Lord must be a part of the fulfillment of this prophecy. That’s what Elder Gene R. Cook thought as he said this in 1980 in general conference: “My family and I are presently living in South America among the Lamanites—the children of Lehi, the people of the Book of Mormon, a people of great promise…. We have truly seen them ‘blossom as the rose’ as prophecy has been fulfilled through them.” Obviously since then the work of the Lord has continued to increase dramatically in Central and South America. It is just one of the many miracles that will take place as we continue to prepare for the Second Coming of the Savior when we shall indeed all see Him together.