As I studied and reflected on the talk, not only did my appreciation for the message of the restoration grow, but once again, I was reminded of the importance being placed on our preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The message of the Restoration

“The most important and glorious ‘good news’ is the message that the Lord Jesus Christ has restored His gospel and Church in the latter days,” Elder Bednar said in the subhead of his address, titled “The Times of Restitution of All Things,” which can be found on the church’s website.

In his talk, Elder Bednar provided a summary of “basic elements” of the restoration message, including the First Vision, the Book of Mormon, the restoration of the priesthood and the formal organization of the Church of Jesus Christ. All of this is part of what is called the dispensation of the fulness of times.

Regarding the dispensation of the fulness of times, Wilford Woodruff, fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said:

Ryan Comer, Standard-Examiner

“The Lord never created this world at random; he has never done any of his work at random. The earth was created for certain purposes; and one of these purposes was its final redemption and the establishment of his government and kingdom upon it in the latter days, to prepare it for the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose right it is to reign. That set time has come. That dispensation is before us. We are living in the midst of it.”

The dispensation of the fulness of times, the time we are “in the midst of,” is the time “to prepare for the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

A promise and a callback

Near the end of his talk, Elder Bednar delivered a promise, saying:

“I promise that individuals ‘who prayerfully study the message of the Restoration and act in faith will be blessed [through the power of the Holy Ghost] to gain their own witness of its divinity and of its purpose to prepare the world for the promised Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.’ As you pray earnestly with the expectation to both receive and act upon an answer from God, as did young Joseph Smith, your capacity to recognize and respond to that divine witness will be increased.”

Note again the mention of preparation for the Second Coming. You may remember that was the topic spoken of by President Russell M. Nelson, current president of the church, in the October 2024 general conference.

“Now is the time for you and for me to prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ,” President Nelson said in his talk titled “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again”

President Nelson revisited that theme in his April general conference talk, saying:

“Increased time in the temple will help us prepare for the Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We do not know the day or the hour of His coming. But I do know that the Lord is prompting me to urge us to get ready for that ‘great and dreadful day.'”

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

How much is President Nelson being urged? Out of curiosity, I went to scriptures.byu.edu, a site with a citation index that allows you to search the scriptures, general conference talks and other church literature, and searched for how many general conference talks mentioned the Second Coming in recent years. From 2000-2017, the Second Coming was mentioned in 56 talks. Since the start of 2018, when President Nelson became prophet, the Second Coming has been mentioned in 61 addresses.

In no year from 2000-2017 were there more than five general conference talks that mentioned the Second Coming, but in 2018, there were eight. There were nine in 2019, 12 in 2020, eight in 2021 and eight in 2023. There were eight in the April conference this year alone.

The gathering of Israel

A related phrase to search for in the citation index is “gathering of Israel.”

The gathering of Israel is explained well in an article titled “12 Facts about the Gathering of Israel” by David A. Edwards that can be found on the church’s website.

Edwards summarized critical background related to the gathering of Israel, starting with a covenant God made with Abraham that was subsequently passed down through Abraham’s son Isaac and Isaac’s son Jacob, who was called Israel.

As Edwards explained, Israel had 12 sons, whose descendants became the 12 tribes of Israel. The 10 northern tribes were taken into captivity into Assyria before being scattered and lost.

Edwards noted: “Both ancient and modern prophets, from Enoch to Joseph Smith, have foretold that the Lord’s covenant people would be gathered again in a future day–first spiritually and then temporally (see 1 Nephi 15:12-16; 19:16). The gathering is a prelude to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (see Moses 7:61-65). The gathering is part of the Restoration and has priesthood keys associated with it, which were restored when Moses delivered them to Joseph Smith (see D&C 110:11).”

He continued:

“Though the Lord’s people may sometimes be asked to gather to a particular place, people today generally are gathered when they accept the gospel, receive ordinances, and make covenants (see Doctrine and Covenants 84:2).

“All people can be gathered to Israel, either by direct descent or by adoption, which happens when they are baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

“Those who have been baptized can later receive a patriarchal blessing, which declares their lineage in a tribe of Israel.

“The Book of Mormon is written to ‘the remnant of the house of Israel’ and to ‘the Jew and Gentile’ (Book of Mormon title page) and is a sign that God is fulfilling His covenant to gather Israel in the last days (see 3 Nephi 21), as well as a major instrument of that gathering.”

According to the citation index, from 2000-2017, the gathering of Israel was mentioned in 15 general conference talks, never more than three times in a single year. Since President Nelson became prophet, the gathering of Israel has been mentioned in 50 addresses.

In a worldwide youth devotional in June 2018, just mere months after becoming the prophet, President Nelson said:

“My dear young brothers and sisters, these surely are the latter days, and the Lord is hastening His work to gather Israel. That gathering is the most important thing taking place on earth today. Nothing else compares in magnitude. Nothing else compares in importance. Nothing else compares in majesty. And if you choose to, if you want to, you can be a big part of it. You can be a big part of something big, something grand, something majestic!”

Just a few months later, at the October 2018 general conference, President Nelson gave a talk to the sisters in the church where he said:

“I’m extending a prophetic plea to you, the women of the Church, to shape the future by helping to gather scattered Israel.”

President Nelson is being inspired to lead in the gathering of Israel and prepare the world for the Second Coming, and the other apostles and church leaders, like Elder Bednar, are reflecting that reality in their talks.

Elder Bednar’s testimony

After Elder Bednar delivered his promise, he shared his testimony of his message. After testifying of God the Father as “our Father” and Jesus Christ as “the Father’s Beloved Son and His Only Begotten in the flesh,” as well as “our Savior and Redeemer,” he said:

“And I joyfully witness that the Father and the Son appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, thus initiating the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the latter days. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and contains the word of God. Priesthood authority to represent the Savior and act in His name again is found on the earth. And The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ’s New Testament Church restored.”

A reminder of past proclamations

If many of the words from Elder Bednar’s talk sounded familiar, he explained that.

In a footnote near the beginning of the talk, he said that he “relied extensively on the teachings set forth in the 1980 and 2020 proclamations issued by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: ‘Proclamation,’ Ensign, May 1980, 52-53; ‘The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World,’ Gospel Library.”

Personal thoughts

Since President Nelson’s address at last October’s general conference, I’ve felt an increasing push to focus on how general conference talks are meant to prepare me for the Second Coming. Knowing that’s been a theme for President Nelson, it’s struck me that a lot – indeed probably all – of the general conference talks are written to help us prepare. Even if the Second Coming isn’t explicitly stated, it seems like a safe bet that it is a key factor in the selection of the topic.

Whether it’s President Nelson stressing the importance of charity and virtue in helping us increase our confidence before God, President Jeffrey R. Holland speaking about childlike humility, President Henry B. Eyring speaking of drawing closer to the Savior, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf emphasizing the impact our love for God and others can have, Sister Tamara W. Runia countering Satan’s lies about repentance, Elder Patrick Kearon pleading with us to receive the gift of knowledge that we are children of God, Elder Bednar summarizing elements of “the message that the Lord Jesus Christ has restored His gospel and Church in the latter days,” or any other general conference talk, all can, if we will allow them to, help us prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Contact Ryan Comer at rcomer@standard.net.