This lesson discusses the second part of the revelation recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 133. Joseph Smith received this revelation on November 3, 1831. It answers questions that missionaries had about preaching the gospel and the gathering of Israel. It also describes the Lord’s Second Coming and explains what we need to do to be prepared for it.
The Lord declares that the restored gospel shall be preached to all the world
Begin the lesson by asking the following question:
When have you been very excited to see someone? (Invite a few students to relate their experiences. You may also want to share an experience.)
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The Second Coming
Display the picture The Second Coming (Gospel Art Book [2009], no. 66; see also LDS.org).
Are you excited to see the Savior at His Second Coming? Why?
Explain that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will be a sweet and wonderful experience for some and a dreadful experience for others. Testify that the Savior desires all people to prepare themselves for His coming.
Invite a student to read Doctrine and Covenants 133:36–39 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for evidence that the Savior desires all people to be prepared for His Second Coming.
What evidence do you see in these verses that the Savior desires all people to be prepared for His Second Coming? (He sent an angel [or angels] to restore the gospel to the earth. He is also sending His servants to preach the gospel to all people.)
Who are the servants of God who will be preaching the message of the restored gospel? (All members of the Church are servants of God who have the responsibility to share the gospel with others. You may want to suggest that students write the following principle in their scriptures: As servants of God, we can help others prepare for the Second Coming by sharing the gospel with them.)
According to verse 38, how are we to proclaim the gospel? What do you think it might mean to share the gospel “with a loud voice”? (Answers may include that we should share the gospel with boldness and conviction.)
Invite students to read Doctrine and Covenants 133:40 silently and look for something else the servants of God will do before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
According to verse 40, what will the servants of God do before the Second Coming? (They will pray for the Savior’s return.)
Invite a student to read Doctrine and Covenants 133:41–45 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for the blessings that will come to those who pray and wait for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
According to verse 45, what does the Lord promise those who will wait for Him? (After students respond, write the following truth on the board: The Lord has prepared great blessings for those who wait for Him.)
What do you think it means to wait for the Lord? (Help students understand that the phrase “wait for the Lord” means more than just passing the time until He comes. It means to watch and be ready and to participate in His work.)
To help students better understand how they can faithfully wait for the Lord and His coming, invite a student to read aloud the following statement by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Ask students to listen for actions we should take as we wait for the Second Coming.
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Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
“To any of you who are troubled about the future …
“God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future—to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities.
“God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe” (“Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast” [Church Educational System devotional, Sept. 12, 2004], 3, speeches.byu.edu).
What did Elder Holland say we should do as we wait for the Savior’s Second Coming?
Invite students to read Doctrine and Covenants 133:46–47 silently and report what they learn about some people who will be on the earth at the time of the Second Coming. Students should recognize that not all people will know who Jesus Christ is at the time of His Second Coming.
Invite a student to read Doctrine and Covenants 133:48–49 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for a description of what Jesus Christ will look like at the time of His Second Coming.
What will be distinctive about the Savior’s appearance at the time of His Second Coming? (He will be dressed in red clothing, and He will appear in great glory.)
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wine vat
To help students understand the symbolism of the Savior’s red clothing, point out the term wine-vat in verse 48. Display the accompanying image of a wine-vat (also called a wine-press) or draw one on the board. Explain that in the ancient world, a wine-press was a large basin used for extracting juice from grapes. The basin would be filled with grapes, and several people would get in and stomp on the grapes, releasing the juice. As the people trampled red or purple grapes, the juice stained their feet and clothing a deep red color.
How can these verses help us understand the Lord’s justice? (You may want to remind students that the wicked who refuse to repent must suffer the demands of justice and will not be able to abide the day of the Second Coming [see D&C 38:8]. The red color of the Lord’s garments represents the blood of the wicked who will be destroyed when justice is poured out upon them at the Second Coming.)
Invite a student to read Doctrine and Covenants 133:52–53 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and look for what the righteous will remember and mention at the time of the Second Coming. Invite students to report what they find.
What do these verses teach about the Lord’s mercy?
Invite a student to read Doctrine and Covenants 133:54–56 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and identify who will appear with the Savior at the Second Coming.
Who will appear with the Savior at the Second Coming? (The righteous who lived before Jesus Christ and have already been resurrected will come with Him in His glory. In addition, the righteous who lived and died after Jesus Christ will be resurrected and come forth to join the Savior and those with Him. You may want to mention that this includes our righteous family members who have died. The righteous who still live on the earth will be “caught up” to meet the Savior [see 1 Thessalonians 4:17; D&C 109:75].)
The gospel is sent forth to prepare the earth for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ
Divide students into pairs. Invite them to discuss the following questions with their partners:
What have you learned from Doctrine and Covenants 133 about the Savior’s Second Coming? What are your feelings as you think about these events?
After students have discussed these questions, invite them to search Doctrine and Covenants 133:57–62 with their partners and look for truths about why the gospel is going forth before the Lord’s Second Coming. After sufficient time, invite a few students to report what they have learned.
Testify that as we learn the gospel and live it, we will be prepared for the Second Coming.
According to verse 62, what ultimate blessing will we receive? (After students respond, write the following truth on the board: Those who repent and sanctify themselves will receive eternal life.)
To help students connect this principle with a principle they identified earlier, ask the following question:
How does the principle in verse 62 relate to the principle we identified in Doctrine and Covenants 133:45, which states that “the Lord has prepared great blessings for those who wait for Him”?
Summarize Doctrine and Covenants 133:63–74 by explaining that in these verses the Lord identifies some of the consequences for those who will not repent and prepare for the Second Coming. Some of these consequences include being cut off from the Lord and His righteous people (see D&C 133:63) and being “delivered over unto darkness” (D&C 133:72), meaning that the wicked who die at the Second Coming will enter a place called spirit prison or hell (see Guide to the Scriptures, “Hell,” scriptures.lds.org).
To conclude this lesson, invite students to write in their class notebooks or scripture study journals what they have learned in Doctrine and Covenants 133 that has strengthened their understanding and testimony of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Consider inviting a few students to share these thoughts with the class. Testify of the truths you have discussed.