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April, Week 1
Day 1
Primary
1. Today read Doctrine and Covenants 29:1-8.
2. Heavenly Father has great love for all His children. He and His Son want us to be happy in this life and to join Them in gathering all people back to Their presence.
3. Listen to the song “When He Comes Again.”
Youth
1. Today read Doctrine and Covenants 29:1-8.
2. Heavenly Father has great love for all His children. He and His Son want us to be happy in this life and to join Them in gathering all people back to Their presence. Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared the following:
Our Heavenly Father wants you to become His heir and receive all that He has. He cannot offer you more. He cannot promise you more. He loves you more than you know and wants you to be happy in this life and in the life to come. (Dale G. Renlund, “Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny,” Liahona, May 2022, 76)
3. Why should we unite with others in prayer? While visiting New Zealand, President Spencer W. Kimball and his wife, Camilla, planned on attending a cultural celebration prepared by many youth. That evening the Kimballs fell ill and could not attend. About the time the celebration was to begin, however, the Kimballs miraculously felt better and rushed to the event. As the meeting began, a youth was called upon to offer the opening prayer. President Russell M. Nelson shared the following details of what happened next:
He so prayed: “We are 3,000 New Zealand youth. We are assembled here, having prepared for six months to sing and dance for Thy prophet. Wilt Thou heal him and deliver him here!” After the “amen” was pronounced, the car carrying President and Sister Kimball entered the stadium. They were identified immediately, and instantly everyone shouted for joy! (Russell M. Nelson, “Jesus Christ—the Master Healer,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2005, 86)
4. Where is the “one place” the Lord wants us to be gathered? The Lord desires His Saints to be gathered to Zion. In the early days of the Church, the Saints sought to establish Zion in central locations where all members could gather. As membership has expanded throughout the world, Church members are now asked to gather within their local congregations. President Russell M. Nelson taught:
The choice to come unto Christ is not a matter of physical location; it is a matter of individual commitment. People can be “brought to the knowledge of the Lord” [3 Nephi 20:13] without leaving their homelands. True, in the early days of the Church, conversion often meant emigration as well. But now the gathering takes place in each nation. The Lord has decreed the establishment of Zion [see Doctrine and Covenants 6:6] in each realm where He has given His Saints their birth and nationality. Scripture foretells that the people “shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise” [2 Nephi 9:2]. “Every nation is the gathering place for its own people” [Bruce R. McConkie, in Conference Report, Mexico City Mexico Area Conference 1972, 45]. The place of gathering for Brazilian Saints is in Brazil; the place of gathering for Nigerian Saints is in Nigeria; the place of gathering for Korean Saints is in Korea; and so forth. Zion is “the pure in heart” [Doctrine and Covenants 97:21]. Zion is wherever righteous Saints are. Publications, communications, and congregations are now such that nearly all members have access to the doctrines, keys, ordinances, and blessings of the gospel, regardless of their location.
Spiritual security will always depend upon how one lives, not where one lives. Saints in every land have equal claim upon the blessings of the Lord. (Russell M. Nelson, “The Gathering of Scattered Israel,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 81)
Day 2
Primary
1. Today read Doctrine and Covenants 29:9-29.
2. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ will be a great and dreadful day. Those who reject Jesus Christ’s messengers and teachings will suffer the consequences of their choices. Those who are striving to follow Him will have the joy of seeing their Redeemer return to earth. He will save them from wickedness and sorrow and dwell with them for a thousand years.
3. It is true that many trials and great wickedness will exist in the last days and that “tribulation and desolation” will be sent upon the wicked (see Doctrine and Covenants 29:8). It is also important to realize that the Savior’s return does not cause the trials and wickedness. His return will deliver His disciples from them. The Second Coming will be more wonderful for His followers than we can imagine!
Youth
1. Today read Doctrine and Covenants 29:9-29.
2. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ will be a great and dreadful day. Those who reject Jesus Christ’s messengers and teachings will suffer the consequences of their choices. Those who are striving to follow Him will have the joy of seeing their Redeemer return to earth. He will save them from wickedness and sorrow and dwell with them for a thousand years.
3. It is true that many trials and great wickedness will exist in the last days and that “tribulation and desolation” will be sent upon the wicked (see Doctrine and Covenants 29:8). It is also important to realize that the Savior’s return does not cause the trials and wickedness. His return will deliver His disciples from them. The Second Coming will be more wonderful for His followers than we can imagine!
4. Why should we rejoice in the return of Jesus Christ? Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:
When He comes, oppression and injustice will not only diminish; they will cease. …
Poverty and suffering will not only decline; they will vanish. …
Even the pain and sorrow of death will be done away. …
… Let us devote ourselves more diligently to the preparations needed for the day when pain and evil are ended altogether. (D. Todd Christofferson, “Preparing for the Lord’s Return,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 81)
5. Will the righteous be protected from trials that precede the Second Coming? There is not one simple answer to this question. The Lord will protect the faithful from some of the coming judgments, but other conditions will affect both the righteous and the wicked. It is important to remember that despite any trials we may face, God will save the righteous in His kingdom. Elder Spencer V. Jones of the Seventy taught:
Many of us are apprehensive about the Second Coming. In contemplating “the great and dreadful day of the Lord” (D&C 2:1), we may have a tendency to overlook the “great” and accentuate the “dreadful.”
Some of the prophecies can seem overwhelming. …
Some prophecies are even quite grotesque, such as [the one in Doctrine and Covenants 29:18–20]. …
As dreadful as these prophecies sound, let’s keep them in perspective. These fearful conditions contain a qualifying phrase indicating they are intended not for the righteous but for the wicked and unrepentant. (Spencer V. Jones, “Messages from the Doctrine and Covenants: Finding Hope in the Second Coming,” Ensign, June 2005, 58–59)
