(12/26/96)
"Now, my brethren, 'these are (your) days' (Helaman 7:9) in the history of the Church. Mark well what kind of days they will be, days when, with special visibility, the Lord will make bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations' (D&C 133:3). God will also 'hasten' His work (D&C 88:73). He will also 'shorten' the last days 'for the elect's sake' (Matthew 24:22); hence, there will be a compression of events (see Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:20). Furthermore, 'all things shall be in commotion' (D&C 88:91). Only those in the process of becoming the men and women of Christ will be able to keep their spiritual balance. Brethren, may we 'walk by faith' and, if necessary, even on our knees! In the name of the Lord of the universe, even Jesus Christ, amen." — Neal A. Maxwell, General Conference, April 1992

(12/27/96)
"Do you know that it is the eleventh hour of the reign of Satan on the earth? Jesus is coming to reign, and all you who fear and tremble because of your enemies, cease to fear them, and learn to fear to offend God, fear to transgress his laws, fear to do any evil to your brother, or to any being upon the earth, and do not fear Satan and his power, nor those who have only power to slay the body, for God will preserve his people." — Discourses of Brigham Young, 10:250.

(12/28/96)
"Our souls cry out: 'God hasten the day of the coming of thy Son,' and yet we know that such cannot be. The day is fixed and the hour is set. The signs have been, are now, and will hereafter be shown forth. Our obligation is to discern the signs of the times lest we, with the world, be taken unawares." — Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah, p.405

(12/29/96)
"It is the proud and they who do wickedly who close their eyes and their ears and their hearts to the signs of the times, to the word of the Gospel and to the testimony of the Christ. It has long been a favorite excuse of men who were not ready for the advent of the Lord, to say, 'The Lord delayeth His coming.' Don't attach too much importance to the fact that He has thus far delayed His coming, for He has repeatedly told us that the day of His coming is very, very near, even at our doors. There is a tendency among men to explain away what they don't wish to understand in literal simplicity, and we, as Latter-day Saints are not entirely free from the taint of that tendency. Prophecies that have not yet been fulfilled are by many of us made the subjects of hypothesis and theory and strained interpretation." — James E. Talmage, General Conference, April 1916

(12/30/96)
"Somebody or other has got to build up Zion; somebody has got to build Temples, and to go into them and attend to the ordinances therein. The Lord has said that he will come and visit the earth, but before he does come the people have got to be pure. The Lord Jesus has declared that he will come and reign on the earth, and if you read the Book of Doctrine and Covenants you will find numerous predictions in regard to his coming, such as — 'I come quickly,' 'I come at an hour ye think not,' 'My coming is at the door,' 'I come as a thief in the night,' 'I come in an hour when you are not looking for me,' and 'Blessed is he who is looking for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.' I say that throughout the whole of the Scriptures — the Old and New Testament, the Book of Mormon, and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, the second coming of the Lord is frequently referred to; and has the Lord promised these things without intending to fulfill them? No, he has not, they will be fulfilled. But before Christ comes, a people have got to be prepared by being sanctified before the Lord. Temples have got to be built; Zion has got to be built up, there must be a place of safety for the people of God while his judgments are abroad in the earth, for the judgments of God will visit the earth, there is no mistake about that, the revelations are full of promises to this effect and as the Lord has declared it, he will not fail in keeping his word." — Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses, Vol.18, p.192, April 6, 1876

(12/31/96)
"The Latter-day Saints realize as I do that every year brings us nearer to the coming of our Lord; that every month and week and day that passes over our heads, brings us nearer to the great and important events that must transpire, and that it does not become us to give way to a feeling of apathy and indifference, and to say in our hearts, 'The Lord delayeth His coming,' and that to-morrow will be as this day and much more abundant, and that the next generation will be like the present, and as the world has continued to roll on, as generations have come and generations have gone, so will it be with us and our children. I say it does not become us to give way to these sentiments and feelings which are common with unbelievers, with the world, or with the unenlightened, who have not a knowledge of God, who have not been favored with the light of revelation, who have not discerned the signs of the times; for we are not the children of darkness, but the children of light. Light has come unto us. We have been called out of darkness unto light. We have been translated from the kingdom of darkness unto the kingdom of God's dear Son, and therefore it may and ought to be said of us as Saint Paul said concerning the Saints: 'Ye, brethren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.' It is written and we expect it to be fulfilled upon the heads of the unbelieving and the wicked, that the Lord will overtake them as a thief in the night. 'In such an hour,' said the Savior, 'as ye think not, the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But, and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, my lord delayeth his coming, and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.'" — Erastus Snow, February 2, 1884, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 25, pp. 29-30

(3/5/04)
"In the last days, happily, the Church will grow extensively, with its membership being 'scattered upon all the face of the earth' (1 Ne. 14:14). Nevertheless, its dominions will still be comparatively 'small' because of 'wickedness,' which will close the ears of many to the gospel message (see 1 Ne. 14:12). There will also be 'a great division among the people' (2 Ne. 30:10; see also D&C 63:54). This stressful polarization will, ironically, help in the final shaking of that strange confederacy, the 'kingdom of the devil,' in order that the honest in heart, even therein, may receive the truth (2 Ne. 28:19)." - Neal A. Maxwell, "For I Will Lead You Along," Ensign, May 1988, p. 8

(5/3/04)
"What if the day of His coming were tomorrow? If we knew that we would meet the Lord tomorrow-through our premature death or through His unexpected coming-what would we do today? What confessions would we make? What practices would we discontinue? What accounts would we settle? What forgivenesses would we extend? What testimonies would we bear? If we would do those things then, why not now? Why not seek peace while peace can be obtained? If our lamps of preparation are drawn down, let us start immediately to replenish them." - Dallin H. Oaks, "Preparation for the Second Coming," General Conference, April 2004

(8/28/04)
"A most disquieting aspect of the repeated cycles described in the Book of Mormon is the time frame, for an entire people can 'become weak, because of their transgression, in the space of not many years' (Hel. 4:26; emphasis added). Whether it be individuals or a whole society, it is possible that decay from within can wreak havoc in a relatively short time." - Stephen D. Nadauld, "Pride: A Challenge from Within," Ensign, July 1996, p. 19

(11/15/04)
"We are bound to note events and trends in the world which will constitute special challenges. We cannot expect to live in times of turbulence without experiencing some of that turbulence ourselves. But we do not need to be 'tossed to and fro, and carried about [by] every wind of doctrine' without anchor (see Eph. 4:14). We have fellowship in a divine church. We have present-day prophets to guide us. We have Christ as our shepherd to lead us." - Spencer W. Kimball, "Do Not Weary by the Way," Ensign, November 1980, p. 76

(11/23/04)
"In a recent conference, Elder Boyd K. Packer said, “As we test the moral environment, we find the pollution index is spiraling upward” (Ensign, May 1992, p. 66). The Apostle Paul foresaw “that in the last days perilous times shall come” (2 Tim. 3:1). And speaking of the last days, the prophet Moroni declared, “Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth” (Morm. 8:31)." - Joe J. Christensen, "Rearing Children in a Polluted Environment,” Ensign, November 1993, p. 11

(1/22/05)
"The question of the nearness of the second coming of the Son of Man rests upon many in our present day. In pondering the question I have often thought of three things. The first is observed in these words of the Lord: 'But of that day, and hour, no one knoweth; no, not the angels of God in heaven, but my Father only.' (JS-M 1:40.)

"There are signs, however, which indicate the nearness of this great event. For instance, and secondly, living in the last dispensation; we must be aware of the fact that there will not be another. It follows that all that God has intended for the redemption and salvation of man upon the earth through the gospel plan will culminate in this dispensation. Actually, the Lord identifies this present day, in particular, as a time of preparation. (D&C 65:4-6.)...

"The culmination of this dispensation in the sequence of the Lord's time will see the glorious coming of the Son of Man.

"The third condition which I often ponder concerns the day of the gentile, which day is now, wherein the gospel is being taken to the gentile nations of the earth, that they may, if obedient to the call, come in and be numbered with the house of Israel. (See 1 Ne. 13, 14.)" - Alvin R. Dyer, "Ye Shall Not Fear," Ensign, June 1971, p. 89