The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again

By President Russell M. Nelson

President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Now is the time for you and for me to prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

My dear brothers and sisters, I am grateful that the Lord has blessed me to speak with you.

In this conference, the Lord has spoken to us through His servants. I urge you to study their messages. Use them as a litmus test of what is true and what is not during the next six months.

The preservation and renovation of the Salt Lake Temple and other areas on Temple Square have been underway for nearly five years. Present projections indicate that this work will be completed by the end of 2026. We are grateful for all who are working on this massive project.

During the last six months, we have dedicated or rededicated nine temples in five countries. Between now and the end of the year, we will dedicate five more.

Today we are pleased to announce plans to construct 17 more temples. Please listen reverently as I announce the locations.

• Juchitán de Zaragoza, Mexico

• Santa Ana, El Salvador

• Medellín, Colombia

• Santiago, Dominican Republic

• Puerto Montt, Chile

• Dublin, Ireland

• Milan, Italy

• Abuja, Nigeria

• Kampala, Uganda

• Maputo, Mozambique

• Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

• Queen Creek, Arizona

• El Paso, Texas

• Huntsville, Alabama

• Milwaukee, Wisconsin

• Summit, New Jersey

• Price, Utah

My dear brothers and sisters, do you see what is happening right before our eyes? I pray that we will not miss the majesty of this moment! The Lord is indeed hastening His work.

Why are we building temples at such an unprecedented pace? Why? Because the Lord has instructed us to do so. The blessings of the temple help to gather Israel on both sides of the veil. These blessings also help to prepare a people who will help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord!

The Savior’s Second Coming.

As the prophet Isaiah prophesied, and as memorialized in Handel’s Messiah, when Jesus Christ returns, “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”

In that day “the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Jesus Christ will govern from both old Jerusalem and the New Jerusalem “built upon the American continent.” From these two centers, He will direct the affairs of His Church.

In that day the Lord will be known as “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.” Those who are with Him will be “called, and chosen, and faithful.”

Brothers and sisters, now is the time for you and for me to prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Now is the time for us to make our discipleship our highest priority. In a world filled with dizzying distractions, how can we do this?

The Rome Italy Temple.

Regular worship in the temple will help us. In the house of the Lord, we focus on Jesus Christ. We learn of Him. We make covenants to follow Him. We come to know Him. As we keep our temple covenants, we gain greater access to the Lord’s strengthening power. In the temple, we receive protection from the buffetings of the world. We experience the pure love of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father in great abundance! We feel peace and spiritual reassurance, in contrast to the turbulence of the world.

Here is my promise to you: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple. You will feel His mercy. You will find answers to your most vexing questions. You will better comprehend the joy of His gospel.

I have learned that the most crucial question we each must answer is this: To whom or to what will I give my life?

President Nelson as a surgeon.

My decision to follow Jesus Christ is the most important decision I have ever made. During medical school, I gained a testimony of the divinity of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Since then our Savior has been the rock upon which I have built my life. That choice has made all the difference! That decision has made so many other decisions easier. That decision has given me purpose and direction. It has also helped me weather the storms of life. Let me share two examples:

First, when my wife Dantzel unexpectedly passed away, I could not reach any of our children. There I was, alone, devastated, and crying out for help. Gratefully, through His Spirit, the Lord taught me why my dear Dantzel had been taken home. With that understanding, I was comforted. Over time, I was better able to cope with my grief. Later, I married my beloved wife Wendy. She was a central part of my second example.

When Wendy and I were on assignment in a distant land, armed robbers put a gun to my head and pulled the trigger. But the gun did not fire. Throughout that experience, both of our lives were threatened. Yet Wendy and I felt an undeniable peace. It was the peace “which passeth all understanding.”

Brothers and sisters, the Lord will comfort you too! He will strengthen you. He will bless you with peace, even amidst chaos.

The Lord Jesus Christ.

Please listen to this promise of Jesus Christ to you: “I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”

There is no limit to the Savior’s capacity to help you. His incomprehensible suffering in Gethsemane and on Calvary was for you! His infinite Atonement is for you!

I urge you to devote time each week—for the rest of your life—to increase your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. My heart aches for those who are mired in sin and don’t know how to get out. I weep for those who struggle spiritually or who carry heavy burdens alone because they do not understand what Jesus Christ did for them.

Jesus Christ took upon Himself your sins, your pains, your heartaches, and your infirmities. You do not have to bear them alone! He will forgive you as you repent. He will bless you with what you need. He will heal your wounded soul. As you yoke yourself to Him, your burdens will feel lighter. If you will make and keep covenants to follow Jesus Christ, you will find that the painful moments of your life are temporary. Your afflictions will be “swallowed up in the joy of Christ.”

It is neither too early nor too late for you to become a devout disciple of Jesus Christ. Then you will experience fully the blessings of His Atonement. You will also be more effective in helping to gather Israel.

Jesus Christ’s Second Coming.

My dear brothers and sisters, in a coming day, Jesus Christ will return to the earth as the millennial Messiah. So today I call upon you to rededicate your lives to Jesus Christ. I call upon you to help gather scattered Israel and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord. I call upon you to talk of Christ, testify of Christ, have faith in Christ, and rejoice in Christ!

Come unto Christ and “offer your whole [soul]” to Him. This is the secret to a life of joy!

The best is yet to come, my dear brothers and sisters, because the Savior is coming again! The best is yet to come because the Lord is hastening His work. The best is yet to come as we fully turn our hearts and our lives to Jesus Christ.

I bear my solemn witness that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I am His disciple. I am honored to be His servant. At His Second Coming, “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” That day will be filled with joy for the righteous!

Through the power of the sacred priesthood keys I hold, I declare this truth to you and to all the world! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Notes

1. Manti Utah Temple rededication (President Russell M. Nelson, April 21); Urdaneta Philippines Temple (President Dallin H. Oaks, April 28); Puebla Mexico Temple (Elder Gerrit W. Gong, May 19); Taylorsville Utah Temple (Elder Gerrit W. Gong, June 2); Cobán Guatemala Temple (Elder Dale G. Renlund, June 9); Salta Argentina Temple (Elder D. Todd Christofferson, June 16); Layton Utah Temple (Elder David A. Bednar, June 16); Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple (Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, September 15); Mendoza Argentina Temple (Elder Ronald A. Rasband, September 22).

2. San Pedro Sula Honduras Temple (October 13); Salvador Brazil Temple (October 20); Deseret Peak Utah Temple (November 10); Casper Wyoming Temple (November 24); Tallahassee Florida Temple (December 8).

3. See Doctrine and Covenants 88:73.

4. Isaiah 40:5; see also George Frideric Handel, “And the Glory of the Lord,” The Messiah, ed. T. Tertius Noble (1912), 16–18.

5. Isaiah 9:6.

6. See Zechariah 14:4–7; Doctrine and Covenants 45:48–66; 133:19–21; see also Micah 4:2: “For the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

7. Articles of Faith 1:10; see also Ether 13:3–10; Doctrine and Covenants 84:2–4.

8. Revelation 19:16; Revelation 17:14.

9. See Alma 34:32.

10. You may feel to say, as did Ammon, “Who can glory too much in the Lord? … Behold, … I cannot say the smallest part which I feel” (Alma 26:16).

11. See Helaman 5:12.

12. Philippians 4:7.

13. Doctrine and Covenants 84:88.

14. See Alma 7:11–12; see also Luke 4:18.

15. See Alma 7:12.

16. See Psalm 147:3; Jacob 2:8.

17. See Mosiah 24:14.

18. Alma 31:38.

19. See 2 Nephi 25:26.

20. Omni 1:26.