Lesson 144: Doctrine and Covenants 133–134

Doctrine and Covenants 133:41–56

“Who Is This That Cometh Down from God?”

When Jesus Christ returns, the faithful will be prepared for Him (see Doctrine and Covenants 133:56). The Savior’s teachings in Doctrine and Covenants 133 can help us learn more about Him and prepare for His Second Coming. This lesson can help students better understand the attributes and character of Jesus Christ.

Possible Learning Activities

The Savior’s Second Coming

Consider displaying a picture depicting the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Students could also describe or, if possible, display favorite images of His Second Coming.

Ponder the following statement by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles while imagining what the Savior’s Second Coming will be like.

Our faith grows as we anticipate the glorious day of the Savior’s return to the earth. The thought of His coming stirs my soul. It will be breathtaking! The scope and grandeur, the vastness and magnificence, will exceed anything mortal eyes have ever seen or experienced. (Neil L. Andersen, “Thy Kingdom Come,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 122)

• What words or phrases stand out to you? What additional words might you use to describe the Second Coming?

  Explain to students that after Jesus Christ invited us to prepare for His Second Coming (see Doctrine and Covenants 133:10), He revealed more about His character and attributes. He shared things that will be manifested at the time of His coming and during the events leading up to it.

  You could then display the following questions one at a time and invite students to silently ponder their responses.

• As I think about the Savior’s Second Coming, do I usually focus more on events that will take place or on who is returning to earth?

• What difference could it make if I focus more on Jesus Christ than on events surrounding His return?

Invite students to seek guidance from the Holy Ghost to learn more about Jesus Christ and His Second Coming as they study today.

To help students learn more about what will take place at the Second Coming and about who will return, consider inviting them to copy the following chart into their study journals. Students could work in partnerships, with each partner completing a different column. After sufficient time, partners could share with each other what they found and complete the other column.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 133:42–53, and record in the appropriate column what you find.

What will take place at the Second Coming	What I learn about Jesus Christ

If students have questions about the phrase “terrible things” in verse 43, explain that terrible can mean frightful or severe. If students have questions about the Savior’s clothing in verses 46–48, consider sharing what President Russell M. Nelson taught: At the Second Coming, Jesus will wear “royal robes of red to symbolize His blood, which oozed from every pore” (“The Future of the Church: Preparing the World for the Savior’s Second Coming,” Ensign, Apr. 2020, 10).

The Savior’s attributes

After students share with their partner what they included in their charts, consider writing “Jesus Christ …” on the board. Ask the following question, and invite students to come to the board and finish the phrase with their answers.

Focus on Jesus Christ as you teach the scriptures: To learn more about focusing on Jesus Christ, see the training titled “Teach about the titles, roles, and attributes of Jesus Christ,” found in Teacher Development Skills: Focus on Jesus Christ. Consider practicing the skill “Create search questions to help students identify roles, titles, symbols, attributes, and characteristics of Jesus Christ.”

• What did you learn about Jesus Christ that is meaningful to you? Why is it meaningful to you?

  Students might identify truths such as the following:

  • Jesus Christ …

  • … is just and powerful (see verses 44–45, 50–51).

  • … rewards those who wait for Him (see verse 45).

  • … is mighty to save (see verse 47).

  • … demonstrates loving-kindness and goodness (see verse 52).

  • … understands our afflictions (see verse 53).

  • … bears our burdens, carries us, and redeems us because of His love for us (see verse 53).

  You could invite students to mark in their scriptures the phrases that teach these truths.

• How can understanding these attributes and characteristics of Jesus Christ benefit your life?

• How do these descriptions of Christ affect your feelings about His Second Coming?

Deepening our understanding of the Savior’s characteristics

The following activity can help students understand more about the Savior. Display the following three steps to help students understand the activity.

Before students begin the activity, you may want to give them an example like the one described below the three steps.

1. Select an attribute or characteristic of Jesus Christ from Doctrine and Covenants 133 that you would like to learn more about. Write it at the top of a blank piece of paper.

2. On your paper, write a scenario describing someone who could benefit from understanding this characteristic of Jesus Christ.

3. Include a scripture or a statement by a Church leader that deepens your understanding of the characteristic on your paper. (For help, you could look up the attribute in the Guide to the Scriptures or search it on the Gospel Library app.)

Using ideas like the following, consider modeling each step of this activity with the whole class:

• Step 1: Write the words just and powerful on the board, or circle them if they were written during the previous activity.

• Step 2: Display the following scenario. Ask students to share why some youth may feel like Sam. Ask how knowing that Jesus is just and powerful could give hope to someone who feels that way.

Sam tries his best to do what’s right, but it’s hard with so much wickedness in the world. He almost feels like evil is winning. He’s tired of the persecution and temptation that surround him.

Step 3: Write 1 Nephi 22:15–17 on the board. Invite students to read it, looking for what Nephi taught about the power and justice of Jesus Christ. After students share what they found, ask them to discuss the following question:

• What did Nephi teach about Jesus Christ that could help someone who feels like Sam?

  Invite students to select a different characteristic of Jesus Christ from Doctrine and Covenants 133 and to complete steps 1–3 of the activity in small groups (or individually if they prefer).

  After adequate time to complete the first three steps, instruct groups to exchange papers with another group. Then display steps 4–6 below.

  4. Read the characteristic of Christ, the scenario, and any scriptures or statements on the paper.

  5. After discussing with your group, write on the paper why you think understanding this characteristic of Jesus Christ could help the person in the scenario.

  6. Find and include an additional scripture or statement by a Church leader that you feel would help this individual.

Invite groups to return the papers to the original groups and to read what was added to their papers. Invite one member of each group to share with the class insights about Jesus Christ they gained from this activity.

The Savior’s attributes in your life

Consider sharing a characteristic of Jesus Christ that is meaningful to you.

Invite students to prayerfully ponder the characteristics they studied today and to answer the following questions in their study journals.

• How could understanding Christ’s characteristics that you studied today strengthen you in your life right now?

• What can you do to learn more about those characteristics?

To conclude, a few willing students could share what they wrote along with other feelings they have about Jesus Christ.

Additional Resources

Where can I learn more about the imagery used in Doctrine and Covenants 133:41–45?

The Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual (2018) for institute gives possible interpretations of some of the imagery in Doctrine and Covenants 133:41–45 (see page 819).

Doctrine and Covenants 133:45. What does it mean to wait for the Savior’s return?

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

We should watch for the signs and read the meaning of the seasons, we should live as faithfully as we possibly can, and we should share the gospel with everyone so that blessings and protections will be available to all. But we cannot and must not be paralyzed just because [the Second Coming] and the events surrounding it are out there ahead of us somewhere. We cannot stop living life. Indeed, we should live life more fully than we have ever lived it before. After all, this is the dispensation of the fulness of times. …

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. (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast” [Church Educational System fireside for young adults, Sept. 12, 2004], 2, broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

Doctrine and Covenants 133:46, 48. What is the significance of the Savior’s red apparel?

Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Having bled at every pore, how red [the Savior’s] raiment must have been in Gethsemane, how crimson that cloak!

No wonder, when Christ comes in power and glory, that He will come in reminding red attire (see D&C 133:48), signifying not only the winepress of wrath, but also to bring to our remembrance how He suffered for each of us in Gethsemane and on Calvary! (Neal A. Maxwell, “Overcome … Even as I Also Overcame,” Ensign, May 1987, 72)

Doctrine and Covenants 133:54–56. Who will appear with the Savior at the Second Coming?

The righteous who lived before Jesus Christ’s mortal ministry and have already been resurrected will come with Him in His glory. In addition, the righteous who lived and died after His mortal ministry will be resurrected and come forth to join the Savior. 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 (1 Thessalonians 4:17; see also Doctrine and Covenants 109:75).

Supplemental Learning Activities

The preface and appendix of the Doctrine and Covenants

Invite students to turn to the “Chronological Order of Contents” at the beginning of the Doctrine and Covenants. Help them identify what is unique about the placement of sections 1 and 133 in the Doctrine and Covenants. Explain that when Church leaders were preparing to publish the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants, known first as the Book of Commandments, the Lord revealed what is now section 1 as the preface to the book. A few days later, He revealed what is now known as section 133. Church leaders designated it as the appendix and placed it at the end of the original book.

To identify some of the similarities between sections 1 and 133, students could work in pairs. Give each partner one of the references for each theme below. They could then read their reference, share with their partner what they learned, and discuss the similarities in what they found.

Doctrine and Covenants 1:11–13 and 133:10, 64: We are warned to prepare for the Second Coming.

Doctrine and Covenants 1:14 and 133:63: Those who reject the Lord’s message will be cut off.

Doctrine and Covenants 1:18–23 and 133:57–59: The weak things of the earth will be the Lord’s messengers to share the gospel. He will make them strong.

The goodness of God

To help students understand more about the goodness of God (see Doctrine and Covenants 133:52), consider sharing the following statement by Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

The consistency of pleas from prophets to reflect on the goodness of God is striking. Our Heavenly Father wants us to recall His and His Beloved Son’s goodness, not for Their own gratification but for the influence such remembrance has on us. By considering Their kindness, our perspective and understanding are enlarged. By reflecting on Their compassion, we become more humble, prayerful, and steadfast. (Dale G. Renlund, “Consider the Goodness and Greatness of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 41)

You could then watch “Consider the Goodness and Greatness of God” from time code 1:23 to 5:43, looking for how Tom benefited from the goodness of his grandson. Students could discuss how reflecting on Christ’s goodness can benefit and transform them.

Loving-kindness

An attribute of Jesus Christ is loving-kindness (see verse 52). To help students understand what loving-kindness is and the effect it can have on others, consider watching “Love—the Essence of the Gospel” from time code 3:18 to 6:01.

You could then discuss answers to questions like the following:

• How could Bernice’s kindness to Arlene be an example of Christlike loving-kindness?

• How was Arlene blessed because of Bernice’s loving-kindness?

• How have you been blessed by the Savior’s loving-kindness?