Doctrinal Foundation for Red Sky

The earth will be restored

“We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.” – The Tenth Article of Faith

Tremendous geological changes will take place in the earth when the Lord comes. In order to understand how it will be we need to study how it was in the beginning.

The Lord will come with fire

“Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.” Psalms 50:3

What will cause this fire that will accompany the second advent of the Lord? Will his coming be accompanied by loud noises? What will be tempestuous?

The second coming will be traumatic

“Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.” Isaiah 35:4

The Lord didn’t come with a vengeance in the meridian of time. This is an obvious reference to the second advent of the Lord. How will vengeance be administered? Who will save, and from what will he save them? Why are they fearful?

Powerful changes at the Lord’s coming

“Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.” Isaiah 40:10

What is the arm of the Lord? Is it symbolic of some natural phenomenon? What is his work that will come before him? Is this in reference to a cosmological event?

The Lord will come in power

“Enoch … prophesied … the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all” Jude 14-15

The Lord comes with the City of Enoch

“… the Lord said unto Enoch: As I live, even so will I come in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance … the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve; … be looking forth for the time of my coming; … a New Jerusalem. And the Lord said unto Enoch: Then shalt thou and all thy city meet them there … and they shall see us …” Moses 7:60-63

The city of Enoch will return to the Earth. Everyone will see it. The City of Enoch was “taken up” from the earth and “fled.” A large portion of the earth will return. It may remain in close orbit above the earth when it comes. Perhaps it is very large.

Signs of the Second Coming and one great sign

“… what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? … there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows … then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet.” Matt 24:3-35

These are two different things at two different times. The coming of the Savior is at the beginning of the millennium. The end of the world is after the millennium. Famines, pestilences and earthquakes will be first, then there will be great tribulation. What is the nature of the great tribulation? I believe it is cosmological in nature. There will be the sound of a trumpet. In other scriptures it is said to be “long and loud.” Finally everyone will see the sign of the Son of man. Joseph Smith said that the world will say that it is a comet or a planet. And it will be.

Signs in the sun, moon and the stars

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Luke 21:25-27

We should look for unusual things happening in the sun and the moon at the time of the coming of the Lord. In other places we read that the sun and the moon will be darkened and that the moon will appear blood red. Even the stars will look different. Perhaps they will be in different places in the heavens because the earth will change on its axis. That will look like the stars are falling from the sky, mentioned in many other places. There will be a new heaven and a new earth.

Christ shall descend from heaven

“Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11

“… the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God.” I Thess 4:6

“… the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire …” 2 Thess 1:7-8

“… when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2

“I shall come in my glory with the powers of heaven.” 3 Ne 28:7

The Lord will descend from heaven just as he ascended to heaven. He will come down to the earth in the same manner that he descended to the Nephites. This will be after all kinds of destruction on the earth that precedes his coming. He said he would come with the City of Enoch. He will descend from that city circling above the Earth. Levitation is a pretty amazing thing – magnetic planetary interaction.

Signs before the Day of the Lord

“… the time is soon at hand that I shall come in a cloud with power and great glory. And it shall be a great day at the time of my coming, for all nations shall tremble. But before that great day shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood; and the stars shall refuse their shining, and some shall fall, and great destructions await …” D&C 34:7-9

The Lord has forewarned us and given clear indication of things that will happen before he comes again. We should look for the sun to be darkened, the moon to be blood red in color, the stars to look different, and great destructions on the earth. Some stars shall fall [to the earth] perhaps refers to portions of the earth returning.

Earth shall reel to and fro

“… look … for the great day of the Lord to come, even for the signs of the coming of the Son of Man. And they shall see signs and wonders, for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath. And they shall behold blood, and fire, and vapors of smoke. And before the day of the Lord shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars fall from heaven. … then they shall look for me, and, behold, I will come; and they shall see me in the clouds of heaven, clothed with power and great glory; with all the holy angels; … But before the arm of the Lord shall fall, an angel shall sound his trump … Then shall the arm of the Lord fall upon the nations. And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount, and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake. And the Lord shall utter his voice, and all the ends of the earth shall hear it;” D&C 45:39-49

Section 45 contains in-depth details of the signs that will precede and accompany the Lord’s advent. Every one of these phrases has particular meanings that have been used by the Lord’s prophets for millennia. We would do well to take them one by one to study and understand. Many have occurred in the past, especially during the Exodus. We can understand them best by examining historical records.

New Heavens and New Earth

“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” Isa 65:17

Things are going to dramatically change when the Lord comes again. The phrase “new heavens” to me indicates that there will be portions of the earth hovering close by. New earth means that the earth will look dramatically different. We are told elsewhere that the continents will be joined again. I am of the opinion that the waters of the ocean will be gathered at the poles, exposing much of the earth.