Gospel Doctrine lesson 21

Posted on by

I’ve posted on my personal blog lesson 21 of the New Testament Gospel Doctrine class.

It discusses Matthew 24 on the signs of the times.  I go in depth on the Abomination of Desolation, sharing quotes from Josephus regarding the 70AD siege on Jerusalem that ended up killing over one million Jews.  It is not a story for the faint-hearted, as it contains mobs, rape, murder, suicide, and even cannibalism!

Read it there, and comment on it here!

http://joelsmonastery.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-testament-gospel-doctrine-lesson-21.html

This entry was posted in General by rameumptom. Bookmark the permalink.

About rameumptom

Gerald (Rameumptom) Smith is a student of the gospel. Joining the Church of Jesus Christ when he was 16, he served a mission in Santa Cruz Bolivia (1978=1980). He is married to Ramona, has 3 stepchildren and 7 grandchildren. Retired Air Force (Aim High!). He has been on the Internet since 1986 when only colleges and military were online. Gerald has defended the gospel since the 1980s, and was on the first Latter-Day Saint email lists, including the late Bill Hamblin's Morm-Ant. Gerald has worked with FairMormon, More Good Foundation, LDS.Net and other pro-LDS online groups. He has blogged on the scriptures for over a decade at his site: Joel's Monastery (joelsmonastery.blogspot.com). He has the following degrees: AAS Computer Management, BS Resource Mgmt, MA Teaching/History. Gerald was the leader for the Tuskegee Alabama group, prior to it becoming a branch. He opened the door for missionary work to African Americans in Montgomery Alabama in the 1980s. He's served in two bishoprics, stake clerk, high council, HP group leader and several other callings over the years. While on his mission, he served as a counselor in a branch Relief Society presidency.

2 thoughts on “Gospel Doctrine lesson 21”

  1. I used to spend a lot of time reading various books that tried to explain exactly what would happen before the end times. Most were LDS-inspired books, although I also read books like “Left Behind,” which clearly get it wrong. In any case, after reading many of these books I have accepted the fact that they are contradictory and misleading, for the most part. The best advice is: we don’t know exactly what will happen, but the best thing to do is keep on paying your tithing, keep on going to church, keep on reading the scriptures and holding family prayer and going to the temple and performing service. There will be tough times ahead, but you will be better prepared if you do the basic things the prophets suggest. So far, it’s working out OK.

  2. Geoff,
    I fully agree. Just as the Zealots in Jerusalem ended up destroying their own civilization by their radical actions, we may see people in our time go overboard and destroy in our day, also.

    FWIW, I knew a guy in Utah back in the 1980s. He was about 45 years old at the time. Claimed an angel told him that the Russians were soon to invade (ala Red Dawn), and he was to be in charge of a renegade squad to fight them in the Uintah mountains. He had cached food, clothing, weapons, etc, ready to lead the attack on the invaders. Almost 30 years later, no Russian invasion. In fact, the Soviet Union is collapsed without blood shed, he is now in his mid 70s and unable to lead any attack force from the Uintah Mountains, etc. What a waste of his life. Had he focused on the teachings of the prophets, he could have done many good things that really mattered.

Comments are closed.