Click here to access the updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Guadeloupe. The Church has made good progress with local leadership development although the total number of members in the islands remains less than 600. See below for the Future Prospects section of this article:
Moderate-to-low levels of receptivity, commensurate congregational and membership growth during the 2000s, an adequately-sized missionary force to service the population, and developed local leadership in many areas suggest a more positive outlook for future growth in the coming years compared to other islands in the Lesser Antilles with strong ties to Western Europe. The late establishment of the Church on Guadeloupe resulted in Latter-day Saints missing the window of opportunity in which the population was most receptive to missionary outreach. The closure of four congregations in the early 2010s may discourage the creation of more member groups or branches until established branches become large enough to divide. Greater numbers of local members serving full-time missions, the establishment of additional congregations, and efficiently utilizing limited missionary resources will be necessary to continue church growth into the 2020s and maintain and increase current levels of self-sufficiency.
Is there no help for a motherless son? Famous last words.
ReplyDeleteJesus is coming soon. This, next year or so the 7 year Tribulation comes. That's what many scholars, lds too, believe That's why pres. Nelson's recent & coming changes. It would be good to talk about this.
ReplyDeleteNo one knows the hour. He will come like a thief in the knight. That said, when each of us die that then becomes the time of the Advent of the Lord, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteMany of the signs of the times are fulfilled. But I think a few more countries need access to the Restored Church. I may be wrong.
The Messiah could show up pretty soon.
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ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that required events and situations are occuring at an accelerating pace. What it means in terms of timing is anyone’s guess.
ReplyDeleteStrictly speaking, no man “knoweth” the time (Mark 13) means that no man knew at the time Jesus said that (was said in present tense; jesus didn’t say “no one will ever know beforehand”). In fact, we learn in Amos 3:7: Surely, the Lord will do nothing, except he...
I’m reminded that Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon is the most correct book and that a man will draw nearer to God by abiding by its precepts than by that of any other book. I believe this statement was true for a long time, but since the statement is in the present tense, there may or may not be a book currently or in the future that is or will be even better. Here is an example of how historical or cultural understandings can be improved upon by paying close attention and resisting the urge to fully conclude on meaning. If fact, whenever we think our understanding of anything is complete, we may not seek, ponder and search or otherwise be open to enlightenment which is often prerequisite for steady “line upon line, precept upon precept” learning.
I think it’s reasonable to believe that Jesus and perhaps others will know what is expedient. Also good to notice that another point Jesus makes along with his no one “knoweth” comment is that we should not believe claims about the timing of His coming from sources except those originating from Him.
Good points.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, as Eduardo observed, you make some good points. However, the Doctrine and Covenants sheds more light on that subject. In looking at D&C 49:5-7, we read the following:
ReplyDelete"Thus saith the Lord; for I am God, and have sent mine Only Begotten Son into the world for the redemption of the world, and have decreed that he that receiveth him shall be saved, and he that receiveth him not shall be damned—
"And they have done unto the Son of Man even as they listed; and he has taken his power on the right hand of his glory, and now reigneth in the heavens, and will reign till he descends on the earth to put all enemies under his feet, which time is nigh at hand—
"I, the Lord God, have spoken it; but the hour and the day no man knoweth, neither the angels in heaven, nor shall they know until he comes."
One thing I take away from those verses is that the Second Coming may be one exception to the promise in Amos. Perhaps the prophets and apostles may have more forewarning about the timing thereof than the rest of us do, but if we take the scriptures as written (which I always do, unless the doctrine therein is subsequently clarified or corrected), we see that "no man knoweth" the hour, "nor shall they know until he comes." That's a pretty definitive declaration.
But let me take this further. FairMormon has long been a site to explain points of Latter-day doctrine that are in question. An entire page is devoted to this subject, and much of it puts Doctrine and Covenants 130 (particularly the verses relating to the Second Coming) into better context. That page can be found at the following address:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.fairmormon.org/answers/Question:_Did_Joseph_Smith_prophesy_that_Jesus_Christ_would_return_in_1890%3F
Particularly, the question on that page related to whether the Prophet Joseph Smith had prophesied that the Second Coming would occur sometime in 1890. But in Section 130:14-17, the Prophet notes his own confusion about the ambiguity whereby the Lord's statement was phrased.
The FairMormon page in question details more specifics which seem to imply that the timing is still unknown (and elsewhere in the scriptures, the Lord notes that only His Father knows the hour, a statement which, to my knowledge, has never been retracted, corrected, or clarified by anyone in authority to do so).
That said, are there indications? Of course. Patriarchs are set apart specifically with gifts that enable them to have a small measure of the gift of seership (as the blessings they provide can provide insight into lineage and the desires the Lord has for each individual, as well as references to what may be ahead for all of us). My reason for referencing that fact is because in my patriarchal blessing, I was told this is the "Saturday evening" of time. Most people see the evening hours at somewhere between 5:00-8:00 PM. And if my patriarchal blessing is correct, then speaking in terms of the "world's time", there may only be a few "hours" left until the Lord returns at midnight.
With that in mind, and bearing in mind that gospel scholars and prophets have put the fall of Adam occurring somewhere between 4,000 and 3,000 BC. And if that is the case, then that puts us as being within the sixth seal as described in Revelation. The question of where the world might be timewise between the sixth and seventh seals gets a little more sketchy. What we do know is that the Lord has said: "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." So while I am somewhat intrigued to find out how soon He might come back, I am far more personally concerned about making sure I personally and my family members are ready for whenever it actually occurs.
Others may choose not to read the material I have provided herein, and that is their prerogative. But the statement that "no man knoweth the hour" has been reiterated in modern times in the Doctrine and Covenants and the words of modern apostles and prophets, and I have no reason to believe that is no longer the case. If the Lord withheld or was ambiguous about the answer to that question when it was asked by the Prophet Joseph Smith, through whom the Lord revealed much that is necessary for this dispensation, perhaps the current prophets and apostles don't know either, and I might suggest they don't need to know. Their calling is to prepare the world in general and the Church in particular for whenever it occurs, and they have been doing so.
Whether or not the changes we have seen is a sign that that day is closer is harder to pin down, but it might just be a fulfillment of the Lord's promise: "I will hasten my work in its' time." I hope these observations and thoughts, such as they are, are helpful to all who read them, and that no one is offended thereby, which was not in any way my intent. Thanks to you all for continuing to increase my understanding of topics covered in these blog posts, and in the various comment threads.
If I can change the subject here for just a moment, I wanted to note that the Church News has reported a recent visit Elder Soares made to the Caribbean Area of the Church, and during his assignment there, he dedicated the island nation of Curaçao for the preaching of the gospel, which is a major milestone, to be sure. You can read more on that in the article below:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders-and-ministry/2019-03-08/elder-soares-shares-how-gods-promised-blessings-are-being-claimed-in-caribbeans-isles-of-the-sea-49155