| 386 me show it unto you, even my wisdom, the wisdom of him whom ye say is the God Enoch and his brethren, who were seperated [separated] from the earth, and were received unto myself-a city reserved until a day of righteousness shall come-a day which was sought for by all holy men, and they found it not because of wickedness and abominations: and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth; but obtained a promise that they should find it, and see it in their flesh. Wherefore hearken and I will reason with you, and I will speak unto you and prophesy as unto men in days of old and I will show it plainly as I showed it unto my disciples, as I stood before them in the flesh, and spake unto them saying: As ye have asked me concerning the signs of my coming, in the day when I shall come in my glory in the clouds of heaven, to fulfil [fulfill] the promises that I have made unto your fathers: for as ye have looked upon the long absence of your spirits from your bodies to be a bondage, I will show unto you how the day of redemption shall come, and also the restoration of the scattered Israel.
And now ye behold this temple which is in Jerusalem, which ye call the house of God, and your enemies say that this house shall never fall. But verily I say unto you, that desolation shall come upon this generation as a thief in the night, and this people shall be destroyed and scattered among all nations. And this temple which ye now see, shall be thrown down that there shall not be left one stone upon another. And it shall come to pass that this generation of Jews shall not pass away, until every desolation which I have told you concerning them shall come to pass. Ye say that ye know that the end of the word [world] cometh; ye say also that ye know that the heavens and the earth shall pass away; and in this ye say truly, for so it is; but these things which I have told you, shall not pass away until all shall be fulfilled. And this I have told you concerning Jerusalem, and when that day shall come, shall a remnant be scattered among all nations, but they shall be gathered again; but they shall remain until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
And in that day shall be heard of wars and rumors of wars, and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men's hearts shall fail them, and they shall say that Christ delayeth his coming until the end of the earth. And the love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound; and when the time of the Gentiles is come in a light shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness [fullness] of my gospel; but they receive it not, for they receivs [receive] not the light, and they turn their hearts from me because of the precepts of men; and in that generation shall the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled: and there shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land: but my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die. And there shall be earthquakes, also, in divers places, and many desolations, yet men will harden their hearts against me; and they will take up the sword one against another, and they will kill one another.
And now, when I the Lord had spoken these words unto my disciples, they were troubled; and I said unto them, be not troubled, for when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you, shall be fulfilled; and when the light shall begin to break forth, it be with them like unto a parable which I will show you: ye look and behold the fig-trees, and ye see them with your eyes, and ye say when they begin to shoot forth their leaves and are yet tender, that summer is now nigh at hand: even so it shall be in that day, when they shall see all these things, then they shall know that the hour is nigh.
And it shall come to pass that he that feareth me shall be looking forth 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: and the remnant shall be gathered unto this place: and 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; and he that watches not for me shall be cut off.
But before the arm of the Lord shall fall, an angel shall sound his trump, and the saints that have slept, shall come forth to meet me in the cloud. Wherefore if ye have slept in peace, blessed are you, for as you now behold me and know that I am, even so shall ye come unto me and your souls shall live, and your redemption shall be perfected, and the saints shall come forth from the four quarters of the earth.
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 shall shake, and the Lord shall
(page 386) |
