How To Be Ready For The Second Coming Of Jesus Christ
No one knows the day or the hour — so what does it actually mean to be ready for the Second Coming? Elder Dallin H. Oaks calls the arithmetic of the ten virgins “chilling,” and points to the one kind of preparation almost everyone neglects. Here is how to keep your lamp full today and face that day without fear.
In this video, Elder Dallin H. Oaks and Elder D. Todd Christofferson teach that because we cannot know the timing of the Second Coming, the readiness that matters is spiritual preparation made now — through repentance, covenant-keeping, and service.
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Quotes in this video
The arithmetic of this parable is chilling. The ten virgins obviously represent members of Christ’s Church, for all were invited to the wedding feast and all knew what was required to be admitted when the bridegroom came. But only half were ready when he came.
Four matters are indisputable to Latter-day Saints: (1) The Savior will return to the earth in power and great glory to reign personally during a millennium of righteousness and peace. (2) At the time of His coming there will be a destruction of the wicked and a resurrection of the righteous. (3) No one knows the time of His coming, but (4) the faithful are taught to study the signs of it and to be prepared for it.
We need to make both temporal and spiritual preparation for the events prophesied at the time of the Second Coming. And the preparation most likely to be neglected is the one less visible and more difficult—the spiritual. A 72-hour kit of temporal supplies may prove valuable for earthly challenges, but, as the foolish virgins learned to their sorrow, a 24-hour kit of spiritual preparation is of greater and more enduring value.
We have faith in the future, and we are preparing for that future. To borrow a metaphor from the familiar world of athletic competitions, we do not know when this game will end, and we do not know the final score, but we do know that when the game finally ends, our team wins.
Read the full talks
- Dallin H. Oaks — Preparation for the Second Coming (April 2004)
- D. Todd Christofferson — Preparing for the Lord’s Return (April 2019)
Go deeper with the speakers
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President Dallin H. OaksPresident of the Church (since Oct 2025)Book: The Lord's WayAmazon Deseret Book
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President D. Todd ChristoffersonSecond Counselor in the First PresidencyBook: The Good That Men Can DoAmazon Deseret Book
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