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The Destiny of the Church

At the Church's sesquicentennial conference in 1980, Elder Bruce R. McConkie spoke of the Church's progress to date and of its future destiny. Using symbolic terms, he likened the Church's present achievements to standing on a majestic and glorious mountain peak: "From where we stand, on the peak of 150 years of progress, the view is glorious indeed." The stone foreseen by the prophet Daniel is rolling forward towards its destiny of filling the whole earth. (See Dan. 2:34-35.) Prophet after prophet labors to prepare the faithful for the Savior's second coming. "Our joy and rejoicing is not in what lies below," Elder McConkie continued, "not in our past-great and glorious as that is-but in our present and in our future." Our sorrows and sufferings are not all behind us, he cautioned. "We shall yet be tempted with more severe trials... than we have ever known before .... "

"From the top of the peak... we can look forward, crest upon crest, to the Zion of God which one day will be ours if we walk in the course charted by those who have gone before." Unfortunately, not all will attain this goal. "We weep for those in the true Church who are weak and wayward and worldly and who fall by the wayside as the caravan of the kingdom rolls forward."

Elder McConkie anticipated the time when the gospel would be preached with success in all nations. "We see the Lord break down the barriers so that the world of Islam and the world of communism can hear the message of the Restoration." He looked forward to stakes being organized throughout the earth. In temples, which will dot the earth, "those of every nation and kindred and tongue and people can receive the fullness of the ordinances of the house of the Lord and can qualify to live and reign as kings and priests on earth a thousand years." There will be a rich outpouring of the Holy Spirit, together with revelations, gifts, and miracles. Because of this, Elder McConkie emphasized, faithful souls are "born again, · . . . sanctified by the power of the Spirit, and they prepare themselves to dwell with God and Christ and holy beings in the eternal kingdom.

"Truly the world is and will be in commotion," Elder McConkie concluded, "but the Zion of God will be unmoved. The wicked and ungodly shall be swept from the Church, and the little stone will continue to grow until it fills the whole earth." 1

Prophecies in the Doctrine and Covenants and other scriptures similarly speak of these future conditions through which the Church must pass before the glorious second coming of Christ. The consistent message is a "voice of warning" to the Saints to prepare for that which is to come. Church organizations and programs are intended to aid in this preparation.

In 1823, Moroni declared "that the time was at hand for the Gospel in all its fullness to be preached in power, unto all nations that a people might be prepared for the Millennial reign." 2 During the 1960s a member of one of the priesthood correlation committees recalled: