In this earth’s existence, it’s 11:59,
Yet the world races onward, like everything is fine.
And people seem to say “Eat, drink, and let’s be merry!”
Even the “faithful” dally with, “We see the bridegroom tarry.”

So they stop being watchful and seem to all move on,
And ere they’re aware their lamp-oil is all but gone.
Thus being caught in Babylon, they go about their life,
Deliberately unaware of approaching deadly strife.

Yet a sifting soon is coming of the wheat and of the tares,
And the soul that will be saved, is the one who now prepares.
So go and fill your lamps; make sure they brightly shine.
Make haste, do not delay; it’s 11:59!

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Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. . . .  What comes to mind?  A clock, of course.  I wish to talk for a minute about time.  Not time as carefully measured in Greenwich, London, and disseminated around the globe, and not time as measured in mortal seconds, minutes and hours.  I wish to talk about our place in time in relation to the earth’s existence and destiny.

I was recently lying in bed.  I should have been sleeping but my mind was working overtime on a problem at hand.  Feeling a little frustrated that I didn’t seem to be getting anywhere with it, I decided to set it aside for another day.  Glancing at the clock, I was surprised to see that it was just after midnight.  As I lay there willing sleep to envelop me, I remembered something that formed the basis of this poem.  Out came the pen and paper.

Do you know there is a doomsday clock?  Apparently, there is a group that advances or sets back our approach to doomsday—midnight—based on world events.  They recently moved us forward.  According to them we are now just mere moments from 12 o’ clock sharp. 

In addition to mortal and secular analyzing of current events, we as members of the Church know we are in the last days.  Though we may not know the day nor the hour, current events, the degradation of society, and the dramatic demonic uptick in the war being waged in the hearts of mankind all point to difficult days ahead.  Whether we see the fulfillment of prophecy and the second coming of Christ in our lifetime, or if our days just see the ever-increasing difficulty of living righteous lives in an increasingly wicked world, it doesn’t matter.  Either way, we must actively prepare.

And in all our preparations, timeliness is key.  All throughout scripture are repeated warnings to not delay.  For delay can be catastrophic—physically and spiritually.  The Lord cautions us to hearken lest we be overtaken and, “in an hour when ye think not the summer shall be past, and the harvest ended, and your souls not saved” (D&C 45:2).  It is also important to remember that of all our preparations, spiritual preparation is the most important. 

For “if [we] are prepared [we] shall not fear” (D&C 38:30)—even when the clock strikes twelve. 

Written: August 25, 2017