3 Nephi 29:1

And now behold, I say unto you that when the Lord shall see fit, in his wisdom, that these sayings shall come unto the Gentiles according to his word, then ye may know that the covenant which the Father hath made with the children of Israel, concerning their restoration to the lands of their inheritance, is already beginning to be fulfilled.

The publication of the Book of Mormon is a sure sign that the gathering is beginning and the Second Coming is close at hand. We hold the fulfillment of prophecy in our hands.

Helaman 13:5

And he said unto them: Behold, I, Samuel, a Lamanite, do speak the words of the Lord which he doth put into my heart; and behold he hath put it into my heart to say unto this people that the sword of justice hangeth over this people; and four hundred years pass not away save the sword of justice falleth upon this people.

This is not exactly a prophecy of imminent destruction. Four hundred years is a long time. Unbelievers in Samuel's day scoffed at such a prophecy because it was impossible to substantiate. Yet the patience of history proved him right. The prophecies of the Second Coming do not include a specific time frame, nevertheless, we are told that the day fast approaches. It may seem to us to be as remote as Samuel's prophecy. But the prophesied day of destruction came for the Nephites, and the Second Coming will arrive one day for us or our posterity. We do not have the luxury of a fixed timetable, so we dare not procrastinate our preparation

Helaman 9:2

Behold, now we will know of a surety whether this man be a prophet and God hath commanded him to prophesy such marvelous things unto us. Behold, we do not believe that he hath; yea, we do not believe that he is a prophet; nevertheless, if this thing which he has said concerning the chief judge be true, that he be dead, then will we believe that the other words which he has spoken are true.

The rationale in this verse is that if a prophet is right about small things, it is a testament that he is also right about the important things. Prophecies are useful in and of themselves, but they are a means to an end, that end being faith in the words of the prophets when they testify of Christ. All the predictions in the world are useless unless they bring us to Christ and strengthen our faith in him.

Living prophets in our day can be put to the same test. They have prophesied of financial calamities, moral decay, and the disintegration of the family. As we see these prophecies come to pass, we must awaken to the truly important prophecy--the prophecy of every prophet in every age, namely, that Christ will come to rule and reign forever. Every day is one day closer to the fulfillment of that all-important prophecy.

Mosiah 3:13

And the Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceedingly great joy, even as though he had already come among them.

We can do the same thing today regarding the Second Coming. We do not have to wait for Christ to arrive to live like he is already present.

Second Nephi 30:15

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

The Second Coming of Christ and the establishment of Zion are favorite themes of prophecy in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Zion will surely be a unique place. The meek and the mighty will dwell side by side in peace and security. The rest of the earth may not be quite so peaceful, but in Zion peace shall reign. The implication in this verse is that when we know God, we will live peacefully. Or taken the other way, when we live peacefully, we will come to know God. It is hard to live in peace today in the noisy, busy, competitive, ruthless world. But when Christ comes, he will put such things down. We will find it easier to be peaceful when all around us is peace. And in peace, we will come to know God.