Last Days On Earth Glass
Malka Crickenberger
A study of the prophets and the scriptures led me to some observations on the nature of eternal worlds, and what this earth will be like when it is renewed and receives its glorified and eternal properties. Scriptural and prophetic declarations describe our Celestial Kingdom as a place of everlasting burnings. Isaiah spoke of our eternal world as a place of devouring fire:
Dr. Nibley suggested when he wrote this in Approaching Zion that such experiences were already available to some degree through the medium of television. Now most of us have an even more powerful example of what these verses promise. I have in my pocket a small black box that will, at my command, show me almost anything I want to see and tell me almost anything I want to know.
I'm so flattered that my article triggered this one, Brother Gibbons! And no matter how it all happens in the end, it will be yet another testament to the majesty, glory, and organization of our Father in Heaven. What fascinating insights you've shared here!
So my glasses broke, which was cool. I explored the dusty remains of a Warby Parker quite pointlessly - of course they didn't make the glasses on site. In fact I had no idea where or how glasses had once been made. It was never something I'd given much thought. Same with lightbulbs, canned food, microwaves, toothpaste - these were things that had just appeared out of the mysterious capitalist ether, back then. I could live without most of that stuff. Two years into wiping my ass with leaves, I'd more or less stopped pining after toilet paper. But without glasses, I couldn't see more than a foot in front of my face.
That was a mystery I'd given up solving. One morning, three years ago, I'd woken up and everyone was gone. Every human had simply ceased to exist. It took me a while to notice. The silence tipped me off: no cars, no pedestrians chattering, no glompfing around from the neighbors upstairs. Just birds.
The internet worked for three days. Then it stopped. In those three days, I'd visited the website of every news outlet I could imagine; nowhere had updated. Every forum was dead. The power lasted for a week; the water, three weeks. Then I set out in my Camry, loaded with provisions, siphoning gasoline from abandoned automobiles as I went. I drove from California to New York City.
The shapes started two days after my glasses broke. They were large, and black as the abyss - unignorable. I tried to touch one and it moved. Naturally this reduced my desire to touch it substantially.
I decided to have a good firm sit, and to rub my eyes vigorously, before considering the possibility that the shape had actually spoken an English sentence. Perhaps I was going crazier from the solitude than I thought. Perhaps the mushrooms I'd had for breakfast had been the wrong kind of mushrooms.
"But not a human," said the second shape. "Okay. Because we were tasked, our company was, with removing all humans from this planet. And we had thought, maybe a clerical error, something to that effect, had allowed a single human to be missed. Which of course would be a disaster of considerable proportion."
"Oh, it was all done in absolute accordance with galactic law, we can assure you of that," said the first shape, which I was beginning to make out had a number of fat tentacles hanging down from its top, where its face would presumably have been, had it been a thing with a face. "They were resettled on a Class 3 colony world, where I assume they live in harmony to this very day. Alles in Ordnung."
Today I would like to talk about the Second Coming, but I would like to talk specifically about two aspects that I call related but separate issues. The first aspect is the timing of the Second Coming and the second is the emphasis we sometimes place on the prophecies that tend to highlight the terrible days and tribulation that lie ahead for the generation who will witness this long-prophesied event.
Later generations were also anxious. In particular, some Christians greeted the turn of the first millennium after Christ with the belief that the end of the world was at hand. There were even some who sold all their possessions, dressed in white clothing, and waited in a prayerful attitude in fields outside their cities as the church bells tolled the dawn of a new millennium.
The proliferation of popular books, tapes, and firesides among the Latter-day Saints during the last 25 years of my adult experience demonstrates how fruitful our imaginations have been when we have attempted to interpret current affairs in light of ancient and modern prophecy without proper historical context and the prophetic and ordained authority to do so.
Even today I encounter scores of people who believe they will witness the Second Coming in their lifetime. For my part, I am now somewhat reserved and wiser. I teach my students these guiding principles: prepare a will, buy life insurance, put funds away in a retirement program, and, if they really want to be nice to their family, purchase a pre-need funeral program that includes a cemetery plot! For many of my students, this last bit of advice is a little morbid, but it makes my point. Live today as if you will meet Jesus this evening, but plan your life as though you will live to be 100 years old.
Although this description in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism is certainly accurate in placing our doctrine of the Second Coming in context with what other Jews and Christians think about the coming of the Messiah, such a view without the proper context often provides fertile ground for a growing pessimism regarding the time in which we live and the future.
For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men [and women], and there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be penetrated. . . .
The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth. [D&C 65:2]
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Sometimes, in rather dramatic fashion, things change. The revelation on priesthood in 1978 and the demise of the Soviet Union dramatically changed the boundaries of our missionary fields of labor. Who has not been grateful for the expansion of the work among our brothers and sisters across Africa, eastern Europe, and elsewhere? Thrilling stories of a new generation of Mormon pioneers living in such places as Mongolia and India and in nations unfamiliar to myself such as the island chain of Kiribati are just as spiritually exciting and stimulating as almost any story from the first 100 years of the Restoration.
Our missionaries are going forth to different nations, and . . . the Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done. [Joseph Smith, HC 4:540]
Certainly we are mortal. We do face challenges. We need to be realistic about the effects of a fallen world; nevertheless, we need to see the glass as being half full. Recalling the words of Elder Neal A. Maxwell might help us put future events in context:
Days of Nature is an annual charity event celebrating Earth Day by highlighting real-life ecological and environmental issues that usually happens around mid-April and lasts until the beginning of May. As part of the celebrations, Sky encourages players to make a difference in the real world by partnering with charities that take concrete action to clean and protect our planet, to whom they donate part of the net profit from IAP sales.
Nature-themed IAPs are available from the in-game shop, and the Nature Guide Spirit offers various cosmetics from their Friendship Tree. Free Spells to try all of these items can also be collected from the Sleepy Traveler's boat at Home, the Spell Shop in Aviary Village, or the Nature Gift Box found at the event area.
This year the event will again offer special IAPs, both new and returning, to support charity efforts focused on real-world cleanup work in oceans and waterways. A little more than half of the total list price for each item sold will be donated. For a more detailed breakdown of the numbers, see the event blog post on ThatSkyGame's Website.
Players could also buy additional Tickets (costing 2 or 6 each) from the Sleepy Traveler's boat at Home, the Spell Shop in Aviary Village, or the Nature Gift Box found at both the event area and Aviary Event Store.
The Nature Wave Pack contains two items: the Nature Wave Cape and 75 . The Nature Wave Cape is a dark blue Cape with a rippled texture that features two light blue stripes around the neckline. This pack was introduced in 2024 and was available for $19.99[1] from the Premium Candle Shop for the duration of the event.
The Nature Wave-Touched Hair is medium-length with wavy curls, a lopsided crown braid, and blue dip-dye. This Hair was introduced in 2024 and was available for $6.99[1] from the Premium Candle Shop for the duration of the event.
The Ocean Mask is dark gray and features a wavy blue streak dotted with bright sparkles that stretches from above the left eye to below the right. This Mask was introduced in 2024 and was available for 16 from the Nature Guide at Prairie Peaks, Home, and Aviary Village for the duration of the event.