"Looking Forward" to the Second Coming

I've been asked to give a lesson on the second coming of Jesus Christ, as taught in the Gospel Principles manual. As I started looking over the manual to see what I should teach, I couldn't help noticing that the first section of the chapter is "Looking Forward to the Savior's Second Coming." The phrase "Looking Forward" can have at least two meanings. The first is that there's some future event and we're waiting for it to happen. The second is that there's a future even and we're anxiously, and/or perhaps excitedly waiting for it to happen. We can "look forward" to the second coming in either or both senses of the phrase, but since the phase they used may imply, but not necessarily implies, that we might be excited about the second coming, it made me wonder. Are we? Should we be? Why, or why not?

Last Sunday, we had a class on the Signs of the Second Coming, where we mentioned that there would be wars, natural disasters, and other causes of distress, which would intensify until the Savior's return, at which point, I believe they would stop. We may want the second coming to be delayed, so the wars and other disasters won't get any more frequent or terrible than they already are, or we may wish that the Savior would come quickly, to get all the turmoil over with and usher in the Millennium of peace.

When the Savior comes, He will cleanse the Earth from wickedness, mostly by cleansing the Earth from the wicked. We may wish for that to happen sooner rather than later, so there would be fewer (or no) wicked people in the world, but some of us may feel less ready for such harsh judgement to occur. Those of us who aren't completely sure we'll be counted as righteous enough to live on the Earth during the Millennium amy want more time for repentance and self-improvement.

But really, those are the only two reasons I can think of for not being excited about the second coming: worsening disasters and not feeling ready for the purge. I wrote up a short paragraph about the fact that Jesus will rule the world during the Millennium, and I called into question what His laws might be and how strictly He might enforce them, but I realize that I'm grasping at straws with that one, so I decided to delete it.

On the other hand, even though I can only think of two reasons not to be excited about the second coming, for me, those two reasons are enough. My hometown hasn't been hit by any natural disasters yet, and I'm sure it's only a matter of time. I'm not looking forward to that. Also, I have my struggles, spiritually. I'm sure that, if we're honest, we all do. I'm sure I'm not worthy to live in Christ's presence. Am I even worthy to live on the same planet as Him? I don't know. And if I'm not worthy, I'd rather keep on not knowing than have it made (literally) painfully obvious by a scorching blast of holy fire. That would probably be the most painful moment of my life, in more ways than one.

So, no, I'm not "looking forward" to the second coming. I know I should be, because the Millennium will be pretty wonderful, for those who live long enough to see it. I'd guess that the best way to get excited about the second coming is to prepare for it. Natural disasters can be prepared for. There are plenty of resources for those who seek advice on how to be prepared for an emergency. And I suppose the only way to prepare, spiritually, for the second coming is to keep trying to repent and improve, and to increase my faith in the power of the Atonement. I don't think it has been said anywhere that only perfect people will be allowed to live on the Earth during the Millennium, so there's still hope for us all.

We need to prepare for the second coming. Sooner or later, it's going to happen. And if we're prepared for it, and especially if we feel prepared for it, we might even be excited about it, and then it may be said that we are indeed "looking forward" to the second coming.