50 Signs of the Times and the Second Coming

by David J. Ridges

"Signs of the Times" are prophecies given by the Lord to bear witness that the last days are here and that the Second Coming of the Savior will occur soon. As His return grows closer, more and more of these signs are being fulfilled. In this book, David J. Ridges describes 50 of these prophecies, placing them in one of three general categories. Each prophecy is designated
1. Fulfilled
2. Being Fulfilled
3. Yet Future The format is concise and makes it easy for the reader to see these signs of the times at a glance and get more information about each one as desired. A detailed explanation of the actual events which will take place at the Second Coming is also included.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Lds, Spirituality, Reference

154 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

About the author

David J. Ridges taught for the Church Educational System for thirty-five years. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Brigham Young University and taught adult religion and Know Your Religion classes for BYU Continuing Education and spoke at BYU Campus Education Week for many years.

Ridges has served as a curriculum writer for Sunday School, seminary, and institute of religion manuals. His callings in the Church include Gospel Doctrine teacher, bishop, stake president, and patriarch. He and his wife, Janette, have served two full-time Church Educational System missions. They are the parents of six children and are enjoying a growing number of grandchildren. They reside in Springville, Utah.

Reviews

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely clear and insightful - answered a lot of questions I had and provided information I didn’t know in ways I could easily comprehend. Helpful if you’re familiar with the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

So so good. Some people, I think, have read this and wanted the author to just give a bullet list of the things that are going to happen leading up to the Second Coming, kind of like a magic ball. But that is not what this book is about really. While he does outline the things that the prophets and scriptures already clearly outlined, he explains them, explains what people usually try to determine regarding the Second Coming (whether correct or not), and what it is we *should* be doing to prepare for these things, how to correctly interpret them, etc. Enlightening and refreshing. I think that if the reader already has a decent understanding through the scriptures and the Holy Ghost about how to 'read' the signs of the times, then this book is a good refresher on that. It add some insight to that understanding. But if the reader is not familiar with or does not have an understanding of these things, and is not familiar with how the Spirit speaks to them for personal inspiration/revelation, then this book may be a let-down, precisely because it *does not* act as a magic ball, telling us all things that we *want* to know but are unprepared to know. And I really appreciate that about the book. It's not like some big secret, and I'm not insinuating that I know all things through the Spirit either. But I have read and studied the scriptures and prophets enough to have a decent basic understanding, and I'm not looking for someone to unfold the entire future before me. I'm looking for further light and knowledge, to better prepare myself for the Second Coming, whenever it might happen. I'm not very concerned with the "when" it will happen, as I am with the question of 'how ready am I personally?'.

I enjoyed the book a lot.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. I read the first third a couple months ago and just finished the rest today.

As with many Signs of the Second Coming books, the interpretations in this were frequently overly prescribed, overly literal, or too out of date to feel relevant. A lot has happened in the 20 years since this book as published and I feel like the approach, application, and analysis would be different if written for today's church. A decent overview of relevant scriptures and a decent overview of righteous perspectives to take in the face of signs, but the interpretation of scriptures was a little misplaced in my opinion.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This talked about 50 different signs of the times - many have been fulfilled, some being fulfilled, and some future. It is very interesting. He quotes much scripture and quotes from the Authorities.

[Micah Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written with lots of quotes from the scriptures and modern day prophets. Some interesting, but practical, takes on things like the mark of the beast. Is love to see how he updates the signs as times continue on.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. I thought is was done well enough that I would recommend it to others who are seeking to understand the prophetic signs of the times. Do, I need to re-read it? No, once was enough. It was pretty short and too the point.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Self-explanatory, nothing really new.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great read on the second coming. There was no speculation and opinions. Ridges isn’t afraid to admit that there are things unknown. I found the book very fascinating. Recommended

[Dorry Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading about the signs of the second coming of our Savior. David Ridges does such a good job
using scriptures . Makes me want to try harder to be ready if He come during my lifetime.

[Ethan Chappell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great overview of the signs of the second coming and I like how it ironed it out a little bit.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book, so informative.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent. I really like the way the author explains things using scriptures. It really makes understanding the signs before the second coming easier to understand.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how he lays out all the signs and if they have been fulfilled or not. I felt the spirit as I read and found it to be strangely, very comforting as well.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked that it taught us to have the right perspective of the signs (ie the signs should help us increase our faith- not to make us scared).

And it gave me a new insight into what the scriptures are talking about. It is interesting what the general authorities and prophets have said, too.

I was just a little disappointed in what it actually had to say. I guess it was a stepping stone, and I guess not much more can be said unless a general authority or a prophet says something on the matter, which probably won't happen much.

I guess that I come away thinking that I should read that book that he took the scripture references from, and then do a search for quotes about these scriptures- I might get more.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me some peace. I have always been quite terrified of the last days ( I mean really, really last days) and the Second Coming. I have had dreams about it since I was quite young that stuck with me and scared me. So, I bought this little book and it actually helped me to feel excited for those events rather than paranoid. Sometimes when I get distressed about the way things are now, I will go back to this book to get calm again. When reading about topics like this, I think it is important to find an author who is a reasonable authority, not just Joe Blow writing a book. The book should also reference the scriptures, not be conjecture and opinion.

[Sherilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ridges explains in great detail 50 signs of the times and of the second coming, using scriptural references, and quotes from general authorities/prophets. I like that he quotes all his references word for word in his book. I almost want to call it a handbook or reference guide because of all the information he has gleaned to place in this handy book. He displays the information from a positive angle and quotes President Hinckley stating that this is the best time to be alive in the history of man.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Answered so many questions. Went right along with the scriptures.

[goddess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up in my father's library while everyone else was watching a movie (just can't get into John Wayne....), so I did a quick read--not thorough. But it's a pretty short book as it is. It's very interesting. I like the conciseness in outlining the signs of the times as well as pointing out the significances. I definitely gained some new perspectives and insight on a couple of topics.....which I always love.

[Sandra Munro · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was disappointingly shallow, I thought. It's essentially a collection of what we can all access ourselves, which I was expecting, but I suppose I was hoping for a more thorough collection of all that has been written and taught on this topic - which might have been an aid to added insights. Nope. It's quite a superficial treatment of a magnificently complex subject. This is not the definitive text.

[Sirpa Grierson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly written and helpful catalog of what has been fulfilled, what can be viewed as currently happening, and the few things that still have to occur before the Second Coming. Hmmm . . . Are we running out of time? I found this succinct and informative.

[Erin L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthwhile read. Not a ton of new information, but the way it's compiled gives a greater overall understanding to the events leading to Christ's Second Coming. Plus, there's lots of scriptural references quoted and LDS Church leader commentaries that help support the author's statements.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. the last days signs have always fascinated me. I like how the author sticks with fact and doesn't speculate as you will see in some "last days fiction" books. I already knew most of these signs, but I did learn a lot at the same time. an inspiration to be ready each day!

[Katieb (MundieMoms) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to read!

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Positive perspective on the signs of the times. More like a list with brief discussions on each one. Highly recommended.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how it outlined what many of the signs are and which ones have been fulfilled already. It also explained some in detail that were a little hazy for me. Interesting.

[angelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

[Suzette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy for me to understand, number by number. Very interesting!

[Sonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very informative and also inspired hope and faith. Loved it.

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book some time ago, but I liked it so well I read it twice before I returned it to the library.

[Ragan]

I just got this one and am working my way though the intro. It is good so far. This is a topic I am very interested in and would like to learn more about.