Standard of Truth S6E9 Prepare, Don’t Predict the Second Coming
Feb 26, 2026
A deep dive into why shaky sourcing fuels end-times certainty and anxiety. They unpack how cherry-picked quotes and late accounts warp historical claims. The Joseph Smith Papers are used as a model for checking sources. Practical counsel focuses on daily spiritual preparation, following living prophets, and avoiding sensational online speculation.
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Verify Sources Before Sharing End Times Claims
- Do prioritize authoritative, corroborated sources before sharing dramatic claims about the Second Coming.
- Gerrit shows how a YouTuber used an unauthorized leak and a single James Burgess version to argue prophetic knowledge, which is unreliable.
Prepare By Following Prophetic Counsel Not Clickbait
- Do focus on living prophetic counsel instead of chasing speculative signs and online theories.
- Gerrit points to President Nelson and President Oaks: temple attendance, Book of Mormon study, and Holy Ghost testimony as preparation steps.
Corroboration Trumps Single Sensational Accounts
- Insight: Corroboration across multiple contemporaneous reports matters more than a lone sensational account.
- Gerrit compares multiple firsthand minutes of Joseph's April 6, 1843 discourse to a lone James Burgess version that likely relied on a later, secondhand source.