What is the meaning of the phrase “the Father hath made bare his holy arm”? (3 Nephi 20:35). “In ancient times, men prepared for battle by throwing their cloak away from the shoulder of their fighting arm (Ps. 74:11). At the second coming of Christ, God will make bare his arm when he shows forth his power for all to see (D&C 133:2–3)” (Donald W. Parry, Jay A. Parry, Tina M. Peterson, Understanding Isaiah [1998], 466).
In our day the Lord reveals His power in the great latter-day work of the Restoration. Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that this is true today just as it was during the great events of the early days of the Church: “Now, my brethren, ‘these are [your] days’ (Helaman 7:9) in the history of the Church. Mark well what kind of days they will be, days when, with special visibility, the Lord will ‘make bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations’ (D&C 133:3). God will also ‘hasten’ His work (D&C 88:73). He will also ‘shorten’ the last days ‘for the elect’s sake’ (Matthew 24:22); hence, there will be a compression of events (see Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:20). Furthermore, ‘all things shall be in commotion’ (D&C 88:91). Only those in the process of becoming the men and women of Christ will be able to keep their spiritual balance” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1992, 57; or Ensign, May 1992, 39).