With the exception of Paul, Christ’s early apostles seemed to think that the Second Coming was to be in their day, or shortly thereafter. When Moroni first visited Joseph Smith, he recited Bible scriptures about the last days and the Second Coming and then said that these things were soon to be (JS-Hist 39:36-41). Accordingly, Joseph wondered if the Second Coming would occur during his lifetime. After praying very earnestly to know the time of the coming of the Son of Man, he was given an evasive answer by the Lord. (DC 130:14-17)
If the early apostles thought his coming might be in their day and it wasn’t, and Joseph Smith thought that his coming might be in his day and it wasn’t, are we to conclude that the Lord will not come in our day, either? The scripture answers this question for us, saying ye need not say that the Lord delays his coming. If his coming was close in the days of Joseph Smith, how much closer is it now?
A careful review of the signs of the times demonstrates that things are close. In Mormon Doctrine (pp. 715-734) Elder McConkie lists 51 signs of the times. By interpretation, 39 of these signs have already been fulfilled, 8 of them must yet be fulfilled prior to the Second Coming, and 4 of them are fulfilled at his coming and not before. Furthermore, these 8 unfulfilled signs could easily be fulfilled in the matter of just a few years.
’Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors’ (Matt 24:32-33).
Wilford Woodruff
“The world may say that he delays his coming until the end of the earth. But they know neither the thoughts nor the ways of the Lord. The Lord will not delay his coming because of their unbelief, and the signs both in heaven and earth indicate that it is near. The fig trees are leafing in sight of all the nations of the earth, and if they had the Spirit of God they could see and understand them.” (Journal of Discourses, 16:35)
Henry B. Eyring
"The Lord knew we would be tempted to procrastinate the most important preparation we could ever make in this life. More than once He warned us about delay. He taught the parable of the ten virgins, five of whom did not fill their lamps for the coming of the bridegroom. He also gave the parable of the servants who were faithless because they believed their Lord would delay His coming. The results of delay were tragic…
"The temptation to delay repentance comes not only at the end of the world as suggested by those scriptures. That temptation seems to have been nearly constant since the beginning of time and goes on throughout our lives. In youth we may have thought: ’There will be time enough to worry about spiritual things just before my mission or before marriage. Spiritual things are for older people.’ Then, in the early years of marriage, the pressures of life, of jobs, of bills, of finding a moment for rest and recreation seem to crowd us so closely that delay in meeting obligations to God and family again seems reasonable. It is easy to think, ’Perhaps there will be more time for that in the middle years.’ But the compression of time does not ease in the years that follow. There is so much to do, and time seems to shrink.
“…Finally, we are personally accountable because the Lord has given us ample warning…Even the acceptance of personal responsibility may not overcome the temptation to believe that now is not the time to repent. ‘Now’ can seem so difficult, and ‘later’ appear so much easier. The truth is that today is always a better day to repent than any tomorrow…The very faith we need to repent is weakened by delay.” (Conference Report, Nov. 1999 Ensign, “Do Not Delay”)