I have a pretty dismal view of scriptural literalism when it comes to doom-and-gloom prophecies of the end times. I choose to interpret such things in the Spirit of the Good News that Christ wants us to proclaim. Here is an example of what that particular practice looks like, as applied to a revelation given to Joseph Smith in September 1830.
"But behold, I say unto you that before this great day shall come, the sun shall be darkened..."
The sun can represent enlightenment and knowledge. This could be a prophecy about the failure of our modern knowledge systems. Don't we see that failure right now in the universities, news organizations, and political systems? It's not a stretch to see a similar eclipsing of real divine knowledge occurring in religious institutions, including Mormon traditions (yes, even your Mormon tradition). This darkening, however, is not without hope. Christ prophesied a similar event to his apostles when he was going to his death:
"Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you, for he that walks in darkness knows not where he goes. While you have light, believe in the light, that you may be the children of light."
The apostles seemingly failed the test after Christ's death (since they just went back to their day jobs), but He got them back on track soon enough. We can learn from their initial failure. If we can make the Light part of ourselves before the external light is darkened, it'll be as if we're still walking in the light of the sun, despite the uncertainty and confusion around us. Perhaps if that is the case, we will be able to entice others to learn about the Light as well.
"...and the moon shall be turned to blood..."
The Moon is often a symbol of the feminine and Wisdom. Is this a prophecy of the feminine becoming warlike and turning away from its inherent wisdom? It would be hard to deny that given the current political climate. But there is another layer to this. The natural relationship between the feminine and blood should be obvious. A woman's body is constantly preparing for pregnancy. When the environment is ready but it's obvious it's not going to happen this round, menstruation occurs. This cleans everything out and allows for preparation for the next time to begin. In prophecy, this is an excellent sign as it means things are going to start being ordered to prepare for the actual birth of the Kingdom of God. Should people be afraid of getting menstruated right out of the world in this process? When I imagine the necessity of cleaning house to make room for God's kingdom, I think less in terms of the human population and more in terms of corrupt institutions and systems. If God needs to remove a particular system, it's going to be removed. I suspect you only need to worry if you are clinging to that system as if it's your entire world. Just make sure you're flexible and let go of things when their time is over!
"...and some stars shall fall from heaven..."
If the stars symbolize the Powers of Heaven, then you might suspect that some angels might fall from grace, à la Lucifer. But perhaps it's not that dire. Maybe some chosen vessels are going to be here among us - specially prepared servants of God born in our time to help teach us things we're supposed to learn. We should expect that such servants could come from any background, inside or outside our favored faith traditions.
"...and there shall be greater signs in the heavens above and in the earth beneath. And there shall be weeping and wailing among the inhabitants of earth."
A lot is going to change and people don't like change. Shocking, right? It may feel like the end of the world and people may feel that level of fear. If you ever read The Last Battle - the last book of the Chronicles of Narnia series - you may remember the dwarves that were in the new, incredibly wonderful world after the old world ended. Despite the amazing light and wonder around them, they were in complete darkness. They could not see that they were in a far better land and they remained suspicious of anyone and anything. The same signs that will make the masses weep and wail can make the Lord's people shout for joy.
"And there shall be a great hailstorm sent forth to destroy the crops of the earth."
Our civilization has had quite the run thanks to agriculture and especially its modernization. The destruction of the crops of the earth would be truly devastating and would indeed threaten civilization itself. But "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." A severe reduction in our current fare doesn't have to be a tragedy. We often fast from food and part of that process is the rediscovery of all the other things that sustain us and the realization of the immense power of God and how much He is involved in our lives. This prophecy may be anticipating a new and glorious revolution in the kinds of things that sustain us from day to day - spiritually and physically. What an amazing opportunity this may foretell! If we seek to be the Lord's people, we should assume that the restoration includes a great many things about how our bodies and spirits are sustained. You should fear this prophecy about as much as your next fast.
"And it shall come to pass, because of the wickedness of the world, that I will take vengeance upon the wicked, for they will not repent, for the cup of mine indignation is full. For behold, my blood shall not cleanse them if they repent not."
The Lord's "vengeance" must be put into context. A passage from Romans can help us do that:
"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it is written: Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him drink. For in so doing, you shall heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."
If we want to assist in bringing about what has been prophesied, it falls on us to do our part Paul reminds us of. We are reminded that we can, in fact, "overcome evil with good". This is Christlike behavior. That is how the Lord repays. With good, often through us. He overcomes every possible conception of wickedness with His all-encompassing Love.
His ultimate expression of love was His atonement and crucifixion. He prophesied that by being lifted up on the cross, He "will draw all unto [Him]". He is irresistible! He did that, not us. But we do our part when we prepare others for that eventual and inevitable repentance and reconciliation when we choose to serve our enemies and return good for evil. Remember that Jesus is going to perfect His work and "he shall deliver up the kingdom and present it unto [his] Father, spotless". His blood will cleanse everyone eventually. Perhaps the pace at which that happens depends upon our willingness and determination to help and bring others (especially our enemies) to Him for that cleansing to take place. That happens through our good works to those who desire to do evil to us.
"Wherefore, I the Lord God will send forth flies upon the face of the earth, which shall take hold of the inhabitants thereof, and shall eat their flesh, and shall cause maggots to come in upon them; and their tongues shall be stayed that they shall not utter against me, and their flesh shall fall from off their bones, and their eyes from their sockets, and it shall come to pass that the beasts of the forest and the fowls of the air shall devour them up."
That is pretty intense language and it is clearly meant to shock us. But just because it may appeal to our dark fantasies of retribution against our enemies, that doesn't mean we should be satisfied with a literal interpretation.
Flies fill in a useful niche in the ecosystem. They take care of the rot and put it to good use. We should hope that the rot (i.e. misconceptions and mistakes) that covers us gets taken from us and is put to good use. And we should hope that the things we utter against God (i.e. our false ideas) cease and that our eyes (i.e. that are not single to His glory and see incorrectly) fall out. Only when those things happen will we have room to fill in the gaps with His pure flesh, His tongue of angels, and His vision that perceives clearly and is single to His glory.
Even our wrongheadedness can end up serving a purpose. In the symbolic language of the prophecy, all the extra stuff that falls from our flesh and tongues and eyes feed the birds and beasts. Creation itself is glorified through our experiences. False traditions end and lessons are learned. Figuring out what doesn't work helps us zero in on what does. Nothing is wasted!
Much more could be said about this passage, especially in a personal, psychological sense. But the main idea I'm trying to get across is to avoid interpretations that make you feel superior, especially interpretations that make you think all your enemies will literally die through divine genocide. There is always a better way to think about the end times. Look through the lens Christ gave us through His example and teachings.
