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Beginning with founder Joseph Smith, the upper LDS hierarchy has claimed a direct line to Old Testament prophets, angels, and God. Members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles bear the title Prophet, Seer, and Revelator.

LDS eschatology teaches that in these Latter Days, prophecies are being played out that presage the return of Christ. Supposedly, certain key events have already occurred or are in process. One is the Restoration of the Gospels -- Joseph Smith's discovery of the Book of Mormon. Another is an 1836 appearance by the prophet Elijah, in which Smith was told to urge his people to study genealogy in order to bring their ancestors into the Church -- the basis for the Mormon custom of baptizing the dead by proxy. A third is the conversion of dark-skinned people. Others include a rise in immorality, "wars and rumors of wars," and an increase in natural disasters.

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Official Church documents, notably the Doctrine and Covenants, are filled with apocalyptic predictions. In 1835, Joseph Smith preached that Christ would return in 56 years. The Church now endorses no timeline for the Second Coming. Whenever it happens, it is expected to be prefaced by war and cataclysm, after which Jesus will cleanse the world with fire, burning away the wicked.

Section 84 of the Doctrine and Covenants states that just before or after the return of Jesus, the Latter-Day Saints will build the city New Jerusalem "within the western boundaries of the state of Missouri," in Jackson County. There Christ will establish his thousand-year reign on earth. Saints who live to see this Millennium will be augmented by those who have died, whose spirits will be reunited with their bodies in a mass resurrection. All will gather in Zion -- the Saints' divinely designated enclave„in the vicinity of what is now Independence, Missouri.

Olin Thomas of Affirmation says that most rank-and-file Mormons "don't even think about" the coming apocalypse, and "most who believe in prophecy don't expect it to come true in their lifetime."

In preparation for the final battle, however, many Mormons maintain bunkers or 1950s-style fallout shelters in their basements, stockpiled with food, water, and medical supplies. The Mormon website Whiteelegance.com sells emergency food supplies in 275-serving units for $149.