38 Now Zeezrom saith again unto him: Is the Son of God the very Eternal Father?
39 And Amulek said unto him: Yea, he is the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth, and all things which in them are; he is the beginning and the end, the first and the last;
40 And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else.
41 Therefore the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works.
Alma 11:38-41 (Emphasis mine)
Having been shot down so effectively by Amulek did not stop Zeezrom. He continued his questioning.
Is the Son of God the Eternal Father, he asks. Amulek responded in the affirmative and went on to emphasize the atonement of Christ. He also said that, for the wicked, it will be as though there was no redemption.
What did Amulek mean when he said Christ is the Eternal Father. Robert Millet explains.
“Jesus Christ is also known by the title of Father. The meaning of scriptures using this nomenclature is not always immediately clear, primarily owing to the fact that Christ and his Father are virtually inseparable in purpose, testimony, glory, and power. In most cases, however, the scriptural usage can be explained in several ways:
“Christ is sometimes called Father because of his role as Creator from the beginning. Before his mortal birth, and acting under the direction of the Father, Jesus was Jehovah, the Lord Omnipotent, through whom God created worlds without number (Moses 1:33; 7:30; John 1:1—3; Heb. 1:2). …, Christ-Jehovah is called ‘the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning’ in the Book of Mormon…
“Jesus Christ is also known as Father through the spiritual rebirth of mankind (see Born of God) … he became the ‘author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him’ (Heb. 5:9). He is the Savior. No person will come unto the Father except through him and by his name (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Mosiah 3:17). Those who accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and receive its saving covenantal ordinances, living worthy of its sanctifying and enlightening powers, are "born again" unto Christ and become known as the children of Christ, "his sons and his daughters," his "seed" (Mosiah 5:5—8; 15:10—13; 27:25—26; Alma 5:14)…
“Furthermore, Jesus is called Father because of the authority God gave him to act for the Father. He explained in Jerusalem: ‘I can of mine own self do nothing . . . I am come in my Father's name"\’ (John 5:30, 43)…
“In addition, Christ is Father in that he literally inherited attributes and powers from his Father (Elohim). From Mary, his mother, Jesus inherited mortality, the capacity to die. From God, his Father, Jesus inherited immortality, the capacity to live forever: ‘As the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself’ (John 5:26; cf. Hel. 5:11). Christ is "the Father, because he was conceived by the power of God.’ (Mosiah 15:3)…
“Christ is also Father in that he spiritually received all that the Father has. ‘I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one— (D&C 93:3—4).” [1] (Emphasis mine)
42 Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death.
43 The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.
44 Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.
Alma 11:42-44 (Emphasis mine)
Amulek talks about the first death – the temporal death. Christ will overcome death by loosing its bonds. All will be raised from the temporal death, restored to its perfect form. No a hair on their heads shall be lost. And, all will be arraigned before the bar of Christ to be judged.
Hugh Nibley discussed this very event.
“… whether you have been good or bad, ‘all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works . . . and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death.’ That makes him truly the Father as well as the Son. The temporal death is the death here, so there will be a physical resurrection.
“Verse 43: ‘The spirit and the body shall be reunited again,’ as they were here during this life. Of course, this is the ultimate question—this is the big one. These two verses here are the best answer, the best definition you will get anywhere, of what resurrection is: ‘The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time.’…
“Verse 44: ‘Now, this restoration shall come to all.’ To everybody … ‘. . . and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost.’ ,,, But you recognize how these expressions are—that everything will be as it should be in its proper and perfect form, which means we'll be very different …” [2] (Emphasis mine)
[1] Jesus Christ, Fatherhood and Sonship of, Robert L. Millet, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed October 25, 2011.
[2] Lecture 48: Alma 10-12, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed October 25, 2011.
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