Alma continues to explain the resurrection.
This state of happiness or misery may be termed a
resurrection. This is a raising of the
soul and the assignment of that soul to a state of happiness or misery.
Alma again discusses the first resurrection. This will be “a
resurrection of all those who have been, or who are, or who shall be, down to
the resurrection of Christ from the dead.” (Alma 40:16).
“Wherefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled unto him through
the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son, and ye may obtain a
resurrection, according to the power of the resurrection which is in Christ,
and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and
obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh”
(Jacob 4:11).
“And there cometh a resurrection, even a first resurrection;
yea, even a resurrection of those that have been, and who are, and who shall
be, even until the resurrection of Christ—for so shall he be called. And now,
the resurrection of all the prophets, and all those that have believed in their
words, or all those that have kept the commandments of God, shall come forth in
the first resurrection; therefore, they are the first resurrection. They are
raised to dwell with God who has redeemed them; thus they have eternal life
through Christ, who has broken the bands of death (Mosiah 15:21-23).
“Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea,
and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of
God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even
until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the
first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life” (Mosiah 18:9).
Corianton was warned not so assume the first resurrection is
the assignment of souls to happiness or misery.
“And shall come forth; they who have done good in the resurrection of
the just; and they who have done evil, in the resurrection of the unjust … They
are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom I say that it had been better
for them never to have been born … And again we bear record—for we saw and
heard, and this is the testimony of the gospel of Christ concerning them who
shall come forth in the resurrection of the just” (D&C 76:17, 32, 50).
The resurrection will be the reuniting of the spirit and
body of those who lived from the beginning to the time of Christ’s
resurrection. In Matthew we read, “And
the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept [GR who had
died] arose”
(Matthew 27:52).
Will all, both the righteous and wicked, have their spirits
and bodies united at the same time? Alma
won’t respond to that. All will be
resurrected before those who die after Christ’s resurrection. “But behold, and fear, and tremble before
God, for ye ought to tremble; for the Lord redeemeth none such that rebel
against him and die in their sins; yea, even all those that have perished in
their sins ever since the world began, that have wilfully rebelled against God,
that have known the commandments of God, and would not keep them; these are
they that have no part in the first resurrection” (Mosiah 15:26).
Alma makes it clear his words are his opinion that body and
spirit of the righteous are united at the time of Christ’s resurrection and
ascension into heaven. “[B]oth Alma
(Alma 40:20) and Paul (1 Corinthians 7:25) express in scriptural writings
opinions which Latter-day Saints today would consider mistaken. Still, they
both were great prophets and teachers, pillars of the church in their time.
Clearly, then, there is a range of acceptable variation in belief among members
and even leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ.”[1]
Alma again emphasizes there will be a space between death
and the resurrection, be it in happiness or misery. “And one of the malefactors which were hanged
railed [GR blasphemed, reproached] on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save
thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear
God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we
receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And
he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And
Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in
paradise” (Luke 23:39-43).
All will hear Christ’s words. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is
coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and
they that hear shall live” (John 5:25).
“And I [President Joseph F. Smith] wondered at the words of
Peter—wherein he said that the Son of God preached unto the spirits in prison,
who sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in
the days of Noah—and how it was possible for him to preach to those spirits and
perform the necessary labor among them in so short a time” (D&C 138:28).
This brings the restoration of all things spoken of by the
prophets.
The soul and body will be restored. “And the spirit and the body are the soul of
man. And the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul. And the
redemption of the soul is through him that quickeneth all things, in whose
bosom it is decreed that the poor and the meek of the earth shall inherit it”
(D&C 88:15-17).
Every part of the body will be restored. Not a hair on the head will be lost. “O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God
must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body
of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and
all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a
perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge
shall be perfect” (2 Nephi 9:13).
Earlier in his ministry, Alma taught,
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. 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 ball
shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their
works. 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. 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. 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 cone
Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or
whether they be evil. Now, behold, I have spoken unto you concerning the death
of the mortal body, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal
body. I say unto you that this mortal
body is raised to an immortal body, that is from death, even from the first
death unto life, that they can die no more; their spirits uniting with their
bodies, never to be divided; thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal,
that they can no more see corruption (Alma 11:40-45).
Our bodies will be restored and be perfect. “For our
conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord
Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile [GR humble, of low estate] body, that
it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working
whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Philippians
3:20-21).
The wicked face a death. “And now behold, I say unto you
then cometh a death, even a second death, which is a spiritual death; then is a
time that whosoever dieth in his sins, as to a temporal death, shall also die a
spiritual death; yea, he shall die as to things pertaining unto righteousness” (Alma
12:16).
“Know ye not that the
unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators [GR
sexually immoral persons, male prostitutes], nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind [GR male homosexuals], Nor thieves,
nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers [GR catamites[2]],
nor extortioners [GR robbers], shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians
6:9-10).
“Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they must
be cast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to
righteousness; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be judged
of their works; and if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy;
and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of
God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also” (1 Nephi 15:33).
“Therefore, I, the Lord God, caused that he should be cast
out from the Garden of Eden, from my presence, because of his transgression,
wherein he became spiritually dead, which is the first death, even that same
death which is the last death, which is spiritual, which shall be pronounced
upon the wicked when I shall say: Depart, ye cursed” (D&C 29:41).
No unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of God. “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean
person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and of God” (Ephesians 5:5).
“And I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their sins;
for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit
the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the
kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot
be saved in your sins” (Alma 11:37).
They will be cast out and they will “drink the dregs of a
bitter cup” (Alma 40:26). “For in the
hand of the LORD there is a cup, and
the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the
dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them” (Psalms 75:8).
[1] How
Polemicism Corrupted Latter-day Saint Apologetics, Benjamin I. Huff, FARMS
Review 15/1 (2003): 307.
[2] A
boy kept for homosexual practices.
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