Chapter 41
In the resurrection
men come forth to a state of endless happiness or endless misery—Wickedness
never was happiness—Carnal men are without God in the world—Every person
receives again in the restoration the characteristics and attributes acquired
in mortality. About 74 B.C.
Continuing to talk about the restoration at the resurrection
with Corianton, Alma points out some have twisted and distorted the scriptures.
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private
interpretation” (2 Peter 1:20).[1]
“And account [GR count, regard] that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to
the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these
things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are
unlearned and unstable wrest [GR twist, distort], as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction” (2
Peter 3:15-16).
“Now I need not rehearse the matter; what I have said may
suffice. Behold, the scriptures are
before you; if ye will wrest them it shall be to your own destruction” (Alma
13:20).
They have gone astray believing false doctrine. Corianton had also been concerned about this.
“For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved” (John 3:20).
“From that time
many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him” (John 6:66).
“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock,
over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers [OR bishop], to feed the
church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this,
that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing
the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things,
to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:28-30).
“And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness;
yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had
commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost.
And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth
and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward
through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did
come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree. And after they had partaken of
the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed.
And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river
of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air,
high above the earth.
And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male
and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in
the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come
at and were partaking of the fruit. And after they had tasted of the fruit they
were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away
into forbidden paths and were lost” (1 Nephi 8:23-28).
Restoration is a necessary part of the justice of God. All things must be restored to a proper
order. It is a necessary part of the
resurrection, that the body and soul should be restored. “The soul shall be restored
to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be
restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all
things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame” (Alma 40:23).
It is an essential part of God’s justice we will be judged
according to our works. “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before
thy face” (Psalms 89:14).
“I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and
my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the
Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30).
“For there is no respect [GR partiality] of persons with God”
(Romans 2:11).
If the works be good, if our desires were good, we will be
restored to that which is good. “According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence
to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence” (Isaiah 59:18).
“Yea, verily, to seal them up unto the day when the wrath of
God shall be poured out upon the wicked without measure—Unto the day when the
Lord shall come to recompense unto every man according to his work, and measure
to every man according to the measure which he has measured to his fellow man” (D&C
1:9-10).
If a person’s works are evil, they will have their evil
restored to them. All things will be restored according to their proper order. “If he has desired to do evil, and has not
repented in his days, behold, evil shall be done unto him, according to the
restoration of God” (Alma 42:28).
Jacob taught,
“O how great the goodness of our
God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster;
yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also
the death of the spirit. And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the
Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal,
shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave. And this death of which I
have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which
spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead,
and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its
captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to
the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of
Israel. 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 9:10- 13).
Mortality will be raised to immortality; corruption to incorruption. Those that inherit the kingdom of God will
enter into endless happiness; those who inherit the kingdom of the devil will
be subject to endless misery. “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit
incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep [GR die,
sleep in death], but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of
an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must
put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:50-53).
[1] “Knowing
this first, that no prophecy of the scriptures is given of any private will
of man” (Joseph Smith Translation 2 Peter 1:20).
No comments:
Post a Comment