7 And now I would inquire what becometh of the souls of men
from this time of death to the time appointed for the resurrection?
8 Now whether there is more than one time appointed for men
to rise it mattereth not; for all do not die at once, and this mattereth not;
all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men.
9 Therefore, there is a time appointed unto men that they
shall rise from the dead; and there is a space between the time of death and
the resurrection. And now, concerning this space of time, what becometh of the
souls of men is the thing which I have inquired diligently of the Lord to know;
and this is the thing of which I do know.
10 And when the time cometh when all shall rise, then shall
they know that God knoweth all the times which are appointed unto man.
11 Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and
the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the
spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea,
the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that
God who gave them life.
12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those
who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called
paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all
their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.
13 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the
wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they have no part nor portion of the
Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good;
therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of
their house—and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be
weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own
iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.
14 Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in
darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of
the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the
righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.
15 Now, there are some that have understood that this state
of happiness and this state of misery of the soul, before the resurrection, was
a first resurrection. Yea, I admit it may be termed a resurrection, the raising
of the spirit or the soul and their consignation to happiness or misery,
according to the words which have been spoken.
16 And behold, again it hath been spoken, that there is a
first resurrection, a resurrection of all those who have been, or who are, or
who shall be, down to the resurrection of Christ from the dead.
17 Now, we do not suppose that this first resurrection,
which is spoken of in this manner, can be the resurrection of the souls and
their consignation to happiness or misery. Ye cannot suppose that this is what
it meaneth.
18 Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but it meaneth the reuniting
of the soul with the body, of those from the days of Adam down to the
resurrection of Christ.
19 Now, whether the souls and the bodies of those of whom
has been spoken shall all be reunited at once, the wicked as well as the
righteous, I do not say; let it suffice, that I say that they all come forth;
or in other words, their resurrection cometh to pass before the resurrection of
those who die after the resurrection of Christ.
20 Now, my son, I do not say that their resurrection cometh
at the resurrection of Christ; but behold, I give it as my opinion, that the
souls and the bodies are reunited, of the righteous, at the resurrection of
Christ, and his ascension into heaven.
21 But whether it be at his resurrection or after, I do not
say; but this much I say, that there is a space between death and the
resurrection of the body, and a state of the soul in happiness or in misery
until the time which is appointed of God that the dead shall come forth, and be
reunited, both soul and body, and be brought to stand before God, and be judged
according to their works.
22 Yea, this bringeth about the restoration of those things of
which has been spoken by the mouths of the prophets.
23 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.
24 And now, my son, this is the restoration of which has
been spoken by the mouths of the prophets—
25 And then shall the righteous shine forth in the kingdom
of God.
26 But behold, an awful death cometh upon the wicked; for
they die as to things pertaining to things of righteousness; for they are
unclean, and no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of God; but they are cast
out, and consigned to partake of the fruits of their labors or their works,
which have been evil; and they drink the dregs of a bitter cup.
Alma 40:7-26
Alma now tells Corianton about what happens to the soul
between death and resurrection.
When we die, we return to God’s presence. “Then shall the
dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who
gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
Now whether there is
more than one time appointed for men to rise it mattereth not; for all do not
die at once, and this mattereth not; all is as one day with God, and time only
is measured unto men.
If there is more than one time appointed for a man to rise
doesn’t matter. All don’t die at the same time.
Alma gives insight into how God looks at time. “[A]ll is as
one day with God, and time only is measured unto men” (Alma 40:8). “[T]he
scriptures tell us that time only is measured to man, that is to say, time as a
term is used in reference to the short period belonging to mortality, while
eternity is used in the measure of the time of the Gods, from one period to
another, and the vastness of eternity none can comprehend.”[1]
There is a time when we will rise from the dead; there is a
space between our death and the resurrection. Alma has inquired of the Lord,
asking what happens to us during this time.
When the time comes for the resurrection, they will know God
knows all times which are appointed to man. “[T]he Lord knoweth all things from
the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among
the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all
his words” (1 Nephi 9:6).
“O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all
things, and there is not anything save he knows it” (2 Nephi 9:20).
“I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things
which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me” (Words of Mormon 1:7).
“How can we do otherwise than patiently endure the trials of
life if we know God and understand that He is omnipotent … We know and can
testify of His omniscience, and with Lehi we can say, ‘All things have been
done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things’ (2 Ne. 2:24).
“Based on that knowledge, cemented in a strong testimony of
the attributes of our Heavenly Father, the faithful Latter-day Saint—instead of
despairing because a goal on his or her agenda was not realized, because his or
her timetable does not bring a solution to the problems, or comfort does not
come to calm the troubles of today—waits patiently for fulfillment of promises,
according to the Lord’s timetable, the Lord who ‘knoweth all the times which
are appointed unto man’ (Alma 40:10). The faithful Latter-day Saint waits
patiently because, certainly, faith, ‘the assurance of things hoped for’ (JST
Hebrews 11:1) is exercised with the conviction that the promises will be fulfilled
‘in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will’ (D&C
88:68).”[2]
When we die, our spirits are taken home to God.
“Jesus saith unto [Mary], Touch me not; for I am
not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I
ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” (JST John
20:17).
“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 11:45).
“And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for
they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins” (2 Nephi
9:38).
The spirits of the righteous enter a state of happiness,
called paradise.
“Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come
with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they
shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away” (Isaiah
51:11).
“All these had departed the mortal life, firm in the hope of
a glorious resurrection, through the grace of God the Father and his Only
Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
“I beheld that they were filled with joy and gladness, and
were rejoicing together because the day of their deliverance was at hand” (D&C
138:14-15).
“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).
Paradise is a state of peace and rest. They will rest from
all troubles, care, and sorrows.
“The prophet Alma the Younger learned from an angel that
when one dies and the spirit returns to God, the spirit will be consigned to
either paradise or hell, paradise being a state of happiness, rest, and peace
(Alma 40:12). It is important to note that, according to Alma the Younger,
one’s assignment to paradise (or elsewhere, such as spirit prison) is not based
on the acceptance of the Christian faith and its ordinances, but rather depends
on whether or not one performed good works in the flesh. The standard seems to
be the extent to which one hearkened to or disregarded God’s light (Alma
40:13–14).”[3]
[1] There is a God—Communion With Him An Inherent Craving
of the Human Heart—Man in His Image—Male and Female Created He Them—Spirit and
Flesh—Mortal and Immortal. Discourse by Elder Erastus Snow, delivered in the
Meetinghouse, Beaver City, Beaver County, Utah, on Sunday Morning, March 3,
1878.
[2] Patience
in Affliction, Elder Angel Abrea, April 1992 General Conference.
[3] Redeeming
the Dead: Tender Mercies, Turning of Hearts, and Restoration of Authority,
David L. Paulsen, Kendel J. Christensen, and Martin Pulido, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other
Restoration Scripture 20/1 (2011): 35-36.
No comments:
Post a Comment