The Resurrection of Christ and Mankind
"Capstone" of the Christian
Faith
Written
and Compiled by
Robert
Hyatt
August
2001
Quick Summery of Events Concerning Resurrection
of Jesus Christ:..................................................................... 2
Jesus Christ is Resurrected:............................................................................................................................................ 2
Mary is the First to See the Risen Lord:................................................................................................................... 2
Jesus Visits His Father in Heaven:............................................................................................................................ 2
Peter Sees the Risen Lord:.......................................................................................................................................... 2
Two disciples see the Lord on the Road from Emmaus:........................................................................................ 2
Lord Appears to the Apostles (except Judas and Thomas):................................................................................. 3
Lord Appears to the Apostles and Thomas:........................................................................................................... 3
Many Others Were Resurrected Along With Christ:............................................................................................. 3
Biblical Accounts of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ:.............................................................................................. 3
Matthew Account:....................................................................................................................................................... 3
Mark Account:............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Luke Account:.............................................................................................................................................................. 4
John Account:.............................................................................................................................................................. 4
What Kind of Body is a Resurrected Body?:............................................................................................................... 5
What is the nature of a resurrected body?................................................................................................................... 5
Once Resurrected, Do We Always Remain Resurrected, or Do We Change Into
Something Else?................... 5
Will Jesus Christ always be the Resurrected Lord, or Will His Body Change
Into Something Else?................. 5
When is the Resurrection of Mankind?........................................................................................................................ 6
How Does a Resurrection Occur?.................................................................................................................................. 6
Experience of Zeke
Johnson Seeing a Body Resurrected:..................................................................................... 7
Does Judgment Come Before or After the Resurrection of the Body?.................................................................... 8
Bodies Will be
Resurrected as They Were Laid Down:............................................................................................. 8
We Will Eventually Look
Like Our Heavenly Parents:............................................................................................... 9
Resurrected Dead and
Clothing:.................................................................................................................................... 9
Children Who Die Will
be Resurrected as Children:................................................................................................... 9
Nature of Resurrected
Bodies:..................................................................................................................................... 10
Resurrected Bodies Will
Eat:.................................................................................................................................... 10
We Can Eat, But Will We
Have To?....................................................................................................................... 11
Glorified Resurrected
Body Has Flesh and Bones But No Blood:..................................................................... 11
Glorified Resurrected
Body Can Suddenly Appear and Disappear:.................................................................. 12
Glorified Resurrected
Bodies Can Travel Great Distances Quickly:................................................................... 12
Celestial Beings Will
Radiate Light:........................................................................................................................ 12
Will Resurrected Bodies
Wear Clothes?:................................................................................................................... 12
Two General
Resurrections - Just and the Unjust:.................................................................................................... 13
All Mortals to be
Resurrected:..................................................................................................................................... 13
General Information
About the First Resurrection:................................................................................................... 15
Righteous Saints Will
Be Caught Up to Meet Christ:.............................................................................................. 17
Joseph Smith to Hold Keys
of the Resurrection:...................................................................................................... 19
First Resurrection
Saints Go First to Zion-Adam to Judge the Righteous:........................................................... 21
Qualifications for
those who will or will not be resurrected at the First Resurrection:........................................ 22
Additional Information
on the Nature of a Resurrected Being:.............................................................................. 24
Resurrection of Little
Children:.................................................................................................................................... 29
Earth, Plants, and
Animals also to be Resurrected:.................................................................................................. 30
After the Death of Jesus on the cross, While Jesus' body laid in the tomb
His spirit goes to the world of the spirit dead to preach to them*. On the
morning of the third day He is resurrected. He appears to Mary, goes to His
Father in Heaven, then appears to Peter,
then to the Two disciples on the road to Emmaus, then to the Apostles as
a group minus Thomas, and then to the Apostles as a group with Thomas.
(*)Scripture on
Jesus Preaching to the spirit dead - 1 Peter 3:18-19 "For Christ also hath
once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God,
being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto
the spirits in prison"
John 20:11-16 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre
weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, [and looked] into the sepulchre, 12
And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at
the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them,
Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. 14
And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing,
and knew not that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest
thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him,
Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will
take him away. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith
unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
John 20:17 Jesus saith
unto her, 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.
Luke 24:34 Saying, The
Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
Luke 24:13-18, 28-33
"And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus,
which was from Jerusalem [about] threescore furlongs. 14 And they talked
together of all these things which had happened. 15 And it came to pass, that,
while they communed [together] and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went
with them. 16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. 17 And
he said unto them, What manner of communications [are] these that ye have one
to another, as ye walk, and are sad? 18 And the one of them, whose name was
Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and
hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?.... 28
And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though
he would have gone further. 29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us:
for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry
with them. 30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread,
and blessed [it], and brake, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened,
and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 And they said one to
another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way,
and while he opened to us the scriptures? 33 And they rose up the same hour,
and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them
that were with them,
John 20:19"Then the
same day at evening, being the first [day] of the week, when the doors were
shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and
stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace [be] unto you. 20 And when he
had so said, he shewed unto them [his] hands and his side. Then were the
disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Luke 24:36 And as they thus spake,
Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace [be] unto
you.
John 20:24 But Thomas,
one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The
other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said
unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my
finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will
not believe. 26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and
Thomas with them: [then] came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the
midst, and said, Peace [be] unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither
thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust [it]
into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 And Thomas answered and
said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed:
blessed [are] they that have not seen, and [yet] have believed.
Matthew 27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints
which slept arose, 53 And came out of
the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared
unto many.
Matthew 28:1-8 "In the end of the sabbath, as it
began to dawn toward the first [day] of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary to see the sepulchre. 2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake:
for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the
stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and
his raiment white as snow: 4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and
became as dead [men]. 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear
not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here:
for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go
quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he
goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. 8
And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did
run to bring his disciples word.
Mark 16:1-10 "And when the sabbath was past, Mary
Magdalene, and Mary the [mother] of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices,
that they might come and anoint him. 2 And very early in the morning the first
[day] of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 3 And
they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of
the sepulchre? 4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away:
for it was very great. 5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man
sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were
affrighted. 16 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of
Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place
where they laid him. 7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he
goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. 8
And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and
were amazed: neither said they any thing to any [man]; for they were afraid. 9
Now when [Jesus] was risen early the first [day] of the week, he appeared first
to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 [And] she went and
told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
Chapter 24
Luke 24:1-12 "Now upon the first [day] of the week,
very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices
which they had prepared, and certain [others] with them. 2 And they found the
stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3 And they entered in, and found not the
body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed
thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 5 And as they
were afraid, and bowed down [their] faces to the earth, they said unto them,
Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: remember
how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 7 Saying, The Son of man must
be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day
rise again.8 And they remembered his words,
9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the
eleven, and to all the rest.10 It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary [the
mother] of James, and other [women that were] with them, which told these
things unto the apostles.11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and
they believed them not. 12 Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and
stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed,
wondering in himself at that which was come to pass."
John 20:1-18 The first [day] of the week cometh Mary
Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone
taken away from the sepulchre. 2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter,
and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have
taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid
him. 3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the
sepulchre. 4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter,
and came first to the sepulchre. 5 And he stooping down, [and looking in], saw
the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. 6 Then cometh Simon Peter
following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, 7
And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but
wrapped together in a place by itself. 8 Then went in also that other disciple,
which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. 9 For as yet they
knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the
disciples went away again unto their own home. 11 But Mary stood without at the
sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, [and looked] into the
sepulchre, 12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and
the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 And they say unto
her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away
my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. 14 And when she had thus
said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was
Jesus. 15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?
She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne
him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16 Jesus
saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is
to say, Master. 17 Jesus saith unto her, 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. 18 Mary Magdalene
came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and [that] he had
spoken these things unto her.
Answer #1- Flesh and Bone (no blood) Luke 24:37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and
supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And he said unto them, Why are ye
troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my
feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and
bones, as ye see me have. 40 And when
he had thus spoken, he shewed them [his] hands and [his] feet.
Answer #2 - Can Eat Luke
24:41-43 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto
them, Have ye here any meat? 42 And
they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43 And he took
[it], and did eat before them.
If one wants
to know what a resurrected body will be like, we must turn to the resurrection
of Jesus Christ and to others that were resurrected. Let's discuss some points
and turn to the scriptures.
(1) A resurrected body is not a spiritual body. When
the resurrected Lord appeared to the Apostles after His resurrection, He said
Luke 24:39-40 "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle
me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when
he had thus spoken, he shewed them [his] hands and [his] feet."
(2) A resurrected body has a body of flesh and bones.
Ref. See above scripture.
(3) A resurrected body can eat. Luke 24:41-43
"And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them,
Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
And he took [it], and did eat before them."
(4) A resurrected immortal body can appear to mortals.
Jesus we know appeared to many mortals, but others were also resurrected. They
also appeared to people. Here's the ref.
Matthew 27:52 And the graves were
opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his
resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
This
is a very important question, for it deals with the eternal nature of the
resurrected body. Some religions believe that although we will be resurrected
with bodies of flesh and bones, they believe at some future time we loose our
resurrected bodies and we change into a spirit body. Some faiths have a problem
with a physical body living forever,
There are no scriptures that indicate that resurrected bodies will
change from physical to spiritual, so I'm not sure how they can make this
claim. I believe in the scriptural account of the resurrected Lord, and those
that were also resurrected having physical bodies of flesh and bones (not
blood).
This
has to do with the same issue as the question above, but deals only with Jesus
Christ maintaining a resurrected body forever. The scriptural account of Jesus
appearing with a body of flesh and bones is problematic for many faiths. Many
faiths believe God the Father has a spiritual body. If Jesus has a physical
resurrected body forever, He being God, and God the Father a spiritual body,
then they have a doctrinal dilemma on their hands. The doctrine of the Trinity
for most of Christendom proclaims God the Father and Jesus Christ to be of the
"same essence" and thus one God. If Jesus Christ has a body of flesh
and bones forever and God the Father has a different kind of body, one of
spirit, then the doctrine of The Trinity or "one essence" becomes
problematic.
As
for me, I believe in the scriptures which proclaim that Jesus Christ received a
resurrected body of flesh and bones and that He will always have a resurrected
body of flesh and bones. As the scriptures proclaim, He visited His father in
Heaven and returned with His resurrected body and appeared unto the Apostles
and other members of the Church. I do not believe that God the Father and Jesus
Christ His son are of the "same essence" because the resurrection of
the Lord Jesus Christ disproves it. Jesus Christ told Mary that He was
ascending to His God and His Father. Who was it that He went to? Himself? No,
the scriptures proclaim that Jesus Christ went to visit His God and His Father.
How anyone can believe God the Father to be the same essence as the Son and
still believe in the resurrection and believe the Bible to be the word of God
is beyond me. Here's the reference for Jesus visiting His Father in Heaven, and
His God. John
20:17 "Jesus saith unto her, 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."
This topic is also one of debate within
Christendom. After death, is the body immediately resurrected, or is there a
period of time between death and the resurrection? I believe there are
different resurrections for the following reasons: First, the following
scripture shows that the righteous are resurrected at the time of the Second
Coming of Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:21-23 "For since by man [came] death,
by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even
so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ
the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." Here's
another scripture that shows that the righteous dead rise first at the Coming
of the Lord. 1Thessalonians 4:16 "For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first."
One may ask, what about the wicked?
Apparently the wicked are resurrected at a later time. Some believe that the
wicked wait for their resurrection and subsequent judgment until after the
millennial reign of Christ, or one thousand years. The following scripture
supports this belief: Revelation 20:5 "But the rest of the dead lived not
again until the thousand years were finished."
John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom, p.23
NATURE OF THE RESURRECTION.—….. But all must come forth from the
grave, some time or other, in the selfsame tabernacles that they possessed
while living on the earth. It will be just as Ezekiel has described it—bone
will come to its bone, and flesh and sinew will cover the skeleton, and at the
Lord's bidding breath will enter the body, and we shall appear, many of us, a
marvel to ourselves.
Ezekiel
37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the
LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which [was] full of bones, 2
And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, [there were] very many
in the open valley; and, lo, [they were] very dry. 3 And he said unto me, Son
of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. 6 And I
will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with
skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I [am]
the LORD. 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a
noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. 8
And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin
covered them above: but [there was] no breath in them. 9 Then said he unto me,
Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith
the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain,
that they may live. 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came
into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great
army.
"I have been requested to relate an experience I had in 1908
or 1909 in San Juan County, Utah. I was just making a new home in Blanding, and
the whole country was covered with trees and sagebrush. I was working to clear
the ground to plant a few acres of corn. My little son, Ray, seven or eight
years old, was there to help me plant the corn. I would plow around the piece
of ground and then he would plant the furrow with corn. Then I would cover it
and plow it again.
While I was plowing around the piece of ground I discovered there
were ancient houses there; that is the remains of them. As I was plowing I
noticed that my plow had turned out the little skeleton of a small child—the
skull and backbone. Most of the bones, of course, were decayed and gone. Part
of the skeleton was there, so I stopped immediately. The plow had passed it a
little.
I turned and looked back against the bar of the plow and between
the handles. As I was looking at the little skeleton that I had plowed up,
wondering, all of a sudden to my surprise, I saw the bones wiggle and begin to
change position and to take on a different color. And within a minute there lay
a beautiful skeleton. It was a perfect little skeleton.
Then I saw the inner parts of the natural body coming in, the
entrall, etc. I saw the flesh coming on and I saw the skin come on the body
when the inner parts of the body were complete. A beautiful head of hair
adorned to top of the head, and in about a half minute, after the hair was on
the head, the child raised to her feet. She was lying a little on her left side
with her back toward me. Because of this, I was not able to discern the sex of
the child, but as she raised up, a beautiful robe came over her left shoulder
and I saw it was a girl.
As she looked at me and I looked at her for a quarter of a minute,
we just looked at each other smiling. Then in my desire to get hold of her, I
said, "Oh you beautiful child" and as I reached to embrace her, she
disappeared.
That was all I saw and I stood and wondered—and I thought for a
few minutes. My little boy was wondering why I was there so long; because he
was down at the other end of the row, anxious to come and plant corn.
Now I couldn’t tell that story to anyone because it was so
mysterious and such. "Why should I have such a miraculous
experience?" I couldn’t feature a human being, being in such a condition
as to accidentally plow that little thing up and see it come to life-the body
or skeleton, of a child five to seven years old, I’d say.
I couldn’t tell the story to anyone, until, finally one day I met
a dear friend of mine, Stake Patriarch Wayne H. Redd of Blanding. He stopped me
on the street and said, "Zeke, you have had an experience on this mesa and
you won’t tell me. I want you to tell it to me. Well, I told it to him. Then he
had me tell it to meeting houses and many socials, fast meetings and at
conference time.
I wondered, and it worried me for many years as to why I was
allowed to see what I did-a common man like me and uneducated. Why was I, a
common man, allowed to see such a marvelous manifestation of God’s power.
One day while I was walking alone with my hoe on my shoulder,
going to hoe some corn, something said to me, "Stop under the shade of
that tree for a few minutes and rest." This just came to me and I thought
I would, so I stopped and this was given to me.
It was an answer to prayer. I prayed incessantly for an answer as
to why I was privileged to see the resurrection. I was told why. When the child
was buried it was either in time of war with the different tribes or it was
winter when the ground was frozen and they had no tools to dig deep graves.
They just planted the little body as deep as they could under the
circumstances. When it was done the sorrowing mother knew that it was such a
shallow grave and in her sorrow she cried out to the group that were present,
"that little girl, the first beast that comes along will smell her body
and will dig her up and scatter her to the four winds. Her bones will be
scattered all over the flats."
There just happened to be a man present holding the Priesthood (A
Nephite or Jaredite), I don’t know which, because they both had been in this
country. I’ve been in their houses and I know it. This man said, "Sister,
calm your sorrows. Whenever that little body is disturbed or uncovered, the
Lord will call her up and she will live." Since that time, I have taken
great comfort, great cheer and consolation with praise in my heart and soul,
until I haven’t the words to express it, that it was I who uncovered that
little body. Thanks for listening to me. I just can’t tell this without
crying."
It is generally accepted within Christendom that judgment follows
the resurrection, but of course there are a few faiths that believe otherwise.
To my knowledge there are no conclusive scriptures concerning this doctrine.
Some faiths believe the Rapture to be a form of judgment such that anyone
Raptured need not receive a judgment. The mere fact that they were Raptured
into the presence of Christ precludes the necessity of a judgment. Those
remaining will at some future date receive their resurrected bodies and
subsequent judgment.
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Four 1839–42, p.199
As concerning the resurrection, I will merely say that all men
will come from the grave as they lie down, whether old or young; there will not
be "added unto their stature one cubit," neither taken from it; all
will be raised by the power of God, having spirit in their bodies, and not
blood. Children will be enthroned in the presence of God and the Lamb with
bodies of the same stature4 that they had on earth, having been redeemed by the
blood of the Lamb; they will there enjoy the fullness of that light, glory and
intelligence, which is prepared in the celestial kingdom.
Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p.448
The elements which compose this temporal body will not perish,
will not cease to exist, but in the day of the resurrection these elements will
come together again, bone to bone, and flesh to flesh. The body will come forth
as it is laid to rest, for there is no growth nor development in the grave. As
it is laid down, so will it arise, and changes to perfection will come by the
law of restitution.—Improvement Era, Vol. 7, June, 1914, p. 619.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.293
RESTORATION TO PERFECTION THROUGH RESURRECTION. What a glorious
thought it is, to me at least, and it must be to all who have conceived of the
truth or received it in their hearts, that those from whom we have to part
here, we will meet again and see as they are. We will meet the same identical
being that we associated with here in the flesh—not some other soul, some other
being, or the same being in some other form, but the same identity and the same
form and likeness, the same person we knew and were associated with in our mortal
existence, even to the wounds in the flesh. In speaking about the resurrection
at the funeral of Sister Rachel Grant, President Joseph F. Smith said that the
same person, in the same form and likeness, will come forth "even to the
wounds in the flesh. Not that a person will always be marred by scars, wounds,
deformities, defects or infirmities, for these will be removed in their course,
in their proper time, according to the merciful providence of God."
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.293 -
p.294
President Smith was in full accord with Amulek and Alma. He taught
that the body will be restored as stated in Alma 11:42-45 and 40:22-23. While
he expresses the thought that the body will come forth as it was laid down, he
also expresses the thought that it will take time to adjust the body from the
condition of imperfections, This, of course, is reasonable, but at the same
time the length of time to make these adjustments will not cover any
appreciable extent of time.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.294
President Smith never intended to convey the thought that it would
require weeks or months of time in order for the defects to be removed. These
changes will come naturally, of course, but almost instantly, We cannot look
upon it in any other way. For instance, a man who has lost a leg in childhood
will have his leg restored. It does not grow in the grave, but will be restored
naturally, but with the power of the Almighty it will not take extended time for
this to be accomplished.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.294
RESTORATION TO PERFECTION ALMOST INSTANTANEOUS. When President
Smith declares that "the body will come forth as it is laid to rest, for
there is no growth in the grave," he has in mind this: Infants and
children do not grow in the grave, but when they come forth, they will come
forth with the same body and in the same size in which the body was when it was
laid away. After the resurrection the body will grow until it has reached the
full stature of manhood or womanhood. He did not intend to teach that the adult
who loses a leg will come forth without that leg until it can be grafted on
after the resurrection. Rather, his body will come forth complete in every
part. Deformities and the like will be corrected, if not immediately at the
time of the uniting of the spirit and body, so soon thereafter that it will
make no difference. We may be sure that every man will receive his body in its
perfect frame in the resurrection.
Discourses of Brigham Young, p.374
We bear the image of our earthly parents in their fallen state,
but by obedience to the Gospel of salvation and the renovating influences of
the Holy Ghost, and the holy resurrection, we shall put on the image of the
heavenly, in beauty, glory, power and goodness. Jesus Christ was so like the
Father that on one occasion in answer to a request, "Show us the
Father," he said, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father." 11:123.
Burton, ed., We Believe, Resurrection
Then he showed me the resurrection of the dead—what is termed the
first and second resurrection. In the first resurrection I saw no graves, nor
anyone raised from the grave. I saw legions of celestial beings, men and women
who had received the Gospel, all clothed in white robes. In the form they were
presented to me, they had already been raised from the grave. After this, he
showed me what is termed the second resurrection. Vast fields of graves were
before me, and the Spirit of God rested upon the earth like a shower of gentle
rain, and when that fell upon the graves they were opened, and a immense host
of human beings came forth. They were just as diversified in their dress as we
are here, or as they were laid down. ("Obtain the Spirit of God,"
Millennial Star, Sept. 28, 1905, p. 612) TLDP:564
Discourses of Brigham Young, p.374 - p.375
In the resurrection everything that is necessary will be brought
from the elements to clothe and to beautify the resurrected Saints who will
receive their reward. I do not trouble myself about my dead. If they are
stripped of their clothing, I do not want to know it. 9:192.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.293
CHILDREN RESURRECTED AS CHILDREN. Of course, children who die do
not grow in the grave. They will come forth with their bodies as they were laid
down, and then they will grow to the full stature of manhood or womanhood after
the resurrection, but all will have their bodies fully restored.
Discourses of Brigham Young, p.375
Our bodies are now mortal. In the resurrection there will be a
reunion of the spirits and bodies, and they will walk, talk, eat, drink, and
enjoy.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.269
Further to convince them, he partook of the fish and honeycomb. He
ate in their presence and convinced them by a practical demonstration that it
was he himself, that the uneducated may read and understand; and yet the wise
men in all their learning, close their eyes against these truths.
Luke 22:30
30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on
thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Otten & Caldwell, Sacred Truths of the Doctrine &
Covenants, Vol.2, p.342
A Saint, who is one in deed and in truth, does not look for an
immaterial heaven but he expects a heaven with lands, houses, cities,
vegetation, rivers, and animals; with thrones, temples, palaces, kings,
princes, priests, and angels; with food, raiment, musical instruments, etc.;
all of which are material. Indeed the Saints' heaven is a redeemed, glorified,
celestial material creation, inhabited by glorified material beings, male and
female, organized into families, embracing all the relationships of husbands
and wives, parents and children, where sorrow, crying, pain, and death will be
known no more. Or to speak still more definitely, this earth, when glorified,
is the Saints' eternal heaven. On it they expect to live, with body parts, and
holy passions: on it they expect to move and have their being; to eat, drink,
converse, worship, sing, play on musical instruments, engage in joyful,
innocent, social amusements, visit neighboring towns and neighboring worlds:
indeed, matter and its qualities and properties are the only being or things
with which they expect to associate. If they embrace the Father, they expect to
embrace a glorified, immortal, spiritual, material Personage; if they embrace
the Son of God, they expect to embrace a spiritual Being of material flesh and
bones, whose image is in the likeness of the Father; if they enjoy the society
of the Holy Ghost, they expect to behold a glorious spiritual Personage, a
material body of spirit; if they associate with the spirits of men or angels,
they expect to find them material. (Millennial Star, Vol. 28, p. 722, November
17, 1866)
B.H. Roberts, The Seventy's Course in Theology, Third Year, p.179
But not only did the risen Messiah eat in the presence of His
disciples, but with His resurrected hands He prepared a meal on the seashore
for His own disciples, and invited them to partake of the food which He, with
His resurrected hands, had provided. (John xxi:9-13, and Acts x:41.) Moreover,
for forty days He continued ministering to His disciples after His
resurrection, eating and drinking with them (Acts x:41, and Acts i:2, 3)
Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p.60 -
p.61
The resurrected Lord Jesus invited great hosts of Nephites to feel
the nail marks in his hands and feet and to thrust their hands into his riven
side. His disciples in Jerusalem, assembled in the Upper Room on the very day
of his resurrection had a similar privilege. To them he said: "Behold my
hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath
not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." And then in their presence he ate
"a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb," that they might
know and bear witness that his body was real and tangible and personal, one
that could eat and digest food even as is the case with mortal bodies.
(Luke 24:39-43.)
Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, p.520
Cleopas and his fellow disciple immediately returned to Jerusalem,
found the apostles and a congregation of saints who were eating in a closed
upper room, and recited what had transpired. As they recounted their
experiences with a Resurrected Being, that same Jesus, whose body was tangible
and real, came through the wall of the room. He spoke, teaching doctrine,
reciting that he had a body of flesh and bones which those present were invited
to handle and feel. He was recognized; the congregation knew him. He asked for
food, which he ate before them. The apostles felt the nail marks in his hands
and feet and thrust their hands into the spear wound in his side, all to the
end that this congregation of saints, this group of living witnesses, might
know that a resurrected person has power over physical objects and yet is a
personal being having a body of flesh and bones which can eat and digest food
as though mortal. Surely the Master Teacher here crowns his and all other
teaching about the nature of resurrected bodies! (Luke 24.)
Journal of Discourses, Vol.16, p.358, Orson Pratt, January 27,
1874
We read that, after Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to his
disciples while they were out fishing, and he called them to the shore and
said--"Children, have ye any meat?" They soon discovered that it was
the Lord who had appeared to them, and they came to the shore, and broiled some
fish on a fire of coals, and Jesus partook with them, yet he was an immortal
being. But whether it was necessary for him to eat in order to sustain himself
is another question. But can immortal beings live without food? Yes, even the
children of mortality can live without food when the Lord sees proper. For
instance, Moses, on two difference occasions, when he went up into the mount,
was there forty days and forty nights, and the Scripture says, expressly, that
he neither ate nor drank during that time. Now, if a person in mortality could
be sustained forty days and forty nights, on two occasions, as Moses was, why
would it be necessary for an immortal personage to eat to preserve life. I
think they eat, perhaps, because it is a pleasure, and, it may have certain
beneficial tendencies that we know nothing about; but as they are raised to
immortality it scarcely seems probable that that immortality will be dependent
upon eating and drinking for its preservation. In the testimony of our Savior
to his Apostles, we learn that resurrected beings will eat and drink, for says
he--"Ye that have followed me in the regeneration shall sit upon twelve
thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel, and ye shall eat and drink at my
table." When will that be? During the Millennium, after the resurrection
of those twelve Apostles, and when Jesus descends from heaven they will descend
with him, and when he sits upon this throne in one of the apartments of the
Temple, the twelve Apostles will sit upon their thrones, each one having a
separate tribe of Israel over whom he will reign; and when dinner is ready, or
supper, as the case may be, they will sit down at the Lord's table, and will
eat and drink in his presence. We might say much more in relation to this
matter, but if there is anything revealed to prove that immortality is
dependent upon eating and drinking, the same as our mortal lives are dependent
upon, I am not aware of it.
Note: When Jesus appeared to the apostles He explained that He had
a body of flesh and bones. Several statements from early Prophets and Apostles
explain that blood will be replaced with light.
D&C 88:67
67 And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall
be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body
which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.
Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.268
Adam, our first parent (1 Ne. 5:11), a "son of God"
(Moses 6:22), was first placed on earth as an immortal being. His coming was
the crowning event of the creation; and as with him, so with every department
of creation -- immortality reigned supreme. (2 Ne. 2:22.) There was no death,
no mortality, no corruption, no procreation. Blood did not flow in Adam's
veins, for he was not yet mortal, and blood is an element that pertains
exclusively to mortality. (Gen. 9:2-6; Lev. 17:10-15; Man: His Origin and
Destiny, pp. 362-364; Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern
Revelation, vol. 1, p. 231.) Radical changes were in the offing for man, the
earth, and all forms of life when the fall came.
Note: This is proven by the sudden appearance of Christ when He
suddenly appeared to the apostles after His resurrection. Christ suddenly
disappeared after a meal with the two seventy on the read to Emmaus.
Luke 24:30
30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took
bread, and blessed [it], and brake, and gave to them.
Luke 24:31
31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished
out of their sight.
Jesus Traveled to the Father and back before He appeared to the
apostles as the resurrected Lord. Brigham Young taught that Celestial Bodies
can travel the speed of thought.
Daniel 12:3
3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the
firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and
ever.
Matthew 13:43
43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom
of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
1 Nephi 1:10
10 And he also saw twelve others following him, and their
brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament.
D&C 88:67
67 And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall
be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body
which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.
Discourses of Brigham Young, Pg.98
When you see celestial beings, you will see men and women, but you
will see those beings clothed upon with robes of celestial purity. We cannot
bear the presence of our Father now; and we are placed at a distance to prove
whether we will honor these tabernacles, whether we will be obedient and
prepare ourselves to live in the glory of the light, privileges, and blessings
of celestial beings. We could not have the glory and the light without first
knowing the contrast. Do you comprehend that we could have no exaltation,
without first learning by contrast? 4:54.
Note: There are two general resurrections; The resurrection of the
just before the Millenium and the resurrection of the unjust after the
Millennium. Each resurrection has two sub-divisions for a total of 4
resurrections, one for all three degrees of glory and one for the "sons of
perdition". Everyone that has been born to this Earth will be resurrected.
Even the "sons of perdition" will receive resurrected bodies.
John 5:28
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all
that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
John 5:29
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of
damnation.
1 Corinthians 15:20
But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the
firstfruits of them that slept.
1 Corinthians 15:21
21 For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the
resurrection of the dead.
1 Corinthians 15:22
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive.
1 Corinthians 15:23
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits;
afterward they that are Christ's at
his coming.
D&C 76:15
15 For while we were doing the work of translation, which the Lord
had appointed unto us, we came to the twenty-ninth verse of the fifth chapter
of John, which was given unto us as follows--
D&C 76:16
16 Speaking of the
resurrection of the dead, concerning those who shall hear the voice of the Son
of Man:
D&C 76:17
17 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.
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Four 1839–42, p.199
As concerning the resurrection, I will merely say that all men
will come from the grave as they lie down, whether old or young; there will not
be "added unto their stature one cubit," neither taken from it; all
will be raised by the power of God, having spirit in their bodies, and not
blood. Children will be enthroned in the presence of God and the Lamb with
bodies of the same stature4 that they had on earth, having been redeemed by the
blood of the Lamb; they will there enjoy the fullness of that light, glory and
intelligence, which is prepared in the celestial kingdom. "Blessed are the
dead who die in the Lord, for they rest from their labors and their works do
follow them."
John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom, p.23
NATURE OF THE RESURRECTION.—What, will everybody be resurrected?
Yes, every living being. "But every man in his own order, Christ the first
fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the
end." That is, the saints shall live and reign with Christ a thousand
years. One of the apostles says, "But the rest of the dead live not again
until the thousand years are expired." But all must come forth from the
grave, some time or other, in the selfsame tabernacles that they possessed
while living on the earth. It will be just as Ezekiel has described it—bone
will come to its bone, and flesh and sinew will cover the skeleton, and at the
Lord's bidding breath will enter the body, and we shall appear, many of us, a
marvel to ourselves.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.274
ALL MEN TO BE RESURRECTED. No person who has lived and died on
this earth will be denied the resurrection. Reason teaches this, and it is a
simple matter of justice. Adam alone was responsible for death, and therefore
the Lord does not lay this to the charge of any other person. Justice demands
that no person who was not responsible for death shall be held responsible for
it, and therefore, as Paul declared, "As in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive."
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.274
In his great mercy, love, and justice, our Father in heaven has
provided that all his children who have gained mortality shall live again. The
soul cannot be destroyed. The spirits of all men are eternal. They lived before
this mortal life came, and through the atonement of Jesus Christ, they shall
live after this mortal life is ended.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.273 -
p.274
SONS OF PERDITION AND THE RESURRECTION AND THE UNIVERSAL NATURE OF
THE RESURRECTION. It has been taught by some that the resurrection would not be
universal among those who have received mortal bodies, that some known as sons
of perdition would be denied the privilege of the resurrection. It is very
strange that such a doctrine could be entertained in the face of the many
instructions and revelations coming from the Lord and his holy prophets. They
universally testify that all shall come forth from the dead. Justice demands
this because men are not responsible for death and hence are entitled to
redemption from its grasp.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.275
JOSEPH SMITH TEACHES RESURRECTION OF SONS OF PERDITION. Let us
consider now some of the sayings of later prophets, This is from the Prophet
Joseph Smith: "There have been remarks made concerning all men being
redeemed from hell; but I say that those who sin against the Holy Ghost cannot
be forgiven in this world or in the world to come; they shall die the second
death. Those who commit the unpardonable sin are doomed to Gnolom—to dwell in
hell, worlds without end. As they concoct scenes of bloodshed in this world, so
they shall rise to that resurrection which is as the lake of fire and
brimstone. Some shall rise to the everlasting burnings of God; for God dwells
in everlasting burnings, and some shall rise to the damnation of their own filthiness
which is as exquisite a torment as the lake of fire and brimstone."
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.277
"In many minds there has been a great misapprehension on the
question of the resurrection. Some have had the idea and have taught it, that
the sons of perdition will not be resurrected at all. They base this idea, and
draw this conclusion from the 38th and 39th verses of section 76, of the book
of Doctrine and Covenants, where the Lord says:
"'Yea, verily, the only ones who shall not be redeemed in the
due time of the Lord, after the sufferings of his wrath. For all the rest shall
be brought forth by the resurrection of the dead, through the triumph and the
glory of the Lamb, who was slain, who was in the bosom of the Father before the
worlds were made.'
"A careful reading of these verses, however, and especially
of the preceding paragraphs, will show that the Lord does not, in this
language, exclude even the sons of perdition from the resurrection. It is plain
that the intention is to refer to them explicitly as the only ones on whom the
second death shall have any power 'For all the rest shall be brought forth by
the resurrection of the dead, through the triumph and the glory of the Lamb.'
This excluded class are the only ones on whom the second death shall have any
power, and 'the only ones who shall not be redeemed in the due time of the
Lord, after the suffering of his wrath.'
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.277
"This is by no means to say that they are to have no
resurrection. Jesus our Lord and Savior died for all, and all will be
resurrected—good, bad, white and black, people of every race, whether sinners
or not; and no matter how great their sins may be, the resurrection of their bodies
is sure. Jesus has died for them, and they all will be redeemed from the grave
through the atonement which he has made."
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.279
CAIN TO RULE OVER SATAN. Sons of perdition will have an ascendancy
over Satan himself, because he has no body. But who is Perdition? The Lord said
to Cain: "If thou doest well, thou shalt be accepted. And if thou doest
not well, sin lieth at the door, and Satan desireth to have thee; and except
thou shalt hearken unto my commandments, I will deliver thee up, and it shall
be unto thee according to his desire. And thou shalt rule over him; For from
this time forth thou shalt be the father of his lies; thou shalt be called
Perdition; for thou wast also before the world."
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.279
Satan wanted him because Cain had a body, He wanted more power. A
man with a body of course will have greater power than just a spirit without a
body.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.280
Cain sinned with his eyes open, so he became Perdition, the father
of lies.
JST Revelation 20:6
6 Blessed and holy are they who have part in the first
resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests
of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Jacob 4:11
11 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.
Mosiah 15:21
21 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.
Mosiah 15:22
22 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.
Mosiah 15:23
23 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 15:24
24 And these are those who have part in the first resurrection;
and these are they that have died before Christ came, in their ignorance, not having
salvation declared unto them. And thus the Lord bringeth about the restoration
of these; and they have a part in the first resurrection, or have eternal life,
being redeemed by the Lord.
Mosiah 15:25
25 And little children also have eternal life.
D&C 43:18
18 For the day cometh that the Lord shall utter his voice out of
heaven; the heavens shall shake and the earth shall tremble, and the trump of
God shall sound both long and loud, and shall say to the sleeping nations: Ye
saints arise and live; ye sinners stay and sleep until I shall call again.
D&C 45:54
54 And then shall the heathen nations be redeemed, and they that
knew no law shall have part in the first resurrection; and it shall be
tolerable for them.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.295
FIRST RESURRECTION AT SECOND COMING. While there was a general
resurrection of the righteous at the time Christ arose from the dead, it is
customary for us to speak of the resurrection of the righteous at the Second
Coming of Christ as the first resurrection. It is the first to us, for we have
little thought or concern over that which is past. The Lord has promised that
at the time of his Second Advent the graves will be opened, and the just shall
come forth to reign with him on the earth for a thousand years.
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Six 1843–44, p.295
So plain was the vision, that I actually saw men, before they had
ascended from the tomb, as though they were getting up slowly. They took each
other by the hand and said to each other, "My father, my son, my mother,
my daughter, my brother, my sister." And when the voice calls for the dead
to arise, suppose I am laid by the side of my father, what would be the first
joy of my heart? To meet my father, my mother, my brother, my sister; and when
they are by my side, I embrace them and they me.
Discourses of Brigham Young, p.372
After the spirit leaves
the body, it remains without a tabernacle in the spirit world until the Lord,
by his law that he has ordained, brings to pass the resurrection of the dead.
When the angel who holds the keys of the resurrection shall sound his trumpet,
then the peculiar fundamental particles that organized our bodies here, if we
do honor to them, though they be deposited in the depths of the sea, and though
one particle is in the north, another in the south, another in the east, and
another in the west, will be brought together again in the twinkling of an eye,
and our spirits will take possession of them. We shall then be prepared to
dwell with the Father and the Son, and we never can be prepared to dwell with
them until then. Spirits, when they leave their bodies, do not dwell with the
Father and the Son, but live in the Spirit world, where there are places
prepared for them. Those who do honor to their tabernacles, and love and
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, must put off this mortality, or they cannot
put on immortality. This body must be changed, else it cannot be prepared to
dwell in the glory of the Father.
John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom, p.24
I want a part in the resurrection. The angel said, "Blessed
and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection." I want to have
part in the first resurrection. It is that which leads me to hope. It is that
hope which buoys me up under difficulties and sustains me while passing through
tribulation, for I know as well as Job knew that my "Redeemer lives, and
that he shall stand in the latter day upon the earth," and I know that I
shall stand upon it with him. I therefore bear this testimony.—JD, 13:231, May
6, 1870.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.286
KINDS OF RESURRECTED BODIES. In the resurrection there will be
different kinds of bodies; they will not all be alike. The body a man receives
will determine his place hereafter. There will be celestial bodies, terrestrial
bodies, and telestial bodies, and these bodies will differ as distinctly as do
bodies here, for example, the white European, the Negro, the Philippino, the
Indian.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.287
Bodies will be quickened according to the kingdom which they are
judged worthy to enter. Elder Orson Pratt many years ago in writing of the
resurrection and the kind of bodies which would be raised in these kingdoms
said:
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.287
"In every species of animals and plants, there are many
resemblances in the general outlines and many specific differences
characterizing the individuals of each species. So in the resurrection. There
will be several classes of resurrected bodies; some celestial, some
terrestrial, some telestial, and some sons of perdition. Each of these classes
will differ from the others by prominent and marked distinctions; yet, in each,
considered by itself, there will be found many resemblances as well as
distinctions. There will be some physical peculiarity by which each individual
in every class can be identified."
D&C 45:45
45 But before the arm of the Lord shall fall, an angel shall sound
his trump, and the saints that have slept shall come forth to meet me in the
cloud.
D&C 45:46
46 Wherefore, if ye have slept in peace blessed are you; for as
you now behold me and know that I am, even so shall ye come unto me and your
souls shall live, and your redemption shall be perfected; and the saints shall
come forth from the four quarters of the earth.
D&C 88:96
96 And the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be
quickened and be caught up to meet him.
D&C 88:97
97 And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth, for
their graves shall be opened; and they also shall be caught up to meet him in
the midst of the pillar of heaven--
D&C 88:98
98 They are Christ's, the first fruits, they who shall descend
with him first, and they who are on the earth and in their graves, who are
first caught up to meet him; and all this by the voice of the sounding of the
trump of the angel of God.
D&C 29:13
13 For a trump shall sound both long and loud, even as upon Mount
Sinai, and all the earth shall quake, and they shall come forth--yea, even the
dead which died in me, to receive a crown of righteousness, and to be clothed
upon, even as I am, to be with me, that we may be one.
Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah, p.633 - p.634
In the great Olivet Discourse, Jesus spoke of the signs of his
coming, of the redemption of his saints, and of the restoration of scattered
Israel. He held up the hope of a glorious resurrection as the greatest triumph
any of his saints could achieve in the day of redemption. "For as ye have
looked upon the long absence of your spirits from your bodies to be a bondage,
I will show unto you how the day of redemption shall come, and also the
restoration of the scattered Israel," he said. (And may we here insert
that all of the faithful of all of the ages have striven or are now striving so
to live that they will come forth from their graves and enter into their
immortal rest at the earliest possible time.) And so Jesus told of the signs
and wonders that would precede and attend his glorious return, and of the
plagues and desolations to be poured out upon the world, and then, by way of
promise, said: "But before the arm of the Lord shall fall, an angel shall
sound his trump, and the saints that have slept shall come forth to meet me in
the cloud." The first resurrection will precede the desolations and
horrors to be poured out upon the wicked without measure in the day of our
Lord's return. "Wherefore, if ye have slept in peace blessed are
you," he continues, "for as you now behold me and know that I am,
even so shall ye come unto me and your souls shall live, and your redemption
shall be perfected; and the saints shall come forth from the four quarters of
the earth." That is to say, the saints who are alive and who are worthy
shall be caught up to meet the Lord and the heavenly hosts that accompany him.
James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, Ch.21, p.389
Through the medium of latter-day revelation the Lord has said:
"Behold, I will come; and they shall see me in the clouds of heaven,
clothed with power and great glory, with all the holy angels; and he that
watches not for me shall be cut off. But before the arm of the Lord shall fall,
an angel shall sound his trump, and the saints that have slept shall come forth
to meet me in the cloud." Of the many signs and wonders which shall attend
the Lord's glorious coming we have this partial description: "And the face
of the Lord shall be unveiled; And the saints that are upon the earth, who are
alive, shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him. And they who have slept
in their graves shall come forth, for their graves shall be opened; and they
also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven --
They are Christ's, the firstfruits; they who shall descend with him first, and
they who are on the earth and in their graves, who are first caught up to meet
him."
Evening and Morning Star (June 1832), p.2
But before the arm of the Lord shall fall, an angel shall sound
his trump, and the saints that have slept, shall come forth to meet me in the
cloud. Wherefore if ye have slept in peace blessed are you, for as you now
behold me and know that I am, even so shall ye come unto me and your souls
shall live, and your redemption shall be perfected, and the saints shall come
forth from the four quarters of the earth; then shall the arm of the Lord fall
upon the nations, and then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount, and it
shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro, and the
Heavens also shall shake and the Lord shall utter his voice and all the ends of
the earth shall hear it, and the nations of the earth shall mourn, and they
that have laughed shall see their folly, and calamity shall cover the mocker,
and the scorner shall be consumed, and they that have watched for iniquity,
shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.
Evening and Morning Star (Dec 1832) William Phelps
"Resurrection of the Just," p.49
This promise to Enoch, and many others to others, have been
withheld from man, for many generations, on account of wickedness, and for want
of faith; Still the bible has ever contained the blessed promise, though not as
plain as the Lord has revealed in these last days. In fact the redemption of
the bodies of the righteous, is one of the glorious mysteries of the Lord,
unfolded unto them in the gospel: that they, by obeying the commandments of the
Lord, in all things, may live again in the flesh, on earth. Thus Job, who was a
man perfect and upright, and one that feared God and eschewed evil, came so
near to his privilege that he knew that these things are so, and exclaimed:
[Job 19:25] I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the
latter day upon the earth. -- And though after my skin worms destroy this body,
yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes
shall behold, and not another; though my reigns be consumed within me. But ye
should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?
Be ye afraid of the words: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword,
that ye may know there is a judgment. This is a positive declaration, and
leaves no room for doubt or cavil. It is to the point: I shall see God in the
flesh, for myself and not for another, and that, too, in the last days, when he
shall stand upon the earth. No wonder the two men that stood by when the Savior
ascended up to heaven, after the crucifixion, could say: [Acts 1:11] ye men of
Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus which is taken up
from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner, as ye have seen him go into
heaven. Truly, he went in a cloud and shall come in a cloud; he went in the
flesh and shall come in the flesh: For, as saith the Lord, [D&C 45:45-46]
But before the arm of the Lord shall fall an angel shall sound his trump, and
the saints that have slept, shall come forth to meet me in the cloud. Wherefore
if ye have slept in peace blessed are you, for as you now behold me and know
that I am, even so shall ye come unto me and your souls shall live, and your
redemption shall be perfected, and the saints shall come forth from the four
quarters of the earth. And the language of the Psalmist is very plain on this
subject: The righteous shall inherit the land. David rested on this promise
when he said: [Ps. 27:4] -- One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I
seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. Let it be
remembered that David desired this thing, before the temple of Solomon was
built: Knowing as he says in the 71st Psalm, Thou, which hast shewed me great
and sore troubles shalt quicken me again, and shall bring me up again from the
depths of the earth.
Discourses of Brigham Young, p.116
In the Millennium, when the Kingdom of God is established on the
earth in power, glory and perfection, and the reign of wickedness that has so
long prevailed is subdued, the Saints of God will have the privilege of
building their temples, and of entering into them, becoming, as it were,
pillars in the temples of God, and they will officiate for their dead. Then we
will see our friends come up, and perhaps some that we have been acquainted
with here. If we ask who will stand at the head of the resurrection in this
last dispensation, the answer is -- Joseph Smith, Junior, the Prophet of God.
He is the man who will be resurrected and receive the keys of the resurrection,
and he will seal this authority upon others, and they will hunt up their
friends and resurrect them when they shall have been officiated for, and bring
them up. And we will have revelations to know our forefathers clear back to
Father Adam and Mother Eve, and we will enter into the temples of God and
officiate for them. Then man will be sealed to man until the chain is made
perfect back to Adam, so that there will be a perfect chain of Priesthood from
Adam to the winding-up scene.
Discourses of Brigham Young, p.397 - p.398
Now a few words to the brethren and sisters upon the doctrine and
ordinances of the house of God. All who have lived on the earth according to
the best light they had, and would have received the fulness of the Gospel had
it been preached to them, are worthy of a glorious resurrection, and will
attain to this by being administered for, in the flesh, by those who have the
authority. All others will have a resurrection, and receive a glory, except
those who have sinned against the Holy Ghost. It is supposed by this people
that we have all the ordinances in our possession for life and salvation, and
exaltation, and that we are administering in these ordinances. This is not the
case. We are in possession of all the ordinances that can be administered in
the flesh; but there are other ordinances and administrations that must be
administered beyond this world. I know you would ask what they are. I will
mention one. We have not, neither can we receive here, the ordinance and the
keys of the resurrection. They will be given to those who have passed off this
stage of action and have received their bodies again, as many have already done
and many more will. They will be ordained, by those who hold the keys of the
resurrection, to go forth and resurrect the Saints just as we receive the
ordinance of baptism, then the keys of authority to baptize others for the
remission of their sins. This is one of the ordinances we cannot receive here,
and there are many more. We hold the authority to dispose of, alter and change
the elements; but we have not received authority to organize native element, to
even make a spear of grass grow.
The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p.36
When Joseph Smith's body was laid in the grave, his spirit, like
unto the Son of God, went into the spirit world with the keys of this
dispensation to unlock the prison doors. There were fifty thousand millions' of
spirits that never saw the face of a prophet, or heard a gospel sermon in their
lives, until Joseph Smith preached to them the message of salvation. Those
people in the spirit world have got to have equal rights in the gospel
dispensation with those on the earth. That is the reason why Jesus went to
preach to the spirits in prison. Joseph Smith will hold the keys of this dispensation
throughout the countless ages of eternity, as Peter, James, and John will hold
theirs. He (Joseph Smith) will come forth in the morning of the first
resurrection, and will rise up in judgment against this generation. He sealed
his testimony with his blood. That testimony is in force upon all the world
from the hour of his death. These are eternal truths.—JD 22:346, October 23,
1881.
Journal of Discourses, Vol.25, p.32 - p.33 - p.34, Erastus Snow,
February 2nd, 1884
The next mission will be to come and prepare the way in Zion, and
in her Stakes, and in the temples of our God for turning the key of the
resurrection of the dead, to bring forth those that are asleep, and to exalt
them among the Gods. And who will be first and foremost? Why, he whom God has
chosen and placed first and foremost to hold the keys of this last
dispensation. How long will it be? It is not given to me to say the month, the
day, or the hour; but it is given unto me to say that that time is nigh at
hand. The time is drawing near (much nearer than scarcely any of us can now
comprehend) when Joseph will be clothed upon with immortality, when his brother
Hyrum will be clothed upon with immortality, when the martyrs will be raised
from the dead, together with their faithful brethren who have performed a good
mission in the spirit world--they, too, will be called to assist in the work of
the glorious resurrection. The Lord Jesus, who was the first fruits of the
dead, the first fruit of them that sleep, and who holds the keys of the resurrection,
will bring to pass the resurrection of the Prophet Joseph and his brethren, and
will set them to work in bringing about the resurrection of their brethren as
He has set them to work in all the other branches of the labor from the
beginning. And the Lord Jesus will appear and show Himself unto His servants in
His temple in holy places, to counsel and instruct and direct. He will appear
in the glory of His Father, in His resurrected body, among those who can endure
His presence and glory. And all this I expect long before He will waste away
and destroy the wicked from off the face of the earth. True, we have, in our
limited understandings, perhaps imagined, many of us, that this glorious
resurrection was to come upon us, and upon the whole world suddenly, like the
rising of the sun. But you must remember the sun does not rise the same hour
and the same moment upon all the earth. It is twenty-four hours in rising and
twenty-four hours in setting. So with the resurrection. There is a day
appointed for the resurrection of the righteous. And it is sealed upon the
heads of many that if they are faithful and true, they shall come forth
"in the morning of the first resurrection;" but the morning lasts
from the first hour of the day until mid-day, and the day lasts till night; and
the rest of the dead--those who are not prepared or counted worthy to have part
in the first resurrection--shall not live again until the thousand years are
ended. In other words, the first resurrection will have been ended, and another
period appointed for the resurrection of the rest of the dead. But this
"morning of the first resurrection" is nigh at hand, and blessed are
those who, through their faithfulness, shall be counted worthy to have part in
it; for they shall be crowned kings and priests with God and the Lamb--they
shall reign with Christ and in the midst of His people, and carry on the work
of the redemption and resurrection of the Saints of God. And while in some
parts of the world the Elders of Israel are preaching the Gospel unto the
heathen nations who have not been ripened for destruction, but whose kings and
mighty men have perished, and whose governments have been broken in pieces and
wasted away, and the government of the Kingdom of God has been extended over
them; while this is going on in some portions of the world, in other places,
even in Zion and in her Stakes and in Jerusalem, the children of God will be
engaged in the redemption of their dead in the temples of our God, and in the
resurrection of those that are counted worthy of so great a salvation.
Collected Discourses, Vol.1, Wilford Woodruff, June 2, 1889
But in the morning of the resurrection you will find Joseph Smith
holding the keys of this kingdom and dispensation at the head of all Israel who
belong to this dispensation; he will hold them to the endless ages of eternity,
notwithstanding that we shall all get our reward for what we do. The keys of
the kingdom were given to Joseph Smith. They were placed on the heads of other
men to make use of on earth for a short time; and when we get through we shall
all have our reward.
D&C 76:65
These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the
just.
D&C 76:66
These are they who are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of
the living God, the heavenly place, the holiest of all.
D&C 76:67
These are they who have come to an innumerable company of angels,
to the general assembly and church of Enoch, and of the Firstborn.
D&C 76:68
These are they whose names are written in heaven, where God and
Christ are the judge of all.
Hebrews 12:22
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Hebrews 12:23
To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are
written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men
made perfect,
Daniel 7:9
I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days
did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow, and the hair of his head like the
pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning
fire.
Daniel 7:10
A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand
thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before
him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
Daniel 7:22
Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the
saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the
kingdom.
Daniel 7:26
But the judgment Adam shall sit, and they shall take away his
anti-christ dominion, to consume and to destroy [it] unto the end. *Note
Italics Added for Clarification-Another name for Adam is "Judgment"
because of his role as judge in the last days.
D&C 63:49
Yea, and blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, from
henceforth, when the Lord shall come, and old things shall pass away, and all
things become new, they shall rise from the dead and shall not die after, and
shall receive an inheritance before the Lord, in his holy city.
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Two 1834–37, p.83
First, I shall begin by quoting from the prophecy of Enoch,
speaking of the last days: "Righteousness will I send down out of heaven,
and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only
Begotten, His resurrection from the dead (this resurrection I understand to be
the corporeal body); yea, and also the resurrection of all men; righteousness
and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine
own elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall
prepare, a Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking
forth for the time of my coming, for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall
be called Zion a New Jerusalem." (Moses 7:62, 1902 edition.)
Smith and Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, Sec. 58,
p.337
After that cometh the day of my power] Zion will be built, The
Temple will be reared. Enoch's Zion, the "Jerusalem which is above,"
will meet the Saints who have part in the first resurrection, and those who
will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and they will all be united. Then
will come the day of God's power. The poor and the lame, the blind and the deaf
will all be invited to partake of the blessings of the Millennium. The Earth
will not be freed from all defects at once. The work of redemption will be
gradual.
Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.163
These are they that arise in their bodies of flesh, When the trump
of the first resurrection shall sound; These are they that come up to Mount
Zion, in life, Where the blessings and gifts of the spirit abound.
D&C 63:16
And verily I say unto you, as I have said before, he that looketh
on a woman to lust after her, or if any shall commit adultery in their hearts,
they shall not have the Spirit, but shall deny the faith and shall fear.
D&C 63:17
Wherefore, I, the Lord, have said that the fearful, and the
unbelieving, and all liars, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie, and the
whoremonger, and the sorcerer, shall have their part in that lake which burneth
with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
D&C 63:18
Verily I say, that they shall not have part in the first
resurrection (*Refers to preceding verses 63:16,17).
D&C 76:50
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 76:51
They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on
his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the
water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given--
D&C 76:52
That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed
from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands
of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power;
D&C 76:53
And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of
promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true.
D&C 76:54
They are they who are the church of the Firstborn.
D&C 76:55
They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things--
D&C 76:56
They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of his
fulness, and of his glory;
D&C 76:57
And are priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek,
which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only
Begotten Son.
D&C 76:58
Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God--
D&C 76:59
Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things
present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ's, and Christ is
God's.
D&C 76:60
And they shall overcome all things.
D&C 76:61
Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in
God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet.
D&C 76:62
These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever
and ever.
D&C 76:63
These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in
the clouds of heaven to
reign on the earth over his people.
D&C 76:64
These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection.
D&C 76:65
These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the
just.
D&C 76:66
These are they who are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of
the living God, the heavenly place, the holiest of all.
D&C 76:67
These are they who have come to an innumerable company of angels,
to the general assembly and church of Enoch, and of the Firstborn.
D&C 76:68
These are they whose names are written in heaven, where God and
Christ are the judge of all.
D&C 76:69
These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator
of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the
shedding of his own blood.
D&C 76:70
These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of
the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the
firmament is written of as being typical.
Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah, p.709
"These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ
forever and ever." Theirs is an inheritance in heaven. "These are
they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven
to reign on the earth over his people. These are they who shall have part in
the first resurrection. These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection
of the just." And it is of them that we have spoken as we have recounted
how the heavens would roll together as a scroll; how the saints on earth would
be caught up to meet the Lord in the air; and how the dead in Christ would rise
first.
ElRay L. Christiansen, Conference Report, April 1968, p.134
All who live or who have lived in mortality will, through the
power of the Redeemer, be resurrected in due time. All will live forever! All
will receive some degree of salvation, if the right to it has not been
forfeited. But those who receive the ordinances of the endowment and are
properly sealed or married and who keep the covenants they made with the Lord
are promised by him that "these are they who shall have part in the first
resurrection.
Discourses of Brigham Young, p.375
When the body comes forth again, it will be divine, God-like
according to the capacity and ordinations of the Lord. Some are foreordained to
one station, and some to another. We want a house, and when we get it and our
spirits enter into it, then we can begin to look forth—for what? For our
friends. We want them resurrected. Here is this friend and that friend, until
by-and-by all are resurrected. And the earth is resurrected? Yes, and every
living thing on the earth that has abided the law by which it was made. Then
that which you and I respect, are fond of, and love with an earthly love, will
become divine, and we can then love it with that affection which it is not now
worthy of. 9:140.
John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom, p.24
I know that some people of very limited comprehension will say
that all the parts of the body cannot be brought together, for, say they, the
fish probably have eaten them up, or the whole may have been blown to the four
winds of heaven. It is true the body, or the organization, may be destroyed in
various ways, but it is not true that the particles out of which it was created
can be destroyed. They are eternal; they never were created. This is not only a
principle associated with our religion, or in other words, with the great
science of life, but also it is in accordance with acknowledged science. You
may take, for instance, a handful of fine gold, and scatter it in the street
among the dust; again, gather together the materials among which you have
thrown the gold, and you can separate one from the other so thoroughly, that
your handful of gold can be returned to you; yes, every grain of it. You may
take particles of silver, iron, copper, lead, and mix them together with any
other ingredients, and there are certain principles connected with them by
which these different materials can be eliminated, every particle cleaving to
that of its own element.—JD, 18:333-334, December 31, 1876.
Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p.435
Speaking of the resurrection, the subject on which so much has
been said during this conference, and appropriately said, too—we distinctly
believe that Jesus Christ himself is the true, and only true type of the
resurrection of men from death unto life. We believe there is no other form of
resurrection from death to life; that as he rose, and as he preserved his
identity, even to the scars of the wounds in his hands and feet and side, that
he could prove himself to those that were skeptical of the possibility of
rising from the dead, that he was indeed himself, the Lord crucified, buried in
the tomb, and raised again from death to life, so it will be with you and with
every son and daughter of Adam, born into the world. You will not lose your
identity any more than Christ did. You will be brought forth from death to life
again, just as surely as Christ was brought forth from death to life again,
just as surely as those who ministered to the Prophet Joseph Smith had been
raised from death to life—therefore, in the same manner in which Christ has been
raised, so will life, and the resurrection from death to life again, come upon
all who have descended from our first parents. The death that came into the
world by Adam's transgression has been conquered, and its terror vanquished by
the power and righteousness of the Son of God. He came to redeem man from the
temporal death, and also to save him from spiritual death if he will repent of
his sins, and will believe on the name of Christ, follow his example, and obey
his laws.—Apr. C. R., 1912, pp. 135-136.
Millennial Star, Sept. 28, 1905, p. 612
Then he showed me the resurrection of the dead—what is termed the
first and second resurrection. In the first resurrection I saw no graves, nor
anyone raised from the grave. I saw legions of celestial beings, men and women
who had received the Gospel, all clothed in white robes. In the form they were
presented to me, they had already been raised from the grave. After this, he
showed me what is termed the second resurrection. Vast fields of graves were
before me, and the Spirit of God rested upon the earth like a shower of gentle
rain, and when that fell upon the graves they were opened, and a immense host
of human beings came forth. They were just as diversified in their dress as we
are here, or as they were laid down.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.288
Resurrected bodies have control over the elements, How do you
think the bodies will get out of the graves at the resurrection? When the Angel
Moroni appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Prophet saw him apparently
come down and ascend through the solid walls or ceiling of the building. If the
Prophet's account had been a fraud, he never would have stated such a story (as
we may be sure he never would have thought of such a thing), but would have had
the angel come in through the door. Why should it appear any more impossible
for a resurrected being to pass through solid objects than for a spirit, for a
spirit is also matter?
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.288
It was just as easy for the Angel Moroni to come to the Prophet
Joseph Smith down through the building as it was for our Savior to appear to
his disciples after his resurrection in the room where they were assembled when
the door was closed. "The same day at evening, being the first day of the
week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of
the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto
you."
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.288 -
p.289
Here, you see that the door was shut, "for fear of the
Jews," but this did not prevent Jesus from appearing to them in the room.
How could he do it? He had power over the elements. This has been explained by
some scientists by the statement that we are limited to three dimensions, but
superior beings may have many dimensions of which we know nothing. One learned
man, who does not believe in the resurrection, stated that a mortal being, if
his body could vibrate in the proper manner, could pass through solid objects.
Just how resurrected beings do it, we do not know, but that it has been done we
do know, for the Savior and others have done it.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.285
TANGIBLE NATURE OF SPIRITUAL BODIES. These modern blind teachers
of the blind who deny the literal resurrection have a very false understanding
of what is meant by a spiritual body. They have based their conclusion on the
statement that Paul makes that the body is raised a spiritual body and that
flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. They cannot conceive in
their minds of a body raised from the dead, being composed of flesh and bones,
quickened by spirit and not by blood.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.285
When Paul spoke of the spiritual body, he had no reference at all
to the spirit body, and there they have made their mistake. They have confused
the spiritual body, or, in other words, the body quickened by the spirit, with
the body of the spirit alone. They think that those who believe in the
resurrection of the literal body believe that it shall be raised again,
quickened by blood, which is not the case….
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.285
After the resurrection from the dead our bodies will be spiritual
bodies, but they will be bodies that are tangible, bodies that have been
purified, but they will nevertheless be bodies of flesh and bones. They will
not be blood bodies. They will no longer be quickened by blood but quickened by
the spirit which is eternal, and they shall become immortal and shall never
die.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.289
NO DEFORMITIES OR IMPERFECTIONS IN RESURRECTION. A little sound
thinking will reveal to us that it would be inconsistent for our bodies to be
raised with all kinds of imperfections. Some men have been burned at the stake
for the sake of truth. Some have been beheaded, and others have had their
bodies torn asunder; for example, John the Baptist was beheaded and received
his resurrection at the time of the resurrection of our Redeemer. It is
impossible for us to think of him coming forth from the dead holding his head
in his hands; our reason says he was physically complete in the resurrection,
He appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery with a perfect
resurrected body.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.289
When we come forth from the dead, our spirits and bodies will be
reunited inseparably, never again to be divided, and they will then be assigned
to the kingdom to which they belong. All deformities and imperfections will be
removed, and the body will conform to the likeness of the spirit, for the Lord
revealed, "that which is spiritual being in the likeness of that which is
temporal; and that which is temporal in the likeness of that which is
spiritual; the spirit of man in the likeness of his person, as also the spirit
of the beast, and every other creature which God has created."
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.289 -
p.290
PERFECT AND PROPER FRAME IN RESURRECTION. The Prophet Amulek has
stated the case very clearly in these words: "Now, there is a death which
is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of
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.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.290
"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. "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 testifies to this same thing. Speaking of the resurrection of
our Lord which will give him power to call forth all of the dead, he says:
"Yea, this bringeth about the restoration of those things of which has
been spoken by the mouths of the prophets. 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."
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.293
RESTORATION TO PERFECTION THROUGH RESURRECTION. In speaking about
the resurrection at the funeral of Sister Rachel Grant, President Joseph F.
Smith said that the same person, in the same form and likeness, will come forth
"even to the wounds in the flesh. Not that a person will always be marred
by scars, wounds, deformities, defects or infirmities, for these will be
removed in their course, in their proper time, according to the merciful
providence of God."
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.293 -
p.294
President Smith was in full accord with Amulek and Alma. He taught
that the body will be restored as stated in Alma 11:42-45 and 40:22-23. While
he expresses the thought that the body will come forth as it was laid down, he
also expresses the thought that it will take time to adjust the body from the
condition of imperfections, This, of course, is reasonable, but at the same
time the length of time to make these adjustments will not cover any
appreciable extent of time.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.294
President Smith never intended to convey the thought that it would
require weeks or months of time in order for the defects to be removed. These
changes will come naturally, of course, but almost instantly, We cannot look
upon it in any other way. For instance, a man who has lost a leg in childhood
will have his leg restored. It does not grow in the grave, but will be restored
naturally, but with the power of the Almighty it will not take extended time
for this to be accomplished.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.294
RESTORATION TO PERFECTION ALMOST INSTANTANEOUS. When President Smith
declares that "the body will come forth as it is laid to rest, for there
is no growth in the grave," he has in mind this: Infants and children do
not grow in the grave, but when they come forth, they will come forth with the
same body and in the same size in which the body was when it was laid away.
After the resurrection the body will grow until it has reached the full stature
of manhood or womanhood. He did not intend to teach that the adult who loses a
leg will come forth without that leg until it can be grafted on after the
resurrection. Rather, his body will come forth complete in every part.
Deformities and the like will be corrected, if not immediately at the time of
the uniting of the spirit and body, so soon thereafter that it will make no difference.
We may be sure that every man will receive his body in its perfect frame in the
resurrection.
Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol.1, p.42
Question: "What will the state of mankind be at the
resurrection? This question was raised when discussing the resurrection of the
Savior. He appeared to his disciples with the wounds in his hands, feet, and
side. When we come forth in the resurrection, will the earthly scars we get and
the deformities remain? If we lose a part of the body, like a hand, arm, or
leg, will we be made whole?
Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol.1, p.42
Answer: A little sound thinking will reveal to us that it would be
inconsistent for our bodies to be raised with all kinds of imperfections. Some
men have been burned at the stake for the sake of truth. Some have been
beheaded, and others have had their bodies torn asunder; for example, John the
Baptist was beheaded and received his resurrection at the time of the
resurrection of our Redeemer. It is impossible for us to think of his coming
forth from the dead holding his head in his hands; our reason says he was
physically complete in the resurrection. He appeared to the Prophet Joseph
Smith and Oliver Cowdery with a perfect resurrected body. When we come forth
from the dead, our spirits and bodies will be reunited inseparably, never again
to be divided, and they will then be assigned to the kingdom to which they
belong. All deformities and imperfections will be removed, and the body will
conform to the likeness of the spirit, for the Lord revealed that "that
which is spiritual" is in "the likeness of that which is temporal;
and that which is temporal in the likeness of that which is spiritual; the
spirit of man in the likeness of his person, as also the spirit of the beast,
and every other creature which God has created."1
Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol.4, p.185
Question: "Is a person resurrected to appear at the same age
as that to which he or she had attained when the body was laid down? I realize
that children who die will be raised as children for there is no growth in the
grave, but will some appear to be thirty years old and some eighty or one
hundred, in the resurrection?"
Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol.4, p.185
Answer: There is no reason for any person to be concerned as to
the appearance of individuals in the resurrection. Death is a purifying process
as far as the body is concerned. We have reason to believe that the appearance
of old age will disappear and the body will be restored with the full vigor of
manhood and womanhood. Children will arise as children, for there is no growth
in the grave. Children will continue to grow until they reach the full stature
of their spirits. Anything contrary to this would be inconsistent. When our
bodies are restored, they will appear to be in the full vigor of manhood and
womanhood, for the condition of physical weakness will all be left behind in
the grave.
Burton, ed., We Believe, Resurrection - JTC:698
A resurrected body, though of tangible substance, and possessing
all the organs of the mortal tabernacle, is not bound to earth by gravitation,
nor can it be hindered in its movements by material barriers. To us who
conceive of motion only in the directions incident to the three dimensions of
space, the passing of a solid, such as a living body of flesh and bones,
through stone walls, is necessarily incomprehensible. But that resurrected
beings move in accordance with laws making such passage possible and to them
natural, is evidenced not only by the instance of the risen Christ, but by the
movements of other resurrected personages. Thus, in September, 1823, Moroni,
the Nephite prophet who had died about A.D. 400, appeared to Joseph Smith in
his chamber, three times during one night, coming and going without hindrance
incident to walls of roof (see JS-H 2:43; also The Articles of Faith, pp.
11-13). That Moroni was a resurrected man is shown by his corporeity manifested
in his handling of the metallic plates on which was inscribed the record known
to us as the Book of Mormon. So also resurrected beings possess the power of
rendering themselves visible or invisible to the physical vision of mortals.
Brigham Young, Discourse at General Conference, October 8, 1875,
Scrapbook of Mormon Literature, Vol. 2, p.41
The question may be asked, Do not the particles that compose man's
body, when returned to mother earth, go to make or compose other bodies? No,
they do not. Some philosophers have asserted that human body changes every
seven or ten years. This is not correct, for it never changes; that is, the
substances of which it is composed do not pass off and other particles of
matter come and take their place. Neither can the particles which have
comprised the bodies of men become parts of the bodies of other men, or of
beasts, fowls, fish, insects or vegetables. They are governed by a divine law,
and though they may pass from the knowledge of the scientific world, that
divine law still holds and governs and control them. Man's body may be buried
in the ocean, it may be eaten by wild beasts, or it may be burned to ashes, and
be scattered to the four winds, yet the particles of is composed will not be
incorporated into any form of vegetable or animal life, to become a component
part of their structure. Are they gross, tangible, and, in their organized
capacity, subject to decay and change? Yes, and if buried in the earth, they
undergo decomposition and return to mother earth; but it is no matter how
minute the particles are, they are watched over and will be preserved until the
resurrection and at the sound of the trumpet of God every particle of our
physical structures necessary to make our tabernacles perfect will be
assembled, to be rejoined with the spirit, every man in his order. Not one
particle will be lost.
The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p.247 - p.248
TO PARENTS ON THE LOSS OF THEIR CHILDREN. The question may arise
with me and with you—"Why has the Lord taken away my children?" But
that is not for me to tell, because I do not know; it is in the hands of the
Lord, and it has been so from the creation of the world all the way down.
Children are taken away in their infancy, and they go to the spirit world. They
come here and fulfil the object of their coming; that is, their tabernacle in
the flesh. They come to receive a probation and an inheritance on the earth;
they obtain a body or tabernacle, and that tabernacle will be preserved for
them, and in the morning of the resurrection the spirits and bodies will be
reunited, and as here we find children of various ages in a family, from the
infant at the mother's breast to manhood, so will it be in the family
organization in the celestial world. Our children will be restored to us as they
are laid down if we, their parents, keep the faith and prove ourselves worthy
to obtain eternal life; and if we do not so prove ourselves our children will
still be preserved, and will inherit celestial glory. This is my view in regard
to all infants who die, whether they are born to Jew or Gentile, righteous or
wicked. They come from their eternal Father and their eternal Mother unto whom
they were born in the eternal world, and they will be restored to their eternal
parentage; and all parents who have received children here according to the
order of God and the Holy Priesthood, no matter in what age they may have
lived, will claim those children in the morning of the resurrection, and they
will be given unto them and they will grace their family organizations in the
celestial world.
The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p.248
THE FUTURE STATE OF THOSE WHO DIE IN INFANCY. With regard to the
future state of those who die in infancy I do not feel authorized to say much.
There has been a great deal of theory, and many views have been expressed on
this subject, but there are many things connected with it which the Lord has
probably never revealed to any of the prophets or patriarchs who ever appeared
on the earth. There are some things which have not been revealed to man, but
are held in the bosom of God our Father, and it may be that the condition after
death of those who die in infancy is among the things which God has never
revealed; but it is sufficient for me to know that our children are saved, and
that if we ourselves keep the faith and do our duty before the Lord, if we keep
the celestial law, we shall be preserved by that law, and our children will be
given unto us there, as they have been given here in this world of sorrow,
affliction, pain and distress.—JD 18:31-32, June 24, 1875.
The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p.248 - p.249
I will say to our mourning friends, your children are taken away
and you cannot help it, we cannot any of us help it; there is no censure to be
given to parents when they do the best they can. A mother should not be
censured because she cannot save her sick child, and we have to leave these
things in the hands of God. It will be but a little time until they will be
restored to us; in a little time Brother and Sister Wheeler will again have the
children whose loss they now mourn.—JD 18:34, June 24, 1875.
The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p.249
ON THE LOSS IN INFANCY, AND THE REARING OF CHILDREN. Our children
are taken away from us in infancy and childhood, and they are taken away as
Job's were, in one sense of the word, through the dispensations of Providence,
causing us severe trials. This we will acknowledge; but as I have already said,
there are many things in this world that are far more painful and afflicting
than to have our children burned to death. My friends may ask, "What is
Brother Woodruff driving at in this remark?" I will tell you. I have lived
in these valleys twenty-seven years since the pioneers came here. I have seen a
whole generation of men and women grow up in these valleys of the mountains,
and they have become parents. I have seen some, I will not say a great many,
but I have seen some young men (I say nothing about maidens), who have met with
untimely deaths and who have gone to the grave disgraced and a dishonor to
themselves and to their parents. Circumstances of this kind are far more
painful to any parent in the world than it is for their children to meet with
sudden death by accident or any other way. None of us know what course our
children will take. We set good examples before them, and we strive to teach
them righteous principles. But when they come to years of accountability they
have their agency and they act for themselves.—JD 14:130-31, June 24, 1875.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.293
CHILDREN RESURRECTED AS CHILDREN. Of course, children who die do
not grow in the grave. They will come forth with their bodies as they were laid
down, and then they will grow to the full stature of manhood or womanhood after
the resurrection, but all will have their bodies fully restored.
Franklin D. Richards and James A. Little, A Compendium of the
Doctrines of the Gospel, p.62
The following is from the Times and Seasons, vol. 5, page 617:
"Mothers, you shall have your children, for they shall have eternal life:
for their debt is paid, there is no damnation awaits them, for they are in the
spirit. As the child dies, so shall it rise from the dead and be forever living
in the learning of God; it shall be the child, the same as it was before it
died out of your arms. Children dwell and exercise power in the same form as
they laid them down."
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.281
RESURRECTION OF ALL THINGS / EARTH AND ALL LIFE RESURRECTED. Every
creature on the earth, whether it be man, animal, fish, fowl, or other
creature, that the Lord has created, is redeemed from death on the same terms
that man is redeemed. These creatures are not responsible for death coming into
the world any more than we were, and since they have been created by the
Father, they are entitled to their redemption and eternal duration.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.281
The earth itself shall be changed from its mortal body, for it too
is a living thing now, under the curse of death, and it "abideth the law
of a celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation, and
transgresseth not the law—Wherefore, it shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding
it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by which
it is quickened, and the righteous shall inherit it."
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, Vol.2, p.281
ALL LIVING THINGS RESURRECTED. "I know that, whatsoever God
doeth," we read in the scriptures, "it shall be for ever: nothing can
be put to it, nor anything taken from it." We know that all these
creatures are animated by the spirit which is in them, just as man is. The Lord
declared through the Prophet that "the spirit of man [is] in the likeness
of his person, also the spirit of the beast, and every other creature which God
has created." Is there any living creature that God has not made? If so,
the power of creation has gone out of his hands. He is supreme, and all life is
from him, his gift to every creature.