Hey there everybody and welcome back to another episode of Redeemed Through His Blood.
Scott Durfey here joined as always by Uncle David Durfey.
Hey Dave.
Good to see you Scott.
I wish you'd stop.
You gotta stop calling me Uncle.
You make me sound old.
Well if the shoe fits as they say.
Alright my good friend.
You know my brother we actually do joke around about that.
Dave's only you know I don't know what Dave eight years older than I am.
I think that's right.
Yeah so he's actually closer to me in age than he is to my father who is his older brother.
Yeah some people probably would see us together and they'd think I was your little brother.
Well just because you're younger brother younger brother.
Yeah not little younger brother.
That's for sure.
Yeah they sure would.
That white hair makes you look so much younger.
Well I don't die by like yours.
Well you should maybe consider starting.
I wear makeup and dye my hair.
Yeah you have to have a TV presence.
That's right.
You know what if my hair was as white as yours I would just be super happy.
My grandpa Dave's dad we're really getting off track here but Dave's dad my grandpa Durfee
had the most white angelic looking hair and you know Dave's hair is pretty much the same.
We're going to talk about the resurrection today Scott and I've thought you know.
You're not going to have that white hair anymore.
I thought how's he going to be.
You know we think of don't we usually most of us think of Heavenly Father as having white
hair.
And I've wondered you know you talk about being resurrected maybe in our prime.
I don't know what that means.
I don't think I know what I want it to me.
I don't think that necessarily means how you look but with a resurrected body you're not
going to have any health problems so there will be arthritis or any of that going on.
So I think you can look older without being younger even if you're resurrected in your
prime.
So but I often think I hope he my dad and I hope even me gets to keep your white gets
to keep our our white hair.
I hope you do too and I get to keep my dark hair.
Anyway we're really getting off track great to episodes last week as we've kind of wrapped
up the events of the atonement of Jesus Christ.
We're going to talk some more about that again today but I just hope is you know we're really
closing in on this Easter season.
I don't know we're several days into what the Protestants and Catholics observe as lent
already as we are approaching Easter and you know maybe we'll be able to put together a
another special Easter podcast like we did last year.
I'm headed to the Holy Land and by the time this podcast comes out though I'll be back
already but looking extremely forward to that experience as well Dave where a lot of the
stuff took place.
You don't even know how great life changing that will that will be for you.
I pray that you'll be you'll be safe and you'll come you'll come back.
I don't know if being able to see things.
Yeah.
That you've never seen before as you study the gospel and the life of Jesus Christ and
it will it will make some of those events even seem maybe more real to you.
Which I'm extremely I'm just super excited about that.
I spend a lot of work getting prepared for it and you know it's been hard to kind of
focus and be thinking about what's coming there.
So we'll hop on an airplane in the next couple of days and I'll have a 17 hour plane right
to kind of get my get myself pulled together and ready for it.
But let's get into the topic today.
Dave why don't you kind of well we want to finish off the events and kind of lead into
the effects of the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
So Scott we were talking about the resurrection I think we ended on the twenty five hundred
eyewitnesses in the Book of Mormon near the temple in Bountiful and Jesus invites them
you know to come and to feel the prints of the nails and to see and to know that he is
resurrected.
So I just think that's such a amazing powerful experience and in a way Scott he invites us
to think about his resurrection and to rejoice in his resurrection every Sunday when we partake
of the sacrament to in essence feel and partake of his flesh and to think about and be grateful
for the shedding of his blood and we should definitely think about how glorious the resurrection
is and the powerful effect of it.
I love this quote by President Oaks that was in April twenty twenty one during Easter weekend
and he gives us this beautiful talk of the resurrection and the atonement of Jesus Christ
and the title I think of his talk is What Has the Savior Done for Me?
And he lists several all of course pointing back to the Savior's atonement.
Right up concerning the resurrection he rewrites, The resurrection gives us the perspective
and the strength to endure the mortal challenges faced by each of us and those we love.
Just think about that for a minute how so?
How does the resurrection give us the perspective and strength to endure the mortal challenges
faced by each of us and those we love?
And let that set in for a minute.
Then he continues, It gives us a new way to view the physical, mental or emotional deficiencies
which we have at birth or acquire during mortal life.
It gives us the strength to endure sorrows, failures and frustrations because each of
us has had an assured resurrection.
We know that these mortal deficiencies and oppositions are only temporary.
The resurrection also gives us a powerful incentive to keep the commandments of God
during our mortal lives.
Because when we rise from the dead and proceed to our prophesied final judgment we want to
have qualified for the choices blessings promised to resurrected beings.
So I think when we talk about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and we understand the effects
of that resurrection is that Christ overcame physical death for every human being that
has ever been born on this earth and even sons of perdition all will be resurrected.
That is so clear.
It's clear to me in the Bible but not all religions, Christian churches believe that
or teach that.
But it's unmistakably clear and obvious in the Book of Mormon that all will be resurrected.
And we have a little deeper understanding because of the Doctrine and Covenants that
there will be multiple resurrections.
The timing of the resurrections are I think important to understand.
We as a patriarch, I gave a blessing again last night and often, I would say more times
than not or almost always maybe, I bless individuals that if they are faithful they will come forth
in the morning of the first resurrection.
Well what does that really mean?
If there is a morning is there an evening and if there is a first resurrection is there
a second resurrection?
And I think it's helpful, Doctrine and Covenants, Section 88 particularly helps us understand
that there are basically four resurrections.
There is a morning of the first resurrection and there is an evening of the first resurrection.
In the morning of the first resurrection all those who have lived a celestial law will
be resurrected first.
That's the morning of the first resurrection.
How glorious would that be to be resurrected early and to be among the first to physically
greet Jesus Christ in the second coming.
So that's when that resurrection will take place.
Will be in the morning of the first resurrection, will come at the time of or close to or right
after the second coming of Jesus Christ and all who have lived a celestial law will be
resurrected at that time.
And then throughout the thousand years because we know that those who have lived at least
the terrestrial law, those who are valiant, those who are honorable men but have maybe
not been as valiant in their testimony of Jesus, those are the individuals described
in Doctrine and Covenants, Section 76 as living a terrestrial law.
Terrestrial beings, if you live a terrestrial life and you're a good person, an honorable
person, an honest person, a nice person, you'll survive the second coming if you're a terrestrial
mortal.
And if you've lived a terrestrial law and died before the second coming, you'll be resurrected
sometime before the thousand years of peace ends.
So the first resurrection takes place beginning of or during and before the end of the second
coming of Jesus Christ.
Is that clear?
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
You know, and I think that this is something that gets brought up and is wondered about,
I think, from time to time.
But yeah, I think that you're making it very clear.
I just want to, if you don't mind, you said something about resurrection being talked
about in the Bible and how to you it's clear, to me it's clear also.
And I'm just going to share one scripture.
Is that okay?
Yeah.
So this is out of 1 Corinthians 15, 29.
And this is Paul.
He's speaking to those in Corinth.
And what's interesting here is he's bringing up actually two principles.
He's bringing up baptism for the dead and he's also bringing up resurrection.
It seems though that in this verse, baptism for the dead was not in question.
It wasn't a situation here where they were questioning the validity of baptism for the
dead.
He uses it as evidence.
Yeah, absolutely.
And they were so they were so they were so able to accept that baptism for the dead apparently
was something that they were doing, but he was like he and so he said to him and you
know and I'll say it, I'll read it and then I'll say it.
Well, before you read 29, Scott, yeah, read verses 20 and 21.
Okay, that's gift to 29.
Yeah, there you go.
But now this is 20.
But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
For since by man came death by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
I'll actually read 22 too.
For as an Adam I'll die even so Christ shall all be made alive.
Okay, now that seems obvious to me.
But then he goes an Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
But again, that's interpreted differently by different Christian churches.
Well and then he basically says to them he says else what shall they do which are baptized
for the dead if the dead rise not at all.
Why then are they baptized for the dead?
You know in other words if we were to put that in today's vernacular, guys you're baptizing
people for the dead but you don't believe in the resurrection what gives here.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's good, Scott.
Thank you.
So that's the first resurrection, right?
There's a morning and an evening.
Celestial will be resurrected in the morning, terrestrial in the evening and all of that
takes place at the time of or during the second coming of Jesus Christ and the millennial
reign of Christ on the earth.
The second resurrection and I believe there's a morning, you know we don't really call
that in the scriptures but there's a morning and there's an evening.
There's an order.
That's the point I guess.
Morning or evening is not important.
There's an order.
And the second resurrection, first all the telestial individuals will be resurrected.
These are described again in Doctrine and Covenants section 76 and is not pleasant to
think about living with these people forever but it's basically the murderers and the
sorcerers and those who lie and love and make a lie.
Immorality, I think that's the definition of the scriptures of immorality is those who
love and make a lie.
Those are the telestial beings and they'll be resurrected after the second coming of
Jesus Christ in the millennium.
And then finally, the sons of perdition will be resurrected.
Some people think there will only be a few of those.
I think in the teachings of Prophet Joseph Smith he alludes that there might be more
than we think but nevertheless all of those who are sons of perdition and who receive
no glory at all, who go to outer darkness, they'll also be resurrected.
They'll be the last to be resurrected.
So that's the order of the resurrection.
And it's kind of also interesting I think, Scott, to think about what is the resurrection.
The resurrection is actually already in process I guess we could say because of some special
dispensational reasons some individuals have been resurrected.
We know that Peter was resurrected who was crucified upside down and he's been resurrected.
He appeared to Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, laid hands on their head and gave them priesthood.
James, who was beheaded, he's resurrected.
He appeared with Peter, James, and John.
John of course is a translated being.
He's not yet resurrected.
And we know that Moroni has been resurrected, handling the plates, appearing to Joseph Smith.
So we know that for different dispensational reasons individuals have been resurrected,
maybe more than we would ever believe.
But it continues.
And it's interesting kind of when you think about the process I think of the resurrection,
Scott.
I remember being in this talk that President Kimball gave back in the late 1970s I think.
I think we have the reference there, Scott.
Is there a date?
I'm looking for that date as you're saying that.
I think it's like 1970s.
I don't see it right off the...
And he gives this talk and he talks about the keys of the resurrection.
And he talks about it as though it is a priesthood ordinance quoting Brigham Young.
So I think it's significant when you have a Latter-day Prophet quoting another prophet.
And this is President Kimball quoting Brigham Young and I think he makes a comment about
it.
I'll read it.
So the title of...
I still don't see a date on this but it says that the title on this is Our Great Potential.
Maybe Dave can look that up while I'm reading.
Well, actually it was in a conference report, April 1977.
The Ordinance and Keys of the Resurrection.
It is supposed to be by this people that we have all the ordinances in our possession
of for life and salvation and exaltation and we are administering those 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 like to ask what they are.
I will mention one.
We have not, neither can we receive here the ordinance and the keys of resurrection.
He goes on a few other places here, Dave, and quotes him further.
He says these keys will be given to those who have passed off this stage of action and
have received their bodies again.
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 receive the keys and authority to baptize
others for the remission of their sins.
This is one of the ordinances we cannot receive here on the earth and there are many more.
Isn't that interesting?
Very interesting, isn't it?
Yeah.
I have never forgotten what he taught that.
The restoration continues, in other words.
We don't have all the priesthood keys yet.
We don't have the keys of the resurrection and we look forward to when those keys will
be restored and when the great resurrection will begin.
Or at least when it takes place right before the coming of Jesus Christ.
So I look forward to that, Scott.
I think as President Oaks says, it gives us eternal perspective when you think about all
of the loved ones that we've lost, what great hope we have, what great anticipation and
joy we have as we think about being reunited with them.
Think about my mother, my father, my brother, my sister, grandparents and some who I've
never met.
Most of my grandparents I've never met.
And others, my wife and I, we have the personal belief there's no official doctrine or policy
on this as far as the church is concerned about stillborns.
But we've buried three babies.
What great anticipation I have to meet those three boys that we named and buried and what
a great day that will be to have those three individuals to our family table during the
millennium.
You know, there's just so much hope.
And I don't think that we generally think about this enough.
If we thought more about the resurrection and the hope and the joyful anticipation of
the resurrection, Scott, it should change how we live our lives and the happiness and
the hope that should fill our life.
Yeah, I think that if we were to focus more on it, I agree.
I think that I for one, I don't know about everybody, but I know I for one, I don't really
focus on the resurrection much.
But when I do, I know the hope that springs from me when I do.
I know the confirmation of the Spirit that comes to me when I do.
And those types of things draw me closer to my Heavenly Father.
And we talk about the atonement of Jesus Christ, that's what this podcast is, is to help us
all have an understanding and at least a desire to understand perhaps the atonement of Jesus
Christ more fully.
And we just can't do that without an understanding of the resurrection because there's just so
much grace that comes because of the resurrection, Dave, that we get so much love.
We get to feel our Father's love in depths that I don't think we can yet comprehend until
that happens.
Because I think of that reunion and in our family, it's been talked, we talk about those
reunions on the other side since I was a little boy, I remember.
And so we are in anticipation of those reunions.
But I think we talk about them and that creates some happiness and joy in us, but probably
nothing compared to what it'll be like when we're there.
So because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, which does include this part of it, this is
just another testifier to me of the beauty behind all of it.
You know, the word hope in the Scriptures is an interesting word, Scott.
In the Scriptures, that is, the Lord refers to the word hope, it is definitely stronger
than how we use it in our vernacular today.
I mean, today if we say, I hope, I hope this or I hope you that, we're kind of saying,
I wish, right?
It's kind of become synonymous with the word wish.
But in the Scriptures, it is synonymous with assurance.
I have assurance.
I hope is like saying, I know.
That's why I think in the Moroni Seventh, you don't have hope until you have faith.
And faith and hope go together.
Knowledge and assurance and faith and belief, those all go together.
And hope is a strong word.
And I hope, I have assurance, a witness that I will see my loved ones again.
That changes my personal behaviors, knowing that.
It gives me a different perspective.
It gives me a desire to live so that I can be resurrected when they're resurrected.
Right, yeah.
You know, so that we can be resurrected together.
The great hope assurance of being able to rise from the dead and to be reunited with
family, that is the gospel at the very heart of the gospel, the good news.
This is the good news that life continues after this life, that we'll have the same
as taught in Doctrine and Coven, section 130, the same sociality relationships go on forever
and ever.
Sweet patriarchal blessing I gave last night, you know, telling this young woman, you know,
the hope of the resurrection.
And that even now she's being blessed by angels on the other side of the veil that she may
be completely unaware of, but that there's angels who are assisting us and awaiting their
resurrection and trying to help us to prepare ourselves for the resurrection as well.
It's kind of the bottom line, Scott.
It all comes down to this.
I mean, if there is no resurrection, then it's all for not that we're wasting our time.
Exactly.
Now, I don't know how many individuals have had that testimony or that witness of the
Holy Spirit that there really will be a resurrection, but I will never forget the first time in
my life when I received that witness.
And it's a simple experience.
But I was sitting in a priesthood meeting in my ward in Highland, Utah, and I think
it was Bishop Franson came in to our elders quorum and announced Brother Lecombe has died.
Brother Lecombe was a great man, great family, but a very young man.
And he got cancer and he died early in his life.
And I loved him.
I loved their family.
And I sat there and it just it just struck me.
I think it came, I think, from the Spirit, Scott.
I thought this is my thought.
If Brother Lecombe isn't going to live again and be with his family forever, then why am
I sitting here?
I'm wasting my time.
And as I thought that thought, Scott, I was filled with a witness.
The Holy Ghost bore a powerful witness to me that Brother Lecombe was going to be resurrected
and that I would be resurrected and my loved ones would be resurrected.
That was long before my mother and father and brother and sister and father-in-law,
all those had died.
I think I was only about 30 years old when that happened.
And it changed my life, really.
I received a witness.
I knew that there would be a physical resurrection.
So I think our listeners need to just kind of ask themselves if they've had that witness
and what can they do to maybe receive that witness?
I think that's an important witness to pursue.
With that witness, with that testimony of the resurrection, that really drives deeper
our own testimony of Jesus Christ.
But not only just that, but also the restored gospel because of all of the information that
we have about the resurrection through that, Dave.
Well, I know another part of my testimony concerning the resurrection, Scott, is my
witness that the prophet Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His resurrected Son Jesus Christ
in the Sacred Grove.
Scott, we were in the Sacred Grove together.
We've been there.
I have received a witness.
As have I.
That I know that a living, modern prophet saw God the Father and the resurrected Jesus
Christ and that He appeared to the prophet Joseph Smith, the boy prophet.
I know that's true and it's another part of my witness of the resurrection.
And I believe, Scott, that He has appeared to others as well.
It's interesting that Joseph F. Smith says that to be an apostle in these latter days,
you have to be a special witness or a living witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Now, I don't know exactly what that means and I don't think that all the apostles have
to see Jesus or feel the prints of the nails in His hands and feet, but I believe that
they've had that sure witness, which may be from the Holy Ghost.
I don't know what that witness is, but I know that there are those who are special
witnesses of Jesus Christ who know of the reality of the resurrection.
And I'm not a special witness, but I know that Jesus Christ is resurrected.
I know that the resurrection, also Scott, is without it.
We would have all been lost.
This life would be not only wasted, but we would have become angels to the devil.
I think we've referenced that passage before in other episodes, but if you want to turn
and read it, because I think it's powerful, let's read the teachings of Jacob in 2 Nephi
chapter 9 verses 7 and 8, Scott.
Wherefore it must needs be an infinite atonement.
Save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption.
Therefore the first judgment would have come upon man must needs have remained to an endless
duration and if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth
to rise no more.
All the wisdom of God, His mercy and grace, for behold, if the flesh should rise no more,
our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell before the presence of the eternal
God and became the devil to rise no more.
So isn't that amazing?
That there's something about a body, something about this physical body and a resurrected
body especially that gives us power over Satan.
Even those who become sons of perdition, when they're resurrected, they'll have some power
that Satan doesn't have.
So it's just critical for us to understand that the effects of the resurrection and the
atonement of Jesus Christ not only allows us to enjoy all of the blessings that were
promised but it protects us, this physical body from Satan.
Yeah.
And I think it's interesting too that without the resurrection and the resurrection is part
of the atonement and I understand that this part of this scripture is talking about the
atonement in general but the atonement of Jesus Christ does include the resurrection
but it says it must needs to be an infinite atonement and we talked about that.
I love that.
In fact, I'm glad you picked up on that and repeated it because Amulek picks up on that.
Amulek uses that term about four times in Alma chapter 34 but Jacob was the first one
to use that term infinite atonement and that is completely unique to the Book of Mormon
and I really love that.
Well, and I love what it says about the requirement.
If it wasn't an infinite atonement, we wouldn't have been able to become clean.
We wouldn't have been able, corruption would not have been able to put on incorruption
and so without the resurrection we would have never been able to become clean enough to
be able to enter into the presence of our Father in heaven again.
Let alone to become eventually like Him.
So Scott, the resurrection protects us.
It blesses us.
It protects us.
And the effects of the resurrection overcomes the two great negatives of the fall.
We talked about the two great negatives.
The physical death and the spiritual death.
Correct.
There are many negatives.
Yeah, but they fall under those two umbrellas.
Exactly.
Those are the two great general negatives or consequences of the fall of Adam and Eve
that we were spiritually cut off from God and righteousness and that we would die physically,
that our spirits would be separated from our bodies.
And the resurrection overcomes both of those.
Unconditionally, Scott, not just physical death, but the resurrection unconditionally
overcomes spiritual death.
Again, I believe that's taught in the Bible.
Again, that scripture, as an animal I'll die physically and spiritually.
Even so in Christ shall I be made alive physically and spiritually.
The Book of Mormon makes it extremely clear.
There are many references in the Book of Mormon that talk about us being in the presence of
God to be judged.
Right.
So let's just redefine what does it mean to suffer spiritual death for those of you who
have maybe just joining on this particular episode or whatever.
So when we talk about spiritual death, we are referring to our separation from Heavenly
Father, from our Heavenly Parents.
Exactly.
And we will return to His presence to be judged.
Again, this is taught in multiple places in the Book of Mormon, but it is really obvious
in the teachings of Samuel the Lamanite.
These teachings are so important that Christ had to tell His disciples, you have got to
put in that account about Samuel.
There are some teachings in Samuel that have got to be in the record.
So I think it makes these verses even more important when you understand the Savior's
endorsement of Samuel's teaching.
So Samuel the Lamanite in Helaman chapter 14.
In Helaman chapter 14 I will read starting with verse 15.
For behold, He surely must die, speaking of Christ, that salvation may come, yea, it behouveth
Him, and becomeeth expedient that He dieth, to bring to pass the resurrection of the dead.
And thereby men may be brought into the presence of the Lord.
Yea, behold this death bringeth to pass the resurrection, and redeemeth, get this, Scott,
all mankind, all mankind, from the first death, that spiritual death.
For all mankind by the fall of Adam, being cut off from the presence of the Lord, are
considered as dead, both as to things temporal and to things spiritual.
But behold, verse 17, behold the resurrection of Christ, redeemeth mankind, yea, here it
is again, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord.
Wow.
Well Scott, no one is going to escape a personal judgment in the presence of the Lord, and
that is the result and the blessing, or maybe in some ways for the wicked, maybe in some
ways a form of pain and punishment, to return to the presence of the Father to be judged
and the resurrection of Christ makes that possible.
It gives us a lot of hope, a lot of comfort to know, you know, we talk about that, you
know, maybe it will be an experience of punishment or something like that for others, but I just
anticipate that to be a loving experience for most of us.
Well it will, and even for, I even believe for the wicked, they will feel the love of
God, and that is what will make it so painful.
Right, right, I think the love that will come in that experience will be, we will never
be able to experience it until we experience it, or never be able to explain it until we
experience it.
I love when President Benson years ago, President Ezra Taft Benson said that when we return
to the presence of God and we see him, we will be surprised at how familiar he is to
us, we will remember him.
I think our memory will come back.
You know, Alma talks about that a little bit in Alma chapter 11, recollection.
He talks about all our guilt, but I believe we will have a recollection of our premortal
existence and we will see ourselves in all that we were and all that we could have, should
have, would have.
We will see all of that and we will feel the love of God, and in some ways, Scott, I think
it will be a self-judgment.
I know there are laws, and God is a God of laws, and he has to be true to those laws,
and there is justice, the law of justice, and that is going to dictate much of the judgment.
I know that.
But I think that people are going to feel and see the love of God and it is going to
be really painful as somewhat of a self-judgment to say, I can't be here.
I'm not comfortable with these folks and go where they belong, not only by the laws,
but by what they are, I don't want to say comfortable with.
Where do they belong?
Where they feel like they belong.
There will just be a belonging there.
Maybe in semantics, but maybe there will be comfort to it, because they would be uncomfortable
perhaps being in the presence of God with the understanding that will come to us all
when our veil is lifted, so to speak.
So maybe there will be some discomfort there, but it will be because of the love of God
that we feel that.
So I think, Scott, that resurrection and knowing that we will return to the presence of God
to be judged should also have a profound effect upon decisions and choices we make.
I don't know, if again I go back to that scripture and look at me and every thought, if we thought
about the resurrection and we thought about the effects of the atonement of Jesus Christ
and His resurrection on our lives, and if we thought that we were going to live again,
we had that assurance, and we knew that we were going to have a judgment, I don't know,
I think about that quite a bit.
I do too.
Well, and I may add, and if I thought about and remembered the love that He had for me
by going through what He went through, and if I remember the love that He had for all
of the others in my family and in my circle and just of all of our brothers and sisters
on earth, I think that will affect us.
It should affect our behaviors.
I think it will.
It should affect our choices.
It should affect how we live our lives.
I've always been touched by this scripture when it comes to judgment, and we talk about
that in the Bible, it says that God has committed all judgment to the Son, and I know that's
true.
This is taught over and over again in all the scriptures that we return to God through
the Son or by the blood of the Son, we return back to the presence of God, and all that
points again to the resurrection and His atonement.
Him being our mediator, our advocate in the judgment, the final judgment.
But I still remember President Eyring, Elder Eyring probably at the time when he read this
scripture and got somewhat emotional and just so humbly read this verse.
This is also Jacob's discourse on the atonement of Jesus Christ, 2 Nephi 9 again, verse 41.
Oh then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord the Holy One.
Remember that His paths are righteous.
Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before Him.
And the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel, and He employeth no servant there.
There is none other way save it be by the gate, for He cannot be deceived, for the Lord
God is His name.
I love that doctrine, that truth, that the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel,
and He employeth no servant there.
It's not going to be a mass judgment, Scott.
Individual right?
There may be others involved in the judgment.
I know that there's been teachings that Latter-day prophets will be involved in that, apostles,
and I have no doubt priesthood leaders.
Priesthood leaders will definitely have an influence on our judgment.
They are the judges of Israel, and they judge us here, and there may be some judgment over
there.
Ultimately, we will return to the keeper of the gate, and Jesus Christ, the Holy One of
Israel is Jesus Christ.
And then we will return to the Father, and because there is no time with them, there's
no hurry.
This is all going to happen, and we're going to know them and see them face to face, and
all because of the blessings and the keys of the resurrection.
The way this is all orchestrated, the Heavenly Father's plan is just so perfect.
We come here, we gain a body, we have a veil, our body, so our memory is not the same, it's
different, and then we get rememberings as we go.
We participate in ordinances, we take upon us His name, we participate in the ordinance
of the sacrament as we continually take upon us His name, and the beauty behind all of
that.
And it all is available to us because of the events of the atonement of Jesus Christ.
I just can't begin to comprehend the scope, Dave, that that has not just in my life, but
what it does have in my life.
The scope that it has in my life is beyond reach.
I mean, it is, I don't even begin to comprehend, I don't think the scope, the amount that the
availability of Heavenly Father's love to me, and I'm just so grateful for that.
We look at that, and I think I have in the past, when we think of these things that you're
talking about, there have been times in my past when we'd talk about this or with somebody
else to be talking about this and I'd get a little uneasy because I'm not anticipating,
I wasn't looking forward to that date.
I was living a life that maybe was contrary to the commandments of, well, it was definitely
contrary to the display of my love to my Heavenly Father, that's for sure, but His love never
waned and He still has that same grace and because of the atonement of Jesus Christ,
because of what happened in Gethsemane, first of all, His sinless life, then what happened
in Gethsemane, then what happened on the cross, and now the resurrection, and because now,
because of that resurrection, I'll get to go be there with Him again.
I know He, I just anticipate that as being a lot different than I used to think of it
as.
I'm looking forward to that today with some anticipation that's positive, with excitement
to a degree.
Well, you said it's so perfect, the plan's so perfect, and it's so personal.
It's so personal, Scott.
You know, again, we're sinners.
We're fallen.
We're lost.
We're carnal, sensual, and devilish.
A natural man's an enemy to God.
But through the atonement of Jesus Christ, and as we continue our course, in this course,
this podcast, we're going to talk about after the effects of the atonement of Jesus Christ,
how we can access the power of Christ through His atonement by repenting, by faith, by all
of that.
And so it is perfect.
It is personal.
We should have great—I think that the fact that anyone can look forward to it is in some
ways, again, a sign of a self-judgment.
It may be kind of where you stand in your life.
You're standing before the Lord.
I've always loved these words of Lehi.
Just before he dies, this Nephi recording the words of his father, and he's in preparation,
really, for his final days on the earth.
And he is giving counsel to his sons and expressing some of his concerns and his love.
And he teaches this principle in verse 13 through 15.
Maybe we can just read 14 and 15.
What book and chapter?
I'm in 2 Nephi chapter 1.
Okay.
Sorry.
Okay.
2 Nephi chapter 1 verses 14 and 15, if you want to read those.
Yeah, I've got that.
You bet.
14 and 15 of 2 Nephi chapter 1.
Awake and arise from the dust and hear the words of a trembling parent whose limbs you
must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave.
From whence no traveler can return a few more days and I go the way of all the earth.
But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell.
I have beheld his glory and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.
That's beautiful, isn't it?
I mean, I think about that and I can all, I'm almost, even though I do feel that to a degree,
but the way that a prophet says that in such a beautiful, in such a beautiful, yeah.
From death and hell.
Yeah, I love that.
From death and hell.
And such a sweet chapter of Father imploring his sons, his family really, to prepare for
death and the resurrection and the judgment.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's just great.
Well, I'll look forward, Scott, as we move forward to talk in our next episode more about
the effects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, now that we've talked about the events, and
to talk about all of the other unconditional conditions that are covered by the Atonement
of Jesus Christ and those things that are covered conditionally through our faith, repentance,
and so forth.
So that, I think, will be really powerful episodes to prepare us to exercise greater
faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, that will have the faith and the power and the
motivation really, the desire to repent of our sins.
But all of it begins, Scott, with gratitude.
Gratitude is the beginning of desire.
I believe gratitude is the beginning of faith.
I believe that gratitude for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the events, and as we'll
later discuss, the effects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, gratitude for those events
and effects make all of the difference.
We've talked about the events of the Atonement being the sacrifice of a sinless life.
He suffered all temptation.
Remember that?
That's twice in the Scriptures.
That's in King Benjamin's address, and it's in Hebrews.
He suffered all temptation.
He made a huge sacrifice, and it wasn't easy for him to remain sinless and not give heed
to those temptations that he was bombarded with personally by Satan himself.
We're so grateful for that event as being part of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
We're grateful for Gethsemane and all of what that means and what happened in the Garden
of Gethsemane.
We should appreciate more than ever what happened on the cross and the events between the Garden
of Gethsemane and then Gethsemane, the pains of Gethsemane, all being pressed upon him
again intensified on the cross, the last three hours on the cross from 12 noon until 3 pm.
And then he dies.
So the cross is the third event of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and all he suffered there.
And then the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
And I guess my favorite story to maybe end on this is the story that is told about the
Sunday School teacher, Scott, who is teaching a class on Easter and she brings these plastic
eggs.
And I think it was the little boy named Kelly who had Down syndrome.
And all of these children, including Kelly with his teacher, went out to get something
around the church, a rock, some glass, a flower, something that would remind them of Easter.
So they all went out and gathered something and came back and opened up their eggs one
by one.
And when it was Kelly's turn, he opened the egg and it was empty.
And the teacher says, Oh, how does that remind you of Easter, Kelly?
And he said, The tomb is empty.
I know the tomb is empty, Scott.
I know Christ lives.
I know he lives physically.
He lives.
He's not a spirit.
He's not an essence.
He's not a thought.
He is real.
If we could see him and be with him, we could touch him.
We could feel him.
He chooses to keep the prints from the cross to remind us of what he suffered for us.
But now he has gone on and become perfected and is that now he is glorious, a living,
glorious being who loves us and is anxious for us to be reunited as heirs, as heirs with
Christ to all that the Father has.
I know that's true.
The tomb is empty.
And in a sense, Scott, we can say all tombs, all the mortal earthly tombs will be emptied
because of the blessings and the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Thanks, Dave.
You talked about again, and you know, we often refer back to the experience that you had
when you were taught and now we've all been taught that gratitude is really the beginning
of desire.
And you said, but I believe that gratitude is the beginning of faith too.
And I think that we can extend that to hope and love, right?
I know that gratitude, my gratitude for the resurrection, for the entire atonement of
Jesus Christ and the power from him that comes to me from that administered to me by the
Spirit of the Holy Ghost.
But I know that that gives me great hope and it lets me feel a deeper love and it expands
my love too.
Not just lets me feel a deeper love, but it expands my love for others.
I see, I see my own nature change as I grasp these things, as I make them a part of my
life.
I love that we often refer to the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants, section 6, verses
36 and 37.
You did already today again.
Look unto me in every thought, doubt not, fear not.
And that would be, I think, a desire that most of us would have to have no doubt and
have no fear.
I know doubt and fear so easily beset all of us and can sometimes consume us and be
so difficult as part of this earthly experience.
But he gives it, he doesn't just say, he doesn't just tell us to quit having doubt and to quit
having fear, but he gives us the anecdote to that, right?
He says, Behold the wounds which pierce my side, and also the prints of the nails of
my hands and my feet, and be faithful.
Keep my commandments and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.
Inherit the kingdom of heaven, not just come here to live, but inherit the kingdom of heaven.
I just love.
So when he says look unto me.
Yeah, where is he?
And that's the question we pose, you know?
When he says look unto me, where is he inviting us to look?
When he says come unto me, where is he inviting us to come?
Well, he gives us the answer to that also in the words also that I just read.
There's so much texture in what's being said here.
Behold the wounds which pierce my side, and also the prints of the nails of my hands and
my feet.
He's inviting us to come to Gethsemane.
He's inviting us first of all to witness and have a testimony of his sinless life, and
then go with him to Gethsemane, and then to experience all that he experienced between
Gethsemane and the cross, and then to experience the horror on the cross, even at the point
where his heavenly father forsake him.
And then he invites us to come to the resurrection, and like Kelly, and like Kelly, acknowledge
the empty tomb, and give hope to us for that empty tomb in our own lives.
May we, you know, I think we can metaphorically begin to create empty tombs in our lives now,
right?
I think that we can, because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can resurrect those things
in our lives that maybe haven't been up to where we would like them to be, that would
give us a greater hope, that would show a deeper devotion, that would bring us and draw
us closer to our heavenly father.
I think that we can also, through the atonement of Jesus Christ, have that hope.
Well, thank you, Scott.
And that scripture again, look unto me in every thought, behold the wounds.
It's just so, the irony that he chose to remain scarred.
We have a scarred savior, so that when we are resurrected, there will be no scars.
He chose to keep those emblems, signs, symbolic of the suffering of his atoning, redeeming
his voice, so that there would be, for us, no emotional scars, no physical scars, that
we would be redeemed in every way.
And I have hope, or in other words, great assurance.
And anticipation.
That that will be true.
And indeed it will.
We're grateful for your being here with us today.
We invite you to share this with those that you love, or those that you feel like might
be benefited.
Also, we extended an invitation a while ago to maybe send us your experiences that you
have had.
Just write them out with the atonement of Jesus Christ in your own life.
And you can send those to us at our email address, heredeemsus.gmail.com.
Thanks for being with us today.
May God bless you.
May you feel his love as we approach this Easter season.
And may our preparation be adequate, that we may have his spirit to always be with us
is our prayer.
Thanks for being with us.
God bless you.