WEBVTT 00:00:02.379 --> 00:00:04.639 Welcome to Closer to Christ through General Conference, 00:00:04.860 --> 00:00:06.719 where two friends who love Jesus share our own 00:00:06.719 --> 00:00:08.539 approach to studying the most recent General 00:00:08.539 --> 00:00:11.480 Conference talks. This is Abby and Amy. Let's 00:00:11.480 --> 00:00:32.469 jump into it. Today we get to talk about They 00:00:32.469 --> 00:00:35.229 Are Their Own Judges by Elder David A. Bednar, 00:00:35.390 --> 00:00:37.450 Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This is a reference 00:00:37.450 --> 00:00:41.490 to Alma 41 -7. We want to say welcome. Thanks 00:00:41.490 --> 00:00:43.390 for joining us again. We're so happy that you're 00:00:43.390 --> 00:00:45.710 tuning in today. We're moving right along with 00:00:45.710 --> 00:00:48.329 these conference talk and I think, is it right? 00:00:48.490 --> 00:00:51.329 This one kicks off, this is the first talk of 00:00:51.329 --> 00:00:53.609 the last session of conference. Elder Bednar 00:00:53.609 --> 00:00:58.200 begins his talk with the concluding... conclusion 00:00:58.200 --> 00:01:00.600 of the Book of Mormon, where Moroni invites us 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:02.579 to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him, 00:01:02.740 --> 00:01:05.079 deny ourselves of all ungodliness, and love God 00:01:05.079 --> 00:01:08.079 with all our might, mind, and strength. And his 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:10.079 next sentence is referring to both the resurrection 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:12.400 and final judgment. So keep in mind, this is 00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:14.120 the very last sentence of the Book of Mormon. 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:16.900 He says, I soon go to rest in the paradise of 00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:19.180 God until my spirit and body shall again reunite, 00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:21.099 and I am brought forth triumphant through the 00:01:21.099 --> 00:01:23.280 air to meet you before the pleasing bar of the 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:26.200 great Jehovah, the eternal judge of both quick 00:01:26.200 --> 00:01:28.790 and dead. So as the title in verse, this talk 00:01:28.790 --> 00:01:31.769 is about the final judgment and what Elder Bednar 00:01:31.769 --> 00:01:34.349 observed was the word pleasing. We've heard other 00:01:34.349 --> 00:01:36.370 words or phrases referring to the final judgment, 00:01:36.829 --> 00:01:39.370 shame and awful guilt, dread and fear and this 00:01:39.370 --> 00:01:44.090 misery. But from these final words, he was not 00:01:44.090 --> 00:01:46.349 scared to die. He knew he'd be in the paradise 00:01:46.349 --> 00:01:50.319 of God. He would again be resurrected. and he 00:01:50.319 --> 00:01:52.879 would be at the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah. 00:01:53.079 --> 00:01:55.540 Yeah, I liked his view. He definitely had a confidence 00:01:55.540 --> 00:01:58.219 that is, it still is a confidence in yourself, 00:01:58.379 --> 00:02:00.079 right? You're like, okay, that's a different 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:02.659 view on this. Which came by much proving and 00:02:02.659 --> 00:02:04.599 strengthening. Absolutely, and learning and just 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:07.400 all these things. So Elder Bednar is really going 00:02:07.400 --> 00:02:12.710 to lay out what we have. why he has this confidence. 00:02:13.009 --> 00:02:16.289 Yeah, and why we can all have confidence for 00:02:16.289 --> 00:02:18.409 ourselves. Absolutely, that's it. So how is he 00:02:18.409 --> 00:02:19.909 able to look forward to this final judgment? 00:02:20.110 --> 00:02:22.409 Here's the million dollar question posed by Elder 00:02:22.409 --> 00:02:25.990 Bednar. He says, what did Moroni understand that 00:02:25.990 --> 00:02:30.050 you and I need to learn? So quick overview or 00:02:30.050 --> 00:02:32.189 the overarching purpose of the Father's plan 00:02:32.189 --> 00:02:34.370 is to provide his spirit children with opportunities 00:02:34.370 --> 00:02:37.830 to receive a physical body. Check. Learn good 00:02:37.830 --> 00:02:42.060 from evil through mortal experience. grow spiritually, 00:02:42.419 --> 00:02:46.539 progress eternally. So, those are the reasons 00:02:46.539 --> 00:02:48.659 why each of us have come to earth. Every person 00:02:48.659 --> 00:02:52.360 who was, is, or will yet come have those same 00:02:52.360 --> 00:02:55.419 purposes. The central point of the plan is agency, 00:02:55.680 --> 00:02:57.780 or what the Doctrine and Covenants refers to 00:02:57.780 --> 00:03:02.620 as moral agency. And I love that you've discussed 00:03:02.620 --> 00:03:04.960 it on the top. Moral agency. It makes all the 00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:08.539 difference. Not pre -agency, moral agency. It's 00:03:08.539 --> 00:03:11.280 also referred to the ability to choose and act. 00:03:11.539 --> 00:03:13.520 Yes. So like you said, Abby, we're going to dive 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:15.719 a little bit deeper into this phrase, moral agency. 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:20.620 So moral, good, honest, virtuous, agency, action, 00:03:20.840 --> 00:03:23.439 activity, work. Put them together and moral agency 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:25.819 can be understood as the ability and privilege 00:03:25.819 --> 00:03:28.319 to choose and act for ourselves in ways that 00:03:28.319 --> 00:03:33.060 are good, honest, virtuous, and true. He's so 00:03:33.060 --> 00:03:43.849 good, right? such clear explanation. power of 00:03:43.849 --> 00:03:46.430 independent action that empowers us as God's 00:03:46.430 --> 00:03:48.990 children to become agents to act and not simply 00:03:48.990 --> 00:03:52.009 objects to be acted upon. So we built upon this. 00:03:52.069 --> 00:03:54.169 This is everything. As soon as each of us remembers 00:03:54.169 --> 00:03:57.169 that we are agents to act, we're taking responsibility 00:03:57.169 --> 00:03:59.810 for our own actions. We remember it's a God -given 00:03:59.810 --> 00:04:02.069 right to act, and we're acting in the way that 00:04:02.069 --> 00:04:04.229 God intended. This entire world was made for 00:04:04.229 --> 00:04:06.330 this purpose, a place where on Heavenly Father's 00:04:06.330 --> 00:04:08.889 children could be proved to see if they would 00:04:08.889 --> 00:04:11.650 do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall 00:04:11.650 --> 00:04:15.060 command them. like we read in Abraham 3 .25. 00:04:16.019 --> 00:04:18.860 Something I liked was that a primary purpose 00:04:18.860 --> 00:04:21.199 of the creation and our mortal existence is to 00:04:21.199 --> 00:04:23.339 provide us the opportunity to act and become 00:04:23.339 --> 00:04:25.959 what the Lord invites us to become. It feels 00:04:25.959 --> 00:04:30.139 like a fervent invitation. Yeah. Yeah. And, you 00:04:30.139 --> 00:04:31.600 know, when he was speaking, that's a really good 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:33.379 way to put it, a fervent invitation. When he 00:04:33.379 --> 00:04:35.399 was speaking, when God was speaking to Enoch, 00:04:35.420 --> 00:04:38.870 he said unto the... Unto thy brethren have I 00:04:38.870 --> 00:04:41.449 said, and also given a commandment." So yes, 00:04:41.589 --> 00:04:43.889 a fervent invitation, another word could be commandment, 00:04:44.209 --> 00:04:46.529 that they should love one another and that they 00:04:46.529 --> 00:04:49.430 should choose me, their father. So the fundamental 00:04:49.430 --> 00:04:53.910 purposes for the exercise of agency are one, 00:04:53.970 --> 00:04:56.810 to love one another, and two, to choose God. 00:04:57.310 --> 00:05:00.500 These two purposes actually align really, really 00:05:00.500 --> 00:05:02.060 well with the first and second great commandments. 00:05:02.180 --> 00:05:04.579 Doesn't it sound just the same? To love God with 00:05:04.579 --> 00:05:06.860 all our heart, soul, and mind and to love our 00:05:06.860 --> 00:05:10.899 neighbors ourselves. So this talk is very instructive 00:05:10.899 --> 00:05:13.540 about how to use our agency, how we've been taught 00:05:13.540 --> 00:05:15.660 by a loving Heavenly Father and even commanded 00:05:15.660 --> 00:05:18.839 to do. So I appreciate Elder Bednar's clear teaching 00:05:18.839 --> 00:05:22.439 on this God -given gift of agency and how to 00:05:22.439 --> 00:05:25.610 be directed to best use it. Consider that we're 00:05:25.610 --> 00:05:28.129 commanded, not just admonished or counseled, 00:05:28.209 --> 00:05:30.670 but commanded to use agency to love one another 00:05:30.670 --> 00:05:33.550 and choose God. May I suggest that in the scriptures, 00:05:33.769 --> 00:05:36.250 the modifying word moral is not merely an adjective, 00:05:36.350 --> 00:05:38.610 but perhaps also a divine directive about how 00:05:38.610 --> 00:05:42.100 our agency should be used? So good, right? He's 00:05:42.100 --> 00:05:44.720 so good at directing this conversation. You can 00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:47.779 definitely tell that Satan wants to remove the 00:05:47.779 --> 00:05:50.420 word moral out of agency. He wants you to think 00:05:50.420 --> 00:05:52.600 you came and you're allowed to do whatever you 00:05:52.600 --> 00:05:55.060 want and then like try to twist it that it's 00:05:55.060 --> 00:05:57.740 like, well, do make any choice that you want 00:05:57.740 --> 00:05:59.899 and there's a savior and you could get it back 00:05:59.899 --> 00:06:02.839 to some. That's this ploy and to others, you 00:06:02.839 --> 00:06:05.240 know, eat, drink and be merry, you know, that 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:09.550 kind of style versus You come to earth and you 00:06:09.550 --> 00:06:11.529 have all these options that you can make, but 00:06:11.529 --> 00:06:13.529 what if you choose me? What if you choose to 00:06:13.529 --> 00:06:15.610 choose me again? You did it once before, shouldn't 00:06:15.610 --> 00:06:20.170 be that hard again. We already thwarted Satan's 00:06:20.170 --> 00:06:22.910 plan to get us into scraps then. Right, to remove 00:06:22.910 --> 00:06:26.769 agency completely. Now it's just the moral part. 00:06:27.250 --> 00:06:29.730 He'll just, like you said, scrapping. He's a 00:06:29.730 --> 00:06:32.009 scrappy fighter. That was his first strategy. 00:06:32.410 --> 00:06:34.620 Just say, I want you all to come back. And so 00:06:34.620 --> 00:06:36.540 then you won't have any choices to make and I'll 00:06:36.540 --> 00:06:39.120 save you all and I'll do this thing." And a third 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:40.879 of the people believed that that was the better 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:43.740 way. So they went with that plan. So he already 00:06:43.740 --> 00:06:45.699 knew he's going to have to like step it up and 00:06:45.699 --> 00:06:48.300 he's going to have to remove the word moral out 00:06:48.300 --> 00:06:50.279 of agency. And we've seen that in this day and 00:06:50.279 --> 00:06:53.240 age, right? Which is why I appreciate the words 00:06:53.240 --> 00:06:55.600 of prophets that make it so clear. Remind us 00:06:55.600 --> 00:06:57.939 what scripture has said, what God has taught 00:06:57.939 --> 00:07:01.060 us from our very first parents with Adam and 00:07:01.060 --> 00:07:03.639 Eve. This right here tells me just how important 00:07:03.639 --> 00:07:06.019 agency is and how much weight our Heavenly Father 00:07:06.019 --> 00:07:08.180 puts on this gift and principle. Just like he 00:07:08.180 --> 00:07:10.139 said in these scriptures, Lucifer rebelled against 00:07:10.139 --> 00:07:14.139 the Father's plan for his children and sought 00:07:14.139 --> 00:07:18.079 to destroy the power of independent action. Very 00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:20.879 significantly, the devil's defiance was focused 00:07:20.879 --> 00:07:23.579 directly on the principle of moral agency, like 00:07:23.579 --> 00:07:25.699 we just said. Now here we are. God explained. 00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:28.100 This is what he said about it. Wherefore, because 00:07:28.100 --> 00:07:30.620 Satan rebelled against me and sought to destroy 00:07:30.620 --> 00:07:32.740 the agency of man, I caused that he should be 00:07:32.740 --> 00:07:36.399 cast down. So, the adversary's selfish scheme 00:07:36.399 --> 00:07:38.839 was to strip away from God's children the capacity 00:07:38.839 --> 00:07:40.899 to become agents unto themselves, like you were 00:07:40.899 --> 00:07:42.800 saying, Abbey, who could act in righteousness. 00:07:43.300 --> 00:07:46.220 His intent was to consign Heavenly Father's children 00:07:46.220 --> 00:07:49.860 to be objects that could only be acted upon. 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:53.129 If we've ever had one of those times where we 00:07:53.129 --> 00:07:55.769 feel like we're objects that can only be acted 00:07:55.769 --> 00:07:59.769 upon. It is a very stifling feeling and one that 00:07:59.769 --> 00:08:03.389 I would say for me conjures up feelings of resentment 00:08:03.389 --> 00:08:05.329 and feeling like you're stuck. It's not a good 00:08:05.329 --> 00:08:06.790 feeling. It's not a feeling from God, right? 00:08:07.050 --> 00:08:10.269 Does it feel true to you if I say that probably 00:08:10.269 --> 00:08:14.069 as advanced spirit children as we possibly could 00:08:14.069 --> 00:08:20.360 be there was a lot of of just like listening, 00:08:20.740 --> 00:08:22.040 listening to the words and being like, yeah, 00:08:22.040 --> 00:08:24.420 that's right. But like never knowing we couldn't 00:08:24.420 --> 00:08:27.279 test it for ourselves there. I mean, I feel like 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:29.500 that's, that's what we're taught. Like we had 00:08:29.500 --> 00:08:32.039 progressed to a certain point. You have to take 00:08:32.039 --> 00:08:34.580 those words and then put it into action. The 00:08:34.580 --> 00:08:36.799 only real way to do that is to pair that with 00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:39.779 a body and have some turmoil, some challenges, 00:08:40.840 --> 00:08:44.559 some, uh, wins. What do they call? Wins of adversary. 00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:47.559 I don't know. Absolutely. Yeah. A mortal experience 00:08:47.559 --> 00:08:51.110 for sure. So, he goes into the principle of doing 00:08:51.110 --> 00:08:54.250 and becoming. Our prophet, President Oaks, said 00:08:54.250 --> 00:08:56.789 in a recent conference address, many Bible and 00:08:56.789 --> 00:08:58.909 modern scriptures speak of a final judgment at 00:08:58.909 --> 00:09:00.570 which all persons will be rewarded according 00:09:00.570 --> 00:09:02.549 to their deeds or works or the desires of their 00:09:02.549 --> 00:09:04.549 hearts, but other scriptures enlarge upon this 00:09:04.549 --> 00:09:06.909 by referring to our being judged by the condition 00:09:06.909 --> 00:09:09.549 we have achieved. I appreciate the way he interprets 00:09:09.549 --> 00:09:11.750 and expands upon scripture. He shows us more 00:09:11.750 --> 00:09:14.710 full view of what's being said on the subject, 00:09:14.769 --> 00:09:17.509 drawing from multiple accounts. By profession, 00:09:17.710 --> 00:09:19.710 he's a lawyer and a judge. He interprets and 00:09:19.710 --> 00:09:22.370 expounds upon the law. And I see his gift applied 00:09:22.370 --> 00:09:24.649 so beautifully when he's looking at God's work 00:09:24.649 --> 00:09:26.990 and God's law as written in the Holy Scriptures. 00:09:27.549 --> 00:09:30.769 Absolutely. So one of the ones he draws upon, 00:09:30.970 --> 00:09:32.950 he says, the prophet Nephi describes the final 00:09:32.950 --> 00:09:35.889 judgment in terms of what we have become. He 00:09:35.889 --> 00:09:38.690 says, and if their works have been filthiness, 00:09:39.009 --> 00:09:41.379 they must needs be filthy. And if they be filthy, 00:09:41.899 --> 00:09:43.899 it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the 00:09:43.899 --> 00:09:47.659 kingdom of God. This is in 1 Nephi 1533. Moroni 00:09:47.659 --> 00:09:50.820 declares, he that is filthy shall be filthy still, 00:09:51.159 --> 00:09:53.820 and he that is righteous shall be righteous still. 00:09:54.200 --> 00:09:57.080 So then President Oaks continues, from such teachings 00:09:57.080 --> 00:09:59.960 we conclude, so he's put it all before us and 00:09:59.960 --> 00:10:02.860 now he kind of brings it in, that the final judgment 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:06.340 is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good 00:10:06.340 --> 00:10:09.940 and evil acts, what we've done. It is an acknowledgement 00:10:10.269 --> 00:10:12.929 of the final effects of our acts and thoughts, 00:10:13.110 --> 00:10:16.750 what we have become. Can I just point out the 00:10:16.750 --> 00:10:19.610 heavy reference to President Oaks and the way 00:10:19.610 --> 00:10:24.029 that he perceives things? Yes, President Nelson 00:10:24.029 --> 00:10:26.929 has passed at this point, but addresses weren't 00:10:26.929 --> 00:10:29.570 changed and lineups weren't changed. He was impressed 00:10:29.570 --> 00:10:32.769 to heavily quote President Oaks and the way that 00:10:32.769 --> 00:10:35.600 he perceives God's law. Yeah, and interprets 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:38.440 that, encouraging us to do the same. Appreciate 00:10:38.440 --> 00:10:41.360 that. Elder Bednar reminds us about works and 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:43.919 grace. Our works and desires alone do not and 00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:46.679 cannot save us. After all we can do, we are reconciled 00:10:46.679 --> 00:10:48.879 with God only through the mercy and grace available 00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:51.299 through the Savior's infinite and eternal atoning 00:10:51.299 --> 00:10:53.840 sacrifice. Such a great reminder, right? We don't 00:10:53.840 --> 00:10:56.220 have to do so many works to then be worthy of 00:10:56.220 --> 00:10:58.639 the atonement of Jesus Christ. It's always there. 00:10:58.860 --> 00:11:00.500 It's always something that we have privilege 00:11:00.500 --> 00:11:02.799 to because of a covenant that was made in the 00:11:02.799 --> 00:11:05.500 pre -existence. acceptance of it here using moral 00:11:05.500 --> 00:11:08.919 agency on earth. People like to sit and like 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:10.519 other religions like to think that we're trying 00:11:10.519 --> 00:11:15.879 to earn our salvation. It's like, no, I'm trying 00:11:15.879 --> 00:11:18.240 to say because I know that you are my savior, 00:11:18.500 --> 00:11:21.220 I'm going to try my hardest to become like you. 00:11:21.899 --> 00:11:24.019 Absolutely. Imitation is the most sincere form 00:11:24.019 --> 00:11:26.159 of flattery. I'm not going to come even close 00:11:26.159 --> 00:11:30.019 to it, but in my efforts to try what we become, 00:11:30.200 --> 00:11:33.299 right? She's like, thanks for trying. He's never 00:11:33.299 --> 00:11:35.220 going to be like, yeah, you screwed that up. 00:11:35.379 --> 00:11:37.500 He's just going to be like, that was great that 00:11:37.500 --> 00:11:40.940 you tried. Good efforts. So we talk about godly 00:11:40.940 --> 00:11:44.279 fear. Much teaching has brought us to the title 00:11:44.279 --> 00:11:47.000 of this talk now, right? Many of us, I love this, 00:11:47.340 --> 00:11:49.299 many of us may expect that our appearance before 00:11:49.299 --> 00:11:51.340 the bar of the eternal judge will be similar 00:11:51.340 --> 00:11:54.210 to a proceeding in a worldly court of law. I 00:11:54.210 --> 00:11:56.289 used to think of it like that. I totally used 00:11:56.289 --> 00:11:57.769 to. I'm glad he said that. I'm like, I'm glad 00:11:57.769 --> 00:11:59.590 that you say that because I had had that thought. 00:11:59.590 --> 00:12:00.909 Yeah, funny you should say that. Back in the 00:12:00.909 --> 00:12:03.389 olden days, I thought that. A judge will preside, 00:12:03.570 --> 00:12:05.210 evidence will be presented, a verdict will be 00:12:05.210 --> 00:12:07.409 rendered, and we likely will be uncertain and 00:12:07.409 --> 00:12:09.809 fearful until we learn the eventual outcome. 00:12:10.250 --> 00:12:13.690 But I believe such a characterization is inaccurate. 00:12:14.169 --> 00:12:18.049 Bless him for that. We've all heard that godly 00:12:18.049 --> 00:12:20.450 fear. We've heard that phrase. Unlike worldly 00:12:20.450 --> 00:12:23.179 fear that... Causes alarm and anxiety godly fear 00:12:23.179 --> 00:12:24.960 is meant to do something completely different 00:12:24.960 --> 00:12:28.980 godly fear invites us to Live with peace and 00:12:28.980 --> 00:12:31.460 assurance and confidence. Mm -hmm, which is what 00:12:31.460 --> 00:12:34.919 maroon I had Absolutely and think about the crap 00:12:34.919 --> 00:12:37.799 that was going on around him Yeah, the absolute 00:12:37.799 --> 00:12:40.720 slaughter of his people that he loved and brethren. 00:12:40.720 --> 00:12:46.379 I mean fight, you know civil war godly fear is 00:12:46.379 --> 00:12:49.139 where righteousness encompasses a deep feeling 00:12:49.139 --> 00:12:51.340 of reverence and awe for the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:12:51.879 --> 00:12:54.059 obedience to his commandments and anticipation 00:12:54.059 --> 00:12:56.720 of the final judgment, anticipation, good anticipation, 00:12:57.399 --> 00:12:59.700 and justice at his hands. Godly fear grows out 00:12:59.700 --> 00:13:01.659 of a correct understanding of the divine nature 00:13:01.659 --> 00:13:03.879 and mission of the Redeemer, a willingness to 00:13:03.879 --> 00:13:06.179 submit our will to his will, and a knowledge 00:13:06.179 --> 00:13:08.320 that every man and woman will be accountable 00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:11.120 for his or her own mortal desires, thoughts, 00:13:11.340 --> 00:13:14.200 words, and acts in the day of judgment. So good. 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:17.539 So good. It is so clear. It is so concise. I 00:13:17.539 --> 00:13:20.340 love that he lays out. each of these principles. 00:13:21.220 --> 00:13:23.440 So Abby, as I studied this talk, I realized the 00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:26.000 Elder Bednar put into words something that I 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:28.299 experienced about 10 years ago. Up until then, 00:13:28.559 --> 00:13:30.299 any time that we were ever having a conversation, 00:13:30.379 --> 00:13:32.360 you know, friends, family, whoever, about the 00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:34.299 final judgment or the celestial kingdom, I would 00:13:34.299 --> 00:13:37.659 always just say, I hope I make it as if it were 00:13:37.659 --> 00:13:40.919 a far off hope or desire. And one day I had a 00:13:40.919 --> 00:13:42.799 conversation with a dear friend and she said, 00:13:42.899 --> 00:13:46.039 I'm going to be there. And I felt a shift in 00:13:46.039 --> 00:13:48.419 me. I will never go back. At that moment, the 00:13:48.419 --> 00:13:52.159 Holy Ghost tutored me in a very personal way. 00:13:52.440 --> 00:13:55.299 Up until that moment, I felt almost sheepish 00:13:55.299 --> 00:13:58.419 saying that I would be there as if I was presumptuous 00:13:58.419 --> 00:14:00.899 to know the will of God. The Spirit helped me 00:14:00.899 --> 00:14:03.539 understand that I get to choose to receive all 00:14:03.539 --> 00:14:05.720 that the Father has. Today. It's a choice in 00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:08.860 this moment. Yes. It's a choice that I make. 00:14:09.129 --> 00:14:11.289 Not someone else. They don't make it for me. 00:14:11.409 --> 00:14:13.669 It was President Nelson from his conference address 00:14:13.669 --> 00:14:15.230 Think Celestial that helped me understand that 00:14:15.230 --> 00:14:17.690 I choose a celestial kingdom every day as I live 00:14:17.690 --> 00:14:20.570 celestial law. It was President Oakes in his 00:14:20.570 --> 00:14:24.590 2023 conference address, Kingdoms of Glory, that 00:14:24.590 --> 00:14:27.289 taught me which laws belong to which kingdom. 00:14:27.629 --> 00:14:29.649 He taught me that laws I choose to obey that 00:14:29.649 --> 00:14:32.570 day or maybe in that moment tell me. right then 00:14:32.570 --> 00:14:35.169 which kingdom i choose that day and which kingdom 00:14:35.169 --> 00:14:37.990 i abide meaning where i am most comfortable with 00:14:37.990 --> 00:14:40.190 this teaching elder bednar reference today president 00:14:40.190 --> 00:14:43.009 oaks taught me that the laws i choose each day 00:14:43.009 --> 00:14:47.039 as i use my moral agency shape me and I become 00:14:47.039 --> 00:14:49.440 that person. So what I'm saying is that with 00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:52.600 the prophet's teachings, I've started to understand 00:14:52.600 --> 00:14:55.779 over the past few years that this is not a far 00:14:55.779 --> 00:14:58.600 -off one -time judgment. Both Jesus and I will 00:14:58.600 --> 00:15:01.240 be looking back at the sum of my choices and 00:15:01.240 --> 00:15:03.740 how I use my agency to choose him and to repent 00:15:03.740 --> 00:15:06.360 every day leading up to this final judgment. 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:09.519 And I think it'll be clear to both of us what 00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:11.700 it is that I've chosen. And I think that would 00:15:11.700 --> 00:15:15.279 be true for every person, absolutely. I really 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:16.960 appreciate you sharing that experience because 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:19.559 Elder Benner puts it in this way. He says, the 00:15:19.559 --> 00:15:21.840 fear of the Lord is not a reluctant apprehension 00:15:21.840 --> 00:15:23.899 about coming into His presence to be judged. 00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:26.500 Rather, it's the prospect of ultimately acknowledging 00:15:26.500 --> 00:15:29.220 about ourselves. things as they really are and 00:15:29.220 --> 00:15:31.580 as they really will be. Like you said, we all 00:15:31.580 --> 00:15:33.639 have a bright recollection of our deeds and actions 00:15:33.639 --> 00:15:36.480 and ultimately then we're all our own judges. 00:15:36.980 --> 00:15:39.200 No one will need to tell us where to go. In the 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:40.879 Lord's presence, he will acknowledge that we 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:43.799 have chosen to become immortality and know for 00:15:43.799 --> 00:15:46.259 ourselves where we should be in the eternity. 00:15:46.919 --> 00:15:52.259 That's heavy stuff. And it's so clear. So in 00:15:52.259 --> 00:15:54.139 closing, understanding that the final judgment 00:15:54.139 --> 00:15:57.879 can be pleasing. is not a blessing that is reserved 00:15:57.879 --> 00:16:01.720 only for Moroni. Like we said, right? Why is 00:16:01.720 --> 00:16:04.480 it shared as those final passages, as final words, 00:16:04.740 --> 00:16:07.419 it's to say you can each be experiencing some 00:16:07.419 --> 00:16:09.480 of the hardest, most difficult, most challenging, 00:16:09.539 --> 00:16:13.259 most lonely pieces of your life and still be 00:16:13.450 --> 00:16:16.950 So excited and grateful and know, you know What 00:16:16.950 --> 00:16:19.049 the next thing is to come even with not having 00:16:19.049 --> 00:16:20.690 perfect knowledge of what that's going to look 00:16:20.690 --> 00:16:22.990 like have that peace and assurance That it's 00:16:22.990 --> 00:16:25.549 going to be well worth it And I love that that 00:16:25.549 --> 00:16:29.309 was his final word and testimony like that is 00:16:29.309 --> 00:16:32.879 impactful loved it The meaning of the word restoration 00:16:32.879 --> 00:16:35.360 is to bring back again evil for evil, carnal 00:16:35.360 --> 00:16:37.600 for carnal, devilish for devilish, good for that 00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:39.379 which is good, righteous for that which is righteous, 00:16:39.779 --> 00:16:41.940 just for that which is just, merciful for that 00:16:41.940 --> 00:16:44.799 which is merciful. Deal justly, judge righteously, 00:16:44.919 --> 00:16:47.179 and do good continually. And if you do all these 00:16:47.179 --> 00:16:49.279 things, you shall receive your reward. Yea, you 00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:51.919 shall receive mercy and have it restored unto 00:16:51.919 --> 00:16:53.779 you again. You shall have justice restored unto 00:16:53.779 --> 00:16:55.500 you again. You shall have a righteous judgment 00:16:55.500 --> 00:16:58.440 restored unto you again. And ye shall have good 00:16:58.440 --> 00:17:02.590 reward unto you again. So good. Amen to that, 00:17:02.789 --> 00:17:05.549 Abby. Thank you so much for sharing this with 00:17:05.549 --> 00:17:07.529 us. And we hope that you do go back and listen 00:17:07.529 --> 00:17:10.589 to this talk. There is just so much in it that 00:17:10.589 --> 00:17:14.490 is directive. It's divine. It is instructive. 00:17:14.509 --> 00:17:16.329 And I loved every minute. Thanks for being with 00:17:16.329 --> 00:17:17.329 us. Catch you next time.