First, what is
the Resurrection? I will turn to the
King James Version of the Holy Bible used by members of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints for a definition.
In the Bible Dictionary, we find, “The resurrection consists of the
uniting of a spirit body with a body of flesh and bones, never again to be
divided.” It further clarifies, “…a
resurrection means to become immortal, without blood, yet with a body of flesh
and bone.”
This teaches us
that, when we are resurrected, our spirits will take up their bodies of flesh
and bones again. This united body
becomes our completed and immortal soul, which can never again be
separated. They become one forever
after. Now perhaps you are the type of
person that loves science fiction. You’re
thinking, “Wait a minute. I’ve seen
zombies and the undead! I don’t want to
become like them. Why would I want to
take up my physical body, which will undoubtedly be a rotting corpse by then?”
Well if this is
what you’re thinking, you’ve got the wrong idea. We won’t be resurrected with a rotting
corpse. We can turn to The Book of
Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ
for evidence otherwise. Alma the
Younger, one of the great prophets of ancient America, taught, “Therefore, all
things shall be restored to their proper order, every thing to its natural
frame—mortality to immortality, corruption to incorruption...” (Alma 41:4)
This means our bodies will take on their natural frame, meaning they
will look just as they look now, absent their imperfections.
One of Alma’s
contemporaries, Amulek, taught the same truth at an earlier time. Said he, “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…” (Alma 11:43) A little further on, he states, “…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…” (Alma 11:44)
So our bodies
will become perfected versions of what you are looking at now. The only differences between your present
state and the state of your resurrected body are:
1.
Your spirit and physical bodies will never be
separated again;
2.
Spirit will flow through your body and animate
it instead of blood; and
3.
You will not carry the imperfections you now
carry.
In all other respects, you will be just the same as you are now. This even includes your desires for good or
evil. If you want that which is good and
in conformity with the laws of God, then your resurrected soul will also want
that which is good and in conformity with the laws of God. If you pursue evil, your resurrected soul will
want to pursue evil (though it won’t have the power—an entirely different
subject).
This brings us to
the next question. Who is subject to the
resurrection and will take up their physical bodies again? We can again look to Amulek for an
answer. “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…” (Alma
11:44) In other words, everybody born into
this world, no matter how long the lived or what choices they made here, will
be resurrected. This includes babies who
die in their youth or are still-born.
All who are born shall have a body upon resurrection.
Why are all
people who are born into this earth allowed a part in the resurrection? It is because they followed Christ in their
first estate, meaning the Premortal Existence.
We chose to follow Him there, and so gained the blessing of coming to
earth and getting a physical body that would ultimately always be ours. Only those who rejected Jesus Christ in the
Premortal Existence and were never born into this earth will not have a part in
the Resurrection.
There are still
several discussion points about the Resurrection that need to be addressed,
such as how resurrection came about and when the wicked and the righteous will
be resurrected. But this particular
entry needs to end here, so these focus points will be talked about next week.
Let me close with
a point on faith. Look what your faith
in Jesus Christ has already guaranteed you.
You chose to believe in Jesus Christ in the Premortal Existence. Because of this, you were given the
opportunity to come to this earth and get a physical body. And now you have the guarantee of a perfected
physical body that can never be taken from you.
All because of your faith in Jesus Christ before you were even born into
this mortal world. Can’t you see how
valuable He is to you? Can’t you see how
much He is your friend and gives you so much?
He does, and if you continue to have faith in Him, He always will.
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