Jesus in the Meridian of Time:

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1 Jesus in the Meridian of Time: The Atonement and Opening the Prison Gates Introduction We began this course by looking at the importance of understanding the big picture to see both the forest and the our tree. We learned that Heavenly Father s has an eternal plan by which His children may become gods and goddesses living with Him in full equality. Progressing through a series of stages or estates of existence, each necessary for our divine progress and development. Our first estate was the premortal spirit estate where we learned control over our spirit bodies as well as spiritual realities. In the second estate, the estate we now live in, our spirit s taken upon them a physical body through which we learn physical realities. A necessary aspect of the second estate is gaining knowledge and appreciation by experiencing opposites (2 Ne. 2:11-12), or what the scriptures call good and evil in scripture (e.g., 2 Ne. 2:18; Hel. 14:31; Moses 5:1; D&C 29:39). To achieve this the Fall of Adam brought the earth, after it was created, into a mortal and fallen state. With the Fall came spiritual death. This was the cause of all mankind becoming carnal, sensual, devilish, knowing evil from good. In this state all mankind became lost and fallen (1Ne. 10:6; Mosiah 16:3-4; Al. 34:9). And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself (Al. 22:14) having no ability to save themselves from this fallen condition. The Fall not only brought upon all mankind a spiritual death, it also brought a temporal death as well. Temporal death is the separation of the spirit from the body (James 2:26). The physical body breaks down eventually returning back to mother earth while the spirit passes into the spirit world. With no ability to save itself, the spirit would reside in a hell; a prison where it would eternally suffer the consequences of their fallen condition an eternal hell. Knowing this would be the consequences of the Fall, the great plan of the Eternal God provided a means of escape from these eternal consequences, a plan of redemption (Jac. 6:8; Al. 12:25-33; 17:16; 18:39; 22:13; 29:2; 34:16, 31; 39:18; 42:11, 13). The plan of redemption would be brought about by Heavenly Father s Firstborn Son, Jesus Christ, who would offer himself as a proxy for each spirit who comes to mortality where in He would suffer in our place the eternal hell that violation of eternal law was demand. This is a central tenet of our faith that Christ s sacrifice atones for our sins by vicariously satisfying the demands of justice for us (D. Todd Christioffeson, Ensign. Nov. 2003, 53). The Atonement The most important act in time and eternity was the atonement of Jesus Christ. It was through the atonement that all mankind may be saved from the eternal consequences of broken law. The climax of each of the four gospels in the New Testament is a narration of the historical events connected with the atoning sacrifice

2 that began in the secluded Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36-45; Luke 22:39-45) and ended with crucifixion on a cross impelled on Golgotha (Matt. 27:33-50; John 19:16-30). Happily the story does not end there. With the Savior s death came a release of the infinite anguish and torment He endured in our behalf. He was buried by those who loved Him (Matt. 27:55-61; Mark 15:40-47; Luke 23:49-56; John 19:37-40) and after three days His beloved Father who loved Him dearly raised him from the dead (Acts 2:24; 3:15; 10:40; 13:30; 17:31; 1 Cor. 15:15; Gal. 1:1; 1 Pet. 1:21), becoming both the firstfruits and firstborn of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20; Col. 1:20). It was not the intent of the gospels, however, to present a complete theological treatise on the atonement of Jesus Christ. Consequently, the gospels do not provide a clear explanation as to the need for the atonement. The following readings focus both on the historical event of the atonement the need of the atonement. What is the Atonement? The atonement of Jesus Christ is an historical reality of the event where Jesus Christ offere[d] himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law (2 Ne. 2:7). But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom. 5:8) And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: (Eph. 2:16) So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time [i.e., at the second coming] without sin unto salvation. (Heb. 9:28) 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: (1Pe 3:18) And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world. (1 Ne. 11:33) Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the Church: the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world. (3 Ne. 11:14) The above references refer to the act of the atonement, the historical event where Jesus Christ took upon himself the eternal consequences of sins of mankind. President Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated in a recent general conference of As Latter-day Saints, we refer to His mission as the Atonement of Jesus Christ, which made resurrection a reality for all and made eternal life possible for those who repent of their sins and receive and keep essential ordinances and covenants. It is doctrinally incomplete to speak of the Lord s atoning sacrifice by shortcut phrases, such as the Atonement or the enabling power of the Atonement or applying the Atonement or being strengthened by the Atonement. These expressions present a real risk of misdirecting faith by treating the event as if it had living existence and capabilities independent of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Under the Father s great eternal plan, it is the Savior who suffered. It is the Savior who broke the bands of death. It is the Savior who paid the price for our sins and transgressions and blots them out on condition of our repentance. It is the Savior who delivers us from physical and spiritual death. There is no amorphous entity called the Atonement upon which we may call for succor, healing, forgiveness, or power. Jesus Christ is the source. Sacred terms such as Atonement and Resurrection describe what the Savior did, according to the Father s plan, so that we may live with hope in this life and gain eternal life in the world to come. The Savior s atoning sacrifice the central act of all human history is best understood and appreciated when we expressly and clearly connect it to Him. ( Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives, Ensign, May 2017, 40) In a recent Face to Face broadcast where President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles meet with a group of youth on March 7, 2017 (see lds.org/broadcasts), President Eyring and Elder Holland responded to questions regarding the atonement: What exactly is the

3 Atonement of Jesus Christ and how can I receive it s blessings. How do I access the Atonement? Is all I have to do is ask God for the Atonement to take place in my life? President Eyring answered first: The first thing you need to do is get a few facts straight. The Atonement was something Jesus Christ did. It s not a thing itself. He atoned for our sins and he paid the price to allow us to be forgiven and resurrected. So its what he did that qualified him to give us forgiveness, to change our hearts. And it s the Holy Ghost doing that, it s not the Atonement as if it s a thing itself... The Atonement is something the Savior did. Further he said, when you feel forgiveness, that s not the Atonement. That s the Savior giving you a feeling of forgiveness because of the Atonement. Elder Holland added: That s a very important distinction to make. Its very common for us to hear the Atonement talked about as an abstraction as if it were free standing out in the middle of the field. It s always an extension of the Savior. It s His act. We access the atonement by qualifying for the Gift of the Holy Ghost. President Eyring followed that thought up by saying: And the Holy Ghost is the cleansing agent, you see, that comes and it can come because of the atonement. It s the Lord Jesus Christ who is allowing the Holy Ghost to come. And then when it comes to us, and we feel that, we feel cleansed. Its one of the things that happens because of the atonement. Elder Holland emphasized the fact that the atonement has already happened for us: The atonement is already been provided. Christ has already done it for every one of us. It is finished. The victory is on the scoreboard. We already know who wins. You don t have to worry about, can I get the atonement to work for me? At least as far as the Savior is concerned, that part is done. You do have faith, and repentance, and baptism, and honest living... There are some things we need to do to take advantage of that, to make it fully efficacious in our life. But I wouldn t have one of you anywhere in this room, or out in that world out there, thinking, I guess the Savior provided an atonement for everybody but me. No! He took care of everybody. He took care of every one of us. The Account of the Atonement in the Four Gospels Gethsemane: The atonement began in an the privacy of an olive press called Gethsemane, located in a garden or an orchard on the Mount of Olives (see Matt. 26:36; Luke 22:39). Read Matthew 26:36-46 and Luke 22: That the atonement began in Gethsemane is purely an LDS understanding. Most Christians that the agony the Savior in experienced in Gethsemane came from the fear of what would happen the next day: the crucifixion. The LDS get their understanding from two statements made in the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. First we need to recall a statement made by Luke. He said that in Gethsemane. the Savior, being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground (Luke 22:44). King Benjamin states that this was the result of the anguish Christ felt because of the wickedness of his people: Read Mosiah 3:5-7 In a revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, Martin Harris was told to repent or he would suffer as the Savior had suffered in His atoning sacrifice, which caused such pain that bled at every pore : Read D&C 19:15-19 Golgotha: What began in Gethsemane was concluded on the cross. While hanging on the cross, it appears that the Savior suffered the full brunt of the eternal consequences of sin spiritual death. Read Matthew 27:29-54 (The other Gospels have accounts as well.) Of the suffering the Savior underwent on the cross, Elder James E. Talmage ( ) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote: At the ninth hour, or about three in the afternoon, a loud voice, surpassing the most anguished cry of physical suffering issued from the central cross, rending the dreadful darkness. It was the voice of the Christ: "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" What mind of man can fathom the significance of that awful cry? It seems, that in addition to the fearful suffering incident to crucifixion, the agony of Gethsemane had recurred, intensified beyond human power

4 to endure. In that bitterest hour the dying Christ was alone, alone in most terrible reality. That the supreme sacrifice of the Son might be consummated in all its fulness, the Father seems to have withdrawn the support of His immediate Presence, leaving to the Savior of men the glory of complete victory over the forces of sin and death. The cry from the cross, though heard by all who were near, was understood by few. The first exclamation, Eloi, meaning My God, was misunderstood as a call for Elias. (Jesus the Christ [1915, 1973, 1981 printing], 661) The Burial and Resurrection. All four Gospels give an account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each add details the other does include. Choose one of the following accounts and read it. Matthew 27:50-28:20 Mark15:42-16:20 Luke 23:50-24:53 John 19:28-21:25 President Ezra Taft Benson has said of the resurrection: The greatest events of history are those that affect the greatest number of people for the longest periods. By this standard, no event could be more important to individuals or nations than the resurrection of the Master. The literal resurrection of every soul who has lived and died on earth is a certainty, and surely one should make careful preparation for this event. A glorious resurrection should be the goal of every man and woman, for resurrection will be a reality. (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson [2014], 94) Why the Atonement? The Book of Mormon is the best place to understand why the Atonement had to be made. Lehi succinctly states the reason: Read 2 Nephi 2:5-7. Let s quickly dissect what Lehi said by handling these verses sentence by sentence. Let s begin with verse 5: And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. Through the Spirit of Christ it is given to every man, that he may know good from evil (Moroni 7:16). And the law is given unto men. This has reference to all law that exists in this world, physical or spiritual, including moral law. Boyd K. Packer ( ) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: There are both moral and physical laws irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world (D&C 130:20) which man cannot overrule. ( Our Moral Environment, Ensign, Nov. 1992, 67). The Lord tells us in D&C 88 that He has ordained law in all his worlds He has created. Unto every law there are certain bounds also [i.e., blessings] and conditions [the stipulations]. He has told us all who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing and the conditions thereof, as were instituted from before the foundation of the world (D&C 130:5) Alma adds that the law of justice demands both blessings and punishments. If the conditions of law is kept, justice demands the blessing ordained to that blessing. If the conditions are violated, justice demands the punishment ordained to that law (Alma 41:3-4). And by the law not flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. All who arrive at the age of accountability will at some time misuse their agency and violate the laws of God. Whosoever committeth sin transfresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law (1 Joun 3:4). The Apostle Paul declared: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans. 3:23; see also D&C 82:6). Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever. This began with the Fall of Adam and continues to all of us in this mortal world. Abinadi said: For they are carnal and devilish, and the devil has power over them; yea, even that old serpent that did beguile our first parents, which was the cause of their fall; which was the cause of all mankind becoming carnal, sensual, devilish, knowing evil from good, subjecting themselves to the devil. Thus all mankind were lost; and behold, they would have been endlessly lost were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state (Mosiah 16:3). In verse six, Lehi states that man is not without hope: Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. Jesus Christ, who is sinless, will redeem mankind from their fallen condition. But this act of mercy cannot override justice. Recall, justice demands that if the conditions of a law are violated, a penalty or punishment will result. So, how can Christ redeems us from this? Lehi answers this in verse seven: Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered. In Gethsemane and in particularly on the cross, Jesus Christ trades places with the sinner and pays the price of sin. As He told the Nephites at Bountiful: I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world (3 Ne. 11:14). The atonement of Jesus Christ makes possible both forgiveness and sanctification from sin. Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said: Because of the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice, Jesus Christ can satisfy or answer the ends of the law on our behalf. Pardon comes by the grace of Him who has satisfied the demands of justice by His own suffering, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God (1 Pet. 3:18). He removes our condemnation without removing the law. We are pardoned and placed in a condition of righteousness with Him. We become, like Him, without sin. We are sustained and protected by the law, by justice. We are, in a word, justified. Thus, we may appropriately speak of one who is justified as pardoned, without sin, or guiltless. For example, Whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the

5 world (3 Ne. 27:16; emphasis added). Yet glorious as the remission of sins is, the Atonement accomplishes even more. That more is expressed by Moroni: And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot (Moro. 10:33; emphasis added). To be sanctified through the blood of Christ is to become clean, pure, and holy. If justification removes the punishment for past sin, then sanctification removes the stain or effects of sin. ( Justification and Sanctification, Ensign, June 2001, 20-21) The Prison Doors Opening While Christ s body lay in the tomb, a very important event occurred that would have eternal ramifications for the family of God. In the great vision given to Enoch, he saw the wicked who would be destroyed by the great flood. He was also shown what would happen to them after they were drowned: Read Moses 7:38-39, Alma the Younger wanted was also told what would happen between death and resurrection. An angel told him that when one dies, their spirit goes to one of two places in the spirit world: Read Alma 40:11-14 So we see that the spirit world was divided into paradise and prison. President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency has said Only a very small minority of God s children obtain during this life a complete understanding of God s plan, along with access to the priesthood ordinances and covenants that make the Savior s atoning power fully operative in our lives. ( Gathering the Family of God, Ensign, May 2017, 20) As Enoch was shown, an important event occurred after Jesus Christ atoned for mankind s sins. The Savior went into the spirit world to open the doors in that realm for those in spirit prison to be given the opportunity to hear and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and escape the prison by why they are bound. In October of 1918, President Joseph F. Smith saw in vision how this happened. During President Spencer W. Kimball s administration, it was felt that this vision and a portion of a vision given the Prophet Joseph Smith in January 1836 should be included in the standard works of the Church. They now appear as D&C 137 and 138. Both these revelations deal with work of salvation as organized by the Savior during the three days His body lay in the tomb. Read D&C 137. What did Joseph learn from this vision? The night before general conference in October 1918, President Joseph F. Smith was in his room pondering some verses in the scriptures that he wondered about: Read D&C What was President Smith pondering about? While pondering, President Smith was shown a vision of those in the spirit world. First he was shown those in spirit paradise: Read 138: What was he shown about those in spirit paradise? What had they done to dwell in that realm? Then President Smith was shown those in spirit prison: Read D&C 138: Who was in spirit prison? What did difference was there between paradise and prison? Read D&C 138: Having seen these two realms, what did President Smith wonder about? Once again, President Smith was shown a second vision that answered his questions: Read D&C 138: What did President Smith learn? President Smith saw many of the great prophets who had lived from the days of Adam to his day (see D&C 138: 38-56). The President learned an important truth: Read D&C 138:57. What was that truth? He also learn another extremely important truths about those in spirit prison. How would they escape the awful situation they were in? Read D&C 138: What must they do to escape? What kingdom of glory will those in spirit prison be able to achieve and what must they do to achieve that glory?