Jesus in the Meridian of Time Reading Assignment No. 16

Jesus in the Meridian of Time Reading Assignment No. 16 Part Two: 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). Key Concepts and Teachings 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 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 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 the Church: 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 enab ling power of the Atonement or applying the Atoneme n t o r b e i n g 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 S a v i o r s a t o n i n g

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 the Face to Face with President Eyring and Elder Holland broadcast held on March 7, 2017, 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, where they responded to a number of questions. Two questions were asked about the atonement of Jesus Christ: What exactly is the 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. President Eyring followed up Elder Holland s statement 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 t h a t h a p p e n s 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. (see https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/face-to-face/eyring-holland?la ng=eng) The Account of the Atonement in the Four Gospels Gethsemane: The atonement began in an the privacy of an olive press called Gethsemane. on the Mount of Olives (see Matt. 26:36; Luke 22:39). Olive presses were generally located in a building or cave. Read Matthew 26:36-46 and Luke 22:39-46. 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 Savior s suffering on the cross, Elder James E. Talmage (1862-1933) 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 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) Bruce R McConkie,of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles added his witness of the suffering of Christ on the cross: Finally, on a hill called Calvary... the Roman soldiers laid him upon the cross. With great mallets they drove spikes of iron through his feet and hands and wrists. Truly he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. Then the cross was raised that all might see and gape and curse and deride. This they did, with evil venom, for three hours from 9:00 A.M. to noon. Then the heavens grew black. Darkness covered the land for the space of three hours, as it did among the Nephites. There was a mighty storm, as though the very God of Nature was in agony. And truly he was, for while he was hanging on the cross for another three hours, from noon to 3:00 P.M., all the infinite agonies and merciless pains of Gethsemane recurred. And, finally, when the atoning agonies had taken their toll when the victory had been won, when the Son of God had fulfilled the will of his Father in all things then he said, It is finished (John 19:30), and he voluntarily gave up the ghost. As the peace and comfort of a merciful death freed him from the pains and sorrows of mortality, he entered the paradise of God. When he had made his soul an offering for sin, he was prepared to see his seed, according to the messianic word. ( The Purifying Power of Gethsemane, Ensign, May 1985, 10) 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 Mark 15:42-16:20 Luke 23:50-24:53 John 19:28-21:25 Why the Atonement? The Book of Mormon is our best place to understand why the Atonement of Jesus Christ was needed. Lehi succinctly states: 5 And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. 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. 6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. 7 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. (2 Ne. 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 (1924-2015) 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 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. What happens to man when he dies? Where does his spirit go? This was the question that Alma the Younger asked. Alma lived about 70-80 years before the coming of Christ to the Old World. He was taught by an angel that when men die, their spirits go to one of two places in this earth s spirit world: Read Alma 40:11-14 The spirit world is divided into a paradise and a prison. It is most likely that the majority of Heavenly Father s children who had come to mortality from the days of Adam until Christ would never have heard the gospel or were, as in the days of Noah, rebellious and therefore were locked in spirit prison. Not a pleasant thought! An important part of the Atonement of Jesus Christ was to open the doors for all those in spirit prison. If they accepted the gospel plan it was possible for them to escape the hell and pain of that ordeal. But they are under the same obligations as those in the mortal world receive access to the Savior s atoning sacrifice: faith, repentance, baptism, and laying on of hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost. But how could they receive the ordinances of baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost? Two revelations found in the Doctrine and Covenants give us the answer. The first was a vision given Joseph Smith in January 1836 of the celestial kingdom. Read D&C 137. What was revealed to Joseph Smith in this revelation? In the 1840, Joseph revealed that mortals could perform by proxy the ordinances for the dead. From a vision given to President Joseph F. Smith in October 1918, we learn about what happened in the spirit world when the Savior died and went to paradise. Read D&C 138. How did Christ take the gospel to the spirits in prison?