The Resurrection of Christ

I did not expect to be writing concerning the Resurrection directly; it has always seemed a straightforward topic to me. But I've found a talk by an Apostle which lays out the doctrine of Christ's Resurrection so carefully and sweetly, and because it ties so nicely with what I have written on the spirit of man, I must include it here.


(You may also see the transcription here.)

The spirit body of man

It is interesting to me that I hear such different opinions on the topic of the spirit. To me it is simple: all things which are alive have a spirit, also known as the soul. The spirit and the body are like a hand in a glove; when the hand is removed, the glove is dead and unmoving. Likewise our body, when we die, disintegrates, but our spirit leaves our body to progress to the next world - the spirit world. There we await our resurrection, when our bodies are restored from corruption and reunited with our spirits, never again to be separated.

Such things are clear to me, I have known them from childhood. The Bible teaches these doctrines plainly:

"O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again." - 1 Kings 17:21, The prayer of Elijah to raise the widow's son.

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." - James 2:26

"By which also he [Christ] went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing..." - 1 Peter 3:19-20

 Perhaps there are even better references than these. (Any suggestions?) Here is another scripture, an account of the apostles seeing the resurrected Christ:

"And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." - Luke 24:36-39

 He also went on to eat some fish and honeycomb, to show, we may suppose, that he had a physical body capable of the most natural act of eating physical food. He was a resurrected being, and the first to ever have "lived again":

"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept... For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." - 1 Corinthians 15:20,22

There are many more things to discuss here, but I will have to return to finish this entry. It is getting late as I write now.

Angels

Who, my friends, are angels, these beings we have read about in scripture? And what is their purpose? Angels serve God in heaven, therefore their work is in ministering to the children of men on earth.

Angels have appeared in times past, and they still appear, and will always appear, so long as there are those with strong faith. Speaking of the last days, John the beloved wrote:

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people," - Revelation 14:6

An angel, Moroni, a resurrected being, appeared to the prophet Joseph Smith to guide him to obtain and translate the gold plates, which translation became the Book of Mormon. Moroni stands atop the temples of Christ's Church, sounding the trumpet to announce the restoration of the gospel.

Angel Moroni delivering the gold plates to Joseph Smith

Angel Moroni atop a modern temple

Temple in my hometown, San Diego

If we are faithful, we may one day become angels like Moroni. And even in this life, Christ calls us his "saints" if we follow him and are baptized, as is shown in the title of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. we can both learn as though from angels and teach with the tongue of angels:

"Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?
"Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ, for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." - 2 Nephi 32:2-3

Relevant notes:
-On the topic of the name of the Church: Christ revealed to his ancient disciples in the Americas that the church, if it taught his gospel, ought to be called in his name. (3 Nephi ##:##) In the Doctrine and Covenants, Christ revealed to Joseph Smith that the name of his modern church should be: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. (D&C ##:##)
-Angels, we have learned in modern revelation, look like men because they are, in fact, either the "spirits of just men made perfect" prior to their resurrection, or otherwise they are postmortal, resurrected men. (D&C 129:1-3) Also, "there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it." (D&C 130:5)
-The wings of angels, I take personally as a beautiful, poetic metaphor for the power, grace, glory, etc. of these heaven-sent beings. God himself is described metaphorically in Ruth, Psalms, and Malachi as having wings, and men too in Isaiah 40:31.

About this blog

This blog has been long in coming. I had been deliberating over what form and website to create what I wanted to make, but finally I just start writing. I'm learning that perfection doesn't come with sufficient preparation alone; it also requires after-the-fact rework. So, when I write a post, expect it to change as I correct mistakes and gain new insights. I want this to be a dynamic forum for exploration, sharing, and discussion, so please share your opinions in the comments and I will respond in kind. I need to get to know my audience, after all, or how can I know how to write to you?

In this blog I hope to develop my understanding and explore my hypotheses regarding spiritual truth. Spiritual truth encompasses the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the scriptures, modern revelation, and personal inspiration (when it comes from God). I aspire to base my content in facts and scripture, while still including my opinions, experiences, testimony, and outstanding questions.

Ideas for the blog? Topic suggestions?