Why Do All Enjoy the Resurrection? Part 2

Why is it that the wicked will receive perfect, immortal bodies? Should this great blessing not be reserved for those who kept God’s commandments, those who took upon the name of the Savior? I believe the scriptures indicate a few reasons why all shall rise. Before I share my thoughts I want to address Reverence’s idea that this is a reward for keeping our first estate.

I think Rev’s judgment on the idea is sound. It makes sense that those who keep their first estate earned the right to a test and a body and therefore earned the blessing of the resurrection (though we never actually “earn” anything, God always gives us more as Rev said, but you know what I mean). Joseph Smith hinted at this with the following statement: “When those have come into this world and received tabernacles, then died and again have risen and received glorified bodies, they will have an ascendancy over the spirits who have received no bodies, or kept not their first estate, like the devil. The punishment of the devil was that he should not have a habitation like men. The devil's retaliation is, he comes into this world, binds up men's bodies, and occupies them himself” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Six 1843–44, p.305)

Now for my other ideas regarding the universal blessing. First, all shall rise, yes, but not at the same time. As the Doctrine and Covenants teach, there will be various resurrections, depending on the righteousness of the person. There will be a resurrection of the just (D&C 76:64-65), and of the unjust (D&C 76:85). This section also mentions different types of resurrected bodies, verse 70 says that those who rise in the first resurrection will be they “whose bodies are celestial.” The section goes on to say that others will have terrestrial bodies (D&C 76:78).

I think the primary reason that everyone will resurrect is so that they can withstand the judgment of God. The scriptures indicate that we must have a resurrected body in order to stand in God’s presence. “And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day” (2 Nephi 9:22); “ . . . He shall rise from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works” (Alma 33:22); “And he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his judgment-seat” (Mormon 7:6). Lehi also teaches, (and Jacob may have snagged his idea for 2 Ne. 9:22 from this), that “no flesh can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead . . . wherefore, they stand in the presence of him, to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him” (2 Ne. 8,10).

It is my opinion that we need resurrected bodies to bear the presence of the Father, in order to receive our reward, or our punishment. The resurrection is a glorious gift for all, for it prevents people from becoming “angels to a devil,” but it will not be a happy day for those who did not live righteously and faithfully while here on the earth (2 Ne. 9:9). When Alma even considered the thought of being in the presence of God his soul was racked with “inexpressible horror” and he wished he could “be banished and become extinct both soul and body that [he] might not be brought to stand in the presence of [his] God, to be judged of [his] deeds” (Alma 36:14-15). This desire to become extinct may be the result for the resurrected unjust.

While there is reason to believe that we can see God in the flesh, as many scriptures describe (Moses 5:10, 2 Ne. 9:4, Job 19:26), I think all of those scriptures are describing our state after the resurrection, supporting my claim that we need a resurrected body to bear His presence. The scripture that best supports this idea comes from Moses, chapter 1, verse 11.

“But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him” (Moses 1:11).

I believe that any person that has ever had a vision of the Father saw Him through their spiritual eyes (which may be why we call Joseph Smith’s experience the “First Vision” instead of “First Encounter” or something . . . first encounter sounds way too science fictiony anyway). That is one of the reasons that all, including the wicked, need a resurrected body.

Happy, as always, to hear your thoughts.