THE FIRST RESURRECTION AND THE GLORIFYING OF
CHRIST’S NAME
Jan Griffith,
November 2007
Someone
asked me a good question about the first resurrection.
They wanted to know if it had already occurred,
or whether it is still yet to come. It
certainly would appear that a “first resurrection” has already occurred
in one
way or another. Jesus made sure we
understood this:
“And now it came to pass
that when
Jesus had said these words, he said unto them again, after he had
expounded all
the scriptures unto them which they had received, he said unto them,
Behold,
other scriptures I would that ye should write, that ye have not. And it
came to
pass that he said unto Nephi, Bring forth the record which ye have
kept. And
when Nephi had brought forth the records, and laid them before him, he
cast his
eyes upon them, and said, Verily, I say unto you, I commanded my
servant
Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at
the day that the Father
should glorify his name in me,
that there were many saints who
should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should
minister
unto them. And he said unto them, Were it not so? And his disciples
answered
him and said, Yea, Lord, Samuel did prophesy according to thy words,
and they
were all fulfilled. And Jesus said unto
them, How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints
did arise
and appear unto many, and did minister unto them? And it came to
pass that
Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written.
And it came to pass that Jesus commanded
that it should be written, therefore it was written according as he
commanded.”
(3 Nephi 10:33-41)
The
Bible
also explained that there was a resurrection:
“And about the ninth
hour, Jesus
cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? (That is
to say,
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?) Some of them that stood
there, when
they heard him, said, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one
of them
ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a
reed, and
gave him to drink. The rest said, Let him be, let us see whether Elias
will
come to save him. Jesus when he had cried again with a loud voice,
saying,
Father, it is finished, thy will is done, yielded up the ghost. And
behold, the
veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and
the earth
did quake, and the rocks rent; And the
graves were opened; and the bodies of the saints which slept, arose,
who were
many. And came out of the graves after his resurrection, went unto the
holy
city, and appeared unto many.” (Matthew 27:50-57)
Abinadi
foretold this “first resurrection:”
“And there
cometh a resurrection, even a first resurrection;
yea, even a resurrection of those that have been, and who are, and who
shall
be, even until the resurrection of Christ: for so shall he
be
called. And now, the resurrection of all the prophets, and all those
that have
believed in their words, or all those that have kept the commandments
of God,
shall come forth in the first resurrection; therefore, they are the
first
resurrection. They are raised to dwell with God who has redeemed them:
thus
they have eternal life through Christ, who has broken the bands of
death. And
these are those who have part in the first resurrection; and these are
they
that have died before Christ came, in their ignorance, not having
salvation
declared unto them. And thus the Lord bringeth about the restoration of
these;
and they have a part in the first resurrection, or have eternal life,
being
redeemed by the Lord.” (Mosiah 8:55-59)
“And then shall it come
to pass,
that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil; for behold, they
have no
part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord: for behold they choose evil
works,
rather than good: therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into
them, and
take possession of their house; And these shall be cast out into outer
darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing and gnashing of teeth;
and this
because of their own iniquity; being led captive by the will of the
devil. Now
this is the state of the souls of the wicked; yea, in darkness, and a
state of
awful, fearful, looking for, of the fiery indignation of the wrath of
God upon
them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in
paradise,
until the time of their resurrection. Now
there are some that have understood that this state of happiness, and
this
state of misery of the soul, before the resurrection, was a first
resurrection.
Yea, I
admit it may be termed a resurrection; the raising of
the spirit or the soul, and their consignation to happiness or misery,
according to the words which have been spoken. And behold
again it hath been spoken, that there is a first
resurrection; a resurrection of all those who have been or who are, or
who
shall be, down to the resurrection of Christ from the dead.
Now we do not suppose that
this first resurrection
which is spoken of in this manner, can be the resurrection of the souls,
and their consignation to happiness or misery. Ye can not suppose that
this is
what it meaneth.” (
Alma
not
only verified Abinadi’s words, but he also clarified something crucial
about
the resurrection; namely, that while we might “term” or “identify”
something as
a resurrection, we should never confuse it for the real thing.
Given
all
the evidence that graves were opened in both hemispheres, I think it is
safe to
assume that there was a “first resurrection.”
Yet there is also scripture which speaks of a “first
resurrection” in
future tense, for example:
“And I saw thrones, and
they sat
upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and I saw the souls of
them that
were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and
which had
not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his
mark upon
their foreheads, or in their hands: and they lived and reigned with
Christ a
thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand
years were finished. This is the first
resurrection. Blessed and holy are they who have part in the first
resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be
priests
of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4-6)
John
wrote
“this is the first resurrection,” yet he also did not define it very
well,
unless we assume that we can perfectly understand the Book of
Revelation –
which is a writing the Book of Mormon explains we will not fully
understand
until Christ lifts the veil from before all
of our eyes (Ether 1:111-113). However,
the assumption in Revelation 20, at least for me, is that a “first
resurrection” will occur prior to the last thousand years.
Those who are part of this first
resurrection will not be hurt from something called “second death”
which the
Book of Mormon very clearly explains follows the return of Christ.
Paul
described what sounds like a “first resurrection” which will occur when
the
Lord Jesus descends from heaven with a shout.
Paul was obviously speaking of a future day:
“For the Lord himself
shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of
God; and the dead in Christ shall rise
first; Then they who are alive, shall be caught up together into
the clouds
with them who remain, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we be
ever with
the Lord.”
(1
Thessalonians 4:16-17)
Paul
also
delivered an interesting warning about those who will claim that the
resurrection has already passed:
“Study to show thyself
approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of
truth. But shun profane and vain babblings; for they will increase unto
more
ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker; of whom is
Hymeneus and
Philetus; Who concerning the truth have
erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow
the
faith of some.” (2
Timothy 2:15-18)
In
other
words, while there obviously was a
“first resurrection,” Paul wanted to make sure we understood that
another great
resurrection was yet to come.
Latter
day
revelation speaks of a “first resurrection” yet to come.
“And then shall the Jews
look upon
me and say, What are these wounds in thy hands, and in thy feet? Then
shall
they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them, These wounds
are the
wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who
was
lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God. And then
shall
they weep because of their iniquities; then shall they lament because
they
persecuted their King. And then shall the heathen nations be redeemed, and they that knew no law shall
have part in the first resurrection; and it shall be tolerable for them; and
Satan shall be bound that he
shall have no place in the hearts of the children of men.” (Section 45:9)
“these shall dwell in the
presence
of God and his Christ for ever and ever: these are they whom he shall
bring
with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven, to reign on the
earth
over his people; these are they who shall have part in the
first
resurrection; these are they who shall come forth in
the
resurrection of the just.”
(Section 76:5)
The
following latter day revelation is a second witness to 1 Thessalonians
4:16-17.
“And he shall sound his
trump both long
and loud, and all nations shall hear it. And there shall be silence in
heaven
for the space of half an hour, and immediately after shall the curtain
of
heaven be unfolded, as a scroll is unfolded after it is rolled up, and
the face
of the Lord shall be unveiled; and the saints that are upon the earth,
who are
alive, shall be quickened, and be caught up to meet him. And
they who have slept in their graves, shall come forth; for their
graves shall be opened, and they also shall be caught up to meet him in
the
midst of the pillar of heaven: they are Christ's, the first fruits:
they
who shall descend with him first, and they who are on the earth, and in
their
graves, who are first caught up to meet him; and all this by the voice
of the
sounding of the trump of the angel of God.” (Section 85:26-27)
Given
the
evidence, it seems conclusive that there was a “first resurrection”
after
Christ’s resurrection, and that there
will be another “first resurrection” when he comes in his glory.
I
HAVE BOTH
GLORIFIED IT, AND WILL GLORIFY IT AGAIN
There
is a
parable in John chapter 12 which reveals a mystery about the
resurrection and
the glory of God.
“And Jesus answered them,
saying,
The hour is come, that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily,
verily, I say
unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it
abideth
alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his
life
shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it
unto
life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am
there
shall also my servant be; if any man serve me, him will my Father
honor. Now is
my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour;
but for
this cause came I unto this hour.
Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying,
I have
both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
(John 12:23-28)
When
Jesus
died for our sins, and was resurrected so that we too might have
eternal life,
God’s name was glorified. Jesus said
that the hour had come.
Keeping
that in mind, remember that when Jesus visited the Nephites, he said
that many
saints arose from the dead and ministered to the people at the
day his
Father had glorified his name.
“Verily, I say unto you,
I commanded
my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this
people, that at the day that the Father should glorify
his name in me, that there were many saints who should arise from
the dead,
and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. And he said
unto
them, Were it not so? And his disciples answered him and said, Yea,
Lord,
Samuel did prophesy according to thy words, and they were all
fulfilled.”
(3 Nephi 10:33-41)
The
Book of
Mormon tells us that Christ’s name is yet to be glorified in the
flesh:
“And it came to pass that
the Lord
said unto the Brother of Jared, Behold, thou
shalt not suffer these things which ye have seen and heard, to go forth
unto
the world, until the time cometh that I shall glorify my name in the
flesh;
wherefore, ye shall treasure up the things which ye have seen and
heard, and
shew it to no man.”
(Ether 1:86)
Has
Christ’s name been glorified “in the flesh?”
Have those things which were shown to the Brother of Jared gone
forth to
the world? Given the preconditions
sited below, we can know for a surety that they have not.
“Behold, I have written
upon these
plates the very things which the Brother of Jared saw; and there never was greater things made manifest,
than that which was made manifest unto the Brother of Jared;
wherefore, the
Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he
commanded
me that I should seal them up; and he also hath commanded that I should
seal up
the interpretation thereof; wherefore I have sealed up the
interpreters,
according to the commandment of the Lord. For the Lord said unto me, They shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until
the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean
before
the Lord; And in that day that they
shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the Brother of
Jared did,
that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest
unto them
the things which the Brother of Jared saw, even to the
unfolding unto
them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father
of the
heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are.” (Ether 1:98-101)
If
the
Lord’s arm – in other words, his wrath – will not fall until after he returns in the clouds of heaven
with his saints (Section 45:7a), then we can know of a surety that what
the
Brother of Jared saw will not come
forth until that day, and that the Gentiles, as defined in Ether
1:98-101, will
not repent until that day. Why? Because the Book of Mormon tells us so. Jesus said that his sword of justice – his
arm, or his wrath – will hang over the Gentiles in the day
when he will “beat in pieces many people,” and “cut off
their horses and chariots,” and “throw down their strongholds” and “cut
off
witchcrafts and graven images:”
“And thou shalt beat in
pieces many
people; and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their
substance
unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I am he who doeth it. And
it
shall come to pass, saith the Father, that the sword of my justice
shall hang
over them at that day; and except they repent, it shall fall upon
them,
saith the Father, yea, even upon all the nations of the Gentiles.” (3 Nephi 9:55-56)
“Yea, wo be unto the
Gentiles,
except they repent, for it shall come to pass in that day, saith
the Father,
that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will
destroy thy
chariots, and I will cut off the cities of thy land and throw down all
thy
strongholds; And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thy hand, and thou
shalt
have no more soothsayers: Thy graven images I will also cut off, and
thy
standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more
worship the
works of thy hands; And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of
thee; so
will I destroy thy cities. And it shall come to pass that all lyings,
and
deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts and whoredoms,
shall be
done away.”
(3
Nephi 9:101-105)
Furthermore,
the Lord told the Brother of Jared that what he was shown would not go
forth to
the Gentiles until the day Christ’s name is glorified in the flesh. While Christ's name was glorified during his
earthly ministry in
What
does
this mean, "in the flesh?" I think it means that Christ's
SERVANTS will some day glorify his name IN THEIR FLESH.
THE
FIRST TIME, THE FATHER GLORIFIED HIS
NAME IN
THE SON:
“Therefore, when he was
gone out,
Jesus said, Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in
him.”
(John 13:31)
“I was with the Father
from the
beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me
hath the Father glorified his name.” (3 Nephi 4:45)
“And it said unto them,
Behold, my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom
I
have glorified my name, hear ye him.” (3 Nephi 5:8)
Christ’s name is glorified
in
believers who take up their crosses and follow him:
“Herein is my
Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye
be my disciples.” (John 15:8)
“And all mine are thine,
and thine
are mine; and I am glorified in them.
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I
come to
thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast
given me,
that they may be one, as we are.” (John 17:10-11)
“Wherefore also we pray
always for
you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill
all the
good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power; That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may
be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our
God and
the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)
“If ye be reproached for
the name of
Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon
you; on
their part he is evil spoken of, but on
your part he is glorified.” (1 Peter 4:14)
THE
SECOND TIME, CHRIST’S NAME WILL BE
GLORIFIED IN
THE FLESH – OURS IF WE QUALIFY.
The
sufferings of the Lord’s people will one day be made
manifest before the eyes of the world so that the name of Jesus Christ
is
glorified AGAIN! Praise the Lord! In other words, our heavenly Father will yet
glorify Christ’s name in our
resurrected flesh. His glory will yet
show forth in that servant whose
visage will be marred more than any man; his form more than the sons of
men – a
servant so marred that kings will shut their mouths at him.
“And said unto me, Thou
art my servant, O
“If any man speak, let
him speak as
an oracle of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability
which
God giveth; that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus
Christ; to
whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Beloved, think it
not
strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some
strange
thing happened unto you; But rejoice, inasmuch
as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall
be
revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be
reproached for
the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God
resteth
upon you; on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is
glorified.” (1
Peter 4:11-14)
“The Spirit itself
beareth witness
with our spirit, that we are the children of God; And if children, then
heirs;
heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if
so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:16-17)
“And to you who are
troubled rest
with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his
mighty
angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and
that
obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; Who shall be punished
with
destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his
everlasting power; When he shall come to
be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that
believe
(because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.” (2 Thessalonians
1:7-12)
“Thy sun shall no more go
down;
neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for the Lord shall be thine
everlasting
light, and the days of thy mourning
shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous; they shall
inherit
the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.” (Isaiah 60:20-21)
“Sing, O ye heavens; for
the Lord
hath done it; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into
singing, ye
mountains, O forest, and every tree therein; for the Lord
hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.” (Isaiah 44:23)
“Nevertheless, my work
shall go
forth, for, inasmuch as the knowledge of a Savior has come unto the
world,
through the testimony of the Jews, even so shall the knowledge of a
Savior come
unto my people, and to the Nephites, and the Jacobites, and the
Josephites, and
the Zoramites, through the testimony of their fathers; and this
testimony shall
come to the knowledge of the Lamanites, and the Lemuelites, and the
Ishmaelites, who dwindled in unbelief because of the iniquity of their
fathers,
whom the Lord has suffered to destroy their brethren the Nephites,
because of
their iniquities and their abominations; and for this very purpose are
these
plates preserved which contain these records, that the promises of the
Lord
might be fulfilled, which he made to his people; and that the Lamanites
might
come to the knowledge of their fathers, and that they might know the
promises
of the Lord, and that they may believe the gospel and rely upon the
merits of
Jesus Christ, and be glorified through faith in his name,
and
that through their repentance they might be saved. Amen.” (Section 2:6)
“When thus it shall be in
the midst
of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive
tree,
and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done. They shall lift up
their
voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry
aloud from
the sea. Wherefore glorify ye the Lord
in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of
“And it shall come to
pass in that day,
that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley
of the
passengers on the east of the sea; and it shall stop the noses of the
passengers; and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude; and
they shall
call it, The valley of Hamon-gog. And seven months shall the house of
ARE
WE
FIRST RESURRECTION WORTHY?
God’s
Word
tells us that the majority (a great and abominable many) of the Lord’s
people
are prideful, slothful, drunkards, hard-hearted, and destroyed for lack
of
knowledge. Historically, the Lord has
used the metaphor of a woman to describe his people.
While a remnant are identified as virgins, the vast majority
play
the harlot. Note the words John used to
describe her condition:
“How much she
hath glorified herself, and lived
deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her; for she saith in her
heart, I
sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” (Revelation 18:7)
As I understand it, the
first “first resurrection” marked
the end of Jewish times. The next
“first resurrection” will mark the end of the Gentile times. What has been before, shall be again, and
there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
If we want to be part of
the next “first resurrection,” then
we will increasingly need to distance ourselves from those who are
perverting
Christ’s words; whose desire to implement a heavenly law upon the earth
is
premature and lacking in judgment.
If we want to be part of
the next “first resurrection,” then
we will have to begin separating ourselves from those who cry “all is
well,”
which is in opposition to voices of warning that destruction is coming
to the
Gentiles.
If we want to be part of
the next “first resurrection,” then
we will find ourselves in a sorrowful place, losing more and more loved
ones
who persist in believing that God’s kingdom on earth is theirs to
organize,
build and have dominion over.
If we want to be part of
the next “first resurrection,” then
we will increasingly find ourselves having to obey the commandment to
“be ye
separate” from those who seek to glorify themselves, whose hope resides
in a
salvation of flesh. They will have
their reward for a season.
“And I saw thrones,
and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and I saw the
souls
of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word
of God,
and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had
received
his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands: and they lived and
reigned
with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again
until
the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” (Revelation 20:4-5)
Remember Thomas who was
one of the twelve, who doubted? His
desires were sincere, yet he still could
not believe that Jesus was who he said he was until he had full proof.
“Then saith he [Jesus]
to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach
hither thy
hand, and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing.
And
Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.” (John 20:27-28)
For his name’s sake,
people have been tortured in various
ways, starved, burned at stakes, killed with swords, and eaten by
beasts. John spoke of many who will yet
suffer
beheading for their beliefs. If Christ
showed the nail prints in his hands to make the unbelieving believe,
and to
glorify his Father’s name, what might we imagine the marred servant
will look
like (his
visage marred
more than any man – Isaiah 52:14) whose purpose will be to
gather many nations while kings
shut their mouths at him? Will that
marred servant, whose purpose is to glorify AGAIN Christ’s holy name,
have
scars of the sword and of the flame?
Will his scars reflect the teeth of lions, and what about the
scars of
his neck from whence his head once was severed? Can
we envision such a day?
“And I will set my glory (
“Hear the word of the
Lord, ye that tremble
at his word; Your brethren that hated
you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be
glorified; but
he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.” (Isaiah 66:5)
If we really believe
the Word of God, then we can expect our sufferings to increase as we
press
forward in the faith, seeking to endure to the end, and be overcomers
in the
faith. This is not to suggest that all
of the righteous will die prior to Christ’s coming in glory, for we
know that
is not true. The righteous who are
still remaining upon the earth at that time will be quickened to meet
the Lord
in the air (1 Thessalonians 4; Section 85:27).
Whatever our fate, Paul
said that we should glory in tribulation, knowing that
tribulation works patience, and patience experience, and experience
hope. The more tribulation increases
for Christ’s
name’s sake, the more marred for Christ we become, and the more his
name will
be glorified in us. Remember, the hope
of the wicked shall perish, but the hope of the righteous shall be
gladness
(Proverbs 10:28).
“Yea,
verily I say unto you, In that day when
the Lord shall come he shall reveal all things; things which have
passed, and
hidden things which no man knew; things of the earth by which it was
made, and
the purpose and the end thereof; things most precious; things that are
above,
and things that are beneath; things that are in the earth, and upon the
earth,
and in heaven. And all they who suffer
persecution for my name, and endure in faith, though they are called to
lay
down their lives for my sake, yet shall they partake of all this
glory.
Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not
full,
but in me your joy is full. Therefore, care not for the body,
neither the
life of the body; but care for the soul, and for the life of the soul,
and seek
the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your
souls, and ye
shall have eternal life.” (Section 98:5)
************
“Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ?
shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or
peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the
day long;
we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things
we are
more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Romans
8:35-37)