Progressive Beatitudes

Do you know the beatitudes by heart? It's something I've always thought that I should do but haven't yet.

1) blessed are the poor in Spirit
2) blessed are they that mourn
3) blessed are the meek
4) blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness
5) blessed are the merciful
6) blessed are the pure in heart
7) blessed are the merciful
8) blessed are the peacemakers
9) blessed are the persecuted

The Bible Dictionary tells us that the beatitudes are progressive and interrelated.
thegospelcoalition.org, an Evangelical Christian website, proposes the idea that there are roots, shoots and fruit. The first three beatitudes being the roots, #4 is a shoot and the last four are the fruit. A perfected saint would go through all the steps and would inherit eternal life.
We start at the beginning, with being poor in spirit, and work our way towards persecution.
This has always bothered me. Especially since being a peacemaker comes right before being persecuted. Should I seek persecution? It doesn't seem like something a peacemaker should do, but the Lord says if you are persecuted "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven." (Matthew 5:12)
Then there's this quote from Brigham Young:
"Let any people enjoy peace and quietness, unmolested, undisturbed, never be persecuted for their religion and they are very likely to neglect their duty, to become cold and indifferent and lose their faith."
It's enough to make you want to go out and pick a fight right? But we know that can't be right, that's not what Jesus would do.
I liked this talk from President Hunter. It's a little older, from 1980. It's called God Will Have a Tried People.
In it he talks about the idea of opposition. Persecution is one of its forms, but it can also appear as physical pain, emotional sorrow, wayward children, financial reversals or family disappointments. The idea is that the Lord will try us. I like to change 'blessed are the persecuted' in my head to 'blessed are those who endure through their trials to the end.'  

The Light and the Life of the World

I had a realization today when I read this verse:

Mosiah 16:9 "He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless that can never be darkened; yea and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death." 

The verses before this one talk about the fall and the Savior's victory over sin and death.

It made me realize that Jesus' title 'The Light and Life of the World' isn't just some pretty words, it's a literal reference to what he has overcome. He is the light of the world because He freed us from spiritual death and He is the life of the world because He saved us from temporal death. 

I just thought that was neat, I never noticed it before. 

Resurrection Timeline

What gives more hope than the promise of the Resurrection?
A glorified, perfect body seems like an apt reward for dealing with all the pain and hassle that they bring us in this life. Another example of how everything unfair about this life will be made right. 

We know that every human that has ever lived will enjoy this blessing. It is a consequence of keeping our first estate, of following Jesus Christ in our premortal lives. As my laurels like to say "even Hitler" will be resurrected. What a merciful God we worship! 

Jesus was the first person ever to be resurrected. Because he was divine, He had power over death and was able to break the bonds of death after He had already passed away. We don't understand how He did that. We can't explain it with science. (Although there's a fascinating book called Divine Engineering by David Brems that attempts to do that). In any case, we know that because of his unique calling and genetics, Jesus Christ was able to be resurrected and because he was, so will we. 

Matthew 27:52 tells us that immediately after the Savior's resurrection many other faithful saints were resurrected as well. 

An important note: translated beings have not been resurrected. Their mortal bodies have been changed somehow and the scriptures say they will not taste pain or death until they are resurrected when Jesus returns to Earth. Many translated beings have been taken up into heaven (city of Enoch, Elijah) but four still remain on the Earth (John the Beloved and the three Nephites). 

When Jesus returns there will be several phases of resurrections. D&C 76 implies that resurrections will take place in general correspondence to the kingdom the person will be resurrected to.  The general idea is that people who are more righteous will be resurrected before those who are wicked. I vaguely remember hearing somewhere that the first resurrection will take place at the beginning of the resurrection and the last will take place at the end, but I can't find anything scriptural to support that.

In Mosiah 15 Abinadi tells us that those who died in ignorance and little children will also be a part of the first resurrection. 

The best scripture on the subject is Alma 40:8, which is when Alma is teaching his wayward son Corianton, who has gotten himself confused about this stuff. Alma tells him it doesn't really matter, people die at all different times, they get resurrected at all different times. Time is a mortal concept anyways and there's no need to stress about it. 

Love that Alma. 

Jesus Christ is Submissive

When I was teaching the laurels today we talked about how Jesus became our Savior, reading in Abraham 3 and Moses 4.

We read in Abraham 4:24 "And there was one like unto God..." then it goes on to talk about how Jesus created the Earth. 

So I asked them "Did Jesus have a resurrected body when he created the Earth?" 

A couple called out 'yes,' the majority of them furrowed confused brows. I heard one hesitant 'no?'

The answer of course is no, how could he be born and obtain a body if he already had one? Jesus was a spirit like us before he was born to Mary. 

So new question, "In what way was Jesus like unto God?" 

The girls went back around to the same thing we always talk about whenever Trinity/polytheism v. monotheism comes us. Jesus Christ is like unto God because they are one in purpose. The Savior always, always, submits his will to the Father. 

So we turned to Moses 4:1-4, but not before we noted in Abraham that the creation and the plan were already underway when Satan presents his plan. It also mentions in this portion of Moses that Jesus was chosen from the beginning, implying before this event.

Satan is smooth. He doesn't mention anything about taking away agency. All he says is that he will redeem all mankind that no one should be lost and that he would like the honor and glory, please and thank you.  Later on it mentions the part about taking away agency, but you get the impression that it wasn't something that Satan was broadcasting to everyone.

We contrast that with what Jesus says: Thy will be done and the glory be Thine forever. 

Submission. It is the hallmark of the Savior's character.

Elder Christofferson said, "Remember that Jesus' power came through His single-minded devotion to the will of the father." 

His power.

Fast forward to the end of His life, in Gethsemane. In Mark 14:34 He says "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful unto death." In Luke 22:43 we read that an angel came to strengthen Him. In Matthew 26:39 He prays to God saying "O my Father, if is be possible, let this cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt.."  He continues his prayer in Matthew 26:42 "O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done." 

I love this from Elder Maxwell: "The wondrous and glorious atonement was the central act in all of human history. It was the hinge on which all else that finally matters turned. But it turned upon Jesus' spiritual submissiveness."

We owe everything to the Savior's devotion to the will of Heavenly Father. 

Now, think about that in this scripture's context. Abraham 3:25 "And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all the things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them." 

Jesus is truly our perfect example again. Just as the fate of all of us hinged on the Savior's submissiveness, so does the fate of each of us hinge on our own submissiveness.