The Messiah in the Restoration

 The Messiah

Prophesies of His coming

Fulfilment of these prophesies

The Messiah in the Restoration

The earliest comments about the coming of the Messiah relate to the time prior to the creation of the earth. Elohim, the Father of our spirits, presented His plan of salvation to us, which included the necessity of receiving a body, in order to become like Him, and ultimately return to our heavenly home to become divinely creative with Him in His presence. This furthermore included the inevitability of mistakes which would distance us from the ultimate goal of Eternal Life.

Payment by all who were subject to death by reason of sin, was clearly insufficient, so someone needed to be chosen to accept the task of living without sin in the face of extreme suffering to expiate for the universal load of sin, taking upon himself the infinite sin of the world, and voluntarily giving His life, and conquering death by freely taking up His life again and becoming the first to be resurrected.

Two offered themselves for the task. 

The firstborn spirit of our Father suggested “send me”, fully acknowledging the great gift of agency and free choice in order to make it possible for all of our Father’s children to return home. He was willing to make that infinite sacrifice, give His life and take it up again, while taking upon himself the sins of the world and suffering for all our transgressions, griefs, and carry our sorrows. The condition for making this sacrifice effective in our lives was accepting this offer through obedience and repentance by offering the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

The other offered universality of Eternal Life by removing the possibility of sin, eliminating choice and agency, with their concurrent opportunities for growth. For the universality of salvation, he demanded the glory and power of the Father. 

The Father spoke: “I will send the first”. Satan rebelled, and, because of that rebellion, and the ensuing war, was cast out with one third of the heavenly host who followed him.

Moses 4:1 -  4; Revelation 12:7 – 13; D&C 29:36

The first reference to the Savior in the scriptures, in the context of mortal life, is found in relating incidents in the garden of Eden following the fall. God tells Satan: “I will put enmity between thee and the woman,    between thy seed and her seed (Christ), and he shall bruise thy head. and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Moses 4:21

After Adam and Eve are driven out of the Garden, they obediently build an altar and offer prayers and sacrifices. An angel teaches them the significance of the sacrifice as a “similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.”

Moses 5:5 - 8

Thoughts relating to events on the Cross of Calvary.

Many of our hymns suggest that Christ was killed on the Cross of Calvary, but that obscures one of the most significant elements of the Crucifixion.

As the son of the mortal mother, Mary, it was possible for him to die, but as the son of his Heavenly Father, he was not subject to death in the same way you and I will some day leave this mortal existence. 

Furthermore, all of us have earned the wages of sin as taught by Paul in his epistle to the Romans: “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23)

Not so Christ. As the only one without sin, he was not subject to death. He taught this very clearly. “Therefore. doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life that I may take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (John 10:17 – 18). Christ was not killed on Calvary, not until he chose to give up the ghost, did he die.

Not until he knew he had fulfilled his mission, was he ready to pass from this life. The King James version has him say: “It is finished” and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. (John 19:30) and “Father into thy hands I command my spirit” and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. (Luke 23:46) 

I, personally prefer the Luther translation, “Es ist Vollbracht”.  (it is fully done – or “it is accomplished”), also included in the current German Unity Translation, published by order of several Catholic Bishop’s councils in European countries in cooperation with the “Evangelische Kirche” (Lutheran Church) in Germany.

It is important to recognize that agency is an essential element in our Heavenly Father’s plan for his children. Spiritual growth is simply not possible without truly free and independent choice. Thus, Satan’s plan of universal salvation without choice was not acceptable. On the other hand, Christ’s offer of the infinite atonement provides the ultimate answer in the form of opening the door to Eternal life with our Heavenly Parents.  Included in this voluntary offer is his unimaginable suffering and the sacrifice of his life to atone for mankind’s sins as well as for other human suffering. 

To fulfil his mission, he freely chose to let his spirit leave his body, and subsequently chose to subdue the power of death, and come forth in the resurrection. This gives us the gift of immortality through the universality of the resurrection. (For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:22). This also gives us the opportunity for Eternal Life provided we accept his infinite sacrifice, by offering the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. In addition, we also need to endure on the covenant path. All of this requires the gift of agency, the opportunity for free choice.

  

Thoughts on The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:4, Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.

I have heard many funeral sermons dealing with the atonement of Christ and the comfort given by contemplating the reality of the resurrection and the hope of a reunion with loved ones.   I have personally lost two grandmothers, a father and a mother, a father-in-law, a mother-in-law, a brother, several cousins, a very dear friend in Viet Nam, and two wonderful companions at my side. In each instance there was real sorrow and mourning,

Yet, on one occasion, as I was studying the New Testament and was pondering Matt 5:4, it occurred to me, that the anguish and sorrow I felt for my loved ones, did not compare in depth to the pain and sorrow I had felt on numerous occasions, when I realized I had offended my Heavenly Father. That scripture has become one of my favorite scriptures as the Lord gave me insight into the power of the Atonement of Christ through repentance. The joy experienced through receiving forgiveness as we approach our Heavenly Father with broken hearts and contrite spirits is one of the greatest blessings of the Gospel.

As a footnote to the above, two scriptures come to mind:  D&C 59:23 But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come; and John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

My 89 years of living teach me that life is wonderful.