Tuesday, September 8, 2009

The Power of the Resurrection

The resurrection from the dead is one of the most powerful events in our eternal progression to live with God. Doctrine and Covenants section 88 has some revelatory material that helps us to better understand the order of the resurrection. If you are in my D&C night class it would be helpful to print the two images on the order of the resurrection and bring them to class.

Also, in preparation for the Thursday (September 10) night class it would be helpful if you read the following talk by President Marion G. Romney, "The Light of Christ."
This talk was given at General Conference in April 1977. It will help explain the terms "Calling and Election" and "The More Sure Word of Prophecy."

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1 comment:

Unknown said...

Dr. Norman

I attended your lecture last night (9/17/09) in which you stated that the greatest thing that will happen to us is the resurrection. That brought to my mind this profound experience of Lorenzo Snow. Hopefully we can all live worthy of receiving a celestial body. Thanks for the great job you do.

Clint Allred

"Was taken sick with the fever (25th of May.) I never had such a severe fit of sickness before since my recollection. My friends and family had given up most all hopes of my recovery. Father Huntington, the President of the Place, called on his Congregation to pray for me. He also with Gen. Rich and some others clothed themselves in the garments of the Priesthood and prayed for my recovery. I believe it was through the continued applications of my family and friends to the throne of Heaven that my life was spared. In my sickness I went through in my mind the most singular scenes that any man ever did. My family generally believed that I was not in my right mind. But the scenes through which my spirit traveled are yet fresh in my memory as though they occurred but yesterday. And when my people supposed me in the greatest pain and danger I am conscious of having a great many spiritual exercises sometimes partaking of the most acute suffering that heart can conceive and others the most rapturous enjoyment that heart ever felt or imagination ever conceived. I suppose at first I must have been left in the hands of an evil spirit, in fact I was administered to upon this supposition. I was led into the full and perfect conviction that I was entirely a hopeless case in reference to salvation, that eternities, upon eternities must pass and still I saw my case would remain the same. I saw the whole world rejoicing in all the powers and glories of salvation without the slightest beam of hope on my part, but doomed to a separation from my friends and family all I loved most dear to eternity upon eternity. I shudder even now at the remembrance of the torments and agony of my feelings. No tongue can describe them or imagination conceive. Those who were attending me at that time describe me as being in a condition of body. I remained several hours refusing to speak. My body was cool, and my eyes and countenance denoted extreme suffering. After this scene ended I entered another of an opposite character. My spirit seems to have left the world and introduced into that of Kolob. I heard a voice calling me by name saying "he is worthy, he is worthy, take away his filthy garments." My cloths were then taken off piece by piece and a voice said "let him be clothed, let him be clothed." Immediately I found a celestial body gradually growing upon me until at length I found myself crowned with all its glory and power. The ecstasy of joy I now experienced no man can tell, pen cannot describe it. I conversed familiarly with Joseph, Father Smith and others, and mingled in the society of the Holy One. I saw my family all saved and observed the dispensations of God with mankind until at last a perfect redemption was effected, though great was the sufferings of the wicked, especially those that had persecuted the saints. My spirit must have remained I should judge for days enjoying the scenes of eternal happiness."

Lorenzo Snow
The Iowa Journal of Lorenzo Snow Edited and with an Introduction by Maureen Ursenbach Beecher Fn, BYU Studies, vol. 24 (1984), Number 2 - Spring 1984.