Jesus in the Meridian of Time– Reading Assignment No. 18

Part Two: The Atonement and Opening the Prison Gates

Introduction

We began this course by looking at the importance ofunderstanding “the big picture”–to see both the forest andthe our tree. We learned that Heavenly Father’s has aneternal plan by which His children may become gods andgoddesses living with Him in full equality. Progressingthrough a series of stages or estates of existence, eachnecessary for our divine progress and development.

Our first estate was the premortal spirit estate where welearned control over our spirit bodies as well as spiritualrealities.

In the second estate, the estate we now live in, ourspirit’s taken upon them a physical body through whichwe learn physical realities. A necessary aspect of thesecond estate is gaining knowledge and appreciation byexperiencing opposites (2 Ne. 2:11-12), or what thescriptures call “good and evil” in scripture (e.g., 2 Ne.2:18; Hel. 14:31; Moses 5:1; D&C 29:39). To achievethis the Fall of Adam brought the earth, after it wascreated, into a mortal and fallen state. With the Fall camespiritual death. This “was the cause of all mankindbecoming carnal, sensual, devilish, knowing evil fromgood.” In this state “all mankind” became “lost andfallen” (1Ne. 10:6; Mosiah 16:3-4; Al. 34:9). “And sinceman had fallen he could not merit anything of himself”(Al. 22:14) having no ability to save themselves from thisfallen condition.

The Fall not only brought upon all mankind a spiritual

death, it also brought a temporal death as well.Temporal death is the separation of the spirit from thebody (James 2:26). The physical body breaks downeventually returning back to mother earth while the spiritpasses into the spirit world. With no ability to saveitself, the spirit would reside in a hell; a prison where itwould eternally suffer the consequences of their fallencondition–an eternal hell.

Knowing this would be the consequences of the Fall,“the great plan of the Eternal God” provided a means ofescape from these eternal consequences, a “plan ofredemption” (Jac. 6:8; Al. 12:25-33; 17:16; 18:39;22:13; 29:2; 34:16, 31; 39:18; 42:11, 13). The “plan ofredemption” would be brought about by HeavenlyFather’s Firstborn Son, Jesus Christ, who would offerhimself as a proxy for each spirit who comes tomortality where in He would suffer in our place theeternal hell that violation of eternal law was demand.This is a “central tenet of our faith that Christ’s sacrificeatones for our sins by vicariously satisfying the demandsof justice for us” (D. Todd Christioffeson, Ensign. Nov. 2003, 53) .

Key Concepts and Teachings

The Atonement

The most important act in time and eternity was theatonement of Jesus Christ. It was through the atonement that all mankind may be saved from the eternal

consequences of broken law. The climax of each of thefour gospels in the NewTestament is a narration ofthe historical eventsconnected with the atoningsacrifice that began in thesecluded Gethsemane (Matt.26:36-45; Luke 22:39-45)and ended with crucifixionon a cross impelled onGolgotha (Matt. 27:33-50;John 19:16-30). Happily thestory does not end there.With the Savior’s deathcame a release of the infiniteanguish and torment Heendured in our behalf. He was buried by those who lovedHim (Matt. 27:55-61; Mark 15:40-47; Luke 23:49-56;John 19:37-40) and after three days His belovedFather–who loved Him dearly– raised him from the dead(Acts 2:24; 3:15; 10:40; 13:30; 17:31; 1 Cor. 15:15; Gal.1:1; 1 Pet. 1:21), becoming both the firstfruits andfirstborn of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20; Col. 1:20).

It was not the intent of the gospels, however, to presenta complete theological treatise on the atonement of JesusChrist. Consequently, the gospels do not provide a clearexplanation as to the need for the atonement.

The following readings focus both on the historicalevent of the atonement the needof the atonement.

What is the Atonement?

The atonement of JesusChrist is an historical reality ofthe event where Jesus Christ“offere[d] himself a sacrificefor sin, to answer the ends ofthe law” (2 Ne. 2:7).

• “But God commendeth his lovetoward us, in that, while we wereyet sinners, Christ died for us.”(Rom. 5:8)

“And that he might reconcileboth unto God in one body bythe cross, having slain theenmity thereby:” (Eph. 2:16)

• “So Christ was once offered tobear the sins of many; and untothem that look for him shall heappear the second time [i.e., atthe second coming] without sinunto salvation.” (Heb. 9:28)

• “For Christ also hath oncesuffered for sins, the just for theunjust, that he might bring us toGod, being put to death in theflesh, but quickened by theSpirit:” (1Pe 3:18)

• “And I, Nephi, saw that hewas lifted up upon the crossand slain for the sins of theworld.” (1 Ne. 11:33)

• “Arise and come forth untome, that ye may thrust yourhands into my side, and alsothat ye may feel the printsof the nails in my hands andin my feet, that ye mayknow that I am the God ofIsrael, and the God of thewhole earth, and have beenslain for the sins of theworld.” (3 Ne. 11:14)

The above referencesrefer to the act of the

atonement: the historical event where Jesus Christ tookupon himself the eternal consequences of sins ofmankind.

President Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of theTwelve Apostles stated in a recent general conference ofthe Church:

As Latter-day Saints, we refer to His mission as theAtonement of Jesus Christ, which made resurrection a realityfor all and made eternal life possible for those who repent oftheir sins and receive and keep essential ordinances andcovenants.

It is doctrinally incomplete to speak of the Lord’s atoningsacrifice by shortcut phrases,such as “the Atonement” or “theenabling power of theAtonement” or “applying theAt o n e me n t ” o r “b e i n gstrengthened by the Atonement.”These expressions present a realrisk of misdirecting faith bytreating the event as if it hadliving existence and capabilitiesindependent of our HeavenlyFather and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Under the Father’s greateternal plan, it is the Saviorwho suffered. It is the Saviorwho broke the bands of death.It is the Savior who paid theprice for our sins andtransgressions and blots themout on condition of ourrepentance. It is the Saviorwho delivers us from physicaland spiritual death.

There is no amorphousentity called “the Atonement”upon which we may call forsuccor, healing, forgiveness,or power. Jesus Christ is thesource. Sacred terms such asAtonement and Resurrectiondescribe what the Savior did,according to the Father’s plan,so that we may live with hopein this life and gain eternal lifein the world to come. TheS a v i o r ’ s a t o n i n g

sacrifice—the central act of all human history—is bestunderstood and appreciated when we expressly and clearlyconnect it to Him. (“Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives,”Ensign, May 2017, 40)

In the “Face to Face with President Eyring and ElderHolland” broadcast held on March 7, 2017, PresidentHenry B. Eyring, of the First Presidency, and ElderJeffrey R. Holland, of the Quorum of the TwelveApostles, meet with a group of youth, where theyresponded to a number of questions. Two questions wereasked about the atonement of Jesus Christ:

• “What exactly is the Atonement of Jesus Christ and howcan I receive it’s blessings.”

• “How do I access the Atonement? Is all I have to do isask God for the Atonement to take place in my life?”

President Eyring answered first:

The first thing you need to do is get a few facts straight.The Atonement was something Jesus Christ did. It’s not athing itself. He atoned for our sins and he paid the price toallow us to be forgiven and resurrected. So its what he didthat qualified him to give us forgiveness, to change ourhearts. And it’s the Holy Ghost doing that, it’s not theAtonement as if it’s a thing itself. . . The Atonement issomething the Savior did.”

Further he said, “when you feel forgiveness, that’s notthe Atonement. That’s the Savior giving you a feeling offorgiveness because of the Atonement.”

Elder Holland added:

That’s a very important distinction to make. Its verycommon for us to hear the Atonement talked about as anabstraction as if it were free standing out in the middle ofthe field. It’s always an extension of the Savior. It’s Hisact.

President Eyringfollowed up ElderHolland’s statementsaying:

And the HolyGhost is the cleans-ing agent, you see,that comes and itcan come becauseof the atonement.It’s the Lord JesusChrist who isallowing the HolyGhost to come.And then when itcomes to us, andwe feel that, wefeel cleansed. Itsone of the thingst h a t h a p p e n sbecause of theatonement.”

Elder Hollandemphasized the factthat the atonement

has already happened for us:

The atonement is already been provided. Christ hasalready done it for every one of us. It is finished. Thevictory is on the scoreboard. We already know who wins.You don’t have to worry about, “can I get the atonementto work for me?” At least as far as the Savior isconcerned, that part is done. You do have faith, andrepentance, and baptism, and honest living . . . There aresome things we need to do to take advantage of that, tomake it fully efficacious in our life. But I wouldn’t haveone of you anywhere in this room, or out in that world outthere, thinking, “I guess the Savior provided an atonementfor everybody but me.” No! He took care of everybody.He took care of every one of us. (seehttps://www.lds.org/broadcasts/face-to-face/eyring-holland?lang=eng)

The Account of the Atonement in the FourGospels

Gethsemane: The atonement began in an the privacyof an olive press called Gethsemane. on the Mount ofOlives (see Matt. 26:36; Luke 22:39). Olive presseswere generally located in a building or cave.

Read Matthew 26:36-46 and Luke 22:39-46.

That the atonement began in Gethsemane is purely anLDS understanding. Most Christians that the agony theSavior in experienced in Gethsemane came from the fearof what would happen the next day: the crucifixion.

The LDS get their understanding from two statementsmade in the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine andCovenants. First we need to recall a statement made byLuke. He said that in Gethsemane. the Savior, “being inagony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as itwere great drops of blood falling down to the ground”(Luke 22:44). King Benjamin states that this was the

result of the anguishChrist felt because ofthe wickedness of hispeople:

Read Mosiah 3:5-7

In a revelation giventhrough the ProphetJoseph Smith, MartinHarris was told torepent or he wouldsuffer as the Saviorhad suffered in Hisatoning sacrifice,which caused suchpain that “bled atevery pore”:

Read D&C 19:15-19

Golgotha . Whatbegan in Gethsemanewas concluded on the cross. While hangingon the cross, itappears that the

Savior suffered the full brunt of the eternal consequencesof sin–spiritual death.

Read Matthew 27:29-54 (The other Gospels have accountsas well.)

Of the Savior’s suffering on the cross, Elder James E.Talmage (1862-1933) of the Quorum of the TwelveApostles wrote:

At the ninth hour, or about three in the afternoon, a loudvoice, surpassing the most anguished cry of physical sufferingissued from the central cross, rending the dreadful darkness.It was the voice of the Christ: "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thouforsaken me?" What mind of man can fathom the significanceof that awful cry? It seems, that in addition to the fearfulsuffering incident to crucifixion, the agony of Gethsemanehad recurred, intensified beyond human power to endure. Inthat bitterest hour the dying Christ was alone, alone in mostterrible reality. That the supreme sacrifice of the Son mightbe consummated in all its fulness, the Father seems to havewithdrawn the support of His immediate Presence, leaving tothe Savior of men the glory of complete victory over theforces of sin and death. The cry from the cross, though heardby all who were near, was understood by few. The firstexclamation, Eloi, meaning My God, was misunderstood asa call for Elias. (Jesus the Christ [1915, 1973, 1981 printing], 661)

Bruce R McConkie,of the Quorum of the TwelveApostles added his witness of the suffering of Christ onthe cross:

Finally, on a hill called Calvary . . . the Roman soldiers laidhim upon the cross.

With great mallets they drove spikes of iron through hisfeet and hands and wrists. Truly he was wounded for ourtransgressions and bruised for our iniquities.

Then the cross was raised that all might see and gape andcurse and deride. This they did, with evil venom, for threehours from 9:00 A.M. to noon.

Then the heavens grew black. Darkness covered the landfor the space of three hours, as it did among the Nephites.There was a mighty storm, as though the very God of Naturewas in agony.

And truly he was, for while he was hanging on the cross foranother three hours, from noon to 3:00 P.M., all the infiniteagonies and merciless pains of Gethsemane recurred.

And, finally, when the atoning agonies had taken theirtoll—when the victory had been won, when the Son of Godhad fulfilled the will of his Father in all things—then he said,“It is finished” (John 19:30), and he voluntarily gave up theghost.

As the peace and comfort of a merciful death freed himfrom the pains and sorrows of mortality, he entered theparadise of God.

When he had made his soul an offering for sin, he wasprepared to see his seed, according to the messianic word.(“The Purifying Power of Gethsemane, Ensign, May 1985, 10)

The Burial and Resurrection . All four Gospels give anaccount of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each adddetails the other does include.

Choose one of the following accounts and read it.

• Matthew 27:50 - 28:20

• Mark 15:42 -16:20

• Luke 23:50 - 24:53

• John 19:28 - 21:25

Why the Atonement?

The Book of Mormon is our best place to understandwhy the Atonement of Jesus Christ was needed. Lehisuccinctly states:

5 And men are instructed sufficiently that theyknow good from evil. And the law is given untomen. And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by thelaw men are cut off. Yea, by the temporal law theywere cut off; and also, by the spiritual law theyperish from that which is good, and becomemiserable forever.

6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and throughthe Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.

7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, toanswer the ends of the law, unto all those who havea broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto noneelse can the ends of the law be answered. (2 Ne. 2:5-7)

Let’s quickly dissect what Lehi said by handling theseverses sentence by sentence. Let’s begin with verse 5:

“And men are instructed sufficiently that theyknow good from evil.” Through “the Spirit of Christ”it “is given to every man, that he may know good fromevil” (Moroni 7:16).

“And the law is given unto men.” This has referenceto all law that exists in this world, physical or spiritual,including moral law. Boyd K. Packer (1924-2015) of theQuorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “There are bothmoral and physical laws ‘irrevocably decreed in heavenbefore the foundations of this world’ (D&C 130:20)which man cannot overrule.” (“Our Moral Environment,” Ensign,

Nov. 1992, 67). The Lord tells us in D&C 88 that He hasordained law in all his worlds He has created. “Untoevery law there are certain bounds also [i.e., blessings]and conditions [the stipulations].” He has told us “allwho will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the lawwhich was appointed for that blessing and the conditionsthereof, as were instituted from before the foundation ofthe world” (D&C 130:5) Alma adds that the law ofjustice demands both blessings and punishments. If theconditions of law is kept, justice demands the blessingordained to that blessing. If the conditions are violated,justice demands the punishment ordained to that law(Alma 41:3-4).

“And by the law not flesh is justified; or, by the lawmen are cut off.” All who arrive at the age ofaccountability will at some time misuse their agency andviolate the laws of God. “Whosoever committeth sintransfresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression ofthe law” (1 Joun 3:4). The Apostle Paul declared: “Forall have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”(Romans. 3:23; see also D&C 82:6).

“Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; andalso, by the spiritual law they perish from that whichis good, and become miserable forever.” This beganwith the Fall of Adam and continues to all of us in this

mortal world. Abinadi said: “For they are carnal anddevilish, and the devil has power over them; yea, eventhat old serpent that did beguile our first parents, whichwas the cause of their fall; which was the cause of allmankind becoming carnal, sensual, devilish, knowing evilfrom good, subjecting themselves to the devil. Thus allmankind were lost; and behold, they would have beenendlessly lost were it not that God redeemed his peoplefrom their lost and fallen state” (Mosiah 16:3).

In verse six, Lehi states that man is not without hope:“Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through theHoly Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.” JesusChrist, who is sinless, will redeem mankind from theirfallen condition. But this act of mercy cannot overridejustice. Recall, justice demands that if the conditions ofa law are violated, a penalty or punishment will result.So, how can Christ redeems us from this? Lehi answersthis in verse seven:

Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, toanswer the ends of the law, unto all those who have abroken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none elsecan the ends of the law be answered. In Gethsemaneand in particularly on the cross, Jesus Christ trades placeswith the sinner and pays the price of sin. As He told theNephites at Bountiful: “I am the God of Israel, and theGod of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sinsof the world” (3 Ne. 11:14). The Prison Doors Opening

While Christ’s body lay in the tomb, a very importantevent occurred that would have eternal ramifications forthe family of God. What happens to man when he dies?Where does his spirit go? This was the question thatAlma the Younger asked. Alma lived about 70-80 yearsbefore the coming of Christ to the Old World. He was

taught by an angel that when men die, their spirits go toone of two places in this earth’s spirit world:

Read Alma 40:11-14

The spirit world is divided into a paradise and aprison. It is most likely that the majority of HeavenlyFather’s children who had come to mortality from thedays of Adam until Christ would never have heard thegospel or were, as in the days of Noah, rebellious andtherefore were locked in spirit prison. Not a pleasantthought!

An important part of the Atonement of Jesus Christwas to open the doors for all those in spirit prison. Ifthey accepted the gospel plan it was possible for them toescape the hell and pain of that ordeal. But they areunder the same obligations as those in the mortal worldreceive access to the Savior’s atoning sacrifice: faith,repentance, baptism, and laying on of hands for the Giftof the Holy Ghost. But how could they receive theordinances of baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost?

Two revelations found in the Doctrine and Covenantsgive us the answer. The first was a vision given JosephSmith in January 1836 of the celestial kingdom.

Read D&C 137. What was revealed to JosephSmith in this revelation?

In the 1840, Joseph revealed that mortals couldperform by proxy the ordinances for the dead.

From a vision given to President Joseph F. Smith inOctober 1918, we learn about what happened in thespirit world when the Savior died and went to paradise.

Read D&C 138. How did Christ take the gospel tothe spirits in prison?