The Testimony Last of All

The resurrection was not only a triumphant victory

The month of April outlines the most influential moments, teachings and events pertaining to the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. The greatest event that truly reflects the grace and majesty of Christ is the Lord's resurrection. To gain a deeper appreciation of such a beautiful event we need to understand the “why”; “why was such a sacrifice needed, let alone the sacrifice being made by the Only Begotten of The Father.

This begins with the fundamental understanding that we are children of Heavenly Parents who want to give all the blessings available to their children to inherit. One of these blessings is a perfected and glorified body of flesh and blood. In the beginning before the world was; when we lived in the presents of our Father in heaven, we had no body. We were spirits. To receive such a marvelous blessing of a physical body, and to become like Him; our Heavenly Father sent us to earth to obtain a body of our own to care for and to live in. Our ultimate goal while on the earth is to make and keep covenants with our Father in Heaven and “prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Abraham 3:25)

When Adam and Eve partook of the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, humankind died; both physical and spiritual according to the warning God gave in the garden of Eden. “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”. This not only cast mankind out of the present of our Heavenly Father, but cured the earth and mankind fell spiritually and physically. We could not return to the Fathers presents in our sinful state, and we are now subject to death, "for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." (Genesis 3:19). In order for the demands of justice to be fulfilled and to allow there to be mercy we needed a Savior. Jesus Christ, the premoral Jehovah, and Son of God voluntarily subjected himself to a life on earth. In his condescension, he gave up a thrown to lay in a manger.

Jesus Christ would go on to not only establish his kingdom on the earth, but to suffer; suffer a pain that no King deserved. Prophets testified that "he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people." (Mosiah 3:7) "and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him." (Mosiah 3:9). This event indeed reaffirmed the words of Christ when He said “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13).

He was ridiculed, bruised, and broken for our stakes even unto death, but through this he manifested the power and love of God. After three days laying in a tomb Christ broke the bands of death; coming forth from the grave in power and great glory. His marvelous resurrection; his infinite grace and love saved all mankind in allowing us to one day be raised up from death and receive a perfected body of flesh and blood and to return back into the presents of our Heavenly Father.

In honor of the Easter season the words of modern day prophets and apostles ring true as they testify “And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!” (Doctrine and Covenants 76:22) I stand in my place as a Covenant disciple of Jesus Christ, as a witness of his name when I say just as the Prophet Joseph Smith; He lives! He is the eternal Messiah, and the Son of the Living God. He invites all Mankind to come unto him in faith, repent, be baptized in his name and partake of his goodness in the mansions of his Fathers house.

I know all these things to be true, with all my heart and soul. In this sacred name, the name of Jesus Christ, my Master and friend; Amen.