Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 23:40-43

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 23:40-43
"But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."

There were two malefactors or thieves that were crucified along with Jesus. One mocked Jesus and the other appears to recognize who He was. Jesus tells him that today he would be in paradise with him. I pondered on what was soon to happen when Christ arrived in the spirit world. He would have the gospel preached to all those that didn't have the opportunity to hear it in their lifetime. This thief would be among them and quickly leave spirit prison and join Him in paradise.

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."
(1 Peter 3:18-20)

"For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit."
(1 Peter 4:6)

Day 4120

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 16:25-26

Today's Favorite Verse: Luke 16:25-26
"But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence."

It is the great gulf between evil and good in the next life that got my attention. That gulf was fixed and neither could pass to the other side. Yet, they are speaking of paradise and spirit prison, and final judgment has not happened yet. This is what I learned.

"Between this abode of the faithful and “hell” there was “a great gulf fixed” (Luke 16:26), which prevented interchange between the two.“Abraham’s bosom” refers to paradise, and “hell” refers to the spirit prison. The division between these two places existed before Jesus Christ visited the spirit world between the time of His death and His Resurrection. Before Christ’s death, spirits from paradise could not visit those who were in spirit prison. His ministry in the spirit world bridged the gulf between paradise and the spirit prison, making it possible for the spirits in prison to receive the message of the gospel from authorized ministers sent from paradise.
The Savior’s visit to the spirits in prison opened the way for the salvation of the dead, as Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained: “Since our Lord has proclaimed ‘liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound’ (Isa. 61:1), the gospel is preached in all parts of the spirit world, repentance is granted to those who seek it, vicarious ordinances are administered in earthly temples, and there is a hope of salvation for the spirits of those men who would have received the gospel with all their hearts in this life had the opportunity come to them” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1965–73], 1:522).
President Joseph F. Smith (1838–1918) clarified that before spirits can be released from spirit prison, they must hear the gospel and accept it and the saving ordinances must be performed for them: “In relation to the deliverance of spirits from their prison house, of course, we believe that can only be done after the gospel has been preached to them in the spirit, and they have accepted the same, and the work necessary to their redemption by the living be done for them” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 413–14). "
(New Testament Student Manual, "Chapter 18:Luke 15-17")

Day 4113

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 19:2

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 19:2
"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."

This verse made me think of the 138th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, a vision given to President Joseph F. Smith as he pondered on 1 Peter 3:18-20 and 1 Peter 4:6. This vision speaks of Christ's visit to the spirit world and the redemption of the dead. This is my personal scripture, for after my near-death experience I was told to read it and attend the temple to understand what I had seen. 

"And I wondered at the words of Peter—wherein he said that the Son of God preached unto the spirits in prison, who sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah—and how it was possible for him to preach to those spirits and perform the necessary labor among them in so short a time.
And as I wondered, my eyes were opened, and my understanding quickened, and I perceived that the Lord went not in person among the wicked and the disobedient who had rejected the truth, to teach them;
But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead."
(Doctrine and Covenants 138:28-30)

I sat and watched the video "I Saw The Hosts of the Dead" this lovely spring like morning.

Day 1804

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Nephi 21:9

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Nephi 21:9
"That thou mayest say to the prisoners: Go forth; to them that sit in darkness: Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places."

I reflected on the atonement made by Jesus Christ for my sins. How he was crucified and resurrected to break those bands of death. Both a spiritual and temporal prison. For none would be resurrected if not for what the Savior did. I also reflected on being a savior on mount Zion. How I am able to help open the spiritual prison they are in with performing temple ordinances in their behalf.

Day 1784

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 42:7

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 42:7
"To open the blind eyes, to bring out of the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house."

This chapter is speaking of the Savior and in particular this verse is referencing Christ's visit to the spirit world between his death and resurrection.

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."
(1 Peter 3:18-20)

"For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit."
(1 Peter 4:6)

This is explained further in the 138th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, in the Vision of the Redemption of the Dead, given to Joseph F. Smith. That vision was given October 3, 1918, which had its 100th anniversary this month.

"And as I wondered, my eyes were opened, and my understanding quickened, and I perceived that the Lord went not in person among the wicked and the disobedient who had rejected the truth, to teach them;
But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead."
(Doctrine and Covenants 138:29-30)

I went back and read President M. Russell Ballard's wonderful general conference talk "The Vision of the Redemption of the Dead" given last week in remembrance of its anniversary. It really touched my heart that he prepared his talk before knowing his dear wife, Barbara would pass. Her funeral was the day after his talk. What an amazing gift it is to be involved in ministering on both sides of the veil.

Day 1296