Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
This week we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Christ is a fundamental principle of our religion. Our study will focus on the many witness accounts of His resurrection. We will also be encouraged to “feed my sheep.”
Some Examples of Christ's teaching of His future death and resurrection:
“This day thou shalt be with me in the world of spirits” [in History of the Church, 5:424–25].
Howard W. Hunter: “Even with the logic of nature’s regeneration and even with the testimony of that empty garden tomb, there are still those who feel the grave is a final destination. But the doctrine of the Resurrection is the single most fundamental and crucial doctrine in the Christian religion. It cannot be overemphasized, nor can it be disregarded.
“Without the Resurrection, the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes a litany of wise sayings and seemingly unexplainable miracles-but sayings and miracles with no ultimate triumph. No, the ultimate triumph is in the ultimate miracle: for the first time in the history of mankind, one who was dead raised himself into living immortality. He was the Son of God, the Son of our immortal Father in Heaven, and his triumph over physical and spiritual death is the good news every Christian tongue should speak.” (“An Apostle’s Witness of the Resurrection,” Ensign, May 1986, 16)
Witnesses of the Lord's Resurrection: This is a summary of scriptural witnesses of the resurrected Christ. The file should open in a new window.
witnesses_of_the_lords_resurrection.pdf
“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 49).
Elder D. Todd Christofferson: “Consider for a moment the significance of the Resurrection in resolving once and for all the true identity of Jesus of Nazareth and the great philosophical contests and questions of life. If Jesus was in fact literally resurrected, it necessarily follows that He is a divine being. No mere mortal has the power in himself to come to life again after dying. Because He was resurrected, Jesus cannot have been only a carpenter, a teacher, a rabbi, or a prophet. Because He was resurrected, Jesus had to have been a God, even the Only Begotten Son of the Father.
“Therefore, what He taught is true; God cannot lie.
“Therefore, He was the Creator of the earth, as He said.
“Therefore, heaven and hell are real, as He taught.
“Therefore, there is a world of spirits, which He visited after His death.
“Therefore, He will come again, as the angels said, and “reign personally upon the earth” [Articles of Faith 1:10].
“Therefore, there is a resurrection and a final judgment for all.
“Given the reality of the Resurrection of Christ, repentance of any violation of His law and commandments is both possible and urgent. The Savior’s miracles were real, as is His promise to His disciples that they might do the same and even greater works. His priesthood is necessarily a real power that “administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest” [D&C 84:19–20]. Given the reality of the Resurrection of Christ, death is not our end, and though “skin worms destroy [our bodies], yet in [our] flesh shall [we] see God” [Job 19:26]. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2018/04/the-reality-of-the-resurrection)
Some Scriptures on the Resurrection:
Lorenzo Snow: “We know that in the future, after we have passed through this life, we will then have our wives and our children with us. We will have our bodies glorified, made free from every sickness and distress, and rendered most beautiful. There is nothing more beautiful to look upon than a resurrected man or woman.
“There is nothing grander that I can imagine that a man can possess than a resurrected body. There is no Latter-day Saint within the sound of my voice but that certainly has this prospect of coming forth in the morning of the First Resurrection and being glorified, exalted in the presence of God, having the privilege of talking with our Father as we talk with our earthly father.” (5 October 1900, CR, p. 4., Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, p.99)
Joseph Smith: “As concerning the resurrection, I will merely say that all men will come from the grave as they lie down, whether old or young; there will not be "added unto their stature one cubit," neither taken from it; all will be raised by the power of God, having spirit in their bodies, and not blood.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.199)
President Joseph F. Smith when speaking at the funeral of Sister Rachel Grant the mother of President Heber J. Grant had the following to say in relation to deformities in the resurrection:
"Deformity will be removed; defects will be eliminated, and men and women shall again to the perfection of their spirits, to the perfection that God designed in the beginning. It is his purpose that men and women, his children, born to become heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ shall be made perfect, physically as well as spiritually through obedience to the law by which he has provided the means that perfection shall come to all his children.
“When we shall have the privilege to meet our mother, our aunt, our sister, this noble woman whose mortal remains lie here now, but whose immortal spirit has ascended to God from whence she came, when that spirit shall return to take up this tabernacle again, here will be Aunt Rachel in her perfection. . . . Under the law of restoration that God has provided, she will regain her perfection, the perfection of her youth, the perfection of her glory and of her being, until her resurrected body shall assume the exact stature of the spirit that possessed it here in its perfection, and thus we shall see the glorified, redeemed, exalted, perfected Aunt Rachel, mother, sister, saint and daughter of the living God, her identity being unchanged, as a child may grow to manhood or womanhood and still be the same being." (Gospel Doctrine, p. 23-24).
President Joseph Fielding Smith: "What will the state of mankind be at resurrection? This question was raised when discussing the resurrection of the Savior. He appeared to his disciples with the wounds in his hands, feet, and side. When we come forth in the resurrection, will the earthly scars we get and the deformities remain? If we lose a part of the body, like a hand, arm, or leg, will we be made whole?
“Answer: A little sound thinking will reveal to us that it would be inconsistent for our bodies to be raised with all kinds of imperfections. Some men have been burned at the stake for the sake of truth. Some have been beheaded, and others have had their bodies torn asunder; for example, John the Baptist was beheaded and received his resurrection at the time of the resurrection of our Redeemer.
“It is impossible for us to think of his coming forth from the dead holding his head in his hands; our reason says he was physically complete in the resurrection. He appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery with a perfect resurrected body. When we come forth from the dead, our spirits and bodies will be reunited inseparably, never again to be divided, and they will then be assigned to the kingdom to which they belong. All deformities and imperfections will be removed, and the body will conform to the likeness of the spirit, for the Lord revealed that "that which is spiritual" is in "the likeness of that which is temporal; and that which is temporal in the likeness of that which is spiritual; the spirit of man in the likeness of his person, as also the spirit of the beast, and every other creature which God has created." (D. & C. 77:2.)
President Joseph Fielding Smith: “There is no reason for any person to be concerned as to the appearance of individuals in the resurrection. Death is a purifying process as far as the body is concerned. We have reason to believe that the appearance of old age will disappear and the body will be restored with the full vigor of manhood and womanhood.)
“Children will arise as children, for there is no growth in the grave. Children will continue to grow until they reach the full stature of their spirits. Anything contrary to this would be inconsistent. When our bodies are restored, they will appear to be in the full vigor of manhood and womanhood, for the condition of physical weakness will all be left behind in the grave.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, 4:185)
“We must not judge the resurrection of others by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is true that he appeared to his disciples and invited them to examine the prints of the nails in his hands, his side, and in his feet, but this was a special manifestation to them … It is true that he also showed these wounds to the Nephites when he visited with them with the same purpose in view, to convince them of his identity, and give to them a witness of his suffering. It can hardly be accepted as a fact that these wounds have remained in his hands, side, and feet all through the centuries from the time of his crucifixion and will remain until his second coming, but they will appear to the Jews as a witness against their fathers and their stubbornness in following the teachings of their fathers. After their weeping and mourning they shall be cleansed.” (https://ia802805.us.archive.org/21/items/JFSAnswersToGospelQuestionsVol1/AnswersToGospelQuestionsVol1.pdf)
Brigham Young: It is supposed by this people that we have all the ordinances in our possession for life and salvation, and exaltation, and that we are administering in these ordinances. This is not the case. We are in possession of all the ordinances that can be administered in the flesh; but there are other ordinances and administrations that must be administered beyond this world. I know you would ask what they are. I will mention one. We have not, neither can we receive here, the ordinance and the keys of the resurrection. They will be given to those who have passed off this stage of action and have received their bodies again, as many have already done and many more will. They will be ordained, by those who hold the keys of the resurrection, to go forth and resurrect the Saints just as we receive the ordinance of baptism, then the keys of authority to baptize others for the remission of their sins. This is one of the ordinances we cannot receive here, and there are many more. We hold the authority to dispose of, alter and change the elements; but we have not received authority to organize native element, to even make a spear of grass grow.(Discourses of Brigham Young, pp.397-398) See also Spencer W. Kimball, "Our Great Potential," in Conference Report April 1977, pp. 69-72; Ensign May 1977, p. 49)
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: “Furthermore, although the breaking of the bonds of mortal death by the resurrection of the body is a free and universal gift from Christ, a product of his victory over death and the grave, the kind or nature of the body (or "degree of glory" of the body), as well as the time of one's resurrection, is affected very directly by the extent of one's faithfulness in this life.
“The apostle Paul made clear, for example, that those most fully committed to Christ will "rise first" in the resurrection (1 Thes. 4:16). Paul also speaks of different orders of resurrected bodies (1 Cor. 15:40). The bodies of the highest orders or degrees of glory in the resurrection are promised to those who faithfully adhere to the principles and ordinances…
“…of the gospel of Jesus Christ; they will not only enjoy immortality (a universal gift to everyone) but also eternal lives in the Celestial Kingdom of glory (D&C 88:4; 132:24). ("The Atonement of Jesus Christ," Ensign, March 2008, 32–38)
President Henry B. Eyring: "They found a fire of coals with fish cooking and bread. I have often wondered, as you may have done, who laid the fire, who caught the fish, and who cooked the meal, but it was the Master who prepared His disciples to be fed more than fish and bread. He let them eat first. And then He taught them of spiritual feeding. And He gave a commandment to them which still stands for each of us." ("Feed My Lambs," Ensign, Nov. 1997, 82)
John 21:15 and 16
Jesus: love (GR- agapaō) of persons: to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly
Peter: love (GR phileō) to love; to approve of; to like; sanction; to treat affectionately or kindly, to welcome, befriend
John 21:17
Jesus: love (GR phileō) to love; to approve of; to like; sanction; to treat affectionately or kindly, to welcome, befriend
Peter: love (GR phileō) to love; to approve of; to like; sanction; to treat affectionately or kindly, to welcome, befriend (https://www.blueletterbible.org/)
Teaching Thoughts:
Some Examples of Christ's teaching of His future death and resurrection:
- Matthew 16:21
- Matthew 17:23
- Matthew 20:19
- Mark 9:31
- Mark 10:34
- Luke 9:22
- Luke 13:32
- Luke 18:33
“This day thou shalt be with me in the world of spirits” [in History of the Church, 5:424–25].
Howard W. Hunter: “Even with the logic of nature’s regeneration and even with the testimony of that empty garden tomb, there are still those who feel the grave is a final destination. But the doctrine of the Resurrection is the single most fundamental and crucial doctrine in the Christian religion. It cannot be overemphasized, nor can it be disregarded.
“Without the Resurrection, the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes a litany of wise sayings and seemingly unexplainable miracles-but sayings and miracles with no ultimate triumph. No, the ultimate triumph is in the ultimate miracle: for the first time in the history of mankind, one who was dead raised himself into living immortality. He was the Son of God, the Son of our immortal Father in Heaven, and his triumph over physical and spiritual death is the good news every Christian tongue should speak.” (“An Apostle’s Witness of the Resurrection,” Ensign, May 1986, 16)
Witnesses of the Lord's Resurrection: This is a summary of scriptural witnesses of the resurrected Christ. The file should open in a new window.
witnesses_of_the_lords_resurrection.pdf
“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 49).
Elder D. Todd Christofferson: “Consider for a moment the significance of the Resurrection in resolving once and for all the true identity of Jesus of Nazareth and the great philosophical contests and questions of life. If Jesus was in fact literally resurrected, it necessarily follows that He is a divine being. No mere mortal has the power in himself to come to life again after dying. Because He was resurrected, Jesus cannot have been only a carpenter, a teacher, a rabbi, or a prophet. Because He was resurrected, Jesus had to have been a God, even the Only Begotten Son of the Father.
“Therefore, what He taught is true; God cannot lie.
“Therefore, He was the Creator of the earth, as He said.
“Therefore, heaven and hell are real, as He taught.
“Therefore, there is a world of spirits, which He visited after His death.
“Therefore, He will come again, as the angels said, and “reign personally upon the earth” [Articles of Faith 1:10].
“Therefore, there is a resurrection and a final judgment for all.
“Given the reality of the Resurrection of Christ, repentance of any violation of His law and commandments is both possible and urgent. The Savior’s miracles were real, as is His promise to His disciples that they might do the same and even greater works. His priesthood is necessarily a real power that “administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest” [D&C 84:19–20]. Given the reality of the Resurrection of Christ, death is not our end, and though “skin worms destroy [our bodies], yet in [our] flesh shall [we] see God” [Job 19:26]. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2018/04/the-reality-of-the-resurrection)
Some Scriptures on the Resurrection:
- Alma 11:41-45
- Alma 40:2-4
- Alma 40:16-19
- Alma 40:23-24
- Alma 41:2-4
- Alma 41:13-15
- D&C 130:18-19
- D&C 130:22-23
- Luke 24:36-39
Lorenzo Snow: “We know that in the future, after we have passed through this life, we will then have our wives and our children with us. We will have our bodies glorified, made free from every sickness and distress, and rendered most beautiful. There is nothing more beautiful to look upon than a resurrected man or woman.
“There is nothing grander that I can imagine that a man can possess than a resurrected body. There is no Latter-day Saint within the sound of my voice but that certainly has this prospect of coming forth in the morning of the First Resurrection and being glorified, exalted in the presence of God, having the privilege of talking with our Father as we talk with our earthly father.” (5 October 1900, CR, p. 4., Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, p.99)
Joseph Smith: “As concerning the resurrection, I will merely say that all men will come from the grave as they lie down, whether old or young; there will not be "added unto their stature one cubit," neither taken from it; all will be raised by the power of God, having spirit in their bodies, and not blood.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.199)
President Joseph F. Smith when speaking at the funeral of Sister Rachel Grant the mother of President Heber J. Grant had the following to say in relation to deformities in the resurrection:
"Deformity will be removed; defects will be eliminated, and men and women shall again to the perfection of their spirits, to the perfection that God designed in the beginning. It is his purpose that men and women, his children, born to become heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ shall be made perfect, physically as well as spiritually through obedience to the law by which he has provided the means that perfection shall come to all his children.
“When we shall have the privilege to meet our mother, our aunt, our sister, this noble woman whose mortal remains lie here now, but whose immortal spirit has ascended to God from whence she came, when that spirit shall return to take up this tabernacle again, here will be Aunt Rachel in her perfection. . . . Under the law of restoration that God has provided, she will regain her perfection, the perfection of her youth, the perfection of her glory and of her being, until her resurrected body shall assume the exact stature of the spirit that possessed it here in its perfection, and thus we shall see the glorified, redeemed, exalted, perfected Aunt Rachel, mother, sister, saint and daughter of the living God, her identity being unchanged, as a child may grow to manhood or womanhood and still be the same being." (Gospel Doctrine, p. 23-24).
President Joseph Fielding Smith: "What will the state of mankind be at resurrection? This question was raised when discussing the resurrection of the Savior. He appeared to his disciples with the wounds in his hands, feet, and side. When we come forth in the resurrection, will the earthly scars we get and the deformities remain? If we lose a part of the body, like a hand, arm, or leg, will we be made whole?
“Answer: A little sound thinking will reveal to us that it would be inconsistent for our bodies to be raised with all kinds of imperfections. Some men have been burned at the stake for the sake of truth. Some have been beheaded, and others have had their bodies torn asunder; for example, John the Baptist was beheaded and received his resurrection at the time of the resurrection of our Redeemer.
“It is impossible for us to think of his coming forth from the dead holding his head in his hands; our reason says he was physically complete in the resurrection. He appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery with a perfect resurrected body. When we come forth from the dead, our spirits and bodies will be reunited inseparably, never again to be divided, and they will then be assigned to the kingdom to which they belong. All deformities and imperfections will be removed, and the body will conform to the likeness of the spirit, for the Lord revealed that "that which is spiritual" is in "the likeness of that which is temporal; and that which is temporal in the likeness of that which is spiritual; the spirit of man in the likeness of his person, as also the spirit of the beast, and every other creature which God has created." (D. & C. 77:2.)
President Joseph Fielding Smith: “There is no reason for any person to be concerned as to the appearance of individuals in the resurrection. Death is a purifying process as far as the body is concerned. We have reason to believe that the appearance of old age will disappear and the body will be restored with the full vigor of manhood and womanhood.)
“Children will arise as children, for there is no growth in the grave. Children will continue to grow until they reach the full stature of their spirits. Anything contrary to this would be inconsistent. When our bodies are restored, they will appear to be in the full vigor of manhood and womanhood, for the condition of physical weakness will all be left behind in the grave.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, 4:185)
“We must not judge the resurrection of others by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is true that he appeared to his disciples and invited them to examine the prints of the nails in his hands, his side, and in his feet, but this was a special manifestation to them … It is true that he also showed these wounds to the Nephites when he visited with them with the same purpose in view, to convince them of his identity, and give to them a witness of his suffering. It can hardly be accepted as a fact that these wounds have remained in his hands, side, and feet all through the centuries from the time of his crucifixion and will remain until his second coming, but they will appear to the Jews as a witness against their fathers and their stubbornness in following the teachings of their fathers. After their weeping and mourning they shall be cleansed.” (https://ia802805.us.archive.org/21/items/JFSAnswersToGospelQuestionsVol1/AnswersToGospelQuestionsVol1.pdf)
Brigham Young: It is supposed by this people that we have all the ordinances in our possession for life and salvation, and exaltation, and that we are administering in these ordinances. This is not the case. We are in possession of all the ordinances that can be administered in the flesh; but there are other ordinances and administrations that must be administered beyond this world. I know you would ask what they are. I will mention one. We have not, neither can we receive here, the ordinance and the keys of the resurrection. They will be given to those who have passed off this stage of action and have received their bodies again, as many have already done and many more will. They will be ordained, by those who hold the keys of the resurrection, to go forth and resurrect the Saints just as we receive the ordinance of baptism, then the keys of authority to baptize others for the remission of their sins. This is one of the ordinances we cannot receive here, and there are many more. We hold the authority to dispose of, alter and change the elements; but we have not received authority to organize native element, to even make a spear of grass grow.(Discourses of Brigham Young, pp.397-398) See also Spencer W. Kimball, "Our Great Potential," in Conference Report April 1977, pp. 69-72; Ensign May 1977, p. 49)
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: “Furthermore, although the breaking of the bonds of mortal death by the resurrection of the body is a free and universal gift from Christ, a product of his victory over death and the grave, the kind or nature of the body (or "degree of glory" of the body), as well as the time of one's resurrection, is affected very directly by the extent of one's faithfulness in this life.
“The apostle Paul made clear, for example, that those most fully committed to Christ will "rise first" in the resurrection (1 Thes. 4:16). Paul also speaks of different orders of resurrected bodies (1 Cor. 15:40). The bodies of the highest orders or degrees of glory in the resurrection are promised to those who faithfully adhere to the principles and ordinances…
“…of the gospel of Jesus Christ; they will not only enjoy immortality (a universal gift to everyone) but also eternal lives in the Celestial Kingdom of glory (D&C 88:4; 132:24). ("The Atonement of Jesus Christ," Ensign, March 2008, 32–38)
President Henry B. Eyring: "They found a fire of coals with fish cooking and bread. I have often wondered, as you may have done, who laid the fire, who caught the fish, and who cooked the meal, but it was the Master who prepared His disciples to be fed more than fish and bread. He let them eat first. And then He taught them of spiritual feeding. And He gave a commandment to them which still stands for each of us." ("Feed My Lambs," Ensign, Nov. 1997, 82)
John 21:15 and 16
Jesus: love (GR- agapaō) of persons: to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly
Peter: love (GR phileō) to love; to approve of; to like; sanction; to treat affectionately or kindly, to welcome, befriend
John 21:17
Jesus: love (GR phileō) to love; to approve of; to like; sanction; to treat affectionately or kindly, to welcome, befriend
Peter: love (GR phileō) to love; to approve of; to like; sanction; to treat affectionately or kindly, to welcome, befriend (https://www.blueletterbible.org/)
Teaching Thoughts:
- What is the resurrection and why should I care?
- Why is the resurrection of Christ a fundamental principle of our religion?
- Testify of the reality of Christ’s resurrection.
- Application of “feed my sheep.”