The two deaths
This week we taught our kids about monsters, …yep monsters. Not the one eyed, green kind or the large, blue and purple kind kids may see in their rooms or on tv, but an actual monster. A monster that is our common enemy, one that we must guard against and not allow near us.
I actually didn’t realize till today that the Book of Mormon had this word written in its pages. Monster for some reason in my mind seems more contemporary than ancient. It actually appears two other times. In Alma when the Lamanites thought that Ammon was a monster sent by the Nephites to torture them, and then later when the people of the Brother of Jared were crossing the seas it reads that the Lord guided them and no sea monster could break the barges they traveled in.
The monster that Jacob describes is very contemporary and is constantly working to have great influence over us all.
8. …For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.
9. And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.
10 …yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.
As we read 2 Nephi 9 we all underlined things that this monster, Satan, does and the things that Jesus has done to overcome the monster which is death (the death of our physical body) and hell (the death of our spirit as we comply with temptation).
Satan’s idea is to take us captive, hold us in his grasp, stir up the children of men to secret combinations and murder, become like himself, be his subjects and be miserable as he is.
Jesus’ plan is to deliver up its captive bodies from the grave and its captive spirits from sin, escape Satan’s grasp, become incorruptible, to rise from death and live with God.
We asked the kids a softball question of “what side would you choose?” Everyone said Jesus’ side, it is easy to see the difference between the two plans when we read them in the scriptures, but the two plans seem sort of blurry in today’s world where seemingly what used to be considered wrong is now tolerated and what used to be good is now considered out of touch.
Jacob exclaimed, “O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster…”
I am so grateful for the scriptures the teach us of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. What would our mortal existence be like if we didn’t have this gift from our Heavenly Father? How would we be able to escape Satan’s grasp? We would have very little margin for error and would not have the ability to use our free agency.
If it were not for the Atonement when we die and our spirit would continue living forever, and because Satan does not have a body of his own the power of the resurrection would not be available to us and we would not be able to progress and attain our eternal potential without our spirit reuniting with our body. We would have been subjects to the devil in his kingdom.
But there is an Atonement, an infinate Atonement, provided as the essential piece of the Fathers plan of salvation. Jesus is the plan, we chose Him before coming to the earth, we rely on Him to cleanse us of sin in this world, and we will be resurrected as He was and will be judged of Him of our faith and works. I love my Savior, my Redeemer, and am in His debt. I have my faults and have made many mistakes, however I know that as I repent and follow His example and teachings that I can be deserving of our Father’s greatest gift, Eternal Life with our families.