and tenderly asked her, “Woman, whyweepest thou? She saith unto them,Because they have taken away myLord, and I know not where they havelaid him.” 6 At that moment the resurrectedSavior, now standing behindher, spoke, “Woman, why weepestthou? whom seekest thou? She, supposinghim to be the gardener, saithunto him, Sir, if thou have borne himhence, tell me where thou hast laidhim, and I will take him away.” 7Elder James E. Talmage wrote: “Itwas Jesus to whom she spake, herbeloved Lord, though she knew itnot. One word from His living lipschanged her agonized grief intoecstatic joy. ‘Jesus saith unto her,Mary.’ The voice, the tone, the tenderaccent she had heard and loved inthe earlier days lifted her from thedespairing depths into which she hadsunk. She turned, and saw the Lord.In a transport of joy she reached outher arms to embrace Him, utteringonly the endearing and worshipfulword, ‘Rabboni,’ meaning My belovedMaster.” 8And so this blessed woman becamethe first mortal to see and speak tothe resurrected Christ. Later that sameday He appeared to Peter in or nearJerusalem; 9 to two disciples on theroad to Emmaus; 10 and in the eveningto 10 of the Apostles and others,appearing suddenly in their midst,saying, “Behold my hands and myfeet, that it is I myself: handle me,112and see; for a spirit hath not flesh andbones, as ye see me have.” 11 Then tofurther convince them “while they yetbelieved not for joy, and wondered,” 12He ate broiled fish and honeycombbefore them. 13 Later He instructedthem, “Ye shall be witnesses unto meboth in Jerusalem, and in all Judea,and in Samaria, and unto the uttermostpart of the earth.” 14Beyond these confirmed witnessesin Jerusalem, we have the incomparableministry of the risen Lord toancient inhabitants of the WesternHemisphere. In the land Bountiful, Hedescended from heaven and invitedthe assembled throng, some 2,5<strong>00</strong>, tocome forward one by one until theyhad all gone forth, thrusting theirhands into His side and feeling theprints of the nails in His hands and inHis feet. 15“And when they had all gone forthand had witnessed for themselves,they did cry out with one accord,saying:“Hosanna! Blessed be the nameof the Most High God! And they didfall down at the feet of Jesus, and didworship him.” 16Christ’s Resurrection shows that Hisexistence is independent and everlasting.“For as the Father hath life inhimself; so hath he given to the Son tohave life in himself.” 17 Jesus said:“Therefore doth my Father loveme, because I lay down my life, thatI might take it again.“No man taketh it from me, but Ilay it down of myself. I have power tolay it down, and I have power to takeit again.” 18The Savior is not dependent onfood or water or oxygen or any othersubstance or power or person for life.Both as Jehovah and Messiah, He isthe great I Am, the self-existing God. 19He simply is and ever will be.By His Atonement and Resurrection,Jesus Christ has overcome allaspects of the Fall. Physical death willbe temporary, and even spiritual deathhas an end, in that all come back intothe presence of God, at least temporarily,to be judged. We can haveultimate trust and confidence in Hispower to overcome all else and grantus everlasting life.“For since by man came death, byman came also the resurrection ofthe dead.“For as in Adam all die, even so inChrist shall all be made alive.” 20In the words of Elder Neal A.Maxwell: “Christ’s victory over deathended the human predicament. Nowthere are only personal predicaments,and from these too we may berescued by following the teachingsof him who rescued us from generalextinction.” 21Having satisfied the demands ofjustice, Christ now steps into the placeof justice; or we might say He is justice,just as He is love. 22 Likewise, besidesbeing a “perfect, just God,” He is a perfect,merciful God. 23 Thus, the Saviormakes all things right. No injustice inmortality is permanent, even death,for He restores life again. No injury,disability, betrayal, or abuse goesuncompensated in the end becauseof His ultimate justice and mercy.By the same token, we are allaccountable to Him for our lives, ourchoices, and our actions, even our
thoughts. Because He redeemed usfrom the Fall, our lives are in realityHis. He declared:“Behold I have given unto you mygospel, and this is the gospel which Ihave given unto you—that I came intothe world to do the will of my Father,because my Father sent me.“And my Father sent me that Imight be lifted up upon the cross; andafter that I had been lifted up uponthe cross, that I might draw all menunto me, that as I have been lifted upby men even so should men be liftedup by the Father, to stand before me,to be judged of their works.” 24Consider for a moment the significanceof the Resurrection in resolvingonce and for all the true identityof Jesus of Nazareth and the greatphilosophical contests and questionsof life. If Jesus was in fact literally resurrected,it necessarily follows that Heis a divine being. No mere mortal hasthe power in himself to come to lifeagain after dying. Because He was resurrected,Jesus cannot have been onlya carpenter, a teacher, a rabbi, or aprophet. Because He was resurrected,Jesus had to have been a God, eventhe Only Begotten Son of the Father.Therefore, what He taught is true;God cannot lie. 25Therefore, He was the Creator ofthe earth, as He said. 26Therefore, heaven and hell are real,as He taught. 27Therefore, there is a world of spirits,which He visited after His death. 28Therefore, He will come again, asthe angels said, 29 and “reign personallyupon the earth.” 30Therefore, there is a resurrectionand a final judgment for all. 31Given the reality of the Resur rectionof Christ, doubts about the omnipotence,omniscience, and benevolenceof God the Father—who gave HisOnly Begotten Son for the redemptionof the world—are groundless. Doubtsabout the meaning and purpose oflife are unfounded. Jesus Christ is infact the only name or way by whichsalvation can come to mankind. Thegrace of Christ is real, affording bothforgiveness and cleansing to therepentant sinner. Faith truly is morethan imagination or psychologicalinvention. There is ultimate and universaltruth, and there are objectiveand unchanging moral standards, astaught by Him.Given the reality of the Resurrectionof Christ, repentance of any violationof His law and commandments isboth possible and urgent. The Savior’smiracles were real, as is His promiseto His disciples that they might do thesame and even greater works. 32 Hispriesthood is necessarily a real powerthat “administereth the gospel andholdeth the key of the mysteries of theMay <strong>2014</strong>113
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THE ENSIGN OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS C
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6By Elder Jeffrey R. HollandOf the
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And what of those who just want tol
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12By Elder Carlos H. AmadoOf the Se
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kindness and tenderness, He pleaded
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Raymond, Alberta, CanadaWe as leade
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By Elder Neil L. AndersenOf the Quo
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After declaring her belief in tradi
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22By President Henry B. EyringFirst
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shall have glory added upon theirhe
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SATURDAY AFTERNOON SESSION | April
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Church Auditing DepartmentReport, 2
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not combine the two. How could I do
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NOTES1. When a baby is born, the um
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prepare for future opportunities an
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diminishes God’s standards in our
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When he arrived home, and pressurew
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can ye, except ye abide in me.“I
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easonable amount of time, each of u
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44By Elder Quentin L. CookOf the Qu
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the family organization, in the mor
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the ultimate question raised by Job
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ights and powers will be conferred.
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In the eyes of God, whether inthe C
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our future, no matter our history,
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56By Randall L. RiddSecond Counselo
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Third: Owning a Smartphone Does Not
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Those who serve others will notslee
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