What little knowledge we have of this doctrine we have received from Jesus Christ, the author of it, and from those whom he has sent to teach mankind. From these we learn that a resurrection has occurred, and that there will be others at different periods of time, as well as under different circumstances.

The resurrection is predicated on the death or dissolution of the earth, and all organizations pertaining to it. As the fall of Adam brought death or dissolution, so the death and resurrection of Christ will bring to pass a restoration to life, of all creatures that have been affected by the fall.

AT CHRIST'S RESURRECTION.

That Christ well understood the great object of his earthly mission, is evident from many of his sayings previous to his death and resurrection. Early in his ministry he said to Nicodemus, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life;" John 3. 14, 15.

On another occasion Jesus said to Martha the sister of Lazarus, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live;" John 11. 25. At another time, in talking with the Pharisees, he said, "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and to take it up again;" John 10. 17, 18.

We are informed that one resurrection has already taken place, and that it occurred at the resurrection of our Savior. "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the Saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many;" Matt. 27. 52, 53.

The following indicates that the prophet Isaiah had a prophetic glimpse of this resurrection; "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead;" Isa. 26. 19.

It would appear that the Psalmist, David, looked forward for redemption from the dead, at the resurrection of Christ. "My flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption;" Psalm 16. 9, 10.

The Book of Mormon is much more definite and comprehensive on this subject than the Bible. "And there cometh a resurrection, even a first resurrection; yea, even a resurrection of those that have been, and who are, and who shall be, even until the resurrection of Christ: for so shall he be called. And now, the resurrection of all the prophets, and all those that have believed in their words, or all those that have kept the commandments of God, shall come forth in the first resurrection; therefore, they are the first resurrection * * * And these are those who have part in the first resurrection; and these are they that have died before Christ came in their ignorance, not having salvation declared unto them. And thus the Lord bringeth about the restoration of these; and they have a part in the first resurrection, or have eternal life, being redeemed by the Lord. And little children also have eternal life;" Mos. 15. 21-25.

This declaration of the prophet-king, Mosiah, was made about 100 B. C. Alma, who lived and prophesied a few years later, says, "And behold, again it hath been spoken, that there is a first resurrection; a resurrection of all those who have been, or who are, or who shall be, down to the resurrection of Christ from the dead;" Alma 40. 16.

From these passages quoted from the Book of Mormon, and their contexts, it is evident that the Nephite Saints looked forward to the resurrection of Christ from the dead, for their deliverance from the grave, with the same assurance that the Latter-day Saints anticipate their resurrection at his second coming.

By way of explanation, the prophet Alma adds, "The resurrection meaneth the re-uniting of the soul with the body of those from the days of Adam, down to the resurrection of Christ;" 40. 18, 19.

The Lamanite prophet, Samuel, speaking of the resurrection of Christ, says, "And many graves shall be opened, and shall yield up many of their dead; and many Saints shall appear unto many;" Hel. 14. 25. During Christ's ministry among the Nephites, his disciples testified that this prophecy was fulfilled; 3 Nephi 23. 10.

Bible.

Job 19. 25 for I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.

Matt. 17. 9 until the Son of Man be risen from the dead. Mark 9.9. 27. 64 and the people say he is risen from the dead.

28. 6 he is not here, for he is risen as he said. Mark 16. 6, 9, 14.

Luke 24. 34 the Lord is risen, indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.

John 2. 19-21 destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.

5. 25 the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God.

26 the Father gave to the Son to have life in himself.

8. 28 when ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am he.

12. 32 if I be lifted up I will draw all men to me.

Acts 1. 22 must one be ordained to be a witness of his resurrection.

2. 31 David spake of the resurrection of Christ. 32.

26. 23 that he should be the first that should rise from the dead.

Rom. 8. 34 is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God.

14. 9 died and rose that he might be Lord of the dead and living.

Col 1. 18 who is the beginning, the first born from the dead.

Rev. 1. 18 I am he that liveth and was dead.

Book of Mormon.

2 Nephi 2. 8, 9 he layeth down his life and taketh it again, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead. Mos. 13. 35.

Mos. 16. 9 he is a life that is endless, that there can be no more death. 10.

3 Nephi 6. 20 testifying of the death of Christ and of his resurrection, in all the land.

Doctrine & Covenants.

Sec. 18. 12 he hath risen from the dead, that he might bring all men to him.

Pearl of Great Price.

Page 21. the Saints arose at the resurrection of Christ. The spirits that were in prison came forth.

AT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

Those who have lived and died since the resurrection of Christ, in the hope of a resurrection from the dead, are looking forward to the time of his coming, in the latter days, for their redemption from the grave. "Even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air;" 1 Thess. 4. 14-17.

Christ said to his Nephite disciples who were to remain until his coming, "When I shall come in my glory, ye shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye from mortality to immortality;" 3 Nephi 28. 8.

The Lord said to Joseph Smith, the Seer, "Behold, I will come; and they shall see me in the clouds of heaven, clothed with power and great glory, with all the holy angels; and he that watches not for me shall be cut off; * * and the Saints that have slept shall come forth to meet me in the cloud;" Doc. & Cov., 45. 44, 45.

We have seen by previous reference to the Book of Mormon, that the heathen nations, and those who knew no law, should be resurrected when Christ arose from the dead. The Lord revealed to Joseph, the Seer, that this should also take place when he comes in his glory. "And then shall the heathen nations be redeemed, and they that knew no law shall have part in the first resurrection;" verse 54.

The Lord gave Joseph, the Seer, a further description of this glorious event. "And immediately after shall the curtain of heaven be unfolded, as a scroll is unfolded after it is rolled up, and the face of the Lord shall be unveiled; and the Saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened, and be caught up to meet him. And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth; for their graves shall be opened, and they also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven: They are Christ's, the first fruits: they who shall descend with him first, and they who are on the earth and in their graves, who are first caught up to meet him;" 88. 95-98.

Then comes the redemption of those who have received their part in that prison that is prepared for them; verse 99. "Then cometh the spirits of men who are to be judged, and are found under condemnation; and these are the rest of the dead, and they live not again until the thousand years are ended, neither again, until the end of the earth;" verses 100 and 101. These appear to be the only ones of the family of man whose bodies remain in their graves until the last resurrection.

Bible.

Dan. 12. 2 many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake.

Luke 14. 14 for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

Rev. 11. 18 the time of the dead, that they should be judged.

20. 5, 6 blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection.

Doctrine & Covenants.

Sec. 29. 13 the dead who have died in Christ shall come forth.

63. 18 they shall not have part in the first resurrection. 49, 51.

76. 50-70 concerning those who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just.

71-80 concerning those of the terrestrial world who shall rise in the first resurrection.

88. 100 then cometh the spirits of men who are still under condemnation.

RESURRECTION AT THE END OF THE WORLD.

John, the Revelator, has left us a short description of this resurrection, and of the judgment connected with it. "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works;" Rev. 20. 12, 13.

At that time, the earth, having filled the measure of its creation, in this order of things, will undergo a change that will fit it for the residence of exalted, celestial beings; "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away;" 21. 1.

The Book of Mormon, also gives some account of this final resurrection; "And they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from the eternal band of death;" Mormon 9. 13.

The Jaredite prophet, Ether, who lived on the American continent 600 years before the Savior was born, predicted this great change in the earth; "And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old, save the old have passed away, and all things shall become new;" Ether 13. 9.

Joseph, the Seer of the present dispensation, has given us a more comprehensive view of this subject than has come down from other dispensations; "And the end shall come, and the heaven and the earth shall be consumed and pass away, and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth, for all old things shall pass away, and all things shall become new, even the heaven and the earth, and all the fulness thereof, both men and beasts, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea; and not one hair, neither mote, shall be lost;" Doc. & Cov., 29. 23-25.

Both the wicked and the righteous will be resurrected; verses 26, 27. That the final change in the earth will be equivalent to a resurrection is evident from the following: "Wherefore it shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by which it is quickened;" 88. 26.

Bible.

Matt. 25. 32 all nations to be gathered before the Son of Man.

Rev. 20. 15 those not found written in the book of life, were cast into the lake of fire.

8 the wicked had their part in the lake of fire.

22. 11 he that is unjust, let him be unjust still. 12.

15. without are dogs, sorcerers and whoremongers.

Book of Mormon.

3 Nephi 26. 4 when all people and nations shall stand before God.

Mormon 9. 2 when the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll, when ye shall be brought to stand before the Lamb of God.

13 when all, both small and great, shall be loosed from the bands of death.

Ether 4. 19 he that is faithful at the last day shall be lifted up.

5. 6 when we shall stand before God at the last day.

Doctrine & Covenants.

Sec. 76. 39 for all the rest shall be brought forth by the resurrection of the dead.

81-89 concerning those of the telestial world who will come forth in the last resurrection.

RESURRECTION OF THE BODY THAT IS LAID DOWN.

When Job said, "Though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God;" 19. 26; it is evident that he believed that though his body should be disorganized, yet, in his own flesh, and not in that of another, he should see God. As if to confirm his assertion, he further adds, "Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another;" verse 27.

A literal resurrection was manifested to Ezekiel in his vision of the resurrection of the house of Israel; 37. 1-14.

When Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, and said, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead;" Matt. 14. 1, 2; he probably, in common with the Jews, believed in a literal resurrection.

Jesus said to his disciples, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have;" Luke 24. 39; John 20. 27; Acts 10. 41. "He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies;" Rom. 8. 11. That is, their bodies that died, and not some other bodies.

The apostle Paul gives us some light on this subject: "But some man will say, How are the dead raised? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die; * * thou sowest not that body that shall be. * * But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds;" 1 Cor. 15. 35-39.

The apostle evidently considers the old body the germ of a new body, which will be like the old, but a new growth, even as new grain is produced from that which is sown.

It is also evident that the apostle considered it impossible for one kind of flesh to mingle with another in the resurrection, as they widely differ, from different combinations of the elements, in their organization. As well might we expect the different grades of spiritual organizations, to intermingle, as the different kinds of flesh of which their material bodies are composed.

The following is from the Times and Seasons, vol. 5, page 617: "Mothers, you shall have your children, for they shall have eternal life: for their debt is paid, there is no damnation awaits them, for they are in the spirit. As the child dies, so shall it rise from the dead and be forever living in the learning of God; it shall be the child, the same as it was before it died out of your arms. Children dwell and exercise power in the same from as they laid them down."

In the History of Joseph Smith, under date of April 7, 1843, we find the following very pointed assertion on this subject: "There is no fundamental principle belonging to a human system that ever goes into another in this world or in the world to come: I care not what the theories of men are. We have the testimony that God will raise us up, and he has the power to do it. If any supposes that any part of our bodies, that is the fundamental parts thereof, ever goes into another body, he is mistaken."

See a Sermon by J. Smith, Jun., Times and Seasons, Vol, 5, page 612.

Also a Pamphlet published the same year in which the above Discourse was delivered.

Book of Mormon.

2 Nephi 9. 4 must waste away, but in our bodies we shall see God.

6 as death has passed on all men, there must be a power of resurrection.

8. 9 if the flesh should rise no more, our spirits must become subject to the devil.

12 the bodies and spirits of men will be restored, the one to the other.

Alma 11. 43-45 the spirit and the body shall be reunited in perfect form.

40. 23 not a hair of the head shall be lost.

Mormon 6. 21 day soon cometh that your mortal must put on immortality.

Miscellaneous Passages.

Matt. 22. 28 therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be. Luke 20. 33.

31, 32 God is not the God of the dead but of the living.

Mark 12. 25 rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage.

Luke 20. 36 are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

John 5. 21 the Father raiseth up the dead; the Son quickeneth whom he will.

28 all that are in their graves shall hear his voice.

11. 24 I know he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25, 26.

Acts 4. 2 and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 10, 33.

24. 15 a resurrection of both the just and unjust.

26. 8 thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead.

Rom. 4. 17 even God who quickeneth the dead.

6. 5 we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.

1 Cor. 3. 22 life or death, things present or to come, all are yours.

15. 40-44 bodies are raised in different degrees of glory, according to their order.

45 first man, Adam, was made a living soul, the last a quickening spirit.

Col. 3. 1 ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above.

2 Tim. 1. 10 who hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.

Heb. 6. 2 of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

11. 35 not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.

1 Peter 1. 3 hath begotten us again unto a lively hope of the resurrection.

Rev. 1. 5 first begotten of the dead, and king of the princes of the earth.

14. 13 blessed are the dead that die in the Lord. Their works follow them.

Book of Mormon.

Alma 11. 41 the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except the loosing of the bands of death.

12. 7 been spoken concerning the resurrection of the dead, that all shall rise. 16, 18, 24.

Chap. 40. no resurrection until after the coming of Christ. A time appointed that all shall rise. Must needs be a space between death and the resurrection. State of the soul during that time.

3 Nephi 28. 36-40 concerning the change wrought in the disciples who were to tarry.

Doctrine & Covenants.

Sec. 42. 45 especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection.

43. 18 say to the sleeping nations, ye Saints arise, ye sinners stay and sleep.

32 he that liveth in righteousness shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye.

88. 14 through the redemption that is made for you, is brought to pass the resurrection of the dead.

101. 31 not sleep but shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye.

130. 18 whatever knowledge we attain to in this life, will rise with us in the resurrection.

132. 13 all things not ordained of God, shall not remain after the resurrection.

133. 55 Moses, Elijah and John with Christ in his resurrection

See a Pamphlet by B. Young.

Sermon by J. Smith, J. of D., Vol. 6, page 1.

" B. Young " Vol. 15, page 139.

" Geo. Q. Cannon, J. of D., Vol. 17, page 134.

Article by P. P. Pratt, Mil. Star, Vol. 2, page 97.

Key to Theology, Chapter 15.

Sermon by J. Smith, Mil. Star, Vol. 3, page 59.

Article by C. W. Penrose, Mil. Star, Vol. 30, page 65.

History of J. Smith, April 16, 1843.