Resurrection: the Ultimate Triumph

Robert J. Matthews

Robert J. Matthews was an emeritus professor of ancient scripture and former dean
of religious education at Brigham Young University when this was published.

“Resurrection: The Ultimate Triumph” is a phrase borrowed from President Howard

W. Hunter, who said: “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 . . . with no ultimate triumph. No, the ultimate triumph is in the ultimate
miracle. . . . [Jesus’] triumph over physical and spiritual death is the good news
every Christian tongue should speak.” [1] President Hunter’s inspiring thoughts
form the basis of what I wish to elucidate, and which I have arranged in five
categories:

1. The meaning of the word resurrection

2. The resurrection of Jesus Christ

3. God’s interaction with physical element

4. The divine plan of restoration

5. The resurrection of all mankind and all other living creatures

The Meaning of the Word Resurrection

The English word resurrection  comes from two Latin terms [2]—re, meaning
“again”; and surgere,  “to rise.” It is also related to the word surge,  meaning that
the rising again is accomplished with power. Resurrection means that a dead body
is restored to active, everlasting life. Literally, the spirit and the body are
permanently reunited.
Knowledge of the Resurrection comes only from God.  The body of a person newly
dead is limp and lifeless. A few hours later, the body is hard as a rock and stone-
cold. If you have ever touched such a body you will never forget the sensation.

The mortal world cannot demonstrate the Resurrection to our natural senses. We
see death occurring all around us, and it seems so final. Our knowledge and hope
of the Resurrection comes only because of the scriptures, the story of Jesus, the
witness of the Holy Spirit, personal revelation, and the testimony of the latter-day
prophets. These are the only reliable sources and are the sources I have used to
compile this essay, because I know them to be true. I am grateful for such
marvelous information.

As mortals we see the Resurrection through the eyes of our faith until we
individually receive a witness by the Spirit. Many have also received a personal
experience like those whom the resurrected Jesus visited, and they have felt his
warm, resilient, breathing, tangible, gloriously immortal body for themselves.

The doctrine of resurrection is so important in the plan of redemption that the

Prophet Joseph Smith said that it must be taught with the first principles of the
gospel, and in company with the doctrine of eternal judgment. [3]

A personal comment about resurrection. It is my conviction that all human beings

are created in the express image of the bodies of our heavenly parents (see Moses
6:8–9; Ether 3:15–16). This means that our spirit body and our physical body
resemble each other, and each has the corresponding parts, features, organs, and
likeness that the other has (see D&C 77:2). It follows, also, that these are the
features of the bodies of our heavenly parents.

Since God has a definite purpose in the creation of man, which includes man
becoming exalted like unto God, and since God has a body, and since mortal
humans die as a result of the fall of Adam, a resurrection of the dead body is
essential to the plan. This resurrection must be all-inclusive and permanent or the
plan of God would not be successful.

Resurrected bodies have size, weight, shape, and occupy space. They have every
limb, joint, hair, and body parts that are natural to the physical body, and they
enjoy never-ending youth without sickness or pain. They are dynamic; they eat,
drink, and digest food, along with other functions, including metabolism and
bodily warmth. They have spirit fluid in their veins instead of red blood and do not
require sleep.
Resurrection of the body is essential for maximum happiness and progress in the
eternities. The quality of the resurrected body differs among individuals according
to how well they conformed to gospel law while in mortality. Although all
resurrected bodies are immortal, only celestial bodies have total capability and
function with family, eternal increase, personal perfection, and complete emotional
fulfillment.

Resurrection is available only because of the atonement and resurrection of Jesus

Christ; and for this gift we owe Jesus our sincere gratitude with our whole heart
forever.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The central purpose of Jesus’ earthly life was to obtain a body Himself and to
conquer physical and spiritual death for Himself and all the world. In order to do
that, He had to have power over death, which He received by being the biological
Son of God the Father in the flesh. He had power to lay His body down, and He had
power to take it up again (see John 5:26; 10:17–18; Helaman 5:10–11). Jesus is the
only one to whom this power has been given while in mortality. Even though He
obtained this power by inheritance, He could not have retained and used that
power if He had not obeyed completely the Father’s plan of redemption.

Jesus kept every commandment of His Father; He held the Melchizedek Priesthood
and observed every ordinance of the priesthood pertaining to mortality, including
all ordinances of the temple. [4] By taking upon Himself the pains, sicknesses, and
sins of mankind, He experienced the sorrows of spiritual death. This reached
fulfillment in Gethsemane and on Calvary. He thereafter experienced physical death
on the cross and was buried in a tomb cut out of a rock just outside the walls of
Jerusalem.

Burial and Resurrection. The burial of Jesus’ body by His friends was hastily done
because the Sabbath was approaching at sundown. His body was wrapped in a
white linen cloth, with spices; a smaller cloth was put around His head to keep His
chin in place. He was laid in the tomb, and a large stone was rolled across the
opening so no one could steal the body.

After the Sabbath, a few women, sad and in mourning, started toward the tomb
with additional spices to give Jesus a more appropriate burial. They were concerned
about how to move the huge stone, but when they arrived they found that it had
already been rolled away. They were perplexed to discover that the body was gone
and were startled to see two angels dressed in white sitting on the stone. The
angels addressed the women: “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not
here, but is risen” (Luke 24:5–6). With their sadness rapidly changing to joy and
amazement, the women hurried to tell the brethren that Jesus had risen from the
dead.

John alone tells of an emotional meeting of Mary Magdalene and Jesus near the
tomb. He prevented her intended embrace by explaining that He had not yet
ascended to His Father but was about to do so. He instructed Mary to carry that
message to the brethren (see John 20:1, 11–18).

I do not know the identity of the angels, but I am certain that they were there as
official witnesses of the greatest event that has occurred on this earth. Years ago I
found mention of an early Christian tradition identifying the angels as Michael and
Gabriel. This being a non-LDS source, the author would not have known, as we do,
who Michael and Gabriel really are. I am sorry that I have lost my notes and thus do
not now have the reference. However, I see no reason why it could not have been
they. Witnesses for this special event would not have been chosen randomly. Who
could qualify more? Michael is Adam, the patriarch of the human family, who
opened the way of the world and introduced mortality and death. Gabriel is Noah,
standing next to Adam in authority and has been given the keys of the restoration
of all things. [5] I think there is an official priesthood assignment demonstrated in
this event.

“By many infallible proofs.”  Acts 1:1–3 tells us that after His resurrection Jesus
showed Himself alive “by many infallible proofs.” He did this in a variety of ways.
The personal nature of Jesus’ appearances attest to the fact of His resurrection and
also reveal what a resurrected body can do.

On the same day that Jesus was resurrected, He appeared to the women who had
come to the tomb, and they held His feet (see Matthew 28:9). This appears to have
been after He had ascended to His Father and returned to earth. He also appeared
privately to Peter (see Luke 24:33–35; 1 Corinthians 15:5). During the same day,
Jesus walked and talked with two disciples along a country road and then
disappeared before their eyes when they recognized Him (see Luke 24:13–33). In
the evening, He appeared to the Twelve in Jerusalem, Thomas being absent. They
thought Jesus was a spirit, so He said, “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. And . . . he shewed them his hands and his feet” (Luke 24:39–40) He also ate
broiled fish and honey before them (see also vv. 37–43). Jesus’ reference to His
hands and feet must have been because that is where the wounds of crucifixion
were. Those wounds, and His words “It is I myself” seem to be Jesus’ way of saying,
“Be assured, brethren, this is the same body by which you knew me before I died.”

A week later, Jesus reappeared, Thomas being present, and Jesus again
emphasized the wounds, including the hole in his side (see John 20:26–27),
verifying that this is the very body that was nailed to the cross and pierced by the
soldier’s spear.

In both of these instances, the doors had been shut before Jesus arrived, yet He
came through unhampered (see John 20:19, 26), showing that resurrected flesh,
though tangible, is not subject to mortal barrier. This leads to an awareness that
the angels had rolled away the stone from the tomb, not so that Jesus could get
out, but so that the women and the brethren could get in and know that Jesus’
body was not there.

Peter testified to the Jews that the resurrected Jesus ate and drank real food with
the Apostles (see Acts 10:40–41). The Lord’s purpose in eating and drinking with
them, and Peter’s purpose in telling the world about it, must have been that they
wanted to demonstrate just how real and how physical a resurrected body is.

Jesus also appeared to large crowds: over five hundred in the Holy Land (see 1
Corinthians 15:6); to 2,500 in the Western Hemisphere, each person touching his
body (see 3 Nephi 11:8–17; 17:25); and He spoke of his intention to show his body
to the lost tribes of Israel (see 3 Nephi 16:1–3; 17:4).

Other appearances include visits to Paul, to John, and on numerous occasions in

the latter days to other persons of strong faith, beginning with the Prophet Joseph
Smith.

Jesus’ resurrection is the ultimate statement about who He is and what He has
done for mankind. The empty tomb and the variety of His appearances show that
His victory over death is complete.

God’s Interaction with Physical Element

It is fundamental doctrine that God our Father is a resurrected man with a tangible,
immortal body of flesh and bone. Jesus likewise has such a body (see D&C 130:22).
It is also basic doctrine that the term create  does not mean to make something out
of nothing, but it means to organize already existing element (see Abraham 4:1).
This is in harmony with the axiom that matter cannot be made or destroyed, only
changed in form. The book of Abraham states that the Lord took of the materials
and formed the earth (see Abraham 3:24; 4:1–2). It was Jesus who did this, under
direction of the Father.

While Jesus was a mortal on earth, He possessed godly powers and continued to
manage the physical elements. He restored the withered hand of a man at
Capernaum (see Luke 6:6–10). This was an instant reconstruction of the tissues,
nerves, and vessels of a misshapen hand. Under normal conditions, new flesh
might have grown eventually, but the miracle was immediate.

Jesus fed a multitude with five loaves of bread and two small fish. In some
miraculous way, He multiplied those fish and loaves into an abundance of real food
that fed five thousand persons and resulted in twelve basketsful of leftovers (see
Matthew 14:15–21). Jesus instantly created fish already cooked and bread already
baked. He did not have to wait for the natural process of planting, growing,
harvesting, grinding, mixing, rising, and baking time because He knew how to
manage physical, earthly element and how to override the natural laws of mortality.

Jesus instantaneously produced more than one hundred gallons of wine out of
water (see John 2:1–10). The wine possessed the flavor and properties that
normally would come only with aging and fermentation of grape juice.

When He instituted the sacrament among the Nephites, Jesus instantaneously and
miraculously provided both bread and wine for a sacrament service (see 3 Nephi
20:3–7).

How Jesus did these things I don’t know, but they are not deceptions; they are real.
He had the divine power to manage physical element. If we believe and accept
these miraculous events, we should have no difficulty accepting the miracle of the
bodily resurrection—whether it be Jesus’ resurrection or our own future
resurrection. Is anything too hard for the Lord?

The Divine Plan of Restoration

The scriptures state that the design of our Heavenly Father for this earth includes a
restoration of all things. This is called the plan of restoration, but I think we could
also call it the law of restoration. Restoration is a major part of the redemptive
mission of the Lord Jesus Christ and will affect the whole earth and will involve
every human being.

A restoration of all things is spoken of by Peter (see Acts 3:21) and is also
repeatedly mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants (see 27:6; 77:14; 86:10). We
learn from these passages that both Gabriel (Noah) and John the Revelator have
major managerial roles in the restoration of all things. It is because of the plan of
restoration that the priesthood, the Church, the covenant of Abraham, and the
gathering of Israel are all actively in operation on the earth today. The law of
restoration will also eventually restore the continents to their original location
when the land was in one place at the time of creation, as spoken of in Genesis
1:9–10; 10:25; and D&C 133:23–24. Also the earth will be restored to its
paradisiacal glory (see Article of Faith 1:10). You note these are all group projects
of worldwide scope. How will the plan of restoration reach you and me individually?
I can assure you that it will capture our individual attention to the fullest extent.

Resurrection and final judgment are personal restorations. Book of Mormon

prophets present the clearest description of how the plan of restoration will reach
every soul individually by the resurrection of our body and the verdict of the Final
Judgment. These prophets use the words resurrection,
judgment,  and restoration  all in the same breath.

Jesus restores that which was lost by the Fall of Adam.  The Fall brought two kinds
of death to Adam and Eve. Each of us inherits these deaths, or separations, by birth
into mortality. We are shut out from the presence of God, which is a spiritual type
of death; and we suffer a separation of our body from our spirit, which is the
physical death. We also experience loss of memory. The atonement and
resurrection of Jesus Christ rescues every human being from all of these
conditions. The prophet Jacob explains that at the time of each person’s
resurrection this is what happens: “The spirit and the body is restored to itself
again, and all men become . . . immortal, . . . having a perfect knowledge like unto
us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect. . . . [Then] they must
appear before the judgment-seat of the Holy One of Israel” (2 Nephi 9:13, 15).
Now note also the words of Amulek as he teaches the same doctrine. He uses the
word resurrection  only once, whereas he uses the
words restoration  and restored  several times:

Behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before
God, and be judged according to their works.

Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of
Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised
from this temporal death.

The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb
and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this
time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know
now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.

Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and
free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even
there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall
be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body. . . .

Now, behold, I have spoken unto you concerning the death of the mortal
body, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. I say unto you
that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body, that is from death, even
from the first death unto life, that they can die no more; their spirits uniting
with their bodies, never to be divided; thus the whole becoming spiritual and
immortal. (Alma 11:41–45)

Both Jacob and Amulek speak of three kinds of restoration: (1) the restoration of
the body to the spirit, (2) the restoration of the person to the presence of God for
judgment, and (3) the restoration of memory.

Here is the prophet Alma’s definition of the plan of restoration as it pertains

precisely to our own resurrection and to the Day of Judgment.

Concerning the body: “The plan of restoration is requisite with the justice of God;
for it is requisite that all things should be restored to their proper order. Behold, it
is requisite and just, according to the power and resurrection of Christ, that the
soul of man should be restored to its body, and that every part of the body should
be restored to itself” (Alma 41:2).
Concerning the Judgment: “And it is requisite with the justice of God that men
should be judged according to their works; and if their works were good in this life,
and the desires of their hearts were good, that they should also, at the last day, be
restored unto that which is good. And if their works are evil they shall be restored
unto them for evil. Therefore, all things shall be restored to their proper order”
(Alma 41:3–4). “Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning
restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you,
wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10).

Meaning of the word restoration:  “And now behold, is the meaning of the word
restoration to take a thing of a natural state and place it in an unnatural state, or to
place it in a state opposite to its nature? O, my son, this is not the case; but the
meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for
carnal, or devilish for devilish—good for that which is good; righteous for that
which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is
merciful. . . . For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be
restored” (Alma 41:12–13, 15).

What does restoration mean in terms of the resurrected body? For one thing, it will
be complete: “every part of the body restored to itself.” More specifically, it will be
the same body we lived in as mortals. Any other body would not be a restoration
but would be a replacement or a substitution. The scriptures do not speak of the
plan of replacement or substitution but of restoration. This is a crucial point of
doctrine declared both in the New Testament and in the Book of Mormon. Likewise,
the Lord has spoken in the Doctrine and Covenants, giving the same assurance. We
read in section 88:28, “They who are of a celestial spirit shall receive the same
body which was a natural body; even ye shall receive your bodies.” Our present
mortal body is our natural body, and the only body we will ever have. Because of
Christ our natural body will be resurrected and “fashioned like unto His glorious
[resurrected] body” (Philippians 3:21), and when that happens we will be a marvel
even to ourselves.

If our spirit were to receive any other body instead of our own natural body, it
would be a type of reincarnation, and the Prophet Joseph Smith declared that
reincarnation is absolutely not a true gospel principle. [6]

Counsel from the Prophet Joseph Smith. I am aware that the emphasis given in the
scriptures concerning the body might raise certain physiological and philosophical
questions. I am also aware that the mortal body changes through the years. We
gain weight, we lose weight; tissues slough off and others grow. Part of our bodily
size has been attained by our consumption of animal flesh, and yet animals, birds,
and fish also will be resurrected. How does that play out in the Resurrection and
restoration? I do not know the process, but I do know that we ought to hold true to
the principle of resurrection and restoration. The Prophet Joseph Smith counseled
the Brethren on this matter. We do not have the full context of the Prophet’s
statement, but it was prompted by a remark from Elder Orson Pratt that the body
of a person changes every seven years. What other ideas were involved are not
documented, but the Prophet’s response covers more than that one concept.
Furthermore, the intensity of the Prophet’s reply shows that he had very strong
feelings on this subject. Here is the statement as reported in the History of the
Church:  “There is no fundamental principle belonging t 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 one supposes that any part of our bodies, that is, the fundamental
parts thereof, ever goes into another body, he is mistaken.” [7] What the Prophet
meant by “the fundamental parts” of the body is not defined, but the vigor of the
Prophet’s testimony says that he wanted the Brethren to have no misunderstanding
on this matter: The resurrection of the human body is absolute, it is the work of
God, nothing can prevent it, and there is no mixing of fundamental parts between
bodies, not in this world nor in the next.

I suppose that each person’s DNA code has a controlling influence in maintaining
personal identity and integrity and would apply to both the human system and also
all other forms of life. Individual integrity will be preserved across the board.

The Prophet’s counsel was not given in vain, for there are recorded several
discourses by leading Brethren in which the doctrinal points emphasized by Joseph
Smith are clearly set forth, sometimes almost verbatim. Space will permit only two
examples. President Brigham Young, speaking at a funeral service, made special
reference to the body then lying before the congregation: “This tabernacle is from
the elements of the earth . . . yet this tabernacle, through faithfulness whilst here
in the flesh, has the promise of a glorious resurrection. . . . All the component
parts of this body, which now lies before us, will be resurrected. . . . Some have
supposed that it matters not what particles we receive again. In this they are
mistaken. The parts which have been honored by the faithfulness of the spirit in
this life will be joined in the life to come.” [8]
On another occasion, President Young emphasized that the Resurrection is
governed by divine law. He cited Doctrine and Covenants 88:34, “That which is
governed by law is also preserved by law.” He stated that the particles that
compose the bodies of man, beasts, fowls, insects, and vegetables can never
become the “component parts” of other men or beasts, etc., because “a divine law .
. . governs and controls them. . . . They are watched over and will be preserved
until the resurrection.”  [9] By “component parts” he must have meant the
“fundamental parts” referred to by the Prophet Joseph. President Young does not
categorically so state, but he is describing the plan and law of restoration taught in
the Book of Mormon.

Other discourses on the Resurrection, obviously influenced by Joseph Smith’s

counsel, were given by Elder John Taylor [10] and Elder Orson Pratt. [11]

The Resurrection of All Mankind and All Living

Creatures
We now approach the final segment of this essay by observing that the
Resurrection will come to all forms of life. Everything that has a premortal spirit
and a physical mortal body, and that dies, will at some time be resurrected. The
scriptures teach that death came into the world by way of the fall of Adam, and
that it was by great personal suffering and exertion that Jesus Christ atoned for the
fall of Adam and also for man’s individual sins on condition of repentance, and
thus he conquered both spiritual and physical death. If just one person or one
animal were not raised, Christ’s victory over death would not be complete.

Resurrection is necessary for eternal joy.  Why would it matter if someone or

something were not resurrected? Most people give little thought to the doctrine of
resurrection in this life, and even most religious philosophies do not give it much
attention, and major world religions that subscribe to reincarnation overtly deny
it. [12] The correct answer has to be that we need the body for the greatest
happiness. This answer could only have been learned from the revelations of the
Lord. God, who knows what eternity is, has revealed this doctrine for our benefit so
we can have comfort in the loss of loved ones and also so we can prepare ourselves
for eternity.
The Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith that the spirit and the body
constitute the soul and that the resurrection of the dead is the redemption of the
soul (see D&C 88:15–16). The Lord further explained that the spirit and the body
cannot have a fulness of joy until they are “inseparably connected.” That condition
comes only with resurrection. The Lord revealed also that when the spirit is
separated from the body, as in the postmortal spirit world after this mortal life, the
spirit experiences limitations because of having no physical body, and such spirits
view this separation as a bondage that can be remedied only by resurrection (see
D&C 45:17; 138:50–51).

The Prophet Joseph Smith declared: “We came to this earth that we might have a
body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle
of happiness consists in having a body. The devil has no body, and herein is his
punishment.” [13] Joseph Smith said further: “Perhaps there are principles here that
few men have thought of. No person can have this salvation except through a
tabernacle,” and “the greatness of [Lucifer’s] punishment is that he shall not have a
tabernacle.” [14]

If a physical body is so important that it is sufficient punishment for the devil not
to have one, then by contrast we can see that for us to have a body is the greatest
of blessings, even though we might not presently realize it because of our lack of
understanding. Because man does not know, and God does know, He has revealed
to us the significance of our body and has shown to us that the number one
priority of our coming to earth is to get a body. The number two priority is
experience.

God’s love is demonstrated by the Resurrection.  It is a prominent teaching of the

Book of Mormon that without the infinite atonement and resurrection of Jesus
Christ, every man, woman, and child would become a devil, forever miserable and
without hope (see 2 Nephi 9:6–12). Jesus has saved the world from that fate,
except the sons of perdition, who because of rebellion lose the benefits of the
Atonement. Without the fulness of the gospel, humans do not know about the
purposes of God or the destiny of mankind and do not realize what Jesus has done
for them. When those persons get into the spirit world after death; they will sooner
or later become dissatisfied with the lack of understanding they had as mortals and
will come to realize that God and Jesus knew the whole course of events from the
beginning and in love for mankind made provision for every person to receive his
or her body in the Resurrection. All true prophets from Adam on down have known
of Christ and the Resurrection (see Mosiah 13:33–35).

Salvation of all living things.  Latter-day revelation teaches that not only is man a
living soul, but so also are animals and plants (see Moses 3:7, 9, 19). Doctrine and
Covenants 77:2–3 explains that animals have spirits that resemble their bodies,
and animals will enjoy eternal happiness and felicity. The doctrine of resurrection
in relation to animals is easily determined. If they are the creations of God, and
they have spirits, and their bodies are subject to mortal death, they are candidates
for the Resurrection through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Speaking of “men, and
beasts, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea,” the Lord has said, “not one
hair, neither mote, shall be lost, for it is the workmanship of mine hand” (D&C
29:24–25). Hair and motes are very small things. The Lord is saying that nothing
will be overlooked. The Prophet Joseph Smith further explained that the salvation
of animals is part of the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ and that in eternity the
beasts will praise Jesus for their redemption. [15]

“How are the dead raised up?”  In Paul’s magnificent discourse in 1 Corinthians 15
on the Resurrection, he poses two questions: “How are the dead raised up?” and
“With what body do they come?” (v. 35). In answer to the second question, Paul
says that resurrected bodies differ in glory. More precise information is given to us
in Doctrine and Covenants 76 and 88. Because of the law of restoration, each
person will receive a body commensurate with the law he or she chose to follow in
mortality—one’s lifestyle. Thus, we largely determine the quality and glory of our
resurrected body and whether we will rise in the first or in the last resurrection.

Resurrection is a priesthood ordinance.  As to the first question—how the dead are

raised—we know that it is by the power of Jesus Christ because He holds the keys
of death, hell, and resurrection. However, latter-day prophets have clarified how
that power is activated in our behalf. President Brigham Young [16] and Elder
Erastus Snow [17] taught that the Resurrection will be conducted much as other
things are done in the kingdom, by those in authority and by delegation. As one
cannot baptize himself, nor can he baptize others until he himself is baptized,
ordained, and directed by the presiding officers, so one cannot resurrect himself
but will be called forth by someone in authority. Men will be given the keys of this
ordinance after they themselves are resurrected, and they then will resurrect
others. I expect that a righteous father will be given the keys to resurrect his
family.
In the April 1977 general conference, President Spencer W. Kimball quoted
President Brigham Young: “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 like to ask what they
are. I will mention one. We have not, neither can we receive here, the ordinance and
the keys of resurrection.” [18] President Kimball then explained that resurrection is
the work of God and that the world by its wisdom has not produced the power to
resurrect anyone.

Resurrection is certain.  During World War II, a young man whom I knew was killed
in battle in the South Pacific. I was in his parents’ home shortly thereafter and
observed their deep sorrow. Although this was a Latter-day Saint family, the father
stated that if his son had died on land and received a burial he would expect to see
him again, but as he was blown apart in the sea and no doubt eaten by fish, the
father said he had no hope or expectation of the young man ever being
resurrected. I was only sixteen and relatively unfamiliar with the scriptures or the
teachings of the Brethren, yet a feeling came over me that what the father said was
not doctrinally correct. I didn’t say anything, but I knew within me that the plan of
God was better than that and could not be frustrated. I have not seen the family
since that day, but their pain was more severe than it would have been if they had
had a stronger faith and testimony of Christ’s victory over death. They could have
said with Paul, “O death, where is thy sting? . . . Thanks be to God, which giveth us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55, 57). With what we
know about the law of restoration, the ordinances of the priesthood, and of Jesus’
ultimate triumph over death, we know assuredly that not only will the young man
be resurrected with his own body, whole and complete, but we can contemplate
that his once-reluctant father, who ached under the sting of death, might even be
the very one to exercise the priesthood to call him forth in the name of Jesus. Then
at that sacred moment will he not say, with Paul, and with us, “Thanks be to God
[for] . . . our Lord Jesus Christ.”