1 Nephi 20: 3
Where
Did I Come From? Why Am I Here?
What
3 Behold,
I have declared the aformer things
from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed
them. I did show them suddenly.
I (the Lord) have shown you prophecies
Why
So you would have plenty of evidence that I, the Lord God, exist.
Pattern
Isa.
42:9
9
Behold, the former things
are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring
forth I tell you of
them.
46:10
(9–10)
9 Remember the former things
of old: for I am God,
and there
is none
else; I
am God,
and there
is none like
me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
Jer.
1:5
5
Before I formed thee
in the belly I knew thee;
and before thou camest forth out of the womb I
sanctified thee, and I ordained thee
a prophet unto the nations.
Acts
17:26
26
And hath made of one blood all
nations of
men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath
determined the times before
appointed,
and the bounds of
their habitation;
Rom.
8:29
29 For whom
he did foreknow,
he also did
predestinate to
be conformed
to the image of
his Son, that he might be the firstbornamong
many brethren.
1 Ne.
9:6
6
But the Lord knoweth all
things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to
accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he
hath all power unto
the fulfilling of all his words. And thus it is. Amen.
Christ
Jesus Christ was
foreordained to be the Savior of the world.
1 Ne.
9:6
6
But the Lord knoweth all
things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to
accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he
hath all power unto
the fulfilling of all his words. And thus it is. Amen.
Acts
2:23
23
Him, being delivered by the determinate
counsel and
foreknowledge of
God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and
slain:
Conference
10/16
Pres. Uchtdorf
We
come from the heavenly courts of the Lord our God. We are of the
royal house of Elohim, the Most High God. We walked with Him in our
premortal life. We heard Him speak, witnessed His majesty, learned
His ways.
You
and I participated in a Grand Council where our beloved Father
presented His plan for us—that we would come to earth, receive
mortal bodies, learn to choose between good and evil, and progress in
ways that would not otherwise be possible.
When
we passed through the veil and entered this mortal life, we knew that
we would no longer remember the life before. There would be
opposition and adversity and temptation. But we also knew that
gaining a physical body was of paramount importance for us. Oh, how
we hoped that we would quickly learn to make the correct choices,
withstand the temptations of Satan, and eventually return to our
beloved Parents in Heaven.
We
knew we would sin and make mistakes—perhaps even serious ones. But
we also knew that our Savior, Jesus Christ, had pledged to come to
earth, live a sinless life, and voluntarily lay down His life in an
eternal sacrifice. We knew that if we gave our heart to Him, trusted
Him, and strived with all the energy of our soul to walk in the path
of discipleship, we could be washed clean and once again enter the
presence of our beloved Father in Heaven.
So,
with faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, you and I accepted, by
our free will, Heavenly Father’s plan.
That
is why we are here on this beautiful planet earth—because God
offered us the opportunity, and we chose to accept it. Our mortal
life, however, is only temporary and will end with the death of our
physical body. But the essence of who you and I are will not be
destroyed. Our spirits will continue living and await the
Resurrection—a free gift to all by our loving Heavenly Father and
His Son, Jesus Christ.2 At
the Resurrection, our spirits and bodies will be reunited, free from
pain and physical imperfections.After the Resurrection, there will be
a Day of Judgment. While all will eventually be saved and inherit a
kingdom of glory, those who trust in God and seek to follow His laws
and ordinances will inherit lives in the eternities that are
unimaginable in glory and overwhelming in majesty.
That
Day of Judgment will be a day of mercy and love—a day when broken
hearts are healed, when tears of grief are replaced with tears of
gratitude, when all will be made right.3
Yes,
there will be deep sorrow because of sin. Yes, there will be regrets
and even anguish because of our mistakes, our foolishness, and our
stubbornness that caused us to miss opportunities for a much greater
future.
But
I have confidence that we will not only be satisfied with the
judgment of God; we will also be astonished and overwhelmed by His
infinite grace, mercy, generosity, and love for us, His children. If
our desires and works are good, if we have faith in a living God,
then we can look forward to what Moroni called “the pleasing bar of
the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge.”4
After
the Resurrection, there will be a Day of Judgment. While all will
eventually be saved and inherit a kingdom of glory, those who trust
in God and seek to follow His laws and ordinances will inherit lives
in the eternities that are unimaginable in glory and overwhelming in
majesty.
That
Day of Judgment will be a day of mercy and love—a day when broken
hearts are healed, when tears of grief are replaced with tears of
gratitude, when all will be made right.3
Apply
I
can only echo what President Thomas S. Monson said in 10/16
conference address. The Perfect Plan of Happiness.
We
are blessed to have the
truth. We have a mandate to share the
truth. Let us live the
truth, that we might merit all that the Father has for us. He does
nothing save it be for our benefit. He has told us, “This is my
work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life
of man.”1
Hymns
189-O
thou, Before The World Began
Children
4-
I lived In Heaven
D&C
138: 56 Even
before they were born, they, with many others, received their
first alessons in
the world of spirits and were bprepared to
come forth in the due ctime of
the Lord to labor in his dvineyard for
the salvation of the souls of men.
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