Week 14: Revelation 16-22

Revelation 20:3-6 reads, "...Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said [...] I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." Needless to say with the events that occurred early today at the Boston Marathon, my heart is aching for those who are suffering, emotionally or physically or both. Life is so fragile. It is so important to treasure each moment we are given on this earth, for when we live on a planet where every man has been granted agency, our lives are often subject to the consequences of others' choices. This scripture is a blanket of comfort in a time of fear and doubt. The Almighty God and our Heavenly Mother look down on their children and know each by name. They know the fears, the anxieties, the insecurities, and stresses of life that plague each child. And because the Savior came and suffered all, we have a friend who can wipe away our tears and say, "I know what you're feeling." On top of that, we know that after this mortal existence, there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. This is doctrine. When each of us reaches our time to enter into God's rest, it truly will be a state of comfort and relief from worldly burdens and limitations. The eternal perspective these verses of scripture provide are a needed balm for the wounds inflicted by the events of our day, and I am so, so thankful for them.

Week 12: Hebrews 8-13 & the Epistle of James

     Paul is my favorite. In this class, I have learned more than I ever knew was possible in regards to the depth of the Savior's role in performing the Atonement. I thought I knew enough to be satisfied with my awareness of the purpose of the Atonement, but each and every lecture deepens my understanding, sparks new questions in my head, but most of all completely humbles and subdues me with the power, reality, and intimacy of the sacrifice performed. I've most appreciated this while we've been in the epistles of Paul. No one has helped me more in comprehending the complete beauty of the sacrifice Christ performed to satisfy justice on our behalf.

     In the epistle to the Hebrews, Paul mentions the law of sacrifice often. This is not a surprise, since such laws were preparatory for and symbolic of Heavenly Father's pending sacrifice of his Only Begotten for us. In many of his epistles, Paul is trying to convince his audience that such laws are now obsolete and have been replaced by the sacrifice for which they were first established - the sacrifice of the Savior's life. Brother Griffin made sure to explain in detail the process that was required with animal sacrifice so that we could understand each verse connecting it with Christ's Atonement. Here's something I did not know: before the sacrificial animal was killed, the performer of the sacrifice laid his hands on its head, transferring his own sins "into" the animal, and therefore ridding himself of blemish when the now sinful animal was killed. This fact stunned me. What an incredibly real parallel to Christ's purpose in performing the Atonement, for he literally took our sins onto himself and was slain, thus satisfying the laws of justice, or the requirement that a sinner must suffer and be punished eternally for his sins. Because of Christ, that suffering is no longer required of us; it has already been suffered. What we do have to do is have faith that the suffering has already been paid, and ask for the forgiveness for that sin. The literalness of the parallel between animal sacrifice and the Atonement was so humbling to me. My little human mind cannot wrap around the love the Savior showed for me personally when he suffered for each of my sins. The Atonement is the most beautiful thing. I don't think I'll ever find the words to express how thankful I am for it, for I still can't completely understand it. What I do know is that my salvation and ability to live with my Father again is completely dependent on it and on He who performed it.