Resting with dear ones in God's kingdom

Wendy and I had an experience a few days ago, one that happens occasionally while studying the scriptures together with someone else, in which our thoughts and understandings leapfrogged forward together from idea to idea to give us important and delicious insights into gospel truths. This spiritual awakening centered around our understanding and application of the term “entering into the rest of God.”

Wendy was driving the car and I was reading a conferences talk aloud, specifically the April 2010 Priesthood Session talk by Elder Rasband about missionary work (THE DIVINE CALL OF A MISSIONARY, Elder Ronald A. Rasband). He concluded by citing the Lord’s answer to a question raised by the Whitmer brothers to the prophet Joseph: “For many times you have desired of me to know that which would be of the most worth unto you. And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father.” (Doctrine and Covenants 15:6; 16:6)

Wendy recalled a scriptural insight that I had shared just prior to our leaving for our mission, while working in the Provo temple. I had been assigned that month to work at the veil for a period of a couple of hours. This means that I, along with a number of other brethren, would need to be available to help patrons come through the veil at the end of each endowment session. In the Provo temple, these sessions are scheduled to end about 20 minutes apart. Typically it takes about 8-10 minutes to do this work for each session; then the workers sit together along a back hall waiting for the next session to finish. There are copies of the Book of Mormon available to study while waiting. I found that it was profitable to come back to the same scripture over and over during these brief periods of study.

I had been reading repetitively from Alma chapter 13 (actually 12:26 through the end of 13) over the course of several days and session breaks, when a new meaning came to me regarding the idea of the “rest of God.” This was a chapter whose meaning had always seemed obscure to me, but this new insight opened to me significant understandings not previously available. The insight was this: I had always assumed that the concept of entering into God’s rest referred to being saved in the kingdom of heaven after this life is over. (Alma 13:29 gives this meaning clearly.) The thought came to me that this phrase might have an additional meaning that pertains to this life–the here and now. I got this insight particularly from verse 6, where the prophet Alma is stating how men qualify for the priesthood. Their purpose in the priesthood is to teach others the commandments of God that these persons may enter into God’s rest, just as they themselves have already experienced this state: "And thus being called by this holy calling, and ordained unto the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they also might enter into his rest." (Alma 13:6)

The word “also” is the key, which communicates the truth that you cannot give someone else something that you do not already have. In this case, it seems that a man must have already “entered into the rest of God” in order to qualify to receive the priesthood and to be able to teach others those things that would qualify them to ALSO enter into God’s rest.

What might it mean then, to enter into God’s rest in a temporal sense? Scattered through Alma chapters 12 and 13 seem to be descriptions of this state:
“have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins” (12:34)
[have received a] “preparatory redemption” (13:3)
“being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God” (13:12)
“establish peace in the land” (13:18)
“be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering; Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts” (13:28-29)

A person entering into this temporal state of rest appears to be having experienced something of the redemptive power of the Savior, knowing a forgiveness of sins and experiencing the Spirit’s peace, joy, and love.

But what does it mean to “rest” with someone else in God’s kingdom in this temporal sense, as noted in the Lord’s instruction to the Whitmers? Wendy and I considered the added joys to be had when experiencing these blessings mutually with persons you have helped to become converted to the Gospel. We though of our love for Todd and Tabatha and their love for us and how we felt when with them. We mentioned how easy the relationship felt, the lack of stress or tension as we interacted, that a perfect unity seemed to exist, a “happy reunion and sweetest communion.” (The Day Dawn is Breaking, hymnal, p. 52)

We noted Alma’s joyful reunion with the sons of Mosiah as they were returning from 14 years of missionary work among the Lamanites: “Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren: and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth...” (Alma 17:2) These missionaries also rejoiced in their relationships with their Lamanite converts: ”Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name... For if we had not come up out of the land of Zarahemla, these our dearly beloved brethren, who have so dearly beloved us, would still... have been strangers to God.” (Alma 26:8-9)

Wendy and I then shared this insight, “We have this kind of secure, loving, joyful unity with many others.” We started to name some–other people in Mt. Zion and from previous wards and from our temple callings, our Lewis sons and daughters and their spouses and older children, Wendy’s siblings and their spouses, my sister Dorothy, many of the missionaries both young and senior with whom we served in North Carolina, etc.

We are grateful for these spiritual insights, but more especially, the opportunity to live out their application in our relationships with many wonderful people.