As mortal beings, what are the major threats to our happiness and peace? The Book of Mormon prophet Jacob provides an interesting and powerful metaphor to answer this question. He suggests that we are menaced by an “awful monster” called “death and hell”, which involves “the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.” (2 Ne 9:10) This is a single monster, but it seems to have two or more components or perhaps heads. I am suggesting that this monster is at least three-headed, following the instruction provided by Elder Oaks in the October 2015 General Conference, that we all have an intuitive awareness of the threat posed by each of these manifestations, and that the Gospel plan of happiness provides complete and total remedies through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
The three threatening heads of the awful monster:
1) The first threatening head has to do with our mortality. We all will die. Physical death will also overtake those with whom we have caring and valued relationships. Most persons fight with all their might to retain mortal life. And death suggests tragic loses and wasting of our experiences. There is so much that we have learned. And also there are those we love. These relationships often represent our best and happiest achievements, the things that we hold most dear and precious. Mortality puts this all at risk and we feel this threat.
2) The second threatening head derives from our human weaknesses and failures, the tendency which we share with all humanity to not always live up to our best. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” We sense that we are not all clean, and that we are subject to an over-riding justice that demands compensation.
3) The third threatening head on the monster has to do with coping with challenges, suffering, and injustices of this world, typically not of our making (pains, sickness, fears, afflictions, trials, persecution, tribulations, opposition, tests, sorrow, trouble, unfairness, incompleteness, betrayals, etc.). As Elder Oaks describes: “
“We and those we love suffer sickness. At some time each of us also experiences pain from traumatic injuries or from other physical or mental difficulties. All of us suffer and grieve in connection with the death of a loved one. We all experience failure in our personal responsibilities, our family relationships, or our occupations.
“When a spouse or a child rejects what we know to be true and strays from the path of righteousness, we experience particularly stressful pain, just like the father of the prodigal son in Jesus’s memorable parable (see Luke 15:11–32).
“I am still speaking of mortal infirmities not caused by our sins. Some are born with physical or mental disabilities that cause personal suffering for them and struggles for those who love and care for them. For many, the infirmity of depression is painful or permanently disabling. Another painful affliction is the circumstance of singleness...
“Few disabilities are more crippling to our temporal or spiritual lives than addictions. Some of these... are likely to have been caused by sinful behavior. Even when that behavior has been repented of, the addiction may remain.” (Elder Dallen H. Oaks, “Strengthened by the Atonement of Christ,”October 2015 General Conference address)
Another way of describing the third threatening head, as the Givens have pointed out, is that there is a fundamental uncertainty about this life, “that leaves lingering questions and points of disjunction and conflict..., there is no escaping our fragmentary grasp on the deepest truths of our predicament” (“The Crucible of Doubt: Reflections on the Quest for Faith”, Chapter 2).
Although there are many satisfactions in our mortal lives, we all still must face an existence that contains much that unfair and unknown.
Defeating the awful three-headed monster/Remedies through the atonement of Jesus Christ:
1) Christ’s resurrection has overcome physical death for all.
"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
"For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
"So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:51-55)
“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...
“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...” (Alma 11:43-44)
2) Christ’s suffering pays the price of our sins, as we repent:
"And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them.
"And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.
"And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them. (Mosiah 4:1-3)
3) Christ will heal or provide compensation for every human affliction
Elder Oaks summarizes:
“Alma described this part of the Savior’s Atonement: “And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people” (Alma 7:11; also see 2 Nephi 9:21).
“Think of it! In the Savior’s Atonement, He suffered “pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind.” As President Boyd K. Packer explained: “He had no debt to pay. He had committed no wrong. Nevertheless, an accumulation of all of the guilt, the grief and sorrow, the pain and humiliation, all of the mental, emotional, and physical torments known to man—He experienced them all.”
“Why did He suffer these mortal challenges “of every kind”? Alma explained, “And he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:12).
“At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus explained that He was sent “to heal the brokenhearted” (Luke 4:18). The Bible often tells us of His healing people “of their infirmities” (Luke 5:15; 7:21). The Book of Mormon records His healing those “that were afflicted in any manner” (3 Nephi 17:9). The Gospel of Matthew explains that Jesus healed the people “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:17).
“Isaiah taught that the Messiah would bear our “griefs” and our “sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4). Isaiah also taught of His strengthening us: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee” (Isaiah 41:10).
“Thus, we sing:
Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, …
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
“Speaking of some of his own mortal challenges, the Apostle Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).
“And so we see that because of His Atonement, the Savior has the power to succor—to help—every mortal pain and affliction.” (Elder Dallen H. Oaks, “Strengthened by the Atonement of Christ,”October 2015 General Conference address)
How does this healing or help come?
• Sometimes His power heals an infirmity.
• Sometimes He succors or helps by giving us the strength or patience to endure our infirmities.
• He always provides the compensation for our loss or deprivation, sometimes in this life and sometimes in the life to come.
So, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and conquers and defeats the awful three-headed monster.
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