IIn the Bible we find a story of a man named Lazarus. John 11:

Lazarus was more than some nameless blind man, he was loved by Jesus according to scripture. He and his sisters, Martha and Mary, were very good friends of Jesus. They welcomed Jesus to their home in the village of Bethany.

Jesus was not there at the time when Lazarus died some days before the Passover. At the time, Christ was being threatened by Jerusalem's authorities, and had left the area. He was traveling down the ancient road to Jericho when he got the news.

Upon hearing the news of Lazarus' death Jesus found himself some 25 miles from Bethany, a two day journey at best, and yet he did not drop everything (I suppose there is a story there as well, but we will leave that for another time). Jesus spent two more days completing the work there including:

A healing on the sabbath, taught at least two sermons, and 8 parables including the parable of the prodigal son all before he left on the journey back to Bethany and the house of Lazarus.

John's account describes Lazarus' burial as a typical Jewish burial. Wrapped in linen strips, the body of Lazarus was buried the same day he died. His tomb - a cave, was sealed with a stone. His sisters, Martha and Mary had began the customary 30 days of mourning at home. During this time it was customary to receive condolences from their friends and neighbors. Since Bethany was only about two miles from Jerusalem it made it convenient for many to come from the big city and visit.

Jesus had rasied the dead at least twice before. This time was different though. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been dead four days. This is the point, according Jewish tradition, that the spirit had left the body, and at that point decomposition had set in. It was believed that at this point that no trace of the soul remained in the body, there was simply no way to return.

It is not hard to draw from the scriptures that Jesus had in fact waited until this point to return and raise Lazarus from the dead, the nature of this divine act would bear testimony in a way that could not be refuted. Testimony that he was in fact the Messiah, the son of God. He was setting the stage, so as to dramatize for all time one of his greatest teachings; That he was the resurrection and the life, that immortality and eternal life came by him and through him.

Hearing that Jesus was coming up the road, Martha left her home to express her grief to Jesus.

21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

In other words you could have healed him while he was yet sick, or raised him from the dead just shortly after death

22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Martha still has faith that he can be restored.

23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

Martha says yes I understand at the last day he will be resurrected and I believe that, but if you would have just been here I would not have had to wait.

25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

I Am = One of the names used by the savior to declare who he was, and his mission. This bold declaration was given to the religious leaders of his day.<,/span>

"Verily , verily I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58)

In so doing he, announced firmly to the nation of the Jews that he was the very same person who appeared to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses. The same God who labors in behalf of Israel, who will fulfill every assignment given him, and that he un-changable �from eternity to eternity" (D&C 76:4) even

"Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I AM, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins"(D&C 29:1);

Resurrection = What is resurrection? It is not coming to life from death as did Lazarus; it is not ascending to heaven with out tasting death as did Elijah; it is not continuing to live on earth for thousands of years as do John and the three Nephites. It is to rise from mortality to immortality, from corruption to incorruption, to have body and spirit reunite in an inseparable connection so that they can never again be torn apart.

The resurrection is possible because of two events: 1 The fall of Adam; and 2) The redemptive sacrifice of the son of God. We are taught in 1 Cor 15:22 "As in Adam all die; even so in Christ shall all be made alive"

The Life = what kind of life? Through the atonement comes the promise that we can have an eternal life, a life were we can live personally in the presence of God. A life which is available to all who are obedient to his commandments..

John 14: 6

6... I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Believeth in me We must believe in Jesus Christ; which means to have faith in, confidence in him, trust him and we show that by being obedient to his will.

3 Ne. 11: 35

35 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost.

Though he were dead = Adams fall brought mortality for all of us, to this world, meaning that we could come here, receive a body of flesh and blood and be subject to the laws of mortality, part of that law is that some day we will all face temporal or natural death.

The awful terror of death is vanquished by the power of Christ�s redeeming sacrifice, a supreme sacrifice by the son of God that would break the bands of mortality and replace them with immortality, � that we will all live again.

How is that possible we say? I suppose that we cannot really understand all of the ramifications in this existence, but Nephi helps give us some clues in 1 Ne 11:16,26

Nephi was taught of the condenscsion of God by an angel. Which is first that our father in Heaven descended from heaven to produce a son, that Jesus is literally his son, his offspring, the fruit of his body, and as a result Jesus Christ � the son of God inherited the power of immortality, the power to live forever � unending and eternal, the power to unit the body and the spirit again in a resurrected state, Christ voluntary permitted his body and spirit to be separated as an essential part of working out the infinite and eternal atonement. His purpose was to redeem mankind from their sins and provide a way that they (we) might return to live with our father in heaven again someday. His mission was to live a pure and faultless life in mortality, then subject his will entirely to the will of the Father as had been outlined in the grand council in heaven. As we desire to be like him we too will have to completely submit our will to the will of out FATHER IN HEAVEN.

And so Christ�s final act in mortality, the one that required that he lay his life down, wherein he opened the doors of immoralility - by taking his life up again after three days in the tomb.

Yet shall he live. = The saviors words were "After three days I will rise again." On the first day of the week, Sunday, the Lords Day. Hearing the news that the saviors body is gone � Peter and John fear the worst; that wicked men must have stolen the body. They race to the tomb, John who is younger and more fleet a foot arrives first, stoops down, looks in, but does not enter, hesitating as it were to desecrate the sacred spot. Peter, impetuous, bold and dynamic rushes in. John follows. Together they witness the linen strips used to bind the graven body. They are not undone, the resurrected body has passed through them. What they had not before know was confirmed to them, It is true! It is the third day and He is risen.

And how do we know that he lives?

From the Testimonies of those who have seen the savior. To Mary near the sepulcher, to Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus, To Peter in or near Jerusalem, to Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Thomas, and others of the apostles at Jerusalem, at the Sea of Tiberius, and on a mountain in Galilee to the group of 500 near Galilee, and once again at the time of his ascension on the Mount of Olives to his eleven apostles.

From the multitude of Nephites who bore this testament of the resurrected Lord:

15 And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.

16 And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying:

17 Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him. 3 Ne 11

From the prophet Joseph Smith and ...

24" And now after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony. Last of all which we [Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon] give of him: that he lives!

23 For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard a voice bearing record that he is the Only begotten of the Father" D&C 76:24,25

From the modern day prophet and quorum of twelve apostles ...

"�We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles�that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal son of God"�

"�He rose from the grave to "become the first fruits of them that slept" (1 Corinthians 15:20). As Risen Lord, He visited among those He had loved in life. He also ministered among His "other sheep" (John 10:16) in ancient America. In the modern world, He and His Father appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, ushering in the long-promised "dispensation of the fullness of times" (Ephesians 1:10)�"

"�He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. "

THE FIRST PRESIDENCY & THE QUORUM OF THE TWELVE

And I humbly add my testimony that he lives ...