Timing of the Resurrection

Continuing from yesterday’s thoughts about Alma 40, another subject that I struggle a bit to understand fully is Alma’s discussion about the timing of the resurrection.  It’s a topic that is less important than understanding what the resurrection is and how universal it will be, but Alma thought it important enough to teach Corianton about it.  He spoke of the “first resurrection” and said that “it meaneth the reuniting of the soul with the body, of those from the days of Adam down to the resurrection of Christ.”  Speaking of those who would die before Christ came to earth in mortality, Alma continued, “Whether the souls and the bodies of those of whom has been spoken shall all be reunited at once, the wicked as well as the righteous, I do not say; let it suffice, that I say that they all come forth; or in other words, their resurrection cometh to pass before the resurrection of those who die after the resurrection of Christ” (Alma 40:17-19).  The most straightforward interpretation of this as I read it is that anyone who died before the resurrection of Christ will themselves be resurrected before anyone who died after the resurrection of Christ. 

               There are problems, though, with that interpretation of Alma’s statement.  From other sources it is generally my understanding that those who are wicked (no matter when they lived) are to be resurrected last, not those who died before the resurrection of Christ.  For example, in the Doctrine and Covenants we read this description of the wicked (presumably those of the telestial kingdom): “And again, another trump shall sound, which is the third trump; and then come the spirits of men who are to be judged, and are found under condemnation; And these are the rest of the dead; and they live not again until the thousand years are ended, neither again, until the end of the earth” (D&C 88:100-101).  This suggests that the wicked will not be resurrected until after the Millennium, and they will be the last group to be raised up.  Elder McConkie put it this way: “Those coming forth in the morning of this resurrection do so with celestial bodies and shall inherit a celestial glory; these are they who are Christ’s the firstfruits. Those coming forth in the afternoon of this resurrection do so with terrestrial bodies and consequently shall inherit that kingdom; they are described as being Christ’s at this coming.  All who have been resurrected so far have received celestial bodies; the coming forth of terrestrial beings does not commence until after the Second Coming.”  The ordering of the resurrection according to him is clearly by kingdom and not by time. 

               So how do we understand Alma’s teaching of Alma 40:19?  He hinted at a possible ordering of the resurrection for the righteous and wicked when he said that he wasn’t sure whether the two groups would be “reunited at once.”  But the statement “their resurrection cometh to pass before the resurrection of those who die after the resurrection of Christ” seems to suggest that the wicked person who died before Christ would be resurrected before the righteous person who lived after.  I’m not sure I know exactly how to resolve this apparent contradiction, but perhaps we can take Alma’s statement to mean that the righteous who died before Christ will be resurrected before the righteous who lived after Christ, and that the wicked who lived before Christ will be resurrected before the wicked who live after Christ (with no necessary comparison between the two groups).  That’s the only way I can see compatibility between this verse and D&C 88.  Of course, the important part is simply that, as Alma said, “they all come forth.”  We will all be resurrected, and understanding the timing of that resurrection is much less important than understanding that it is through Christ and His sacrifice and resurrection that we will be lifted up at the last day.