Before the Judgment Bar

One of the emphatic messages of the Book of Mormon is that we will all come before God to be judged of our works. Each of the major writers of the Book of Mormon testified that we would all one day face the judgment bar of God to account for our actions.  For example, Nephi wrote this, “Therefore remember, O man, for all thy doings thou shalt be brought into judgment. Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of your probation, then ye are found unclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever” (1 Nephi 10:20-21).   He further testified that we would “stand face to face” with Nephi before God’s bar.  In the very last thing he wrote he testified that we will indeed be “at the judgment bar” one day in the future (2 Nephi 33:11, 15).

               Jacob, Mormon, and Moroni also similarly testified of the certainly of our judgment before God.  Jacob taught, “And it shall come to pass that when all men shall have passed from this first death unto life, insomuch as they have become immortal, they must appear before the judgment-seat of the Holy One of Israel; and then cometh the judgment, and then must they be judged according to the holy judgment of God” (2 Nephi 9:15).  He warned the wicked that they would “stand with shame and awful guilt before the bar of God” if they did not repent (Jacob 6:9).  He showed that he believed this even for himself when he explained one of the reasons he diligently taught the people: “And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day” (Jacob 1:19).  He knew that he would come before God one day and stand accountable for his calling to teach the Nephites.  Mormon testified that Christ “bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his judgment-seat” (Mormon 7:6).  He stated in no uncertain terms the universality of the requirement, “And for this cause I write unto you, that ye may know that ye must all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, yea, every soul who belongs to the whole human family of Adam; and ye must stand to be judged of your works, whether they be good or evil” (Mormon 3:28).  Moroni similarly declared, “When the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar” (Mormon 9:13).  He reaffirmed in the very final verse of the Book of Mormon, “I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead” (Moroni 10:34).  From beginning to end the Book of Mormon stands as a witness that we must make an accounting of our actions here on earth before God at His judgment bar.  Though many live on this earth as if no such day of judgment will come, the prophets of the Book of Mormon unanimously attest to us that we must prepare for that day.