Eternal Praise to the King Immanuel

In the letter Joseph Smith wrote to the Saints about baptisms for the dead he quoted again this famous verse from Malachi: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” This highlights one of the reasons for the urgency to perform this great work: Elijah’s coming was to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers before the Lord returns to the earth. If that doesn’t happen, then a curse will be upon the earth. The appearance of Elijah in 1836 with the keys to this work of salvation for the dead is a signal that we need prepare for that great and dreadful day by turning to our ancestors. Joseph emphasized this connection between the return of the Savior and the work we are seeking to do for our dead again in the letter: “Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation” (Doctrine and Covenants 128:17, 24). We must prepare that most glorious book, recording all the ordinances of salvation performed for the dead, to hand over to the Savior when He comes again.

               In our enthusiasm for the incredible doctrine of baptisms for the dead we might sometimes overlook the intricate connection it has with the Savior: the work is focused on Him. Not only do we perform it in anticipation of His return, but it is a recognition of His great plan for the salvation of the human race. It is because of His great vicarious sacrifice that we can perform these vicarious ordinances for our deceased ancestors. Joseph recognized this and rejoiced in that great plan of salvation given us by the Savior: “Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.” His joy was overflowing as he continued to rejoice in the Lord’s goodness shown through the principle of baptisms for the dead: “Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!” I love that language! This work for baptism for the dead is all about the salvation of the Lord, offered by the merciful plan of our Father and the great atoning sacrifice of His son. We can rejoice with all the creations of God that He has declared a way for all prisoners to go free and be given salvation and honor and immortality and eternal life through Jesus Christ. We can rejoice in the Savior with Jacob: “O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel! For he delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil, and death, and hell” (2 Nephi 9:19). As we participate in the ordinances of salvation in the temple, our hearts should be turned to Him who made it possible and whom we eagerly await to return.