Alma 40

“There is more that I need to say to you Corianton,” Alma continued. “I sense that you are concerned about how the dead will actually be resurrected. There will be no resurrection until after the coming of Jesus Christ. By resurrection I mean the act of becoming immortal. Jesus Christ will bring this resurrection to pass.

“Let me reveal a mystery to you. I have inquired persistently of God to discover the exact nature of how the resurrection will come about. This is what I have learned.

“There is an appointed time when all people will arise from death, but no one except God knows exactly when this event will happen. There may be more than one time when resurrections occur, but it doesn’t matter to me.

“Because all men do not die at once, I asked what would happen with the souls of men between the time of death and the time of resurrection? I was told by an angel that the spirits of men who die, whether they were good or evil, are taken from their bodies and returned to the God who created them.

“Those who were righteous are received into a state of happiness called paradise. This is a state of peace, where they can rest from their troubles, cares, and sorrows. Whereas the wicked who lived evil lives have already been claimed by the devil. These people will be cast into darkness despite their weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, to be enslaved by the devil. From then until the time of the resurrection these people’s souls will exist in darkness, in dread of God’s awful anger and fiery indignation. So the souls of the dead wait either in paradise or darkness for the time of resurrection.

“Some people think of this well deserved state of happiness or misery as the first resurrection. I can even admit that it could be viewed so. But the true resurrection happens when all the souls from Adam through the time of Jesus Christ are reunited with their physical bodies. I don’t know whether all the bodies and souls are reunited at once. I do know that those who have died before the resurrection of Jesus Christ will be resurrected before those who die after him. Having given this some thought, I have come to a personal opinion that the bodies and souls of the righteous happen at the same moment of Jesus Christ’s resurrection and ascension into heaven.

“In conclusion I say that there is a time between death and resurrection. The soul resides for this time either in happiness or misery. At the appointed time the souls of the dead will be reunited with their bodies, and brought to stand in judgment before God according to how they’ve lived their lives. These events then fulfill the words of the prophets. The righteous will shine brightly in the kingdom of God. And an awful death comes upon the wicked. They die to all possibility of righteousness because they are unclean. Because no dirty thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven, they are cast out, and consigned to the bitter fruits of their evil earthly lives. They will drink the dregs of a very bitter cup.” [74 BC]