2 Nephi 32-33

(February 11, 2014)
I am not really convinced that my understanding of the Final Judgment is really accurate.  Whether it be bias, culture, or the simple fact that I am an attorney, I have always envisioned a bit of a courtroom setting for this Judgment.  I envisioned the Father as the Judge, Christ as my Advocate, and the Devil (Diablos – the accuser) as the prosecutor.  I have the same irrational desire that everyone else has had, at one time or another, that on my particular day of Judgment God will be in a especially good mood, or will be feeling more merciful than is usual, and because of these fortunate circumstances I somehow slip through the cracks and make it into Eternal Life.

Now that is said somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but there is a lot of my actual beliefs in that above paragraph.  But I doubt that it is very accurate.  In fact, I don’t particularly know whether we will know if and when we are Judged, and what the Judgment is that applies to others.  I could envision a scenario where we live amongst Terrestrial and Telestial people, and they would not know what our work and our glory is as we live a Celestial life.  The longer I go throughout my life, the less certain I am as to the things that I know – or think I know – about how things actually are or how they will be after death.

But, ultimately, Nephi’s language is appropriate.  After all, we will be in a position of being Judged in some way or another (perhaps in the same sense that we are judged each and every time we try an action by the failure or success of that judgment).  We must prepare for that Judgment, we must enter at the gate, endure to the end, and give ourselves over to the only One who can possibly save us.  Whatever form our Final Judgment takes, we will pass it if we are Christ’s, and we will fail it if we are our own.  Beyond that, we can just wait for that day to come, and prepare ourselves for it.