Mortality and Being Transformed into the Image of the Son - Alma 41-45

​This week in our review of the Book of Mormon we’ll review chapters 41 to 45, but focus on chapter 42 where Alma teaches about the Fall of Adam and Eve, and man’s mortal sojourn.  The primary idea that we see in here in chapter 42 is that man, through the Fall of Adam and Eve, received a carnal nature – he became carnal, sensual and devilish – v10, and the time during mortality is a time to repent of this carnal nature.  In fact, the Book of Mormon seems to have as its central focus the theme of Yeshua’s redemption of man from Adam and Eve’s fall throughout the Book of Mormon.  However, this week we’ll ramp-up our view mortality and consider that it is a time of transformation to reach the full measure of the stature of Messiah.

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Overview of the Process of Transformation
When we consider that mortality is really a time to become like God, v3 - it is a process of transformation. This concept of transformation is set out in Eph 4 where Paul admonishes Believers to reach the full measure of the stature of Messiah/Christ  - a phrase that I never heard in my previous faith system. That process of transformation can be summarized as follows.

THE PROCESS OF TRANSFORMATION Reaching the Full Measure of the Stature of Messiah

Creation/Fall

Mortality

Post-Mortality

​Receives a Spirit Body

Receives Physical Body

​Physical Body becomes mortal.

​Overcomes Universal Sin Accepts Yeshua’s redemption from the sin of Adam/Eve

​Overcomes Personal Sin Lives God’s Law-Word in the Torah

​Overcomes Inherited Sin Cultivates Messianic attributes­­ Are Proxy-Saviors

Suffers unto death Receives Godly Power

Creator of a Physical World. Dies for the Sins of a World

​Obtains the Power of the Resurrection

Overcoming Universal Sin
By and large overcoming the Universal Sin of Adam and Eve is where the Book of Mormon spends most of its time.  Universal Sin refers to the temporal and spiritual death that we see here mention in chapter 42 – v7, which is a result of Adam and Eve partaking of the forbidden fruit and falling from the presence of God or being ejected from paradise.  When we accept Yeshua/Jesus as the Redeemer of all mankind and commit to living God’s seven basic laws for all Humanity, we qualify for the redemption from Universal Sin through the Messianic Covenant or the Atonement, Death and Resurrection of Yeshua.  The Sign of this Covenant are the Nail Prints in the hands and feet of Yeshua. 

MORTALITY

Overcomes Universal Sin
​Messianic Covenant Sign: Nail Prints
Noahide Laws
Redemption

Overcoming Personal Sin
Our next stage of transformation during mortality is to overcome Personal Sin.  Personal Sin is defined in the Law that God gave to Moses.  Though Yeshua taught on what the condition of our hearts should be, the Torah defines what our actions should be.  By obeying God’s Law-Word in the Torah, we live what the Apostle Paul taught as the Law of the Spirit. Further, we see that God’s people during the Endtimes will have the kind of heart that will live God’s Law-Word in the Torah – Jeremiah 31:33.  By obeying the Law that God gave to Israel, we overcome Personal Sin.  The covenants that we see here are the Abrahamic, Threshold, Priesthood and Sinai Covenants with the signs of circumcision, God’s Name, the Altar and honor the seventh-day Sabbath respectively.  Here we reach being Sanctified.

MORTALITY

Overcomes Universal Sin	Overcomes Personal Sin
​Messianic Covenant Sign: Nail Prints	Abrahamic Covenant ​Sign: Circumcision Threshold Covenant Sign: Name of God Priesthood Covenant Sign: Altar ​ Sinai Covenant Sign: Seventh-day Sabbath
Noahide Laws	Sinai Laws
Redemption	Sanctification

Overcomes Inherited Sin and Perfection
Next, we overcome the sins or disfunctions passed down from our progenitors.  We see this in the scriptures where the sins of our ancestors are visited upon the third and four generations – Numbers 14;18.  But to achieve perfection also requires marriage, receiving a fullness of knowledge and cultivating the seven attributes of Messiah.  The key covenant is the Davidic Covenant  where right to rule is passed from father to son as we saw with King Benjamin, which includes the office of the High Priest.  Having reached perfection, these can function as proxy-Saviors.

MORTALITY

Overcomes Universal Sin	Overcomes Personal Sin	Overcomes Inherited Sin and Perfection
​Messianic Covenant Sign: Nail Prints	Abrahamic Covenant ​Sign: Circumcision Threshold Covenant Sign: Name of God Priesthood Covenant Sign: Altar ​ Sinai Covenant Sign: Seventh-day Sabbath	Davidic Covenant Sign: White Robe
Noahide Laws	Sinaide Laws	Davidide Laws
Redemption	Sanctification	Exaltation

Obtaining God’s Power
Our last stage that we can reach in mortality is to obtain God’s power by demonstrating our absolute loyalty to Him by being tested unto death. Those who reach this level of faithfulness God entrusts with His power. These receive the power to seal or bind actions with Heaven and the covenant sign is the mount/tabernacle/temple.  We see God’s 144,000 servants reach this level.

MORTALITY

Overcomes Universal Sin	Overcomes Personal Sin	Overcomes Inherited Sin and Perfection	Obtains God's Power
​Messianic Covenant Sign: Nail Prints	Abrahamic Covenant ​Sign: Circumcision Threshold Covenant Sign: Name of God Priesthood Covenant Sign: Altar ​ Sinai Covenant Sign: Seventh-day Sabbath	Davidic Covenant Sign: White Robe	Enochic Covenant (sealing power) Sign: temple
Noahide Laws	Sinaide Laws	Davidide Laws	Davidide Laws ​Suffers unto death
Redemption	Sanctification	Exaltation	Exaltation ​(Joint-Heirs)

Isaiah’s Endtime Temple
We can now take this process of transformation and apply it to the temple that Isaiah refers to in chapter 2 verse 3 where he states that he may instruct us in his ways, that we may follow in his paths. that temple would look like this.

TEMPLE

Outer Court	Inner Court/Holy Place	Holy of Holies
Redemption	Sanctification	Exaltation
Messianic Covenant Sign: Nail Prints	​Abrahamic Covenant ​Sign: Circumcision Threshold Covenant Sign: Name of God Priesthood Covenant Sign: Altar ​ Sinai Covenant Sign: Seventh-day Sabbath	Davidic Covenant Sign: White Robe ​Enochic Covenant (sealing power) Sign: temple
​Noahide Laws	Sinaide Laws	Davidide Laws