And they all spake, save it were three, saying: We desire that after we have lived unto the age of man, that our ministry, wherein thou hast called us, may have an end, that we may speedily come unto thee in thy kingdom.
And he said unto them: Blessed are ye because ye desired this thing of me; therefore, after that ye are seventy and two years old ye shall come unto me in my kingdom; and with me ye shall find rest.
And when he had spoken unto them, he turned himself unto the three, and said unto them: What will ye that I should do unto you, when I am gone unto the Father?
And they sorrowed in their hearts, for they durst not speak unto him the thing which they desired.
And he said unto them: Behold, I know your thoughts, and ye have desired the thing which John, my beloved, who was with me in my ministry, before that I was lifted up by the Jews, desired of me. Therefore, more blessed are ye, for ye shall never taste of death; but ye shall live to behold all the doings of the Father unto the children of men, even until all things shall be fulfilled according to the will of the Father, when I shall come in my glory with the powers of heaven. And ye shall never endure the pains of death; but when I shall come in my glory ye shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye from mortality to immortality; and then shall ye be blessed in the kingdom of my Father. And again, ye shall not have pain while ye shall dwell in the flesh, neither sorrow save it be for the sins of the world; and all this will I do because of the thing which ye have desired of me, for ye have desired that ye might bring the souls of men unto me, while the world shall stand. (verses 1 - 9)
Translated Beings
Mark McConkie defines translated beings as "a unique class of beings, persons whom the Lord has "translated" or changed from a mortal state to one in which they are temporarily not subject to death, and in which they experience neither pain nor sorrow except for the sins of the world. Such beings appear to have much greater power than mortals. All translated beings will eventually experience physical death and resurrection (Mormon Doctrine, p. 807-808). Translation is a necessary condition in special instances to further the work of the Lord." [1]
Other translated being include Enoch and his people (Gen. 5:22-24; Heb. 11:5); Moses ("buried" by the Lord and none could find his tomb, see Deuteronomy 34:6); Elijah (went to heaven in a chariot of fire, 2 Kings 2:11); and John, the Beloved Apostle of Jesus Christ.
Translated beings are not resurrected, but changed in such a way as to allow them to retain their bodies to fulfill some mission ordained by God. For example, Elijah and Moses both appeared in their translated state upon the Mount of Transfiguration to pass on their priesthood keys. In this last dispensation, they again appeared for the same purpose in the Kirtland Temple. I do not know the specific missions of the Three Nephites or John the Beloved, but when people say that "angels" walk among us, they may not know how true that can be.
Text copyright January 2014, Gebara Education
Pictures from www.lds.org
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Book cover from www.goodread.com
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