The First Resurrection - Part II

---

“[B]ut this much I say, that there is a space between death and the resurrection of the body, and a state of the soul in happiness or in misery until the time which is appointed of God that the dead shall come forth, and be reunited, both soul and body, and be brought to stand before God, and be judged according to their works.”

Alma 40:21

---

Porter sat straight up in his sleeping bag, sweat drenching him from head to foot. He placed his face in the palms of his hands then reached over for his water bottle, guzzling down a few big gulps to ease his anxiety. He turned his head to look at Cecilia who was still sleeping a foot away.

The missing chunk from her ear always stood out to him now. It had been 3 months since their brush with the creatures near the gas station. And he blamed himself for not having been more careful. He should’ve pushed them to just move on instead of checking for supplies. They would’ve been much better off without those few cans of food. And with their bodies still intact. Cecilia still had a slight limp in her left leg. It had hampered their progress, but she had been stoic and pressed on without complaint.

The image of the abomination they had encountered was seared into Porter's mind. Hardly a night went by where he didn’t wake up after seeing it in his dreams. The way the improper bones connected together, the way the flesh of the creature hung in midair, mocking the laws of physics with its ungodly appearance. The random bits of hair floating above those disembodied eyes.

Most of all, he remembered how it felt to have part of him ripped away. Given to another without his consent. Feeling as though that piece of him belonged to that creature. As if that part of him longed to go back to its true home. He had been nothing but a detour. A temporary owner.

He felt at the tip of his nose, which now was flat and looked as though someone had erased it. He looked unnatural now. Every time he caught a glimpse of his reflection he couldn’t help but wonder where that creature was now. And if there was more of that creature living within his cells.

He got up and exited the tent they had set up. Today was the day they would finally reach Independence. Today was the day they should finally be safe. He packed up the few things they had and waited until dawn, staring at the night sky and rolling hills as he waited for the clock to tick by. Once the sun was up, he started breakfast. Before long Cecilia emerged from the tent as well.

They recently could go days without speaking to each other. He often felt as if they had nothing to say. He imagined she felt the same way. They ate their breakfast in silence, then packed up the tent.

As they did, Cecilia finally broke the ice.

“Well, we might not need this thing anymore, if this place is really what we think it is.”

“That’s true… probably worth holding onto it for now though, just in case.” Porter replied

“Yeah, still not holding my breath. But I hope you are right. I hope this is the end of it all.”

“Not much else we have left to hope for.”

***

They had been following the Missouri River ever since they hit St. Louis. Now they were approaching the outskirts of Kansas City. Independence was just due east of there and south of the river. Porter pulled out a map periodically as they went along the river bank. They finally came across an old abandoned playground. A rusted over sign by the swing set read LaBenite Park. Porter’s map showed that they were only a few miles north of downtown Independence now.

As they crested a large hill, Cecilia pointed out in the distance. “What is that?” she asked.

Porter followed her gaze. A dozen miles away, there appeared to be a massive white structure. It looked more like a complex than it did a single building. In the middle, a massive white spire rose up to the heavens. It was held up by a building that was pristine white and made of stone. Twelve smaller spires circled the massive spire, each similarly crowning a white stoned building. It looked almost like a web of interconnected buildings. With one massive Cathedral in the center, and twelve smaller cathedrals circling it. It was unlike anything they had ever seen before.

“Well, something is definitely going on here.” Porter said. “Might not need that tent after all.”

They stopped checking the map as they started walking directly towards the giant complex. As they got closer and closer, they realized it was even more massive than it had seemed from a distance. Eventually, they reached one of the outer edges of one of the surrounding smaller annex buildings. Someone had taken the time to landscape the area surrounding the complex with an array of flowers, bushes and other finishing touches that most people would never give two thoughts to bothering with these days. Two large wooden doors led the way into the exterior building.

They walked up a set of large steps towards the building. This exterior building was so large that they could no longer see the even bigger central building with its spire at all. The building’s exterior wall was at least 4 stories high. They still hadn’t seen another soul. They reached the wooden doors, then pushed them open.

Inside the building was a two story high room. White walls and furniture decorated a lavish looking waiting room. An older gentleman, with neat white hair that matched the decor, stood behind a desk at the end of the waiting area. On both sides of him stood two long hallways that had more white decor lining their walls.

The man smiled at them as they approached the desk trepidatiously. Once they reached the desk, he spoke to them in a soft whisper.

“Welcome to the temple. May I see your recommends?” he asked.

“Our what? Wait, what is…” Porter began.

“Please whisper,” the man said “when you are in the House of the Lord.”

Porter scrunched his face into a look of bewilderment. “Sorry…” he finally said in a hushed tone. “But, what exactly is this place? We don’t have any recommends, whatever that is.”

“Oh, I see.” The man frowned. “Well unfortunately I can’t let you in without a recommend. We do have a visitors center. They are better equipped to answer your questions there.”

“Do you… do you know what is happening in the world out there? What is this place? You understand that the world has collapsed, right?” Cecilia asked.

“It’s only collapsed for the wicked, the righteous, well, we are living a higher law now. That being said, anyone is always welcome to join us. We can answer any questions you have at the visitors center. Please, let me direct you there.” He waved his hands gently, and suddenly two arms grabbed Porter from behind. He looked over at Cecilia. Two men in white suits had appeared beside her and were similarly holding her arms. They carried them away from the desk back outside the building.

A small golf cart sat at the base of the steps. The men finally let them go, then pointed at the cart. Cecilia and Porter looked at each other. Her eyes seemed to ask him ‘should we make a break for it?’. Porter shook his head softly, then got in the back of the cart. One of the men sat down beside him. The other man and Cecilia took their places in the front of the cart. Within a second they were zooming along the outside of the building.

They passed by several other large wooden entrances into the different exterior buildings until finally they saw a smaller building that was unattached to the rest of the complex. It had a stone sign that had “Visitors Welcome” embossed in gold in front of it. The man driving came to a stop, then directed them towards the doors.

They got out of the cart, then nervously made their way up the steps. Once again they entered to find a beautifully furnished space. The furniture and decor was much more colorful here. A woman in a flower patterned dress stood at one wall and immediately spoke up to greet them.

“Hello! It’s been a minute since we had visitors. Thank you for visiting the House of the Lord today.”

“Uh, hi.” Cecilia said. “Sorry, but, we don’t really know what's going on here. We’d heard this was some sort of safe haven. Free from the creatures out there. The ones that appeared when, you know, the world as we know it ended? We saw this building from a distance. Someone asked us for something called a recommend. Then we were forced into this building. Could you please explain to us what is going on?”

“Well, some people say the world ended.” The woman in the flower dress responded. “But we like to think of it as the world finally beginning. We try not to worry about the world here at the temple. Instead try to focus on Celestial things, on doing the Lord’s work. I know you might not fully understand, but the work we are doing is very important. It is the work of redeeming our dead.”

“Well, that’s all fine and good. We respect your choice to do what you please. I think we would just like to go.” Porter said.

“Unfortunately, that’s not quite an option for you at this moment.” she replied. “You see, we are all engaged in this work whether we know it or not. And the Lord has a plan for each of us. We know that those led here are led by the Spirit. Those that have a recommend, they do the important work inside the temple to redeem the dead. Those who don’t, well, they are able to help in different ways.”

“But we…”

“We all have a part to play in building up the kingdom of God. Please, take a seat. We have a presentation that will explain everything.”

Porter turned back to look at the doors they had come through. The two escorts that had brought them to the visitors center stood at the doors, their arms folded intimidatingly.

Porter turned back around, then sunk into one of the armchairs the woman was gesturing to. Cecilia took a seat next to him.

The lights dimmed and a projector from the ceiling turned on, illuminating the wall in front of them. Gentle music started playing as they observed a montage of images from the world. Famous landmarks flashed across the screen, along with clips of people from around the world. Finally it showed a white building, similar to the complex they had seen, though it was much smaller. The voice of a narrator started speaking.

“For over 200 years, temples have blessed the children of God here on the earth. These temples have been dedicated to the Lord so that His children may gather there to perform ordinances for themselves and for the dead.”

A picture of children playing came on the screen.

“Through these ordinances, the gift of eternal salvation can be made available to all peoples of the earth. Both those alive now, and all those who came before.”

A family sat enjoying a picnic in a park.

“The beginning of the Millenium marked the final phases of the First Resurrection, which began at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the Resurrection of the righteous. The end of the Millenium will mark the beginning of the Second Resurrection, or, the Resurrection of the wicked.”

A man wandering through mist flashed across the screen for a few seconds, followed by an image of a family standing next to a metal rod.

“The work done in the temples provides the ordinances needed for exaltation, but those who have not been Resurrected are still awaiting the promise found in the holy scriptures that states ‘The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.”

An image of one of the skeleton creatures came on the screen.

“We have received greater light and knowledge concerning the Resurrection. It is a gradual process, rather than an instantaneous one. This complexity is part of our eternal and grand design, as the world was built to reuse its resources and be self-sustaining.”

An animated version of the water cycle was displayed.

“Much like how the world reuses water, our bodies reuse the same molecules that have existed since the earth’s formation. It is therefore a necessity that these pieces are brought back together, thus fulfilling the prophecies of prophets since before the time of Christ.”

A painting of Jesus was projected onto the wall. He stood in a white robe and was descending to visit the world.

“The Lord has revealed that all those who will not be Resurrected until the Second Resurrection have a part to play in this holy work. It is their responsibility to aid those in the First Resurrection in joining together their bodies once more.”

Another video of a skeleton was shown, though this time it was exhuming particles from a victim. Porter looked over at Cecilia in horror as they watched a man die on screen. The creature took the particles and constructed a new leg for itself. It was one of the compound abominations, similar to the one that had attacked them and led the others at the overpass.

“As visitors here at the temple complex, you have been chosen by the Lord to aid in the Resurrection of his righteous people. Through a process that we now understand is called Partial Translation, you will be given the tools needed to collect particles for other righteous individuals. You will exhume their particles by proxy and bring them back here so that every jot and tittle of the Lord may be fulfilled.”

The video now depicted a massive abomination of human body parts. It stood in the middle of a white room. Creatures stood in a line and walked towards the abomination. As they did, they exhumed particles from the hideous abomination until they finally exploded in a burst of light and disappeared.

“You have been blessed with the opportunity to restore the bodies and souls of those who went before you. You will play a role in the gathering of the First Resurrection by collecting the particles needed for the resurrection of the dead. You will be given the gift of Partial Translation. This gift is a gift from God. To be chosen for this work is among one of the highest honors that can be given to those who will be part of the Second Resurrection. We hope you will find joy in serving your ancestors this way.”

The video showed one last wide shot of earth, then turned off.

Porter looked at Cecilia, then tried to get up and make a break for the door. It was only at this point that he realized that he had been tied down to the chair during the presentation. It had been so entrancing he hadn't even noticed. He struggled against his bonds as the two men in white suits approached them, holding a small vial. The woman in the flower dress smiled at him as the two men proceeded to pour some contents from the vial on Cecilia’s head. They then placed their hands on her head and started praying, but it was so soft Porter couldn’t hear what they were saying.

As they did so, he watched as the skin started to fall off of Cecilia’s body. It started in small clumps, then picked up speed. Then her muscles started falling as well. It was as though she simply melted away. She made no motions at the pain. There were no screams. It was as if she had been paralyzed. But Porter watched the fear in her eyes until finally, they fell out of her head onto the floor as well.

By the time the men had removed their arms, all that remained was a bare skeleton creature that slumped in its chair for a moment, then sat back up. They untied it and it made no motion to try and leave.

Porter fought as hard as he could until he felt something oily drip onto the top of his head, followed by a set of hands being placed atop his skull. His body immediately stopped responding to any commands he gave it. He realized there was nothing left that he could do as he saw flesh begin fall off his bones from the corner of his eye.

---