27 And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen.
(Enos 1:27)
In contrast with the “wrestle,” the “struggling,” and the labor “with all diligence” which Enos described as he related his conversion experience, he ends his brief book with a description of the Final Judgment as a joyful reunion with God. “Then shall I see his face with pleasure,” he writes, “and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed.” This doesn’t sound at all like some of the other descriptions of the Final Judgment, even in the Book of Mormon. (See, for example, 2 Nephi 33:14-15, Jacob 6:9-10, 13, Alma 5:16-25, Alma 12:13-14.)
At a conference of the Church in 1831, after prophesying of dark times ahead, Joseph Smith revealed a comforting truth: “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30). Certainly that principle applies to the Final Judgment. If we have made the effort, as Enos did, to repent of our sins, to draw close to the Lord, and to contribute to God’s work, then we do not need to be afraid of what will happen after we die. Instead, like Enos, we can anticipate a joyful reunion with our Father in Heaven and with our Savior.
I remember watching Bruce R. McConkie’s final testimony, which he delivered less than 2 weeks before he died. I was particularly struck by this passage near the end of the talk:
And now, as pertaining to this perfect atonement, wrought by the shedding of the blood of God—I testify that it took place in Gethsemane and at Golgotha, and as pertaining to Jesus Christ, I testify that he is the Son of the Living God and was crucified for the sins of the world. He is our Lord, our God, and our King. This I know of myself independent of any other person.
I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears.
But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way (“The Purifying Power of Christ,” General Conference, April 1985).
Today, I will remember that my return to the presence of God can be a happy and a peaceful experience. I will strive to repent of my sins and to serve others, so that I might look forward one day, as did Enos and Bruce R. McConkie, to a joyful reunion with God.