The serenity with which some prophets have spoken of their own death is inspiring to me. The apostle Paul wrote to his young friend Timothy:
I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:6-8
The prophet Moroni ends the Book of Mormon with a similar statement to us:
And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead.
Moroni 10:34
Both of these men knew that their mortal lives were coming to an end. Both were optimistic about their future state and looked forward to being with Jesus Christ. Both felt that they were ready to be judged, and both saw the Final Judgment not as an individual event but as a communal event, surrounded by joyful believers, all of whom would receive great blessings from God.
As Joseph Smith prepared to turn himself in to government officials who had guaranteed his protection in Carthage, Illinois, he made numerous statements indicating that he believed his life was nearly over. One of the most poignant was this:
I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a summer’s morning; I have a conscience void of offense towards God, and towards all men.
Doctrine and Covenants 135:4; see also JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. F-1, p. 151 on josephsmithpapers.org
Three days later, his life was brutally taken from him by an armed mob. But his final act, as witnessed by John Taylor, conveyed a quiet composure and fortitude. Throwing himself out the window, and likely saving the lives of two of his friends in the process, Joseph’s final words were, “O Lord my God!” (Doctrine and Covenants 135:1).
We all know that we will one day die; it is our common fate. But can we look forward to that day with optimism and hope? Can we visualize ourselves welcomed into the presence of a loving Father and a loving Savior? Can we acknowledge the good fight we have fought, allow God to sweep away our guilt (see Enos 1:6), and imagine the judgment as a joyful and triumphant reunion? (See Alma 5:16.)
Today, I will look forward to my eventual reunion with God with optimism and hope. I will make choices that prepare me to meet Him with confidence, and I will trust Him to help me overcome my errors so my conscience can be clear.