The Glorious Infinite Atonement is one of the most important and yet most misunderstood doctrines in Christianity. Most think of the atonement as Christ’s suffering for our sins. It is so much more than that. But how do you comprehend infinite? As mortals we cannot, but the closer we come to understanding and internalizing this most important gift given by God (John 3:16), the closer we are to receiving His promise of Eternal Life.
As an important part of the infinite atonement, as Jesus hung on the cross, paradise was promised by the Savior to the repentant malefactor that very day. (Luke 23:43) Where is paradise and what happened there during those three days Jesus’ Spirit visited? The Apostle Peter shares that Jesus Christ “went and preached unto the spirits in prison:… that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” (1 Peter 3:19; 4:6) Most don’t consider Jesus Christ’s visit to “paradise” a part of His infinite atonement. However, it is a major part since there are nearly ten times more folks there to minister to than here on Earth!
What and Where is Paradise?
We know that paradise is spiritually close by since the Savior and the repentant malefactor went there right after they died on the cross. We will see what the Savior did there during those three days was and still is an extremely important part of the infinite atonement.
President Joseph F. Smith’s Vision of Paradise
President Joseph F. Smith received a vision “on October 3, 1918,” while “reflecting upon the great atoning sacrifice that was made by the Son of God, for the redemption of the world. The great and wonderful love made manifest by the Father and the Son in the coming of the Redeemer into the world,” (D&C 138:2-3)
The Savior prophesied, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” (Jn 5:25) President Smith saw, “…the dead had looked upon the long absence of their spirits from their bodies as a bondage. These souls the Lord taught, and gave them the power to come forth, after his resurrection from the dead, to enter into his Father’s kingdom, there to be crowned with immortality and eternal life. Henceforth, their labors had been promised by the Lord, to be partakers of all blessings, that are held in reserve for them that love him.” (D&C 138:50-52)
Paradise – A Part of the Infinite Atonement
We see that His visit to paradise was a major part of the infinite atonement, opening a glorious resurrection for the faithful who had died. President Smith also saw that during those three days, the Savior organized missionary work for those in spirit prison, as the Apostle Peter described. We see the great significance of Malachi’s prophecy that the fathers’ hearts would be turned to the children and children’s hearts would be turned to the fathers. Otherwise, the purpose of the earth was wasted at His Coming. (Malachi 4:5-6) The teaching of the gospel in the spirit world is totally integral to this grand purpose of why the earth was made by the Lord in the first place and is a major part of the infinite atonement.
Other Books Give Major Insights
Other Books Give Major Insights into Paradise and the Resurrection as Part of the Infinite Atonement. Nephi tells of “other books” coming forth in the last days. (1 Nephi 13:39) We read the following amazing account now of what happened after Christ visited Paradise and then was resurrected:
When it happened that early Sunday morning, it was witnessed by the hundred Jewish soldiers standing guard as a brilliant light came down from the heavens, and over the night they heard three times: “Adon Mashich Cumi,” which means, “Lord Christ arise.”
The last time was just before sunrise, “the heavens blazed with light… And then the white-robed form tramped on the Roman seal, and then he tore it into shreds; he took the mighty stone in hand as though it were a pebble from the brook, and cast it to the side. And Jesus opened up his eyes and said, ‘All hail the rising sun! the coming of the day of righteousness!’
“They saw the body of the Nazarene transmute they saw it change from mortal to immortal form, and then disappeared. The soldiers heard a voice from somewhere; yea, from everywhere, it said, ‘Peace, peace on earth; good will to men.’” (Chapter 172:26-41 of the Aquarian Gospel of Jesus Christ by Levi)
In Pontius Pilot’s account, he sent his trusted secretary, MALCUS, “He said that at about the beginning of the fourth watch, They Saw A Soft And a Beautiful-Lyght Up Above the Sepulcher. The Entire Place was Lit-Up and there seemed to be A Crowd Of The Dead Walking around in their grave clothes. Each Of Them Seemed To Be Shouting And Filled With Ecstasy while All Around And Above, was Heard, The Most Beautiful Music he had ever experienced: And The Whole Sky Seemed To Be Full Of Voices Praising: YHV: Yahll’Vol’Hay/God. At This Time there seemed to be a reeling and rocking back-and-forth of The Entire Earth…” (THE CRUCIFIXION REPORT OF PONTUS PILOT TO: TIBERIUS CAESAR, 147-151 by A Micah Hill Dezert-Owl)
The gospel of Matthew reports that “the graves were opened; and the bodies of the saints which slept, arose, who were many. They came out of the graves after his resurrection, went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” (JS Matt. 27:56-57)
Major Mis-understanding of Infinite Atonement
The limited view that most have is that the atonement of Christ is His suffering on the cross for our sins. Again, it is that and so much more. The infinite atonement totally overcame the effects of the fall of Adam and Eve, overcoming both the spiritual and physical deaths brought about by the fall. He told John the Beloved, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” (Rev. 1:18) His infinite atonement took Him from the deepest sorrow and suffering to the greatest of heights of ecstasy. He cap-stoned the infinite atonement with His glorious resurrection. (D&C 88:6) We cannot comprehend the joy that filled the souls of the many resurrected souls in both the Eastern and Western hemispheres. They rose from the dead following His glorious resurrection in great rejoicing. He conquered death and hell, as a major part of the infinite atonement, and their souls were filled with a fullness of JOY as a result of HIs infinite love for all of Heavenly Father’s children.
The phrase “atoning sacrifice” only occurs once in our scriptures, as is beautifully explained by President Smith in his vision of the redemption of the dead and its relevance there. Yet we hear the phrase “atoning sacrifice” to describe Jesus’ atonement for us when this phrase misses the grand dimensions of the glorious infinite atonement. Let us do our best, and God will open up the rest as we ponder, study, pray, apply, and share this most important doctrine of the glorious infinite atonement.
Most Christians leave out both the importance of Christ’s visit to Paradise and His glorious resurrection in their worship of the Christ. They look to the blood of Christ and His suffering on the Cross for their sins for redemption. I was surprised to see that the importance of Christ’s visit to Paradise had been left out of the proclamation, “THE LIVING CHRIST”. This proclamation was issued on January 1st, 2000, by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. Also, many members of my church use the phrase “atoning sacrifice” in describing the atonement, which misses the full grandeur of the glorious infinite atonement.
So, we have a problem with the false tradition that has crept into our language saying we are grateful for the “atoning sacrifice” and leaving out the great importance of what the Savior did, is doing, and will yet do because of the infinite nature of this most marvelous and infinitely loving gift from God. In the Spirit World, during those three days, he opened the prison doors and provided a glorious resurrection for the faithful. What an enormous blessing His three-day visit was as part of the infinite atonement, as we think of it today, with nearly ten times more souls in the Spirit World than there are here on Earth. A great work is being done and yet will be done so that every soul has the opportunity to hear the fullness of the everlasting gospel. Thanks to Christ for the three-day visit to paradise. The best thing we can say is, “THANK YOU, LORD, for the glorious infinite atonement! Which also includes His visit to paradise and His glorious resurrection.
My Hope and Prayer
My hope and prayer are that each of us will be eternally grateful for the glorious infinite atonement, and I hope here to have shared a better understanding of how our Savior truly overcame the full effects of the fall of Adam and Eve and conquered the effects of death and hell—for those on both sides of the veil. Because of His resurrection, the door to eternal life and a fullness of joy is available for all who choose Jesus Christ as their Savior and Redeemer, the bridge to our Heavenly Home.
The Seven Essential Steps to the Infinite Atonement
In the following article, I share the seven essential steps in the infinite atonement. Step one is His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. Step two is His suffering before the Jews. Step three is His suffering before the Roans (Gentiles). Step four is His horrible crucifixion. Step five is Him volunteering to give His life for us (John 10:18). His “atoning sacrifice” is these first five steps. His all important visit to Paradise is step-six, and extremely important to help complete the infinite atonement. His glorious resurrection is step-seven and is the capstone to His infinite atonement. https://itsabouttimebook.com/the-infinite-atonement-of-jesus-christ/
David W. Allan
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