“It Was Appointed Unto Man to Die”

Monte S. Nyman

Death is a part of the plan of salvation. In Ecclesiastes we read: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die” (3:1–2). Being cut off temporally from the presence of the Lord means they were cast out of the garden of Eden into a world where God did not physically reside. In their temporal environment it was natural, or the nature of man, to follow the carnal desire of the flesh and the tendency to rely upon the senses. Through these two desires Satan tempts and can captivate the person (Alma 42:10; see also 2 Nephi 2:29; Mosiah 16:3–5; Moses 6:49). Wherefore, man “should act for himself” as choices are placed before him. He could follow his natural instincts and become an enemy to God, or yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and become a saint (Mosiah 3:19).

Book of Mormon Commentary: The Record of Alma

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