Attain to the Resurrection of the Dead

More than merely coming forth from the grave (although that is termed “resurrection,” also); Joseph Smith more accurately referred to this as an achievement following exaltation: “[Y]ou have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you, namely by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power (TPJS, 346).”¹ Arising from the grave does not mean one has “attained to the resurrection of the dead,” nor holds the keys of resurrection. No one will attain this until they, like Christ, have gone from exaltation to exaltation, until they can obtain the power to resurrect all that depends upon them. To “attain to the resurrection of the dead” requires one to have the power to resurrect not only themselves, but also those who are dependent on them. “This is what the prototype of the saved man did. This is Who we worship. This is who and what we must precisely and exactly become.”²