Apr 11 2025 66 mins 13
Abstract: Centuries-long speculation continues regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of the Savior. Whether he died sooner than would have been expected, as some scholars believe, or lived longer than expected, statements from the scriptures and modern-day prophets indicate that the Lord died at the exact moment of his choice. According to the Gospels and historical accounts, that moment coincided with the sacrifice of the later of the two daily tamid sacrifices. The tamid had been instituted by Jehovah and symbolized the future atoning sacrifice of the Savior. Each of the other offerings throughout the sacrificial day between the two tamid sacrifices symbolized other qualities of the Lord. The proximity of his death to the Passover suggests an additional association between the two. Ritual prayers offered as the final tamid was being offered coincide further with the missions of the Savior. Jesus Christ chose the moment of his death to synchronize with these events as he symbolically fulfilled the ancient law of sacrifice.
Few attempts have been made to integrate the spiritual aspects of the Savior’s Atonement with the physical. God leaves nothing to chance, so the physical aspects must be inextricably intertwined with the spiritual. As Tad Callister notes of the Atonement, “Contrary to the thoughts of some, it was not mental suffering alone; it was intense, prolonged anguish, ‘both body and spirit’ (D&C 19:18; emphasis added). It was physical, intellectual, and emotional pain of the highest order, all wrapped into one.”1
[Page 224]This article is a companion to a previously published article regarding some pathophysiological aspects of the Lord’s suffering as he completed his Atonement.2 This article focuses on why the Lord died exactly when he did and offers some additional thoughts regarding how he may have manipulated his metabolism so that could happen. I will do so by addressing the following points:
* Significant and spiritually symbolic reasons linked to the sacrifices being carried out in the temple during his crucifixion gave symbolic meaning to Christ dying at the moment he did.
* The Lord’s persecutors were powerless to take his life. With his command over life and death, Christ allowed his spirit to depart his mortal body only at the moment of his choosing.
* Despite his inherent ability to do so, Christ made no effort, either overt or covert, to mitigate his suffering from the effects of the trauma he sustained.
* It was necessary for Christ at some point during his ordeal to either hasten or prolong his time on the cross so that his death would occur at the appropriate moment.
Why the Lord Chose That Specific Moment to End His Mortal Life
Symbolic text alludes to the Savior throughout the Old Testament in laws, temple sacrifices, and prophecies. These are most clearly stated in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 but also occur in numerous places elsewhere.3 Innumerable animals were sacrificed to foreshadow the ultimate sacrifice by the Lord. We may reasonably assume that the manner of his death would resemble in some fashion the centuries of sacrifices decreed by the Savior himself.
Few attempts have been made to integrate the spiritual aspects of the Savior’s Atonement with the physical. God leaves nothing to chance, so the physical aspects must be inextricably intertwined with the spiritual. As Tad Callister notes of the Atonement, “Contrary to the thoughts of some, it was not mental suffering alone; it was intense, prolonged anguish, ‘both body and spirit’ (D&C 19:18; emphasis added). It was physical, intellectual, and emotional pain of the highest order, all wrapped into one.”1
[Page 224]This article is a companion to a previously published article regarding some pathophysiological aspects of the Lord’s suffering as he completed his Atonement.2 This article focuses on why the Lord died exactly when he did and offers some additional thoughts regarding how he may have manipulated his metabolism so that could happen. I will do so by addressing the following points:
* Significant and spiritually symbolic reasons linked to the sacrifices being carried out in the temple during his crucifixion gave symbolic meaning to Christ dying at the moment he did.
* The Lord’s persecutors were powerless to take his life. With his command over life and death, Christ allowed his spirit to depart his mortal body only at the moment of his choosing.
* Despite his inherent ability to do so, Christ made no effort, either overt or covert, to mitigate his suffering from the effects of the trauma he sustained.
* It was necessary for Christ at some point during his ordeal to either hasten or prolong his time on the cross so that his death would occur at the appropriate moment.
Why the Lord Chose That Specific Moment to End His Mortal Life
Symbolic text alludes to the Savior throughout the Old Testament in laws, temple sacrifices, and prophecies. These are most clearly stated in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 but also occur in numerous places elsewhere.3 Innumerable animals were sacrificed to foreshadow the ultimate sacrifice by the Lord. We may reasonably assume that the manner of his death would resemble in some fashion the centuries of sacrifices decreed by the Savior himself.
