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“Who shall be our judge?” is only the beginning of the question. The other parts of the question are: when? by which of our works? and upon what criteria? The answer to these last questions determine the answer to the first. The Savior declared,

46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day (John 12:46-48).

In the course of our past, present, and future history there have been and will be many judgments. The two most important premortal ones happened when we were born as spirits and when we left the spirit world to come here as innocent babies. The Lord explained that very succinctly.

38 Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning [when we were born as spirits]; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state [as babies], innocent before God (D&C 93:38).

Those two judgments made us innocent but they did not take away our personalities. We come into this world with three things: our agency, our personality, and our integrity. It is our integrity that is tested here.

When we die and go into the spirit world, someone will have to decide whether our destination is spirit prison or paradise. My understanding is that we will make that decision by simply joining the people with whom are we are most comfortable, wherever they may be. In the spirit world we will still be the same person who left our body and will still have the same family and friends, and will still have to confront the same questions, if we did not answer them while we were here: Are you kind? Do you accept the covenants and ordinances of the gospel? Do you love the Lord and his children? Those questions all have to be answered between our mortal birth and our physical resurrection. Just as in mortality, in the spirit world there will be a continuum, some formal, some not, of judgments as each question is answered in part or in full and as we move on to higher ones until we are ready for our own resurrection.

The first resurrection began with the Savior and at about the same time when multitudes of the righteous on both continents were also resurrected. As I understand it, the first resurrection will continue until all persons qualified to receive a celestial body have completed their postmortal assignments.

Then there will be a second and different resurrection when all other persons will receive an eternal body that will be perfectly compatible with whatever quality of truth/light/love they have defined themselves.

When the scriptures say we will be judged by our “works” the word “works” seems to have two different meanings (or at least two different connotations) depending on whether the scripture is talking about the judgment that precedes our resurrection or the final judgment that follows it. For example, when Alma was talking with his son Corianton, he was talking about the judgment that preceded the resurrection. The “good works” he described are the ones that determine which resurrection we merit. Then, it will not be the Savior, but ourselves who will be our judge, as he said, “for behold, they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil.”

2 I say unto thee, my son, that the plan of restoration is requisite with the justice of God; for it is requisite that all things should be restored to their proper order. Behold, it is requisite and just, according to the power and resurrection of Christ, that the soul of man should be restored to its body, and that every part of the body should be restored to itself.
3 And it is requisite with the justice of God that men should be judged according to their works; and if their works were good in this life, and the desires of their hearts were good, that they should also, at the last day, be restored unto that which is good.
4 And if their works are evil they shall be restored unto them for evil. Therefore, all things shall be restored to their proper order, every thing to its natural frame—mortality raised to immortality, corruption to incorruption—raised to endless happiness to inherit the kingdom of God, or to endless misery to inherit the kingdom of the devil, the one on one hand, the other on the other—
5 The one raised to happiness according to his desires of happiness, or good according to his desires of good; and the other to evil according to his desires of evil; for as he has desired to do evil all the day long even so shall he have his reward of evil when the night cometh.
6 And so it is on the other hand. If he hath repented of his sins, and desired righteousness until the end of his days, even so he shall be rewarded unto righteousness.
7 These are they that are redeemed of the Lord; yea, these are they that are taken out, that are delivered from that endless night of darkness; and thus they stand or fall; for behold, they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil.
8 Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved (Alma 41:1-15).

At the time we are resurrected it will be us, ourselves who will decide whether we get a celestial, terrestrial, or telestial body. If we are our own judges, we may try to excuse or justify ourselves, but we can no more deny who and what we are than we can deny that it is ourselves we see when we look into a mirror. The Lord explained,

21 And they who are not sanctified through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom.
22 For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.
23 And he who cannot abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom cannot abide a terrestrial glory.
24 And he who cannot abide the law of a telestial kingdom cannot abide a telestial glory; therefore he is not meet for a kingdom of glory. Therefore he must abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory.
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29 Ye who are quickened by a portion of the celestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness.
30 And they who are quickened by a portion of the terrestrial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness.
31 And also they who are quickened by a portion of the telestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness. (D&C 132:21-24, 29-31).

After we are resurrected, we will stand before the Savior to be judged “according to our works.” These works seem not to be the good or bad deeds we had done before our resurrection, because those works had already determined which glory we inherited when we were resurrected. The works by which we will finally be judged by the Savior will be what Alma calls our “holy works,” that is, by the ordinances that were necessary to confirm and validate the covenants we made (Alma 12:30).

Nephi described this judgment as “pertaining to righteousness [zedek – absolute correctness in priesthood and temple things].”

32 And it came to pass that I said unto them that it was a representation of things both temporal and spiritual; for the day should come that they must be judged of their works, yea, even the works which were done by the temporal body in their days of probation.
33 Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they must be cast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to righteousness; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be judged of their works; and if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also.
34 But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God; wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy (1 Nephi 15:32-34).

The filthy works seem to be the same counterfeit ordinances about which Moroni warmed us in his last review of the Nephite temple drama as he closed the Book of Mormon.

30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing (Moroni 10:30).

The secret combinations with their dark works and signs were the downfall of the Nephite civilization. Moroni is contrasting those with the truly holy works, and warning us to stay away from the counterfeits.

Nephi turned that plea into an even more severe warning.

21 And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.
22 And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.
23 Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment (2 Nephi 28:23).

Mormon describes the final judgment when we all will be redeemed and brought before the Savior to determine whether we have accepted and honored those covenants and ordinances that validate the righteous. This redemption will not only bring the righteous into the Savior’s presence, but its judgment will also enable them to remain forever where he is.

13 And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death.
14 And then cometh the judgment of the Holy One upon them; and then cometh the time that he that is filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still; he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still (Mormon 9:13-14).

Everything must be done in zedek – righteousness – in perfect order just as the Lord explains. At the final judgment when we stand before the Savior, there will be no question about who or what we are, or by what criteria we have previously been judged. We will already be resurrected so we will have nothing to hide. My understanding is that the final judgement for the righteous will be more like an affirmation and validation ceremony than an actual judgment.

However, for the unrighteous, it will probably be quite different from that.

The scripture with which we conclude this discussion is in the Doctrine and Covenants 132. It states that all things must be done in perfect order and according to eternal law. Verse 7 is a bit long, so to make it easier to follow I will skip over the part in parenthesis that affirms that only the living prophet holds all the priesthood keys.

7 And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of this law are these: All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power…. are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead.
8 Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion.
9 Will I accept of an offering, saith the Lord, that is not made in my name?
10 Or will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed?
11 And will I appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except it be by law, even as I and my Father ordained unto you, before the world was?
12 I am the Lord thy God; and I give unto you this commandment—that no man shall come unto the Father but by me or by my word, which is my law, saith the Lord.
13 And everything that is in the world, whether it be ordained of men, by thrones, or principalities, or powers, or things of name, whatsoever they may be, that are not by me or by my word, saith the Lord, shall be thrown down, and shall not remain after men are dead, neither in nor after the resurrection, saith the Lord your God.
14 For whatsoever things remain are by me; and whatsoever things are not by me shall be shaken and destroyed (D&C 132:7-14).

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One can read walking in the light of Christ as a beautiful metaphor or as the encoded definition of a unique reality.

35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them (John 12:35-36).

The children’s hymn catches the beauty of the Savior’s teachings:

Teach me to walk in the light of his love; Teach me to pray to the Father above.
Teach me to know all the things that are right; Teach me, teach me, to walk in the light.

When I began my discussion of John, I observed, that in its first verses the “light of Christ” is the shechinah, that light which fills the immensity of space and is the source of our physical life. Of himself the Savior said,

2 And that I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
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9 The light and the Redeemer of the world; the Spirit of truth, who came into the world, because the world was made by him, and in him was the life of men and the light of men.(D&C 93:2, 9).

The light defines his person: he is “light and truth,” as he said,

36 The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.(D&C 93:36).

Similarly, but in contrast, the “light of truth” defines each of us as intelligent entities who assimilate truth and exude our own light. Again, the Savior explained,

29 Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be.(D&C 93:29).

The quality of the light with which we shine still defines who and what we are. Just as President David O. McKay wrote,

Every man and every person who lives in this world wields an influence, whether for good or for evil. It is not what he says alone; it is not alone what he does. It is what he is. Every man, every person radiates what he or she really is. Every person is a recipient of radiation. {1}

As we have matured throughout our existence (premortal and now mortal lives), the light within us has grown. The promise made by the Savior is virtually self-fulfilling:

28 He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things (D&C 93:28).

We are not only the product of our own experiences, but we also absorb and reflect the light of the people we love and with whom we associate. But most of all we also absorb and exude the light of Christ. As we assimilate and radiate his light, we mutually seal to ourselves other persons who are like ourselves and like God. As I observed elsewhere, truth/light/love are equivalents. It is that power we radiate. It is “charity” that is the sealing power that binds us to each other and to God. In his beautiful testimony of the Savior, John the Beloved called that sealing power “fellowship.”

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:1-7).

Unfortunately, as John cautioned, one can also “walk in darkness.” Some people exude darkness rather than light. In our physical world we define darkness as the absence of light, that definition seems to make darkness a nothing. However, that definition does not hold for the darkness radiated from some individuals. That darkness is real and opposite to light which is also real. That darkness is not a nothing but a force of evil that ranges in its intensity from anger to hatred; from the desire to hurt to the desire to destroy. That darkness can also grow, but as a degeneration until “there is no light in them (2 Nephi 18:20).” Paul warned the Saints of his day to beware of being ensnared by such darkness.

8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light (Ephesians 5:5-14).

The admonition to walk in the Savior’s light means to be surrounded, inundated by the pure light that radiates from him; that fills and sanctifies our souls. Being “baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost” suggests that same meaning.

“Walk” is a scriptural code word that connotes making and keeping covenants. In the ancient scriptures it was often a references to the covenants and ordinances made during the presentation of the Israelite temple drama. There are several code words that invite the initiated reader to participate in that ancient drama. This is one example:

2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:1-3).

“Mountain,” Hugh Nibley taught us, was code for temple. The object of the ancient worshiper was to symbolically reach the top of the mountain by passing a series of stations that were represented by code words. Walk, run, on the path or way are code words that describe one’s ascent to the summit of the holy mountain. When we “walk in the ways of the Lord,” we are ascending the holy mountain. When we come out of the mountain, to “walk in the ways of the Lord” means we are keeping the covenants we made there. A modern example of that code is the last three verses of Doctrine and Covenants 89. It is interesting that this revelation was given several years before temple rites were introduced to the Saints in Nauvoo. The following verses can correctly be read as a promise to young LDS athletes who keep the word of wisdom that they will be healthy and strong. However, the verses can also be read differently from that.

18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; {2}
19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen (Do&C 89:18-21).

We each made some serious covenants in the councils before we came to this world. Now we must keep those covenants even though we do not remember what they were. A primary function of the Holy Ghost is to teach us when and how to fulfill those covenants. We do not walk alone, as is promised in my favorite psalm.

1 Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
3 Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause
4 Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.
5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses [hesed]; for they have been ever of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O Lord.
8 Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy [hesed] and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11 For thy name’s sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
12 What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
14 The secret [sode] of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant (Psalms 25:1-14). {3}

The journey we experience as we walk in the light toward an even greater light is symbolized by the way Moses ascended to the heights of Mt. Sinai, and for the ancients, was symbolically the same as walking through Solomon’s Temple until one reached the Holy of Holies. Moses patterned his Tabernacle to represent the Holy Mountain. In Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, there is a diagram showing Mt. Sinai as a temple and how Moses’s Tabernacle was patterned after that mountain. {4}

1. The diagrams shows that the camp of Israel was at the foot of the mountain. There was a wall built that separated profane space from the sacred space of the mountain’s heights.

1. This mapped to the vestibule just inside in the temple entrance that separate the profane world from the temple interior.

2. Midway up the mountain Moses and the Seventy met God. There Moses was crowned by God in the presence of those witnesses. After the coronation they shared the same temple feast as we find in 3 Nephi when the Savior also taught about prayer. (Exodus 24:9-11, 3 Nephi 18:1-25).

2. The Holy Place in the Tabernacle and Temple. The central room of the Temple was where the king was anointed. The room contained the Shewbread Table (an invitation to share a meal with God), the Menorah (the candlestick representing the tree of Life and a prayer to enter God’s presence), and a incense altar.

3. Moses was overshadowed by a cloud (the shechinah, veil of light). Another example is when the brother of Jared went to the top of a mountain three times to talk to the Lord through a cloud, then, the forth time, the Lord put his finger through the cloud. (Deuteronomy 9:10; Exodus 24:12-17; Ether 3:4-14, 12:21; Mark 9:7).

3. Veil of Solomon’s Temple through which the king entered after his coronation ceremony in the Holy Place (See Hebrews 6:13-20, 3 Nephi 12:3, Moroni7:19-21, Moroni 10:30.).

4. Top of the Mountain where one saw God (Exodus 24:17, Moses 1:1-2, Matthew 4:8, Mark 9:2, Revelation 21:10, 1 Nephi 11:1, Moses 1:1-2).

4. Holy of Holies where God’s throne sits beneath the wings of the cherubim.

Psalm 89 celebrates that experience.

13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.
16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted (Psalms 89:13-16).

For John the Beloved, that experience was epitomized by his description of the celestial city.

10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
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22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 21:10-27).

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FOOTNOTES

{1} David O. McKay, “Radiation of the Individual,” The Instructor, October, 1964, p. 373-374.

{2} this phrase, along with several other code words, is also used in Proverbs.

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
9 Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine (Proverbs 3:5-10).

{3} For a discussion of the entire psalm see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, first edition, 525-43; second (paperback) edition 378-97.

{4} For the diagram see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, first edition, 365; second (paperback) edition 263.

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Hidden not very deeply under those words is the avaricious rational behind the Jewish leaders’ determination that Jesus must die — the enormous wealth of the Temple along with their own cultural and political power.

45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.
46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.
47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation (John 11:45-48).

Jesus’s genealogies in the gospels shows that he was the legitimate heir to the ancient Jewish throne (read that “king,” “Messiah,” or “anointed one”), but no member of that family had ruled since Zedekiah was captured and killed by Nebuchadnezzar, 600 years earlier. However, the regal line was remembered. The title by which Jesus was known, “Son of David,” and the celebration of his “triumphal entry” affirm that his royal heritage was both known and accepted by many of the people. At that time, Judea was ruled by the Romans, but the cultural and political power associated with the Temple were the dominion of the Jewish elite. If there were a popular uprising to put Jesus on the throne, all that would surely end.

But there was more at stake than cultural and political power. GOLD ! — lots and lots of gold, and it was all controlled by the High Priest and the Jewish hierarchy.

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On one of the stones in the Roman Colosseum there is a pattern of holes. Scholars believe the holes were where metal letters were attached to the stone, and that the holes can actually be read. Their conclusion is that the holes say that after A.D. 70, when Titus sacked Jerusalem, he used the fabulous treasures taken from the city and the temple to pay for building the Roman Colosseum.

Louis Feldman’s article “Financing the Colosseum” (Biblical Archaeology Review, July/August 2001), explains the way the holes on the stone were deciphered, but he also shows that the wealth taken from the temple and the city would have more than enough to pay for its construction.

Fildman reports that in 1995, Professor Gaza Alfoldy of the University of Heidelberg published a decipherment of the inscription based on these holes. As reconstructed by Professor Alfoldy, the inscription reads: “The Emperor Titus Caesar Vespasian Augustus ordered the new amphitheater to be made from the (proceeds from the sale of the) booty.” Fildman then asks where the booty came from, and concludes that of all the Roman wars fought at that time, only the sacking of Jerusalem could have produced such wealth.

Fildman’s article is fascinating, but what interests us here is his evidence that the Jewish treasure would have been more than sufficient to finance the construction of the Colosseum. The excerpts that follow describe that wealth.

By contrast [to other Roman wars], we know that the Romans acquired tremendous treasures in their conquest of Judea, especially in Jerusalem, and above all from the Temple, which Herod had renovated at extraordinary expense and which was still being reconstructed almost on the very eve of its destruction in 70 C.E.41 The Letter of Aristeas states that the Temple “was built with a lavishness and sumptuousness beyond all precedent. From the construction of the doorway and its fastenings to the door-posts and the solid nature of the lintel, it was obvious that no expense had been spared.”
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Josephus remarks that it lacked nothing that could astound either one’s soul or one’s eyes. “Being covered on all sides with massive plates of gold,” he adds, “the sun was no sooner up than it radiated so fiery a flash that persons straining to look at it were compelled to avert their eyes, as from solar rays.”
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We hear specifically of treasures that were delivered over to the victorious Romans by priests, including lampstands, tables, bowls and platters, all of solid gold and very massive, as well as many other treasures and sacred ornaments. In particular, Josephus asserts that the altar and lampstand, both made of gold, weighed no less than two talents (approximately 66 pounds). When the Temple was razed the Romans burnt the treasury chambers, “in which lay infinite [apeiron, `boundless] sums of money, infinite [again the word used is apeiroi] piles of raiment, and other valuables; for this, in short, was the general repository of Jewish wealth, to which the rich had consigned the contents of their dismanded houses.” The Romans presumably saved for themselves at least some of these valuables.

Many people donated houses and fields to the Temple, which were then sold and the proceeds deposited in the Temple treasury. Moreover, the Temple served as a bank for widows and orphans, who entrusted their deposits to it.
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When the Romans entered the Temple court, “so glutted with plunder were the troops, one and all, that throughout Syria the standard of gold was depreciated to half its former value.”

Moreover, according to Josephus, 97,000 Jews were taken prisoner during the war with the Romans (this may be the source of the tradition, otherwise unattested, that Jews actually built the Colosseum) [Human backs and hands were the machines that did the work, and slaves were as valuable as gold.]
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Josephus says that it is impossible to describe the diversity of riches that were displayed in the triumphal procession in Rome after Jerusalem was destroyed-silver and gold in masses flowing like a river. “The spoils in general,” he says, “were borne in promiscuous heaps; but conspicuous above all stood out those captured in the temple at Jerusalem.” The reliefs on the Arch of Titus apparently depict only a small portion of the spoil taken by the Romans. According to Josephus, Vespasian deposited the vessels of gold from the Temple in the Temple of Peace that he established in the Roman Forum, but almost nothing has remained of this building. Josephus adds that Vespasian deposited the Law (nomos), presumably a Torah scroll, of the Jews and the purple hangings of the sanctuary [veil] of the Temple in his palace.
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Moreover, the Colosseum was not the only structure built from the money of the spoils. According to a sixth-century Christian historian, John Malalas, out of the spoils from Judea Vespasian built in Antioch, outside the city gate, what are known as the Cherubim, so called because he placed there the cherubim that Titus had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He also built in Antioch the theater of Daphne, inscribing on it “Ex praeda Iudaea,” that is, “from the Judean booty,” having destroyed a synagogue that was located at the site, in order to insult the Jews. Malalas also notes that Vespasian built in Caesarea, likewise from the spoils from Judea, a very large odeum, or concert hall, the size of a large theater on a site of what had formerly been a synagogue.

Not only did the Temple treasury contain enormous wealth, but it was their never-ending source of a continually flowing river of more money. The Jewish leaders understood that they could buy anything with money and their control of the Temple gave them an unlimited perpetual income. Fildman explains:

According to Exodus 30:11-16, every male Jew over the age of 20 had to contribute a half shekel to the Temple each year. If, as there is good reason to believe, the number of Jews was somewhere between four and eight million, and if, as apparently was the case, the great majority of Jews faithfully contributed this amount, the total collected must have been enormous. Cicero mentions that in four cities of Asia Minor (a province that was admittedly wealthy but probably not the wealthiest) 220 pounds of gold intended for the Temple were seized by the Roman governor Flaccus in 59 B.C.E.

All this information creates an entirely new scenario. Jerusalem was not a little back-water provincial city that was just a thorn in the side of the Roman Empire. The Jews had wealth and they knew how to wield it to influence contemporary policy and events. That was what made Jesus’s life very expendable.

47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation (John 11:45-48).

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This is a story whose simple beauty makes it one of the most renowned in Christian literature. While its beauty is easy to grasp, its complex meaning seems to be so deeply buried that it cannot be excavated. John uses it as an introduction to a story he is about to tell—or else as the conclusion of that story he has not yet told. He identifies Mary as “It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair.” It is important to him that we know that, even though, in the sequence of his narrative, it has not yet happened.

The message of all the gospels in the New Testament can be reduced to a single theme. That theme is the inclusiveness of Jesus’s love for everyone. It says he had compassion for those whom he forgave, or healed, and the 5,000 whom he fed. It says he loved the Twelve as a group. But there are only five individuals who are mentioned by name as persons whom Jesus loved. Those 5 are:

(1) John the Beloved— “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23, 19:26, 21:7, 20:2, 21:20);

(2) The rich young ruler who asked “what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22, Luke 18:18-27) Mark tells us, “Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest… (Mark 10:21).” Circumstantial evidence suggests that this young man would become the apostle Paul.{1}

(3,4, & 5) Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary. In telling the story, John mentions Jesus loved the sisters (Martha by name), but John focuses on the Savior’s love for Lazarus.
In the first five verses we learn:

1 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus (John 11:1-5).

Later, as he approached Lazarus’s tomb, we see the depth of Jesus’s love for Lazarus.

35 Jesus wept.
36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! (John 11:36)

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The events of Lazarus’s being raised from the dead are only described by John, but we are introduced to the sisters by Luke. From him we learn that the house belonged to Martha, leaving us to surmise that Mary was a younger sister, and was either a guest or a resident in Martha’s home.

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her (Luke 10:38 – 42).

The following is the story the way John tells it.

1 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.
7 Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judæa again.
8 His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?
9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.
10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.
11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.
16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.
17 Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.
18 Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:
19 And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.
21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believet h in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
28 And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.
29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.
30 Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.
31 The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.
32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,
34 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?
38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
45 Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. (John 11:1-45)
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FOOTNOTE

{1}The evidence that the rich young man is Paul is circumstantial but quite convincing.
(1) He was rich, as was Paul who was from a free Roman city and a wealthy tent maker.
(2) He was a young ruler, that is a member of the Sanhedrin, as was Paul.
(3) He was a “young man.” That phrase describes someone who was about 30 or 32, not old enough to be called an elder, but old enough that he could speak in the synagogue, or in his case, in the Sanhedrin. He and Paul were about the same age as Jesus,
(5) Paul was then in Jerusalem, so the geography works as well.
(6) He describes himself as being very devout, in much the same was as Paul did when he was before Agrippa (Acts 26:1-28).
(7) Most important, Jesus’s charge to the young man was an Apostolic call. He did not ask just anyone to sell all they had and follow him. Later, when the resurrected Savior confronted Paul on the road to Damascus, he did not reissue the call, but rather said, “it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (Acts 9:1-15).” I read that to be something like, “Stop trying to fight it, and get on with what you are supposed to do.”

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