This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide focuses on Easter, including Jesus Christ’s appearance in the Kirtland Temple on Easter Sunday, April 3, 1836.
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders about the sacred events of Easter.
The Kirtland Temple
“The Kirtland Temple has unusual significance in the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Several events that took place there had been prophesied for millennia and were essential for the Lord’s restored Church to fulfill its latter-day mission.
“The most important of these events occurred on Easter Sunday, April 3, 1836. On that day, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery experienced a series of remarkable visitations. First, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared. The Prophet recorded that the Savior’s ‘eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters’ (Doctrine and Covenants 110:3). …
“Following the Savior’s visitation, Moses appeared. Moses conferred upon Joseph Smith the keys for the gathering of Israel and the return of the ten tribes.
“When this vision closed, ‘Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham’ (Doctrine and Covenants 110:12) to Joseph.
Then Elijah the prophet appeared. His appearance fulfilled Malachi’s promise that before the Second Coming, the Lord would send Elijah to ‘turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers’ (Malachi 4:5-6). Elijah conferred the keys of the sealing power upon Joseph Smith. …
“The significance of these keys being returned to the earth by three heavenly messengers under the direction of the Lord cannot be overstated. Priesthood keys constitute the authority and power of presidency. Priesthood keys govern how the priesthood of God may be used to bring about the Lord’s purposes and bless all who accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.”
— President Russell M. Nelson, April 2024 general conference, “Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys”
“Each Easter spring season testifies that spiritual sequence and convergence are both part of the divine pattern of atonement, resurrection and restoration through Jesus Christ. This sacred and symbolic convergence comes not by accident or coincidence. Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter celebrate Christ’s Atonement and Resurrection. As today, every April 6 we commemorate the establishment and organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This Restoration is a reason we gather the first Sunday each April in general conference.
“Restoration also came as the resurrected Jesus Christ, Moses, Elias, and Elijah returned priesthood keys and authority at the newly dedicated Kirtland Temple on Easter Sunday, 1836. In that setting on that day to the restored Church of Jesus Christ came God’s authority and blessings to gather His children, prepare His children to return to Him and unite families for eternity. Restoration that day fulfilled prophecy by occurring both on Easter and Passover.
“Including the Kirtland Temple, I recently visited sacred places in Ohio where the Prophet Joseph and others saw in vision God our Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. The Prophet Joseph saw what heaven is like. In heaven, Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, ‘saves all the works of his hands’ (Doctrine and Covenants 76:43) in a kingdom of glory. …
“Each Easter season, we celebrate, as a symbolic whole, eternity’s great gifts through Jesus Christ: His Atonement; His (and the promise of our) literal Resurrection; Restoration of His latter-day Church with priesthood keys and authority to bless all God’s children. We rejoice in the garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness. We shout, ‘Hosanna to God and the Lamb!’ (Doctrine and Covenants 109:79).
“‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16).
“May we each find in Jesus Christ atonement, resurrection and restoration — peace, becoming and belonging — that which is enduringly real and joyful, happy and forever.”
— Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2025 general conference, “Eternity’s Great Gifts: Jesus Christ’s Atonement, Resurrection, Restoration”
The Atonement and Crucifixion
“One week from today is Easter Sunday. It is the most important religious observance for followers of Jesus Christ. The main reason we celebrate Christmas is because of Easter. ... Study the Savior’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, His cleansing of the temple, His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, His Crucifixion, His glorious Resurrection and His subsequent appearances to His followers.
“Savor these sacred verses and find every way you can to thank our Heavenly Father for sending us His Only Begotten Son. Because of Jesus Christ, we can repent and be forgiven of our sins. Because of Him, each of us will be resurrected.”
— President Russell M. Nelson, April 2023 general conference, “The Answer Is Always Jesus Christ”
“On the evening before His suffering in Gethsemane and death on the cross, the Savior met with His disciples for the Last Supper. He said to them, ‘In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33). Before sunset the following day, Jesus Christ had suffered and had ‘died [on the cross] for our sins’ (1 Corinthians 15:3).
“I wonder how lonely the faithful women and men who followed Him must have felt in Jerusalem as the sun set and darkness and fear encompassed them.
“Like these ancient disciples nearly 2,000 years ago, many of you may also feel lonely from time to time. …
“Nevertheless, despite the challenges we face in life, we can, like on that first Easter morning, awake to a new life in Christ, with new and marvelous possibilities and new realities as we turn to the Lord for hope and belonging. …
“I speak of hope in Christ not as wishful thinking. Instead, I speak of hope as an expectation that will be realized. Such hope is essential to overcoming adversity, fostering spiritual resilience and strength, and coming to know that we are loved by our Eternal Father and that we are His children, who belong to His family.”
— The late President M. Russell Ballard, then acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2021 general conference, “Hope in Christ”
“By voluntarily taking upon Himself the sins of all mankind, being cruelly nailed to the cross and victoriously conquering death on the third day, Jesus gave a more sacred significance to the Passover ordinance that had been bestowed upon Israel in ancient times. In fulfillment of prophecy, He offered His own body and precious blood as the great and last sacrifice, validating the traditional symbols used in the celebration of the Lord’s Passover. In so doing, Christ experienced physical and spiritual suffering that is incomprehensible to the human mind. …
“Christ graciously fulfilled the will of the Father through His infinite and merciful sacrifice. He overcame the sting of physical and spiritual death, introduced to the world through the Fall, offering us the glorious possibility of eternal salvation.”
— Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2021 general conference, “Jesus Christ: The Caregiver of Our Soul”
“I speak very carefully, even reverently, of what may have been the most difficult moment in all of this solitary journey to Atonement. I speak of those final moments for which Jesus must have been prepared intellectually and physically but which He may not have fully anticipated emotionally and spiritually — that concluding descent into the paralyzing despair of divine withdrawal when He cries in ultimate loneliness, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ …
“It was required, indeed it was central to the significance of the Atonement, that this perfect Son who had never spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean thing had to know how the rest of humankind — us, all of us — would feel when we did commit such sins. For His Atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdraw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone. …
“Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path — the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: ‘I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you]’ (John 14:18).”
— President Jeffrey R. Holland, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2009 general conference, “None Were With Him”
The Resurrection
“Because of Jesus Christ, everything changed.
“Because of Him, everything is better.
“Because of Him, life is manageable — especially the painful moments.
“Because of Him, everything is possible.
“His visit as a resurrected Savior, introduced by God the Father, is a most glorious and triumphant Easter message. It will help our family members gain a personal testimony of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, who broke the bands of death.”
— Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2023 general conference, “The Greatest Easter Story Ever Told”
“Just as [Jesus Christ] appeared to Mary in the garden, calling her by name, He calls to us to exercise our faith. Mary was looking to serve Him and care for Him. His Resurrection was not what she expected, but it was according to the great plan of happiness.
“‘Come down from the cross,’ (Matthew 27:40) the crowd of nonbelievers jeered at Him on Calvary. He could have performed such a miracle. But He knew the end from the beginning, and He intended to be faithful to His Father’s plan. That example should not be lost on us.
“To us in times of trial He has said, ‘Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven’ (Doctrine and Covenants 6:37). That, brothers and sisters, is the miracle promised to us all.”
— Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2021 general conference, “’Behold! I Am a God of Miracles‘”
“Mary Magdalene and other women … watched where they laid Jesus’s body, and prepared sweet spices and ointments to anoint it. … After realizing that the body of the Savior was not [in the tomb], they went to tell the disciples who were Jesus’s apostles. The apostles came with them to the tomb and saw that it was empty. All but Mary Magdalene eventually left, wondering what had happened to the Savior’s body.
“Mary Magdalene stayed at the tomb by herself. Only a few days before, she had seen the tragic death of her friend and Master. Now His tomb was empty, and she did not know where He was. It was too much for her to take in, and she wept. At that moment, the resurrected Savior came to her and asked why she was weeping and whom she was seeking. Thinking that the gardener spoke to her, she asked that, if he had taken her Lord’s body, to tell her where it was so she could get it.
“I imagine that the Lord may have allowed Mary Magdalene to grieve and to express her pain. He then called her by her name, and she turned to Him and recognized Him. She saw the resurrected Christ and was a witness of His glorious Resurrection. …
“I testify that through the redeeming Atonement and glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ, broken hearts can be healed, anguish can become peace, and distress can become hope. He can embrace us in His arms of mercy, comforting, empowering and healing each of us.”
— Sister Reyna I. Aburto, then the second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, April 2021 general conference, “The Grave Has No Victory”
Hosanna and hallelujah
“On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem in ways the faithful recognized as fulfillment of prophecy. As Zechariah and the Psalmist prophetically foretold, our Lord entered Jerusalem riding a colt as multitudes knowingly cried, ‘Hosanna in the highest.’ Hosanna means ‘save now.’ Then, as now, we rejoice, ‘Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord.’ ...
“Indeed, through the Atonement of Christ, all God’s children ‘may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel’ (Articles of Faith 1:3). At Easter, we sing hallelujah. Hallelujah means ‘praise ye the Lord Jehovah.’ The ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ in Handel’s ‘Messiah’ is a beloved Easter declaration that He is ‘King of kings, and Lord of lords’ (see Revelation 17:14).
“The sacred events between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday are the story of hosanna and hallelujah. Hosanna is our plea for God to save. Hallelujah expresses our praise to the Lord for the hope of salvation and exaltation. In hosanna and hallelujah we recognize the living Jesus Christ as the heart of Easter and latter-day restoration.”
— Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2020 general conference, “Hosanna and Hallelujah — The Living Jesus Christ: The Heart of Restoration and Easter”
