HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO LIVE FOREVER?

(The following is from Chapter 12 of the Book of Alma.  Dr. Robert J. Matthews, former Dean of Religious Education at BYU explains after reading the verses):

20. But there was one Antionah, who was a chief ruler among them, came forth and said unto him: What is this that thou hast said, that man should rise from the dead and be changed from this mortal to an immortal state, that the soul can never die?

21. What does the scripture mean, which saith that God placed cherubim and a flaming sword on the east of the garden of Eden, lest our first parents should enter and partake of the fruit of the tree of life, and live forever? And thus we see that there was no possible chance that they should live forever.  "(Then Alma says I was just about to explain this, then skipping to verse 24)":

24. And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; "(Now that comes upon all mankind because of the fall of Adam)" nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.

25. Now, if it had not been for the plan of redemption, which was laid from the foundation of the world, there could have been no resurrection of the dead; but there was a plan of redemption laid, which shall bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, of which has been spoken.

26. And now behold, if it were possible that our first parents could have gone forth and partaken of the tree of life "(immediately, is the point being made)" they would have been forever miserable, having no preparatory state; and thus the plan of redemption would have been frustrated, and the word of God would have been void, taking none effect.

"In other words, they would have lived forever in their sins.  So a space of time was granted that man might repent, so that when he does partake of the tree of life, he will be washed clean rather than living forever in his sins.  That's the point he's making there. When he says life becomes a probationary state.  The problem with Adam and Eve taking of the tree of life immediately is that they would not have had a space of time to repent."  (Round Table Discussion on the Book of Mormon with Robert J. Matthews, Mont Nyman and Todd Parker on BYU TV).

THE SEALED PORTION OF THE BOOK OF MORMON

(From Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon by Robert Millet and Joseph McConkie, Volume 1, page 316 we read:

"In speaking of the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon, Elder Bruce R. McConkie explains: 'John the Revelator saw in the hands of the Great God, a book sealed with seven seals.  'It contains,' as our revelations tell us, 'the revealed will, mysteries and works of God; the hidden things of his economy concerning this earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance, or its temporal existence,' each seal covering a period of one thousand years.  As John saw, no one but the Lord Jesus, 'the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David,' had power to loose these seven seals. (Revelation 5; D&C 77:6)

'This same or like knowledge is contained in the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon.  For aught we know the two sealed books are one and the same.  Of this much we are quite certain: when, during the Millennium, the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon is translated, it will give an account of life in preexistence; of the creation of all things, of the fall and the atonement and the Second Coming; of temple ordinances, in their fulness; of the ministry and mission of translated beings; of life in the spirit world, in both paradise and hell; of the kingdoms of glory to be inhabited by resurrected beings and many such like things'  ('The Bible - A Sealed Book,' CES Address, August 1984).

'But sadly,' Elder McConkie has written elsewhere, 'the book is sealed, its contents are being kept from men in this day.  Indeed, it is not even now in the possession of mortals; it was returned by Joseph Smith to Moroni, its divinely appointed custodian.  Nor did even Joseph Smith either read or translate it. 

We know of no one among mortals since Mormon and Moroni who have known its contents.  It was known among the Nephites during the nearly two hundred years of their Golden Era.  But for the present, the book is kept from us; only the portion upon which no seal was placed has been translated.

'Why are these plates of Mormon sealed?  The answer is obvious. They contain spiritual truths beyond our present ability to receive.  Milk must precede meat and whenever men are offered more of the mysteries of the kingdom than they are prepared to receive, it affects them adversely.'" (New Witness, page 443)

DO WE WASTE THE DAYS OF OUR PROBATION?

(The following is taken from Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon by Robert Millet and Joseph McConkie, Volume One, page 252)

"We lived an infinitely long period of time in the premortal existence.  There we developed talents, aptitudes and capacities which would bless us in this, the second estate.  We who are blessed with membership in the Church passed many tests in that pristine estate, proved true and faithful to the Father's plan and merited a calling or election, including the assurance that we would tabernacle the flesh through a chosen lineage (the house of Israel) which would facilitate our reception and observance of gospel laws.

Much longing and waiting, much preparation and planning, much testing and trying were undertaken and accomplished before we ever came here.  We now stand on center stage in the eternal drama.  By modern revelation we know where we came from, why we are here and the possibilities held out to us by the Father concerning life hereafter.  We are now in the final phase of our probation, to some degree the most critical phase.  In the words of Amulek, 'if we do not improve our time (that is, grow in the likeness of God) while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed' (Alma 34:33; cf. Helaman 13:38)."

Now, same reference, but from page 308:

Is Salvation Free?

"How utterly inconsistent it would be for our Lord to advocate a plan of salvation intended to save only a portion of the children of the Father!  The predestinarian doctrine of a limited atonement, the notion that Christ's atoning sacrifice is extended only to the elect, only to those chosen unconditionally in premortality, is false and damning to mankind.  Rather, 'salvation is free' (2 Nephi 2:4), freely available to all who will receive it.  God enrolls none of his children in the school of mortality who have not the capacity to graduate with full honors."