There is an unfortunately prominent mistake in Christianity regarding the approachability of God. The presence of the Lord is no light thing.
The theophanies of the Old Testament feature awe-filled experiences where man’s crude perceptive abilities and lack of purity were dramatically contrasted with God’s glory. Accounts of Adam and Eve, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and others in the presence of God clearly attest to the serious nature of being in God’s presence.
In ancient Israel, only the High Priest could enter into the Holy of Holies, and he could only do so once a year. Even then, he had to wear bells and tie a rope around his waist so that, if he was killed due to some impurity, the other priests could safely extract his body.
While the Lord’s mortal advent necessarily cloaked his glory in the veil of flesh, his appearance to others after his resurrection showed that his glory was as terrible and awesome as ever. The apostle John, who knew Jesus in life so well that he was denominated the apostle most beloved by Jesus, fell down in his resurrected presence, overcome by the glory he saw:
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation 1)
If John the Beloved was overcome by the glory of the resurrected Christ, does any man have any reason or right to assume that his presence is a light thing?
One does not simply stand in the presence of God. It is blasphemous in the extreme to think that a sinful person can casually interact with the glorified Creator of heaven and earth, the King of Kings, the Son of the Most High. We read that even angels, who possess less glory than He who created them, are described as being enveloped in unapproachable fire, sufficiently difficult to endure that the most righteous individuals in scripture—people like Daniel and John, the beloved disciple of Jesus—collapse in reverent exhaustion before them. Do you really think that one who has not given all to the adoration of God in all times and in all places, even under the threat of death—as Daniel and John had—could do better in the presence of one greater?
It is possible to find the pinnacle of joy and comfort in the presence of God. However, the greatest blessing possible comes with the greatest cost possible. To feel as a loving child in the presence of the eternal Father, you must first act like his loving child here and now.
For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart? (Mosiah 5:13)
The key to comfort in his presence is consummate dedication in seeking and doing his will at all times and in all places:
21 Dear friends, if we feel at ease in the presence of God, we will have the courage to come near him.
22 He will give us whatever we ask, because we obey him and do what pleases him. (1 John 3, CEV)
If we keep God’s commandments without fail, we will be able to bear his presence, here and hereafter.
All will be brought into God’s presence
The mortal mission, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ provided for the unconditional resurrection of all mankind. The Lord’s death and resurrection brings all mankind into the presence of God, where they will be judged of their works in life.
When brought into God’s presence, those who have accepted the Lord’s offer of forgiveness of past sins by forsaking them will be able to withstand his presence.
To the degree that they sacrificed to know more about him and serve others in life, they will receive eternal joy. They will be filled with joy everlasting in the knowledge that, throughout life, they always searched for, grew into, and rejoiced in all available improvement and truly did everything they could to help others.
Those who rejected the Lord’s offer of forgiveness of past sins, or who turned away from him after receiving it, will experience eternal torment. The wicked person’s insistence on being less than what they knew they could be will fill them with pain more excruciating than they can imagine.
The test of mortality is not whether one has claimed to believe in God or not. The test is whether they truly believed in God. To claim to believe in God is easy. To actually believe in him requires you to desire and act according to your professed belief.
Furthermore, you can believe in what you call God without having beliefs that accord in any way with what he has actually said to you.
To truly believe in God requires conforming to what God has actually said to you, as demonstrated by your desires, beliefs, and actions.
The scriptures that attest to the assertions made in this section are so concise, numerous, and repetitive that, rather than interleave them in the text, a selection of them is given below:
...ye must all stand before the judgment‐seat of Christ, yea, every soul who belongs to the whole human family of Adam; and ye must stand to be judged of your works, whether they be good or evil; (Mormon 3:20)
9 Wherefore, [Jesus] is the firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved.
10 And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him, to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him.... (2 Nephi 2)
But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice. (Alma 42:23)
And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end. (3 Nephi 27:19)
14 And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—
15 And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works. 16 And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world.
17 And he that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more return, because of the justice of the Father. (3 Nephi 27)
4 And even unto the great and last day, when all people, and all kindreds, and all nations and tongues shall stand before God, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—
5 If they be good, to the resurrection of everlasting life; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of damnation; being on a parallel, the one on the one hand and the other on the other hand, according to the mercy, and the justice, and the holiness which is in Christ, who was before the world began. (3 Nephi 26)
5 Know ye that ye must come to the knowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the victory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up.
6 And he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his judgment‐ seat. (Mormon 7)
And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. (Alma 34:15)
And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end. (Mormon 7:7)
33 For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his own soul; for he receiveth for his wages an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law of God contrary to his own knowledge.
38 Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever.
39 And now I say unto you, that mercy hath no claim on that man; therefore his final doom is to endure a never‐ ending torment. (Mosiah 2)
17 But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord.
18 Yea, and it bringeth to pass the condition of repentance, that whosoever repenteth the same is not hewn down and cast into the fire; but whosoever repenteth not is hewn down and cast into the fire; and there cometh upon them again a spiritual death, yea, a second death, for they are cut off again as to things pertaining to righteousness. (Helaman 14)
45 O, my beloved brethren, turn away from your sins; shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast; come unto that God who is the rock of your salvation.
46 Prepare your souls for that glorious day when justice shall be administered unto the righteous, even the day of judgment, that ye may not shrink with awful fear; that ye may not remember your awful guilt in perfectness, and be constrained to exclaim: Holy, holy are thy judgments, O Lord God Almighty—but I know my guilt; I transgressed thy law, and my transgressions are mine; and the devil hath obtained me, that I am a prey to his awful misery. (2 Nephi 9)
These scriptures and the others attesting to the same truths are worthy of study and consideration, but they are clear enough that additional commentary would not be helpful.
The torment of the wicked
In life, we escape from a true understanding of our uncleanness and our nakedness by ignoring it. We fool ourselves. We pay less attention to the bad in us than we do the good. We pretend that our motives are better than they are. We claim that we aren’t to blame for our faults.
In the day of judgment, there will be no deception and no excuses. All men will receive a perfect knowledge, a complete and correct understanding of their own works.
13 O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect.
14 Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness. (2 Nephi 9)
Yea, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before him. Yea, even at the last day, when all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess that he is God; then shall they confess, who live without God in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting punishment is just upon them; and they shall quake, and tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his all-searching eye. (Mosiah 27:31; see also Romans 14:11 and Isaiah 45:23)
You and I will stand before God. We will see as we are seen—we will have a perfectly clear understanding of our character: our thoughts, our words, our deeds, and our desires. Standing boldly in contrast to our gross imperfection will be God, in equally clear, undeniable perfection.
Though Christ stands as our judge, he does so as the instantiation of the ideal. It is our own undeniable realization of the gross distance between ourselves and him which serves as our judgment. Man is his own tormentor.
The knowledge we will receive in the presence of God will cause pain to the degree that we did not reconcile ourselves to God in this life. Though we will comprehend his perfect love for us and his perfect righteousness, we will also “...have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness...” (2 Nephi 9:14)
Those who have repented of their sins will be able to stand in his presence in spite of the difference between them and God, due to the sacrifice and promise of Jesus Christ. Those who have not will be filled with eternal torment:
3 Then will ye longer deny the Christ, or can ye behold the Lamb of God? Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws?
4 Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell.
5 For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you. (Mormon 9)
And if [a person has been] evil they are consigned to an awful view of their own guilt and abominations, which doth cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord into a state of misery and endless torment, from whence they can no more return; therefore they have drunk damnation to their own souls. (Mosiah 3:25)
The wicked will feel indescribable anguish under the full weight of their guilt, uncleanness, and nakedness. The wicked will be in agony in the presence of God because they will know exactly what they chose, why they chose it, and that they knew better.
7 For behold, after ye have been nourished by the good word of God all the day long, will ye bring forth evil fruit, that ye must be hewn down and cast into the fire?
8 Behold, will ye reject these words? Will ye reject the words of the prophets; and will ye reject all the words which have been spoken concerning Christ, after so many have spoken concerning him; and deny the good word of Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption, which hath been laid for you?
9 Know ye not that if ye will do these things, that the power of the redemption and the resurrection, which is in Christ, will bring you to stand with shame and awful guilt before the bar of God?
10 And according to the power of justice, for justice cannot be denied, ye must go away into that lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever, which lake of fire and brimstone is endless torment.
11 O then, my beloved brethren, repent ye, and enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow, until ye shall obtain eternal life. (Jacob 6)
14 For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.
15 But this cannot be; we must come forth and stand before him in his glory, and in his power, and in his might, majesty, and dominion, and acknowledge to our everlasting shame that all his judgments are just; that he is just in all his works, and that he is merciful unto the children of men, and that he has all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance. (Alma 12)
And wo unto them who shall do these things away and die, for they die in their sins, and they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God; and I speak it according to the words of Christ; and I lie not. (Moroni 10:26)
But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state! (2 Nephi 9:27)
12 And Amulek hath spoken plainly concerning death, and being raised from this mortality to a state of immortality, and being brought before the bar of God, to be judged according to our works.
13 Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned. (Alma 12)
3 ...Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws?
4 Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell.
5 For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you. (Mormon 9)
16 I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?
17 Or do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say—Lord, our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth—and that he will save you?
18 Or otherwise, can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a remembrance of all your guilt, yea, a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness, yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God?
19 I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances?
20 I say unto you, can ye think of being saved when you have yielded yourselves to become subjects to the devil?
21 I say unto you, ye will know at that day that ye cannot be saved; for there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their sins.
22 And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness? Behold, what will these things testify against you?
23 Behold will they not testify that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness? (Alma 5)
Asking for forgiveness is not the same as forsaking sin
Many mistakenly think that all that is required to dwell with God is asking forgiveness of one’s sins. Forgiveness of sins covers past transgression, but it does not change who you are.
Jesus can temporarily admit us into his presence by forgiving us of our past sins. For example, even Isaiah recoiled from God’s presence until he was told that his sins had been forgiven:
Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. (Isaiah 6:5)
God’s mercy can forgive you of past sins and make a way for you to learn what you didn’t know, but it can’t magically transform you into a righteous person.
Asking for forgiveness without actually forsaking your sins doesn't change your character. The indescribable pain felt by those with unforgiven sin will return to them as soon as they sin again.
21 And if the Lord shall say—Because of thine iniquities thou shalt be cut off from my presence—he will cause that it shall be so.
22 And wo unto him to whom he shall say this, for it shall be unto him _that will_ do iniquity, and he cannot be saved; therefore, for this cause, that men might be saved, hath repentance been declared. (Helaman 12)
As long as you are the same character that committed those sins, you will commit them again, and as long as you commit them again, you can't be with him.
One who is capable of sin remains capable of sin despite having been forgiven of past sin. An individual capable of sin cannot dwell permanently in the presence of God, because he will soon sin again, causing him to recoil from the presence of God due to the indescribable pain of enduring his presence while in sin.
Those who will continue in sin—even if forgiven of past sin—cannot dwell with God. The Lord makes it clear that those who fail to keep his commandments cannot endure his presence:
Now my son, I would that ye should repent and forsake your sins...for except ye do this ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.... (Alma 39:9)
...inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments of God ye shall be cut off from his presence. (Alma 38:1)
...the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. (Alma 45:16)
8 [Those who] obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 ...shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power... (2 Thessalonians 1)
Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of your probation, then ye are found unclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever. (1 Nephi 10:21)
Therefore God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, that they should not do evil...for on such the plan of redemption could have no power, for the works of justice could not be destroyed, according to the supreme goodness of God. (Alma 12:32)
You have to choose to become the kind of person who is incapable of sin.
27 Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins?
28 Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life.
29 Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless.
30 And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?
31 Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the time is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved!
32 Yea, even wo unto all ye workers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it!
33 Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you.
34 Yea, he saith: Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely;
35 Yea, come unto me and bring forth works of righteousness, and ye shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire—
36 For behold, the time is at hand that whosoever bringeth forth not good fruit, or whosoever doeth not the works of righteousness, the same have cause to wail and mourn. (Alma 5)
Forsaking sin erases guilt
Real repentance utterly and completely vanquishes guilt.
For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. (2 Timothy 1:12)
21 Dear friends, if we feel at ease in the presence of God, we will have the courage to come near him.
22 He will give us whatever we ask, because we obey him and do what pleases him. (1 John 3, CEV)
20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. (1 John 3)
Some marvel that the resurrected Christ chooses to retain the marks in his hands, feet, and side. The Lord glories in these tokens of his unsearchable love. They are visible, touchable manifestations of his love for us.
In a similar way, obedience is etched into the very fabric of the body of the disciple:
From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. (Galatians 6:17)
Those who love God above all else have no doubt where they stand with God. They have willingly sacrificed everything contrary to him, no matter the cost. They will willingly sacrifice everything that they later learn is contrary to him, no matter how deeply it is rooted in them. They have no question where their loyalty lies. They have only one master.
And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led. (1 Nephi 17:13)
Those who have trusted in God in life by repenting of all their sins will continue to have trust in him after this life, enduring his presence in spite of his glory.