Alma 46:39

And it came to pass that there were many who died, firmly believing that their souls were redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ; thus they went out of the world rejoicing.

The whole point of life is to die rejoicing. We are going to die one way or the other. We can be fearful about it, or miserable, or full of dread; or we can look forward to it as a welcome rest and a step in our progression. If we believe, as these people did, that Christ has redeemed us through his atonement and we have received a remission of sins and have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, death does not have to be a terror. If we accept Christ's resurrection as proof not only of his divinity but as surety for his promise that we shall all live through him, we can have peace now until the end. We may even find ourselves longing for that transition, even as we might look forward to going home after a long and arduous trip through unfamiliar territory. Although the natural man within us will war with our spirit and try to convince us that this mortal life is all there is, our spirit knows better. We know the power of God is overcoming the natural man in us when the desperate need to cling to the mortal body diminishes, and what lies ahead is exciting and joyful. We were never meant to remain in mortality in corruptible bodies for ever. When the semester is over and the final exam is done, it is time to go home. We may be sad to leave our school chums, but how marvelous it will be to once again be in the presence of our Father, Mother, and Brother. Should such a reunion not cause us to rejoice?

Alma 42:8

Now behold, it was not expedient that man should be reclaimed from this temporal death, for that would destroy the great plan of happiness.

God is not in a hurry to relieve us of temporal death, for it serves a useful purpose. It allows us to be mortal and to experience mortal time. With Adam's fall, life had a beginning and an end, and time became linear. We could thus have distinguishable pasts, presents, and futures. We could repent and put things in our past. We could exercise our agency in the present in the hope of creating a better tomorrow. Without a beginning and an end with linear time in between, we could not repent, for our sins would be ever in the present tense. God needed us to experience time as part of our mortal probation.

Alma 14:11

But Alma said unto him: The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day.

While we are constrained in our understanding of life by the limitations of our mortality, God sees life and death differently. Death is not the ultimate evil many think it is. Physical death is not the end of life from God's perspective. It is just a transfer. He will not save everyone from death. What to our finite minds is a tragedy, is not tragic to God. It is simply his plan. How long we live and the circumstances of our death are entirely under his control. If we are being faithful, we need not fear that our death is untimely or unfair. God is never surprised when we show up on the other side of the veil. God does not have to save us in mortality because Christ has already saved us in eternity. The end of life here is merely a step towards the resurrection and immortality to come. Losing a loved one is not easy, but it is not the end.

Mosiah 15:8-9

And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men—Having ascended into heaven, having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice.

Sometimes I simply stand in awe of God's plan of salvation. He sent his perfect Son to work out the perfect Atonement. The Book of Mormon testifies of Christ again and again in poignant eloquence that exceeds my poor understanding. Tonight I choose to "stand all amazed."

Second Nephi 9:26

For the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them, that they are delivered from that awful monster, death and hell, and the devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment; and they are restored to that God who gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel.

I have to assume that the salvation of the ignorant heathen is not the same as the exaltation of the righteous. Otherwise we would all be better off in a state of blissful ignorance from which state Christ's atonement saves us automatically. To have knowledge of the gospel is a privilege and a blessing for which we are held accountable but from which can also gain rich rewards. What we believe and what we do matters.