But remember that all my judgments are not given unto men; and as the words have gone forth out of my mouth even so shall they be fulfilled, that the first shall be last, and that the last shall be first in all things whatsoever I have created by the word of my power, which is the power of my Spirit. (D&C 29:30)
That bit about “all my judgments are not given unto men” is intriguing. He’s given a lot of guidance on the things people will be judged on, and He wants us to know that stuff so we can prepare ourselves with repentance and/or avoid those sins.
But along with judgment that punishes, He can also give judgment that takes mercy. So this suggests to me that Jesus intends to take mercy in ways He has not told us. Aside from the principles of mercy on conditions of repentance and mercy for those who never heard of Christ or the gospel, and mercy on those not old enough to be accountable for their sins, we don’t know all the ways he can exercise mercy.
It could be He gives us a hint of another way He will have mercy in this verse—the last will be first and the first shall be last in all things. This is a reference to the parable of the workers hired in the market place at the 3rd, 6th, and evening hours, who were all mercifully given the same wages in the reverse order in which they were hired. Having the last be first is a mercy of love intended to show the last hired that they were not forgotten, when they might be perpetually afraid that they would be.
In any event, the Lord’s mercy is a surprising thing. Any of us who have experienced it can testify to that. I know I can. So I guess it makes sense that He reserves the right to use it and not tell us everything about how He can use it.
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