Fearful or fearless at final judgment

PROVO, Utah — A series of partial judgments lead up to the final judgment day, said David J. Ridges. And it doesn't have to necessarily be an awful experience.\"Judgment day can be pleasant,\" said Ridges, a retired Church Education System instructor, during an Education Week session on \"Final Judgment, Outer Darkness, Three Degrees of Glory, Exaltation, Then What?\"Ridges referenced 2 Nephi 9:14 when \"the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge or their enjoyment, and their righteousness...\"\"There will be no excuses left,\" Ridges said.Prior to judgment day, there will have been at least two partial judgments. The first was in the pre-earth life when everyone was presented with the Plan of Salvation. Those who chose the side of the Savior, \"kept their first estate\" as stated in Abraham 3:26 were headed to earth to receive a physical body. Those who didn't, won't receive a body.The other partial judgment is at death when we enter the spirit world as some end up in spirit paradise and others in spirit prison, Ridges said.When the final judgment day arrives, the work of the millennium, including temple work, missionary work and making sure everyone had an opportunity to hear the gospel, will be finished, Ridges said.\"The millennium will be a grand time,\" he said. \"It will be a final preparation.\"At final judgment, we will be judged on who are then, he said. If people have been righteous, but then went astray and never repented, those initial good deeds won't do much for them, as stipulated in Ezekiel 18:24.