"A major message of the Book of Mormon is that Jesus, who was slain, and whose body was very dead for three days, rose from the grave with His physical, tangible body and was very much alive," said Robert J. Matthews in an address delivered at a Book of Mormon symposium at BYU in 1985.
"Not only did [JesusT rise from the grave with a live, warm, physical body, but because of His atonement all mankind will also rise . . . from the dead, each in his own time."The physical nature of Jesus' resurrected body is described in detail in 3 Nephi, in which Jesus says He has come among them to show them His body." (3 Ne. 10:18-19.)
Brother Matthews quoted 3 Ne. 11:16-17, which contains an account of the personal visit of Jesus to the Nephites. Then Brother Matthews said: "There were about 2,500 persons who saw and felt His physical body on that occasion. (3 Ne. 17:25.) Even at three or four seconds each, `one by one' would take several hours. The passage we have just read (3 Ne. 11:16-17) is one of the greatest scriptural records in our possession. It is clear that `showing' Himself involved more than merely looking. It was sight, sound, touch, and a witness of the Spirit."