That the restoration begins with the resurrection is logical because the resurrection is itself a restoration. Everyone understands that the mortal body perishes and is destroyed by the process of decay. In the next world, that body is restored—right down to the hairs of the head on a physical level. But this time, the body housing the soul is as incorruptible as the soul itself.
Alma 40:24-26
24 And now, my son, this is the restoration of which has been spoken by the mouths of the prophets—
25 And then shall the righteous shine forth in the kingdom of God.
26 But behold, an awful death cometh upon the wicked; for they die as to things pertaining to things of righteousness; for they are unclean, and no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of God; but they are cast out, and consigned to partake of the fruits of their labors or their works, which have been evil; and they drink the dregs of a bitter cup.
Alma references unidentified prophets. They, too, have spoken in the past, but their words will be “restored” (v. 22). First comes a restoration through the resurrection, and then comes the judgment. After this time, the righteous leave paradise for Yahweh’s kingdom, and the wicked leave outer darkness for “awful death.” They can no longer be described as “outer”—by their distance from the light—because they are totally separate from the light. Verse 13 set up light/dark and life/death pair. Here, the “awful death” is the opposite of what God is. It is the ultimate “dark.”
Text: There is no chapter break here in the 1830 edition; and again, the 1879 chapter break has separated the parts of this great discourse, imposing disunity about what is a conceptual whole.