Death is an inevitable part of life. It’s a part that many fear, but the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a unique understanding of the afterlife, thanks to restored doctrine. And that understanding takes away my fear of death.
No Ghosts No Purgatory
We lived in Heaven with God before we were born here on Earth. And we will return to Him again when we die. Many believe in Ghosts, but those who have read Alma 40:11, know that there is no such thing as Ghosts because the Spirits of all men are taken directly home to that God who gave them life.
11 Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.
So there is your proof. There are no such things as ghosts, and Purgatory is a myth. In the afterlife, we go directly home to God. We don’t get stuck in the place we die, and we don’t end up in some kind of void. Instead, we are home. And we are safe.
Spirit World- step 1 In the Afterlife
That is not the final stop on the journey through the afterlife. In Alma 40-32 the Spirit world is explained. It is a place of rest, peace, and learning. For those with the Gospel, it’s a place of joy. And for those who have never heard the Gospel, it’s a chance for missionaries to teach them. God never takes away our free agency. So nobody is forced to join the church, even in the Spirit World. The afterlife is much like Earth- learning and growth go on forever.
Heaven Has 3 Degrees
After the Savior comes again will be the final judgment. And in Doctrine & Covenants 76 God reveals that there are 3 degrees of glory in Heaven. The Telestial (Tee-lestial) Kingdom is the lowest level of Heaven.
It is compared to the glory of the stars and is far more lovely than our Earth. (That can be hard to believe.) Joseph Smith once said that if people got a glimpse of the Telestial kingdom people would be killing themselves to get there.
So imagine how much more glorious the other two kingdoms of Heaven must be! The middle kingdom of Heaven is called the Terrestrial Kingdom. Its glory is compared to that of the moon. And the highest kingdom of Heaven is the Celestial Kingdom, whose glory is like the sun. That is where God lives.
In the final judgment, we will be assigned our places in Eternity. But nobody will be disappointed, and all will receive a degree of glory, except for those who have earned Outer Darkness.
Outer Darkness
The only ones who won’t be in heaven will be in Outer Darkness, or as some call it Hell. In that place, there is no light, no glory, and no love. It must be a miserable place to spend your afterlife. Alma describes Outer Darkness. He says in Alma 40:
13 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house—and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.
The Resurrection
And Alma describes our Resurrection.
Alma 40: 23
23 The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.
So that young man I saw yesterday in a wheelchair because he lost his legs, will have legs in the resurrection. My nephew who was born without a leg will have that leg again in the afterlife. And every illness that has taken something from us, will be as if it never happened. My friend with Alopecia will have her hair again. And I will get my metabolism back. It’s a wonderful thing to look forward to!
Your Actions Matter
Like many other Christian religions, the LDS faith knows that our behavior will guide where we will be in the eternities. In Alma 41: 3-8, 10 he explains:
3 And it is requisite with the justice of God that men should be judged according to their works; and if their works were good in this life, and the desires of their hearts were good, that they should also, at the last day, be restored unto that which is good.
4 And if their works are evil they shall be restored unto them for evil. Therefore, all things shall be restored to their proper order, everything to its natural frame—mortality raised to immortality, corruption to incorruption—raised to endless happiness to inherit the kingdom of God, or to endless misery to inherit the kingdom of the devil, the one on one hand, the other on the other—
5 The one raised to happiness according to his desires of happiness, or good according to his desires of good, and the other to evil according to his desires of evil; for as he has desired to do evil all the day long even so shall he have his reward of evil when the night cometh.
Righteousness is rewarded
6 And so it is on the other hand. If he hath repented of his sins, and desired righteousness until the end of his days, even so he shall be rewarded unto righteousness.
7 These are they that are redeemed of the Lord; yea, these are they that are taken out, that are delivered from that endless night of darkness; and thus they stand or fall; for behold, they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil.
8 Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved.
10 Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.
Keep Trying
So it is up to us to live in a way that we will be worthy to live with God. Because, as Alma said, you can’t be restored to righteousness when all you have done is wickedness. But by repenting regularly, keeping the commandments, and staying on the Covenant Path, you will be ready to live with God when the time comes.
It’s all about progression, and continuing to try to do better. Some people I know beat themselves up for every mistake. But we can’t change the past. We can look forward to the future and work to be better people. We can learn and grow. And that is all God expects of us. He loves us and wants us to succeed. He isn’t the one reminding us of our failures.
Your knowledge is yours – FOREVER
There are a couple of last thoughts I want to add from Doctrine & Covenants 130: 18-19
18 Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection.
19 And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.
It’s beautiful to me that our knowledge will rise with us in the afterlife. That class you took and didn’t do anything with all those years ago? Well, it wasn’t for nothing! That knowledge will be a blessing to you in the life to come.
Keep the commandments
This final scripture is one of my favorites. Doctrine & Covenants 130: 20-21
20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—
21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.
I love it because it is a clear guide on how to get blessings. If you keep the Sabbath Holy, you will be given the blessings that come with that. It is not arbitrary, you won’t miss out on those gifts. If you keep the commandment you WILL get the benefit. What a wonderful gift to know that! What a wonderful Heavenly Father who took the time to be sure we knew about it.
I’m grateful for the scriptures and the clarity they provide about the purpose of life. Knowing God is on my side, wanting to bless me at every chance He has, lifts my heart even in the hardest times. And knowing where we will go after this life is over, and that good things are waiting for us in the afterlife, gives me peace. I hope this article has helped grant you some peace too. And maybe it can encourage you to keep trying, to accomplish your goals, and to be a better person.
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