The Spirit World or Afterlife--'Where are we going?'

Because we are the children of Adam and Eve, we inherit their physical traits. One of those traits is physical death—the separation of our eternal spirit from our temporal physical body. All people must die. 1.

The Spirit World or Afterlife reflects the mercy of God

Death is part of the “merciful plan of the great Creator.” 2

Death is merciful in that it:

• separates a righteous person from the devil
• separates a righteous person from the evils of this world
• separates us from our corruptible body
• places people, who have not heard the gospel message, in a realm called the Spirit World of Afterlife where they can repent and be reconciled to God
• places a person, who is sanctified through the atonement of Christ, in a situation where he can progress
• allows people time (whether that duration is the twinkling of an eye 3 or many millennia) to prepare and be prepared for their resurrection
• brings to pass “the plan of redemption” [the Plan of Salvation] whereby Christ saves us from the eternal consequences of our sins, redeems us from the effects of the Fall, and restores us through the resurrection to our perfect and proper frame. Without Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, our “souls [would be] miserable, being cut off from the presence of the Lord.” 4

Elder Bruce R. McConkie said,

“It is just as important to die as to be born, for the spirit to leave the body as for it to enter that same body.” 5

Therefore, the transitional period between mortality to immortality that we call death is part of the merciful plan of God.

President Brigham Young said,

“If we could see things as they are…this dark shadow and valley is so trifling that we shall turn round and look upon it (the valley of death) and think, when we have crossed it, why this is the greatest advantage of my whole existence, for I have passed from a state of sorrow, grief, mourning, woe, misery, pain, anguish and disappointment into a state of existence, where I can enjoy life to the fullest extent as far as that can be done without a body. My spirit is set free, I thirst no more, I want to sleep no more, I hunger no more, I tire no more, I run, I walk, I labor, I go, I come, I do this, I do that, whatever is required of me, nothing like pain or weariness, I am full of life, full of vigor, and I enjoy the presence of my Heavenly Father, by the power of His Spirit….” 6

The Spirit World or Afterlife offers us time to prepare

Repentance, progression and preparation take time (short or long, depending on individual circumstances), wherefore, “there must needs be a space betwixt the time of death and the time of the resurrection.” 7

Where are we going? What becomes of the souls of men from the time of death to the time of the resurrection? The Book of Mormon prophet, Alma, gave the answer:

“…as soon as they [the spirits of men] 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.” 8

That “home,” or the Spirit World (Afterlife), is a temporary place where the spirits of all men wait, repent and prepare until the time of resurrection. This is the answer to 'Where are we going?'

Judgement upon entering the Spirit World or Afterlife

An initial judgment—not the final judgment—takes place upon entering the Spirit World or Afterlife, whereby placement in the Spirit World is assigned. Jesus taught that a “great gulf” 9 separates the righteous from the wicked. Alma explained these two plains of existence in the Spirit World or Afterlife:

“…the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow. And…the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil…these shall be cast out into outer darkness (Spirit Prison); 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. Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.” 10

Repentance in the Spirit World or Afterlife

Can the dead, who have not heard the gospel message in this life, repent in Spirit Prison or Afterlife and become redeemed from Spirit Prison? Yes! The Plan of Salvation provides that they be

“‘taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and all other principles of the gospel that [are] necessary for them to know.’ 11 If they accept the principles of the gospel, repent of their sins, and accept ordinances performed in their behalf in temples, they will be [released from Spirit Prison] and welcomed into paradise.” 12

Procrastination and the Spirit World or Afterlife

On the other hand, the opportunity for repentance is much more limited and difficult in the Spirit World or Afterlife if one has heard and rejected the gospel message in this life:

“Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.” 13

Procrastination can have eternal consequences. The Book of Mormon teaches:

“For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.” 14

Questions about 'The Spirit World or Afterlife--Where are we going?'

• Because we are children of Adam and Eve, we inherit their physcial trait of death. Death is a separation of the body from what?
• Why is death merciful?
• What is life like in the Spirit World or Afterlife?
• What do we do in the Spirit World or After life? Why must there "be a space betwixt the time of death and the time of the resurrection”?
• What happens, according to the Book of Mormon prophet, Alma, to the spirits of all men when they are departed from this mortal body and enter the Spirit World or Afterlife?
• What judgement occurs upon a person's entering the Spirit World or Afterlife that determines his placement there?
• Can a person repent and receive all the saving ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Spirit World or Afterlife?
• If a person knows the gospel message and procrastinates his day of repentance, what can he expect will be his condition in the Spirit World or Afterlife?
• Why, then, is this life so important?

References for 'The Spirit World or Afterlife--'Where are we going?'

1. (Alma 42:6) – But behold, it was appointed unto man to die—therefore, as they were cut off from the tree of life they should be cut off from the face of the earth—and man became lost forever, yea, they became fallen man.
2. (2 Nephi 9:6)
3. (D&C 63:51) – Wherefore, children shall grow up until they become old; old men shall die; but they shall not sleep in the dust, but they shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye.
4. (Alma 42:11)
5. (Mormon Doctrine, p. 185)
6. (President Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 17:142)
7. (Alma 40:6)
8. (Alma 40:12)
9. (Luke 16:23-26) – And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that [would come] from thence.
10. (Alma 40:12-15)
11. (D&C 138:33-34)
12. (True to the Faith, p. 46-47)
13. (Alma 34:34)
14. (Alma 34:32)