Lessons on the Plan of Salvation
Lesson No. Thirty-Three

Life in the Spirit World

The Book of Mormon introduces fundamental doctrine about the post-mortal spirit world: 

“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.  And then it shall come to pass that 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” (Alma 40:11-12).

Through latter day prophets we have been given more knowledge about the spirit world than any other dispensation.  This is because redeeming the dead is the work of our dispensation.

In the spirit world righteous people will enjoy the society of God and angels – “In the spirit world we are free…[to] enjoy life, glory, and intelligence; and we have the Father to speak to us, Jesus to speak to us, and angels to speak to us, and we shall enjoy the society of the just and the pure” (Brigham Young, JD 14:231).

In the spirit world righteous people are organized by families – Jedediah Grant was given a vision of the spirit world:  “The righteous gathered together in the spirit world; there were no wicked spirits among them.  There was order, government, and organization.  Among the righteous there was no disorder, darkness, or confusion.  They were organized into families, and there was “perfect harmony.”  There was a deficiency in some” families, because some individuals “had not honored their calling” on earth and therefore were not “permitted to…dwell together” (JD 4: 135-36).

In the spirit world spirits move with ease and like lightning - “The brightness and glory [of the spirit world] …is inexpressible.… [The spirits] move with ease and like lightning.  If we want to visit Jerusalem, or this, that, or the other place – and I presume we will be permitted if we desire – there we are, looking at its streets.  If we want to behold Jerusalem as it was in the days of the Savior; or if we want to see the Garden of Eden as it was when created, there we are, and we see it as it existed spiritually, for it was created first spiritually and then temporally, and spiritually it still remains.  And when there we may behold the earth as at the dawn of creation, or we may visit any city we please that exists upon its surface.  If we wish to understand how they are living [elsewhere], we are there” (Brigham Young, JD 14:231).

In the spirit world those who fall short in this life become their own accusers – The great misery of departed spirits in the world of spirits, where they go after death, is to know that they come short of the glory that others enjoy and that they might have enjoyed themselves, and they are their own accusers” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 310-11).

A greater and more glorious work is accomplished in the spirit world – Joseph Smith explained: “The spirits of the just are exalted to a greater and more glorious work; hence they are blessed in their departure to the world of spirits.  Enveloped in flaming fire, they are not far from us, and know and understand our thoughts, feelings, and motions, and are often pained therewith” (TPJS, p. 326).

President Joseph F. Smith received a remarkable revelation about the Lord’s work and how it is carried out in the spirit world.  In this revelation we learn that the Lord “organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead…And so it was made known among the dead, both small and great, the unrighteous as well as the faithful, that redemption had been wrought through the Son of God upon the cross” (D&C 138:30, 35).

It was also revealed to President Smith “that the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption, the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son of God, among those who are in darkness and under the bondage of sin in the great world of the spirits of the dead” (D&C 138:57).

Testimony – It was also revealed to President Smith “that the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption, the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son of God, among those who are in darkness and under the bondage of sin in the great world of the spirits of the dead” (D&C 138:57).  Certainly, faithful sisters of this dispensation continue to bless the lives of many people in the spirit world in ways that are unique to their special gifts and ability to love and nurture.

We should live each day now, so we can continue our service in the spirit world then.