Brent L. Top, 2010 ED Week - What Is This Thing Men Call Death? LDS Teachings about the Spirit World

this address like rental table was given that ey use campus education week on August 16th 2010 you my brothers and sisters I'm honored to have been invited to speak to you today the topic I have been assigned to speak on may seem a little strange to some of you for a setting like Education Week but I hope and pray that it will be both interesting and inspiring the subject is death someone once said that life is a terminal illness no one gets out of it alive death is both fascinating and somewhat frightening it can be frightening in that there is a normal degree of apprehension about it the Prophet Joseph Smith taught the Lord in his wisdom has implanted the fear of death that we might cling to life and thus accomplish the designs of their creator death is uncharted territory for all of us no matter what our age or circumstances death will be a new experience for all of us some look forward to passing to the other side where they can be free from pains and sicknesses toils and troubles or to be reunited with a loved one from whom they have been separate separated sometimes for decades on the other hand some spend their lives in search of a Fountain of Youth in hopes that they will never die still others just ignore it finding it too unpleasant to think or talk about it much but ignoring it doesn't eliminate it in fact death is a vital gateway to immortality an important milestone along the road of our eternal progress for this reason we can and we should learn as much as we can about this subject the Prophet Joseph Smith taught all men know that they must die and it is important that we should understand the reasons and causes of our exposure to the vicissitudes of life and of death and the designs and purposes of our coming into the world our sufferings here and our departure hence it is but reasonable to suppose that God would reveal something in reference to the matter and it is a subject we ought to study more our than any other we ought to study it day and night for the world is ignorant in reference to their true condition and relation if we have any claim on our heavenly father for anything it is for knowledge on this important subject end of quote our heavenly father has indeed revealed many things to us about the great plan of happiness and the next estate from the scriptures both ancient and modern and the inspired teachings and experiences of prophets seers and Revelator's we can glimpse beyond the veil of death and gain a greater understanding of the role of death and the conditions of the spirit world the knowledge gained from the restored gospel is both interesting and inspiring both fascinating and comforting while attending a funeral of a friend President Gordon B Hinckley penned a poem about death that speaks of this comfort and knowledge I have loved this poem from the very first time I read it but I was deeply touched by the musical rendition of it composed by Janice Kat Perry that was sung by the Tabernacle Choir at president Hinckley's funeral the first stanza goes like this what is this thing that men call death this quiet passing in the night tis not the end but Genesis a better world and greater light it is of this better worlds and greater light that I wish to speak to you today I would like to share with you just a few of the many important truths we learn about the spirit world through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ there are three specific questions that I would like to address by letting the words of the restoration scriptures and of latter-day prophets and apostles answer them first what do we as latter-day saints uniquely understand regarding the attributes and abilities of the spirit body second what does the restoration teach us about the spirit world where it is what it's like and what is going on there and third how does this important latter-day revelation a revealed knowledge about death in the spirit world affect our lives right here and now first the attributes and abilities of the Spirit the gospel teaches us that our physical body is indeed the outer shell and tabernacle that houses our immortal spirit modern revelation teaches us quote that the spirit of man is in the likeness of his person Doctrine and Covenants section 77 verse 2 in 1909 the First Presidency stated that the body is only the clothing of the spirit and that the spirit of man is in the form of man elder Boyd K Packer compared the body and spirit to a hand and a glove the glove covers the hand but the hand is the real living part death is like taking off the glove president Brigham Young stated take the spirit from the body and the body is lifeless this doctrine helps us to understand our feelings when we stand before the open casket bearing the remains of a dear loved one there is a distinct feeling that that is not him or her the body of our loved one is not the real person that we loved the real person is gone you can feel it you can see it the gospel teaches us another important truth about the spirit body that is that it is perfect not hampered or hindered by physical defects or disabilities at death the spirit body is liberated from the adverse effects of aging disease or handicaps elder Orson Pratt taught we as latter-day saints believe that the spirits that occupy these tabernacle have form and likeness similar to the human tabernacle of course there may be existing deformities connection connected with the outward Tabernacle which do not exist in connection with the spirit that inhabits it these Tabernacles become deformed by accident in various ways sometimes at birth but this may not altogether or in any degree deform the spirits that dwell within them in addition president Brigham Young said I can say with regard to the parting of our friends and our going there ourselves that I have been near enough to understand eternity so that I have had to exercise a great deal more faith to desire to live than I have ever exercised in my whole life the brightness and glory of the next apartment is inexpressible Brigham goes on to say it is not encumbered so that when we advanced in years we have to be stubbing along and be careful lest we fall down but yonder how different here we are continually troubled with ills and ailments of various kinds in the spirit world we are free from all of this and enjoy life glory and intelligence Wow what a comforting doctrine that is to know that the physical limitations we have in mortality will fall away that disease and sickness is non-existent and that aging and handicaps are nowhere to be found in the spirit world from the restored gospel we also learn that the powers and capacities of the spirit body even surpassed those of bodies in the physical world when it comes to communication and feelings movement and travel and learning and comprehension from the Doctrine and Covenants we learn that spirit is matter but it is more fine or pure and can be discerned by pure eyes because of this refined nature of spirit element parley P Pratt taught that spirit matter quote with its refined particles penetrate amid the other elements with greater ease and meet with less resistance than the more gross elements now I am NOT a physicist and I don't profess to understand how it all works but I find the scriptural statements about matter and the statements of early prophets and apostles about spirit capacities fascinating take example this statement from Brigham Young as quickly as the spirit is unlocked from this house of clay it is free to travel with lightning speed to any planet or fixed star or to the uttermost part of the earth or to the depths of the sea according to the will of him who dictates 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 Saviour excuse me or to see the Garden of Eden as it was when it was created there we are for it was created first spiritually and then temporally and spiritually it still remains Brigham goes on to say God has revealed some little things with regard to his movements and power and the operation and motion of the Lightning furnish a fine illustration of the ability and power of the Almighty when we pass into the spirit world we shall possess a measure of this power end of quote in Doctrine Covenants section 8 the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith the means whereby God communicates with man it is through the mind and the heart the spirit of Revelation is the divine means of communication not only here in mortality but also in the next life such divine communication transcends words and language elder Orson Pratt taught how do you suppose that spirits after they leave these bodies communicate one with another do they communicate their ideas by the actual vibrations of the atmosphere the same as we do I think not I think if we could be made acquainted with the kind of language by which spirits converse with spirits we would find that they have a more refined system among them of communicating their ideas well in choirs one can you imagine up any such language or system of language in this world elder Pratt then goes on to answer his own question he said I can imagine up one but it cannot be made practicable here from the fact that the mind of men is unable to use it for instance the Book of Mormon tells us that the angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost and man when under the influence of it speaks the language of angels why does he speak in this language because the Holy Ghost suggests the ideas which he speaks and it gives him uh pterence to convey them to the people suppose instead of having arbitrary sounds such as we have here to communicate these ideas that the Holy Ghost itself through a certain process and power should enable him to unfold that knowledge to another spirit all in an instant now with such perfect communication in that realm no wonder that those who come back from a spirit world encounter have difficulty putting into human words what they have learned what they have heard what they have felt and what they have experienced another important capacity of the spirit body is the ability to learn and comprehend we know that the spirit world is a place of learning the gospel teaches us that the most important learning is acquired through spiritual means president Brigham Young stated I shall not cease learning while I live nor when I arrived in the spirit world but shall there learn with greater facility likewise elder Orson Pratt taught that our ability to absorb comprehend and remember in information is greatly enlarged he said I believe we shall be freed in the next world in a great measure from these narrow contracted methods of thinking instead of thinking in one channel and following up one certain course of reasoning to find a certain truth knowledge will rush in from all quarters it will come in like the light which flows from the Sun penetrating every part in forming the spirit and giving understanding concerning 10,000 things at the same time and the mind will be capable of receiving and retaining all end of quote I don't know about you but I look forward to that enhanced capacity to learn in addition there is one capacity of spirit learning that really appeals to me and that is not only will we be able to learn faster and better but we will actually be able to remember it elder Pratt added this statement he said we read or learn a thing yesterday and today or tomorrow and it is gone can you relate to that some of the knowledge we receive at one time becomes so completely obliterated through the weakness of our physical bodies that we cannot call it to mind no association of ideas will again suggest it too our minds it is gone erased eradicated from the tablet of our memories why because there is imperfection in the organization of the flesh and bones and in things pertaining to this tabernacle it is this that erases from our memory many things that would be useful it is not so Orson Pratt taught when the Spirit is released from this Tabernacle wait until these mortal bodies are laid in the tomb and then is the time we shall have the most vivid knowledge and memories Wow these descriptions of the learning that takes place in the spirit world illustrate perfectly what the Prophet Joseph Smith was referring to when he declared could you gaze into heaven five minutes you would know more than you would by reading all that was ever written on the subject we have talked about the nature of our spirits what they are like and what they can do now let us address the issue of the spirit world the habitation of our immortal spirits when they leave our bodies at death where it is and what it's like people often think of the spirit world or heaven as being up there or out in the sky or out in space somewhere from the restoration of the gospel we know that this is not the case president Brigham Young said where is the spirit world it is right here do the good and evil spirits go together yes they do do they go to the Sun or some other planet no do they go beyond the boundaries of this organized Earth no they do not they are brought forth upon this earth for the express purpose of inhabiting it to all eternity now how is it that the spirit world can be right here on this earth is it like a different dimension well elder parley P Pratt perhaps explained it best he said the spirit world is here on the very planet where we were born or in other words the earth and other planets of a like sphere have their inward or spiritual spheres as well as their outward or temporal the one is people by temporal Tabernacles and the other by spirits a veil is drawn between the one sphere and the other whereby all the objects in the spiritual sphere are rendered invisible to those in the temporal now these statements illustrate so well why we speak of death as passing through the veil I like that imagery of a veil rather than a wall or a faraway planet the spirit world is right here around us President Joseph F Smith declared I believe we move and have our being in the presence of heavenly messengers and of heavenly beings we are not separate from them and therefore I claim that we live in their presence they see us they are solicitous for our welfare they love us now more than ever what a beautiful statement the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith in Doctrine and Covenants section 77 that quote that which is temporal is in the likeness of that which is spiritual from that we can assume that the spirit world is much like this world in fact Brigham Young who himself had seen the spirit world on more than one occasion declared when you are in the spirit world everything will appear as natural as things now do spirits will be familiar with spirits in the spirit world and will converse behold and exercise every variety of communication with one another as familiarly and naturally as well here in these Tabernacles here they're as here all things will be natural and you will understand them as you now understand natural things now while the prophets and the Scriptures teach us that the spirit world will appear natural to us and be much like this world I think we can assume that it will be what I like to call natural plus or as the Prophet Joseph Smith taught coupled with eternal glory which glory we do not now enjoy I guess we could compare that natural plus with the quality of regular television broadcast in years past with the best high-definition broadcasts of today Jedediah M grant counselor to Brigham Young and father to president Heber J grant saw the spirit world shortly before his death and recounted what he saw to president Heber C Kimball who then recounted it at Jedediah Grant's funeral listen to these words and see how it is natural plus High Definition brother grant said brother Heber I have been into the spirit world two nights in succession and of all the dreads that ever came across me the worst was to have to return again to my body though I had to do it brother grant also spoke of the buildings he saw there remarking that the Lord gave Solomon wisdom and poured gold and silver into his hands that he might display his skill and ability and said that the temple erected by Solomon was much inferior to the most ordinary buildings he saw in the spirit world now listen to this part in regards to Gardens says brother grant I have seen good gardens on this earth but I never saw any to compare with those that were there I saw flowers of numerous kinds some with fifty to a hundred different colored flowers growing upon one stalk we have many kinds of flowers on the earth and I suppose those very are came from heaven or they would not be here after speaking of the gardens and the beauty of everything there in the spirit world brother grant said that he felt extremely sorrowful at having to leave so beautiful a place and come back to earth for he looked upon his body with loathing but was obliged to enter in it again president grants experience is strikingly similar to many of the experiences and descriptions given by others including Brigham Young no wonder Brigham said that it took far greater faith than he ever had before it exercised for him to desire to continue to live in mortality in Doctrine and Covenants section 132 verse 8 the Lord declared behold mine house is a house of order and not a house of confusion order and organization are certainly important characteristics in the spirit world paradise president Ezra Taft Benson taught righteous spirits are closed bias they are organized according to priesthood order in family organizations as we are here only there they pre-exists in a more perfect order this was revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith President Jedediah M grant also marveled at this extensive order and organization in the spirit world he said but oh the order and government that were there when in the spirit world I saw the order of righteous men and women and beheld them in their several grades and there appeared to be no obstruction to my vision I could see every man and woman in their grade and order I look to see whether there was any disordered there but there was none he said that the people he saw there were organized in family capacities and when he looked at them he saw grade after grade and all were organized and in perfect harmony end of quote Alma taught that for the righteous the spirit world will be a paradise a state of rest a state of peace where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care and sorrow I have often wondered when I have read that passage how can it be a place of rest and yet we know that we will be busy and deeply involved in intense activity it reminds me of an account that one of my colleagues shared with me several years ago his aged mother-in-law who had been widowed for decades saw into the spirit world shortly before her passing she told the family that she had seen departed family members including her beloved husband well doesn't that just make you want to go join them a daughter asked her to which mother responded oh no they were so busy it made me tired watching them President Wilford Woodruff learned firsthand why people on the other side are so busy he told of a vision he received of the spirit world in which he spoke with the Prophet Joseph Smith president Woodruff said I saw him at the door of the temple in heaven he came to me and spoke to me he said he could not stop to talk with me because he was in a hurry the next man I met was father Smith Joseph's senior he could not talk with me because he too was in a hurry I met half a dozen Brethren who held high positions on earth and none of them could stop to talk with me because they were in such a hurry I was much astonished and by-and-by I saw the Prophet again and I got the privilege of asking him a question now said I I want to know why you were in a hurry I have been in a hurry all of my life but I expected my hurry would be over when I got into the kingdom of heaven if I ever did Joseph said I will tell you brother Woodruff every dispensation that has had the priesthood on the earth and has gone into the celestial kingdom has had a certain amount of work to do to prepare to go to earth with Savior when he goes to rain on the earth each dispensation has had ample time to do this work we have not we are the last dispensation and so much work has to be done and we need to be in a hurry to accomplish it because of the importance of and the urgency of the work of the Lord that occurs in the spirit world there are times when faithful men and women are called to that work before we think that they are ready to die no righteous person dies before his time but like calls here in mortality they sometimes are unexpected and come what we may think are inopportune moments elder Neal a Maxwell gave an insightful observation of this fact he said on the other side of the veil there are perhaps 70 billion people they need the same gospel and releases occur here to aid the Lord's work there each release of a righteous individual from this life is also a call to New Labour's immortal life may need to be shortened by 20 years as we might view but if so it may be done in order for special services to be rendered by that individual in the spirit world services that will benefit thousands of new neighbors those who have true hope understand this therefore though we miss the departed righteous so much here hundreds may feel their touch there one day those hundreds will thank the bereaved for gracefully forgoing the extended association with choice individuals here in order that they could help hundreds there in God's ecology talent and love are never wasted certainly elder Maxwell is one of those he died before we were ready to let him go and now continues to serve and others on the other side of the veil we know many others though they are transferred to a different mission field continue to labor there the work on of the Lord may be the same on that side of the veil but the success attending that work will be far greater on that side president Lorenzo snow said I believe strongly that when the gospel is preached to the spirits in prison the success attending the preaching will be far greater than that attending the preaching of our elders in this life I believe there will be very few indeed of those spirits who will not gladly receive the gospel when it is carried to them the circumstances there will be a thousand times more favorable one of the great heartaches that my mother and father experienced in this life was the death of a child next to the graves of my mom and dad is a small grave that holds the earthly remains of my brother whom I never knew in mortality he died as a four day old baby what is the spirit world like for him what is he doing now I am sure that every parent that has lost a child has wondered those same things the restored gospel gives us valuable insight and profound comfort regarding this subject President Joseph F Smith declared the spirits of our children are immortal before they come to us and their spirits after bodily death are like they were before they came they are as they would have appeared if they had lived in the flesh to grow to maturity or to develop their physical bodies to the full stature of their spirits if you see one of your children that has passed away it may appear to you in the form in which you would recognize it the form of childhood but if it came to you as a messenger bearing some important truth it would come perhaps in the stature of full-grown manhood or womanhood now President Smith continues father now remember President Joseph F Smith father was Hyrum Smith the brother of the Prophet and the patriarch of the church father taught that the spirit of Jesus Christ was full-grown before he was born into the world and so our children were full-grown and possessed their full stature in spirit before they entered mortality now I find that doctrine so interesting my brother that died as a four day old baby is a full-grown spiritually mature man in now in the spirit world if I were to see him today that is how he would appear I believe that my brother who died as a baby was indeed as the Prophet Joseph Smith taught concerning little children who died before accountability too pure too lovely to live on earth that doctrine comforts grieving mothers and fathers I know it comforted my mother in light of what the prophets have declared I believe that my parents at their deaths were reunited with their son and are laboring side-by-side with him in the great work of the Lord in the spirit world sharing the gospel teaching and blessing and strengthening others and he will continue that great service until the morning of the first resurrection then my mother and my father will realize one of the most comforting promises of the gospel that my mother will be able to raise my brother in the resurrection when they come forth on the morning of the first resurrection she will once again have a babe in arms to love and to nurture and rear President Joseph F Smith stated Joseph Smith declared that the mother who laid down her little child being deprived of the privilege the joy and the satisfaction of bringing it up to manhood or womanhood in this world would after the resurrection have all the joy satisfaction and pleasure and even more than it would have been possible to have had in mortality in seeing her child grow to the measure of the stature of its spirit I can only imagine the glorious reunion of my parents with their long departed son they had been separated for nearly 60 years reunion with loved ones is one of the most significant and most joyful conditions of the spirit world the Prophet Joseph Smith himself looked forward to this joyful you reunion with his loved ones on the other side of the veil of death he said I have a father brother's children and friends who have gone to the world of the spirits they are only absent for a moment they are in the spirit and we shall soon meet again when we depart from this life we shall hail our mothers fathers and friends and all whom we love who have fallen asleep in Jesus it will be an eternity of felicity president Brigham Young likewise said we have more friends beyond the veil than on this side and they will hail us more joyfully than you were ever ever welcomed by your parents and friends in this world and you will rejoice more when you meet them than you ever rejoice to see a friend in this life the doctrine of the spirit world being a place of joyous and loving reunion with family and friends is a glorious and comforting doctrine President Joseph F Smith said of this doctrine what is therefore any religion superior to that I know of nothing he then elaborated and said what is more desirable than we should meet with our fathers and our mothers with our brethren and sisters with our wives and our children with our beloved associates and kindred in the spirit world knowing each other identifying each other by the association's that familiarize each to the other immortal life what do you want better than that in Doctrine covenant section 130 we read that the same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there only it will be coupled with eternal glory which glory we do not now enjoy what does that mean what is sociality it seems to indicate to me that the same kinds of social interactions and feelings that we enjoy here in this life will be in that realm only to a greater and more glorious degree now for me personally I hope that means fun and laughter as well as rejoicing and praising my sociality involves joking and teasing and a lot of enthusiastic laughing and even cheering for my favorite sports teams I hope that continues on the other side of the veil I heard someone once say I am not afraid of death it's what I have to do to get there that scares me president Brigham Young says that when we pass through the veil we'll view death as one of the great blessings not something to be dreaded he said if we could see things as they are and as we shall see and understand them this dark shadow and valley of death is so trifling that we shall turn around and look upon it 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 whoa 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 end of quote Wow isn't that amazing isn't that appealing doesn't it just make you want to die it reminds me of what a colleague once said to me when we get over to the other side and see how good things are there we'll wonder why we ate so much whole wheat now to my last point how a uniquely latter-day Saint view of death and the spirit world should affect our lives today president Harold B Lee once said what we do here after will determine where we are in the hereafter now I like that play on words but let me say it a little different what we know about the hereafter can influence what we do and become here after or another way of saying it our know our knowledge of what it will be like then and there helps us to know what we should be like here and now the restored gospel of Jesus Christ doesn't just teach us about and prepare us for eternity it also blesses and enriches our lives right here and now that is certainly true with regard to the doctrine of death and of the spirit world the gospel insights about teach about dying teach us a great deal about living the scriptures teaches that if you are prepared ye shall not fear not only biologically but spiritually we begin preparation for death the moment we are born how we live is how we prepare the early Christian father and Bible translator Jerome taught in the 4th century begin to be now what you will be hereafter época tests the first century Greek philosopher likewise taught let death be daily before your eyes and you will never entertain any abject thought nor too eagerly covet anything I like that phrase let death be daily before your eyes now it may sound morbid to say think about death all the time but we can let earth be daily before our eyes by keeping our eyes focused on eternity and those things that matter most in our lives in our day the Lord declared let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds that is the way whereby we not only bet are better prepared to die but are also better equipped to really live in mortality there are two places in particular where we feel the closeness of the spirit world and where we are reminded most profoundly of the need for preparation for death they are at funerals and in the temple first funerals my wife Wendy loves funerals I tease her that she ought to read the obituaries in the newspaper and then just randomly select a funeral to attend like an apple a day she could do a funeral a day so probably she probably would do that and really enjoy it at funerals our hearts are more tender and our minds more focused on death I have felt the spirit so powerfully testifying of the truths of the gospel in funerals for me there is probably no more spiritual time for personal introspection than at a funeral service unless that is when we partake of the sacrament and we should be searching our souls president Howard W hunter speaking at a funeral said in the quiet of this chapel today our souls have been on their knees I'm really in love that phrase our souls on our knees we have contemplated the uncertainties of life and the certainty of death each of us in his turn will follow the same course only the point of time is different will the things we attend to in accomplish be completed will we make right the little wrongs and replace the harsh words with kindness before our call comes will we accept the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ by following his teachings keeping his Commandments being of service to our fellow man ready to enter the tomb and partake of the glorious resurrection and stand as the judgement as worthy servants and I love those statements from president hunter they are important questions that we all need to frequently consider not long ago I attended the funeral service of a dear friend and colleague I was deeply moved as the spirit was there in such rich abundance most of the touching tributes were made by the children there was no mention of the positions of prominence or his scholarly publications little was said of his career contribution instead the focus was totally on his love for others and his thoughtfulness and kindness his role as husband father and grandfather and most of all his faith and devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ now I was so impressed that I wondered if I could rent those children to give the tributes at my funeral as I left that funeral I wondered what my family and friends would say about me what mark in this world am i leaving in the hearts and lives of those around me are my priorities right am i putting first things first or I am am i distracted and diverted pursuing things that when the moment of death comes will not seem very important at all as I took spiritual inventory of my route life I realized that every day every moment I am writing my own eulogy my words my actions my thoughts my love are being written in my heart and soul and are likewise being recorded in the hearts of my family and fellow man if I don't like how the eulogy is being written then I need to change it and I can do that through repentance and striving to do better and being better that is one of the great blessings of the gospel daily preparing for dying as strange as that may sound powerfully affects our daily living as Shakespeare wrote be still prepared for death and death or life shall thereby be sweeter now the second place temples I have heard it said that temples are where heaven and earth meet the crossroad between mortality and eternity everything we do in the temple is focused on preparing for the next life and enriching our lives right here and now our minds are continually centered on the relationship between the two even as we are focused on the next life and those in the spirit world we are also reminded by instruction and covenants of the importance of this life and how living in harmony with those eternal principles will bless our own lives and our families right here and now what a blessing it is to have temples and temple ordinances to keep our mind centered on the things of eternity as President Gordon B Hinckley taught that if we would worthily attend the temple on a regular basis quote we will be a better people we will be better fathers and husbands we will be better wives and mothers he then added this I know your lives are busy and I know that you have much to do but I make you a promise that if you will go to the house of the Lord you will be blessed life will be better for you president Hinckley's promise about temples reminds me of a principle that I often teach my students I like to call it the principle of indirection you find in the scriptures it this principle a great deal it's not just not called that the principle works this way you focus on one thing and another thing results kind of like a boomerang you throw it in one direction and it comes back to you from another the most famous example of this is in the scriptures in Matt in Matthew chapter 10 verse 39 he that findeth his life shall lose it and he that lose ahthe his life for my sake shall find it it's an interesting irony those who spend their lives focus solely on this life living for now giving little thought about what lies beyond will come to realize that they have as president Hinckley said lost the substance while seeking after the shadow in a spiritual way focusing only on today diminishes our tomorrow's in contrast if we prepare for death each day of our lives we will not only obtain eternal life better worlds and greater light but also our here-and-now will be abundantly enhanced an understanding of the doctrine of death and the spirit world has revealed in these last days through the restoration inspires me to repent to re-examine my priorities and reorder them as necessary but there is something else it does for me and that word also starts with the letter R it is rejoice because of the restored gospel of Jesus I rejoice in my understanding of the purpose of this estate and the meaning of death I rejoice to know that death is not the end of life and love and relationships I rejoice to know that my loved ones who I am separated from for a season are not far from me the Prophet Joseph Smith taught that our departed loved ones are not far from us and that they continue to feel deeply about us I am reminded of the story about elder Bruce Armagh conky's father Oskar McConkey he was close to death and brother McConkey called his family together at his bedside to express his love and to give some departing counsel to the family members I am going to die he said but when I die I shall not cease to love you I shall not cease to pray for you I shall not cease to labor in your behalf that makes perfect sense to me that just as we continue to think about and love those who are separated by it from us by death that they continue to think about and love us and work for our good President Joseph F Smith taught sometimes the Lord expands our vision from this point of view and this side the veil so that we feel and seem to realize that we can look beyond the thin veil which separates us from that other sphere we begin to realize more and more fully as we become acquainted with the principles of the gospel as they have been revealed anew in this dispensation that we are closely related to our kindred to our ancestors to our friends and associates and co-laborers who have preceded us into the spirit world we cannot forget them we do not cease to love them and we always hold them in our hearts in our memory and thus are associated and United to them by ties that we cannot break that we cannot dissolve or free ourselves from for now they see the dangers that beset us they can comprehend better than before the weaknesses that are liable to mislead us into dark and forbidden paths they see the temptations and evils that beset us in life and the proneness of mortal beings to yield to temptations and wrongdoing hence their solicitude for us and their love for us and that their desire for our well-being must be greater than that which we feel for ourselves end of quote what a comforting thought to know that we are not alone in facing our challenges or dealing with our own difficulties president Ezra Taft Benson testified that there are people over there who are pulling for us people who have faith in us and who have great hopes for us who are hoping and praying that we will measure up our loved ones parents grandparents brothers sisters and friends who have passed on in doctrine covenant section 84 verse 88 the Lord promised I will go before your face I will be on your right hand and on your left and my spirit shall be in your hearts and mine angels round about you to bear you up you have probably read that passage many times as I have and perhaps wondered who are those angels because of the restored gospel teachings about the spirit world and eternal family we know the answer president knows Joseph F Smith taught it clearly he said when messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth they are not strangers brought from the ranks of our kindred and Friends in like manner our fathers and mothers brothers sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth having been faithful and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges may have a mission given to them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again bringing from the divine presence messages of love of warning or reproof and instruction to those who they had learned to love in the flesh that makes perfect sense to me if there is to be help from beyond the veil it will come from those who know and love us best and who desire to help us most do you realize what a blessing that can be to us as parents and grandparents sons and daughters and brothers and sisters sometimes we know when the veil is being parted in our behalf but most times we don't whether that help is seen or unseen it is real speaking specifically to parents who have children who have strayed from the path President James E Faust not long before his death gave this comforting assurance perhaps in this life we are not given fully to understand how enduring the sealing cords of righteous parents are to their children it may very well be that there are more helpful sources at work than we know I believe there is a strong familial pull as the influence of beloved ancestors continues with us from the other side of the veil at the beginning of my talk I shared with you the first stanza a president Hinckley's poem let me share that again and this time give you the rest of it president Hinckley's words say what is this thing that men call death this quiet passing in the night tis not the end but Genesis a our worlds and greater light Oh God touched thou my aching heart and calm my troubled haunting fears let hope and faith transcend and pure give strength and peace beyond my tears there is no death but only change with recompense for victory one the gift of him who loved all men the Son of God the Holy One I rejoice with you in knowing that there is indeed strength and peace beyond our tears I rejoice in and bear testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ I know he lives and I know that because he lives there is no death but only change and better world and greater light how grateful I am for the peace the gospel brings I add my testimony to the words of the Apostle Paul Oh death where is thy sting o grave where is thy victory thanks be to God which giveth us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ in the sacred name of Jesus Christ amen you

Channel: BYUEducationWeek

Views: 207,356

Keywords: What is this thing men call death? LDS teachings about the Spirit World., Brent L. Top, Brent Top, BYU Campus Education Week, BYU Education Week, Education Week, 2010 Education Week, 2010 BYU Education Week, 2010 BYU Campus Education Week

Id: c5RCrmE6Y9s

Length: 55min 41sec (3341 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 11 2014