THE SPIRIT WORLD
Compiled by Corby G. Campbell
Revised October 23, 2000
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 God in our coming into
the world, our sufferings here, and our departure hence. What is the object of our coming in to existence,
then dying and falling away, to be no more? 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 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. (Joseph Smith, History of
the Church, 6:50.)
A.
General conditions of the Spirit World
1.
The Spirit is an eternal, divine and tangible substance. Our identity is fixed. D&C 93:29, 33;
D&C 77:2; Joseph Smith, TPJS, p. 207-8; Charles W. Penrose, JD, 26:22; Rudger Clawson, CR, Apr 1933, p.
75; Joseph F. Smith, Improvement Era, part 2, vol. 12, No.7, May 1909, p. 585-599.
2.
We are the same person there, as we were here. Our spirit is our personality and our real
self. Our traits and tendencies do not change at death. Alma 34:34; Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon
Doctrine, p. 762; Hartman Rector Jr., CR, Oct 70, p. 73; Melvin J. Ballard, Struggle For the Soul, S.L.
Tabernacle, May 5, 1928, reprinted in The New Era, March 1984, p. 39; Bruce R. McConkie, CR, Oct 1976, p.
158.
3.
At death we are not automatically brought back into God's presence. Alma 40:11 (compare
with Helaman 14:17), Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 2:84-87; Bruce R. McConkie,
Mormon Doctrine, p. 402; Heber C. Kimball, JD, 3:113.
4.
All will feel the loss of the body is a bondage. D&C 138:18, 50.
5.
Repentance and improvement are available, yet more difficult in some cases. There is an
increase in the intensity of emotions. The spirit has and may develop appetites and cravings.
Mortality or probation ends after the Spirit World. D&C 58:2; Alma 12:24; Joseph Fielding Smith,
Doctrines of Salvation, 2:131, 160, Hartman Rector Jr., CR, Oct 70, p. 73-74; Melvin J. Ballard, Struggle For
the Soul, S.L. Tabernacle, May 5, 1928, reprinted in The New Era, March 1984, p. 39; Delbert E. Stapley, CR,
Oct 1977, p. 28; Russell M. Nelson, CR, Oct 1988, p. 8; Alvin R. Dyer, For What Purpose, Mission Conference in
Oslo, Norway, March 18, 1961.
6.
There are divisions in the Spirit World, and paradise and spirit prison are separated by a
gulf. Christ bridged that gulf for the first time while a spirit Himself in the Spirit World. Alma 40:
12-14; 1 Nephi 15:28-30; Moses 7:37-40; D&C 138; Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvations, 2:230;
Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 762.
7.
Our stay in the Spirit World varies in duration, as we await the resurrection. After our
resurrection we are no longer in the spirit world. Not all to be resurrected at Christ's resurrection
and at Second Coming. Many required to stay in Spirit World and preach the gospel. The time of
resurrection is an individual thing. The phrase "morning of the first resurrection" refers to a type
of resurrection more than a time. D&C 138:36-37; 1 Cor. 15:22-23; D&C 88:96-102; Alma 40:14; Alma
40:3-4; Moroni 10:34; Helaman 14:25; Joseph Smith, TPJS, p. 310; Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.
762; Melvin J. Ballard, Struggle For the Soul, S.L. Tabernacle, May 5, 1928, reprinted in The New Era, March
1984, p. 39; Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 448.
8.
The Spirit World is here on this earth. There is a veil drawn between them and us. There is
a temporal world and a spiritual world on this same sphere. Brigham Young, JD, 3:368-9, Ezra Taft
Benson, Come unto Christ, p. 119; Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 376-80; Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science
of Theology, p. 126-7; Joseph Smith, TPJS, p. 326.
9.
The spirit world contains buildings, gardens, animal life, and other blessings to enliven the
soul and gladden the heart. D&C 59:16-20; Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 2:48-51;
Heber C. Kimball, JD, 4:135-36; George Albert Smith, Improvement Era, March 1947, p. 139.
10.
Entrance into the Spirit World is an initial or partial judgment. Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon
Doctrine, p. 402.
B.
Paradise
1.
A state of happiness, peace, and rest from cares and sorrow. Alma 40:12; D&C 138:21-22; 2
Nephi 9:13-14; Moroni 10:34.
2.
Satan's influence ceases. If you are on the right path when you die, you will never get off.
George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth, Vol. 1, p. 77, Sep 1, 1885, Juvenile Instructor, 20:264; Brigham Young, JD,
4:133; Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 782; Bruce R. McConkie, The Probationary Test of Mortality,
Jan 10, 1982, given at University of Utah Institute.
3.
This world is organized according to the priesthood, with quorums, callings, order and
structure. One of the principal calls is to do missionary work. Joseph Smith, TPJS, p. 208; John Taylor,
JD, 22:309; Rudger Clawson, CR, Apr 1933, p. 75-6; Wilford Woodruff, JD, 22:334; Russell M. Nelson, From
the Heart to Heart, p. 15-18.
4.
Spirits may visit those in mortality when authorized to do so. These messengers from the
Spirit World are our friends, or kindred dead. D&C 129:1, 3, 6; Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of
Theology, p. 116; Matthias F. Cowley, Wilford Woodruff, His Life and Labors, p. 622; Brigham Young, JD,
14:231; Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 435-37; Joseph F. Smith, CR, Apr 1916, p. 2-3.
5.
Life in Paradise is superior to mortality, yet inferior to a Celestial Being. We are free from
hunger, fatigue, need no sleep, and are full of life and vigor. Brigham Young, JD, 14:231-32; Brigham
Young, JD, 17:142.
6.
We may enjoy the society of the just and pure, angels, the Church of the Firstborn, Christ,
and the Father. D&C 107:18-19; D&C 138; Brigham Young, JD, 14:231; Brigham Young, JD, 17:142; Joseph
F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 440.
7.
It is easier to learn things of the intellect. A place of final preparation, a place to expand in
wisdom. Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 448; Hartman Rector Jr., CR, Oct 70, p. 73-74; Bruce R.
McConkie, The Mortal Messiah, 4:222.
8.
Little children who die before they are accountable go into Paradise. In the Spirit World
they possess the stature of adults. They will come forth in the resurrection as children to be
raised by their righteous parents. Blessings such as courtship and marriage are available to them.
D&C 137:10; Moroni 8:8-22; Bruce R. McConkie, Ensign, Apr 1977, p. 6; Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of
Salvation 2:56-57; Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 455; Bryant S. Hinckley, Sermons and Missionary
Services of Melvin J. Ballard, p. 260; Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 455-56.
C.
Spirit Prison
1.
Spirit prison requires similarities with mortality. The dead are judged by the same law or
standard as those in mortality. 1 Peter 4:5-6; D&C 138:31-34, 57; D&C 76:73; Joseph Fielding Smith,
Doctrines of Salvation, 2:130; Wilford Woodruff, The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p. 148; Institute Student
Manual: Doctrines of the Gospel, Religion 231 and 232, p. 85, B.2.
2.
A state of unhappiness, misery, darkness reigns, or hell. Satan has influence in the lives of
these spirits. Alma 40:13-14; 1 Nephi 15:29, D&C 76:103-6, D&C 138:21-22; Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon
Doctrine, p. 782 and p. 349.
3.
All the spirits in prison will have the gospel preached unto them. D&C 138:30, 1 Peter 3:18-21;
1 Peter 4:6; Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:132, 134.
4.
Spirits will receive the gospel through the ministration of God's servants. They must be
taught and accept faith, repentance, atonement, sacred ordinances and vicarious work, sacrifice
and prove faithful in tribulation. D&C 138:32-37, 57; Wilford Woodruff, Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p.
148.
5.
Men and women are separated from one another. D&C 132:13-17; Rudger Clawson, CR, Oct
1908, p. 74; Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, p. 320.
D.
Intermingling Missionary Work/Crossing the Gulf
1.
The wicked were shut up in prison, with no contact with the righteous until the atonement
of Jesus Christ. He then bridged the gulf and opened the way for missionary work. The righteous
may go to the wicked but the wicked cannot go among the righteous. Moses 7:37-39; D&C 138:3637; Luke 16:19-31; Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:230; Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine,
p. 755.
2.
As the spirits in prison accept the gospel and receive the necessary ordinances done
vicariously, they may cross over into paradise. They are permitted to attend the temple and
personally witness the work done for them. Preaching in the Spirit World is met with far greater
success than in this life. D&C 138:57-59; Zechariah 9:11-12; Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 438;
Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:158; Gospel Principles, 1979, p. 280; Melvin J. Ballard, The
Logan Temple: The First One Hundred Years, p. 170; Lorenzo Snow, Millennial Star, 56:50.
3.
Mortals are "called" to leave mortality and go to the Spirit World to labor there. Sisters to
serve as missionaries to the women, and the brethren to the men. Wilford Woodruff, JD, 22:334;
Russell M. Nelson, From the Heart to Heart, p. 15-18; Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection, p. 320;
Wilford Woodruff, JD, 2:334.
4.
Prior to the Millennium we do the work for all our ancestors. During the Millennium we will
only do the work for those who accept the gospel. The names of those who accept the gospel will
be given by revelation to us (Urim and Thummin or other means). Vicarious ordinances are not
for the rebellious. No second chance for salvation. D&C 76:71-74; Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p.
438-9; Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:190-192.
E.
Summation
1.
It is all one great work on either side of the veil. Ezra Taft Benson, Temple Memories, Denver
Colorado Temple dedication, Oct 25, 1986, (Quoted by Thomas S. Monson, CR, Apr 1993, p. 4); Spencer W.
Kimball, Things of Eternity -Stand We In Jeopardy?, Ensign, Jan 1977, p. 32 (Quoted by David B. Haight, CR,
Apr 1993, p. 32).
A.
General Conditions of the Spirit World
A - 1. The Spirit is an eternal, divine and tangible substance.
D&C 93:29
Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither
indeed can be.
D&C 93:33
For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, ...
D&C 77:2
... that which is spiritual being in the likeness of that which is temporal; and that which is temporal in the
likeness of that which is spiritual; the spirit of man in the likeness of his person ...
Joseph Smith
... we shall find a very material difference between the body and the spirit; the body is supposed to be
organized matter, and the spirit, by many, is thought to be immaterial, without substance. With this latter
statement we should beg leave to differ, and state the spirit is a substance; that it is material, but that it is
more pure, elastic and refined matter than the body; that it existed before the body, can exist in the body;
and will exist separate from the body, when the body will be mouldering in the dust; and will in the
resurrection, be again united with it. Without attempting to describe this mysterious connection, and the laws
that govern the body and the spirit of man, their relationship to each other, and the design of God in relation
to the human body and spirit, I would just remark, that the spirits of men are eternal ... (TPJS, p. 207-8.)
Charles W. Penrose
Spirit is a substance, it is not immaterial; it may have some properties that are different from that which we
see and handle, which we call matter, but it is a reality, a substantial reality. And spirit can understand spirit
and grasp spirit. A spiritual person can take the hand of another spiritual person and it is substantial. A person
in body could not grasp a spirit, for that spirit has different properties to those of our bodies, and it is
governed by different laws to those that govern us in this sphere of mortality. A spiritual substance, organized
into form, occupies room and space just as much in its sphere as these natural particles occupy in this sphere.
(JD, 26:22.)
Rudger Clawson
Now, this spiritual world is thought to be, by some people, something very intangible, because they do not see
it with the mortal eye, and cannot feel it or handle it. But as I have already stated, it is very substantial in its
character. (CR, Apr 1933, p. 75.)
Joseph F. Smith (speaking at the funeral of Rachel Grant, mother of Heber J. Grant)
I expect to meet the same individual that I knew here. I expect to be able to recognize her just as I could
recognize her tomorrow if she were living. I believe I will know just exactly whom she is and what she is, and I
will remember all I knew about and enjoy her association in the spirit as I did in the flesh; because her identity
is fixed and indestructible as the identity of God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. They cannot be changed;
they are from everlasting to everlasting, eternally the same; so it will be with us. We will progress and develop
and grow in wisdom and understanding, but our identity can never change. (Improvement Era, part 2, vol. 12,
no. 7, May 1909, p. 585-99.)
A - 2. We are the same person there, as we were here. Our spirit is our personality and our real
self. Our traits and tendencies do not change at death.
Alma 34:34
…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.
Bruce R. McConkie
Men have the same talents and intelligence there which they had in this life. They possess the same attitudes,
inclinations, and feelings there which they had in this life. They believe the same things, as far as eternal
truths are concerned; they continue, in effect, to walk in the same path they were following in this life ... Thus
if a man has the spirit of charity and love of the truth in his heart in this life, that same spirit will possess him
in the spirit world. If he has the spirit of unbelief and hate in his heart here, so will it be with him when he
passes through the door into the spirit world. (Mormon Doctrine, p. 762.)
Hartman Rector Jr.
Sometimes we seem to get the idea that in the spirit world, we will be completely different individuals; we will
suddenly undergo a miraculous change in our character when we die. But nothing could be further from the
truth. "We," our spirits, do not change at death; we are still the same. (CR, Oct 1970 p. 73.)
Melvin J. Ballard
What we will discover is this, that the spirit takes upon itself the habits of the body. There are many spirits that
have come into mortality free, that have become enslaved through yielding to the cravings of the flesh. They
will find when they come out of the body that they are tainted and tinctured with all the lust and desires of the
body. Instead of being free to rise to glorious heights, they are more or less earthbound, craving the things
that they have yielded to in the flesh, and they will discover too that after they have stepped out of this life
they are separated from the body and have no power over that element, but the reformation will have to go
forward in the spirit. They will also discover that every emotion and feeling will be intensified when they have
passed out of mortality, so that it will be much more difficult to conquer and master and overcome when we
go out of this life than here and now. (Struggle For the Soul, S.L. Tabernacle, May 5, 1928, reprinted in The
New Era, March 1984, p. 39.)
Bruce R. McConkie
When the wicked and ungodly depart from this life they continue in their wickedness and rebellion. (CR, Oct
1976, p. 158.)
A - 3. At death we are not automatically brought back into God's presence. Alma 40:11 can be
tricky (compare with Helaman 14:17.)
Alma 40:11
... 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.
Helaman 14:17
But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into
the presence of the Lord.
Joseph Fielding Smith
"Taken home to God,” simply means that their mortal existence has come to an end, and they have returned
to the world of spirits, where they are assigned to a place according to their works with the just or with the
unjust, there to await the resurrection. (Answers to Gospel Questions, 2:84-87.)
Bruce R. McConkie
When the spirit leaves the body at death, it is taken home to that God who gave it life, meaning that it returns
to live in the realm of spiritual existence. (Mormon Doctrine, p. 402.)
Heber C. Kimball
As for my going into the immediate presence of God when I die, I do not expect it, but I expect to go into the
world of spirits and associate with my brethren, and preach the Gospel in the spiritual world, and prepare
myself in every necessary way to receive my body again, and then enter through the wall [veil?] into the
celestial world. I never shall come into the presence of my Father and God until I have received my
resurrected body, neither will any other person. (JD, 3:113.)
(Compilers Note: All mankind are brought back to God's presence after the resurrection for the final judgment.
This does not occur before, unless, as is the case with the righteous, the Lord advances this experience. Even
for the righteous the timing of this event will vary, although it will occur before the wicked.)
A - 4. All will feel the loss of the body is a bondage.
D&C 138:18, 50
While this vast multitude waited and conversed, rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of
death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the captives who had been faithful; For the dead had
looked upon the long absence of their spirits from their bodies as a bondage.
A - 5. Repentance and improvement are available, yet more difficult in some cases. There is an
increase in the intensity of emotion. The spirit has and may develop appetites and cravings.
Mortality or probation ends after the Spirit World.
D&C 58:2
For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he
that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.
Alma 12:24
And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is
the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this
life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state
which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.
Joseph Fielding Smith
Is it not stated in the scriptures that sins may be forgiven beyond the grave? (Matt 12:31-32). There are
punishments to be endured in the spirit world; but is not the promise made that the prisoner may come forth
from the prison, when the uttermost farthing is paid? Sin may be forgiven, if not a sin unto the second death.
That sins are forgiven in the world to come, we need only refer to the words of the Savior: (he then quotes
Matt 12:31-32). This shows that some sins will be forgiven in the world to come. (Doctrines of Salvation
2:131, 160.)
Hartman Rector Jr.
Oh yes, it is possible to repent in the spirit world, although we are given to understand that it is much more
difficult to repent there because we will not have our physical bodies to help us ... President Brigham Young
said it is a hundred times easier to repent here on the earth than it is in the spirit world. By the same token, if
we go there in the right condition, it is a hundred times easier to learn in the spirit world than it is here in this
life. (CR, Oct 70, p. 73-74.)
Melvin J. Ballard
The body is like clay, plastic and pliable, and when the clay is soft and pliable how easy it is to mold it, to alter
it, to change it! Then when it becomes hard and set, how difficult this is! Similarly, men and women who go
through their entire lives forming habits of viciousness, of wickedness, find it exceedingly difficult in old age to
modify and change their course. And yet even for them it is easier to change their course of life in old age than
it will be after death ... What we will discover is this, that the spirit takes upon itself the habits of the body.
There are many spirits that have come into mortality free, that have become enslaved through yielding to the
cravings of the flesh. They will find when they come out of the body that they are tainted and tinctured with all
the lust and desires of the body. Instead of being free to rise to glorious heights, they are more or less
earthbound, craving the things that they have yielded to in the flesh, and they will discover too that after they
have stepped out of this life they are separated from the body and have no power over that element, but the
reformation will have to go forward in the spirit. They will also discover that every emotion and feeling will be
intensified when they have passed out of mortality, so that it will be much more difficult to conquer and
master and overcome when we go out of this life than here and now. (Struggle For the Soul, S.L. Tabernacle,
May 5, 1928, reprinted in The New Era, March 1984, p. 39.)
Delbert E. Stapley
We must recognize that mortality has been granted to us as a probationary state where all physical appetites
are to be mastered. It is far more difficult to repent in the spirit world of sins which involve physical habits and
actions. (CR, Oct 1977, p. 28.)
Russell M. Nelson
Both spirit and body have appetites. One of life's great challenges is to develop dominance of spiritual
appetites over those that are physical. Your willpower becomes strong when joined with the will of the Lord.
Addiction to any substance enslaves not only the physical body but the spirit as well. Therefore, repentance is
best achieved while one still has a body to help attain spiritual supremacy. (CR, Oct 1988, p. 8.)
Alvin R. Dyer
There is another thing that you must understand for yourselves to understand this whole thing, and that is that
this life, or the day of this life, so far as the gospel is concerned, begins the day you were born and ends after
the period of the Spirit World--not when you die in this life. So, the day of this life, so far as the plan of life is
concerned is from the day you were born until the end of your period in the Spirit World. (For What Purpose?,
Mission Conference in Oslo, Norway, March 18, 1961, p. 28.)
A -6. There are divisions in the Spirit World. Paradise and spirit prison are separated by a gulf.
Christ bridged that gulf for the first time while a spirit Himself in the Spirit World.
Alma 40:12-14
And then shall it 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. And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who
are evil--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. 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.
1 Nephi 15:28-30
And I said unto them that it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also from
the saints of God. And I said unto them that it was a representation of that awful hell, which the angel said
unto me was prepared for the wicked. And I said unto them that our father also saw that the justice of God did
also divide the wicked from the righteous ...
Moses 7:37-40
But behold, their sins shall be upon the heads of their fathers; Satan shall be their father, and misery shall be
their doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over them, even all the workmanship of mine hands; wherefore
should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer? But behold, these which thine eyes are upon shall
perish in the floods; and behold, I will shut them up; a prison have I prepared for them. And That which I
have chosen hath pled before my face. Wherefore, he suffereth for their sins; inasmuch as they will repent in
the day that my Chosen shall return unto me, and until that day they shall be in torment;
D&C 138
Joseph Fielding Smith
All spirits of men after death return to the spirit world. There, as I understand it, the righteous --meaning
those who have been baptized and who have been faithful--are gathered in one part and all others in another
part of the spirit world ... I understand that the righteous may now go among the other spirits, and there the
gospel is being taught, but the spirits barred from the association of the righteous cannot go where the
righteous are. According to the story of Lazarus and the rich man, there was a gulf which separated the
righteous from the unrighteous (which included all the spirits not baptized), and neither class could pass into
the other until the Savior bridged the gulf, so those holding the priesthood then could cross over to teach the
others. (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:230.)
Bruce R. McConkie
This world is divided into two parts: paradise which is the abode of the righteous, and hell which is the abode
of the wicked. Until the death of Christ these two spirit abodes were separated by a great gulf, with the
intermingling of their respective inhabitants strictly forbidden. After our Lord bridged the gulf between the two,
the affairs of his kingdom in the spirit world were so arranged that righteous spirits began teaching the gospel
to wicked ones. (Mormon Doctrine, p. 762.)
A - 7. Our stay in the Spirit World varies in duration, as we await the resurrection. After our
resurrection we are no longer in the spirit world. Not all to be resurrected at Christ's resurrection
and at Second Coming. Many required to stay in Spirit World and preach the gospel. The time of
resurrection is an individual thing. The phrase "morning of the first resurrection" refers to a type
of resurrection more than a time.
D&C 138:36-37
Thus was it made known that our Redeemer spent his time during his sojourn in the world of spirits,
instructing and preparing the faithful spirits of the prophets who had testified of him in the flesh; That they
might carry the message of redemption unto all the dead, unto whom he could not go personally, because of
their rebellion and transgression, that they through the ministration of his servants might also hear his words.
1 Cor. 15:22-23
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive, But every man in his own order: Christ the first
fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
See also D&C 88:96-102. Helaman 14:17
Alma 40:14
... thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise; until the time of their resurrection.
Alma 40:3-4
... But I show unto you one thing which I have inquired diligently of God that I might know--that is concerning
the resurrection. Behold, there is a time appointed that all shall come forth from the dead. Now, when this
time cometh no one knows; but God knoweth the time which is appointed.
Moroni 10:34
And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again
reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great
Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen.
Bruce R. McConkie
After all men are resurrected, the spirit world will be without inhabitants. (Mormon Doctrine, p.
762.)
Melvin J. Ballard
Man and woman will not come up in the resurrection of the dead until they have conquered and mastered
and have overcome. (Struggle For the Soul, S.L. Tabernacle, May 5, 1928, reprinted in The New Era, March
1984, p. 39.)
Joseph F. Smith
When a man has obeyed the principles of the gospel, used his influence for good, injured no soul, loved
righteousness, and despised wrong doing, laying down his body to the rest of the righteous in the grave, I feel
and know that, in addition to the spirit's promised state of peace and rest in paradise, there will be a glorious
reunion of body and spirit, a bright awakening for him in the resurrection, and a future beyond, full of
happiness. When this time shall come, none but God knoweth, but we do know that all men shall come forth
from the dead. (Gospel Doctrine, p. 448.)
(Compilers Note: lf the righteous who were in the spirit world after Christ's resurrection, were immediately
thereafter resurrected, then who would be left to go and preach to those in prison? The righteous will be
resurrected first, in the morning of the first resurrection, but when this will be for each individual can vary
greatly.)
A - 8. The Spirit World is here on this earth. There is a veil drawn between them and us. There is a
temporal world and a spiritual world on this same sphere. They can know and be aware of our
doings.
Ezra Taft Benson
The spirit world is not far away. From the Lord's point of view, it is all one great program on both sides of the
veil. Sometimes the veil between this life and the life beyond becomes very thin. This I know! Our loved ones
who have passed on are not far from us. One Church president asked, "Where is the spirit world?" and then
answered his own question: "It is right here ... Do [spirits] 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." He also said, "When the spirits leave their bodies they are in the presence of our Father and God;
they are prepared then to see, hear and understand spiritual things ... If the Lord would permit it, and it was
His will that it should be done, you could see the spirits that have departed from this world, as plainly as you
now see bodies with your natural eyes." (Come Unto Christ, p. 119. See also Brigham Young, JD, 3:369, 368.)
Parley P. Pratt
As to it's location, it 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 peopled 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. (Key to
the Science of Theology, p. 126-7.)
Joseph Smith
When men are prepared, they are better off to go hence. Brother Adams has gone to open up a more effectual
door for the dead. 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.)
A - 9. The spirit world contains buildings, gardens, animal life, and other blessings to enliven
the soul and gladden the heart.
D&C 59:16-20
Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls
of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth; Yea, and the herb, and the
good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for
orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards; Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are
made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; Yea, for food and
for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul. And it pleaseth God that he
hath given all these things unto man;
Joseph Fielding Smith
Four pages of information concerning the eternal nature, and future destiny of animals. (Answers to
Gospel Questions, 2:48-51.)
Heber C. Kimball
I went to see him (Brother Jedediah M. Grant) one day last week, and he reached out his hand and shook
hands with me ... He said to me, 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 again return to my body, though I
had to do it….He would mention one item after another and say, "Why, it is just as Brother Brigham says it is;
it is just as he has told us many a time." That is a testimony as to the truth of what Brother Brigham teaches
us, and I know it is true, from what little light I have....He 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. In regard 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, and 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 articles came from heaven, or they would not be here. (JD, 4:135-36, President
Heber C. Kimball was speaking at the funeral services of President Jedediah M. Grant.)
George Albert Smith
One day…I lost consciousness of my surroundings and thought I had passed to the Other Side. I found myself
standing with my back to a large and beautiful lake, facing a great forest of trees... There was no evidence of
anyone's living there, just those great beautiful trees in front of me and the wonderful lake behind me. I began
to explore and soon I found a trail through the woods which seemed to have been used very little, and which
was almost obscured by grass. (Improvement Era, March 1947, p. 139.)
A - 10. Entrance into the Spirit World is an initial or partial judgment.
Bruce R. McConkie
Death itself is an initial day of judgment for all persons, both the righteous and the wicked. When the spirit
leaves the body at death, it is taken home to that God who gave it life, meaning that it returns to live in the
realm of spiritual existence. At that time the spirit undergoes a partial judgment and is assigned an inheritance
in paradise or in hell to await the day of the first or second resurrection. (Mormon Doctrine, p. 402.)
B.
Paradise
B - 1. A state of happiness, peace, and rest from cares and sorrow.
Alma 40:12
And then shall it 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.
D&C 138:21-22
Neither did the rebellious who rejected the testimonies and the warnings of the ancient prophets
behold his presence, nor look upon his face. Where these were, darkness reigned, but among the
righteous there was peace.
2 Nephi 9:13-14
…and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and
they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall
be perfect…and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness,
being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.
Moroni 10:34
And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again
reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great
Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen.
B - 2. Satan's influence ceases. If you are on the right path when you die, you will never get off.
George Q. Cannon
Satan has power here over us to a certain extent. He can afflict us; he can tempt us; he can annoy us in many
ways. These are the consequences of the fall and for a wise purpose belong to our probation here in the flesh.
But, if we listen to the Lord, if we strive to keep the commandments, if we seek to be governed by the Spirit,
when death comes, Satan's power ceases. He can no more afflict or torment or tempt or annoy those who are
thus faithful. His power over them ceases forever. But not so with those who disobey God, who keep not His
commandments, who yield to the power and spirit of Satan. They are his servants; they are under his
influence. He takes possession of them when they pass from this mortal existence, and they experience the
torments of hell. (Gospel Truth, Vol. 1, p. 77 or Juvenile Instructor, 20:264 Sep 1, 1885.)
Brigham Young
But when the spirit is unlocked from the body it is free from the power of death and Satan; ... (JD, 4:133.)
Bruce R. McConkie
The Three Nephites, having overcome and being "sanctified in the flesh," are beyond the power of Satan,
and he cannot tempt them. Similarly, when the righteous saints go to paradise, they will no longer be
tempted, but the wicked in hell are subject to the control and torments of Lucifer. (Mormon Doctrine, p.
782.)
Bruce R. McConkie
The straight and narrow path leads from the gate of repentance and baptism --a very great distance, to a
reward that's called eternal life. If you're on that path and pressing forward, and you die, you'll never get off
the path. There is no such thing as falling off the straight and narrow path in the life to come, and the reason
is that this life is the time that is given to men to prepare for eternity. Now is the time and day of our
salvation, so if you're working zealously in this life -though you haven't fully overcome the world and you
haven't done all you hoped to do you're still going to be saved ... If you're on the path when death comes,
because this is the time and day appointed, this the probationary estate -you'll never fall off from it, and, for
all practical purposes, your calling and election is made sure. Now, that isn't the definition of that term, but the
end result will be the same. (The Probationary Test of Mortality, Jan 10, 1982, speech given at University of
Utah Institute.)
B - 3. This world is organized according to the priesthood, with quorums, callings, order and
structure. One of the principal calls is to do missionary work.
Joseph Smith
I would just remark, that the spirits of men are eternal, that they are governed by the same Priesthood that
Abraham, Melchizedek, and the Apostles were: that they are organized according to that Priesthood which is
everlasting, "without beginning of days or end of years," --that they all move in their respective spheres, and
are governed by the law of God... (TPJS, p. 208.)
John Taylor
And are the Priesthood operating behind the veil? Yes, and we are operating here. And we have a Priesthood
here, and they have one there. Have we a Presidency? They have one there. Have we a Twelve? So they have
there. Have we Seventies here? They have there. Have we High Priests here? They have there. Have we
various quorums? Yes, and we operate in them; and when we get through we join our quorums above. (JD,
22:309.)
Rudger Clawson
We wonder what our loved ones are doing over there on the other side. If I should make answer I would say
that in my opinion they are doing over there just exactly what we are doing here. I explain it upon this basis:
In heaven there is the Church of the First-born....The First-born in heaven is Jesus Christ; consequently the
Church of the First-born in heaven is the Church of Jesus Christ. And then we have the Church of Jesus Christ
upon the earth, and I should say that as between these two churches there is virtually no difference, except
this, that in the one case the church is upon the earth, and in the other case the church is in the spirit world,
or in heaven. The work that we are expected to do here, I am sure we will be expected to do over there, and
we will have the means to do it. They who have gone before us, who bear the priesthood, have taken the
means with them which represents divine authority. We lose nothing by dying, except the body which must go
back to the earth that gave it. The body belongs to the earth. It is formed of dust, and will return to dust. But
the spirit came from God, and when it leaves the body it will return to God who gave it. That is good scripture.
Now, a man who is an apostle here will be an apostle there. A man who is a high priest here, or a seventy, or
an elder, or a patriarch, when he dies, will still be in possession of the office he held on earth. The high priest,
for instance, will pass into the high priests’ quorum there, the seventy in the seventies’ quorum, and the elder
into the elders’ quorum, and so on. It is all one church. All that divides these two great church divisions is the
veil, and the principles of the Gospel that govern here in the Church of Christ will surely govern there in the
Church of Christ. So the men holding various offices in the priesthood in this life will pass into their proper
quorums in the life to come. No doubt it will all be done in perfect order. There will be no confusion, and the
good work will go on. (CR, Apr 1933, p. 75-6.)
Willford Woodruff
The same Priesthood exists on the other side of the vail. Every man who is faithful in his quorum here will join
his quorum there. When a man dies and his body is laid in the tomb, he does not lose his position. The
Prophet Joseph Smith held the keys of this dispensation on this side of the veil, and he will hold them
throughout the countless ages of eternity. He went into the spirit world to unlock the prison doors and to
preach the Gospel to the millions of spirits who are in darkness, and every Apostle, every Seventy, every Elder,
etc., who has died in the faith as soon as he passes to the other side of the vail, enters into the work of the
ministry, and there is a thousand times more to preach there than there is here. (JD, 22:334.)
Russell M. Nelson
B - 4. Spirits may visit those in mortality when authorized to do so. Our friends and kindred
minister to us.
D&C 129:1, 3, 6
There are two kinds of beings in heaven, namely: Angels, who are resurrected personages, having bodies of
flesh and bones ... Secondly: the spirits of just men made perfect, they who are not resurrected, but inherit
the same glory ... If he be the spirit of a just man made perfect he will come in his glory; for that is the only
way he can appear…
Parley P. Pratt
Spirits can appear unto men when permitted; but not having a fleshy tabernacle, they can not hide their glory.
(Key to the Science of Theology, p. 116.)
Wilford Woodruff
If the laws and customs of the spirit world will permit, I should wish to attend my funeral myself, but I
shall be governed by the counsel I receive in the spirit world. (Matthias F. Cowley, Wilford Woodruff, His
Life and Labors, p. 622.)
Joseph F. Smith
When ministers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from the
ranks of our kindred, friends, and fellow-beings and fellow-servants. The ancient prophets who died were
those who came to visit their fellow creatures upon the earth. They came to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob;
it was such beings--holy beings if you please--who waited upon the Savior and administered to him on the
Mount ... 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
them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of
love, of warning, of reproof and instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh. (Gospel
Doctrine, p. 435-37.)
Joseph F. Smith
Sometimes the Lord expands our vision from this point of view and this side of the veil, that we feel and seem
to realize that we can look beyond the thin veil which separates us from that other sphere. If we can see by
the enlightening influence of the spirit of God and through the words that have been spoken by the holy
prophets of God, beyond the veil that separates us from the spirit world, surely those who have passed
beyond, can see more clearly through the veil back here to us than it is possible for us to see to them from
our sphere of action. I believe we move and have our being in the presence of heavenly messengers and of
heavenly beings. We are not separate from them. 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; we always hold
them in our hearts, in memory, and thus we are associated and united to them by ties that we cannot break,
that we cannot dissolve or free ourselves from.. If this is the case with us in our finite condition, surrounded
by our mortal weaknesses, short-sightedness, lack of inspiration and wisdom from time to time, how much
more certain it is and reasonable and consistent to believe that those who have been faithful, who have gone
beyond and are still engaged in the work for the salvation of souls of men, the opening of prison doors to
them that are bound and proclaiming liberty to the captives who can see us better than we can see them;
that they know us better than we know them. They have advanced; we are advancing; we are growing as
they have grown; we are reaching the goal that they have attained unto; 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. For now
they see the dangers that beset us; they can comprehend better than ever before, the weaknesses that are
liable to mislead us into dark and forbidden paths. They see the temptations and the evils that beset us in life
and the proneness of mortal beings to yield to temptation and to wrong doing; hence their solicitude for us
and their love for us and their desire for our well being must be greater than that which we feel for ourselves.
(CR, Apr 1916, p. 2-3)
B -5. Life in Paradise is superior to mortality, yet inferior to a Celestial Being. We are free from
hunger, fatigue, need no sleep, and are full of life and vigor.
Brigham Young
The brightness and glory of the next apartment is inexpressible. It is not encumbered with this clog of dirt we
are carrying around here so that when we advance in years we have to be stubbing along and to be careful
lest we fall down. We see our youth, even, frequently stubbing their toes and falling down. But yonder, how
different!... When we pass into the spirit world we shall possess a measure of this power; not to that degree
that we will when resurrected and brought forth in the fulness of glory to inherit the kingdoms prepared for us.
The power the faithful will possess then will far exceed that of the spirit world; but that enjoyed in the spirit
world is so far beyond this life as to be inconceivable without the Spirit of revelation. Here, we are continually
troubled with ills and ailments of various kinds, and our ears are saluted with the expressions, "My head
aches," "My shoulders ache," "My back aches," "I am hungry, dry or tired;" but in the spirit world we are free
from all this and 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 who are in the spirit
world until the resurrection. (JD, 14:231-32.)
Brigham Young
When we contemplate the condition of man here upon the earth, and understand that we are brought forth for
the express purpose of preparing ourselves through our faithfulness to inherit eternal life, we ask ourselves
where are we going, what will be our condition, what will be the nature of our pursuits in a state of being in
which we shall possess more vigor and a higher degree of intelligence than we possess here? Shall we have
labor? Shall we have enjoyment in our labor? Shall we have any object of pursuit, or shall we sit and sing
ourselves away to everlasting bliss? These are questions that arise in the minds of people, and they many
times feel anxious to know something about hereafter...I would like to say to you, my friends and brethren, if
we could see things as they are, and as we shall see and understand them, 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. I want to say to my friends, if you will live your
religion, live so as to be full of the faith of God, that the light of eternity will shine upon you, you can see and
understand these things yourselves, that when you close your eyes upon mortality you wake up right in the
presence of the Father and the Son if they are disposed to withdraw the vail, they can do as they please with
regard to this; but you are in the spirit world and in a state of bliss and happiness ... The spirits of the living
that depart this life go into the world of spirits, and if the Lord withdraws the vail it is much easier for us then
to behold the face of our Father who is in heaven than when we are clothed upon with this mortality. (JD,
17:142.)
B - 6. We may enjoy the society of the just and pure, angels, the Church of the Firstborn,
Christ, and the Father.
D&C 107:18-19
The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual
blessings of the church--To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the
heavens opened unto them, to commune with the general assembly and church of the Firstborn, and to enjoy
the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.
D&C Section 138
Christ visits paradise.
Brigham Young
…in the spirit world we are free from all this and 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 who are in the spirit world until the resurrection. (JD, 14:231.)
Brigham Young
When we contemplate the condition of man here upon the earth, and understand that we are brought forth for
the express purpose of preparing ourselves through our faithfulness to inherit eternal life, we ask ourselves
where are we going, what will be our condition, what will be the nature of our pursuits in a state of being in
which we shall possess more vigor and a higher degree of intelligence than we possess here? Shall we have
labor? Shall we have enjoyment in our labor? Shall we have any object of pursuit, or shall we sit and sing
ourselves away to everlasting bliss? These are questions that arise in the minds of people, and they many
times feel anxious to know something about hereafter. . .I would like to say to you, my friends and brethren, if
we could see things as they are, and as we shall see and understand them, this dark shadow and valley is so
trifling the we shall turn round and took 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. I want to say to my friends, if you will live your
religion, live so as to be full of the faith of God, that the light of eternity will shine upon you, you can see and
understand these things yourselves, that when you close your eyes upon mortality you wake up right in the
presence of the Father and the Son if they are disposed to withdraw the vail, they can do as they please with
regard to this; but you are in the spirit world and in a state of bliss and happiness ...The spirits of the living
that depart this life go into the world of spirits, and if the Lord withdraws the vail it is much easier for us then
to behold the face of our Father who is in heaven than when we are clothed upon with this mortality. (JD,
17:142.)
Joseph F. Smith
While we are in mortality we are clogged, and we see as through a glass darkly, we see only part, and it
is difficult for us to comprehend the smallest things with which we are associated. But when we put on
immortality, our condition will be very different, for we ascend into an enlarged sphere; although we
shall not become perfect immediately after our departure from the body, for the spirit without the body is
not perfect, and the body without the spirit is dead. The disembodied spirit during the interval of the
death of the body and its resurrection from the grave is not perfect, hence it is not prepared to enter into
the exaltation of the celestial kingdom; but it has the privilege of soaring in the midst of immortal beings,
and of enjoying, to a certain extent, the presence of God, not the fulness of his glory, not the fulness of
the reward which we are seeking and which we are destined to receive, if found faithful to the law of the
celestial kingdom, but only in part. The righteous spirit that departs from this earth is assigned its place
in the Paradise of God; it has its privileges and honors which are in point of excellency, far above and
beyond human comprehension; and in this sphere of action, enjoying this partial reward for its righteous
conduct on the earth, it continue its labors, and in this respect is very different from the state of the
body from which it is released. For while the body sleeps and decays, the spirit receives a new birth; to it
the portals of life are opened. It is born again into the presence of God. The spirit of our beloved sister in
taking its departure from this world is born again into the spirit world, returning there from the mission it
has been performing in this state of probation, having been absent a few years from father, mother,
kindred, friends, neighbors, and from all that was dear; it has returned nearer to the home-circle, to old
associations and scenes, much in the same way as a man who comes home from a foreign mission, to
join again his family and enjoy the pleasures and comforts of home. This is the condition of her whose
remains now lie before us, and of every one who has been faithful to virtue and purity, while traveling
here below; but more especially of those who while here had the privilege of obeying the gospel, and
who lived true and faithful to its covenants. Instead of continuing here among the things of time,
surrounded as we are with the weaknesses of a fallen world, and subject to earthly cares and sorrows,
they are freed from them to enter a state of joy, glory and exaltation; not a fulness of any one of them
but to await the morning of the resurrection of the just, to come forth from the grave to redeem the
body, and to be reunited with it and thus become a living soul, an immortal being, never more to die.
(Gospel Doctrine, p. 440.)
B - 7. It is easier to learn things of the intellect. A place of final preparation, a place to expand in
wisdom.
Joseph F. Smith
The spirits of all men, as soon as they depart from this mortal body, whether they are good or evil….are taken
home to that God who gave them life, where there is a separation, a partial judgment, and 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 expand in wisdom, where they have respite from all their troubles, and where care and
sorrow do not annoy. (Gospel Doctrine, p. 448.)
Hartman Rector Jr.
President Brigham Young said it is a hundred times easier to repent here on the earth than it is in the spirit
world. By the same token, if we go there in the right condition, it is a hundred times easier to learn in the spirit
world than it is here in this life. (CR, Oct 70, p. 73-74.)
Bruce R. McConkie
Paradise--the abode of righteous spirits, as they await the day of their resurrection; paradise--a place of peace
and rest where the sorrows and trials of his life have been shuffled off, and where the saints continue to
prepare for a celestial heaven; paradise--not the Lord's eternal kingdom, but a way station along the course
leading to eternal life, a place where the final preparation is made for that fulness of joy which comes only
when body and spirit are inseparably connected in immortal glory! (The Mortal Messiah, 4:222.)
B - 8. Little children who die before they are accountable go into Paradise. In the Spirit World
they possess the stature of adults. They will come forth in the resurrection as children to be
raised by their righteous parents. Blessings such as courtship and marriage are available to
them.
D&C 137:10
And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the
celestial kingdom of heaven.
Moroni 8:8, 11, 12, 19
Listen to the words of Christ your Redeemer, ...little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing
sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them ... And their little
children need no repentance, neither baptism ... Little children are alive in Christ even from the foundation of
the world ... Little children cannot repent; wherefore, it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God
unto them, for they are all alive in him because of his mercy.
Bruce R. McConkie
Will Children Ever Be Tested? Absolutely not! Any idea that they will be tested in paradise or during the
millennium or after the millennium is pure fantasy. (Ensign, Apr 1977, p. 6)
Joseph Fielding Smith
All that we need do for children is to have them sealed to their parents. They need no baptism and never will,
for our Lord has performed all the work necessary for them. Children who die in childhood will not be deprived
of any blessing ... Children who die in infancy do not have to be endowed. So far as the ordinance of sealing,
is concerned, this may wait until the millennium ... Satan cannot tempt little children in this life, nor in the
spirit world, not after their resurrection. Little children who die before reaching the years of accountability will
not be tempted. (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:56-57) (Compilers Note: For a very thorough treatment of this topic
see Doctrines of Salvation, 2:49-57)
Joseph F. Smith
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 perhaps come as the spirit of
Bishop Edward Hunter's son (who died when a little child) came to him, in the stature of full-grown manhood,
and revealed himself to his father, and said: "I am your son." (Gospel Doctrine, p. 455.)
Melvin J. Ballard
You mothers worry about your little children [who have died]. We do not perform sealings for them. I lost a
son six years of age. and I saw him a man in the spirit world after his death, and I saw how he had exercised
his own freedom of choice and would obtain of his own will and volition a companionship, and in due time to
him, and all those who are worthy of it, shall come all of the blessings and sealing privileges of the house of
the Lord. Do not worry over it. They are safe; they are all right. Now, then, what of your daughters who have
died and have not been sealed to some man?....The sealing power shall be forever and ever with this Church,
and provisions will be made for them. We cannot run faster than the Lord has provided the way. Their
blessings and privileges will come to them in due time. In the meantime, they are safe. (Bryant S. Hinckley,
Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard, p. 260.)
Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Smith taught the doctrine that the infant child that was laid away in death would come up in the
resurrection as a child; and, pointing to the mother of a lifeless child, he said to her: “You will have the joy,
the pleasure, and satisfaction of nurturing this child, after its resurrection, until it reaches the full stature of its
spirit.” There is restitution, there is growth, there is development, after the resurrection from death. I love this
truth. It speaks volumes of happiness, of joy and gratitude to my soul. Thank the Lord he has revealed these
principles to us. (Gospel Doctrine, p. 455-456.)
C.
Spirit Prison
C - 1. Spirit Prison requires similarities with mortality. The dead are judged by the same law or
standard as those in mortality.
1 Peter 4:5-6
Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. Because of this, is the gospel
preached to them who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live in the spirit
according to the will of God. (Italicized words JST changes.)
D&C 138:31-34, 57
Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth or in
transgression, having rejected the prophets ...These were 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 were necessary for them to know in order to qualify themselves that they might be judged
according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. I beheld 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, through 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 76:73
And also they who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the Son visited, and preached the gospel unto
them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh;
Joseph Fielding Smith
What then of the dead who knew not Christ? They, too, must subscribe to the law the same as the living,
for the same principles and ordinances apply to both. (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:130.)
Institute Student Manual: Doctrines of the Gospel, Religion 231 and 232
The gospel is preached to the dead so that they can be judged by the same standard that will be used to
judge those who hear the gospel in mortality. (p. 85, B.2.)
Wilford Woodruff
It takes as much to save a deadman as a living one. (The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p. 148)
C - 2. A state of unhappiness, misery, darkness reigns, or hell. Satan has influence in the
lives of these spirits.
(Compilers Note: Satan has influence here in morality yet when men accept the gospel and turn to God,
Satan's influence is greatly diminished. Just because one is in spirit prison may not mean their suffering is
intense. It may be that the degree of suffering is based on how they respond to the gospel there, and allow
the Holy Ghost to influence them.)
Alma 40:13-14
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. 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.
1 Nephi 15:29
And I said unto them that it was a representation of that awful hell, which the angel said unto me was
prepared for the wicked.
D&C 76:103-6
These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and
makes a lie. These are they who suffer the wrath of God on earth. These are they who suffer the vengeance of
eternal fire. These are they who are cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of Almighty God, until the fulness
of times, when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under his feet, and shall have perfected his work;
D&C 138:21-22
Neither did the rebellious who rejected the testimonies and the warnings of the ancient prophets behold his
presence, nor look upon his face. Where these were, darkness reigned…
Bruce R. McConkie
...the wicked in hell are subject to the control and torments of Lucifer. (D&C 132:26) (Mormon Doctrine, p.
782.)
Bruce R. McConkie
That part of the spirit world inhabited by wicked spirits who are awaiting the eventual day of their
resurrection is called hell. Between their death and resurrection, these souls of the wicked are cast out into
outer darkness, into the gloomy depression of sheol, into the hades of waiting wicked spirits, into hell. There
they suffer the torments of the damned: there they welter in the vengeance of eternal fire; there is found
weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth; there the fiery indignation of the wrath of God is poured out
among the wicked. (Ibid, p. 349.)
C – 3. All the spirits in prison will have the gospel preached unto them.
D&C 138:30
But behold, from among the righteous, he 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.
1 Peter 3:18-21
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to
death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the
ark was a preparing ...
1 Peter 4:6
Because of this, is the gospel preached to them who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in
the flesh but live in the spirit according to the will of God. (Italicized words JST changes.)
Joseph Fielding Smith
In the justice of the Father, he is going to give to every man the privilege of hearing the gospel. Not one soul
shall be overlooked or forgotten ... We know that millions of people have died without a knowledge of the
gospel, or of the name of Christ our Redeemer. Millions are now living who have never heard. Notwithstanding
all the efforts that we can put forth to preach the truth, millions will die without hearing, much less receiving it.
It would be foolish on our part to think that the Lord would condemn all these to eternal damnation without
the privilege of a hearing. Such a thing would not be just; it would not be merciful; it would not be godlike.
Yet, has not the Lord said that no man may enter his kingdom except he be born again, and that only those
may enter who accept his laws and endure to the end? No person has been overlooked, no one will be
forgotten. He who can number the stars of heaven and who knows them all, he who takes notice when a
sparrow falls will also take notice of all his children. All who have not had the privilege of repentance and
acceptance of the plan of salvation in this life will have that opportunity in the world of spirits. (Doctrines of
Salvation, 2:132, 134.)
C - 4. Spirits will receive the gospel through the ministration of God's servants. They must be
taught and accept faith, repentance, atonement, sacred ordinances and vicarious work, sacrifice
and prove faithful in tribulation.
D&C 138:32-37, 57
Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in
transgression, having rejected the prophets. These were 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 were necessary for them to know in order to qualify themselves that they might be judged
according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 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 sacrifice of the Son of God upon the cross. Thus was it made known that our Redeemer spent his time
during his sojourn in the world of spirits, instructing and preparing the faithful spirits of the prophets who had
testified of him in the flesh; That they might carry the message of redemption unto all the dead, unto whom
he could not go personally, because of their rebellion and transgression, that they through the ministration of
his servants might also hear his words. I beheld 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, through
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.
Wilford Woodruff
It takes as much to save a deadman as a living one. (The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p. 148.)
C - 5. Men and women in Spirit Prison are separated from one another.
D&C 132:13-17
And everything that is in the world ... that are not by me or by my word, saith the Lord, shall be thrown
down, and shall not remain after men are dead ... if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her
not by me nor by my word... they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world ... but remain
separately and singly ...
Rudger Clawson
"Brother Clawson," he said, "during the past eight years I have been working for my ancestors, in the house of
the Lord. After that conversation with you, I went east and I gathered up eight hundred names of my
relatives; and during the past eight years I have personally officiated for three hundred of my ancestors, and I
propose to continue on with the work; I am happy for the Lord has blessed me." He further said, "I saw in
vision, upon one occasion, my father and mother, who were not members of the Church who had not received
the Gospel in this life, and I discovered that they were living separate and apart in the spirit world, and when I
asked them how it was that they were so, my father said: "This is an enforced separation, and you are the
only individual that can bring us together; you can do this work; will you do it?" -meaning that he should go
into the house of the Lord and there officiate for his parents who were dead, and by the ordinance of sealing
bring them together and united them in the family relation beyond the veil and he informed me that he had
attended to the work. .. (CR, Oct 1908, p. 74.)
Joseph Fielding Smith -speaking at the funeral of Mary A. Freeze
Now, among all these millions of spirits that have lived on the earth and have passed away, from generation to
generation, since the beginning of the world, without the knowledge of the Gospel--among them you may
count that at least one-half are women. Who is going to preach the Gospel to the women? Who is going to
carry the testimony of Jesus Christ to the hearts of the women who have passed away without a knowledge of
the Gospel? Well, to my mind, it is a simple thing. These good sisters who have been set apart, ordained to the
work, called to it, authorized by the authority of the Holy Priesthood to minister for their sex, in the House of
God for the living and for the dead, will be fully authorized and empowered to preach the Gospel and minister
to the women while the elders and prophets are preaching it to the men. The things we experience here are
typical of the things of God, and the life beyond us. (The Way to Perfection, p. 320.)
D.
Intermingling/Missionary Work/Crossing the Gulf
D - 1. The wicked were shut up in prison, with no contact with the righteous until the atonement
of Jesus Christ. He then bridged the gulf and opened the way for missionary work. The righteous
may go to the wicked but the wicked cannot go among the righteous.
Moses 7:37-39
But behold, their sins shall be upon the heads of their fathers; Satan shall be their father, and misery shall be
their doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over them, even all the workmanship of mine hands; wherefore
should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer? But behold, these which thine eyes are upon shall
perish in the floods; and behold, I will shut them up; a prison have I prepared for them. And That which I
have chosen hath pled before my face. Wherefore, he suffereth for their sins; inasmuch as they will repent in
the day that my Chosen shall return unto me, and until that day they shall be in torment;
D&C 138:36-37
Thus was it made known that our Redeemer spent his time during his sojourn in the world of spirits,
instructing and preparing the faithful spirits of the prophets who had testified of him in the flesh; That they
might carry the message of redemption unto all the dead, unto whom he could not go personally, because of
their rebellion and transgression, that they through the ministration of his servants might also hear his words.
Joseph Fielding Smith
I understand that the righteous may now go among the other spirits, and there the gospel is being taught, but
the spirits barred from the association of the righteous cannot go where the righteous are. According to the
story of Lazarus and the rich man, there was a gulf which separated the righteous from the unrighteous (which
included all the spirits not baptized), and neither class could pass into the other until the Savior bridged the
gulf, so those holding the priesthood then could cross over to teach the others. (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:230.)
Bruce R. McConkie
Now that the righteous spirits in paradise have been commissioned to carry the message of salvation to the
wicked spirits in hell, there is a certain amount of mingling together of the good and bad spirits. (Mormon
Doctrine, p. 755.) See also Luke 16:19-31.
D - 2. As the spirits in prison accept the gospel and receive the necessary ordinances done
vicariously, they may cross over into paradise. They are permitted to attend the temple and
personally witness the work done for them. Preaching in the Spirit World is met with far greater
success than in this life.
D&C 138:57-59
I beheld 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, through 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. The dead who repent will be redeemed, through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God, And
after they have paid the penalty of their transgressions, and are washed clean, shall receive a reward
according to their works, for they are heirs of salvation.
Zechariah 9:11-12
As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no
water. Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double
unto thee;
Joseph F. Smith
In relation to the deliverance of spirits from their prison house, of course, we believe that can only be done
after the gospel has been preached to them in the spirit, and they have accepted the same, and the work
necessary to their redemption by the living be done for them. (Gospel Doctrine, p. 438.)
Joseph Fielding Smith
From that time forth this gulf is bridged so that the captives, after they have paid the full penalty of their
misdeeds, satisfied justice, and have accepted the gospel of Christ, having the ordinances attended to in their
behalf by their living relatives or friends, receive the passport that entitles them to cross the gulf. (Doctrines of
Salvation, 2:158.)
Church Publication
After spirits in prison accept the gospel and the ordinances performed for them in the temples, they may
prepare themselves to leave the spirit prison and dwell in paradise. (Gospel Principles, 1979, p. 280.)
Melvin J. Ballard
"All at once a vision opened to me, and I beheld a great congregation of people gathered in the east end of
the font room. One by one, as each name was baptized for, one of these people climbed a stairway over the
font to the west end of the room. Not one soul was missing, but there was a person for every one of the
thousand names done that day." Brother Ballard said that he had never seen such happy people in all his life
and the whole congregation rejoiced at what was being done for them. For the rest of his life, Apostle Ballard
preached to the Church in all his travels, that the work we do in the temples is accepted, and that the people
themselves are permitted to attend and receive the blessings personally. (The Logan Temple: The First One
Hundred Years, p. 170.)
Lorenzo Snow
When the Gospel is preached to the spirits in prison, the success attending that 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. (Millennial Star 56:50) (Compilers Note: Caution should be used with this
quote. Those who have already had the gospel presented to them and reject it in this life, may, to their benefit
accept in the spirit world, but not unto salvation. See Doctrines of Salvation, 2:181-96 for more information)
D - 3. Mortals are "called" to leave mortality and go to the Spirit World to labor there. Sisters to
serve as missionaries to the women, and the brethren to the men.
Wilford Woodruff
The same Priesthood exists on the other side of the vail. Every man who is faithful in his quorum here will join
his quorum there. When a man dies and his body is laid in the tomb, he does not lose his position. The
Prophet Joseph Smith held the keys of this dispensation on this side of the vail, and he will hold them
throughout the countless ages of eternity. He went into the spirit world to unlock the prison doors and to
preach the Gospel to the millions of spirits who are in darkness, and every Apostle, every Seventy, every Elder,
etc., who has died in the faith as soon as he passes to the other side of the vail, enters into the work of the
ministry, and there is a thousand times more to preach there than there is here. (JD, 22:334.)
Russell M. Nelson (An account of Elder Nelson's great grandfather's appearance to his son [Elder
Nelson's grandfather] after his death.)
"I am very glad to see you father. How do you do?"
"I am feeling well my son and have had very much to do since I died."
"What have you been doing since you died, father?”
“...my son, I have been traveling together with Apostle Erastus Snow ever since I died: that is, since three
days after I died, then I received my commission to preach the Gospel. You cannot imagine, my son, how
many spirits there are in the Spirit world that have not yet received the Gospel: but many are receiving it, and
a great work is being accomplished. Many are anxiously looking forth to their friends, who are still living, to
administer for them in the Temples. I have been very busy in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ." (From the
Heart to Heart, p. 15-18.)
Joseph Fielding Smith-speaking at the funeral of Mary A. Freeze
Now, among all these millions of spirits that have lived on the earth and have passed away, from generation to
generation, since the beginning of the world, without the knowledge of the Gospel--among them you may
count that at least one-half are women. Who is going to preach the Gospel to the women? Who is going to
carry the testimony of Jesus Christ to the hearts of the women who have passed away without a knowledge of
the Gospel? Well, to my mind, it is a simple thing. These good sisters who have been set apart, ordained to the
work, called to it, authorized by the authority of the Holy Priesthood to minister for their sex, in the House of
God for the living and for the dead, will be fully authorized and empowered to preach the Gospel and minister
to the women while the elders and prophets are preaching it to the men. The things we experience here are
typical of the things of God, and the life beyond us. (The Way to Perfection, p. 320.)
Wilford Woodruff
Perhaps I may be permitted to relate a circumstance with which I am acquainted in relation to Bishop
Roskelley, of Smithfield, Cache Valley. On one occasion he was suddenly taken very sick--near to death's door.
While he lay in this condition, President Peter Maughan, who was dead, came to him and said: "Brother
Roskelley, we held a council on the other side of the vail. I have had a great deal to do, and I have the
privilege of coming here to appoint one man to come and help. I have had three names give to me in council,
and you are one of them. I want to inquire into your circumstances." The Bishop told him what he had to do,
and they conversed together as one man would converse with another. President Maughan then said to him: "I
think I will not call you. I think you are wanted here more than perhaps one of the others.” Bishop Roskelley
got well from that hour. Very soon after, the second man was taken sick….By and by this man recovered, and
on meeting Brother Roskelley, he said: "Brother Maughan came to me the other night and told me he was sent
to call one man from the ward," and he named two men as had been done to Brother Roskelley. A few days
afterwards the third man was taken sick and died. (JD, 22:334.)
D - 4. Prior to the Millennium we do the work for all our ancestors. During the Millennium we will
only do the work for those who accept the gospel. The names of those who accept the gospel
will be given by revelation to us (by the Urim and Thummin or other means). Vicarious
ordinances are not for the rebellious. No second chance for salvation.
D&C 76:71, 74
An again, we saw the terrestrial world, and behold and lo, these are they who are of the terrestrial...Who
receive not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it.
Joseph F. Smith
That this work may be hastened so that all who believe, in the spirit world, may receive the benefit of
deliverance, it is revealed that the great work of the Millennium shall be the work in the temples for the
redemption of the dead; and then we hope to enjoy the benefits of revelation through the Urim and Thummin,
or by such means as the Lord may reveal concerning those for whom the work shall be done, so that we may
not work by chance, or by faith alone, without knowledge, but with the actual knowledge revealed unto us. It
stands to reason that, while the gospel may be preached unto all, the good and the bad, or rather to those
who would repent and to those who would not repent in the spirit world, the same as it is here, redemption
will only come to those who repent and obey. There is, no doubt, great leniency given to people who are
anxious to do the work for their dead, and in some instances, very unworthy people may have the work done
for them; it does not follow, however, that they will receive any benefit therefrom, and the correct thing is to
do the work only for those of whom we have the testimony that they will receive it. However, we are disposed
to give the benefit of the doubt to the dead, as it is better to do the work for many who are unworthy than to
neglect one who is worthy. (Gospel Doctrine, p. 438-9.)
Joseph Fielding Smith
…the question whether or not the temple work will have to be performed for everybody upon the earth. I want
to say to you no, absolutely no. We are not going to do the temple work for everybody because it does not
pertain to them. We are going to do the temple work for those who are entitled, through their faith and their
repentance, to enter into the celestial kingdom. (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:190-91.)
Joseph Fielding Smith
One very significant thing in this revelation (D&C 76:71, 74), which should be remembered, is the fact that the
Lord did not say that all who are dead are entitled to these blessings in the celestial kingdom, if they hear the
gospel in the spirit world, but all who would have received the gospel had they been given the opportunity in
this mortal life. The privilege of exaltation is not held out to those who have had the opportunity to receive
Christ and obey his truth and who have refused to do so. Moreover, we learn that those who rejected the
gospel when it was offered them in ancient times, but afterwards accepted the "testimony of Jesus" in the
spirit world when it was declared to them, and who here honorable men of the earth, are assigned to the
terrestrial glory, not the celestial. (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:182-83.)
E.
Summation
E - 1. It is all one great work on either side of the veil.
Ezra Taft Benson
It is well also that we keep in mind that it is all one great program on both sides of the veil and it is not too
important whether we serve here or over there, as long as we serve with all our heart, might, mind, and
strength. (Temple Memories, Denver Colorado Temple dedication, 25 Oct, 1986, Quoted by Thomas S.
Monson, CR, Apr 1993, p. 4.)
Spencer W. Kimball
The more clearly we see eternity, the more obvious it becomes that the Lord's work ... is one vast and grand
work with striking similarities on each side of the veil. (Things of Eternity -Stand We In Jeopardy?, Ensign, Jan
1977, p. 2, Quoted by David B. Haight, CR, Apr 1993, p. 32.)