Book of Mormon 30 - “The Great Plan of Happiness”

What exciting, rich, powerful scriptures in Alma 40-42. These scriptures led me into deep study and meditation. They left me feeling so energised and uplifted. These chapters continue the words of Alma to his son, Corianton. I am not surprised that Corianton listened to his father, repented, and resumed his missionary responsibilities. These are soul-searching and enriching words.

Alma the Younger Counseling His Son by Darrell Thomas

Each chapter centres on a different aspect: 40, the resurrection; 41, restoration; and 42, the Atonement and the demands of justice and mercy. I read scriptures in Alma and in the Doctrine and Covenants, I also read many articles by the General Authorities and church leaders, I read blogs and discussions, and pondered and prayed about what I read. My understanding may not be perfect and I still have questions, but my knowledge of these principles has grown so much in a short time.

In Alma 40, Alma speaks about the time between death and the resurrection. This time is not the same for all people. We understand that there has been and will continue to be a number of resurrections. These include: the first resurrection, at the time when Christ was resurrected (Mosiah 15:21-25); a resurrection of those who will receive celestial glory, at the time of Christ’s Second Coming (D&C 76:50-70; D&C 88:96-98); another resurrection of those who will receive terrestrial glory at the beginning of the Millennium (D&C 88:99); and a resurrection of those who will receive telestial glory at the end of the Millennium (D&C 76:85; D&C 88:100-101). Every person will be resurrected. When we die, before we are resurrected, our spirits will have a similar look to our physical bodies. We will still think, feel, and believe as we did while we were in the mortal world. If we die righteous, we remain righteous. If we are unrighteous when we die, we remain unrighteous. 

Alma 40:12 states, “…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 Alma 40:13-14 reads, “…the spirits of the wicked…shall be cast out into outer darkness…a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them…”. This outer darkness or hell is more a state of mind rather than a specific location. The Prophet Joseph Smith stated, “The great misery of departed spirits in the world of spirits, where they go after death is to know they have come short of the glory that others enjoy and that they might have enjoyed themselves, and they are their own accusers” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 310).

Spirits had an adult form in the premortal life and will have a similar form in the spirit world, even if they die as babies or children (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 1998, p. 131-2). This confused me at first because I am aware that righteous parents will have the opportunity to raise their children who have died in infancy, so I did some searching on the subject. Elder Bruce R. McConkie (The salvation of little children, Ensign, April 1977) quoted President 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 a mother of a lifeless child, he said to her: ‘You will have the joy, the pleasure, the satisfaction of nurturing this child, after its resurrection, until it reaches the full stature of its spirit.’” He added, “There is restitution, there is growth, there is development, after the resurrection from death.” So, when a mother dies and meets her child who has died before her, in the spirit world, what will this meeting be like? Will they both appear as adults? I found a beautiful story that clarified this for me.

The Eternal City by D. Keith Larson

President Joseph F. Smith lost several of his children in infancy. At the death of his daughter, Ruth, on March 17^th, 1898, he received a superb revelation. “I see my own sweet mother’s arms extended welcoming to her embrace the ransomed glorious spirit of my own sweet babe!...And there too are gathered to my Father’s mansion all my darling lovely ones; not in infantile helplessness, but in all the power and glory and majesty of sanctified spirits! Full of intelligence, of joy and grace, and truth.”(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph F. Smith, Ch. 15). So, it seems to be these perfect souls, who die in infancy, will be seen in their adult spirit form after death, but when resurrected, will regain their infant body, to be raised until the physical body reaches the adult equivalent of the spirit.

I had a further question about those little ones lost before birth or still-born. Still-born infants do not need temple work done for them, but they can be recorded on family group sheets as BIC (born in the covenant). It seems that there is little available information on the status of stillborn children.  President Joseph Fielding Smith expressed his personal opinion that these little ones will be resurrected and “then belong to us” (Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 2, p. 280). It has never been clearly defined whether an unborn child in the mother’s womb already has a spirit. President Brigham Young said he believed that, “when the mother feels life come to her infant it is the spirit entering the body” (cited in I have a question, Ensign, Sep. 1987 – original citation Journal of Discourses, Vol. 17, p. 143). Elder Bruce R. McConkie expressed his opinion that it appears “the eternal spirit enters the body prior to a normal birth” (cited in I have a question, Ensign, Sep. 1987 – original citation Mormon Doctrine, 2^nd ed, p. 768). I love the final section of this I have a question, which stated, “Though our knowledge of the plan of salvation does not explain …miscarriages and stillbirths…we can know that God, who is the father of all spirits, is merciful and just…Worthy parents can trust in him and know that they and all his spirit children will – one way or another – receive a just reward for their efforts and sacrifice.”

The Prophet Joseph stated that the spirit world is close to us, the spirits are all around us. “The teachings of the early Brethren emphasized the nearness of our family, the nearness of the spirit world, the relationship between the two realms, and the fact that spirits continue to be interested and intimately involved in the Lord’s work on both sides of the veil” (Top, B.L., Life after death: 6 insights into the spirit world, LDSLiving). The Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith that the spirit world looks like our world, is organized in a similar way, and will seem familiar to us (see D&C 77).

So what is the spirit like? If we are righteous, what will it be like to be in spirit form? The more research I did on this, the more excited I became, and the more anxious to be righteous in this life! Brigham Young taught that, for the righteous, the spirit world will be glorious. Brent Top (Life after death: 6 insights into the spirit world, LDSLiving) made an analogy of a regular television (our earthly world) and a high-definition television with all the enhancements (paradise). Righteous spirits will have abilities that are unavailable to us, in our bodies, during our mortal sojourn. Brent Top lists several of these abilities:

Enhanced travel – Brigham Young said we will be “free to travel with lightning speed”.

Enhanced communication – Elder Orson Pratt said that spirit communication was mind to mind and spirit to spirit, with no reliance on sound waves and auditory nerves – perfect communication is the spirit of revelation.

Enhanced learning – President Brigham Young stated that we would be able to learn “with greater facility”, and Elder Orson Pratt stated, “…knowledge will rush in from all quarters…giving understanding concerning ten thousand things at the same time; and the mind will be capable of receiving and retaining all”.

What will be doing in the spirit world, if we live righteously in this life? Before my father died, he lived in constant pain and was frustrated by his inability to work and help others. Amongst many health complaints, he suffered from Parkinson’s Disease. He used to speak longingly about the spirit world. He was sure that he would be able to do missionary work in spirit prison, bringing the gospel to those who never had the chance to hear, understand, and accept. I often think of him doing just that! A story left in a comment by disqus_4hChzkBkgB, (Life after death: 6 insights into the spirit world, LDSLiving), left quite an impression on me. Disqus’s mum was killed in a car crash. She visited her daughter in a dream, two weeks after the crash, and told her daughter to stop mourning. Her mum said she was hard at work in the spirit world, helping those who had died with addiction. She said she was busy and actively engaged in a good cause. Her daughter made this comment, “She was fine and acting like her usual self, which made me laugh”! Disqus made a further comment that she felt her mum around her periodically, but realized it was only a quick check before her mum returned to her work in the spirit world.

In Alma 41:2 we read, “the plan of restoration is requisite with the justice of God; for it is requisite that all things should be restored to their proper order”. In Alma 41:10 we also read, “Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.” People who live in the world sometimes appear to be happy but this is only a temporary pleasure. I imagine the true joy of having the Lord Jesus Christ commend us for being true and faithful servants. I can imagine the happiness of being reunited with family and friends in the next life. I imagine the extreme joy of being found worthy of being in the presence of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. 

I was able to access some really interesting material on the restoration of the body at the time of resurrection. Not only will we inherit the degree of glory that we earn in this life, but our resurrected bodies will reflect the glory we have earned. All will be resurrected. If we have earned glory, our resurrected body will be glorious. A resurrected body will be:

Immortal – Alma 11:45 states, “I say unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body.” President Joseph Fielding Smith described the immortal body. “In it blood does not exist, but the spirit is the life giving power…they are spiritual bodies, but tangible bodies of flesh and bones…” (Nature of resurrected bodies – original citation Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 2, p. 285-286).

Perfect – in Alma 40:23 it reads, “…and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their perfect frame.” President Joseph Fielding Smith (Nature of resurrected bodies – original citation Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol. 4, p. 185-189) said that all deformity, blindness, physical defect or deformity is due to the mortal condition. None of these conditions existed in the world of spirits. All defects and deformities will be removed and men and women shall attain to the perfection of their spirits. “Salvation would be incomplete if individuals should arise in the resurrection with all the deformities, weaknesses, and imperfections that are found in so many of the mortal family in this mortal existence.”

Beautiful – President Lorenzo Snow (Nature of resurrected bodies – original citation Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, p. 99) stated, “There is nothing more beautiful to look upon than a resurrected body.”

Glorious – President Boyd K. Packer (The 20-mark note, The New Era, June 2009) declared, “Your spirit is young and vibrant and beautiful. Even if your body is old and diseased or crippled or disabled in any way, when the spirit and body are put together in the Resurrection, then you will be glorious; then you will be glorified.”

However, although the resurrected body is complete in every way, there will be a difference in the glory, depending on the life you have lived. A resurrected celestial body will be the most glorious body; the terrestrial resurrected body will not achieve the glory of the celestial; and the telestial body will have the glory of the human body, minus its deformities and limitations. President Joseph Fielding Smith (Nature of resurrected bodies – original citation Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 2, p. 288-289) mentioned some of the qualities of the resurrected bodies: “Some will gain celestial bodies with all the powers of exaltation and eternal increase. These bodies will shine like the sun…Those who enter the terrestrial kingdom will have terrestrial bodies, and they will not shine like the sun, but they will be more glorious than the bodies of those who receive the telestial glory. In both of these kingdoms…they will not have the power of increase, neither the nature to live as husbands and wives, for this will be denied them.”

In Alma 42, we hear about the place of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden in the Great Plan of Salvation. An explanation of the importance of the Plan of Redemption in balancing the scales of mercy and justice is also given. Christ’s Atonement and the role of Christ as our mediator with the Father is described. The short video, ‘The Mediator’ clearly portrays Christ’s role. I acknowledge Jesus Christ as my Saviour, and Redeemer. His role as the mediator allows me to have hope for an eternal future.