So, after a funeral I recently spoke at, one of my cousins asked
me about the doctrine implied in a verse I used.
The
verse reads:
Now,
concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it
has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as
soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of
all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who
gave them life.
(Alma
40:11)
His
question was essentially, “Do we all see God as we enter the spirit world or
not?”
I’ve been thinking and studying information surrounding this verse since he
asked this question, and I’m wondering if I can pick your brain about it. No
rush, (and this is a long e-mail), but if you find a minute I would love your
thoughts and insights.
This
seems to be one of those verses that means different things to different
people. I think it comes down to which quotes from General Authorities seem
right to you, because honestly, there seems to be some contradiction around
this one.
This
verse has been mentioned about 20 times in general conference over the years.
Many of the brethren simply quote the verse without any further explanation
(which is interesting in and of itself), here are some examples of this:
President
Marion G. Romney, The Way of Life, Ensign (CR), May 1976, p.79
President
Thomas S. Monson, An Invitation to Exaltation, Ensign (CR), May 1988, p.53
Elder
Russell M. Nelson, Doors of Death, Ensign (CR), May 1992, p.72
Others
(generally those in the early days of the church) give some additional comments
in their remarks. Below are some of the things said in some older general conferences
about this issue:
We are told
in the Book of Mormon that the spirits of all men, as soon as they leave this
mortal body, and return home to that God who gave them life, whether
they be wicked or whether they be righteous, go back to where they once
were; they return to their former state, to their former location and
residence; they appear in the presence of the Being that gave them life.
What
further are we told on the subject? That after we get back into the presence
of God, and return home again, then it shall come to pass that the spirits
of the righteous, those who have done good, those who have wrought the works of
righteousness here upon the earth, shall be received into a state of rest, a
state of happiness, of peace, a state of joy, where they will remain until the
time of the resurrection. – Orson Pratt (JOD, vol 2, p.238)
I will tell
you. Will I locate them? Yes, if you wish me to. They do not pass out of the
organization of this earth on which we live. You read in the Bible that when
the spirit leaves the body it goes to God who gave it. Now tell me where
God is not, if you please; you cannot. How far would you have to go in order to
go to God, if your spirits were unclothed? Would you have to go out of this
bowery to find God, if you were in the spirit? If God is not here, we had
better reserve this place to gather the wicked into, for they will desire to be
where God is not. The Lord Almighty is here by His Spirit, by His influence, by
His presence. I am not in the north end of this bowery, my body is in the south
end of it, but my influence and my voice extend to all parts if it; in like
manner is the Lord here.
It reads
that the spirit goes to God who gave it. Let me render this Scripture a
little plainer; 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. But where is the spirit world? It is incorporated within this
celestial system. Can you see it with your natural eyes? No. Can you see
spirits in this room? No. Suppose the Lord should touch your eyes that you
might see, could you then see the spirits? Yes, as plainly as you now see
bodies, as did the servant of Elijah. 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; -
Brigham Young (JOD, vol. 3 p.368)
There is an
idea prevalent, I do not know how prevalent, among the Saints, that we do not
go directly home to God, when our spirits leave these bodies, but that there is
a kind of intermediate state where we have to go through further preparations;
but if I can understand the language contained in this declaration of Alma, it
seems that the spirits of all men, whether wicked or righteous, as soon as they
leave this mortal body, “go home to that God who gave them life,” that is,
they return to the place and position that they occupied while they were in the
eternal worlds. It is called “home,” because they once had their abiding
place there, and they have been absent from home, while here in the body; but
as soon as they are separated from the body, they all return to that ancient
home, into the presence of the Lord. Orson Pratt (JOD vol
16. P 332-333)
Will the
spirits of men, before they receive their resurrected body, return into the
presence of God? Yes.
Read what Alma said to his son Corianton on this subject, describing the state
of the spirit between the time of death and the resurrection. He says—“It has
been made known to me by an angel that the spirits of all men, as soon as they
are dead, whether wicked or righteous, shall return home to that God who gave
them life;” that is, they go back into his presence. The wicked,
however, are again cast out into outer darkness, the light of the countenance
of their Lord is again withdrawn from them, a veil is let down between them and
their Father and God. But how is it with the righteous? When they go back
and behold the face of their Father they will continue in the light of his
countenance, and have the privilege of seeing him. They have returned to their
ancient home, to that God who gave them life, to the mansions and familiar
places where they dwelt ages and ages before they came here. They have gone
back to meet with familiar acquaintances, and their memories will be so
increased and perfected after they leave this body that the things of their
former state and condition will be fresh to them, and they will look upon this
little speck called time, in which they have dwelt seventy, eighty or ninety
years, as but a dream or night vision during which the things of former ages were
shut from their memories; but when they get back to their ancient home they
will have a bright recollection of all these things, and of the familiar
countenance of their Father, and the countenance of his only begotten Son,
and the countenances of the millions on millions of their brother and sister
spirits, with whom they once lived. – Orson Pratt (JOD v. 16 p. 365)
Now we are
called upon to pay our last respects to Brother Clayton. His spirit has taken
its flight; it has gone to the Father from whence it came, as is taught in
the Book of Mormon. When the spirit leaves the body, it returns, says
the prophet, immediately to God, to be assigned to its place, either to
associate with the good and the noble ones who have lived in the Paradise of
God, or to be confined in the “prison” house to await the resurrection of the
body from the grave. Therefore we know that Brother Clayton has gone to God,
gone to receive the partial judgment of the Almighty, which pertains to the
period intervening between the death of the body and the
resurrection of the body, or the separation of the spirit from the body, and
their uniting together again. This judgment is passed upon the spirit alone.
But there will come a time which will be after the resurrection, when the body and
spirit shall be reunited, when the final judgment will be passed on every man.
Now, I know that these comments are old and not often repeated in modern times (although I have seen some of them in Institute curriculum and other manuals); but, at least in General Conference, as far as I can see (by the way, my source for this info is BYU’s General Conference Scripture Citation Index found at http://scriptures.byu.edu/), none of the Brethren have ever said anything to contradict what Alma seems to be saying at face value.
However, when you look outside of General Conference you can see a different interpretation from two Brethren (with a capitol ‘B’); Joseph Fielding Smith & Harold B. Lee, in their books, i.e.:
“These words of Alma as I understand them, do not intend to convey the thought that all spirits go back into the presence of God for an assignment to a place of peace or a place of punishment and before him receive their individual sentence. "Taken home to God," (Compare Ecclesiastics 12:7.) 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. "Back to God" is a phrase which finds an equivalent in many other well known conditions. For instance: a man spends a stated time in some foreign mission field. When he is released and returns to the United States, he may say, "It is wonderful to be back home"; yet his home may be somewhere in Utah or Idaho or some other part of the West.
In the question of spirits returning to God, President George Q. Cannon has made the following comment:
Alma, when he says that "the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body . . . are taken home to that God who gave them life," has the idea doubtless, in his mind that our God is omnipresent-not in His own personality but through His minister, the Holy Spirit.
He does not intend to convey the idea that they are immediately ushered into the personal presence of God. He evidently uses that phrase in a qualified sense. . . . (Gospel Truths, p. 73.) (Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 5 vols., 2:, p.85-86)
Here’s the quote from Harold B. Lee:
At death, spirits return to God. "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7). What does it mean to return to that God who gave us life? I had a call from someone who was disturbed about that question. He said, "Now, does that mean all the wicked will return back into the presence of God? How shall they be worthy to stand in the presence of the Lord? Now, how could that be possible?" Well, that started me on a bit of thinking, and then I found the prophet Alma explaining to his son Corianton this same matter. You will find in the fortieth chapter of Alma how Alma explained this matter to his son Corianton. He said: "Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection-Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life" (Alma 40:11). Now you note the difference? In one place it suggests that we shall enter into the very presence of; In the next place it says that we shall go home to that God who gave us life.
In discussing this matter I have found the quotation from President Brigham Young contained in his Discourses, which says: "[The scripture] reads that the spirit goes to God who gave it. Let me render this scripture a little plainer; 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. But where is the spirit world?" He answers by saying this:
If we go back to our mother country, the States, we there find the righteous, and we there find the wicked; if we go to California, we there find the righteous and the wicked, all dwelling together; and when we go beyond this veil, and leave our bodies which were taken from mother earth, and which must return, our spirits will pass beyond the veil; we go where both Saints and sinners go; they all go to one place.
If the wicked wish to escape from his presence, they must go where he is not, where he does not live, where his influence does not preside. To find such a place is impossible, except they go beyond the bounds of time and space. (Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1941], pp. 376-77.)
As I understand what President Young is saying, when we go home to God, it is just like going back to our home country. We may not go into the presence of the governor of the state where we live, but we will go to the home country, and there we shall find our level among the people with whom we are most accustomed to associate. (57-13, pp. 6-7) (Harold B. Lee, The Teachings of Harold B. Lee, edited by Clyde J. Williams, p.57-58)
*Note, I tried to find the exact dates of these quotes so as to see if they were made while these men were the President of the Church or not, but I was unsuccessful since they were in books and not ever mentioned over the pulpit (as far as I could find).
Interesting stuff, huh?
To be honest, for whatever reason, the above 2 statements just do not ‘sit as well’ with me personally as do the other quotes that seem to contradict. Maybe I just hope that what Alma said stands at face value, and does not mean just ‘the spirit world.’ J This is obviously not something that our salvation hinges upon, but my current leaning with my current information (which is subject to change) is toward at least a brief “partial judgment” before The Lord Himself very shortly after death. I believe that this will be a wonderful experience for the repentant, and that the unrepentant will cower away from Him as soon as they can.
My
favorite modern use of this scripture is found in the April 2003 First
Presidency message by President Monson entitled “He is Risen.” Here is what he
said (and I personally think that something is implied by the fact that he
didn’t choose to include any mention of the above idea that “taken home to God”
just means “the spirit world” as mentioned in the 2 quotes above):
Many years ago I stood by the
bedside of a young man, the father of two children, as he hovered between life
and the great beyond. He took my hand in his, looked into my eyes, and
pleadingly asked, “Bishop, I know I am about to die. Tell me what happens to my
spirit when I die.”
I prayed for heavenly guidance
before attempting to respond. My attention was directed to the Book of Mormon,
which rested on the table beside his bed. I held the book in my hand, and it
providentially opened to the 40th chapter of Alma. I began to read aloud:
“Now my son, here is somewhat more I
would say unto thee; for I perceive that thy mind is worried concerning the
resurrection of the dead. …
“Now, concerning the state of the
soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me
by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from
this mortal body, … are taken home to that God who gave them life.
“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.”
My young friend closed his eyes,
expressed a sincere thank-you, and silently slipped away to that paradise about
which we had spoken.”
Here’s another account
of the same story:
“Not long ago I held the thin hand
of a youth as he approached the brink of eternity. "I know I am dying, he
said touchingly. "What follows death?"
I turned to the scriptures and read
to him:
"Then shall the dust return to
the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
(Eccl. 12:7.)
". . . there is a time
appointed unto men that they shall rise from the dead; and there is a space
between the time of death and the resurrection. . . .
". . . concerning the state of the
soul between death and the resurrection-Behold . . . the spirits of all men, as
soon as they are departed from this mortal body . . . are taken home to that
God who gave them life." (Al. 40:9, 11.)
To me, the lad said, "Thank
you." To my Heavenly Father I said silently, "Thank thee, oh God, for
truth."
(Elder Thomas S. Monson, Conference
Report, April 1969, Third Day—Morning Meeting, p.128)
So, in my mind one of
three things is true about this story by President Monson tells. Either:
1)
President Monson was uninformed and unaware of Joseph Fielding
Smith’s and Harold B. Lee’s comments about this verse.
2)
He knew about Joseph Fielding Smith’s and Harold B. Lee’s
comments and knows that they are true but choose to slightly deceive (or at
least un-informed) his friend on his death bed in an effort to give him some
comfort and false hope of meeting The Lord.
3)
He knew about Joseph Fielding Smith’s and Harold B. Lee’s
comments but does not entirely agree with them, and favors a more “face value”
approach to this scripture (like the others over the years in General
Conference have done).
Another question I’ve
considered, if “taken home to that God who gave them life” really is just
another way of saying “the spirit world”; why would the angel that told these
things to Alma decide not to mention that? or if he did, why would Alma choose
to not include it in his record? Or if he did, why would Mormon choose to not
include it in his record?Also, it might be good to remember that Jesus appeared to several people after His resurrection who were not perfect and in the case of Paul, not even repentant. He also can apparently appear to people without them knowing that it is even Him (like on the road to Emmaus).
Fun stuff to think about. :-)
“But,
beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany
salvation, though we thus speak.
For
God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye
have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do
minister.
And
we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full
assurance of hope unto the end:
That
ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience
inherit the promises.”
(Hebrews 6:9 - 12)
HOPE ON!
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