Here are two of the most glorious revelations ever received in this dispensation. With them hope is restored for millions of our loved ones.
The events leading up to this week’s revelations underscores the principle that we all walk this life by faith. Even the prophets had to live their lives without answers that were important to them. Joseph Smith’s oldest brother Alvin died six years before the Restoration, and therefore was not baptized by priesthood authority. What would happen to him? The rest of Joseph’s family got baptized into the church, but Alvin was in the spirit world without knowing anything about the gospel before he died. This troubled the young prophet.
President Joseph F. Smith had lost 13 children early in their youth, so he thought about the spirit world frequently. Thirteen children is a lot of family to have lost in mortality while they were still very young. He had no idea what his children were doing, what state they were in, and how the gospel he had been taught affected those who were already outside of this part of mortality. The Lord had been silent on the subject. They each waited many years before they got any kind of answer to sooth their soul.
Both prophets had immediate kin on the other side of the veil, without knowing what was going to happen to their souls. They knew only that God loved their dead family members, but not how God would take care of them or provide for them when it came to the ordinances of salvation. Even the prophets were without answers.
Each of these revelations give us a peek into God’s plan for the salvation of ALL of mankind, not just those who learn about Christ and accept him in this life. And that is all the Christianity of their day ever taught, that you either knew about, and accepted Christ as your Savior, or you were damned for eternity. The doctrine in each section was new to the world, and came bearing hope for those who had lost loved ones to death. Let’s look at what each prophet learned about their own situation, and see how it applies to us.
Doctrine and Covenants 137
Here are the final verses of this section.
5 I saw Father and ; and my and my mother; my brother , that has long since ;
6 And how it was that he had obtained an in that kingdom, seeing that he had departed this life before the Lord had set his hand to Israel the second time, and had not been for the remission of sins.
7 Thus came the of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be of the celestial kingdom of God;
8 Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom;
9 For I, the Lord, will all men according to their , according to the of their hearts.
10 And I also beheld that all who die before they arrive at the of accountability are in the celestial kingdom of heaven. [emphasis added]
This isn’t the same God preached by the general Christian world. This is a God of compassion and love that goes beyond anything ever before taught to mankind since the death of the Apostles almost 2,000 years ago. The God preached to the world since then was one to be feared, who was vengeful, and though taught to be universally loving, still damned babies who died in their infancy.
Think about how these three underlined statements open the door for literally millions and millions of people to the possibility of ultimate salvation, or even the promise of guaranteed salvation in the Celestial kingdom. How many families have mourned for their lost loved ones, fearing for their very souls. Now, with just a few statements, hope can be offered to those who are lost in their bereavement over their dearly departed loved ones. Notice that each of the underlined statements are unconditional. Each of them begins with the word “all,” no exceptions.
Doctrine and Covenants 138
I unapologetically state that this is my favorite section in the whole Doctrine and Covenants. I am a very visual person, and when I read of the assemblage gathered in the spirit world, and contemplate how long many of them had waited for their deliverance, for their separation from their bodies was viewed as a form of bondage, their anticipated joy must have been beyond measuring. They had had their taste of what a body can do, and their being without it felt so limiting, even with all the pains and sufferings while in their bodies. They longed to have what the Savior had promised them, a resurrected body like the one he was going to get shortly. They had just a little while left and they would be free to feel and experience life in a body once again, and a glorified one at that!
These people, all faithful to Christ from every age of the world from Adam to Christ’s day, were together, comparing notes, whispering in eager anticipation of their impending deliverance. Their faith in Christ was about to not only be vindicated in a big way, but at that very hour Jesus was completing the most important event in the history of our universe, the atoning sacrifice that would enable the salvation of all of God’s children. It would only be moments now and his mission would be complete. They were there to welcome him home from his life of sacrifice. What joy filled their souls. All the prophets and faithful of every generation were there. Who knows how many tens of thousands, or even tens of millions shared in this hope of salvation.
Suddenly he was there. Jesus, himself, stood in their midst and declared his mortal mission complete. How could there not have been a shout of joy for such an announcement? As usual, the Savior went right to work and taught all assembled the correct principles of the gospel they would need to know in order to take his message of salvation to their brothers and sisters still in spirit prison. His time was short, only a couple of days, and it would be time for his resurrection. So much to do and so little time to get it all done. Now the faithful could see the hour of their own deliverance. The moment of their redemption and resurrection was literally in sight. Just a couple more days of earth time and Jesus would be resurrected then it would be their turn.
Lesson learned
President Smith learned from this vision that Jesus didn’t go personally to teach the spirits in prison. Instead, he spent those few hours in the spirit world organizing his priesthood forces to become the missionary force needed to send all the prophets and faithful priesthood holders to begin teaching the gospel of redemption to those still languishing in sorrow. Jesus didn’t even wait until he had his own body back. He hadn’t even reported to God yet on how it all went, and on what he had accomplished for God’s children. His focus was always on the salvation of God’s children. This is what it means to be the Messiah, the Deliverer, the Christ. Everything Jesus did and still does is for the welfare of God’s children. His aim is, and has always been to do all in his power to bring as many of us back to God as possible. This is why we can trust anything Jesus does and says. He is unwavering and steadfast in his perseverance.
The main message Jesus taught this group he was going to send forth as missionaries was concerning the Atonement and how it worked. Repentance was the message they were to take to the captives, and what repentance and faith in Christ could do for them. For the work had been done, the promise kept, and the way officially opened for all to be forgiven of their sins. It is a principle of the gospel that some acts are so sure that God treats it as eternal, even though it hasn’t happened yet. The act of the Atonement is one such act. All could be forgiven of their sins through faith in Christ even thousands of years before the sacrifice had been physically made, because God knew it would happen. So time has never been a factor in whether the forgiveness of sin could be counted yet, for to God, Christ’s sacrifice was eternal in nature and was as good in Adam’s day as it would be a million years after the fact.
Another principle we see demonstrated in Christ’s visit to the spirit world is that while he was in mortality all could see him. But even that list was limited to those of the covenant. Jesus didn’t go to other nations of the earth, only covenant Israel. And when his sacrifice and mortal duties were completed only those who were faithful ever saw him after that. When he returned with his resurrected body it was to the faithful Saints. No one else saw Jesus, just the faithful. The same is true in the spirit world. Jesus came, but not to the wicked, only to the faithful. It is a condition of the plan of salvation that God, Himself put forth that the message of salvation to those not of the covenant would only come by way of those already of the covenant. There are very few exceptions to this rule. Jesus didn’t make this decision. This is the way our Father wants things done.
What President Joseph F. Smith saw that day when he had his vision was how the pieces of the puzzle all fit together. He now saw in dramatic fashion the reason for temples and temple work. This is why family history and genealogy work is so important. All these people who repent and exercise faith in Christ still have to have their covenants made, and they can only be made by those in the flesh. The dead need us to do the work they cannot do for themselves. And our salvation depends on doing this work for them, for God will reject us if we don’t do it. This is why we are told that we without them can’t be saved, neither they without us. This work of salvation really does require the whole family of God to work. Salvation is a family affair. Christ provides the way, but we must do the work.
Lucifer wanted all the glory for saving God’s children with a form of salvation that would strip us of our moral agency. In Lucifer’s plan only he got any credit for what would be accomplished, and we would all lose our ability to become gods. Christ was willing to do things God’s way and perform the central sacrifice that makes salvation possible, with the understanding that the salvation he offers can only be received if taught by Christ’s brothers and sisters in a spirit of unity, as a family working to save each other. This is why unity (think Zion) is so important. The Celestial kingdom is based on this kind of unity, with everyone working for the welfare of each other. This is the foundational principle behind why we do what we do in the temples, our missionary work, and in our individual ministering.
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