Is There Life After Death?

In this episode of Gospel First, join Joe Cirillo as he explores the questions surrounding life after death. Using scripture, he explains the concept of the spirit world, divided into paradise and prison, where spirits go after separating from their mortal bodies. He also discusses eternal spirits, repentance, the form of spirits, and the significance of baptisms for the dead, aiming to provide clarity on what lies beyond our earthly existence.

Death is an unavoidable part of life, happening worldwide on a daily basis. The US Census Bureau suggests approximately 150,000 deaths occur globally each day, which translates to about a hundred people passing away every single minute.  But what becomes of these individuals after they’ve died?  Do their spirits linger nearby?  Do they retain their identity, thoughts, and abilities? Or are they gone forever?

Many other faiths have their ideas about what happens to us after we die.  Some assert that the spirit simply ceases to exist, while others propose the concept of reincarnation, wherein individuals return to the earthly realm in different forms. Additionally, some faiths contend that the spirit's journey leads directly to heaven or hell.

There are even people who delve into the subject of "near-death experiences." These are accounts from people who briefly passed away and were subsequently revived, seeking to explain their experience of the afterlife. The good news is, the scriptures and prophets have already explained what happens to us after we die.

Death occurs when the spirit separates from the mortal body. In our earlier lessons, we learned that our spirits are eternal and cannot die. Before we were born on earth, we came from heavenly parents in the pre-mortal existence, our eternal spirits entered our physical bodies here on earth. When our physical body dies, our spirit leaves our body and continue to live.

When the spirit leaves our body, we enter the spirit realm, or the spirit world which has two parts: spirit paradise and spirit prison. Those who go to spirit paradise are the ones who followed God's commandments and were good.  As Alma 40:12 says: "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."

As President George Q. Cannon taught that “when death comes, Satan’s power ceases [over the righteous souls in spirit paradise].  He can no more afflict or torment or tempt or annoy those who are thus faithful.  His power over them ceases forever…. He can do nothing to interfere with their happiness."

Doctrine and Covenants 138:32 teaches that those who have gone to spirit prison are “those who [have] died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets”.   Alma 40:13 teaches that those who are in spirit prison can still be influenced by the adversary, and can use their agency to rebel and sin or to obey and be righteous.  “These spirits [in prison] have agency and may be enticed by both good and evil.”

Even though good missionaries are sent from spirit paradise to help those in spirit prison, there's a big separation between the two. People in spirit prison can't just go over to spirit paradise whenever they want. The only way for them to get there is by changing their ways on conditions of repentance, just like the parable Jesus told about the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16.

Doctrine and Covenants 138:33-34 explains that the spirits in prison are 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.  If they accept the teachings of the gospel, repent of their sins, and accept ordinances performed on their behalf in temples, they will be welcomed into paradise.

What does the spirit world look like, and where is it located?  President Ezra Taft Benson said of the spirit world:  “Sometimes the veil between this life and the life beyond becomes very thin.  Our loved ones who have passed on are not far from us.”

So, where exactly are these spirits? They are in the spirit world, which is actually right here on earth. When we pass away, we don't go to some faraway place in the universe. Our spirits remain here on earth but in a different kind of spiritual realm.

What will we be like in the Spirit world?  We won’t be much different than we are here on earth.  The prophet Alma in Alma 34:34 in the Book of Mormon teaches us that the “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.”   In other words, we will still be ourselves in the spirit world—if we love the Lord here, we will love the Lord there.  If we don’t like going to church here, we probably won’t like it there.

This passage also helps us understand that in the spirit world, people keep the same feelings they had toward things of righteousness. They still have the same likes and dislikes they had when they were alive. However, there's one big change: we won't feel the effects of having a physical mortal body.

Brigham Young taught that in the spirit world, “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.”

And speaking about hair and knees, what will we look like physically in the spirit world?  We will look just like we do here, in the same form and body—with legs and arms and all of the above.  Additionally, all spirits will be in adult form in the spirit world.  People “were adults before their mortal existence, and they are in adult form after death, even if they die as infants or children.

When the brother of Jared in the Book of Ether 3:16 in the Book of Mormon, saw Jesus, he saw His spirit body.  Jesus taught him, “Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh.”

In the spirit world our spirits will have the same form as when we lived on the earth with a body of flesh and bones.  We will look as we do here.  It's important to note that all spirits in the spirit world will be in adult form. This means that even if someone passed away as a baby or a child, they will still be in adult form in the spirit world because they were already adults before they came to earth and will remain that way after death.

Doctrine and Covenants 131:7-8 teaches us;  "There is no such thing as immaterial matter.  All spirit is matter but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes;   We cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter.

When we see our loved ones in the spirit world who have passed on before us, we will be able to embrace and hold and touch them spirit to spirit.

Elder Charles W. Penrose taught, “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 spiritual substance, organized into form, occupies room and space just as much in its sphere as these natural particles occupy in this sphere.”

What will we do in the spirit world?  When we pass away and enter the spirit world, we will remain there until the day of our resurrection. This is a place of waiting, learning, and activity, where the righteous can find rest from their troubles and sorrows. Our spirits will stay there until we are ready for the resurrection. At that point, our physical bodies will join with our spirits once again, and we will be awarded the degree of glory we have prepared for.

Of course, our experiences in the spirit world will be shaped by the kind of person we were during our time on Earth. In spirit paradise, many will be busy contributing to the kingdom of God by sharing the gospel with those in spirit prison.

Obviously, what we do in the spirit world is greatly influenced by the kind of person we were in our earthly life. For instance, in spirit paradise, a significant number of individuals will be actively working to strengthen the kingdom of God by spreading the teachings of the gospel to the spirits in prison.
Some people say that if they can repent in the spirit world, then why don’t I just sin here on earth and repent later? 

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. . .   It’s almost like trying to improve your piano skills without the piano.  Without a body, it becomes much more difficult to repent and change our character. 

President Brigham Young said it is a hundred times easier to repent here on the earth than it is in the spirit world. . .  Now is the best time to repent.

Perhaps that is one reason why Doctrine and Covenants 138:50 teaches us that our spirits will look forward to being back in our bodies because “For the dead had looked upon the long absence of their spirits from their bodies as a bondage. “

I love how merciful the Lord is to us.  Even when we mess up here on earth, the Lord still gives us a chance to repent and come unto him. 

What does baptism for the dead have to do with the spirit world?  Everybody has the chance to hear and accept the gospel—whether in this life or in the spirit world.  Since God requires that all men be baptized to be saved, it is logical He will make it possible for all people to be baptized if they want to.

I often think about all those people who have died without a knowledge or opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ.  What will happen to them?  What a wonderful God we worship.  All people who have died without essential gospel ordinances may receive those ordinances through the work done in temples.  The doctrine of temple work for the dead—including performing baptisms for the dead—is the only logical answer to the question of how God can require all people to be baptized and still be a just, fair God.

None of us really know how much time we have for our mortal life.  If you knew you were going to enter the spirit world within the next month, what would you take with you? 

The truth is, we will only be able to take those things with us into the spirit world which are intangible.  We will take such things as our knowledge, our testimonies, and our character.  We will take memories, attitudes, and personalities.  We will take faith, hope and charity.  We will take eternal covenants, temple ordinances, and priesthood offices with us.  In other words we can only take what is eternal and that money and this world cannot offer.  If that is all we take with us, then isn't that what we should focus on the most?

This concludes our lesson in this section of  ACT 3.  The next lesson, in ACT 3, will focus on “Your Reward - who will go to the Celestial Kingdom?”

If you have any questions about the gospel, please feel free to leave a message in the comments section below, and don’t forget to subscribe and share so that we can spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ together.

The Vision of the Redemption of the Dead: Elder M. Russell Ballard

Why Do We Baptize for the Dead? Elder D. Todd Christofferson

• Ether 3:16

• Alma 34:34

• Doctrine and Covenants 138:30

• Luke 23:43

• John 5:25

• 1 Peter 3:18-20

• 1 Peter 4:6

• Alma 40:7-14, 21

• Doctrine and Covenants 76:73

• Doctrine and Covenants 138

• Doctrine and Covenants 131:7-8

Meet The Missionaries

Read: The Bible, The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price.