Sunday Report

This week’s lesson was Chapter 41 in the Gospel Principles book, graciously presented by Yvonne Lucas, substituting for Traci Cline: The Postmortal Spirit World.

Death is part of the plan prepared by our Heavenly Father for our salvation.  It is a natural and necessary part of our progression toward immortality and hopefully eternal life.  Our spirits, we know through the scriptures both ancient and latter day, will go to the spirit world after our death here in mortality, where we will wait and work and learn  and if we are righteous, rest from the cares and sorrows of earth life.  Here we will remain until the time comes for our promised resurrection, when, with our mortal bodies once more united with our spirits, we will be given the degree of glory we have prepared to receive. 

It was interesting to be reminded that the spirit world is not far from us here on earth.  Those we love who have passed on are really nearby, and the veil between this world and the spirit world is often thin, according to modern day prophets like Brigham Young and Ezra Taft Benson.  Spirit beings have the same bodily form as mortals, except that the spirit body is in perfect form.  Spirits leaving this life carry with them the same attitudes of devotion or antagonism toward spiritual things as they had here in mortality.  That includes the same appetites and desires, and weaknesses and strengths they had here on earth.  Before coming to earth, all spirits were adults in form and in the postmortal spirit world they will again be in adult form, no matter what age they were when they died.

There are two divisions in the postmortal spirit world and the righteous and the wicked are separated according to the purity of their lives and their obedience to the will of the Lord while on earth.  The reassuring message is that the spirits may continue to progress as they learn gospel principles and live in accordance with them.  The righteous, who dwell in paradise, will be organized, just as the Lord's people are organized here on earth, to do His work and teach the less righteous spirits in prison so that they can have the opportunity to improve their spirit lives and the degree of glory they are prepared to receive upon resurrection.  Those who choose not to accept the teachings of Jesus Christ and therefore are not able to avail themselves of the Atonement, will have to pay for their sins, even though Christ has already paid for them with His infinite atonement.  Then, through that same atonement, which they once rejected, they will be allowed to receive the lowest degree of glory, which is the telestial kingdom, for all eternity.

Next week  TFOT will be presented by Sister Peggy Campbell.  She will use the talk What Manner of Men and Women Ought Ye to Be by Elder Lynn G. Robbins

Have a great week!
The Relief Society Presidency