On October 4, 1918, Joseph F. Smith stood at the pulpit of the Salt Lake Tabernacle to open the 89th Semi-Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He had been ill for about five months, and church members were delighted to see him in attendance and to hear him speak briefly. These were difficult times. Numerous young men had been called up to serve in World War I, and millions of people had died in the ward. During his remarks, President Smith said:
I will not, I dare not, attempt to enter upon many things that are resting upon my mind this morning, and I shall postpone until some future time, the Lord be willing, my attempt to tell you some of the things that are in my mind, and that dwell in my heart. I have not lived alone these [last] five months. I have dwelt in the spirit of prayer, of supplication, of faith and of determination; and I have had my communication with the Spirit of the Lord continuously.
Conference Report, Oct. 1918, 2
One day earlier, as he sat in his room pondering the scriptures, he saw in a vision the world of spirits. He saw "the hosts of the dead," the spirits of innumerable people who had passed on from this life (Doctrine and Covenants 138:11-12). He also saw specific people there: Father Adam, Mother Eve, many individuals who appear in the Bible and in the Book of Mormon, his father, Hyrum Smith, his uncle, Joseph Smith, and many other church leaders whom he had known personally.
President Smith's great-grandson, Elder M. Russell Ballard, observed:
It had been 74 years since he had last seen [Joseph and Hyrum Smith] as a small boy in Nauvoo. We can only imagine his joy at seeing his beloved father and uncle. He must have been inspired and comforted to know that all spirits retain the likeness of their mortal body and that they are anxiously awaiting the day of their promised resurrection. The vision revealed more fully the depth and breadth of Heavenly Father's plan for His children and Christ's redeeming love and the matchless power of His Atonement.
"The Vision of the Redemption of the Dead," October 2018
The Book of Mormon prophet Alma taught that when we die, we will be divided into two groups. The righteous will enter a "state of happiness" called "paradise," while those who chose evil will be "cast into outer darkness" (Alma 40:12-13). This might sound like a traditional Christian conception of heaven and hell, but Alma clarified that this state is temporary. We will remain in those places until "the time of [our] resurrection" (Alma 40:14).
Alma doesn't describe any interaction between these two groups of people, but Peter, in his first epistle to the church, tells us that Jesus visited the second group of spirits after His death:
Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison.
1 Peter 3:18-19
This passage was on President Smith's mind as he pondered the atonement of Jesus Christ. How, he wondered, could Jesus have had sufficient time to minister to all of the spirits in prison during the short time between His death and His resurrection?
In response, he saw that the Savior didn't personally visit them. Instead, "from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers...and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness...and thus was the gospel preached to the dead" (Doctrine and Covenants 138:29-30).
It makes sense that the people who are in a state of happiness and peace will want to help others find the same joy. And it makes sense that a loving God would encourage His children to do everything they can for one another. That is true in this life, and it is also true for those who have passed on.
Today, I will look for opportunities to help other people find joy and peace. I will be grateful for the knowledge that those who are no longer with us are still involved in this effort: bringing light and joy to as many people as possible.
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