122. Death is a necessary part of God's plan for the salvation of all people.
123. There is no tragedy in death.
124. At death our physical bodies die, while our spirits continue to live.
125. Spiritual death is separation from the presence of God.
122. Death is a necessary part of God's plan for the salvation of all people.
We came into this world to die. That was understood before we came here. It is part of the plan, all discussed and arranged long before men were placed upon the earth. When Adam was sent into this world, it was with the understanding that he would violate a law, transgress a law, in order to bring to pass this mortal condition which we find ourselves in today. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:66) DGSM:21
Our scriptures say: "Death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator." (2 Ne. 9:6) Where the true Saints are concerned there is no sorrow in death except that which attends a temporary separation from loved ones. Birth and death are both essential steps in the unfolding drama of eternity.
We shouted for joy at the privilege of becoming mortal because without the tests of mortality there could be no eternal life. We now sing praises to the great Redeemer for the privilege of passing from this life because without death and the resurrection we could not be raised in immortal glory and gain eternal life. . . .
Now, we do not seek death, though it is part of the merciful plan of the great Creator. Rather, we rejoice in life, and desire to live as long as we can be of service to our fellowmen. Faithful saints are a leaven of righteousness in a wicked world.
But sometimes the Lord's people are hounded and persecuted. Sometimes He deliberately lets His faithful saints linger and suffer, in both body and spirit, to prove them in all things, and to see if they will abide in His covenant, even unto death, that they may be found worthy of eternal life. If such be the lot of any of us, so be it. CR1976Oct:158-59
quoted by Mormon
And now behold, if it were possible that our first parents could have gone forth and partaken of the tree of life they would have been forever miserable, having no preparatory state; and thus the plan of redemption would have been frustrated, and the word of God would have been void, taking none effect.
27. But behold, it was not so; but it was appointed unto men that they must die; and after death, they must come to judgment, even that same judgment of which we have spoken, which is the end. (Alma responds to the chief ruler, Antionah, regarding Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden, about 82 B.C.) Alma 12:26-27
quoted by Mormon
But behold, it was appointed unto man to die—therefore, as they were cut off from the tree of life they should be cut off from the face of the earth—and man became lost forever, yea, they became fallen man.
7. And now, ye see by this that our first parents were cut off both temporally and spiritually from the presence of the Lord; and thus we see they became subjects to follow after their own will.
8. Now behold, it was not expedient that man should be reclaimed from this temporal death, for that would destroy the great plan of happiness. (Alma speaks to his son Corianton, about 73 B.C.; mortality is a probationary time to enable man to repent and serve God) Alma 42:6-8
For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord. (Jacob recounts to the people of Nephi the covenants of the Lord made to the house of Israel, 559-545 B.C.) 2 Nephi 9:6
I am not saying that disease will not come, that death will not strike. Death is a part of the divine plan, a necessary step in the eternal life of the sons and daughters of God. But I do not hesitate to say that in this brief but inclusive statement of the Lord is found counsel, given with a promise, which, if more widely observed, would save untold pain and suffering and lead not only to increased physical well-being but also to great and satisfying “treasures of knowledge” of the things of God. (CR 1986Apr; Come and Partake, Ensign, May 1986, p.46)
Death is a necessary component of our eternal existence. No one knows when it will come, but it is essential to God’s great plan of happiness. ¶ Brothers and sisters, we live to die and we die to live—in another realm. If we are well prepared, death brings no terror. From an eternal perspective, death is premature only for those who are not prepared to meet God. (CR 2005Apr; Ensign, May 2005, 16–18)
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receiving the Word of the Lord
Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full. (Revelation received Dec. 16, 1833) D&C 101:36
123. There is no tragedy in death.
If we say that early death is a calamity, disaster or a tragedy, would it not be saying that mortality is preferable to earlier entrance into the spirit world and to eventual salvation and exaltation? If mortality be the perfect state, then death would be a frustration but the Gospel teaches us there is not tragedy in death, but only in sin. (Speech at Brigham Young University, Dec. 1955) DGSM:84
All fear of this death has been removed from the Latter-day Saints. They have no dread of the temporal death, because they know that as death came upon them by the transgression of Adam, so by the righteousness of Jesus Christ shall life come unto them, and though they die, they shall live again. Possessing this knowledge, they have joy even in death, for they know that they shall rise again and shall met again beyond the grave. They know that the spirit dies not at all; that it passes through no change, except the change from imprisonment in this mortal clay to freedom and to the sphere in which it acted before it came to this earth. CR1899Oct:70-71
recorded in Matthew
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Jesus instructs the Twelve Apostles; they shall expect persecution) Matthew 10:28
receiving the Word of the Lord
And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them; . . . (Revelation received Feb. 9, 1831; administration to the sick) D&C 42:46
And they did look upon shedding the blood of their brethren with the greatest abhorrence; and they never could be prevailed upon to take up arms against their brethren; and they never did look upon death with any degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it. (Upright, zealous members of the Church choose death at the hands of their enemies rather than taking the sword against them) Alma 27:28
We shall turn round and look upon it [the valley of death] and think, when we have crossed it, why this is the greatest advantage of my whole existence, for I have passed from a state of sorrow, grief, mourning, woe, misery, pain, anguish and disappointment into a state of existence, where I can enjoy life to the fullest extent as far as that can be done without a body. 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. (Funeral sermon 14th Ward, July 1874, JD17:142) DGSM:83
124. At death our physical bodies die, while our spirits continue to live.
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. (Reflections of a son of David the king) Ecclesiastes 12:7
Our probation here on earth will, of course, be terminated by death, death being the dissolution of the soul—the separation of the body and the spirit. CR1976Apr:119
quoted by Mormon
And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead. . . .
27. But behold, it was not so; but it was appointed unto men that they must die; and after death, they must come to judgment, even that same judgment of which we have spoken, which is the end. (Alma responds to the chief ruler, Antionah, regarding Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden, about 82 B.C.) Alma 12:24,27
quoted by Mormon
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 speaks to his son Corianton, concerning the resurrection of the dead, about 73 B.C.) Alma 40:11
The spirits of all men, as soon as they depart from this mortal body, whether they are good or evil, we are told in the Book of Mormon, are taken home to that God who gave them life, where there is a separation, a partial judgment, and 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 expand in wisdom, where they have respite from all their troubles, and where care and sorrow do not annoy. The wicked, on the contrary, have no part nor portion in the Spirit of the Lord, and they are cast into outer darkness, being led captive, because of their own iniquity, by the evil one. And in this space between death and the resurrection of the body, the two classes of souls remain, in happiness or in misery, until the time which is appointed of God that the dead shall come forth and be reunited both spirit and body, and be brought to stand before God and be judged according to their works. This is the final judgment. (Gospel Doctrine, p. 448) DGSM:84
Man, then, is a child of God, created in his image. He is destined to be free and, though subject to death, his spirit will continue to live, will again become united with his body, and he will become a living, immortal soul. (CR 1960Apr; Afternoon Meeting, p.54)
Each of us is a dual being of spiritual entity and physical entity. All know of the reality of death when the body dies, and each of us also knows that the spirit lives on as an individual entity and that at some time, under the divine plan made possible by the sacrifice of the Son of God, there will be a reunion of spirit and body. Jesus’ declaration that God is a spirit no more denies that he has a body than does the statement that I am a spirit while also having a body. (CR 1986Oct; The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Ensign, November 1986, p.49)
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And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53. And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. (Jesus is crucified and the first resurrection begins) Matthew 27:52-53
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. (Paul writes to his assistant Timothy, about A.D. 64 ) 1 Timothy 6:7
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James writes to his brethren in the Church) James 2:26
125. Spiritual death is separation from the presence of God.
Adam transgressed and the penalty was death. It came in two-fold form—first, spiritual and secondly, temporal or mortal. The first was banishment from the presence of the Lord, the second the dissolution of the body. The redemption from the spiritual death is brought about through repentance and obedience to the gospel. The redemption from the mortal death is through the resurrection from the grave. (The Restoration of All Things, p. 22) TLDP:186
quoted by Mormon
Therefore, as the soul could never die, and the fall had brought upon all mankind a spiritual death as well as a temporal, that is, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord, it was expedient that mankind should be reclaimed from this spiritual death. (Alma speaks to his son Corianton concerning the resurrection of the dead, about 73 B.C.) Alma 42:9
receiving the Word of the Lord
Wherefore, it came to pass that the devil tempted Adam, and he partook of the forbidden fruit and transgressed the commandment, wherein he became subject to the will of the devil, because he yielded unto temptation.
41. Wherefore, I, the Lord God, caused that he should be cast out from the Garden of Eden, from my presence, because of his transgression, wherein he became spiritually dead, which is the first death, even that same death which is the last death, which is spiritual, which shall be pronounced upon the wicked when I shall say: Depart, ye cursed. (Revelation received in presence of six elders, Sept. 1830) D&C 29:40-41
The Immediate Result of the Fall was the substitution of mortality, with all its attendant frailties, for the vigor of the primeval deathless state. Adam felt directly the effects of transgression in finding a barren and dreary earth, with a relatively sterile soil, instead of the beauty and fruitfulness of Eden. In place of pleasing and useful plants, thorns and thistles sprang up; and the man had to labor arduously, under the conditions of physical fatigue and suffering, to cultivate the soil that he might obtain necessary food. Upon Eve fell the penalty of bodily infirmity; pains and sorrows, which since have been regarded as the natural lot of womankind, came upon her, and she was made subject to her husband's authority. Having lost their sense of former innocence they became ashamed of their nakedness, and the Lord made for them garments of skins. Upon both the man and the woman was visited the penalty of spiritual death; for in that very day they were banished from Eden and cast out from the presence of the Lord. AF:61
But there is another type of separation known in scripture as spiritual death. (See 2 Ne. 9:12; Alma 12:16; Alma 42:9; Hel. 14:16, 18.) It “is defined as a state of spiritual alienation from God.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954-56, 2:217.) Thus, one can be very much alive physically but dead spiritually. ¶ Spiritual death is more likely when goals are unbalanced toward things physical. Paul explained this concept to the Romans: “If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” (Rom. 8:13.) ¶ If physical death should strike before moral wrongs have been made right, opportunity for repentance will have been forfeited. Thus, “the [real] sting of death is sin.” (1 Cor. 15:56.) ¶ Even the Savior cannot save us in our sins. He will redeem us from our sins, but only upon condition of our repentance. We are responsible for our own spiritual survival or death. (See Rom. 8:13-14; Hel. 14:18; D&C 29:41-45.) (CR 1992Apr; Doors of Death, Ensign, May 1992, p.72)
The Atonement was absolutely essential for men to cleanse themselves from sin and overcome the second death, which is the spiritual death, which is separation from our Father in Heaven. For the scriptures tell us, seven times they tell us, that no unclean thing may enter the presence of God. (CR 1988Apr; Atonement, Agency, Accountability, Ensign, May 1988, p.69)
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For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord.
7. Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.
8. O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.
9. And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.
10. O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit. (Jacob teaches the doctrine of the atonement to the people of Nephi, 559-545 B.C.) 2 Nephi 9:6-10
