The Undiscovered Country, III

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The Undiscovered Country A Dissertation on Spiritual Themes By Elder Orson F. Whitney, of the Council of the Twelve

III.— The Spirit World

Questions that Arise. Where is the Spirit World? What goes on there? Already have these questions heen answered by divine revelation, or by its equivalent, the teachings of divinely-inspired men. I lay no claim to any additional light upon the subject. It will suffice my purpose to present here some of the truths spoken or written by men of that character, adding thereto such comments of my own as shall seem proper in the premises.

Not Heaven. In the minds of some people, the Spirit World and Heaven are synonymous terms, indicating one and the same place. But in reality, there is a wide difference between them. A state of rest, such as the spirit life is for the righteous — though "rest" is not to be interpreted as idleness or want of occupation might easily pass for Heaven, when contrasted with this world of pain, sorrow and trouble. But that is only relative. It is not — — saying too much indeed it may be saying too little to affirm that there is just as much difference between the Spirit World and Heaven, as between the mortal and the spiritual phases of man's existence.

Parley P. Pratt's Testimony. According to Parley P. Pratt, the Spirit World is the spirit- — ual part of this planet or, to use his exact language: "The earth and other planets of a like order have their inward or spiritual spheres, as well as their outward or temporal. The one is peopled by temporal tabernacles, and the other by spirits." "As to its location," he says, "it is here on the very planet where we were born." (Key to Theology, Ch. 14.)

A Modern Paul and Gamaliel. Parley P. Pratt, a modern apostle, was Joseph Smith's disciple, sitting at his feet as Paul at the feet of Gamaliel. That masterly treatise, the Key to Theology, is based upon principles

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divinely revealed to the founder of the Church of Christ in this dispensation.

The Duality of Creation. The proposition that Earth has a spiritual as well as a temporal sphere, is a reassertion of the great doctrine of duality, embodied in ancient and modern revelation, and particularly emphasized by Joseph the Seer. A careful reading of the Book of Genesis (the King James Version) discloses, though somewhat vaguely, the fact of this duality, as applied to the works of Creation. Thus, after giving an account of the origin of the earth and all things connected therewith, the sacred writer goes on to say: "These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens and every plant of the field before it was in the! earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground." (Gen. 2:4, 5.) — "Not a man to till the ground" and yet man had been created, as well as the plants and herbs that existed "before — they grew." The apparent contradiction apparent though not — real was explained by the Prophet when he revised, by the Spirit of Revelation, the Hebrew Scriptures, giving a more ample account of the Creation than the ordinary Bible contains. From that account the following sentences are taken: "For I the Lord God created all things of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. * * * And I the Lord God had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground. For in Heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air. * *

Nevertheless, all things were before created." (Pearl of Great Price, Moses 3:5, 7.)

"All Things Were Before Created" In other words, when God made man and beast and fish — -nd fowl, he made them twice first in the spirit, and then in the body; and the same is true of the trees, shrubs, flowers, and all other created things. They were made spiritually and tem- porally, the spirit and the body constituting the soul (D. and C, 88:15; Moses 3:9). Now if the phrase "all things" includes Earth itself, and that was the process of its creation, we have a pretty clear idea of what constitutes the Spirit World. The spirit ofMother Earth— is not that the "spiritual sphere" re- ferred to by Parley the Apostle?

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Nigh at Hand. Thus considered, it is not a thing afar off. One's thoughts need not sail away millions of miles into space, to find it. We have only to emerge from the body, and we are in the Spirit World. Our dear departed ones are nigh unto us, and their presence is frequently felt, though they themselves may be seen and heard but rarely. Says Joseph Smith: "The spirits of the just * * * are not far from us;" they "know and understand our thoughts, feelings and motions, and are often pained therewith." (Teachings, p. 166.)

Just and Unjust. The spirits of the unjust likewise inhabit the Spirit World, though they are separated from the righteous, and are not in a state of rest. Light and darkness divide that realm, each domain having its appropriate population. So far from being Heaven, part of the World of Spirits is Hades or Hell. Referring to the class who people Hades, the Prophet says: "The great misery of departed spirits * * * is to know that they come short of the glory that others enjoy and that they might have enjoyed themselves; and they are their own accusers." (Ih. p. 185.)

Jesus and the Penitent Thief. "In the Spirit World," says Parley P. Pratt, "are all the varieties and grades of intellectual beings which exist in the present world. For instance, Jesus Christ and the thief on the cross both went to the same place." That is to say, they both went to the Spirit World. Jesus, it will be remembered, had been crucified between two thieves, one of whom derided him, insulting his dying agonies. The other, being penitent, prayed: "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." To him the Savior said: "Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23: 43.) — Because of this utterance which, by the way, Joseph Smith declared to be a mistranslation, maintaining that "Paradise" should read "World of Spirits" (Teachings, pp. 167, 184) —well-meaning though uninspired minds have jumped to the conclusion that the penitent thief was promised immediate heavenly exaltation, for repenting at the last moment and professing faith in the Redeemer. And this notion is still entertained. The criminal who has forfeited his life and is under sentence of death, because unfit to dwell among his fallen fellow creatures, is made to believe that by confessing Christ, even on the scaffold, he is fitted at once for the society of Gods and angels, and will be wafted to eternal bliss.

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A False Doctrine. Jesus never taught such a doctrine, nor did any authorized servant of God. It is a man-made theory, based upon faulty inference and misinterpretation. The Scriptures plainly teach that men will be judged according to their works (Rev. 20 12, 13), and receive rewards as varied as their deeds (D. and C, 76). It was best for the thief, of course, to repent, even at the eleventh hour; but he could not be exalted until prepared for it, if it took a thousand years. When Christ said: "I go to prepare a place for you, * * * that where I am there ye may be also" (John 14:2, 3), he was not speaking to murderers and malefactors, but to his pure-minded, right-living disciples, the only ones to whom such a promise could consistently be given.

What Goes On There? Jesus Christ and the thief both went to the World of Spirits, a place of rest for the righteous, a place of correction for the wicked. "But," as the Apostle Parley goes on to say, "the One was there in all the intelligence, happiness, benevolence and charity which characterized a teacher, a messenger anointed to preach glad tidings to the meek, to bind up the brokenhearted, to comfort those who mourned, to preach deliverance to the captive, and open the prison to those who were bound; or, in other words, to preach the Gospel to the spirits in prison, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh; while the other was there as a thief, who had expired on the cros* for crime, and who was guilty, ignorant, uncultivated, and unprepared for resurrection, having need of remission of sins and to be instructed in the science of salvation." Thus is told in part what goes on in the Spirit World. "It is a place," continues our Apostle, "where the Gospel is preached, where faith, repentance and charity may be exercised, a place of waiting for the resurrection or redemption of the body ; while to those who deserve it, it is a place of punishment, a purgatory or Hell, where spirits are buffeted until the day of redemption." (Compare Alma 40:11-14.)

A Vision of Redemption. President Joseph F. Smith, only a short while before his death, saw, in a "Vision of the Redemption of the Dead," the Savior's visit to the World of Spirits, as recorded in the First Epistle of Peter (3:18-20) and the President's account of what ;

he beheld follows: "I saw the hosts of the dead, both small and great, and there were gathered together in one place an innumerable company

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of the spirits of the just. * * * They were filled with joy and gladness, and were rejoicing together because the day of their deliverance was at hand. * * * The Son of God ap- peared, and preached to them the Everlasting Gospel. "I perceived that the Lord went not in person among the wicked and disobedient who had rejected the truth, to teach them; but behold from among the righteous he organized Hi3 forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commisssioned them to go forth and carry the light of the Gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men. "I beheld that the faithful Elders of this Dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the Gospel * * * among those who are in darkness and under the bondage of sin in the great world of the spirits of the dead." (Improvement Era, December, 1918; Gospel Doctrine, pp. 596-601.)

Personal and Proxy Ministrations. The new light here thrown upon the subject proceeds from the declaration that when the Savior visited the inhabitants of the Spirit World, it was by proxy, and not in person, so far a? the wicked were concerned. He ministered to the righteous directly, and to the unrighteous indirectly, sending to the latter his servants, bearing the authority of the Priesthood, duly commissioned to speak and act in his name and stead. President Smith's pronouncement modifies the view commonly taken, that the Savior's personal ministry was to both classes of spirits. (Compare III Nephi 15:21-24.)

A Temporary Abode. Thus we see that the Spirit World is not Heaven, only in a relative sense, and even then only in part. It is merely a temporary abode for God's children, while undergoing processes of purification and development, as a preparation for better — things beyond. Heaven, on the other hand heaven in the highest degree— is the permanent home of the perfected and glorified.

'Just so soon and so far as we pour into our schools the songs, poems, and literature of mercy toward the lower creatures, just so soon and so far shall we reach the roots not only of cruelty but of crime."—Humane Education Press Bureau.