BETWEEN DEATH AND THE RESURECTION
(Kyle S. McKay, Kaysville Utah Haight Creek Stake Conference; November 4, 2006)
In September of 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote a letter to the saints about a “subject [that] seems to occupy my mind, and press itself upon my feelings the strongest.” For the past few weeks, my mind and feelings have been occupied by the death of a dear friend.
When I was in high school, there were several people whom I considered friends, but there were about six young men who were my closest fiends. Of that group, I have remained in regular contact with four. Paul Lawrence of our stake, Dave Wright and Scott Pendleton, formerly of our stake, and spencer Hill, most recently of Salt Lake City. Two of those four are now dead. Scott Pendleton died four years ago, and Spencer Hill died last week of cancer, leaving his wife and four beautiful children. I have wondered whether being my close friend constitutes a health hazard, and feel tonight that I should say, “Run, Paul, Run!”
I hope you will not mind that I take a few moments to share with you some of the thoughts and feelings that I have had regarding “the state of the soul between death and resurrection.” That is a subject that seems to occupy my mind and press itself upon my feelings the strongest. Some of what I share is quite sacred and I hope you will treat it as such.
I commend to you the entire 40th chapter of Alma, wherein Alma taught his son, Corianton, about the spirit world in some detail. Additionally, because all of us have been and will b deeply affected by the death of a loved one, I commend the following principles and doctrines regarding the righteous who have passed on. I will put these principles to you in question and answer format.
Q: Where is the spirit world?
A: It is here, or at least nearby. Joseph Smith said that the spirits of the righteous “are not far from us.” Ezra Taft Benson taught the same thing. And Brigham Young was even more definitive. He said, “Where is the spirit world? It is right here.” He once asked, “Can you see the spirits in the room? No. Suppose the Lord should touch your eyes that you might see, could you see the spirits? Yes, as plainly as you now see bodies…. If the Lord would permit it, and it was his will that it should be done, you could see the spirits that have departed from this world, as plainly as you now see bodies with your natural eyes.” Elder Parley P. Pratt taught that the spirit world “is here on the very planet where we were born.” He explained: “[T]he earth… [has its] inward or spiritual sphere, as well as [its] outward, or temporal. The one is peopled by temporal tabernacles, and the other by spirits. A veil is drawn between the one sphere and the other, whereby all objects in the spiritual sphere are rendered invisible to those in the temporal.” The veil spoken of is not some vast blanket or curtain. Instead I, it is a veil placed over our individual minds affecting our vision and our memory. When Joseph and Oliver saw the Lord in the Kirtland Temple, it was because the veil was taken from their minds.
Q: how is the spirit world different from this world?
A: There is very little difference. Those in the spirit world do not have bodies of flesh and bones, therefore, they are not subject to sickness and disease and all other things that come with having a mortal body. Beyond that, however, the two worlds are strikingly similar. Last year, when Elder M. Russell Ballard visited our stake, he quoted his grandfather, Elder Melvin J. Ballard, who said that when you die, you might not even know you are dead until you try to do something that requires a body. Brigham Young taught: “When you are in the spirit world, everything there will appear as natural as things now do. Spirits will be familiar with spirits in the spirit world—will converse, behold, and exercise every variety of communication with one another as familiarly and naturally as while here in tabernacles.”
Q: Will we be with friends and family in the spirit world?
A: Of course. Again from Brigham Young: “We have more friends behind the veil than on this side, and they will hail us more joyfully than you were ever welcomed by your parents and friends in this world; and you will rejoice more when you meet them than you ever rejoiced to see a friend in this life” Among those whom we will rejoice to see and who will be most familiar to us will be our Father in Heaven. President Benson taught this glorious truth: “Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His face is to us.”
Q: What do our loved ones do in the spirit world?
A: The same thing we are (or should be) doing here. The 138th section of the Doctrine and Covenants teaches that “the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption… in the great world of the spirits of the dead.” Joseph Smith once said to Benjamin Johnson, “Benjamin, [if I die] I would not be far away from you, and if on the other side of the veil I would still be working with you , and with power greatly increase, to roll on this kingdom.”
Q: Can they see us?
A: Yes. The prophet Joseph confirmed: “[They] know and understand our thoughts, feelings, and motions, and are often pained therewith” And Brigham young said, “they an see us, but we cannot see them unless our eyes are opened.”
Q: Can our departed loved ones visit us, aid us, and comfort us?
A: Yes, and the remainder of my remarks will examine this soothing truth. President Joseph F. Smith said, “[W]hen messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from the ranks of our kindred, friends, and fellow-beings and fellow-servants… [O]ur fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends ho have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given to them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence message of love, of warning, or reproof and instruction, to those whom they have learned to love in the flesh.”
When we often quote President Harold B. lee, who said: “The most important work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own home.” Death does nothing to change that! In other words, the most important work that Spencer Hill will yet do will be within the walls of his own home. We know that he will be busy preaching the gospel in the world of spirits. He will likely have specific assignments and will be working under the direction of priesthood leadership. All of this will be very time consuming. It will be urgent and important. But none of it will be more important than the work he will yet do within the walls of his own home. His means of accomplishing this work in his home has changed , but spencer will continue to be involved in looking after the spiritual and temporal needs of his family. Death has done nothing to relieve him of that responsibility or strip him of that privilege.
To illustrate, let me share with you a tender, sacred experience my father had a few weeks ago. When Dad was eleven years old, his father died of cancer, leaving a widow and 8 young children. Dad was the youngest boy. Over the years, he has, on occasion, felt the influence, even the presence, of his father. So have Dad’s siblings. Dad is now 76 years old. A few weeks ago, on September 19th, Dad was driving his truck and pulling a loaded horse trailer up the steep, narrow, winding, 14-mile dirt road that leads to the trailhead of the Brook Cliffs in Southeastern Utah. It was well after dark. As he drove, a great feeling of calm, comfort, reassurance and safety came over him. He wondered why. Suddenly, the back right side of the trailer slipped off the road and would have plummeted down the mountainside, taking the truck with it, had it not been for the fact that the trailer’s axel burrowed into the earth as the trailer was sliding off the road. Even though the trailer was stuck, horses were falling and thrashing inside, rocking the trailer and threatening to send it cascading down the mountain.
Although they were in grave danger, Dad never once felt frightened or flustered or confused. The great calm that had come over him even before the incident continued the entire time he and my brother and others carefully worked to get the horses out of the trailer and pull their trailer to safety. I will not go into the detail of everything Dad felt guided to do to get out of the predicament. Suffice it to say that what he felt to do ran contrary to the reasoning of everyone there. But, following his feelings, he eventually got the truck and trailer safely back on the road. No one was hurt—not even a horse. When the ordeal was over the others were loading the horses back in the trailer, Dad had a moment to reflect. I now read from his account:
“As I stood there looking and thinking about my feelings as we came up the dirt road and the calm feelings I had as we worked quickly to solve the situation, I had a most amazing experience… I saw my father James Gunn McKay, whether in my mind’s eye or actual I do not know. I understood a communication in his voice as I remember him. He said: ‘I was here to help you. I know how to get you out of tough situations. You will be all right now.’… I could really feel Dad’s presence, his confidence, his concern for his son. I knew that he had been sent or permitted to help at that time. The ‘vision’ only lasted a couple of minutes, but the feeling and wonderment lasted the rest of the drive up the steep switch-backs to the parking lot on top. The feeling of Dad’s presence left as we got to the parking lot.”
I do not know what it was about that situation that required or allowed my grandfather to visit and assist my dad. All I know is that James Gunn McKay has been dead for 65 years, but he continues to look after the spiritual and, on that night, the temporal needs of his 76-year-old baby boy. Even though most of his time is likely spent working among friends and extended family on the other side of the veil, nothing is more important that caring for his immediate family on either side of the veil. So it will be with Spencer. So it is with all the righteous who depart this life.
I testify of the great plan of happiness. I bear witness that the atonement of Jesus Christ is central to that plan and the family is the constant and ultimate aim of that plan. Thus, when loved ones die they are not far from us. They are taken from our view, but not altogether from our presence. They can see us; they rejoice with us, mourn with us and work with us. I testify that the righteous who have departed this life are working urgently to roll forth the kingdom of God and that the most important work they will ever do in that process will be within the walls of their own home. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.