THE VISION OF THE REDEMPTION OF THE DEAD

The revelation given to the prophet Joseph F. Smith, known as the revelation of the redemption of the dead, is the best and most complete text on the matter. The doctrine was revealed unto him while he was sick and residing in the Beehive House in Salt Lake City in 1918. It later became section 138 of the Doctrine and Covenants. Other religions are left in the dark on the matter of the redemption of the dead because we are the only religion to believe in true and living prophets and revelation.

To understand the redemption of the dead we need to understand where they are and in what state they are in. It is known that the dead go to the spirit world. The meaning of spirit world and also the term paradise are not known to other religions. They do not understand resurrection and they do not know that resurrection is an inseparable union of the body and the spirit. What their religion teaches is of course false. We are taught the true doctrine in Alma 11.

The general definition of the word hell is a place of departed spirits. It is synonymous with the spirit world because it is a place of only departed spirits. The second definition of hell is a place of torment. When Peter said that Christ died and went to hell he meant that Christ went to the spirit world. Everyone that dies is in prison. We all end up in hell because we are prisoners to the effect of the fall and a spirit cannot receive a fullness of joy without a body.

Moses 7:55 – 57 teaches that those of Christ are called saints and those saints awoke after they were in prison. Those that did not arise remained in chains of darkness. Doctrine and Covenants 138:12 – 23 also speaks of the chains of death that the just spirits suffered who were in the multitude. Christ preached to the just in the spirit world. Those that were just and justified were faithful and were called captives. Captives are found in prisons. Christ preached to these just spirits and delivered them from the chains of death.

We can conclude that the spirit world is also hell and prison because the spirit is there without a body as a captive bound with the chains of death. We cannot say that the wicked spirits go to prison because of what we learned in Moses that all, meaning both righteous and wicked, are in prison. This place where the wicked spirits go is called outer darkness while the righteous spirits are in paradise. Both are located in hell. The scriptures do not teach whether paradise and outer darkness are located in the same place or in separate locations. If they are in the same place the differences could be found in the spirit’s state of mind. For example there could be two neighbors on the same street living next door to each other yet each are living a different law, one celestial and one telestial.

We learn many interesting truths in Doctrine and Covenants 138:12-17, 29-34, 53-59. We first learn that there were many that were faithful in Old Testament times due to a great many of them being gathered together in one place. These great spirits understood the law of sacrifice while in mortality and they experienced the tribulation that comes with being for Christ. They knew that they would be saved by the grace of both God the Father and Jesus Christ. Through our study of the scriptures we know that Christ will deliver these sprits from death and by doing so will grant unto them joy. Christ had appeared in the world of spirits. Verse 17 gives us a perfect definition of resurrection. The word resurrection was never defined in the New Testament and was not used at all in the Old Testament.

Christ taught the spirits after his arrival and then he administered by organizing and issuing calls to different spirits. Some soon resurrected after Christ did and those that did not arise remained in the spirit world preaching the gospel. Verses 32 – 34 tell us the mission plan for the gospel along with discussion material. There is only one word that separates the teaching of the gospel in spirit prison from ours and that is the word vicarious. It is the same gospel that is being taught to those in outer darkness as it is here to those without the gospel. This work is carried out by families teaching members of their family.

Verse 53 begins another vision from God. In a separate vision Joseph Smith is seen along with many other brethren of the church. Joseph and these men had not lived and died during the time of Christ and for that they were not present when Christ came to the spirit world.

Will we remember everything automatically when we are resurrected? Alma 12:9 – 11 says no, however, knowledge is restored through righteousness and can come back to us over time.

The doctrine of the redemption of the dead is so unique to our religion that those of other faiths cannot even come close to creating a doctrine similar to Gods. Knowing this helps us understand who we are and where we are going which are two great questions that leave others guessing.