One of the greatest truths revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith is that man is eternal. Women and men existed before this life and continue to exist after death. In the Pearl of Great Price, the Lord reveals to both Moses and Abraham the vastness of His works with the focal point being "the immortality and eternal life of man."[1] God's children have no beginning and they will have no end. Moreover, he taught Abraham and revealed to the Prophet Joseph that just as life in mortality is divided into stages, so is life in the eternities.
Stages in Eternity
There are many phases of life in the eternities. The first stage or estate consists of intelligences that are organized into spirits. The Lord said to Abraham, "[S]pirits...have no beginning; they existed before, they shall have no end, they shall exist after, for they are...eternal."[2] The Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph that "Man was in the beginning with God. Intelligence or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be."[3] In the Council in Heaven, Abraham saw the spirits or "intelligences that were organized before the world was," and that he, Abraham, was one of the noble and great ones.[4]
As the Council proceeded, Abraham and the other spirits were taught that another stage was about to begin for those who proved valiant in the first estate. The second estate, or mortality, is a phase in which spirits are "added upon."[5] They receive physical bodies, gain experience in a world of opposites, are tested, receive added intelligence, and, if faithful, receive additional blessings through the ordinances and covenants of the gospel. Just as there was a beginning to mortality, there would be an end. The physical body would deteriorate and die. But even then, death was not the end but a transition. Other phases would follow consisting of time in a spirit world and a resurrection or reuniting of the physical body with the spirit. A final judgment would occur and there would be an assignment to a kingdom of glory based upon one's life and faithfulness.
The important blessings in mortality plus much of what happens after is made possible by "an infinite and eternal sacrifice" performed by God's Only Begotten Son.[6] The sacrifice overcomes both physical and spiritual death and makes possible further spiritual growth and development.[7] As a consequence, the other phases or states that follow add glory and blessings contingent upon one's faithfulness in the second estate.[8] All these truths were taught to the ancient patriarchs and prophets.
Just as Abraham and Moses were taught about the vastness and purpose of the Lord's work, so Joseph Smith was taught these same truths as he translated the Book of Mormon and as ancient prophets tutored him throughout his life. The revelations recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price indicate that Moroni, Peter, James and John, Moses, Elijah and numerous others taught him the gospel as they bestowed priesthood keys and powers upon him. Joseph was taught the full meaning of the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement. He learned about the earth's purposes and man's relationships to Deity and other mortals. He learned about the courageous steps taken by Adam and Eve to leave the presence of Heavenly Parents and enter a new world where they learned to walk by faith and where opposites tested them. In their fallen state, they and their children sinned, but their sins could be forgiven through Christ's atonement coupled with their faith, repentance and participation in priesthood ordinances.
The priesthood with its keys allowed Joseph to administer saving and exalting ordinances and covenants to others. For the faithful, priesthood ordinances are conduits of power that can shape one's nature and give direction to one's life.[9] The ordinances are the means by which we enter into covenants with the Lord and receive His promises. For example, baptism is the first ordinance. The ordinance and the covenants associated with it are vital to our progress in the eternities. What do we covenant to do and be? What are the promises associated with baptism? Our part of the covenant is that we agree to take the Savior's name upon us and become a witness of God, enter into His Church, be faithful in living His commandments and willingly serve others. In turn, the Lord promises to extend mercy to us, to cleanse us from sin, and to provide more abundant access to the Holy Spirit.[10] His promises are extraordinary gifts. The cleansing power, alone, is essential in preparing us to reenter the presence of the Father.[11]
Isaiah, the great prophet, recognized that all of us need cleansing and that the Lord provides the means when he said:
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away ... But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand."[12]
Isaiah recognizes that all of us sin. Our sins, like the wind, divert and take us away. However, if we submit ourselves to the Lord by entering into the ordinances and covenants, we, like clay to the potter, become the work of His hands. He shapes us and turns us from mortals to immortals, from weakness to power, from corruptible to incorruptible beings.[13]
Ezekiel was even more precise in what the Lord would do for us as we enter into covenants and ordinances with Him. The Lord told Ezekiel:
"For I will take you from among the heathen, ... Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean ... A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you ... I will save you from all your uncleannesses..."[14]
Ordinances and covenants play an important role in the Lord fulfilling the promises made to Abraham that "they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; ... and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever."[15] It is interesting to note the ways in which we are added upon in mortality and given blessings for the eternities through the ordinances and covenants and especially through the temple.
For Those Who Keep Their First Estate
For those who keep their first estate, the Father promised added blessings. What are they? First, those who were valiant would leave the immediate presence of their spiritual Parents and enter a new world, a mortal world where further development could take place. One of the great blessings of mortality would be the reception of a physical body. Other blessings would include the mental and spiritual development that occurs in the use of agency; the growth in light and truth that results from living by faith; the experience of living in and dealing with the changes that occur in a mortal world; and, most important, the growth inherent in building an earthly family that has eternal potential. Time does not allow a full examination of these added blessings. What follows is a brief discussion of the roles played by the physical body in time and eternity plus the importance of temple ordinances in opening the door to one fully receiving the blessings promised.
The Physical Body - a Prime Blessing of Mortality
One might ask the question: "Why a physical body?" In some religions only the spirit is immortal. In some religions only the spirit is good. For some, they look forward to the day when the body will be shed at death and they will not be encumbered by it. They do not believe in the resurrection as we do. In contrast, we believe the body is a prized possession, that it is critical to our destiny both in this life and in the life to come; and, to the extent that it has imperfections in mortality, it will be perfected in the resurrection. The body performs several essential functions during this life and in the eternities. The first is that it is a home or temple for the spirit.[16] It is not only a temple for one's own spirit, but as Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "[Y]our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you." As part of our soul, it can be tuned to the vibrations of the Holy Spirit and enhance our reception. To do so, it needs to be clean physically and shaped so that it is responsive to the things of the spirit. As an integral part of the soul, the body is a sacred part of us.
Second, the physical body is an instrument of the mind and spirit.[17] In a CES Fireside in February 2003, President Boyd K. Packer repeated a portion of his patriarchal blessing in which he was told that he should cherish his physical body, that he should "Guard and protect it - take nothing into it that shall harm the organs thereof because it is sacred. It is the instrument of your mind and the foundation of your character." The body is an instrument that increases the power of the spirit if used properly. As the Prophet Joseph Smith said, "All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not."[18] It allows the mind to experience this physical world in a manner not possible without it. The body has the potential of increasing one's capacity to love, to feel emotion, to extend kindnesses, to serve others. In a revelation given to Joseph F. Smith, the sixth prophet of this dispensation, it states that in the next phase of our lives, the spirit world, we will look "upon the long absence of [our] spirits from [our] bodies as a bondage."[19] In other words, there are things that we will not be able to do because we do not have a body and we will yearn for the resurrection.
Third, physical objects hold light. The earth holds light. Our physical bodies are receptacles of light. The body increases one's capacity to hold light. The 88th section of the Doctrine and Covenants teaches that if a person strives to live by celestial laws in this life, their physical bodies will be quickened by a portion of celestial light and, in the resurrection, will "receive of the same, even a fulness."[20]
Many years ago, I learned that one of the roles of the Holy Ghost is to literally add light to our being. At the time, our family lived in England. While there, the branch we were attending received permission to build a new chapel. While we were pouring the foundation, I noticed a man across the street come out of his home, sit on his brick wall and watch us. He did that for three or four days and then came across the street and enquired as to what we were building. We told him: "A chapel!" He asked if we needed help. We did and he joined us. The first day I saw him, his face was a pallid gray and smoke from cigarettes had cast a film on his skin and eyes. It was not long before he invited the missionaries into his home and he joined the Church.
Eighteen months later the building was complete and we gathered for the dedication. It was a sacrament meeting and he was a priest at the sacrament table. As I looked at him, I noticed a ruddiness in his complexion that had not been there the first time I met him and his face glowed. He was a different person. The Holy Spirit had entered his being and the light within shone in his countenance. The experience taught me that the body is a receptacle of light, that it has the capacity to hold light and truth.
Finally, the physical body has the power to create life. One of the great purposes of mortality is the opportunity to marry and have children. The family is the basic unit of eternity. We were part of a family before we came here. The design for this earth is for children to enter the world in a family with caring parents to guide them until they reach a level of maturity and can stand on their own.
The Role of Temple Ordinances and Covenants in Fulfilling the Lord's Promises
Just as the physical body is key to our development on earth, so are the ordinances and covenants of the gospel. As stated earlier, ordinances and covenants are the means by which the Lord extends key blessings. All ordinances are important and critical to life's mission and there is an order to them. Each builds upon the previous one with the first being baptism. The Gift of the Holy Ghost follows and access to the Spirit is dependent on acceptance of the baptismal covenants and the cleansing that takes place. Priesthood with its unique power to serve others follows the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Although it is possible to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood without having had the preparatory or Aaronic Priesthood, the normal path for a young man is to serve in the Aaronic Priesthood from age 12 to his late teens or early twenties, and then receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. Finally, one qualifies for temple ordinances after reaching a reasonable level of spiritual maturity.
Temple ordinances are also ordered. For the deceased, the ordinances begin with baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost. For the living, temple ordinances begin with the endowment. The endowment consists of a set of initiatory ceremonies followed by the main part of the ordinance where instruction is given and covenants are made. The capstone ceremony is the sealing ordinance that binds a man and woman together for the eternities and provides the foundation for an eternal family.
While serving as president of the Provo Temple, it dawned on me that just as the first ordinance of the gospel is a washing, so is the first temple ordinance. The Lord taught Nicodemus that he must be baptized in order to receive salvation in the Kingdom of God.[21] Exaltation also requires a washing ordinance in order to gain entrance to the highest part of the Celestial Kingdom. Repentance and cleanliness are integral parts of one's spiritual development.
Temple ordinances also increase the commitment level as well as the blessings promised. For example, the ordinance of baptism outside the temple cleanses and provides access to the Holy Ghost. The temple washing and anointing not only cleanses and provides increased sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, but also provides a blessing of health and makes additional promises with respect to one's spiritual growth.
When the priesthood is conferred upon men, they enter into an oath and covenant wherein they commit to magnify the priesthood by the way they live and the manner in which they serve. In the temple, the commitment level is increased and priesthood power is enhanced.
Outside the temple, one is taught to sacrifice one's time in service to others and build the kingdom through the payment of tithes and offerings. Temple covenants raise the level of commitment from sacrifice to consecration. One's attitude changes from giving up something to making sacred those things the Lord has given us and returning whatever the Lord needs.
Marriage outside the temple is for time only. Marriage in the temple is for time and eternity. The temple ordinance creates a sacred bond between the man and woman and between them and the Lord. It increases and extends their commitment level to each other. In turn, the promises to the couple in the temple sealing are unparalleled. They apply to both mortality and the estates that follow. Not only are promises made to the man and woman but also to their posterity. The sealing makes possible an eternal family and eternal lives.[22] These promises bind parents to each other and to their children forever and ever.
A little over a year ago while serving as temple president, I received a letter from a sister that illustrates the promises the Lord makes in the sealing ceremony. The letter told of a blessing she and her family had received through the temple ordinances. The letter told the following story:
Three years earlier, the family had sent one of their younger sons on a mission. He had an early birthday so he did not attend college before leaving. He was a wonderful young man who served faithfully in one of the South African missions. After serving two years, he returned home just before Christmas in 2008. In early January 2009, he left home for his first of class at the local university. The roads were icy and suddenly a car behind him lost control, smashed into the rear of his vehicle and propelled him across the median into the path of an oncoming semi-truck. There was a head-on crash and he was killed instantly.
A few days later, the parents were at the mortuary dressing their son in his temple clothing in preparation for the burial. While doing so, the mother and father had a feeling that they should gather their family at the temple. After leaving the mortuary, they called their endowed children and invited them to attend the temple that evening. As the family entered the temple, the father felt that they should do a sealing session as a family. They dressed appropriately, went to the sealing office and were assigned to a particular session.
During the session, the sealer suggested a short break and asked those in the room, "What brought you to the temple today and why did you choose to do sealings?" When it was the family's turn, the father explained what had happened and how he and his wife had felt the need to gather the family at the temple. The father explained the impression to do sealings as he entered the temple. When the father finished there was one more person in the room to respond. The man indicated that he and his wife had come to do initiatories. When he entered the locker room, a strong feeling came to him that he should do sealings. Consequently, he had come to the sealing office where he was assigned to the same session as the family.
He then said, "My wife and I lost a son in a terrible car accident a few years ago. I understand the deep loss and the grief that the family is feeling. I can also assure them that the Lord will heal their grief in time and they will come to know that the son is fine." The sister writing the letter then wrote: "We all felt the Spirit witness that it was not a coincidence that he was with us and some tender healing began to take place. We were reminded that others have experienced similar heartaches and that our grief will be temporary. The man also knew why he had been prompted to be there to offer encouragement and example."
The letter continued. "Yesterday (early January 2010), we attended the temple to begin our day of remembering our son. He has now been gone for one year. We came with the intention of doing an endowment session, but upon entering the temple again felt directed to do sealings." She then stated that during the early part of the session, other couples were invited to the altar to do sealings for daughters to parents. When it was this couple's turn to go to the altar, the sealer coordinator came into the room with a new batch of names and indicated they would now begin sealing sons to parents. As the father and mother knelt at the altar, the sealer reviewed the new names and said, "These names are from South Africa." The mother then wrote: "We felt our son close by with a big smile on his face. I will remember that experience forever. It felt so good." The mother and father knew the son was busy doing missionary work on the other side of the veil. He was still involved with those he had learned to love on his mission. For a moment the veil was lifted and the parents and son rejoiced as they received a confirmation of the eternal bonds between them.
Brothers and sisters, there is power in the temple ordinances. I testify that the temple is the place where the Lord fulfills many of the promises made in that pre-mortal council. The scriptures indicate that in the temple one receives a fulness of the Holy Ghost, a fulness of priesthood and a fulness of glory.[23] As promised by the Lord in the pre-mortal council, the earth was organized in order for all of us to be added upon. That began with the reception of an earthly body that has become part of our soul and is essential to our eternal progress. In addition, the temple is the place on earth where the faithful are added upon forever and ever. May you order your lives so that these wonderful blessings will be yours is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Moses 1:3-8, 39; Abraham 3:11-26
[2] Abraham 3:18
[3] Doctrine and Covenants 93:29
[4] Abraham 3:22-23
[5] Abraham 3:26
[6] Alma 34:10
[7] 2 Nephi 2:6-30
[8] Abraham 3:24-26
[9] Doctrine and Covenants 84:19-21; Mosiah 3:19-21
[10] Mosiah 18:8-10
[11] 1 Nephi 10:21
[12] Isaiah 64:6, 8
[13] 1 Corinthians 15:42-44
[14] Ezekiel 36:24-29
[15] Abraham 3:26
[16] 1 Corinthians 6:19
[17] Boyd K. Packer, "The Instrument of Your Mind and the Foundation of Your Character," CES Fireside, February 2003
[18] Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith (1976), 181
[19] Doctrine and Covenants 138:50
[20] Doctrine and Covenants 88:27-29
[21] John 3:3-5
[22] Doctrine and Covenants 131:1-4; 132:19
[23] Doctrine and Covenants 109:15; 124:28; 132:19