While attending a teacher development class last Thursday evening, Brother Larson, who was teaching, mentioned that we would understand lesson 18 much better if we read Doctrine and Covenants sections 128 and 138 beforehand. So, I read them and a few things occurred to me.
Section 138 is a vision received by President Joseph F. Smith in 1918 in which he saw the mission of the Savior to the dead. It opens with a description of the events leading to the vision. Pres. Smith was pondering of the love of the Savior, in relation to the spirits who went from this life to prison, having never heard the gospel, or rejecting it in this life. Then it describes His appearance in section 138:
18) While the vast multitude waited and conversed, rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the captives who had been faithful;
19) And there he preached to them the everlasting gospel, the doctrine of the resurrection and the redemption of mankind from the fall, and from individual sins on conditions of repentance.
Then came something I did not know:
20) But unto the wicked he did not go, and among the ungodly and the unrepentant who had defiled themselves while in the flesh, his voice was not raised;
21) Neither did the rebellious who rejected the testimonies and the warnings of the ancient prophets behold his presence, nor look upon his face.
22) Where these were, darkness reigned, but among the righteous, there was peace.
I did not realize that Jesus did NOT go to the spirits in prison. I had always thought that He went to all the dead. Verses 29-37 confirm that He did not go, but sent others:
29) And as I wondered, my eyes were opened, and my understanding quickened, and I perceived that the Lord went not in person among the wicked and the disobedient who had rejected the truth, to teach them;
30) But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead.
31) And the chosen messengers went forth to declare the acceptable day of the Lord and proclaim liberty to the captives who were bound, even unto all who would repent of their sins and receive the gospel.
32) Thus was the gospel preached to those who had died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transfression, having rejected the prophets.
33) These were taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying of on hand,
34) And all other principles of the gospel that were necessary for them to know in order to qualify themselves that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
35) And so it was made known among the dead, both small and great, the unrighteous as well as the faithful, that redemption had been wrought through the sacrifice of the Son of God upon the cross.
36) Thus was is made known that our Redeemer spent his time during his sojourn in the world of spirits, instructing and preparing the faithful spirits of the prophets who had testified of him in the flesh;
37) That they might carry the message of redemption unto all the dead, unto whom he could not go personally, because of their rebellion and transgression, that they through the ministration of his servants might also hear his words.
Jesus taught and appointed a missionary force to preach the gospel to those in prison. He did not go there personally. Rather, he went to the righteous, organized them, and built the bridge for them to the wicked.
Among the things that were taught is given in verse 33, namely, faith, repentance, vicarious baptism, and gift of the Holy Ghost. Why? In verse 34, it says that it was “necessary for them to know in order to qualify themselves that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.”
There are a few observations I need to make at this point.
1) Christ did not go to the spirits in prison, but appointed others to do so
2) The reason for preaching to the spirits in prison (or paradise) is not, in my opinion, to convert them. Rather it is to educate them.
3) Men will be judged on their compliance and obedience to the commandments. Baptism is a commandment.
4) In order for everyone to be judged equally, everyone must have the same knowledge, and have the same opportunity to have their ordinances. Those who died righteously without having a knowledge or opportunity to have their ordinances while living will be on equal footing with those who received them while alive. Those who were wicked may not necessarily benefit from having the knowledge and ordinances, however, they will still be on equal footing in regards to being judged.
5) The principle of the righteous who died without the proper knowledge is given in Section 137. It is well worth reading and pondering.
It took some thinking, but I am sure that the ordinances that we perform for the dead place them on level footing for the judgment. Everyone will be judged according to the commandments, and baptism is a commandment. Even Christ was baptized to fulfill the commandment. Those being taught in the spirit world may choose not to accept the teaching and ordinances, but they will not be able to say that it was not given to them.
Higher ordinances, such as marriage sealing is also done for the dead, performed by the living, and sealed by one who has been given the sealing authority of the priesthood.
In reading Section 128, I came across a couple of verses that really stood out to me. During the time that the sacrament was being passed, I reread much of this section, and found something that made a great impact on my mind. This is D&C 128:10 and 11.
10) And, again, for the precedent, Matthew 16:18, 19: And I say also unto thee, That thou are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
11) Now the great and grand secret of the whole matter, and the summum bonum of the whole subject that is lying before us, consists in obtaining the powers of the Holy Priesthood. For him to whom these keys are given there is no difficulty in obtaining a knowledge of facts in relation to the salvation of the children of men, both as well for the dead as for the living.
Wow! Joseph Smith is referring to the sealing power of the priesthood, of course, and describes in simple term what it does. The person with that power can bind or loosen on earth and in heaven. What a responsibility to have.
Verse 11, however, is what caused me the greatest thought. “For him to whom these keys are given there is no difficulty in obtaining a knowledge of facts in relation to the salvation of the children of men, both as well for the dead as for the living.”
I have known personally one man who has held the sealing power. My second mission president had been a sealer in the Seattle temple. He had a knowledge of the plan of salvation second to no one else I know. Having that authority opened his mind to the grandness of God’s plan of salvation. How appropriate that the people who are commissioned to seal families are given the vision of what their works do.
It is my understanding that to receive the sealing power, an Apostle of the Lord must give it to them. Thus, all people who have that sealing power received it from a special witness of Christ. I think this pattern should tell us how very important and sacred this sealing power is, to receive it at the hands of one who has been directly commissioned by Christ to hold and carefully use that power for the salvation of man. Obviously, these men must use that power carefully, and are authorized only to use it for the most righteous and holy purposes, namely, sealing of families within the temple.