Alma 40-41

Alma 40

Alma teaches Corianton about what happens to our souls after death. He summarizes everything in these verses:

21…there is a space between death and the resurrection of the body, and a state of the soul in happiness or in misery until the time which is appointed of God that the dead shall come forth, and be reunited, both soul and body, and be brought to stand before God, and be judged according to their works.

 23 The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.

All mankind will be resurrected—meaning the spirit/soul is restored to the body, but this time the body is perfect, complete, and immortal. That is a free gift from Jesus Christ as a result of his atonement and resurrection. And after each person is resurrected, she/he will stand before God to be judged to determine where they will go through eternity, based on how they lived their lives and the person they have become. But in between the time of death and resurrection, there is a waiting period for every soul. Alma describes this waiting period:

 11 Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

 12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

 13 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house—and these shall be cast out into outer darkness...and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.

 14 Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.

There is a lot we don’t know about life after death, but I am grateful to know we all will live again after we die. Losing loved ones is the most painful experience in life because we miss them and love them, but I believe with all my heart that we will see them again. I don’t have any doubt that there is life after death, and that helps to take away my fear of death. This life is just one important step in our journey to become more like God, and I think the next step after this life will be beautiful and exciting for those who live well in this life.

Alma 41

Alma teaches Corianton about the Restoration in this chapter —meaning, the resurrection (when every spirit is re-joined with its immortalized body after death), and what happens to souls after they are resurrected.

Alma says that people who desired good and did good in life are restored to good, and people who desired evil and did evil are restored to evil. Makes sense, right? And it’s comforting to know that God doesn’t just judge us by our actions, but also by the desires of our hearts.

 3 And it is requisite with the justice of God that men should be judged according to their works; and if their works were good in this life, and the desires of their hearts were good, that they should also, at the last day, be restored unto that which is good.

 4 And if their works are evil they shall be restored unto them for evil. Therefore, all things shall be restored to their proper order, every thing to its natural frame…

 5 The one raised to happiness according to his desires of happiness, or good according to his desires of good; and the other to evil according to his desires of evil; for as he has desired to do evil all the day long even so shall he have his reward of evil when the night cometh.

 7 … they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil.

This last verse is important to me, because ultimately we will be our own judges. No one will think they are dealt an unfair verdict in the end. We will be restored to the state where we feel most comfortable.

Alma also says we can never find happiness by living wickedly, or doing things that are wrong or contrary to God’s commandments. Period. While worldly thrills and pleasures may bring instant or temporary satisfaction, it never lasts, and it never develops into true happiness.

10 Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.

11 And now, my son, all men that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness.

So if you want to be happy, then basically you should live the golden rule, because the good you send out into the world will return to you. I believe this applies after this life, and DURING this life, too.

 13 O, my son…the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish—good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful.

 14 Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again.