“Lesson 8 Class Preparation Material: Life after Death,” Teachings and Doctrine of the Book of Mormon Teacher Material (2021)
“Lesson 8 Class Preparation Material,” Teachings and Doctrine of the Book of Mormon Teacher Material
Lesson 8 Class Preparation Material
Life after Death
President Russell M. Nelson taught: “We need not look upon death as an enemy. With full understanding and preparation, faith supplants fear. Hope displaces despair” (“Doors of Death,” Ensign, May 1992, 74). As you study this preparation material, consider what the Book of Mormon teaches about death and life after death that can help you to “prepare to meet God” (Alma 12:24).
Section 1
What happens after we die?
After Corianton, a son of Alma the Younger, had forsaken the ministry and committed sexual sin, his father talked with him about the seriousness of his actions. Alma perceived that Corianton worried about life after death and the punishment that awaited the sinner. Alma taught his son that while all people will be resurrected, only the righteous will live with God (see Alma 40:1, 9–10, 25–26). He also explained what happens to our spirits between death and the Resurrection.
Study in Preparation for Class
As you read some of Alma’s teachings about the spirit world in Alma 40:11–14, compare the differences between the experience of the righteous and the experience of the wicked. (When Alma used the phrase “outer darkness,” he was addressing the state of the wicked between death and the Resurrection and was not referring to the final state of Satan and his followers. See Guide to the Scriptures, “Hell,” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.)
President Joseph Fielding Smith taught this about the phrase “taken home to that God who gave them life”:
[This phrase] simply means that their mortal existence has come to an end, and they have returned to the world of spirits, where they are assigned to a place according to their works with the just or with the unjust, there to await the resurrection. (Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. [1958], 2:85)
President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency also said the following about the spirit world:
We know from the scriptures that after our bodies die we continue to live as spirits in the spirit world. The scriptures also teach that this spirit world is divided between those who have been “righteous” or “just” during life and those who have been wicked. They also describe how some faithful spirits teach the gospel to those who have been wicked or rebellious (see 1 Peter 3:19; Doctrine and Covenants 138:19–20, 29, 32, 37). Most important, modern revelation reveals that the work of salvation goes forward in the spirit world (see Doctrine and Covenants 138:30–34, 58), and although we are urged not to procrastinate our repentance during mortality (see Alma 13:27), we are taught that some repentance is possible there (see Doctrine and Covenants 138:58). (“Trust in the Lord,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 26)
Ponder in Preparation for Class
How can having a correct understanding of the spirit world help you to make good choices?
Section 2
How can believing in the Resurrection bring me hope?
When Alma and Amulek taught the people of Ammonihah, a lawyer named Zeezrom attempted to twist Amulek’s words and undermine his teachings about Jesus Christ. In response, Amulek boldly testified that the Resurrection and salvation from sin can come only through Jesus Christ.
Study in Preparation for Class
Read Alma 11:42–44, and look for the blessings we will receive through the Resurrection.
Testifying of the importance of the Resurrection, President Susan W. Tanner, former Young Women General President, taught:
These sacred bodies, for which we are so grateful, suffer from natural limitations. Some people are born with disabilities, and some suffer the pains of disease throughout their lives. All of us as we age experience our bodies gradually beginning to fail. When this happens, we long for the day when our bodies will be healed and whole. We look forward to the Resurrection that Jesus Christ made possible. … I know that through Christ we can experience a fulness of joy that is available only when spirit and element are inseparably connected (see D&C 93:33). (“The Sanctity of the Body,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2005, 15)
Ponder in Preparation for Class
How can having a testimony of the Resurrection help you face the challenges of life with greater hope and courage?
Section 3
What can I do to be better prepared to meet God?
Several years after teaching in Ammonihah, Alma and Amulek went on another mission, this time to the apostate Zoramites. Alma and Amulek began to have success among the more humble part of the people. After teaching the people to look to Jesus Christ and believe in the power of His Atonement, Amulek invited them to prepare to meet God.
Study in Preparation for Class
Consider what you can do to better prepare to meet God as you read Alma 34:32–34.
Addressing the importance of preparing today to meet God, President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency taught:
There is a danger in the word someday when what it means is “not this day.” “Someday I will repent.” “Someday I will forgive him.” …
The scriptures make the danger of delay clear. … This day is a precious gift of God. The thought “Someday I will” can be a thief of the opportunities of time and the blessings of eternity. (“This Day,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 89)
When Alma the Younger ministered to the people in the land of Zarahemla, he asked many thought-provoking questions to help them consider what they must do to be prepared to stand in the presence of God (see Alma 5).
Study in Preparation for Class
Read Alma 5:15–17, 19, 27, 33, and consider how you would answer Alma’s questions.
Record Your Thoughts
After pondering Alma’s questions, consider how you might answer the following question from President Oaks: “If [you] knew that [you] would meet the Lord tomorrow—through [y]our premature death or through His unexpected coming—what would [you] do today?” (“Preparation for the Second Coming,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 9).