Spirit World: Second Chance
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Then again, we are informed that the wicked of the earth who do not repent in this life and who do not receive the gospel, shall be assigned to the telestial kingdom. In that kingdom they will become "servants of the Most High; but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end." All of these, however, will be called upon to repent. They will have to suffer the torments of the damned until they do, and through that suffering they will be brought to repentance and to acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Redeemer and the Son of God. Every knee must bow and every tongue confess, no matter which kingdom the inhabitants of the earth enter. FALSE NOTIONS ABOUT SALVATION FOR DEAD. Salvation for the dead is grossly misunderstood by many of the Latter-day Saints. It is due to the justice of our Eternal Father that a chance for salvation and exaltation is given to every soul. Some of the spirits rejected their privilege and rebelled in the former existence and had to be punished. All the others were granted bodies and the privilege of abiding in covenants here that would give them salvation, with the provision that any of the number coming to earth who, for causes over which they had no control, were denied the privileges of obedience to gospel covenants in the mortal life should have that privilege in the spirit world after death. But the Lord did not offer to those who had every opportunity while in this mortal existence the privilege of another chance in the world of spirits. The endowment and sealing work for the dead is for those who died without having had the opportunity to hear and receive the gospel; also, for those who were faithful members of the Church who lived in foreign lands or where, during their life time, they did not have the privilege to go to a temple, yet they were converted and were true members of the Church. The work for the dead is not intended for those who had every opportunity to receive it, who had it taught to them, and who then refused to receive it, or had not interest enough to attend to these ordinances when they were living. So many of the members of the Church have the thought that if they do not do the work for dead friends, they are sure to be neglected and the opportunity will never come to them. We should remember that in his justice the Lord will never permit one soul to be lost who is worthy of salvation. Every person who is entitled to the blessings will receive them.
President Joseph Fielding Smith
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Heresy four: There are those who believe that the doctrine of salvation for the dead offers men a second chance for salvation. I knew a man, now deceased, not a member of the Church, who was a degenerate old reprobate who found pleasure, as he supposed, in living after the manner of the world. A cigarette dangled from his lips, alcohol stenched his breath, and profane and bawdy stories defiled his lips. His moral status left much to be desired. His wife was a member of the Church, as faithful as she could be under the circumstances. One day she said to him, “You know the Church is true; why won’t you be baptized?” He replied, “Of course I know the Church is true, but I have no intention of changing my habits in order to join it. I prefer to live the way I do. But that doesn’t worry me in the slightest. I know that as soon as I die, you will have someone go to the temple and do the work for me and everything will come out all right in the end anyway.” He died and she had the work done in the temple. We do not sit in judgment and deny vicarious ordinances to people. But what will it profit him? There is no such thing as a second chance to gain salvation. This life is the time and the day of our probation. After this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. For those who do not have an opportunity to believe and obey the holy word in this life, the first chance to gain salvation will come in the spirit world. If those who hear the word for the first time in the realms ahead are the kind of people who would have accepted the gospel here, had the opportunity been afforded them, they will accept it there. Salvation for the dead is for those whose first chance to gain salvation is in the spirit world. In the revelation recently added to our canon of holy writ, these words are found: Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God; Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom; For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts. [D&C 137:7–9] There is no other promise of salvation than the one recited in that revelation. Those who reject the gospel in this life and then receive it in the spirit world go not to the celestial, but to the terrestrial kingdom.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie
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One such dear friend of mine had limited experiences with God. But he longed to be with his departed wife. So he asked me to help him. I encouraged him to meet with our missionaries in order to understand the doctrine of Christ and learn of gospel covenants, ordinances, and blessings. That he did. But he felt the course they advised would require him to make too many changes in his life. He said, “Those commandments and covenants are just too difficult for me. Also, I can’t possibly pay tithing, and I don’t have time to serve in the Church.” Then he asked me, “Once I die, please do the necessary temple work for my wife and me so that we can be together again.” Thankfully, I am not this man’s judge. But I do question the efficacy of proxy temple work for a man who had the opportunity to be baptized in this life—to be ordained to the priesthood and receive temple blessings while here in mortality—but who made the conscious decision to reject that course. My dear brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ invites us to take the covenant path back home to our Heavenly Parents and be with those we love. He invites us to “come, follow me.” Now, as President of His Church, I plead with you who have distanced yourselves from the Church and with you who have not yet really sought to know that the Savior’s Church has been restored. Do the spiritual work to find out for yourselves, and please do it now. Time is running out.
President Russell M. Nelson
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Fourth and finally, modern revelation teaches us that our progress need not conclude with the end of mortality. Little has been revealed about this important assurance. We are told that this life is the time to prepare to meet God and that we should not procrastinate our repentance. Still, we are taught that in the spirit world the gospel is preached even to “the wicked and the disobedient who had rejected the truth” and that those taught there are capable of repentance in advance of the Final Judgment
President Dallin H. Oaks
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