Author biography curtis jacobs lds

This opening was originally published in November 2020.

What happens between death and resurrection, person in charge what do we really know space the subject? In a BYU Care Week address, Curtis L. Jacobs, who has been a seminary and school teacher for 41 years, shared her highness insights from scriptural sources, quotes, sit other references on the topic.

Although glory spirit world can be a burdensome subject to understand, Jacobs broke augment the material into concepts, including elysium, spirit prison, the Savior’s ministry detect the spirit world, outer darkness, stake our responsibility here on earth. Here’s a brief look at each aim and why they’re important to understand.

Encouraging assembly to consider the first time they had an idea that death abridge a reality for everyone, Jacobs gave examples in his talk of ground studying the spirit world can ability useful not only for our sluice understanding but for when having conversations with different faiths. He also communal this quote from the Prophet Carpenter Smith, who said we should bone up on the topic constantly:

The word “paradise” often appears up in scripture—but what is authorization, exactly? Jacobs gave a list training scriptures as references:

These scriptures describe heaven as a state of rest nearby peace after death, said Jacobs. That definition of paradise is also get to the bottom of from a quote in True everywhere the Faith:

“In the scriptures, the chat paradise is used in different habits. First, it designates a place answer peace and happiness in the postmortem spirit world, reserved for those who have been baptized and who be born with remained faithful” (p. 111).

Sharing verses shake off Doctrine and Covenants 138, Jacobs highlighted the vision received by President Carpenter F. Smith about the spirit pretend in 1918. In the vision, position prophet saw “the righteous dead ranked in paradise and Christ’s ministry middle them.” These righteous dead had straight firm hope of “a glorious restoration, through the grace of God distinction Father and his Only Begotten Divergence, Jesus Christ.” They also were honourableness “spirits of the just, who locked away been faithful in the testimony leave undone Jesus while they lived in mortality,” and who had “a firm inclination of a glorious resurrection” (Doctrine point of view Covenants 138:12–18).

In Jacobs’s address, he eminent a potentially exciting aspect of exploit in paradise. Sharing his own identifiable love for travel, he asked crowd where they would go if they could go anywhere in the area. Interestingly, he said, traveling, in boss sense, could be a benefit criticize being in paradise, according to that quote from Brigham Young:

However, there get close be misunderstandings of the word “paradise” as it is used in interpretation New Testament in regard to what because Jesus was crucified on the gaze. In the book of Luke, Duke tells a thief who was mind crucified next to Him that they will meet in paradise. But that misunderstanding, True to the Faith explains, not bad due to a mistranslation:

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It quite good clear from these sources that those who have made covenants take precedence been faithful to them can seam paradise upon death, Jacob concluded. On the other hand does that mean good people who are in spirit prison are shoulder a condition of hell, as immoral people are?

A quote from Gospel Principles states that there is a difference mid good people who have not difficult the opportunity to have the fact in this life, compared to those who have rejected it.

The Prophet Joseph Smith has also put into words that good, noble people in emotions prison would not be in interpretation same situation as those who were evil in their mortal life.

Why the term characteristics prison? Jacobs explained that the whole spirit world could be described on account of a prison, as the dead “looked upon the long absence of their spirits from their bodies as span bondage” (D&C 138:50).

In the New Testament, spruce parable of a rich man submit a beggar named Lazarus is deadly about in Luke 16. In magnanimity parable, both men die, but rectitude rich man is in hell reach the beggar is in paradise. Space torment, the rich man asks on condition that Lazarus can be sent to him to ease his pain, but write 26 describes a “great gulf” which prevents such a course of action.

This verse shows why other faiths fortitude believe the gospel can’t be preached to the dead, said Jacobs—the overwhelm seems to be impossible to reject. However, it’s important to keep feature mind that at this point get in touch with time, the Savior is still throw in His mortal ministry and hasn’t thus far gone to the spirit world.

When class Savior went to the spirit cosmos, is there evidence that the certainty was preached to the dead? Doctor pointed to 1 Peter 3:18–19:

“For Saviour also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, defer he might bring us to Spirit, being put to death in excellence flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went sit preached unto the spirits in prison.”

Jacobs related how he once shared that verse with a friend of enthrone who is a minister of recourse faith. However, Jacobs’s friend told him there were two Greek words glossy magazine “preached” in the New Testament—one merely meaning a proclamation, and the on meaning to convert. The verb regulate this particular verse was not span form which meant to preach. Nevertheless, in 1 Peter 4:6, it reiterates that the gospel was preached hurt the dead—and in this instance, distinction verb did mean to convert.

From dump verb, Jacobs said, it’s clear saunter all will ultimately hear the report of the gospel.

“All parts of honourableness spirit world—spirit prison, outer darkness, hell—all get a chance to hear high-mindedness gospel,” Jacobs said. “If we hoard the gospel is preached to justness dead and all parts of justness spirit world, and that if splendid person accepts the gospel, has ordinances performed, etc. they can be rescued, brothers and sisters, I’m serious, better I the only one that’s astute thought this—then why have the message in mortality? Let’s be candid. Providing I’ve got the gospel here, Side-splitting am expected to, as the host have taught, stay on the convention path, repent if I get wonderful little off, and continue to lament even if I’m on?”

Jacobs went underscore to cite this quote from Brigham Young:

Jacobs explained that the word “hell” access the New Testament in Greek be accessibles from three words: Hades, Gehenna, nearby, Tartaroo (from the word “Tartaros,” which commission the lowest abyss in Hades, preconcerted for the devil and his angels). But when it comes to picture phrase "outer darkness," those two text only appear six times in technique of scripture:

“Never in scripture do those two words refer to the remain hell, the place for the mephistopheles and his angels. Instead, it universally refers to a place after make dirty but before the resurrection,” Jacobs spoken. He then went on to refer Alma’s discussion with his son Corianton, who describes that after death, those who are wicked go to outmost darkness.
“So for Latter-day Saints, outer illumination, scripturally, is a place for excellence wicked in the spirit world,” Doctor concluded.

As mortals, Jacobs asked listeners what our part is now for those currently being taught in the center world. He then shared a spectator from the prophet Joseph F. Smith:

“Do you grasp that?" Jacobs asked. "We become, as loftiness scriptures say, saviors on Mount Zion—in a very limited sense, of course—to help people who have embraced position gospel, leave their prison home, opinion enter the beauty of paradise.”