The Meaning of Life

Why are we here?
Where did I come from?
Where am I going when I die?

Everyone at some point in their life has asked these questions.  To answer these questions in any type of depth, the Bible in and of itself is not adequate.  I will be using many scriptures and ideas unique to the Restoration of the Gospel.

Let us first examine God's reason for starting this whole mortal life thing.  "For behold, this is my work and my glory-to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."  Immortality and Eternal Life, are they one and the same?  No, they are not.

Immortality, is simply the ability to live forever, without death.  Eternal Life as define by Jesus Christ is "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."  Eternal life is knowing God, and His Son.  To know them, one must live the life they do.  So in essence, Eternal Life is immortality and living the life that God now lives.  So God's whole point in this creation was to enable His children to eventually live the life he enjoys.

So, where did we come from?  The Book of Genesis records the creation of man as coming from the dust and receiving the breath of life.  Did we exist before then?  Absolutely, we did.  We did not exist in bodies of flesh and bone, but as spirits.  The Book of Revelation records "And there was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."

Why was there war in heaven?  To answer this, we must rely on modern revelation.  "And there stood one among them that was like unto God."  That one was Jesus Christ.  "and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell." Why?  Why would we need to leave the presence of God?  It is answered in the following verse " And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;"

So this Earth was created as a testing ground to see if we would keep all of God's commandments.  It wouldn't be much of a test if we were always in His presence.  But then, the reward is explained.

"And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever."   Alright, there is a lot said here.

What does it mean to keep your first estate?  It simply means progressing enough to be able to come to Earth.  Congratulations, the fact you are here reading this means you passed that part!  If we keep our second estate, by keeping all of the commandments, we will have glory added upon our heads for ever and ever.

Well, I can honestly say, I have not kept my second estate. I have broken some commandments in my short time here on Earth.  You have too.  God, in his infinite wisdom, knew this would happen.  He knew we would need a redeemer.  "And the Lord said: Whom shall I send?  And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me.  And another answered and said: Here am I , send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.  And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him."

So we know two people volunteered to be our Redeemer.  God chose Jesus Christ.  The second volunteer was angry at not being chosen and led a revolt in Heaven.  That is this war.  The second was Lucifer, who would later be known as Satan.  He and his followers did not keep their first estate, and as such will never receive bodies.

So we have answered two of the three questions.  We came from the presence of our Heavenly Father, and we are here to be tested to see if we will keep all of God's commandments.

So what happens after we die?  "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."  We are taken home to God, and we are judged, this is not the Final Judgment, but it is a judgment of sorts. "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...then it shall come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil-...these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil."

So, the righteous are received into a state of rest, and the wicked will suffer for their iniquities and sins.  Both groups will remain in this state until the Resurrection.  "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."  This resurrection will happen to everyone, good, bad and ugly.  After this, comes the Final Judgment and all men are given their eternal reward.


The apostle Paul talks about different kinds of resurrected bodies "There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.  There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.  So also is the resurrection of the dead. "

Just as there are the three different glories listed above, the sun, the moon and the stars, so are the kingdoms to which we are assigned upon final judgement.

In one of the most glorious visions given to man, Joseph Smith was able to see each of the 3 kingdoms.  To those that inherit Celestial Glory

 "They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he as has given-that by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power; And who overcome by faith and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true...The shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever."

Those inheriting Terrestrial Glory "They who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the Son visited, and preached the gospel among unto them, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh; who received not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it.  These are they who are honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men."

And finally those that inherit the Telestial Glory " These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus...  These are they who are thrust down to hell."  But somehow he states "the glory of the telestial, which surpasses all understanding"  It is still a Kingdom of Glory that surpasses anything here on Earth.

In describing the Celestial Glory, it was mentioned that one need to be baptized.  In talking about the Terrestrial Glory, it mentioned the Son of God visiting them in prison.

Only recently have we become a truly global society.  A person living in India in the 12th Century would not have had the chance to hear the name Jesus Christ, let alone have faith in Him, and be baptized as required, how could a loving God damn that man without even giving him a chance?

Peter writes "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened in the Spirit."   This is talking about Christ being dead in the flesh, but quickened (old English for alive) in the Spirit, so the interim between His death and resurrection.  "By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison."  And later he writes "For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. "  So these men are dead in the flesh, but alive in the spirit.  Again, between their deaths and eventual resurrection.

So we know that they are having the gospel preached, but what about the required baptism?  A different apostle, Paul wrote about an ordinance called Baptism for the Dead.  He was writing to a group that believed in Jesus, but not the Resurrection, so he asks the question "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all?  why are they then baptized for the dead?"  Basically, he only mentions the ordinance, but does so by saying, why do we baptize ourselves for the dead if there isn't a resurrection?

Joseph Smith greatly clarifies this by explaining that through the sealing power of the Priesthood, the power to bind in earth and heaven, we can act as agents on behalf of the dead and be baptized for them.  This ordinance is done in LDS temples world wide.  Faithful members are allowed to go and be baptized on behalf of the deceased ancestors.  Thus, God can be Just and Merciful to all of his children.

What of little children who died without this saving ordinance?  Can a loving God damn an otherwise innocent child?  No.  "And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven."