Is Death the End of Life?

 

Each year, about 56.6 million people die worldwide. Most, if not all, of us have experienced the passing of people we care about. I know how hard it is to go to the funeral of someone I love. Encountering death naturally leads us to ask the following question: Is death the end of life? Yes, our physical bodies stop working when we die. However, the Google dictionary defines life as "the existence of an individual human being or animal." So, my question remains. Do we continue to exist after mortality, or does death lead to our ultimate annihilation?

 

Unfortunately, 28% of Americans believe there is no heaven, no place of eternal rest when this life is over, no place for us to be reunited and dwell in happiness with our families again. What a gloomy perspective to have! How can anyone cope with a loved one's death without the hope and joy that comes from believing in heaven?


One thing that stuck out to me as I looked at the aforementioned survey results was this: More members of the Church of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly referred to as "Mormons") believe in heaven than members of any other major religious denomination. Why do Mormons believe in heaven? How does it benefit us? How can you or anyone else come to know death is not the end?

Our belief in heaven is centered in our belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer. We believe our Lord Jesus was hoisted on a cross at Golgotha over 2000 years ago and was "slain for the sins of the world (Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 11:33)." However, He was the literal Son of God and had consequently inherited divine power over death. To Christ, death had no sting; the grave had no victory (Holy Bible, 1 Corinthians 15:55). On the third day of His martyrdom, our Savior and God triumphantly attained unto the resurrection of the dead. In other words, His body and spirit (commonly referred to as a soul) were reunited.

This great act made it possible for all of us to live again after this life. We jubilantly declare with the ancient prophet Job: "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy my body, yet in my flesh shall I see God (Holy Bible, Job 19:25-26)." The promise of a physical resurrection is extended to every human who has, does, or will dwell on this planet. The Apostle Paul taught "in Christ shall all be made alive (Holy Bible, 1 Corinthians 15:22)."

 



Knowing there is life after death has helped me a lot. I would like to share one of my Facebook posts from about a year and one-half ago:

Not long ago, a friend of mine passed on. However, there were no tears in my eyes; I felt no sadness. Rather, I felt complete peace. My knowledge of God's plan of salvation brought me joy in times of trouble. I know where we came from, what the purpose of life is, and where we are going after this life.

 If you are unsure whether or not there is a life after death, there is a way to find out. To find out, you need to put yourself in a situation where you can have a spiritual experience, and then you need to be willing to listen for God's answer to you. This can sound a little confusing if you haven't had such an experience before; it's kind of like how it is hard for a color blind person to understand what the color yellow looks like. Let me explain what I mean by allowing yourself to have a spiritual experience. Then I will explain what I mean by listening.

There are a variety of ways you can allow yourself to have a spiritual experience. I often have them when I am offering sincere prayers to God, reading from the Holy Bible or Book of Mormon, or attending church. I also often have them when I am in nature pondering on the greatness of God's creation or when I am visiting religious historic sites and considering why spiritual leaders have done what they have. These activities help to connect me to God. Once I have this spiritual connection, I am in a position where He can teach me.
 

For example, earlier this month I went to Nauvoo, Illinois for a few days. This is an important religious site for Mormons since it is a place where thousands of the early church members lived. While there, my family visited Carthage jail where Joseph Smith, a Mormon prophet, was killed by a mob that stormed the jail. I thought about how Joseph knew that many people were threatening to kill him if he didn't denounce himself as a prophet and the Book of Mormon as the word of God, yet he would not. How can someone love God more than death? I could feel God's power reaffirming to my soul that Joseph knew death was not the end of existence, and he would be rewarded for staying true to what God wanted him to do. This strengthened my faith in there being a life after death.

It is possible to have a spiritual experience but not recognize it. We are used to listening to the big voices of politics, advertising, and social media, but God speaks to us in a still, small voice through our thoughts and feelings. We need to be attentive and willing to learn. But. I can testify that if you do those things which will enable you to have spiritual experiences and listen for God's answers, you will come to know as I do that God lives and loves you and has provided a way for you to return to His presence and live with Him after this life is over. Coming to know this may take time and effort, but it is within your reach. Seek for this knowledge.

Why am I a Mormon?

My name is Kacey Leavitt, but my current church title is Elder Leavitt since I am a missionary. I have attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often called the Mormon church, since I was really little. I am still a faithful member of the church. I will forever love being a Mormon!

So, what is it about the LDS church that I love so much? It is far more than tradition or years of being brainwashed that keeps me going to church every week. When I was younger, probably about 7 or 8 years old, I decided that I wanted to know for myself if the Mormon religion is true. I had been told at church that a prophet named Joseph Smith translated ancient American records into English in the 19th century. This book has come to be known as The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. I was also told that if I read and prayed about it, God would tell me that it is true through my thoughts and feelings. I would then know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that the Mormon church is true.

I decided to read the Book of Mormon. I was a little bookworm at the time, but no book had ever touched my heart like the Book of Mormon did. At the end of the book, I read a marvelous promise given by a prophet named Moroni. He said:

"3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:3-5).

I still have never had any words strike me as powerfully as those words did. They penetrated my mind and heart. I knew that, even if the rest of the Book of Mormon was a fraud, there was eternal truth in the concept that, if we ask God in faith, He will teach us truth.

I got down on my little knees and asked God if the Book of Mormon is true. I felt feelings of peace, joy, love, and power and knew that the Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and this is God's true and living church upon the earth today.

Since then, many powerful, life-changing spiritual experiences have reaffirmed and strengthened my faith. I will forever rejoice in my knowledge that I am a member of Christ's true church!

Visit https://www.mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon to get your own free copy of the Book of Mormon. Then, read and pray about it. It will improve your life!