Heaven IS for Real

When I was junior in high school, a girl from my school and her boyfriend were killed while riding a motorcycle. The girl was a member of the swim team, and the swim team coach was my biology teacher. I wanted to offer comfort to my teacher as he grieved over the loss of his student. I gathered my courage and gave him a Book of Mormon, showing him the verses in Alma 40 which talk about what happens after death. "Now concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection--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. And then shall it come to pass, that 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" (Alma 40:11-12). My teacher listened as I read and then thanked me. I didn't know how he felt about what I'd shared, but later during class, another member of swim team came into his classroom. She was crying. She'd been this girl's best friend. My teacher scooped up the Book of Mormon from his desk and took the crying girl into the hallway where I could see through the window that he was reading her the scriptures I'd shown him. I was grateful that the words brought them comfort, and I was somewhat surprised that they didn't have a prior knowledge of what happens after we die.

A couple of weeks ago, our family saw the movie, Heaven is For Real. A young boy's spirit visits heaven as surgeons work to fix his body after a ruptured appendix. When he recovers, he shares with his family what he saw. The father and mother and community struggle to believe what he tells them. The movie is an exploration of what heaven is like and beliefs about heaven. While I enjoyed the movie, there were no new revelations for me about what heaven is like. I assumed most everyone had the same beliefs and knowledge as me. But that isn't the case. Because of modern day revelation and the translation of the Book of Mormon, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe all that the family from the movie discovered and more.

We know we will be with those who've died before us. We know heaven is a beautiful place. I have a fantasy that in heaven, I will live in a large cabin in an isolated valley surrounded by a meadow and a stream that runs past. When I want to visit family and friends, I will just think where I want to be and be transported there. We don't know exactly what heaven will be like or how we'll live, communicate, and travel, but it is beautiful. We know that we are connected as families in heaven. We know that Jesus Christ, our Savior, is there. We know we will be welcomed and loved and taught.

Now, let me clarify our Heavenly Father's plan for us after death. While we believe in the beautiful heaven I described above, we don't believe that heaven is one place and the end of our story. We don't believe in just one heaven and one hell. After we die, our spirits go to heaven which is spirit paradise or spirit prison. Those who have been righteous and followed the gospel of Jesus Christ will go to a paradise as described in Alma 40:12. Those who have been wicked or who have not chosen to follow God, will have a chance to learn about the gospel in spirit prison. They can then choose to follow Christ or not. Those in spirit paradise are resting from their troubles and sorrow but they're not napping. They are teaching those in spirit prison. After the second coming of Jesus Christ, there will be a period of peace on the earth, 1000 years or the Millenium. And then there will be a final judgment and based on each person's life on earth and what they've learned and chosen after they die, they will inherit a kingdom of glory. There are three degrees of glory: the telestial, terrestrial, and celestial. Those who have known Christ and denied him will be sent to outer darkness.

If you want to know more details about post-mortal life, the millennium, judgment, and exaltation, read chapters 41-47 from Gospel Principles.

Heaven IS for real. Each of us who live or who have lived on earth will go there. I will see again friends from my childhood, grandparents, great-grandparents, siblings, friends from high school and college, and each of you. If you decide to visit, please send me a telepathic message that you're dropping by before floating into my tranquil valley.