What Happens After We Die? | The Spirit World Explained — Bruce Satterfield (LDS)

Send us Fan MailWhat happens after we die, and what is the spirit world really like? In this LDS (Latter-day Saint) episode, Tia Smith shares Bruce Satterfield's BYU Education Week address "The Postmortal Spirit World" — a deeply sourced, doctrinal look at where our spirits go between death and resurrection, drawn from the scriptures and latter-day prophets, seers, and revelators.Brother Satterfield, a religion faculty member at BYU-Idaho, teaches six principles about the postmortal spirit world: that death is a separation of the spirit from the body, on the Lord's timetable, not ours; that the spirit world is the state of the spirit between death and resurrection, and is part of our "second estate" — meaning our work and growth are not finished when we die; that there is a separation of the righteous and the wicked at death, into what the scriptures call paradise and spirit prison; that for most, growth and progression continue in the spirit world; that the gospel is now being preached to those in spirit prison (as taught in Doctrine and Covenants 138 and 1 Peter); and that we can receive help from beyond the veil in our family history work. He teaches that the spirit world is not far away but right here around us, that Satan has no power over the righteous there, and — drawing on Heber C. Kimball's account of Jedediah M. Grant's visit to the spirit world — that it is a place of order, beauty, and reunion with loved ones.Tia shares this to reinforce the personal spirit-world glimpse discussed earlier in the week, and to steady those who have lost someone: our loved ones are alive; only their bodies have died. As Brother Satterfield testifies, we shouldn't judge eternity by mortality — this life is a proving ground, not the end product.Q: What happens to us after we die, according to Latter-day Saint doctrine?A: This episode teaches that death separates the spirit from the body, and the spirit continues in the postmortal spirit world until the resurrection. Drawing on Bruce Satterfield's BYU Education Week talk, it explains that the righteous enter a state of peace called paradise and others a state called spirit prison, and that growth, learning, and gospel teaching continue there.Q: Where is the spirit world?A: Brother Satterfield teaches, with Brigham Young and President Ezra Taft Benson, that the spirit world is not on a distant planet but right here around us, separated only by the veil. Tia Smith connects this to the channel's theme: because the spirit world is so near, the veil can thin, and our departed loved ones remain close.Q: Do we keep progressing after death, and can the dead be taught the gospel?A: Yes — the episode teaches that the spirit world is part of our "second estate," so growth and progression continue for most, and that since the Savior's visit (Doctrine and Covenants 138; 1 Peter), the gospel is preached to those in spirit prison so they can repent and receive ordinances. This is why family history and temple work for the dead matter so much.▶️ WATCH & LISTEN🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25📖 BOOKPatterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B📱 CONNECTInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veilFacebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thinningoftheveil💛 SUPPORT THE SHOWVenmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveilPayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone needs to hear.#ThinningOfTheVeil #SpiritWorld #TempleWork #FamilyHistory #LDS #LatterDaySaints #GatheringOfIsrael #MinisteringAngels #FamilySearch #PersonalRevelationCITATIONS:Bruce Satterfield, "The Postmortal Spirit World", BYUI Education Week, August 4, 2014: https://video.byui.edu/media/Bruce+SatterfieldA+%22The+Postmortal+Spirit+World%22/0_z444ztkbSupport the show