Mormon,Mormonism States of Existence

Before we look at the three states of existence, let us look at the religious concept of matter, the "stuff" of which bodies are made. The Doctrine and Covenants states that

There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes. (D&C 131:7)

It isn't clear what Joseph Smith meant in that verse, but one thing is clear: spirit matter is different from the physical matter in our universe. It is different, being "more fine or pure", and it is different in that it can only be discerned or viewed by "purer eyes". I will give my interpretation of those phrases. I believe that spirit matter is matter, in that it has mass and is controlled by laws, but I believe those laws are different than the laws that govern our mortal world. How are those laws different? I don't know. Because spirit matter can only be discerned by purer eyes, that is, eyes that have been enlightened by the Spirit of the Lord. I believe that scientific investigations, as we currently conduct them, can not detect energy that is given off by spirit matter.

Let us get a better understanding of spirit matter. I've discussed the experience of the Brother of Jared in which he saw the spirit body of Jesus before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Jesus' spirit body looked like a physical body except it wasn't flesh and bone. Clearly, Jesus as Jehovah, was in a different state of existence, another universe, than the Brother of Jared.

Next, let us look at an example of the third state of existence, resurrected matter. As described in Luke 24, after his resurrection, Jesus appeared with his resurrected body to the apostles in the upper room. He didn't walk in through a door. Nor did he climb in through a window. He just appeared in the midst of them. He showed them his hands and feet, and he ate food to demonstrate that his resurrected body was real. Resurrected bodies are also matter, but the matter is different than spirit matter and different than mortal matter. Resurrected matter is glorified and perfect. It is not subject to disease, injury, or death.

The resurrection is not just a transformation of a mortal body to a resurrected body, since, in general, mortal bodies that are dead will have decomposed or been destroyed in some other way such that the atoms are scattered and have been used in the creation of other mortal bodies of plants and animals. The resurrection is, I believe, the recreation of a new body from resurrected matter but using the plan (DNA?) of the old body.

As evidence that resurrected bodies are different from mortal bodies, we have the story already related from Luke of the resurrected Christ appearing to his apostles without entering through a door or window; he just appeared in the room. In a similar fashion, when Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith in his bedroom, he (Moroni) "suddenly appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did not touch the floor." And, the climax of all of Joseph's visions was the First Vision in the grove, where the Father and the Son stood before Joseph "standing above me in the air".

As I write this, there are spirit personages, mortal people, and resurrected personages existing in their own state of existence or universe. For the most part, these universes exist without a lot of physical contact with the mortal universe, but there may be times when spirit personages or resurrected personages appear in vision to mortal people. Of course, a lot of spiritual contact occurs via prayer and the promptings of the Holy Ghost.