1 Nephi 15:31
31 And they said unto me: Doth this thing mean the torment of the body in the days of probation, or doth it mean the final state of the soul after the death of the temporal body, or doth it speak of the things which are temporal?
Nephi responded that there is not much difference. In this world, the saints experience a light and a peace that can only be a gift of the Spirit. That same light and peace define us here and define us hereafter. The Lord also explained to the Prophet Joseph,
28 They who are [present tense] of a celestial spirit shall receive [future tense] the same body which was [past tense] a natural body; even ye shall receive [future tense] your bodies, and your glory shall be [future tense] that glory by which your bodies are quickened [present tense] .
29 Ye who are quickened [present tense] by a portion of the celestial glory shall then receive [future tense] of the same, even a fulness (D&C 88:28-29).
Nephi explained the same principle to his brothers, and in doing so, he gives us a third explanation of his and his father’s visions.
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