D&C 42

As part of His revealed law, the Lord instructed -

"...the elders of the church, two or more, shall be called, and shall pray for and lay their hands upon them in my name..."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 42:44)

And with that instruction, the Lord provides a much needed explanation of the concept of "death" -

"...if they die they shall die unto me, and if they live they shall live unto me."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 42:44)

For of death for the righteous compared to the wicked -

"...it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them;
47 And they that die not in me, wo unto them, for their death is bitter."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 42:46 - 47)

And of sickness and death we learn -

"...it shall come to pass that he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 42:48)

Which suggests to me that there may be a time that we are all appointed (or even called) to death.  This does not suggest in my mind that we are predestined to die.  We have are agency and may die anytime earlier by poor choices and negligence.  But in all deaths, we are expected to show compassion for -

"Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die, and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection."  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 42:45)

I read several quotes on death that I would like to include this morning:

Brigham Young gives a perspective on dying which is truly enlightening -

“We shall turn round and look upon it [the valley of death] and think, when we have crossed it, why this is the greatest advantage of my whole existence, for I have passed from a state of sorrow, grief, mourning, woe, misery, pain, anguish and disappointment into a state of existence, where I can enjoy life to the fullest extent as far as that can be done without a body. My spirit is set free, I thirst no more, I want to sleep no more, I hunger no more, I tire no more, I run, I walk, I labor, I go, I come, I do this, I do that, whatever is required of me, nothing like pain or weariness, I am full of life, full of vigor, and I enjoy the presence of my heavenly Father.” (Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, 17:142.)

President Joseph F. Smith taught the following -

“All fear of this death has been removed from the Latter-day Saints. They have no dread of the temporal death, because they know that as death came upon them by the transgression of Adam, so by the righteousness of Jesus Christ shall life come unto them, and though they die, they shall live again. Possessing this knowledge, they have joy even in death, for they know that they shall rise again and shall meet again beyond the grave. They know that the spirit dies not at all; that it passes through no change, except the change from imprisonment in this
mortal clay to freedom and to the sphere in which it acted before it came to this earth.” (Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 428.)

Spencer W. Kimball gave the following concerning death -

 “If we say that early death is a calamity, disaster or a tragedy, would it not be saying that mortality is preferable to earlier entrance into the spirit world and to eventual salvation and exaltation? If mortality be the perfect state, then death would be a frustration but the Gospel teaches us there is no tragedy in death, but only in sin.” (Spencer W. Kimball, “Tragedy or Destiny,” Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [Provo, 6 Dec. 1955], p. 3.)

Spencer W. Kimball also taught -

 “If not ‘appointed unto death’ and sufficient faith is developed, life can be spared. But if there is not enough faith, many die before their time. It is evident that even the righteous will not always be healed and even those of great faith will die when it is according to the purpose of God. Joseph Smith died in his thirties as did the Savior. Solemn prayers were answered negatively. “If he is not ‘appointed unto death!’ That is a challenging statement. I am confident that there is a time to die. I am not a fatalist. I believe that many people die before ‘their time’ because they are careless, abuse their bodies, take unnecessary chances, or expose themselves to hazards, accidents, and sickness. . . . “God can control our lives. He guides and blesses us, but gives us our agency. We may live our lives in accordance with His plan for us or we may foolishly shorten or terminate them. “I am positive in my mind that the Lord has planned our destiny. We can shorten our lives but I think we cannot lengthen them very much. Sometime we’ll understand fully, and when we see back from the vantage point of the future we shall be satisfied with many of the happenings of this life which seemed too difficult for us to comprehend.”   (BYU Speeches of the Year, December 6, 1955, pp. 6, 9, 11–12.)

Wilford Woodruff told a rather interesting store  -

“The Prophet Joseph Smith held the keys of this dispensation on this side of the veil, and he will hold them throughout the countless ages of eternity. He went into the spirit world to unlock the prison doors and to preach the Gospel to the millions of spirits who are in darkness, and every Apostle, every Seventy, every Elder, etc., who has died in the faith, as soon as he passes to the other side of the veil, enters into the work of the ministry, and there is a thousand times more to preach there than there is here. I have felt of late as if our brethren on the other side of the veil had held a council, and that they had said to this one, and that one, ‘Cease thy work on the earth, come hence, we need help,’ and they have called this man and that man. lt has appeared so to me in seeing the many men who have been called from our midst lately. Perhaps I may be permitted to relate a circumstance with which I am acquainted in relation to Bishop Roskelley, of Smithfield, Cache Valley. On one occasion he was suddenly taken very sick—near to death’s door. While he lay in this condition, President Peter Maughan, who was dead, came to him and said: ‘Brother Roskelley, we held a council on the other side of the veil. I have had a great deal to do, and I have the privilege of coming here to appoint one man to come and help. I have had three names given to me in council, and you are one of them. I want to inquire of your circumstances.’ The Bishop told him what he had to do, and they conversed together as one man would converse with another. President Maughan then said to him: ‘I think I will not call you. I think you are wanted here more than perhaps one of the others.’ Bishop Roskelley got well from that hour. Very soon after, the second man was taken sick, but not being able to exercise sufficient faith, Brother Roskelley did not go to him. By and by this man recovered, and on meeting Brother Roskelley he said: ‘Brother Maughan came to me the other night and told me he was sent to call one man from the ward,’ and he named two men as had been done to Brother Roskelley. A few days afterwards the third man was taken sick and died. Now, I name this to show a principle. They have work on the other side of the veil; and they want men, and they call them. And that was my view in regard to Brother George A. Smith. When he was almost at death’s door, Brother Cannon administered to him, and in thirty minutes he was up and ate breakfast with his family. We labored with him in this way, but ultimately, as you know, he died. But it taught me a lesson. I felt that man was wanted behind the veil. We labored also with Brother Pratt; he, too, was wanted behind the veil. “Now . . . those of us who are left here have a great work to do. We have been raised up of the Lord to take this kingdom and bear it off. This is our duty; but if we neglect our duty and set our hearts upon the things of this world, we will be sorry for it."  (Journal of Discourses, October 8, 1881, Vol. 22, pp. 333–34.)