The Afterlife

Testimonies of the Afterlife

Elder Boyd K. Packer:


“Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

“For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand.” (D&C 58:3–4.)

I bear witness of the restoration which will come. Each body and mind will be restored in perfect frame. However long and unfair mortality may seem, however long the suffering and the waiting may be, he has said:

“After that cometh the day of my power; then shall the poor, the lame, and the blind, and the deaf, come in unto the marriage of the Lamb, and partake of the supper of the Lord, prepared for the great day to come.

“Behold, I, the Lord, have spoken it.” (D&C 58:11–12.)

I am a witness of the condition of those who have gone beyond the veil, and we all have reason to glorify Him who is our Father and Him who is our Redeemer, of whom I bear witness in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Jean Jensen:


During our mission in Germany a back injury had brought me to a devastating low. One day I was lying on my bed crying and suddenly I felt as if an electric current had gone through me. I heard my mother’s voice in the hallway. I had taken care of her for the last two weeks before she died the year prior to our mission; Now I heard her voice say, “Is this where she lives?” and a male voice answered “Yes.” Then she entered through the closed door and stood there in all her glory.

Mother was eighty when she died and so bent from arthritis that she only came to my shoulder. Now she was tall, her hair was golden instead of white, and she was in a flowing pale blue robe. She smiled and said, “I’m proud of you, Jean.” I just kept saying over and over again, “Mother, you are so beautiful.” She kissed my cheek as she always did and squeezed my hand and then she was gone. I slid down from my bed to my knees and knelt in prayer of thanks for some time because I had been allowed to see my mother and feel her approval. I could no more deny that I have seen my mother, heard her voice and felt her kiss and touch than Joseph Smith could deny that he had seen God the Father and the Son. I bear this testimony to you in all humility and gratitude and in the name of our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

Many living witnesses can testify to the literal fulfillment of these scriptural assurances of the resurrection. Many, including some in my own extended family, have seen a departed loved one in vision or personal appearance and have witnessed their restoration in “proper and perfect frame” in the prime of life. Whether these were manifestations of persons already resurrected or of righteous spirits awaiting an assured resurrection, the reality and nature of the resurrection of mortals is evident.