In verses 11 and 12, the author makes two companion observations on death:
- “..Yea, and many thousands are mourning for the loss of their kindred, because they have reason to fear, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are consigned to a state of endless wo.“
- “While many thousands of others truly mourn for the loss of their kindred, yet they rejoice and exult in the hope, and even know, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are raised to dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never-ending happiness.“
There is an initial reading of these verses that causes my heart rejects what I think I am hearing: a punitive God waiting laughing at the condemnation of so many. But fortunately, a thoughtful re-reading begins to show differences in perspectives.
One of the first things that stands out to me is that instead of contemplating the position of the dead in these verses, I am beginning to contemplate the perspectives of the living that remain. What are their positions on death according to their wicked or faithful perspectives?
All mourn. But those without faith “have reason to fear… that they are consigned to state of endless wo.” I’m wanting to say that these people believe (and the scripture states that this is “according to the promises of the Lord”) that their dead are the ones that they are concerned for in their consignment to a state of endless wo. However, could it also be stating that those without faith are concerned that they are the ones who are afraid for their own consignment to a state of endless wo, but now and after death. Whether for their anticipated state or that of a deceased loved one, living without faith, breeds hopelessness.
There is also the interesting use of the word “consigned”: assign; commit decisively or permanently (Google); to give, transfer, or deliver into the hands or control of another; to commit especially to a final destination or fate (Merriam-Webster); to send something to someone (Cambridge).
See also Doctrine and Covenants 19