The De-translation of Moses and Elijah

 

Translation, the process by which a mortal is made immortal without being resurrected, is typically done so that a prophet can remain on the Earth without needing to die and be resurrected. Moses and Elijah (sometimes Elias) were translated in their respective eras so that they could appear on the Mount of Transfiguration and pass priesthood keys by the laying on of hands. A spirit could not do this and Jesus Christ was the first person to be resurrected so they would not have been resurrected by the time they needed to fulfill their mission.

So far so good. Except that in 1918, Joseph F. Smith had a vision of the spirit world as it existed just before the death and resurrection of Christ. Section 138 of D&C explains the state of the spirits that existed there. Among the spirits listed in this section are Moses and Elijah, the two prophets that never died. What were these two translated beings doing in the spirit world? I am sure that a lot of people with too much time on their hands would be very happy to learn of this apparent discrepancy because it "totally proves that it's all a lie" or whatever. Unfortunately for them, I have a doctrinally consistent theory that smooths the whole thing over but to understand it the limitations of translation need to be understood. 

The degrees of glory apply to resurrected and translated beings as insinuated by 3 Nephi 28:38-40. Joseph Smith said, "Many may have supposed that the doctrine of translation was a doctrine whereby men were taken immediately into the presence of God, and into an eternal fulness, but this is a mistaken idea. Their place of habitation is that of the terrestrial order, and a place prepared for such characters He held in reserve to be ministering angels unto many planets, and who as yet have not entered into so great a fulness as those who are resurrected from the dead. See [Hebrews 11:35] verse,'Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.' Now it is evident that there was a better resurrection, or else God would not have revealed it unto Paul. Wherein then can it be said a better resurrection? This distinction is made between the doctrine of the actual resurrection and translation: translation obtains deliverance from the tortures and sufferings of the body, but their existence will prolong as to the labors and toils of the ministry, before they can enter into so great a rest and glory." ("History of Joseph Smith," Deseret News, Vol. IV, No. 30. )

Not everyone can be in the presence of a celestial or even terrestrial being. D&C 76 says that the inhabitants of celestial glory can only receive the presence of Jesus Christ and not the presence of Heavenly Father (D&C 76:77). Even the Three Nephites had to be transfigured in addition to their translation to be able to withstand celestial glory as seen in 3 Nephi 28:7 and 15 (transfiguration is a temporary state in which celestial glory can be withstood as seen in Moses 1:9-11). The Three Nephites were eventually taken away due to the wickedness of the people who (as far as I can tell) were no longer worthy of their presence (Mormon 1:13). To me, all of this means that a translated being only appears to those worthy of a terrestrial encounter, while God and other resurrected beings would only appear in celestial glory to transfigured. This would mean that translated beings are not hanging out among the overtly wicked, but are likely helping already decent people who are worthy of their presence. 

What the heck does any of this have to do with Moses and Elijah? Well, I believe that they were de-translated (their bodies and spirits were separated) after their mission on the Mount of Transfiguration was completed. They no longer had any need of their bodies and could enter the spirit world in order to receive the "better resurrection" and receive full celestial glory. It would explain why they were spirits when Christ entered the spirit world. Some may say that translated beings and spirits may just exist in the same place, but I don't think they were translated beings kicking it among the spirits. Joseph Smith said, "Translated bodies cannot enter into rest until they have undergone a change equivalent to death. Translated bodies are designed for future missions.... Jesus Christ went in body, after his resurrection, to minister to translated and resurrected bodies." ("History of Joseph Smith," Deseret News, Vol. V, No. 11). 

Apparently, it is possible for de-translation to occur and it is similar to death. Christ also visited the translated beings with a resurrected body rather than as a spirit. To me, this confirms that Moses and Elijah were definitely spirits in the spirit world and that they had undergone this process. 

Perhaps the best evidence of this theory comes from section 110 of D&C. When Moses and Elijah appeared to Joseph Smith in the Kirtland temple, it was in conjunction with the full celestial glory of Christ and it occurred behind the veil in the Kirtland temple's equivalent of a celestial room. These formerly translated beings now seemingly came to Earth in celestial glory. Their mission could be fulfilled in a sacred place where only people who were worthy would be present as opposed to being in a state in which they could travel more discretely among people in a terrestrial state. 

If you don't buy my theory, that's fine. I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter. This is just my way of figuring out something that seemed weird. Also Moses ran the gamut of transfiguration, translation, death, spirit-hood(?) and resurrection which I think is pretty dang cool.