Church History Matters – Episode 179: "D&C 138 CFM - The Impact of Temple Work For The Dead" (Dec 1–7)

Host: Scripture Central | Released: Nov 26, 2025
Participants: Scott & Casey

Overview:

This episode focuses on Doctrine & Covenants 138—President Joseph F. Smith's 1918 vision that radically expanded Latter-day Saint understanding of salvation for the dead, the work in the spirit world, and the doctrinal underpinnings of temple work for the dead. Scott and Casey explore the profound historical context, the revelatory content itself, and its far-reaching doctrinal and emotional implications for Latter-day Saints and the world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Historical Context of D&C 138

• Late Canonization: Received by Joseph F. Smith in 1918, added to scripture in 1976 (Pearl of Great Price), moved to Doctrine & Covenants in 1981.
  • [01:13 Scott]: “This is the last example we have of a vision that's canonized, isn't it? Yeah.”
• Personal and World Tragedy:
  • Smith was gravely ill, losing close family (son Hyrum Mack Smith to appendicitis, Hyrum's widow soon thereafter).
  • WWI and the 1918 influenza pandemic were bringing suffering and death on a massive scale.
  • [04:07 Casey] (quoting Smith's conference address): “I have not lived alone these five months. I have dwelt in the spirit of prayer, of supplication, of faith, and of determination. And I have had my communication with the spirit of the Lord continually.”
  • [09:49 Scott]: “...the word on the mind of the prophet at the time and on the mind of the saints all around the world and people around the world is death.”

2. Receiving and Canonizing the Vision

• Smith received the vision October 3, 1918—the day before General Conference; he appeared at the event despite illness, making a brief, cryptic statement about his spiritual experiences.
• He dictated his vision to his son, Joseph Fielding Smith.
• The vision was rapidly accepted by church leaders and widely published, but not canonized for several decades.
• [10:32 Casey]: “The Pearl of Great Price is the random grab bag of things. We're not quite sure where they should go.”

3. Doctrinal Content: The Vision Unpacked

• Smith’s Meditation on Peter:
  • While pondering 1 Peter 3–4 about Christ preaching to the spirits in prison, Smith receives the vision.
    • [12:24 Scott]: “This is significant, right? ...the Spirit is working in the midst of your Scripture study when that kind of thing happens.”
• What Did Jesus Do After Death?
  • Most scriptural accounts are vague, but Smith’s vision is a “massive expansion” on what Peter described.
• The Spirit World as a "Prison" in Need of Redemption:
  • Spirits, even the righteous, experienced bondage—separation from the body. Paradise and prison are more nuanced and overlapping than traditional "line down the middle" depictions.
    • [26:42 Casey]: “The whole thing is prison in one sense.”
• The Hidden Ministry of Jesus:
  • Smith is shown the anticipation and “liberation” as Jesus arrives in the spirit world, declaring redemption and organizing the righteous.
    • [21:41 Scott]: “We're starting to see there's kind of these different compartments in the spirit world...this is kind of giving us a little more nuanced picture.”
• Missionary Work Among the Dead:
  • Christ does not personally teach the wicked; instead, “He organized his forces and appointed messengers...clothed with power and authority...” (v. 30).
  • These missionaries are “the spiritual dream team”—an assembly from Adam and Eve to Book of Mormon heroes (Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Nephi, Alma, etc.).
    • [34:53 Casey]: “...my favorite part of section 138. So it says this. Among the great and mighty ones who were assembled...were Father Adam...and our glorious mother Eve, with many of her faithful daughters...”
  • The same principles and ordinances apply to the dead as the living, but must be performed vicariously—necessitating the work of temples.
    • [32:03 Scott]: “Why do we have to have a body to make these covenants? That's never explained. But the fact that it is required is clear.”
• Salvation is Universal in Opportunity but Always a Matter of Agency:
  • [33:44 Scott]: “We want to give every single soul the opportunity to choose to accept Christ through his Gospel.”
• Personal Resonance:
  • Smith sees his own father, Hyrum Smith, and other prophets and church leaders.
    • [39:38 Scott]: “...there’s maybe an added level of poignance to this little part...when he mentions his own father, Hyrum Smith...”

4. Controversies & Interpretive Questions

• Premortal and Postmortal Spirit World—Same or Different?
  • Does “also in the spirit world” (v. 54) mean the premortal and postmortal existence overlap? Both hosts are skeptical.
    • [47:41 Scott]: “Some have speculated that the premortal spirit world and the post mortal spirit world are one in the same, which would totally change how we draw the circles, wouldn’t it?”
    • [47:49 Casey]: “...there's some major philosophical problems with saying that premortality and post mortality are both just a world of spirits...I could be wrong, but that's what I think.”
• Did All the Righteous Get Resurrected with Christ?
  • Harmonizing D&C 133 and 138: Did ancient righteous get resurrected immediately at Christ’s resurrection, or later, or can the resurrected still minister among the dead?
    • [53:28 Scott]: “Wouldn't that be his whole missionary force that he had just commissioned to go and teach the dead?”
    • [51:38 Casey]: “Maybe a couple different ways to solve this...who's to say resurrected beings can't minister in the spirit world?”
• Hope for the Wicked?–Reconciling Book of Mormon and D&C 138
  • D&C 138 offers “another chance” even for those who rejected the prophets in this life, apparently contradicting statements in Alma and Amulek.
    • [54:34 Scott]: “This was absolutely true when Amulek said it...this was a BC sermon...that doctrine became outdated the moment Jesus set up missionary work in the spirit world.”
    • [55:57 Scott]: “Be careful...your soul still needs to seek good things...I don't think you can just live that way and by an ordinance for the dead, you're totally skipping on your way to the celestial kingdom.”
• Is Shem Melchizedek?
  • The curious designation of Shem as “the great high priest" raises the possibility that Shem and Melchizedek are the same.
    • [58:24 Scott]: “I think Shem is Melchizedek. And the reason why is Melchizedek is a title, not a name...”
    • [59:00 Casey]: “See, my pushback would be section 84, verse 14 is giving the lineage of the priesthood...but doesn't close the door completely...Well played. All right, you've convinced me. I think Shema's Melchizedek now.”

5. Consequences and Personal Application

• Source of Comfort: The vision gave President Smith hope amid overwhelming loss, and by extension, offers hope to all who mourn loved ones; they continue their divine work beyond the veil.
  • [61:14 Casey]: “...I'd like to think that anybody who loses some, someone...sees that as what their loved one is doing, that they're still carrying out their work...”
• Doctrine of Universal Opportunity: The work for the dead and temple ordinances organize salvation on an unprecedented global and cosmic scale.
  • [62:43 Scott]: “You think about how many people are alive on the planet right now and how hard it is to do missionary work...magnify that however many fold, and you get the vastness of the work that is happening in the spirit world...”
  • [64:18 Casey]: Story of a mission president reading D&C 138: “...for such a puny church, you have a pretty big theology...the work of salvation continues on both sides of the veil. Great stuff.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Context of Death
  • “Death is all around President Smith. Death because of the war, death because of the pandemic...Death because of the war, death because of the pandemic. ...That’s what seems to have fixated him on seeking knowledge about the world of spirits, the afterlife.” – Casey [06:26]
• On the Expansiveness of Salvation
  • “We want to give every single soul the opportunity to choose to accept Christ through his Gospel.” – Scott [16:16]
• On the Spiritual “Dream Team”
  • “If this was the end of the Doctrine and Covenants, this would be the most perfect end. It’s like the Avengers endgame where every prophet that lived prior to Jesus Christ is there...” – Casey [38:09]
• On Personal Meaning
  • “...I'd like to think that anybody who loses some, someone that is faithful in the church sees that as what their loved one is doing, that they're still carrying out their work, they're still fighting the forces of darkness.” – Casey [61:14]
• On the Vastness of Temple Work
  • “The work of God in the spirit world is vast, vaster than most of us have ever stopped to ponder and think about.” – Scott (quoting Elder Maxwell) [62:43]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00-04:07] – Introductions, historical set-up, Smith’s conference address
• [04:08-10:49] – Personal and world tragedies contextualizing the revelation
• [10:50-12:24] – How D&C 138 became scripture
• [12:25-17:00] – President Smith’s scripture study & revelatory process
• [17:01-25:48] – Vision begins: post-mortal spirit world, organizing for redemption
• [25:49-31:25] – Nature and divisions of the spirit world; discussion of “prison” and “paradise”; the organization of missionary work for the dead
• [31:26-39:38] – The “dream team” of missionary spirits; temple ordinances for the dead
• [39:39-42:19] – Smith sees his own father and other latter-day leaders
• [42:20-45:23] – The ongoing work of prophets and missionaries in the spirit world
• [45:24-53:55] – Doctrinal controversies: spirit world boundaries, resurrection timelines
• [53:56-57:34] – Salvation for the wicked and harmonization with Book of Mormon teachings
• [57:35-59:58] – Who is Melchizedek?
• [60:00-end] – Consequences of D&C 138; Personal and wide-reaching theological takeaways; Closing remarks

Overall Tone and Style

The episode is both scholarly and deeply personal, blending historical research, doctrinal exploration, and lived faith. Scott and Casey’s conversation is generous, probing, and at times humorous, continuously inviting listeners to reflect on the magnitude and mercy inherent in the doctrine of redemption for the dead.

Conclusion:

Doctrine & Covenants 138—born out of profound suffering and loss—proclaims an expansive worldview where God’s mercy is available to all, and the faithful, both living and dead, continue laboring for universal salvation. The episode powerfully connects early 20th-century events with long-standing and evolving Latter-day Saint doctrines, inviting listeners to appreciate both the cosmic scale and the intimate comfort this doctrine offers.