Amulek understands that the metaphor of night extends to the “night” of death. His point focuses on the presentation of the soul before the judgment bar of God. At that point, he suggests that they cannot forsake their entire earthlife and accept the obvious. What Amulek also tells us, however, is that there are three important things we should understand. The first is that there is a continuation of the person from this world to the next.Who we become rises with us, and continues to influence our understanding and willingness to accept. Second, the very fact that we are able to accept or not accept tells us that the principle of agency continues with us after this life, at least until the time of the presentation for final judgment. The last point is that there is value in this earth life. This is an important point, for it might be considered that many who did not have the opportunity to hear the gospel in life might have lived in vain, awaiting that time when they should hear the gospel.
Amulek tells us, obliquely, that this is not correct. The fact that who we are rises with us suggests that for all men, the purpose of this life is to become the kind of person who could hear and accept the gospel, even if we don’t have the opportunity to hear it in this life.
Lowell Bennion had this same understanding of this passage:
“How do we interpret this passage? Is there no opportunity whatever for repentance in life beyond the grave? Some people think so, and that may be right with regard to those who are spiritually dead. Taking this passage by itself, with no reference to other gospel fundamentals, we could easily conclude this. But let us remember that God is our Father—a loving, merciful Father—and that his work and glory is to redeem his children. He is not likely to give up easily nor quickly. Judging by the attitude of his Son, the Father would, we believe, never close the door to repentance for his children.
Some, such as the sons of perdition, may sink so low that they lose the power to repent because they “die as to things pertaining unto righteousness.” (Alma 12:16.) Perhaps others who have procrastinated their repentance may find the faith and power to repent in the eternal world. This is our faith when we do work for our kindred dead, some of whom, no doubt, were first-rate sinners. We are not discrediting Amulek’s plea to repent now. It is the sensible thing to do, for happiness in this life as well as for our eternal welfare. And no one knows who will have the strength to repent hereafter.
The whole gospel cannot be taught in one sermon. However, as we interpret a sermon we can and should do so in the context of the gospel as a whole.” (Lowell L. Bennion, The Best of Lowell L. Bennion: Selected Writings 1928-1988, edited by Eugene England [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1988], 207.)