“Whether They Were in the Body or out of the Body They Could Not Tell”

Bryan Richards

Whenever the scriptures describe this transitional state, which is almost an "out of body experience," they are describing what it is like to be transfigured. Transfiguration is a change wrought upon a mortal to enable him to temporarily withstand the presence of God and to behold the glory of heaven. Without a temporary change, no human can withstand the presence of the Almighty. As Moses said, my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence (Moses 1:11). This is what happened to Moses, to Paul (2 Cor 12:2-4), to Jesus, Peter, James, and John (Matt 17:31-9), to Joseph Smith (JS-Hist 1:17, DC 137:1), to the three Nephites and others.

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