Question
Gramps,
Growing up, I was always amazed by a picture I saw in the Richland, WA Stakehouse. It showed Peter, James and John with their hands on the head of Joseph Smith. We all know the story but all of these persons looked identical. Does that mean as spirits we will all look alike? There are other references in the Bible indicating that we may all look alike and only change our appearance when as necessary.
John
Answer
John,
The pictures, I am familiar with, of Peter, James, and John do not appear to me as them being identical. John is often represented without a beard.
When I entertain this thought, as provided by other acquaintances, I do wonder who we all would look like then. Would we all look like our Heavenly Father? Whose image would we be a carbon copy of?
When we also contemplate history, and our present, we recognize how others are identical to their sibling or even to their father. In scripture we understand that our Savior is in the image of our Heavenly Father. We also recognize that Seth was in the express image of his father Adam, as specified in Doctrine and Covenants 138:40. We know that there are identical twins, triplets, etc… It is likely that twins and triplets will be also identical in the next life.
A question I ponder, is how important is my physical body and appearance? When the Lord appeared to the brother of Jared, in his spirit body, would his spirit body be the express image of his physical body? If the brother of Jared lived to see the birth of Christ would he have been able to recognize him, since he saw him before his birth?
I personally feel when I leave this world, my body is then resurrected, and I am able to embrace my wife again, she will look as she does now, except with a glorified immortal body. I don’t think she will look like my sister-in-law, or vice-versa, or any other woman for that matter.
Gramps
