Ministering Angels

Why did Joseph Say:

And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers—that they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect.

How is it that we cannot be “made perfect” without our dead? I get how we assist our dead by doing their temple work, and I get that we would not be here with a physical body without them, but is there something more? Is there a deeper reason why “we without our dead [cannot] be made perfect? I was inspired by what I found and it has drawn my heart so close to my ancestors.

The Scriptures teach that:

Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ (2 Nephi 32:3), and that ... "[God] imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned" (Alma 32:27).

Moroni asks these questions:

"...have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved? 

Then he gives the following answers.

Behold I say unto you, Nay… For no man can be saved, according to the words of Christ, save they shall have faith in his name; wherefore, if these things have ceased, then has faith ceased also; and awful is the state of man" (Moroni 7:37-38).

Point #1 Angels speak to us or impart the Lord’s word to us by the power of of the Holy Ghost

I also found that there is a linkage between Faith, the Holy Ghost, and Angels Ministering. 

Elder Oaks taught the following:

"What does it mean that the Aaronic Priesthood holds “the key of the ministering of angels” and of the “gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins”? The meaning is found in the ordinance of baptism and in the sacrament. Baptism is for the remission of sins, and the sacrament is a renewal of the covenants and blessings of baptism. Both should be preceded by repentance. When we keep the covenants made in these ordinances, we are promised that we will always have His Spirit to be with us. The ministering of angels is one of the manifestations of that Spirit" (The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament, October 1998 General Conference).

Elder Oaks continued:

… When I was young, I thought…personal appearances were the only meaning of the ministering of angels. As a young holder of the Aaronic Priesthood, I did not think I would see an angel, and I wondered what such appearances had to do with the Aaronic Priesthood.

But the ministering of angels can also be unseen. Angelic messages can be delivered by a voice or merely by thoughts or feelings communicated to the mind….

How does the Aaronic Priesthood hold the key to the ministering of angels? The answer is the same as for the Spirit of the Lord.

In general, the blessings of spiritual companionship and communication are only available to those who are clean. As explained earlier, through the Aaronic Priesthood ordinances of baptism and the sacrament, we are cleansed of our sins and promised that if we keep our covenants we will always have His Spirit to be with us. I believe that promise not only refers to the Holy Ghost but also to the ministering of angels, for “angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ” (2 Ne. 32:3). So it is that those who hold the Aaronic Priesthood open the door for all Church members who worthily partake of the sacrament to enjoy the companionship of the Spirit of the Lord and the ministering of angels.

(here is the link to that whole talk https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1998/10/the-aaronic-priesthood-and-the-sacrament?lang=eng)

Point #2 Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and our sincere participation in the Aaronic Priesthood ordinances of baptism and the sacrament, we are  cleansed and become worthy of the ministering of angels.

Elder Holland taught the following in regard to angels:

Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: “I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you]". https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/04/none-were-with-him?lang=eng

Notice this line in there... "family members on both sides of the veil".

President Joseph F. Smith taught: 

We are told by the Prophet Joseph Smith, that "there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it." Hence, when messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from the ranks of our kindred, friends, and fellow-beings and fellow-servants. The ancient prophets who died were those who came to visit their fellow creatures upon the earth.... In like manner our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters, and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, or reproof and instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh. (Gospel Doctrine, p.435-36)

The Lord warned in Matthew 18:10 "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven".

The phrase "their angels" suggests possession. Somehow the angels in heaven have responsibility for those little ones and I think the way that makes the most sense is through family ties.

Point #3 The angels that minister to us are most likely those from our kindred dead who have an interest in our salvation. 

So taken together these quotes seems to suggest that:

1. God ministers to his children through angels by the power of the Holy Ghost.

2. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and our sincere participation in the Aaronic Priesthood ordinances of baptism and the sacrament, we are cleansed and become worthy of the ministering of angels.

3. The angels that minister to us are most likely those from our kindred dead who have an interest in our salvation. 

Maybe that is why Joseph said:

And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers—that they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect.

I think that is a beautiful teaching. When I study about my ancestors I wonder how much of a role they have had in giving me promptings and thoughts that have directed my paths. It is a beautiful thing for me to think about and makes me feel very connected to them. I think it would be cool to meet one of my ancestors and find out that they delivered a really important message to me that kept me safe or that guided me in the right way. It also helps me to know that there are more than me who is interested in my children and that they can be ministered to by those who have gone before us. That is a comforting doctrine and it makes me want to seek out the dead and do their work.