“Eternal life is God’s life. It is that gift by which the righteous not only dwell in his presence, but by which they become like him … .
“As all things have their opposites, there is a punishment which is the opposite to eternal life. … This is the second or spiritual death, which is banishment from the presence of God and from his light and truth forever. In speaking of the second death as eternal death, we do not mean that those who partake of it are doomed eternally to the dissolution of the body and also of the spirit. The spirit of man is eternal and cannot die in the sense of ceasing to exist” (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:217–18) .
The superscription to Helaman 13 was part of the ancient record translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith and dictated by him to his scribe, except the phrase “Comprising chapters 13 through 15.” “The 1830 edition presents the entire prophecy of Samuel as a single chapter, so the note is required to explain this next unit” (Gardner, Second Witness, 5:172).