Death is a natural - and essential - event in the eternal plan and need not be considered an enemy, said Elder Russell M. Nelson.

However, its inevitableness does remind members that life is the time to " `prepare to meet God.' Unfinished business is our worst business," he declared Sunday afternoon. "Perpetual procrastination must yield to preceptive preparation."Elder Nelson of the Council of the Twelve described the mourning that follows death as "one of the deepest expressions of pure love. The only way to take sorrow out of death is to take love out of life."

He observed, however, that death is looked upon quite differently from the perspective of the pre-existence. "We regarded the returning home as the best part of that long-awaited trip, just as we do now. Before embarking on any journey, we like to have some assurance of a round-trip ticket."

Physical death is a necessary end of mortality. "We were born to die, and we die to live," he said. Death ends the opportunity for repentance, and "we are responsible for our own spiritual survival or death."

After death, said Elder Nelson, the spirit is received into "a state of happiness, which is called paradise." (Alma 40:11-12.) But this is a temporary condition that ends with resurrection. "The Lord who created us in the first place surely has power to do it again. . . ," he affirmed. "The same unique genetic code embedded in each of our living cells will still be available to format new ones then. The miracle of resurrection, wondrous as it will be, is marvelously matched by the miracle of our creation in the first place."

He recalled an experience while in a light aircraft that nearly crashed.

"Though I `knew' death was coming, my paramount feeling was that I was not afraid to die. I remember a sense of returning home to meet ancestors for whom I had done temple work. I remember my deep sense of gratitude that my sweetheart and I had been sealed eternally to each other and to our children, born and reared in the covenant. I realized that our marriage was my most important accomplishment."

Elder Nelson observed that loving family relationships will endure beyond the grave, and that the righteous will be judged worthy to receive eternal life, "the kind of life that our Heavenly Father lives. His celestial realm has been compared with the glory of the sun. It is available to all who prepare for it. . . ."

"Today we have a little more time to bless others - time to be kinder, more compassionate, quicker to thank and slower to scold, more generous in sharing, more gracious in caring. . . .

"We need not look upon death as an enemy. With full understanding and preparation, faith supplants fear. Hope displaces despair. The Lord said, `Fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full.' " (D&C 101:36.)

Elder Nelson concluded: "With that assurance, brothers and sisters, love life! Cherish each moment as a blessing from God. Live it well - even to your loftiest potential. Then the anticipation of death shall not hold you hostage. With the help of the Lord, your deeds and desires will qualify you to receive everlasting joy, glory, immortality and eternal lives."