Vision of Celestial Glory
READ D&C 76:50-70
What have those resurrected to Celestial glory done on earth?
Received THE
testimony of Jesus.
Believed on His
name.
Kept the
commandment and were baptized by immersion in water.
Were washed and
cleansed from all their sins and received the Holy Spirit (baptism of fire)
after having hands laid on them.
Overcame
temptations, trials and the weakness of the flesh by exercising faith in Christ.
Were sealed by the
Holy Spirit of Promise, which is the light that emanates from God.
Received of God’s
fullness and of His glory.
Received the High
Priesthood, after the Order of the Only Begotten Son and are Priests and
Priestesses to God.
Were adopted by
God to be His Sons and Daughters and were promised that they were His heirs to
receive all things and are Kings and Queens in God’s heavenly kingdom.
They have not yet
overcome all things (see v 60 says “shall” or in the future, once they are
already in the Celestial Kingdom).
What is “the testimony of Jesus” and why is it referred to as
“THE” testimony of Jesus rather than “a” testimony of Jesus?
The testimony of
Jesus is Jesus’ testimony to us; it is not our testimony of Him.
It is Christ’s
testimony that we, personally, are saved (see D&C 88:75); He is the only
one with the right to declare this, as He is the “keeper of the gate” and
employs no servant there (see 2 Nephi 9:41).
It is the means by
which we receive the “hope in Christ” because it is testified to us from His own
lips, while we stand in His presence.
And it is also the
testimony, through the tokens He carries in His body, that He IS the God of
Israel, and the God of the whole earth and was slain for the sins of the world
(see 3 Nephi 11:14) and can promise us our salvation and deliver on that
promise.
When must one receive this testimony to receive a Celestial
glory?
We must receive it
while we live in the flesh (see D&C 132:21-25).
He bares tokens of
death – the spear thrust in His side and the nail wounds in His hands, wrists
and feet; to prove that He lives; those “mortal” or temporal death wounds must
be shown to another mortal while living in the flesh so that they can testify
that they know He lives because He is standing before them, living, in the
flesh, bearing wounds that no living man can bear; it doesn’t make sense that
He would carry them in a resurrected, perfect body in Heaven, where everyone
knows what He did by the glory that He has – these wounds are physical proofs
for people living in a mortal realm where they cannot see or perceive His
glory.
We must exercise
the faith required to rend the veil and receive this assurance in mortality;
and we must bear the “shame” of it to the world as they persecute us for
testifying of what we know to be true but they cannot or will not believe.
Those who receive this
testimony after death will inherit Terrestrial glory (see D&C 76:74),
unless they would have received it in this life if they were allowed to tarry
but their lives were cut short (see D&C 137: 5-9).
Also, those who
receive it in the flesh but are not “valiant” in it, will receive Terrestrial
glory (see D&C 76:79); obviously, this means they did not deny or rebel
against Christ, as that would condemn them to outer darkness (see D&C
76:35); their receiving of Terrestrial glory instead of something far worse
speaks to a) God’s great mercy and b) how difficult it is to remain valiant in
the testimony of Jesus (by God’s definition of valiance), having once received
it.
If baptism is “according to the commandment”, what does it
mean that by “keeping the commandments” we might be washed and cleansed?
The commandment is
to be baptized in water, after the manner of Christ’s burial or by immersion,
in Christ’s name.
But baptizing by
water is just half a baptism and one might as well baptize a bag of sand as a
man or woman (TPJS 352:4), if they have not lived the terms of the baptismal
covenant, which is to offer one’s whole soul in sacrifice (Omni 1:26) – those
are the “commandments” we must keep – to offer the sacrifice of a broken heart
and contrite spirit by abiding by every word that the Lord tells us while we
are on this mortal journey (see 2 Nephi 31:13).
If we keep these
commandments – to submit to the outward ordinance of baptism and to offer the
inward sacrifice of our whole soul - we will be washed and cleansed or
sanctified by the reception of the Holy Spirit.
What does it mean that someone has been “ordained and sealed”
unto the power of being able to give the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands?
They have been
given the power directly from Christ.
In fact, Christ
has touched them with His hands to give them this power (see 3 Nephi 18:36-38;
Moroni 2:2); in other words, it is only a witness who has seen Him and been
ordained by Him via the laying on of hands who has this power (see D&C
20:38, 43; D&C 84:63; Cowdery’s charge to the Apostles in DHC 2:196; Acts
1:22).
What happens if you have not had hands laid on your head to
receive the Holy Ghost by one who has been ordained and sealed unto this power?
You will have to
do what is required to receive the Holy Ghost yourself – you will have to offer
your whole soul in offering.
You may not
automatically receive it, as you would if one who had been sealed to this power
laid hands upon you.
But you still can
receive it through your own sacrifice in living the terms of the baptismal
covenant, either at the time of baptism (see JSH 1:70, 73) or later when you
finally offer the required sacrifice (see Alma 36:17-22), with or without a
laying on of hands (as evidenced by Joseph Smith and the Lamanites in jail
receiving the baptism of fire without this ordinance – see JSH 1:68-74, Helaman
5:20-45).
What does “to overcome by faith” mean; what is being overcome
and how it is done by faith?
Overcome = to
conquer, to vanquish, to subdue; to surmount, to get the better of, as to
overcome difficulties or obstacles.
To truly realize
both the desperate state we are in as fallen beings (unable to reenter the
presence of God or to extricate ourselves from hell and the devil) and the
danger we are in during this mortal probation (to lose what light we have
gained previously) is to face fear and doubt in the face.
We overcome those doubts
and fears by faith in Christ because He is the only one who can rescue us from
the state in which we find ourselves; but to be saved, we must overcome our
fears and doubts by putting our full faith in Christ – which requires complete
commitment in action, and the action required is the sacrifice of our whole
souls. That takes faith indeed.
What
does it mean to be sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise?
You become a “child” or “spirit” of
“promise” - an inheritor of all the Father has, a member of His family.
You have seen God and received from
Him a promise.
What
is the Church of the Firstborn?
Those who dwell in the Father’s
presence.
Those who have received of His
fullness and of His grace.
Those who have been made equal to
the Father in power, might and dominion.
Those who have been made a Son or
Daughter of the Father or a “firstborn” or one who has inherited the birthright
(see D&C 76:58).
Those who have received the Holy
Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God because they have become one of
His Sons.
It is a “church” because it is an
association or fellowship of all those who have risen up to be “Firstborn” (see
D&C 88:5-6; D&C 93:19-23; Abraham 1:2-4).
Why would the Lord give us “all things” in return for the
sacrifice of our whole souls, as this is not an even exchange?
First of all, He
only gives “all things” to those that He trusts because He has proven them “at
all hazards”.
And He cannot give
all things to those who are not precisely like He is (see LoF 7:9, 12-16)
because they would not be able to comprehend them anyway.
So, He desires to
make us precisely like He is, because it is only then that we can have a
fullness of joy, which He desires for us because of His love for us.
But at this
juncture of our eternal journey, we will not be able to attain to become as He
is; our objective in this life is to enter in by the Gate (make a
covenant with Him which will allow Him to change our hearts) and then abide in
that covenant, being tried at all hazards – which are not to the same degree as
the ones He was tried against during His mortal life here, until we make our
way back into His presence in the flesh and He will seal us up to a future
exaltation; after which the path continues (see 2 Nephi 32:6-7; TPJS 390-393)
from grace to grace or eternity to eternity.
So, by the time He
has given us all things, we have become like He is, which will require the
sacrifice of our whole souls – but in that case, it will be the sacrifice of
all that a Son or Daughter of God can give – an infinite and eternal sacrifice
(see Alma 34:10-14).
What does it mean to be a king or queen and priest or
priestess in heaven?
It means to be the
servant of all, in that it requires sacrifice up to and eventually including
all that Christ sacrificed for us.
Christ is the
greatest because He sacrificed and suffered the most – because He loved the
most.
What
was the original name of the Melchizedek Priesthood?
The Holy Priesthood After the Order
of the Son of God.
The High Priesthood.
The Priesthood – originally it was
one; degrees of priesthood were introduced when men could not abide the
presence and association of the Father.
Why is it written that they are gods, even the sons of God?
To be saved in
that Kingdom, one must become precisely as Christ is and nothing else (see LoF
7:9); and Christ is a god, even the son of God.
So, the couples
who are in that kingdom (see D&C 132:19-24; D&C 131:1-4) have received
all things and become priests/priestesses and kings/queens to God, by
definition.
They have
progressed up Jacob’s Ladder, from a small capacity to a great one, from exaltation
to exaltation, until they have become gods and the sons and daughters of God
(see TPJS 390-393).
This speaks to the
glory that must be laid down by those who have risen up to Celestial glory, to
condescend to come to an earth such as ours to minister to and prove us (see
Abraham 3:21-26).
However, they have
not yet ascended to the position that the Father (and now the Son) have reached.
Why does it say “shall overcome” instead of “have overcome”
all things?
They have not yet
themselves attained to the resurrection of the dead; they are still learning
all the principles of exaltation as they have not yet become perfect like
Christ and the Father are perfect.
They are as Christ
was before His mortal ministry, atonement and resurrection; they must still
overcome that greatest of all obstacles – suffering all that a god can suffer
to save those who will follow them so that they can attain to the resurrection
themselves and have life in themselves (see John 21:18-19).
Why should no one glory in mankind, given the fact that “they
are gods”?
Only a few of them
(mankind) are gods.
Most of us are
Telestial, as many as the stars in the night sky.
But even those who
are gods, who have condescended to minister to us, have not yet risen up to be
only begotten sons or daughters – they have not been tasked with working out an
atonement with fear and trembling before God and then attaining to their own
resurrection; they are not yet perfect like Christ (now) and His Father are
perfect (see Matthew 5:48 vs. 3 Nephi 12:48).
Why would we want to dwell in the presence of God forever?
We can only gain a
fullness of joy in God’s presence (see Psalms 16:11; 3 Nephi 28:10); this also
involves receiving a resurrected body as His gift to us, which also seems to be
a prerequisite for dwelling in God’s presence (see D&C 93:33-34; 2 Nephi
9:8-15).
Why does verse 62 speak of “His Christ” – is there another
Christ?
Yes. God the Father was a Christ
in a distant past eternity, as Jehovah did nothing during His mortality that He
had not seen His Father do (see TPJS 390-393; John 5:19; John 8:28).
We must also rise up to attain to the resurrection ourselves if we are
to become precisely as Christ is and be saved (see TPJS 390-393; LoF 7:9,
15-16), including working out our own salvation before God with fear and
trembling as Christ did (see D&C 19:10-19; Philippians 2:12; Mormon 9:27).
Who will come with the Lord when He returns in glory?
The Zions of Enoch
and Melchizedek.
Any other
individual who has inherited Celestial glory and previously died but now has
part in the first resurrection.
Why is being “just” so important to our salvation and how is
it related to being “righteous”?
Just = regular or
orderly; exactly proportioned or proper; full or complete to a common standard;
innocent, blameless or without guilt; upright or honest; conformed to the rules
of justice or to truth; honors or is faithful to promises; impartial or fair.
Just = justified =
to pardon and clear from guilt; to absolve or acquit; to proclaim innocent or
not guilty.
Being just in
relation to our salvation means first being justified or declared innocent,
blameless or without guilt, of our sins (see D&C 88:75), but ultimately it
means being precisely as Christ now is or perfectly righteous (see LoF 7:9,
15-16; John 5:29; Mosiah 15:21-24; 3 Nephi 26:4-5).
What is “Mount Zion” and why do the scriptures use that
particular metaphor?
The heavenly
temple is described as the “mount of the congregation” and God’s throne is
located “in the sides of the north”; it must be ascended to, meaning that it is
above all or located on a “mount” or in an elevated position to everything else
(see Isaiah 14:13-14).
An earthly
“mountain” represents that heavenly mount because it is also elevated and must
be ascended, and when you have finally reached its peak you are closer to God
physically than if you were standing down in a valley or worse, if you were at
the bottom of a pit (see Isaiah 14:15), as God lives in the heavens.
Why is the kingdom of God thought of as a city?
God is always
surrounded by those whom He has saved and who worship Him as a result (He
shares company with other saved beings or Gods – the Council of the Gods)
God is a social
being as evidenced by the fact that His work and glory is the development and
salvation of other people.
God is a Father
who wants to be with His family and a family resides together; it’s a big
enough family to be thought of as a “city”.
Why compare the kingdom to both a mountain and a city at the
same time – why are these two metaphors mixed here?
The holy city is
on top of the mount.
One must ascend
the “mount” to enter the “city” at its pinnacle.
The true Kingdom
of God in heaven is not a city in an easily accessible, low place or a lone man/guru
on the top of a mountain.
Why does it say they “are” come to Mount Zion rather than
they “will” come to it?
Those who inherit
Celestial glory must attain to it in mortality; they must obtain the promise or
hope of salvation from the Lord to have the faith to continue faithfully during
the tribulations of mortal life.
They must learn
His ways so they can walk in His paths back through the fiery portal and the
angels who stand there as sentinels guarding the way against the uninitiated
and unworthy who lack the intelligence or light/glory to abide there… (see
Psalms 25:4-5; Proverbs 3:13-18; Isaiah 2:3; Jeremiah 6:16; Jeremiah 18:15).
So that when
“They” come back to the earth in the fullness of Their glory, those who reside
here can abide that glory because they have a portion of it within them already,
which they gained as an endowment or gift from those they visited in heaven
(see JSH 1:37).
Where is the Mount Zion being referenced here?
In heaven, where
God lives.
This is a
reference to the Holy Temple in heaven, where God’s throne is located.
Who are the “innumerable company of angels” and why are they
innumerable?
They are all of
the spirits and souls in heaven who are not the general assembly or church of
the Firstborn.
They are clothed
in bodies of variously refined elements, depending upon the light they have
gained thus far in their progression when given the opportunity to exercise
faith and align their behavior in a world outside of God’s presence while
facing opposition, trial, suffering and temptation.
How does one come unto the innumerable company of angels?
One must know how
to part the veil, enter the fiery portal and ascend up upon the correct path or
ladder, passing those that stand as sentinels along the Way, until one
encounters the Lord and enters through the Gate of Heaven.
One must have
knowledge to do this – they must learn God’s ways, to walk in His paths; not
all portals or spirit paths lead to God and Christ.
What is the difference between the “General Assembly” and the
“Church of the Firstborn”?
The Church of the Firstborn are those who have risen up (on the rungs
of Jacob’s Ladder) to be adopted into the family of God as Sons and Daughters;
they are the “kingdom of God” or His heirs; they received the Testimony of
Jesus in a mortal probation and were valiant in that testimony.
It is not clear from the texts if the General Assembly is different
from the Church of the Firstborn (they all use the same phrase “the General
Assembly and Church of the Firstborn”; if they were different it might read
“the General Assembly and THE Church of the Firstborn” but even that is not
conclusive – this is one that you’ll have to go to heaven to check for
yourself).
It is possible that “General Assembly” is a term to describe the Church
of the Firstborn; i.e. they reside in God’s presence, (which would imply that
only God’s covenant family – the Firstborn - can abide in His presence).
If they are different, it is possible that the General Assembly have
yet to experience a mortal probation or perhaps a telestial mortal probation.
What is the significance of one’s name being written in
heaven?
Having one’s name
written speaks to receiving an honor or attaining to something that all others
who read the name see and acknowledge.
In heaven things
last forever, so to have one’s name written in heaven is to receive an honor
for the eternities.
What is implied about the fact that God and Christ make no
mistakes in their judgements of us?
Regardless of your
weaknesses, mistakes and sins, if the Lord and the Father judge you to be an
heir of Celestial glory, which implies that you will become precisely as they
are now at some point in the future (see LoF 7:9, 15-16), it will be so –
unless you choose to openly rebel against their judgement.
The magnitude of
the gap between where we are now and what they have attained to cannot be
comprehended by us, it is so large; and neither can the path to get there and
the nature of the obstacles that must be overcome and the challenges that must
be met, because to become precisely as Christ is and nothing else, you must do
precisely what Christ did.
And yet, God and
Christ are promising us that it will happen in a future eternity, if we will
believe them that we can work out our salvation with fear and trembling before
them… if you understand your true standing now before God, this idea takes
faith in God to a whole new level.
What
does “just men made perfect through Jesus” mean?
Reconciled to the Father through
the Son.
Made perfect in that you are one
with Him; the “celestial math” means that since He is perfect and infinite and
you are imperfect but finite, the covenant relationship of the two of you is
still infinite and perfect.
But in time (or in the eternities
to come), He must “make” or enable you to become perfect as He is or you cannot
be saved (see LoF 7:9); implied is that His work with us is really not done at
all – not even close.
What does it mean to say that Christ is the “mediator” of the
new covenant?
Mediator = One
that interposes between parties at variance for the purpose of reconciling them
(see 1828 Webster’s Dictionary).
It does not say
that Christ is the “administrator” of the new covenant (one who directs,
manages or dispenses laws and rights by virtue of having received proper
authority).
He is the mediator
because the new covenant requires Him to do something to reconcile the parties
above and beyond the management or distribution of a covenant; justice requires
an infinite and eternal sacrifice and the mediator must offer it - He
reconciles the parties through His own actions (see Alma 42:15-16).
It is a new
covenant because it is renewed or given to each of us “new” when we
individually come unto Christ and receive it from Him; that is why God is
referred to as the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob and
not the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”; God was revealed and the covenant
was extended again “new” to each of them separately, based on their own journey
back to Him.
It is also “new”
because if Christ saw His Father rise up and work out an atonement in a far
distant eternity, the covenant is newly given to us through Jesus Christ – but
it is the same covenant extended to us (or those who were mortal) by other
Saviors during a prior eternity.
What does it mean that Christ “shed His own blood” in working
out the atonement?
It means He was a
willing sacrifice, which required that His blood be shed to make the covenant
in effect, not that He cut Himself.
The nature of the
sacrifices Christ made – both in the garden where the physical effects of
taking upon Himself the sins and mortal corruption of the world leading to His
bleeding from every pore, and at Golgotha, where mortals scourged Him and
nailed Him to the cross in an attempt to execute Him – caused His blood to be
shed and put the covenant into effect.
What does the word “glory” mean?
Glory =
brightness, splendor, magnificence (see 1828 Webster’s Dictionary).
It is the element
of light or the spirit that quickens or animates your body (see D&C
88:28-29); it is intelligence and is eternal and was not created or made (see
D&C 93:29).
It is had in
degrees (Celestial, Terrestrial, Telestial) and portions (up to a fullness but
within a degree).
It is received
based on the agency of the individual in aligning themselves to the specific
Law that governs the obtaining of that glory; each receives what they are
willing to receive (see D&C 88:32-39; D&C 93:27-28).
It clothes the
person or “adds upon” them (see Moses 7:3; Abraham 3:26; Moses 1:2, 5, 9).
It is like fire
(see Exodus 24:17; JSH 1:17; Hebrews 12:29; Isaiah 33:14) and it emanates from
God (see D&C 88:12).
It is
intelligence, light and truth (see D&C 93:36).
It enables you to
comprehend or understand things, even God (see D&C 88:11, 49); it is a
knowledge of truth or how things really are (see D&C 93:24).
It can be lost or
taken away if one rebels against Eternal Law and stops aligning oneself to the
designated attributes, characteristics and behaviors (see D&C 93:39; Alma
12:10-11).
What does it mean to have a celestial body?
A celestial body
is one that is quickened by a fullness of celestial glory.
One’s body or
tabernacle is the means through which one receives whatever degree of glory
they are willing to receive (see D&C 88:28).
A body is a
tabernacle or covering (which can be temporary or laid down and taken up again)
or clothing for a spirit which allows the spirit to reside and interact in a
specific sphere which resonates at the frequency or abides by the Law of that
degree of glory, i.e. to abide in a Celestial realm, you need a perfected Celestial
body or to reside in a Telestial world, you need a mortal or Telestial body. It is an “avatar”.
READ D&C 76:92-96
What does it mean to “see as you are seen and to know as you
are known”?
God knows all
things – all things are before His face simultaneously and He knows things as
they are, were and will be (see Moses 1:6).
God fully
comprehends all things that He knows or sees.
For you to see and
know God as He sees and knows you requires that you become precisely like Him
in all ways (see LoF 7:9, 15-16; Moses 1:4-5; 1 Corinthians 13:9-13) because
there is no end to His works and you must be a God to comprehend them all (see
Moses 1:37-38).
What is implied by the fact that
the Father “makes” those in the Church of the Firstborn equal in power, might
and dominion?
God enables, through the work of His Son(s), mankind to “rise up” and
become like Him through the vehicle of mortal probations outside of His
presence where they can act for themselves under adverse conditions and gain
additional knowledge, intelligence and light through obedience to Eternal Law
(codified and given to us for mortality in the form of God’s commandments and
Christ’s example – see D&C 130:18-21) by using their agency.
God enables our ability to do this by giving us life and sustaining us
and this whole creation from moment to moment (see Mosiah 2); all of this is a
free or undeserved gift of grace.
So, God “makes” the circumstances possible and He decrees us forgiven
and heirs long before we actually rise up to attain to the resurrection for
ourselves, as Christ did.
While it is implied, it doesn’t say “equal to Him” and could mean
“equal to each other”; as when Christ rose up to the station of the Father,
that act elevated the Father’s own glory and Christ took His place (see TPJS
390-393).
READ
D&C 137:2-4
Why does Joseph Smith
describe the Celestial kingdom like this?
This is what
he saw; either because this is what it actually looks like or because this is
the closest description a farmer from rural New York in the mid-1830’s could
give us.
Or he could
be using symbolic language like “blazing throne,” “circling flames of fire,”
and “paved with gold” as metaphorical language to attempt to describe a kind of
glory he cannot begin to describe effectively – it is mind-blowing.
What is the Throne of God shaped like
and why?
It is more
like a high backed couch; it is a shared throne; Elohim is a plural word, so
whether it is Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother or the Father and the Son,
the throne is a symbol of His glory and the oneness we can have with Him in it.
READ D&C
137:5-6
Who did Joseph see in the Celestial
Kingdom and what is implied?
He saw the
“El” or the “fathers” who had risen up to become gods (i.e. Adam is Micha-el).
He also saw
members of his family – his father, mother and older brother Alvin.
Why is Joseph surprised to see his
brother Alvin?
Joseph’s understanding in 1836 is very
exclusive regarding salvation: either accept the baptism I have to offer you or
be damned, despite how great of a person you are, how much truth and light you
have that I (Joseph Smith) don’t have or how in alignment you are with the
level of light you had received.
This revelation was received before the doctrine
of the baptism of the dead and the Law of Adoption were revealed to Joseph
(this is 1836 and it does not appear that those doctrines were revealed to
Joseph until 1839, at the earliest, so the principle of proxy ordinance work
was still unknown – although this revelation could have been the preamble for
that information), so seeing Alvin, who died before baptism at Joseph’s hand,
was surprising to him in 1836.
READ D&C 137:7-10
What
does “would have received it with all their hearts” mean?
Would have offered the acceptable
sacrifice - broken heart and contrite spirit.
Would have abided in covenant true
and faithful.
What
does “judge according to their works... desire of their hearts” imply?
Whether they had the covenant or
not, they listened to the Light of Christ and sacrificed all things in service
to the level of light and knowledge they had.
The Lord instituted Temple work to
take care of the official covenants.
God has never given instruction, commandments or revelations
to guide mankind to receive a Telestial or Terrestrial glory - all that He
commands is intended to EXALT mankind; why is this so?
His work and glory
is our immortality and eternal life, which is exaltation; anything less than
this falls short of His objective and is not His work.
How great is the ascent or climb to inherit Celestial glory,
or in other words, what will it take to become “precisely” like Christ (see LoF
7:9)?
We must receive
the testimony of Jesus or Jesus’ testimony in the flesh - meaning Christ will
testify to us from His own mouth, in our presence, that we are saved, as He is
the “keeper of the gate” and is the only one authorized to make such a promise,
due to His atoning sacrifice and the resurrection from this life we will
receive through His grace and sacrifice (see D&C 88:75; D&C 132:21-25).
But this is just the beginning, because we must become precisely
as Christ is and nothing else to be saved (which is the definition of salvation,
as Christ is the prototype of the saved being), and that will require us
“learning” how to become perfect, then actually doing it outside of God’s
presence where there is opposition – progressing from a small degree or
capacity to a great one, from exaltation to exaltation, until we finally arrive
at the point that Christ did when He had been prepared to be The Son of God and
attain to the resurrection Himself, that He might have life in Himself and rise
up to be perfect like His Father – and we must do the same or not be saved (see
TPJS 390-393; LoF 7:9, 15-16; D&C 93:12-20).
So, the climb is over many “eternal lives” (see D&C 132:22-24) or
exaltations and will require the sacrifice of many Sons of God or “preparatory
redemptions” for us to be able to ascend to that height (see Alma 13:3-9).
Vision of Terrestrial Glory
READ D&C 76:71-80, 91, 97
How does the glory of the moon differ from that of the sun?
When they are both
in the sky, the light of the sun almost (but not completely) overshadows the moon,
to the degree that it can hardly be seen – especially if it is rotating close
to the sun from our perspective on earth.
The sun is 14
magnitudes brighter than the moon; you would need 398,100 moons to equal the
brightness of the sun.
The sun produces
light while the moon reflects the sun’s light.
The moon is much closer to us than the sun, as the Son is closer to us
than the Father.
Having said all of that, the moon can eclipse the light of the sun to
those on the earth, for a limited amount of time.
What “law” did the terrestrial die without receiving?
The law of the
Celestial kingdom (see D&C 130:18-21; D&C 88:17-39).
To live a law
means to abide by the principles of a certain degree of glory or to align one’s
behavior and mind (and actual sub-atomic particles or the frequency at which
those particles which make up your body are vibrating or are quickened) to the
requirements or frequency of that degree of glory or intelligence or “law”.
Why is it fair that these receive terrestrial glory instead
of celestial as they never received the law which would have enabled them to
have qualified for celestial glory?
To not receive
something does not mean that it was never offered; it means to reject it when
it was offered (see D&C 88:33; Alma 42:27).
The problem for
many of us may be that we do not realize when the Lord is calling out to us (as
many are called) because we do not know the Master’s voice in the cacophony of
voices that are shouting “lo here” and “lo there” to us (see Revelation 3:20; Mosiah
2:9; 3 Nephi 11:3-6; 3 Nephi 19:33).
What is implied about the “spirit prison” by saying that
these are those to whom Christ came and visited?
LDS doctrine
teaches that Christ never visited the “spirit prison” – only “spirit paradise”.
The spirit world
is a “prison” in that it is a place of captivity (see D&C 138:16-18) – even
the “paradise” part is a “prison” in this respect.
What
is the difference between those he taught in the spirit prison who had died
firm in the hope of a glorious resurrection and this group, who He also taught,
who had not died with such a hope?
They did not die
firm in the hope of a glorious resurrection because Christ has not promised it
to them while they were living (see LoF 6:2-6).
And without that
promise in the flesh, they lacked the faith to receive it after they’d died.
What does it mean that they didn’t receive the testimony of
Jesus in the flesh but afterwards received it?
They fell short of
exercising the faith necessary to receive the glory (i.e. intelligence, light,
spirit, truth) of God necessary to enter God’s presence in this life.
They may have had
the faith to see God after their mortal death and receive His testimony at that
time; but one has to wonder about the power of a religion (system of beliefs, ordinances,
etc.) that cannot manufacture enough faith in an individual on earth to rend
the veil – if it will also lack the power in heaven to bring someone into the
Lord’s presence before being summoned for the judgement, because it is not
based on truth or not entirely on truth (see LoF 3:2-5).
Does “received not” the testimony of Jesus mean the same as
“rejected” the testimony of Jesus?
Not being valiant
in the testimony of Jesus is not the same as openly rebelling against it, once
you’d received it.
The former merits
you terrestrial glory while the latter merits you outer darkness.
So, not being
valiant is not coming out in rebellion, it is failing to withstand the
persecution and withdrawing from the “fight” or the mission to which you have
been called – which is to testify of that which you have experienced so that
others might have the same experience you have had (see LoF 2:54-56); it is not
rebelling against He who gave you this mission.
Do not
underestimate the price to be paid in being valiant in the testimony you have
received from the Lord via His ministry to you (see D&C 6:29-37; 3 Nephi
11:14-15).
What
does it mean to not be valiant in the testimony of Jesus?
For those who received the
testimony of Jesus in mortality but were not valiant to it, means to be
cowardly in the face of mankind’s opposition, doubt, persecution, etc. after
you have received the testimony of Jesus and have been commanded to testify of
it.
Those who did not receive the
testimony until one’s mortal life was over means that they did not face and
overcome the persecution that comes with bearing witness of Christ’s testimony
to them; their lack of faith which led to their receiving the testimony later
meant that the testimony could not be “tried” on earth, meaning they were not
valiant in it because they did not merit the opportunity to be so – to put the
testimony to the test.
How
are honorable men blinded by the “craftiness” of others?
They believe them when they lie to
them; they believe that the others are also “honorable” or are not liars (see
JS Matthew 24:22; 2 Nephi 28:14) when they are, in fact, lying to them.
But they fail because they do not
ask God if the doctrines that the others teach, in His name, are true or not
but instead put their faith blindly in men.
Why
are they still condemned to Terrestrial glory?
Because they can ask God to remove
the scales which blind them – they have no excuse for erring, even if they have
been taught false traditions, as God will reveal the truth if they a) ask and
b) are open to His revelations, even at the expense of their cherished
traditions or prideful intellect or self-righteous behavior.
The scales are both a darkness that
makes it difficult to see and an incorrect scale which makes it difficult to
measure or understand what is seen (see 2 Nephi 30:6; Abraham 3:25; Moroni
7:14).
If our judgments are unjust, our
dark or incorrect scales will condemn us.
What
is implied by the fact that one can “receive of His glory, but not of His Fullness”?
First, recall that glory is
intelligence, light and truth (see D&C 93:36); and truth is a knowledge of
things as they really are, were and will be (see D&C 93:24) and it actually
shines – it is the light that illuminates and gives life to all things
including our understanding, because it is the Holy Spirit or mind or power of
God (see D&C 88:6-13; LoF 5:2).
Implied is that there is a
“fullness” of glory or in other words, a fullness of intelligence or knowledge
or truth (i.e. light) which one must gain (it must be within you) if one is to
be able to withstand God’s glory or be able to comprehend God (to know Him as
you are known by Him); in other words, you must become precisely like Him (see
LoF 7:9, 15-16) by receiving the same fullness He has, which makes Him God.
Implied is that one can receive
some of the glory or intelligence or knowledge which God has but may stop short
and fail to receive all of it or a fullness of it; however, any glory gained
here is to one’s advantage in the next life (see D&C 130:18-21).
What would stop someone from receiving a fullness of glory?
First, glory (or
light, intelligence, holy spirit, knowledge) is received within you through
obedience to God’s commandments – it is experiential (see D&C 130:18-21).
People are stopped
from receiving a fullness because they “set up stakes” or limits of what they
will accept to be true.
And because they
are not willing to obey all of God’s commandments or in other words, they are
unwilling to do or be precisely what God does or is.
What is
interesting about this is that it is not, at this time or in this eternity, a
question of not being able to obey all of God’s commandments or not
being able to do and be precisely what God does and is – because we are all so
far from being precisely as God is and it is gained a bit at a time (see TPJS
390-393); for us, the Lord through His atonement has promised to cover our lack
of present capability and only requires our willingness to fully sacrifice our
whole souls to Him – which is something we can actually do.
However, for Christ, His mission was to see if He would actually DO and
BE precisely the things that God DID and had become in a mortal probation
eternities ago: the savior of the world and able to attain to the resurrection
Himself, which required perfect mortal performance up to and including the
night of the atonement and crucifixion; because for all of us, ultimately, we
MUST become precisely as Christ is or we cannot be saved – He is the prototype
of the saved man (see LoF 7:9, 15-16), so in some future eternity, we must also
do likewise: work out our own salvation before God with fear and trembling.
Vision of Telestial Glory
READ D&C 76:81-90
Who
will inherit the Telestial Kingdom?
Those that received not the gospel
on earth or in the spirit world.
Received not the testimony of Jesus.
Denied not the Holy Spirit.
Were thrust down to hell (spirit
prison) after their deaths.
Were liars, sorcerers, whoremongers.
What does it mean to say that someone receives neither the
gospel nor the testimony of Jesus?
If you believe
that the testimony of Jesus means “a” testimony of Jesus – a testimony of His
divinity and atonement, etc., then you will have a really hard time explaining
how one could have a testimony of the gospel without having a testimony of
Jesus, and visa-versa!
But to receive
“the” testimony of Jesus, as we have discussed, is to receive His testimony to
you of your salvation.
So, it is possible
to receive the gospel which, if followed in faith and diligence, WILL lead (see
LoF 2:56) you back to Christ in the flesh, but to fail to “endure to the End”
or to fail to receive the testimony of Jesus.
In other words, many are called and begin the path but few chose to
finish it by coming unto Christ.
What does it mean that the Telestial “deny not” the Holy
Spirit when they don’t act in a way to have that spirit with them?
It means that they
never received the Holy Spirit in the first place, past the light of Christ
which is given and sustains anyone who is born into this world.
It does not mean
that they received the Holy Spirit but later denied it like those who are
Perdition (see v35).
What does “thrust down to hell” mean?
At a minimum, this
speaks to the hell of the spirit world that the Telestial will be forced to
endure after their death, being tormented by the devil and his angels who are
there.
It also speaks to
the bitter hell of disappointment that the Telestial will feel after the
resurrection when they realize the opportunity they had here on earth but
spurned – they will be their own tormentors and condemners through eternity.
It could also refer to the fact that they are cast out of God’s
presence at the resurrection and anything that is not “Heaven” or in the
presence of God is “hell”, as being out of His presence is the definition of
not experiencing a fullness of joy.
Why does it describe those in the Telestial kingdom as
“thrust down to hell” when it is also described as a kingdom of glory?
Either they are
thrust down to hell and then “redeemed” from hell at the resurrection to
inherit a Telestial glory which surpasses all understanding (this is the
traditional interpretation).
Or, the Telestial
kingdom can be described as a hell, whose glory surpasses all mortal understanding…which
are contradictory at face value but might be worth more consideration.
This earth or
“lone and dreary world” is described as a Telestial kingdom in the Temple
endowment ceremony but it is also called “glorious and beautiful” upon its
initial creation, some of which remains after the fall of man.
The opportunity to
come to a Telestial world to be tested and tried is an opportunity worth
sending a God to sacrifice Himself to enable, surpasses all understanding and
is something to rejoice in (see Moses 7:47) but it is also a hell for those who
can’t escape from it by rising up but continue to suffer the deaths (see
D&C 132:21-25; 2 Nephi 9:8-10).
Living without God
and Christ is spiritual death or hell, and that is the fate of those who
inherit the Telestial kingdom, regardless of how nice the surroundings are. So by that very literal definition, anyone
who resides in a Telestial kingdom has been thrust down to hell.
What is implied by our need to be “redeemed from the devil”
and what does this mean?
The devil “owns”
those who have rejected the Master – they are “his children” because they
followed his voice; “redemption” is language from the slave market and implies
the need to be “bought back” from someone who has a rightful claim over you (mortal
slavery is never “rightful” but spiritual slavery may be, as we choose to be
bound by Satan or freed by the Lord, and everyone is equally able to choose
between the two).
Those in hell
cannot extricate themselves out of it (as death is the “wage” of sin, so it is
deserved, and those that sin cannot abide God’s presence – which is hell), but
must be freed by one who has power over death and hell – power gained through
payment, which requires sacrifice.
How do the inhabitants of the Telestial kingdom receive the
Holy Spirit?
They receive of
the Holy Spirit through the ministration of those in the Terrestrial kingdom.
Implied in this is
that they cannot abide a fullness of the Holy Spirit from God Himself and
require a shield of some kind (or a lesser degree of magnitude of the Spirit,
such as the Terrestrial have) which will enable them to experience and endure a
portion of that Spirit only.
The “shield” is
the ministration of others, in this case, those with Terrestrial glory; even
they must “tone down” their glory when visiting and ministering to a lower,
fallen world.
How can the inhabitants of the Telestial world be “heirs of
salvation” if Christ is the prototype of the saved being and to be saved means
to be precisely like He is (see LoF 7:9)?
It is unclear in
this verse who the “they” refers to…the “Telestial” or the “Terrestrial”?
But in either case, neither of them are precisely like Christ who is
precisely like His Father, so this verse seems to imply that those who inherit
either glory may still have a chance to attain to salvation, as defined by the
Lectures on Faith, although perhaps they are on a lesser or “slower” trajectory
to get there.
READ D&C 76:98-113
Why
is the celestial glory “one” and the terrestrial glory is “one” but the
Telestial glory is “one” as “one star differs from another in glory” – in other
words, they are all stars (not a sun or moon) but they are all different from
each other?
The Celestial glory is the fullness
of the Father’s glory – it is “everlasting burnings”; it is represented to us
by our one sun, which is orders of magnitude brighter than anything else in the
sky, to the degree that it makes them all disappear in its presence – except
for the moon, which you can barely see; it is definitive – it is the Fullness
of His glory and nothing less
The Terrestrial glory seems to be
what Christ had before He attained to Godhood before the foundation of this
world (He didn’t always have a fullness) or perhaps not before the resurrection
of the dead and ascended to the Father’s state when He finally referred to
Himself as perfect like the Father (see TPJS 390-393; D&C 93:12-14; 3 Nephi
12:48); it is represented to us by our
moon, which when it is full or in its glory, is much brighter than all
the stars together but clearly does not rival the glory of the sun; unlike the
sun it’s glory is represented dynamically – it goes in phases from new to full,
representing a change, not in its constitution but in how much of its glory is
revealed to us at any given point in time.
The Telestial glory is not
definitive like the Fullness of the Father or the glory of the Son of God –
which are much higher rungs up “Jacob’s Ladder” – it is variable in magnitude
from one person to another; these “glories” are represented to us by the stars
because they are all different, just as we will inherit the highest degree of
glory we can stand but if we do not come unto Christ, we will not inherit the definitive
glories of the Terrestrial or the Celestial (where there is a “fullness” of
that glory) but must be content with some other, varying, degree of glory
tailored to what laws or behaviors and beliefs (intelligence) we were willing
to accept and abide by or obey.
What
does it mean “who are of Paul” or “some of John”?
Many in the Telestial Kingdom are
extremely religious!!
But they are idol worshipers - they
worship the “brethren” instead of God; they look to the “brethren” to save them
instead of having faith in the Lord who they cannot initially see or feel; they
do not receive a saving testimony of Christ or perform the necessary sacrifices
to receive the faith or hope of Eternal Life (that is not to say that the various
worshipped prophets/brethren encouraged this – the witness of those who know
the Lord is intended to point the way to Christ but many do not follow it – see
LoF 2:54-56).
What
will happen to you in the afterlife if you have “followed the prophet” in
mortality?
You will
inherit Telestial glory and God’s wrath because you placed men between yourself
and Him.
You
lacked the faith to come unto Him and instead came unto them (see Exodus
20:18-21; D&C 84:23-24; D&C 76:82).
You have
embraced a false religion without the power to save because it will not bring
you to the Lord to be redeemed (see Ether 3:13) but to men (see 2 Nephi 28:3-6)
who completely lack that power or keys but pretend to hold them on behalf of
the Lord or having been given them from the Lord because, presumably, He has
done His work and the rest is up to them (the brethren).
To be
saved, you must be “following the Lord” not “following the prophet” – they are
NOT the same thing as you can only serve one Master; eternal life is to know
Christ, not a prophet; true prophets can guide you to Christ by preaching
repentance, telling you how they found Him and teaching you the truth about
Him, which will enable your faith and your gaining of light and knowledge, but
that is all they can do. True prophets
do not want to be followed or worshipped – they deflect ALL glory back the
Lord.
If
those who inherit Telestial glory are very religious but they are liars, what
do they lie about?
They lie about the terms of salvation,
substituting the commandments of men for faith in Christ.
They lie about their relationship
with the Lord, insinuating that they are receiving revelation from Him when
they are not.
What
does it mean that some individuals who inherit Telestial glory are “some of
Christ” but received not His gospel, neither His testimony nor covenant?
These are they that while they
professed His name, Christ “never knew” them - (3 Nephi 14:21-23) - “knew” does
not mean “know of” because Christ knows all of us intimately because of
Gethsemane, this means “knew” in a much more intimate sense; in other words, He
was never ONE with them.
Will
those who inherit Telestial glory still be wicked?
They will be servants of the most
high God (see D&C 76:112).
They will ALL bow the knee and
confess Christ (see D&C 76:110).
They will have suffered for their
sins but not unto exaltation (see D&C 19:16-17, 20).
But is says that the “are” not
“were” liars, sorcerers, adulterers, etc; so if only God is “good”, then yes,
they will still be wicked.
How can the wicked be servants of the most High God?
If Christ is the
prototype of the saved man and He was perfect, then all who are not like Christ
are wicked; but some of them are still humble yet flawed (i.e. “wicked” or not precisely
like Christ).
In this case, the
Telestial are a bit more “flawed” than the Celestial but if they bow the knee
and confess Christ with a broken heart and contrite spirit (which the torment
of hell within them will enable), they will still be servants of God, albeit
servants with less light or capability and farther to progress than others (see
Alma 13:3-5; Alma 12:10-11).
How do these suffer the wrath of God on earth when almost all
of the most successful people in the world will fall into this category?
There is a
vengeful “eternal fire” coming that will utterly waste those who cannot abide
it.
So, they may enjoy
success on earth for a time, but it will end badly for those living at the time
of Christ’s coming in glory, when the saints will be caught up and received
into the cloud but the rest will be left on the surface of the earth.
And it will end
badly for those who have died previously to Christ’s Second Coming as they will
consigned to hell to suffer the wrath of God – or more accurately, to suffer at
their own hands for what they chose not to do when given the chance.
When are the “fullness of times”?
It is when this
earth will have fully completed the measure or purpose of its creation and
Christ will deliver up the kingdom (His saved sons and daughters or heirs) to
the Father.
At the end of the
Millennium.
What is implied by the fact that Christ must “perfect” His
work?
That it is not
perfect now but there is work to do to perfect it; and that it is ultimately
perfectible.
He has finished
His preparations unto the children of men but the completion of His work and
glory is our immortality and eternal life, which requires more than just His
preparations.
Christ will
continue to actively minister to all, sealing up all who will repent and come
unto Him (see Alma 42:27) until the “night cometh wherein no man can work” (see
3 Nephi 27:33).
What kingdom will Christ “deliver up and present” spotless to
the Father?
The kingdom
consists of royal subjects – in this case, it is those who have come unto Him,
been made His Sons and Daughters through covenant, and have abided faithful in
that covenant or valiant in that testimony to the end.
As those Christ
saves are “given Him” by the Father, Christ will present them again back to the
Father spotless (see John 17:9-11, 22-24; D&C 88:75).
On a macro level,
all elements that were used in the creation of this fallen world will be
redeemed and presented back to God.
Why does Christ focus here on His suffering rather than on
His resurrection?
Only those who
have experienced it by accomplishing an atonement themselves know the magnitude
of what Christ has done (see D&C 19:10-20).
There is a
relationship between the two events -the resurrection was the triumphant result
of successfully suffering the agony of the atonement – without being unfairly
convicted on sin and submitting to the wages of sin (death), He could not have
overturned death and been resurrected.
What does verse 109 suggest about how many people will go to
the Telestial Kingdom?
The inhabitants of
the Telestial glory will be almost innumerable while the heirs of Celestial
glory will likely constitute a much smaller number than we assume (see D&C
132:21-25).
What do those who inherit Telestial glory obtain and why do
they obtain it?
They obtain their
own dominion in the mansions of God – as much glory as they are willing to
endure.
Based upon their
own works.
They are not being
rewarded based primarily on Christ’s works or merits, but their own (they are
“called” by “another name”) – although without Christ’s works, they would
deserve and receive nothing more than outer darkness and becoming angels to the
devil, so His grace is at the heart of even their telestial reward – it is the
only true enabler.
What
is implied by the fact that “where God and Christ dwell” the Telestial cannot
come, worlds without end?
They are not Christ’s.
He saved them (in a Telestial glory
state) and because of this they are “servants of the Most High” but they are
not Christ’s children (Terrestrial); nor are they those who receive the
fullness of the Father (Celestial).
What does “worlds without end” imply?
That the
work of making us precisely like Him, which is what is required to be saved (see
LoF 7:9-11, 15) can go on worlds without end, until at last we arrive at the
same state He has (see TPJS 390-393).
But that
we must choose to come unto Christ at every opportunity (in any probation, in
every eternity) or we will disqualify ourselves from being able to dwell where
God and Christ are, worlds without end.
Preparing In Mortality for
Celestial Glory
READ D&C 76:114-119
Why
were Joseph and Sidney shown both the Celestial Kingdom and outer darkness?
To ascend you must
first descend (see Moses 1:18-20; JSH 1:15-17) and we must experience
opposition in all things (see 2 Nephi 2:11) to be able to comprehend all things
(see D&C 88:6; TPJS 156:3).
Why
is man not capable of making some things known?
Some things can only be
comprehended by one who is filled with the Holy Spirit or mind of God.
Man is not able to distill them
into words; they must be shown to man by God.
Some things, like one’s standing
before God, is only known by God and can only be shared with you by Him.
What
does it mean to “see” and “know”?
To see is to witness with one’s
eyes.
To know is to gain a knowledge
through one’s experience – to know with a surety is to touch (see 3 Nephi
11:14-17).
To whom does God grant this privilege of seeing and knowing
for oneself?
ALL those who love
God (see John 14:15-21) and purify themselves before Him (see 3 Nephi 24:2-3;
D&C 88:74-75) will be granted this privilege.
Any who will come
are invited to come (see Alma 42:27; D&C 93:1).
When
does He grant this privilege?
While they are living in the flesh.
The Lord wants for us to have
“godliness” with the power to be near Him; godliness means to be Godly or close
to God, which is to be in His presence either physically or via having His
Spirit within you to animate you, as it is the mind of God (see LoF 5:2) and
means you are connected with Him intimately – He is within you and you are “one”
with Him.
Why
must one receive Christ’s ministry in the flesh?
To enable you to bear His presence
in the world of glory you must be brought back into His presence now and be
ministered to by Him, if that were not so, the words “in the flesh” would not
be included (see D&C 84:21-23).
You must receive a level of light
or glory or spirit (which is intelligence or truth or knowledge) and be
quickened by it to be able to resonate on a frequency which will allow you to
withstand the fullness of His glory.
And that truth, knowledge and
intelligence that you must possess is to know Christ with a surety, which you
can only do through your own personal experience in touching His physical
wounds in this mortal realm – the tokens or proofs of death in a living man
while you, yourself, are “tabernacled” or reside in the same type of physical
body which He used to perform His sacrifice and resurrection; this is eternal
life – to know Christ and ultimately, the Father, too, while in the flesh (see
John 17:3); this association (or priesthood) needs to begin here in order to
qualify to receive it again in the world to come.
What
happens if we fail to receive Christ’s ministry in the flesh?
This opportunity (probation) will
have been wasted and therefore the struggle must continue, worlds without end;
we inherit the “deaths” because we refused to receive more (see D&C
132:21-25; D&C 76:112).
It is the Testimony of Jesus given when He ministers unto you that seems to
differentiate the kingdoms of glory: receiving it in the flesh and was valiant
with it (Celestial) vs. receiving it after death or receiving it in the flesh
but not being valiant to it (Terrestrial) vs. not receiving it (Telestial) –
(see D&C 76:51, 74, 79, 82).
