D&C 76:89 and the Three Kingdoms

[HoosierGuy]

I'm teaching the Gospel Principles class this Sunday and it's over the Final Judgment and the three Kingdoms. I have a few questions...

What does D&C 76:89 mean -

89 And thus we saw, in the heavenly vision, the glory of the telestial, which surpasses all understanding;

Is this saying that even the TelestialKingdom will be more glorious than
we can imagine? I know the CelestialKingdom will be more glorious than we can imagine, but does that go for the Terrestrial and TelestialKingdoms too? Not that I care about those two lesser kingdoms. I want to go to the CelestialKingdom and Exaltation. But for the discussion on Sunday, I would like to know about those other two Kingdoms.

Thanks!

[BenRaines]

There is a quote somewhere that says. If we could see the telestial kingdom we would kill ourselves to go there because it is so much better there than it is here.


Ben Raines

[ninjormon]

The telestial kingdom will be part of the literal kingdom of heaven, encompassed by the glory of the celestial and terrestrial kingdoms, it will be a lesser glory but it will have a degree of glory. The people that end up there will have been taught and learned either in this life or in the spirit world and accept the principals of the gospel and live right, there they will have an understanding that they lack in this life. There will be order and they will work together. They will know many things that are unkown to us right now, they will have a full understanding of grace and the goodness of God that they lacked here. I dont know exactly where it will be but the state will be better than where we are now to the point that it is much more lovely and desirable than anything on earth but we know that there is still something better.

[skylercollins]

Originally Posted by HoosierGuy

I'm teaching the Gospel Principles class this Sunday and it's over the Final Judgment and the three Kingdoms. I have a few questions...

What does D&C 76:89 mean -

89 And thus we saw, in the heavenly vision, the glory of the telestial, which surpasses all understanding;

Is this saying that even the TelestialKingdom will be more glorious than
we can imagine? I know the CelestialKingdom will be more glorious than we can imagine, but does that go for the Terrestrial and TelestialKingdoms too? Not that I care about those two lesser kingdoms. I want to go to the CelestialKingdom and Exaltation. But for the discussion on Sunday, I would like to know about those other two Kingdoms.

Thanks!

I googled and found this article that has several GA quotes on that section. Page 4 has the relevant quotes for this thread.

http://emp.byui.edu/SATTERFIELDB/PDF.../Telestial.pdf

[tomk]

I agree, our focus should be on the Celestial Kingdom.

Why do the other Kingdoms exist? Because God is in the salvation business, not the condemnation business. He wants to give us the best possible life after the resurrection that we can have. A gift is a gift is a gift. All we choose is how GOOD a gift we are willing to receive. Not everyone is willing to humble themselves. A full third of the hosts of heaven chose NOT to continue on to mortality!! It stands to reason that, due to their influence, many here will not keep their second estate.

The thing I would stress is - WE choose it. WE do, not God!! If we "end-up" in the Terrestrial and Telestial Kingdoms, it will be by a wide margin. We WILL belong in those Kingdoms! Those who suggest that we will be able to progress from Kingdom to Kingdom after we are resurrected do not understand the scriptures. For when we are resurrected, we are resurrected according to the portion of the law we were willing to live here in mortality. Those who obeyed a Celestial Law will be resurrected as inhabitants of THAT Kingdom! Those who obeyed a Terrestial or Telestial law will be resurrected as inhabitants of THOSE Kingdoms! They cannot come up, because they cannot dwell there.


That is what these scriptures mean:


D&C 88: 26, 28-32, 49, 96
26 Wherefore, it shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by which it is quickened, and the righteous shall inherit it.

• • •
28 They who are of a celestial spirit shall receive the same body which was a natural body; even ye shall receive your bodies, and your glory shall be that glory by which your bodies are quickened.

29 Ye who are quickened by a portion of the celestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness.





Which I interpret to mean:

29 Ye who are quickened by a portion of the celestial glory [HERE IN MORTALITY] shall then receive of the same [WHEN YOU ARE RESURRECTED], even a fulness.





30 And they who are quickened by a portion of the terrestrial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness.

31 And also they who are quickened by a portion of the telestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness.

32 And they who remain shall also be quickened; nevertheless, they shall return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received.

• • •
49 The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not; nevertheless, the day shall come when you shall comprehend even God, being quickened in him and by him.

• • •
96 And the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him.

[rameumptom]

Yes, the Telestial Kingdom surpasses our understanding in how glorious it is.

That said, the caveat is mentioned in D&C 76. These are those who will be cast down to hell first. They will the ones who will suffer in Spirit Prison, even as Christ suffered (D&C 19), because they will not repent of their own accord.

Moroni told us that they would be happier with the damned souls in hell, than standing in the presence of God (Mormon 9:3-4), and Alma stated they would wish the rocks would cover them up and hide them from God's presence (Alma 11-12).

Their suffering will be similar to Alma's, as he suffered for 3 days and 3 nights in "exquisite" pain, until he finally was compelled to fully repent. It has been suggested that some are so sinful and stubborn that it could take them a thousand years to come around to fully embracing Christ's atonement and being released from Spirit Prison/Hell. Only then do they become candidates for a kingdom of glory.

[ninjormon]

Basically heaven is heaven no matter what kingdom you are in, the terrestrial glory is what I think most christians think of when thinking of heaven, we think of it as the celestial kingdom, no one wants to go to the telestial kingdom and isnt something we shoot for.

The earth will return to paridisical glory and house the celestial kingdom, where exactly the terrestrial/telestial kingdom will be geographically or logistically I dont know but it will be part of the kingdom. The glory it has will basically be light that is shined from the celestial kingdom. I dont remember the scripture but in the bible it says that the glory of God will light the kingdom. Think how the moon reflects the light, kinda like that but spiritually.

Anyone that accepts Christ in the spirit world and chooses to abide by the laws set forth in the kingdom of heaven will be allowed to the telestial kingdom as long as they did not do certain things with a certain mindset or spirit here. Men can teach children that certain things are correct to the point that they believe that they are doing the right thing, then they do nthinkable things, but they basically get a second chance as long as they choose to do what is right for the rest of eternity, we dont choose who gets that chance or not obviously.

[kodabear]

Originally Posted by BenRaines

There is a quote somewhere that says. If we could see the telestial kingdom we would kill ourselves to go there because it is so much better there than it is here.


Ben Raines

Joseph Smith said it

[HoosierGuy]

Originally Posted by kodabear

Joseph Smith said it

Hey, I taught the class today and said - I read some place about a quote
that goes like "If we could see the telestial kingdom we would kill ourselves to go there because it is so much better there than it is here."

One of the members smiled and said that sounds like a Mormon myth. The regular Gospel Principles teacher said it didn’t sound like it was official Church scripture or something.

Did Joseph Smith really say that? Can you find the quote online?

Thanks!

Oh, also became a Ward Missionary today and my Bishop and Stake President set me apart! I tell you - the words my Bishop speaks are so powerful. I've been asking myself - when I get the Melchizedek Priesthood, how will I ever give powerful blessings like my two Bishops give? They are so full of powerful words it amazes me.

[HoosierGuy]

Ok, just talked to a missionary on the phone. I asked him and he said he heard his dad say that before but he's been hesitant to mention it while on his mission because he doesn’t want people to say - ok, I'll kill myself to get to the TelestialKingdom.