Salvation

Volume Three—Chapter Seven SALVATION

#The “Estates” of Our Eternal Existence

We may summarize all periods of our eternal existence:

Our first estate consisted of our “premortal” or “pre-existent” life. It consisted of two phases: (1) prior to our spirit birth when we existed as individual intelligences, and (2) following our spirit birth—after our intelligences were embodied with spirit matter. Then we existed as “spirits.”

Our second estate began at the moment we were born to mortal parents or perhaps at the moment of conception. During that birth, our spirit united with a body of mortal matter, a “physical” body. At death we lay that physical body down and return to being a spirit. The second estate consists of our life here on earth plus our life in the world of spirits following this earth life. This estate ends at the moment of our resurrection.

Our third estate begins at the moment of our resurrection and continues forever. The combination of our spirit with a body (mortal or immortal) is called our “soul”—the soul of man (D&C 88:15-16). Our soul thus consists of three elements: (1) our intelligence, (2) a body of spirit matter, and (3) a mortal or resurrected body.

#Resurrection

Resurrection is the combination of our spirit with a body of immortal matter. Nothing of mortal matter comes forth in the resurrection. Hence, we receive a new and eternal body. The immortal body will not age or deteriorate and will continue forever. As far as we know, it is not subject to illness or accident. Or, if it is subject to accidental damage, it will have the ability to perfectly reconstitute or right itself. The immortal, resurrected body is tangible and visually perceptible to the mortal human being. Since our “soul” is our spirit plus a body, our resurrection constitutes the “redemption of the soul” (D&C 88:15-16). We are “redeemed” or saved by resurrection, because the only alternative to resurrection is spending eternity as a spirit or intelligence in outer darkness (Nephi 9:8-9). Resurrection, then, provides a body for our spirit, and we live forever as a rescued or “redeemed” soul.

In the theology of Judaism and some Christian denominations, resurrection has often been spiritualized. Thereby, the true nature of resurrection has been altered or redefined. According to this spiritualized version, “resurrection” is only a symbol or metaphor for the eternal form of man’s active intellect or “soul.” The soul is usually considered to be an immaterial entity.

When are we resurrected? For a review of the sequence of resurrections, see “When Are We Resurrected” in volume 2, chapter 13, The Spirit World.

Who will be resurrected? Jesus Christ was the first to be resurrected. By virtue of his atoning sacrifice and death, each earthly mortal will unconditionally be resurrected. Resurrection is as universal as death. All mortals must die. All will be resurrected. Resurrection is a free gift to all men. The Book of Mormon prophet Amulek declared, “Now this restoration [resurrection] shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous” (Alma 11:44; cf. TPJS, 199-200, 294-297, 310-311, 319-321, 324-326). Those who lived a mortal life and are bound for outer darkness are not exceptions. Only Satan and his “third part” of the hosts of heaven who rebelled in the premortal world will not be resurrected.

Eventually the Lord’s atonement will reclaim all from hell (the spirit world). All will be resurrected and inherit a kingdom of glory. The only exceptions are those few who fail to repent and remain “filthy still” (D&C 88:35). While they will be resurrected, they, along with Satan and his minions, will become sons of perdition and live together forever in outer darkness (D&C 76:43-44).

Only the partakers of outer darkness are given to know anything about that awful fate (D&C 76:45-46). The Lord spoke of the sons of perdition:

Thus saith the Lord concerning all those who know my power, and have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power—They are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom I say that it had been better for them never to have been born; For they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity; Concerning whom I have said there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come—Having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, having crucified him unto themselves and put him to an open shame. These are they who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels—And the only ones on whom the second death shall have any power; Yea, verily, the only ones who shall not be redeemed in the due time of the Lord, after the sufferings of his wrath. For all the rest shall be brought forth by the resurrection of the dead, through the triumph and the glory of the Lamb, who was slain, who was in the bosom of the Father before the worlds were made (D&C 76:31-39).

I will mention here that the term “second death” is used in two ways in scripture, particularly in the Book of Mormon. Here its meaning is clear. It refers to that place of eternal damnation where Satan and his sons live or to the process of being condemned to that place (see also Alma 12:16,32; 13:30; and Helaman 14:18-19). More commonly, however, the term “second death” is used to refer to the spiritual death or that separation from God which may be suffered by mortals due to their sins. This second death is permanent unless the individual is redeemed through the Savior’s atonement.

Once any being is resurrected, he will never return again to a mortal state (Romans 6:9). He will never again suffer death, and thus never return to being a disembodied spirit.

Embodiment—an advantage or a disadvantage? We know that embodiment of any kind (spirit birth, mortal birth, resurrection) adds new vistas of freedom to the individual. Embodiment introduces the individual to additional choices and possibilities. The ultimate embodiment, resurrection with a celestial body, provides the individual with the ultimate eternal possibilities. Each successive type of body is a step toward perfection. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that all beings “who have tabernacles (bodies), have power over those who have not” (TPJS, 190; 2 Nephi 9:8). We may conclude that physical, intellectual, and spiritual powers are enhanced by association with the flesh: “Spirit and element [the spirit and an immortal body], inseparably connected, [can] receive a fulness of joy. And when separated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy” (D&C 93:33-34).

It therefore makes sense that the long absence of the spirit from the body, as experienced by some spirits in the spirit world as they await resurrection, is viewed not as a beatific or blessed state, but instead as a bondage (D&C 45:17; 138:50).

Contrary to the truth, Platonism and Gnosticism hold that embodiment is imprisonment, a limitation; that bodies are intrinsically evil. According to these disciplines, the ultimate freedom is to be free from our bodies.

Resurrected beings—“flesh and bone” not “flesh and blood.” Speaking of resurrected beings, Joseph Smith taught that when the eternal flesh is quickened by the Spirit there will be “spirit in their [veins] and not blood” (The Words of Joseph Smith, 270; see also TPJS, 367). Hence, the phrase “flesh and blood” is associated only with mortality. An eternal resurrected body is referred to as “flesh and bone.”

The “age” of the resurrected being. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith responded to the question:

“Is a person resurrected to appear at the same age as that to which he or she had attained when the body was laid down? I realize that children who die will be raised as children for there is no growth in the grave, but will some appear to be thirty years old and some eighty or one hundred, in the resurrection?”

Answer: There is no reason for any person to be concerned as to the appearance of individuals in the resurrection. Death is a purifying process as far as the body is concerned. We have reason to believe that the appearance of old age will disappear and the body will be restored with the full vigor of manhood and womanhood. Children will arise as children, for there is no growth in the grave. Children will continue to grow until they reach the full stature of their spirits. Anything contrary to this would be inconsistent. When our bodies are restored, they will appear to be in the full vigor of manhood and womanhood, for the condition of physical weakness will all be left behind in the grave (Answers to Gospel Questions, 4:185-89).

Joseph Smith laid part of the groundwork for Elder Joseph Fielding Smith’s answer when he taught, “All men will come from the grave as they lie down, whether old or young” (TPJS, 199). President Joseph F. Smith added: “The body will come forth as it is laid to rest, for there is no growth nor development in the grave. As it is laid down, so will it arise, and changes to perfection will come by the law of restitution. But the spirit will continue to expand and develop, and the body, after the resurrection will develop to the full stature of man” (Editor’s Table, Improvement Era, June 1904, 623- 24).

It would seem that some ambiguity and uncertainty remains as we sort through the revealed information concerning the status and “age” of the spirits in the spirit world and the “age” of the newly resurrected body. Those in the spirit world prior to their resurrection are “in the grave.” The thoughtful student might well wonder whether or not it is logical to suppose that children who die will live out their sojourn in the spirit world as children. All spirits were fully “adult” when they departed the first estate. And many have resided and will yet reside in the spirit world for a lengthy period. Does it make sense that they will remain as children and not progress to adulthood? Will they really be resurrected as children? We must wait and see to discover the full truth of these doctrines.

Is anything of the former physical body involved in the resurrection? Among members of the Church, one idea smolders in the background: In the resurrection the mortal body is somehow involved in the process of resurrection. Some have the idea that in the resurrection, the mortal body comes forth from the grave and then somehow changes into a perfect resurrected body. This idea is encumbered with some obvious inherent problems. The status of mortal bodies at the time of resurrection will be variable. Some bodies are cremated and scattered. Some are badly damaged or even completely destroyed. All are decomposed to variable degrees. It seems more likely that at the moment of resurrection, the spirit will be combined directly with an eternal body of immortal matter (celestial, terrestrial, telestial, or perdition). The mortal body probably does not enter into the process of resurrection in any way.

I have stated my opinions regarding the “age” of the individual at resurrection and whether or not the former physical body is involved in the resurrection. These subjects will be discussed again in chapter 9, The Judgments.

Types of resurrected bodies. The resurrected body will be suited to the conditions and glory of the kingdom for which the individual is judged worthy. We read in modern scripture, “Your glory shall be that glory by which your bodies are quickened” (D&C 88:28). “Some dwell in higher glory than others” (TPJS, 367). Three degrees of glory are designated: celestial, terrestrial, and telestial (D&C 76). The three degrees differ figuratively, as do the sun, the moon, and the stars as perceived from earth. “So also is the resurrection of the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:40-42). A realm of no glory is also mentioned—that of the sons of perdition. Thus, we may assume that all will come forth with one of four types of eternal immortal bodies: a celestial body, a terrestrial body, a telestial body, or a “perdition” body. There is some reason to believe that the latter body may eventually experience dissolution.1

The celestial body will, of course, be composed of celestial matter. It will tolerate the conditions of great glory (possibly extreme heat and light) present in the celestial realm. It will also be capable of all of the things expected of a celestial being. Corresponding characteristics also apply to the terrestrial and telestial bodies. Terrestrial and telestial bodies will be suited to conditions of their respective kingdoms of glory. Neither will be able to tolerate a celestial setting.

#Three Degrees of Glory

In the third estate there are “many mansions” (John 14:2). There are various levels of salvation because there are various levels of belief and works among people (D&C 76:99-101). There will be as many degrees of glory among the mansions of the Father as there are degrees of individual behavior among the saved. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “If God rewarded every one according to the deeds done in the body the term ‘Heaven’ as intended for the Saints’ eternal home, must include more kingdoms than one” (TPJS, 10-11).

In the resurrection of the body, all except the sons of perdition are assigned to one of three broad divisions called kingdoms or glories commensurate with the law they have been inclined to obey and with what they have truly become in their hearts. These kingdoms of glory are the celestial, terrestrial, and telestial, though we may expect divisions within each. The apostle Paul referred to the first two glories, celestial and terrestrial, but the third is not named in the Bible (1 Corinthians 15:40-41; cf. D&C 76:70-81, 96-98).

Celestial (Latin coelestis from ceolum, “heaven”) refers to God’s heaven. Terrestrial (Latin terrestris, from terra, “the earth”) means “akin to the earth.” Telestial is an LDS term, first used by the Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon in reporting a vision they received on February 16, 1832 (D&C 76). The Greek tele means “far” and is akin to the Greek telos meaning “end.” Thus, telestial may mean something like “the farthest or most distant kingdom.”

All except the devil, his angels, and those who become sons of perdition during mortal life will be assigned to one of the three kingdoms of glory. All are said to be saved in a kingdom of glory. This is one definition of salvation. The devil and his followers will be assigned a kingdom without glory. We refer to this kingdom as perdition or outer darkness (D&C 76:25-39; 88:24, 32-35). They are not saved from Satan’s clutches.

Celestial glory. The highest degree of heavenly glory is the celestial kingdom. Here will abide all those who have evidenced a celestial degree of obedience to the Lord’s commands and have become “celestial” beings. Celestial obedience is an eager willingness to enter into covenants with the Lord and a determination to keep those covenants. No sacrifice is too great. It is a righteous longing for God and for things of the Spirit, a constant seeking for greater light. It is a profound dissatisfaction with anything less. Ironically, celestial persons, in their hearts are focused on the eternal welfare of others and not on their own (Matthew 10:39).

The scriptures hint at different privileges and powers within this kingdom. Celestials are those who overcome all things through faith in Christ and are “made perfect through Jesus” (D&C 76:69). They become sons and daughters of God and receive his image and glory. They will be comfortable and thrive in a setting where celestial law is the standard. They will glory in the presence of other like-minded individuals.

Divisions within the celestial kingdom are discussed below (see “Degrees within the celestial kingdom”). Those who attain the highest level in the Celestial Kingdom receive exaltation and become joint heirs with Christ of all that the Father has (cf. Romans 8:14-17; D&C 76:50-70; 84:33-39; 132:19-25). They are called “gods, even the sons of God” (in the sense of Psalm 82:6 and John 10:34-36). They will enjoy continuing family relationships, both with the Godhead (as sons and daughters) and with their own faithful spouses, children, and other descendants to whom they have been sealed forever (D&C 76:50-70).

Celestial glory will hopefully be the fate of many in the Church, but it is not reserved for the LDS alone. There, will also be welcomed those good people of every religious persuasion, or of no religious persuasion at all, who never had an adequate opportunity to hear or understand the gospel during their mortal lives, but who would have accepted it if they had. These will be judged worthy of paradise at death and will receive a celestial resurrection and celestial glory (D&C 137:5-9).

Following the millennial thousand years, the earth will ultimately be celestialized. It will become “like unto crystal and will be a Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon” (D&C 130:9). When this occurs, both the Father and the Son will rule over this planet, and those who dwell upon it will enjoy their direct presence. This earth will be a heaven to its celestial inhabitants.

Terrestrial glory. The inhabitants of the terrestrial kingdom are described as the honorable people of the earth, the “righteous,” who received a testimony of Jesus but were not inclined to be sufficiently valiant in that testimony. Obedience to all the principles and ordinances of the gospel was and is not their wont (D&C 76:71-80).

The scriptures say of them: they “were blinded by the craftiness of men” (D&C 76:75). Also, they are those who “died without law” (D&C 76:72). These descriptions may be a bit misleading since the facts that they were misled on earth or didn’t have the opportunity to hear and accept the gospel don’t really play a role in their becoming celestial individuals. They are judged as being worthy of terrestrial glory because they are honorable but are not inclined to accept the fulness of the gospel. They would be eternally uncomfortable trying to live the celestial law. The terrestrial law is just right or eternally “tolerable for them” (D&C 45:54). They obtain not “the crown over the kingdom of our God” (D&C 76:79) and remain without exaltation in their saved condition (D&C 132:17). The terrestrial kingdom is also for those members of the Church who knew the “fulness of the gospel” in life but were not “valiant” in their commitment to Christ (D&C 76:79).

The terrestrials’ lot in eternity is to dwell with Jesus in glory forever, but without enjoying the separate presence of the Father. Nor will they enjoy continuing family relationships, eternal offspring, or the opportunity for endless spiritual progression. The glory of the terrestrial kingdom differs from the celestial as the light we see from the moon differs from that of the sun in glory. There is no mention of different degrees or levels in the terrestrial kingdom. It is reasonable to assume, as in the celestial kingdom, there may be individuals there (and in the telestial heaven) who will differ from one another in glory (see D&C 76:98).

This kingdom is a near perfect approximation of what many in the evangelical Protestant world expect heaven to be like: the presence of one divine being—the Son— representing both the Father and the Son, no marriage or other family ties, glory beyond mortal comprehension, but with no chance of becoming literally like Christ. This means that if LDS doctrine of the afterlife turns out to be accurate, most Evangelicals will still get just about what they had expected!

Telestial glory. The telestial kingdom is the lowest of the three degrees of glory to be inhabited by God’s children in the afterlife following the resurrection. It embraces those who were wicked in the flesh but who, like the prodigal son, in some sense and to some degree turned to Christ in their suffering between death and resurrection. On earth they were inclined to willfully rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ. They committed serious sins such as murder, adultery, lying, and loving to make a lie (but yet did not commit the unpardonable sin), and they were not inclined to repent in mortality. They will be cleansed in the postmortal spirit world or spirit prison before the resurrection (D&C 76:81-85, 98-106; Revelation 22:15). They are judged unworthy of being resurrected at the second coming of Christ and are given additional time in “hell” (spirit prison) to repent and prepare themselves for a later resurrection and placement into a kingdom of lesser glory. During this period, they learn to abide by laws they once rejected. They will bow the knee and confess their dependence on Jesus Christ. Yet, they still do not receive the fulness of the gospel.

At the end of the Millennium, they are brought out of “hell” and are resurrected in the second resurrection to a telestial glory. There, “they shall be servants of the Most High; but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end” (D&C 76:112). However, they do receive “of the Holy Spirit through the ministration of the terrestrial” (D&C 76:86). Though differing in glory from the terrestrial and celestial kingdoms as the light we perceive from the stars differs from that from the moon and the sun, the glory of the telestial kingdom still “surpasses all understanding” (see D&C 76:81-90, 98-112; 88:100-101).

#Eternal Life

Difference between immortality and eternal life. All intelligences in God’s universe will live forever. Existence is an absolute characteristic of all intelligences, along with agency. To describe this everlasting life, we in the Church use the term “immortality.” Immortality means to live forever. “Eternal life” is a richer term. It means more than living forever. It refers to the quality and duration of life. It means to live forever in the celestial presence of God and live as he lives. It means to progress forever toward becoming like him. Eternal life is “the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7). It is available to all people who have lived on earth who qualify for this gift by their obedience to God’s laws and ordinances.

The scriptures sometimes define the prerequisite for eternal life as “knowing” the Father and the Son: “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3; D&C 132:24). The essence of knowing the Father and the Son is accepting and obeying their commands and being incrementally blessed to receive their divine attributes by personal revelation. It is to become like them. The apostle Paul perceived the awesome magnificence of eternal life and wrote, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Degrees within the celestial kingdom. In 1832 the Lord revealed to the Church in section 76, that “heaven,” the dwelling place of the saved, consists of three broad degrees of glory (celestial, terrestrial, and telestial). Of these three, the presence of the Father could only be enjoyed in the highest, or celestial, glory. Eleven years later in 1843 the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith, “In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees” (D&C 131:1). Other than the information in D&C 131:2, the Lord has revealed nothing about the conditions or requirements for those who are qualified to enter these three celestial degrees. That verse says: “And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage].” This last part of verse 2 (in brackets) was added by Orson Pratt in the 1876 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. The term “new and everlasting covenant,” in its fullest sense, is the complete gospel of Jesus Christ (see

D&C 66:2) with all its principles and ordinances. It is obvious here, however, that Orson Pratt intended to refer to eternal marriage.

D&C 131:4 suggests that in the eternities, there will be some individuals who will be content to live in God’s celestial heaven but will not wish to continue on to godhood. They will choose to remain single in the eternities. Certainly, this choice is within the prerogatives of all admitted to the celestial kingdom. He (or she), then, may enter one of the lesser two degrees of the celestial kingdom but may not be exalted in the highest degree. He or she will not have progeny in the eternities. This verse reads, “He may enter into the other [one of the other two], but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase.” One consequence of this choice would be an inability to have increase, or spirit children. Without the ability to become heavenly parents, we cannot continue following in the path of our own Heavenly Parents.

Joseph Smith taught on another occasion: “Except a man and his wife enter into an everlasting covenant and be married for eternity, while in this probation, by the power and authority of the Holy Priesthood, they will cease to increase when they die; that is, they will not have any children after the resurrection” (HC, 5:391; see also D&C 132:16-17, 19-21). It would be illogical to assume that Joseph’s use of the term “this probation” refers to this earth life alone. Certainly there are those among us worthy and desirous of exaltation who never marry during this life because they do not have the opportunity. They would have married had they had the chance. Surely these will have the opportunity to be sealed to a companion following this life if they so choose. One also wonders whether the decision of a righteous soul not to marry is final, once it is made. Perhaps some “ministering angels” in heaven will change their minds in the eternities and eventually decide to enter into their exaltation—into the process of becoming gods.

We are given to know little about the three degrees in the celestial kingdom. There is no scriptural explanation of those who go to the two lower categories of the Celestial Kingdom except that they “are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever,” ministering servants who “remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity” (D&C 132:16-17).

Exaltation. Apparently exaltation means to be judged worthy of the highest degree of the celestial kingdom. This exalted status is available to be received by a man and wife. It means not only living in God’s presence, but receiving power to do as God does, including the power to bear children after the resurrection (TPJS, 300-301; D&C 132:19). All church ordinances lead toward exaltation. The essential crowning ordinances are the endowment and the eternal marriage covenant of the temple (D&C 132).

Eternal lives—eternal increase. “Eternal lives” is a term that refers to the right and power to beget children after the resurrection. It is granted to those who are exalted in the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom. A husband and wife, married in the new and everlasting covenant and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise under the proper priesthood authority, are promised they shall inherit “thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers.” Their “glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever” (D&C 132:19). They are likened to gods, having no end. They share in the promises of eternal posterity made to Abraham and Sarah: “Both in the world and out of the world should they continue as innumerable as the stars” (D&C 132:30). Brigham Young, in 1862, spoke of “eternal lives,” stating that the opportunity to become heirs to all things, and to become a “King of kings and Lord of lords . . . is promised to the faithful, and are but so many stages in that ceaseless progression of eternal lives. . . . There will be no end to the increase of the faithful” (JD, 10:5).

Everlasting burnings. We sometimes get the idea that the wicked will live forever in a place of fire and burnings. However, a careful reading of the scripture and careful attention to the teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith turns this idea around completely. We know that the resurrection will endow all men (except the sons of perdition) with a measure of glory proportionate to their individual spiritual capacities. Even the glory of the telestial—the least of the Father’s kingdoms—“surpasses all understanding” (D&C 76:89). All immortals must be enveloped in glory if they are to enjoy any degree of his presence in eternity. To receive a fulness of the Father’s “consuming fire” is to be bathed in celestial powers. “It is,” said the Prophet Joseph, to “come to dwell in unity, and in all the glory and everlasting burnings of the Gods” (TPJS, 172-73). To do this, we must be able to tolerate the Lord’s fulness. Then we will be blessed to comprehend all things (D&C 88:67). The degree to which we can endure the presence of God determines the degree to which we can become one with him. It also determines our capacity for happiness or joy (D&C 93:33; 76:96-98; Helaman 5:44; cf. 1 Peter 1:8).

The possibility of our dwelling in “everlasting burnings” remains incompletely explained and most intriguing. Isaiah asked the question: “Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?” (Isaiah 33:14). The prophet Alma wrote of those who inherit eternal life: “And then shall the righteous shine forth in the kingdom of God” (Alma 40:25, italics added). The apostle Paul wrote: “For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:9).

Joseph Smith wrote of the eventual fate of the righteous. “Here, then, is eternal life—to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power (TPJS, 346-47, italics added). On another occasion Joseph wrote: “Some shall rise to the everlasting burning of God; for God dwells in everlasting burnings” (HC, 6:317). Other phrases used by the Prophet in describing God include “circling flames of fire” (D&C 137:2) and “consuming fire” (HC, 6:366). Parley P. Pratt, in discussing his view of God, which view he received from the prophet Joseph, wrote: “God sits enthroned in the midst of his creations and is filled and encircled with light unapproachable by those of lower spheres” (Key to the Science of Theology, 115).

Certainly, the description of eternal life with God as dwelling in “everlasting burnings” may be purely metaphorical. Perhaps it refers to his light and glory which will envelop us in his presence. Fire signifies transformation, freedom, purity and power. One may, however, raise the question as to whether or not the phrase “everlasting burnings” might contain an element of literal meaning. Might those who inherit celestial glory live on or near a great star? Might man’s celestial body be required to tolerate the great heat and light of God’s celestial dwelling place? We simply do not have answers to these most provocative questions.

#Heaven

The word heaven is used in the Church, but not as often as it would be if we didn’t have substitute terms. Heaven has a few different meanings in the Church, including: (1) the place where God resides (Matthew 6:9; Alma 18:30); (2) the eternal dwelling place of the righteous in the hereafter (Matthew 6:20; 1 Peter 1:4); (3) the type of life enjoyed by heavenly beings; and (4) the kingdoms of glory. Alternate terms for heaven include celestial kingdom, eternal life, exaltation, and the kingdoms or degrees of glory.

#Salvation

Salvation is another word used in the Church, but with some reluctance, because it is ambiguous. Its use sometimes results in confusion. Even when the word and its various usages are completely understood, its use often fails to precisely define a person’s eternal reward or fate. Let us explore the meanings of this interesting word.

Safe from all our enemies. Joseph Smith provided us with a general definition of the term salvation: “Salvation is for a man to be saved from all his enemies” (The Words of Joseph Smith, 205-07). In other words, salvation means to be placed beyond the power of all our enemies. Joseph continued and explained that these “enemies” are death, hell, and the devil (HC, 5:387-88, 403). Let us define precisely who is “saved” according to this general definition.

An individual is saved from the devil if he lives eternally apart from Satan and his influence. This would include all those in the three degrees of glory. It is a bit more difficult to know specifically what Joseph had in mind by “death” and “hell,” but we can speculate. “Death” is physical death or separation of body and spirit. It is desirable to live forever with an eternal body (D&C 93:33-34). All mortals, good or evil, will be resurrected with an eternal body. This resurrection is an unconditional gift of the Lord’s atonement. Thus all mortals are eventually saved from death. As already mentioned above, the question has previously been raised as to whether or not mortals who tragically fail to qualify for a kingdom of glory might eventually experience dissolution of their resurrected bodies. Thus, might it be that those mortals condemned to outer darkness are not free of death? The word “hell,” in LDS theology, is mostly used to refer to either spirit prison or outer darkness. Since spirit prison ceases to exist after the resurrection of all men, the only eternal hell we know of is the mysterious and foreboding eternal fate of Satan and his minions we call outer darkness. Thus, by this definition, all are saved who do not live in outer darkness. All who inherit celestial, terrestrial, or telestial glory are heirs of salvation. Salvation, thus, includes various degrees or levels of salvation.

Though they are unusual, there are some scriptural usages based on this general definition. Most always, as will be discussed further below, when the word “salvation” appears in scripture, it refers to celestial resurrection. In D&C 76:43-44, the Lord is discussing the sons of perdition who will go with Satan forever into outer darkness. He teaches that through Jesus’s atonement, all mankind will be saved except for the sons of perdition. Referring to himself in this passage, the Lord says, “Who glorifies the Father, and saves all the works of his hands, except those sons of perdition who deny the Son after the Father has revealed him. Wherefore, he saves all except them—they shall go away into everlasting punishment, which is endless punishment, which is eternal punishment, to reign with the devil and his angels in eternity, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, which is their torment.” Also, in D&C 76:88, the Lord teaches that those who inherit the telestial kingdom are saved. He points out that they are not heirs of the fulness of Christ, but they do enjoy the ministrations of the Holy Ghost through the teaching of ministering angels: “And also the telestial receive it [the ministrations of the Spirit] of the administering of angels who are appointed to minister for them, or who are appointed to be ministering spirits for them; for they shall be heirs of salvation.” Finally, in D&C 132:17, the Lord teaches that the “ministering angels” in the celestial kingdom, those who choose to remain single rather than marry for eternity, will be saved but not exalted: “For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.”

Salvation meaning “exaltation.” With few exceptions, the word salvation is used in the scriptures and in the church homily (writings of church authorities) to mean exaltation in the celestial kingdom. A few examples include: “There is no gift greater than the gift of salvation” (D&C 6:13); or “There is no salvation outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” (Mormon Doctrine, 670); or “Salvation consists in the glory, authority, majesty, power, and dominion which Jehovah possesses and in nothing else” (Lectures on Faith, 63-67). Even our own third Article of Faith intends this meaning when it states: “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.” This more specific definition of salvation is sometimes emphasized by using the term “fulness of salvation.”

The word redemption is synonymous with salvation. It also has general and specific meanings that correspond to those corresponding meanings of salvation.

Another meaning of being saved is to be free from the darkness or free from being ignorant of God the Father, his Son Jesus Christ, the purpose of life, and of the potential eternal destiny of humankind. The gospel of Jesus Christ has provided for us this salvation. “I am the light of the world,” Jesus taught, “he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12; see also John 12:46).

#The Blessing of Earthly Salvation

It is notable that the modern orthodox Christians today (Evangelicals) seem to almost have a “leg up” in their peace of mind and spiritual security over the LDS people. While we know they are saddled with a lack of divine authority and with incomplete and flawed doctrines, they lay claim to feelings of being “saved” while they are still here on earth. Their churches teach them they may be “saved” simply by virtue of their one-time confession of and acceptance of Christ. They claim to enjoy a state of “salvation” while

still here on earth.

Most of us in the Church look forward to our salvation as something yet in the future and not something that has already been finalized and realized. We are puzzled by the Evangelicals claims of “being saved.” Are the blessings and assurances of salvation (exaltation) enjoyed only following the resurrection? Can they be enjoyed by members of the Lord’s Church here on earth? This blessing is, indeed, available and comes when a mortal receives a spiritual reassurance that he or she is on track to be exalted. We recognize more than one form of this blessing.

Calling and election made sure. The first is in association with having one’s

calling and election made sure. The beneficiary of this great blessing may well be assured that he is on the right track. He will know he is headed for the celestial heaven. However, no one is absolved of the responsibility of faithfully enduring to the end. It is always possible to fall from grace. If those who have received this supernal blessing do persist in righteousness, they know assuredly that if they were to die suddenly, their salvation (exaltation) is secure. Thus, they are saved, or, to put it another way, they are living in a saved condition. They are blessed to live with the assurance they are saved. Thus, there is a condition or state you and I may attain unto in this mortal life in which salvation hereafter is promised. The day of judgment has essentially been advanced.

The gift of hope—the “rest of the Lord.” But is there any way to know we are saved other than receiving the more sure word of prophecy? It appears there is. We previously discussed the gift of hope. This is a state of peace, comfort, and reassurance available to those who have entered into solemn and sacred covenants with the Lord, promising to obey his commandments. These individuals are consistently striving to overcome their natural selves and obey the commandments. These are the individuals who have been “born again” through baptism into Christ’s earthly kingdom. They are spiritually begotten sons and daughters of Jesus Christ (Mosiah 5:7; 15:9-13; 27:25). They renew this “rebirth” each Sabbath day as they partake of the sacrament.

This is the spiritual gift of hope, a gift of the Spirit available incrementally over time to diligent and obedient saints. Modern revelation attests: “But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come” (D&C 59:23). Also, “Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me” (D&C 19:23). “Peace” in these passages refers to the gift of hope—the revealed assurance that one is “okay” in the eternal future. The gift of hope makes available to mortals the blessings of salvation here on earth. It provides the opportunity to live in a “saved” condition while yet in mortality.

Brother Robert L. Millet wrote of the gift of hope:

Living in a state of salvation does not entail an inordinate self-

confidence but rather a hope in Christ. To hope in our modern world is to wish, to worry, to fret about some particular outcome. In the scriptures, however, hope is expectation, anticipation, and assurance. Faith in Christ, true faith [both deliberate and revealed faith], always gives rise to hope in Christ. “And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal” (Moroni 7:41). To have faith in Christ is to have the assurance that as we rely wholly upon his merits and mercy and trust in his redeeming grace, we will make it (see 2 Nephi 31:19; Moroni 6:4). . . . In short, living in a state of salvation is living in the quiet assurance that God is in his heaven, Christ is the Lord, and that the plan of redemption is real and in active operation in our personal lives. It is not to be totally free of weakness, but to proceed confidently in the Savior’s promise that in him we shall find strength to overcome, as well as rest and peace, here and hereafter (Selected Writings of Robert L. Millet: Gospel Scholars Series, 514-528).).

The reassuring presence of the Holy Ghost. Brother Robert L. Millet spoke of yet another level of reassurance short of being sealed up to eternal life and even short of the revealed gift of hope. It is another mechanism for his allowing us to feel “saved” here on earth:

I can recall vividly the fear and awful anxiety that my wife, Shauna, and I felt when we decided to purchase our first home. We had no money in savings, only a steady job that did not bring a great income. Yet we knew that we had to get started some time if we ever hoped to become homeowners. We determined to start slowly. A dear friend of ours, a fellow seminary teacher, located a place for us in his neighborhood. Another seminary teacher friend offered to lend us the down payment. It was at this time that Shauna and I became acquainted with the concept of “earnest money.” We made a goodwill payment to the owner of the home, a small amount, to be sure, but an amount sufficient to evidence our seriousness about purchasing the place. That amount was called the earnest money. It was a token payment, a gesture indicating our desire to acquire that home, a promissory note of sorts.

God works with us in a similar way. He communicates to us that we are following a proper course by sending his Spirit. The Holy Ghost thus represents God’s “earnest money” on us, his down payment, his goodwill gesture and assurance to us that he is serious about saving us and that one day he will own us and claim us fully as his. “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). “Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given us the earnest of the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 5:5). The Apostle Paul wrote that the Saints had trusted in Christ, “after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14). In short, the same Spirit that eventually seals us up unto eternal life places a seal of approval upon our lives here and now. Though the fulness of the blessings of eternal life are not available until the world to come, the peace and rest and hope that are harbingers of those unspeakably sweet blessings can and should be ours in this world.

There is, then, a sense in which we can know our standing with the Lord. If we are living in such a way that the Holy Ghost can dwell with us, then we are in covenant, on course, in Christ. If we are doing all we can to cultivate the gift and gifts of the Spirit, we are living in what might be called a saved condition. President David O. McKay observed that “the gospel of Jesus Christ, as revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, is in very deed, in every way, the power of God unto salvation. It is salvation here— here and now. It gives to every man the perfect life, here and now, as well as hereafter” (Gospel Ideals, 6) (Alive in Christ: The Miracle of Spiritual Rebirth, 170).

President Brigham Young added:

I want present salvation. I preach, comparatively, but little about the eternities and Gods, and their wonderful works in eternity; and do not tell who first made them, nor how they were made; for I know nothing about that. Life is for us, and it is for us to receive it to-day, and not wait for the millennium. Let us take a course to be saved to-day, and, when evening comes, review the acts of the day, repent of our sins, if we have any to repent of, and say our prayers; then we can lie down and sleep in peace until the morning, arise with gratitude to God, commence the labours of another day, and strive to live the whole day to God and nobody else” (JD, 8:124-25).

Elder Dallin H. Oaks contributed to this discussion:

To Latter-day Saints, the words saved and salvation in this teaching signify a present covenant relationship with Jesus Christ in which we are assured salvation from the consequences of sin if we are obedient. Every sincere Latter-day Saints is “saved” according to this meaning. We have been converted to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, we have experienced repentance and baptism, and we are renewing our covenants of baptism by partaking of the sacrament (“Have You Been Saved?” Ensign, May 1998, 55).

#Paul’s References to Salvation

Controversy between the LDS and Evangelicals has resulted over the interpretation of words with which Paul taught the early Christians. Consider for example: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

Two separate issues are raised. First, what type of salvation did Paul have in mind when wrote these words? Second, did Paul mean to say that merely confessing Christ with one’s mouth, in and of itself, is all that is necessary to earn one’s salvation?5

See “Do the Sons of Perdition Live Forever in a Resurrected Body?” in volume 2, chapter 13, The Spirit World.

2 For further discussion of the Evangelical Christian confession, see “The Christian Confession—Becoming Saved” in volume 4, chapter 10, Grace and Works.

3 See a discussion of this phenomenon in volume 2, chapter 16, Calling and Election Made Sure.

See “The Rest of the Lord” in volume 1, chapter 17, Justification and Sanctification.

For further discussion of both these questions, see “How Can We Explain Paul’s Teachings” in volume 4, chapter 10, Grace and Works.