Will Members Of The Different Heavenly Kingdoms Get To Be Together?

[Book_of_Mormon_Warrior]

From D&C 76:

109 But behold, and lo, we saw the glory and the inhabitants of the telestial world, that they were as innumerable as the stars in the firmament of heaven, or as the sand upon the seashore;

110 And heard the voice of the Lord saying: These all shall bow the knee, and every tongue shall confess to him who sits upon the throne forever and ever;

111 For they shall be judged according to their works, and every man shall receive according to his own works, his own dominion, in the mansions which are prepared;

112 And they shall be servants of the Most High; but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end.

Speaking of the heavenly New Jerusalem...

"24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."

(Revelation 21)

[winterstar]

Am I able to re-visit this topic if I may?

I searched the forums for a issue i had with sealing and came across this one from a couple of years back.

What Traveller said seems the answer im looking for however my question's are;

What is the purpose of having children sealed to their parents, is it a physical attribute (that they can dwell with them) or more of a informative or a 'written in the book of eternity' type ordinance (covenant) as in so we can trace ancestory?

My wife introduced me to the church and her father has always told me that the most important journey is the one you are on with your companion.

Surely being sealed to your children doesn't then allow you to visit them when you please.. You would think you could do that already if you made it to Celestial Kingdom.

So yeh i guess just repeating from above, what is the purpose of sealing children to their parents.....

Bye the way, I've been a member for about 1 year and a half and have a strong tesitmony of the church, in no way am I at a cross road, just curious as I study the scriptures etc.

One purpose of sealing children to parents is so that the parent, should the child die, if the parent lives worthily they will have the chance to raise that child in the millenium. That brought my mother such comfort when she lost a child at the age of 5 in an accident.

Also, I think there are reasons we don't comprehend.

[Jamie123]

Our faith believes, not the Mormons, that the Celestrial Heaven is for those who lived out the celestrial life while on earth. They knew about the Gospel, accepted it and preached it elsewhere so others would know.

The Terrestrial are for the fine folk who led a good life, but were never given the chance to understand or hear the gospel.

The Telestrial are for those who had denied the gospel but after meeting Christ for the second time decided to claim Jesus is Lord and are therefore worthy of rightesouness.

The rest of the people all now know and have made the choice to decline God's eternal invitation and thus are thrown into the lake of fire.

My understanding is rather different:

Celestial Kingdom - those who accepted the gospel and fully lived out the covenant.

Terrestrial Kingdom - those who accepted the gospel in this life but were lukewarm, together with those who rejected the gospel but otherwise lived good lives.

Telestial Kingdom - those who rejected the gospel and/or lived wicked lives, but who paid the price for their own sins after death (by going temporarily to hell).

Outer Darkness - those who actively allied themselves with Satan and his angels.

Side note: Does anyone know meaning of the word "telestial"? The missionaries told me it's from the Latin tellus=earth, but that would give it roughly the same meaning as "terrestrial". The only alternative I can think of is the Greek teleos=complete, perfect (in the sense that souls who go there cannot progress further). Does anyone else have any ideas?

Edited February 27, 2009 by Jamie123

[bmy-]

It's by no means doctrine as far as i'm aware.. But the bond between families is divine and eternal. Regardless of which 'kingdom' you are in. I personally believe that those kingdoms have more to do with your ability to rapidly progress than they do with where we will reside.

We don't live in one giant house with our families (usually).. but that doesn't stop us from visiting with them. I personally think that situation would be quite cruel otherwise.

[Hemidakota]

My understanding is rather different:

Celestial Kingdom - those who accepted the gospel and fully lived out the covenant.

Terrestrial Kingdom - those who accepted the gospel in this life but were lukewarm, together with those who rejected the gospel but otherwise lived good lives.

Telestial Kingdom - those who rejected the gospel and/or lived wicked lives, but who paid the price for their own sins after death (by going temporarily to hell).

Outer Darkness - those who actively allied themselves with Satan and his angels.

Side note: Does anyone know meaning of the word "telestial"? The missionaries told me it's from the Latin tellus=earth, but that would give it roughly the same meaning as "terrestrial". The only alternative I can think of is the Greek teleos=complete, perfect (in the sense that souls who go there cannot progress further). Does anyone else have any ideas?

I highly doubt it was a greek word...

The Celestial state have orders within and by keeping all the covenants still does not guarantee you the highest degree. It is a requirement that we do everything that is required of us, including the last covenant made, eternal bliss of sealing, still requires the sealing approval of the Godhead in telling you. We can assume. We can speculate. It is far better for us to have that sealing to confirm our state.

Last people to receive any kingdom are those who are received that sealing and refuse to repent in this mortality.

[hordak]

Hello. I just learned that according to Mormon belief, there are different levels in Heaven. Some of my family members would go to one level and some to another. So, my question is, would I be able to talk to my other family members even though they'd be in different Heavenly kingdoms than I or would we be separated somehow?

Yes eventually. If the parents are sealed.

Let the father and mother, who are members of this Church and Kingdom, take a righteous course, and strive with all their might never to do a wrong, but to do good all their lives; if they have one child or one hundred children, if they conduct themselves towards them as they should, binding them to the Lord by their faith and prayers, I care not where those children go, they are bound up to their parents by an everlasting tie, and no power of earth or hell can separate them from their parents in eternity; they will return again to the fountain from whence they sprang” (quoted in Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–56], 2:90–91).

“If you succeed in passing through these trials and afflictions and receive a resurrection, you will, by the power of the Priesthood, work and labor, as the Son of God has, until you get all your sons and daughters in the path of exaltation and glory. This is just as sure as that the sun rose this morning over yonder mountains. Therefore, mourn not because all your sons and daughters do not follow in the path that you have marked out to them, or give heed to your counsels. Inasmuch as we succeed in securing eternal glory, and stand as saviors, and as kings and priests to our God, we will save our posterity” (in Collected Discourses, comp. Brian H. Stuy, 5 vols. [1987–92], 3:364).

“We cannot overemphasize the value of temple marriage, the binding ties of the sealing ordinance, and the standards of worthiness required of them. When parents keep the covenants they have made at the altar of the temple, their children will be forever bound to them” (“Our Moral Environment,” Ensign, May 1992, 68).

If the Ensign is doctrine.

[lilered]

After reading all of the responses, it still seems to me that there is a question concerning the children.

What if the parents, married in the temple, have 12 children all sealed to them.

Two of the children then have temple marriages and have their children sealed to them. All so far are extemely worthy and end up in the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom

Two more of the original children get married in the temple and have their children sealed to them but later fall away. Their children however are extremely worthy and inhereit the highest degree of the Celestial KIngdom.

Two more of the original children get married only, but their children grow up and go thru the temple, they have their children sealed to them and all live worthy except the two original chidlren.

Two more of the original children get married in the temple, and have no children.

Two more of the original children remain unmarried and die.

Two fall away from the church and become monks.

So, in summary the parents and a portion of the children are extremly worthy and inherit the highest degree of glory, what happens then as far as the original entire family unit and the Celestial Kingdom?

[Jamie123]

I highly doubt it was a greek word...

Considering that the names other two kingdoms are from Latin, probably not. The first two missionaries who I asked didn't seem to have ever considered the question. All they could say was that it was a word revealed to Joseph Smith. Edited March 4, 2009 by Jamie123