The Plan of Salvation, as illustrated by some within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (not doctrinal)

According to the doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Terrestrial Kingdom is an eternal status in the afterlife to which some portion of humankind will be assigned following resurrection and the judgment day. The primary source of this doctrine is a vision recounted by Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, at Hiram, Ohio, February 16, 1832, and recorded in Doctrine and Covenants, Section 76. Image File history File links PlanofSalvationedit. ... Image File history File links PlanofSalvationedit. ... The plan of salvation as taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Plan of Salvation is a concept in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - the plan that the Heavenly Father created to save, redeem, and exalt humankind. ... This is the current Mormon collaboration of the month! Please help improve it to meet the Featured Article standard. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... The afterlife (or life after death) is a generic term referring to a continuation of existence, typically spiritual, experiential, or ghost-like, beyond this world, or after death. ... Joseph Smith, Jr. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

The Terrestrial Kingdom is the middle of three "degrees of glory," in which the highest or Celestial Kingdom is compared to the sun, the middle or Terrestrial Kingdom is compared to the moon,^[1] and the lowest or Telestial Kingdom is compared to the stars. The terminology is also used in 1 Corinthians 15:40. Also, "in addition to the degrees of glory, there is a place of no glory, called perdition, reserved for those who commit the unpardonable sin." (Bible Dictionary: Degrees of Glory) The Celestial Kingdom refers to a division of heaven and was coined by the controversial Swedish theologian Emanuel Swedenborg in his 1758 book entitled Heaven and Hell. ... The Telestial Kingdom is an eternal status in the afterlife to which some portion of humankind will be assigned following resurrection and the judgment day, according to the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ...

Persons who will attain the Terrestrial Kingdom in the afterlife, according to D & C 76:71-79, include those who lived respectably but "were blinded by the craftiness of men" and thus rejected the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ when it was presented to them in this life, "but afterwards received it," or "are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus" after receiving the fullness of the gospel while on Earth. Ultimately, the kingdom of glory (either the Celestial or the Terrestrial) received by those who accept the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the spirit world will be based on the Lord's perfect knowledge of whether they "would have received it with all their hearts" as manifested by their works and the "desire of their hearts" (D & C 137:8,9); thus, the LDS Church's emphasis on genealogical research and temple work for their deceased ancestors (this latter doctrine being emphatically rejected by virtually all other Christian polities). A Christian is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, referred to as the Christ. ...

In the Terrestrial Kingdom, God the Father does not come, but Jesus Christ visits, and the Holy Ghost dwells with the inhabitants. Jesus (8–2 BC/BCE to 29–36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity. ... In various religions, most notably Trinitarian Christianity, the Holy Spirit (in Hebrew רוח הקודש Ruah haqodesh; also called the Holy Ghost) is the third consubstantial Person of the Holy Trinity. ...

Those who inherit the Terrestrial Kingdom enjoy the presence of the Son but not the fullness of the Father (see D&C 76:77).

Notes

1. ^ On August 1, 1843, Hyrum Smith, brother of Joseph Smith, stated the reason for symbolism of the moon: "Those of the Terrestrial Glory either advance to the Celestial [Glory] or recede to the Telestial [Glory,] else the moon would not be a type [because] 'It waxes and wanes.'" (Franklin D. Richards, "Scriptural Items," p. 24, LDS Church Archives). This is the only known contemporary explanation for the Terrestrial Kingdom's symbol during Joseph Smith's lifetime. Most contemporary Mormons reject the possibility of advancement between kingdoms, although this is not been adopted as an official doctrine of the Church (See: Joseph L. Anderson [on behalf of the First Presidency] to Joe J. Chrisiansen, Dec. 17, 1965, LDS Church Archives).

External links

• Covenant 76
• Bible Dictionary
• Official Site of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints