the three degrees of glory (english)

8/10/2019 The Three Degrees of Glory (English)

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that 4ourney. They may go" erhas" two?

thirds of the way and reach the Terrestrial

!lory. And few there be who go the entire

4ourney" comlying with all the terms" allthe conditions and ultimately reaching the

end of the road" entering into the (elestial

ingdom of !od" they shall obtain

(elestial !lory.,. That sounds reasonable" does it not@ 2t

is true. Cow without seculating" and 2 do

not wish to seculate or theori>e" but

confining ourselves in our consideration ofthis :uestion e3clusively to the word of the

'ord as it has been given us" 2 will begin

by reading a ortion of the /*thsection"

commencing with the th verseed of thewater and of the sirit. The 'ord has

secified it. 6e made it so binding and

comlete when after announcing the law

he comlied with every term himself"

though erfect" so that no man whoimagines himself to be erfect here can

e3cuse himself or herself from obedience

to the law of batism. 2t is the door" the

gate to (elestial glory.%-.

That by $eeping the commandments they

might be washed and cleansed from all

their sins, and recei!e the %oly Spirit bythe laying on of the hands of him who is

ordained and sealed unto this power.

And who o!ercome by faith, and are

sealed by the %oly Spirit of promise,which the &ather sheds forth upon all

those who are ust and true.

%;. 2 would lie to ause and emhasi>e

that assage" because" while we receiveeternal blessings at the hands of the

riesthood which has the right to seal on

earth and it shall be sealed in 6eaven" thisrevelation clearly states it must be sealed

by the 6oly #irit of romise also.

%. A man and woman may by fraud and

decetion obtain admittance to the houseof the 'ord and may receive the

ronouncement of the holy riesthood"

giving to them" so far as lies in their

ower" these blessings. 9e may deceivemen but we cannot deceive the 6oly

!host" and our blessings will not beeternal unless they are also sealed by the

6oly #irit of romise" the 6oly !host"one who reads the thoughts and hearts of

men and gives his sealing aroval to the

blessings ronounced uon their heads.

Then it is binding" efficacious and of fullforce.

%*. 2 than the 'ord that there is this

rovision" so that even though men are

able to deceive their brethren" they are notable to deceive the 6oly !host and thus

come into ossession of their blessings

unless they rove in word" in thought" andin deed their worthiness and righteousness.%/. Feading again from the -rd verse>ar was able to tell veryclearly" long before they were born" when

the various eole should rise and bearrule uon the earth. There was a grou of

tested" tried and roven souls before they

were born into the world and the 'ord

rovided a lineage for them. That lineageis the 6ouse of 2srael" the lineage of

Abraham" 2saac and Jacob and their

osterity. Through this lineage were to

come the true and tried souls that haddemonstrated their righteousness in the

sirit world before they came here. 9e

came through that lineage. Our articularbranch is the 6ouse of Joseh through hisson Ehraim. That is the grou from

whence shall come the ma4ority of the

candidates for (elestial glory. That is why

we are doing the wor for our ancestorsand not for others.

/. 'et us not imagine that in this

disensation we shall do the wor for thedead (hinese or 6indus. Cot at all. 2

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e3ect it will tae one thousand years to

comlete in our temles the ordinances

looing to the salvation of the 6ouse of

2srael. 2t will tae all 'atter?day #aints andall that we can do to tae care of our own

branch?of our own house. 9hile we do the

wor for our dead ancestors" we will reach

a limit after a while. That limit will beafter we have gone as far as records are

et. 2 have said that when any man or

woman goes into this wor earnestly the

'ord will rovide ways and means forthem to obtain the information they see.

Our understanding will be oened" and

sources of nowledge will be made

manifest. 9hy@ Because the dead now agreat deal more than we do about e3isting

records.

/%. 9hy is it that sometimes only one of a

city or household receives the !osel@ 2t

was made nown to me that it is becauseof the righteous dead who had received the

!osel in the sirit world e3ercising

themselves" and in answer to their rayerselders of the (hurch were sent to the

homes of their osterity that the !osel

might be taught to them and through their

righteousness they might be rivileged tohave a descendant in the flesh do the wor

for their dead indred. 2 want to say to you

that it is with greater intensity that the

hearts of the fathers and mothers in thesirit world are turned to their children

than that our hearts are tuned to them./$. And so it is that the 'ord will oen the

way for those who see information andnowledge.

/-. 2 recall an incident in my own father5s

e3erience. 6ow we looed forward to the

comletion of the 'ogan Temle8 2t wasabout to be dedicated. My father had

labored on that house from its very

beginning" and my earliest recollection

was carrying his dinner each day as hebrought the roc down from the :uarry.

6ow we looed forward to that great

event8 2 remember how in the meantimefather made every effort to obtain all thedata and information he could concerning

his relatives. 2t was the theme of his rayer

night and morning that the 'ord would

oen the way whereby he could getinformation concerning the dead.

/;. The day before the dedication while

writing recommends to the members of hisward who were to be resent at the first

service" two elderly gentlemen waled

down the streets of 'ogan" aroached my

two younger sisters" and" coming to the

older one of the two laced in her hands anewsaer and saided to do the wor

for those" because you received it through

messengers of the 'ord.1

,. There is no doubt but that the deadwho had received the !osel in the sirit

world had ut it into the heart of that

reorter to write these things" and thus theway was reared for my father to obtainthe information he sought" and so with you

who are earnest in this wor" the way shall

be oened" and you will be able to gather

data far beyond your e3ectations. 2 willtell you what will haen. 9hen you have

gone as far as you can go" the names of

your righteous dead who have embracedthe !osel in the sirit world will be given

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you through the instrumentality of your

dead indred. But only the names of those

who have received the !osel will be

revealed.,%. Cow" 2 wish to say to you that those

who died without law" meaning the agan

nations" for lac of faithfulness or for lac

of devotion" in the former life" areobtaining all that they are entitled to. 2

don5t mean to say that all of them will be

barred from entrance into the highest

glory. Any one of them who reents andcomlies with the conditions might also

obtain (elestial glory" but the great bul of

them shall only obtain Terrestrial glory.

,$. (ontinuing"

-ehold, these are they who died without

law,

And also they who are the spirits of men

$ept in prison, whom the Son !isited, andpreached the Gospel unto them, that they

might be udged according to men in the

flesh.0ho recei!ed not the testimony of "esus

in the flesh, but afterwards recei!ed it.

,-. This revelation clearly informs us thatany man or woman" not only those in the

days of Coah" who heard the !osel and

re4ected it" but in this day any man or

woman who has had a good chance tohave heard the !osel to receive it and

embrace it and en4oy its blessings andrivileges" who lived during their life in

absolute indifference to these things"ignoring it" and neglected it" need not hoe

or anticiate that when they are dead the

wor can be done for them and they gain

(elestial glory. Don5t you 'atter?day#aints get the notion that a man or woman

can live in defiance or total indifference"

having had a good chance?not a casual

chance or oortunity?and when they dieyou can go and do the wor for that

individual and have them receive every

blessing that the faithful ones are entitledto. 2f that becomes the doctrine of the(hurch we will be worse than the

(atholics who believe that you can ray a

man out of urgatory. But they charge for

it and we don5t" so we would be morefoolish than they.

,;. Brothers and sisters" 2 say this to

stimulate you to try and mae your livesconform to the commandments of the

Master" that you may wor while the day

lasts" for the night cometh when it will not

rofit a man to wor. That alies to those

who had a chance to receive the !oselbut re4ected it. That was their day" and

there comes a night when all the wor they

may do will be of no avail" to enter the

(elestial ingdom. 2 want to say this< 2talies also to men and women who

willfully neglect going to the 6ouse of

!od" who thin" 0Oh" well" if 2 don5t do

the wor my wife will fi3 it u.1 2 tell youthey are treading on dangerous ground.

They may wae u and find that their day

and oortunity has gone. They had their

chance and died without acceting it. Theyneglected it and may lose it.

,. 2 am not 4udging their case7 the 'ord

will 4udge every case on its merits.

,*.

These are they who are honorable men ofthe earth, who were blinded by the

craftiness of men.

These are they who recei!e of %is glory,but not of %is fullness.

These are they who recei!e of the

presence of the Son, but not of the fullness

of the &ather20herefore, they are bodies Terrestrial,

and not bodies Celestial, and differ in

glory as the moon differs from the sun.

These are they who are not !aliant in thetestimony of "esus2 wherefore they obtain

not the crown o!er the $ingdom of ourGod.

,/. These are 'atter?day #aints" many of

them" who are not valiant in the testimony

of Jesus" though they have entered into

these covenants have not et them. Theyhave broen their ledges and may come

forth in the resurrection and find

themselves wholly unworthy to be

candidates for the (elestial glory. Theywill come u in the Terrestrial world" 2t is

for us to mae our calling and election

sure. 9e can do it in this life.,,. Cow let me ass to the third and lastof these grous" the Telestial.

And again, we saw the glory of the

Telestial, which glory is that of the lesser,e!en as the glory of the stars differs from

that of the glory of the moon in the

firmament.

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These are they who recei!ed not the

Gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of

"esus.

These are they who deny not the %olySpirit.

These are they who are thrust down to

hell.

These are they who shall not beredeemed from the de!il, until the last

resurrection, until the :ord, e!en Christ

the :amb, shall ha!e finished %is wor$.

These are they who recei!e not of %isfullness in the eternal world, but of the

%oly Spirit through the ministration of the

Terrestrial.

And the Terrestrial through theministration of the Celestial2

And also the Telestial recei!e it of the

administering of angels who are appointed

to minister for them, or who are appointed

to be ministering spirits for them2 for theyshall be heirs of sal!ation.

And thus we saw, in the hea!enly !ision,

the glory of the Telestial, which surpassesall understanding.

And no man $nows it e;cept him to

whom God has re!ealed it.

And thus we saw the glory of theTerrestrial, which e;cels in all things the

glory of the Telestial, e!en in glory, and in

power, and in might, and in dominion.

And thus we saw the glory of theCelestial, which e;cels in all things'where

God, e!en the &ather, reigns upon %isthrone fore!er and e!er2

-efore whose throne all things bow inhumble re!erence and gi!e %im glory

fore!er and e!er.

They who dwell in %is presence are the

church of the &irstborn, and they see asthey are seen, and $now as they are

$nown, ha!ing recei!ed of %is fullness and

of %is grace2

And %e ma$es them e7ual in power, andin might, and in dominion.

And the glory of the Celestial is one,

e!en as the glory of the sun is one.And the glory of the Terrestrial is one,e!en as the glory of the moon is one.

And the glory of the Telestial is one, e!en

as the glory of the stars is one, for as one

star differs from another star in glory,e!en so differs one from another in glory

in the Telestial world2

&or these are they who are of (aul, and

of Apollos and of Cephas.

These are they who say they are some of

one and some of another'some of Christ

and some of "ohn .and some of *oses,

and some of +lias, and some of +saias,and some of 1saiah, and some of +noch2

-ut recei!ed not the Gospel, neither the

testimony of "esus, neither the prophets,

neither the e!erlasting co!enant.:ast of all, these all are they who will not

be gathered with the saints, to be caught

up unto the church of the &irstborn and

recei!ed into the cloud.These are they who are liars, and

sorcerers, and adulterers, and

whoremongers, and whosoe!er lo!es and

ma$es a lie.These are they who suffer the, !engeance

of God on the earth.

These are they who suffer the wrath of

eternal fire.

These are they who are cast down to helland suffer the wrath of Almighty God,

until the fullness of times when Christ

shall ha!e subdued all enemies under hisfeet, and shall ha!e perfected %is wor$.

0hen %e shall deli!er up the $ingdom,

and present it unto the &ather spotless,

saying'1 ha!e o!ercome and ha!e troddenthe wine'press alone, e!en the wine'press

of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty

God.

Then shall he be crowned with the crownof his glory, to sit on the throne of his

power to reign fore!er and e!er.-ut behold, and lo, we saw the glory and

the inhabitants of the Telestial world, thatthey were as innumerable as the stars in

the firmament of hea!en, or as the sand

upon the seashore.

And heard the !oice of the :ord sayingThese all shall bow the $nee, and e!ery

tongue shall confess to him who sits upon

the throne fore!er and e!er2

&or they shall be udged according totheir wor$s, and e!ery man shall recei!e

according to his own wor$s, his own

dominion, in the mansions which areprepared.And they shall be ser!ants of the *ost

%igh, but where God and Christ dwell

they cannot come, worlds without end.

,&. Cow 2 wish to answer one or two

:ueries that undoubtedly have arisen in

your minds and in doing so 2 wish to readsome more scriture.

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&. The :uestion is often ased" 02s it

ossible for one who attains Telestial glory

in time in the eternal world to live so well

that he may graduate from the Telestialand ass into the Terrestrial" and then after

a season that he may rogress from that

and be ultimately worthy of the (elestial

glory@1 That is the :uery that has beenased. 2 have 4ust read the answer" so far

as the Telestial grou is concerned.

0here God and Christ dwell they cannot

come, worlds without end.1 2 tae it uonthe same basis that the same argument

liewise alies to the Terrestrial world.

Those whose lives have entitled them to

Terrestrial glory can never gain (elestialglory. One who gains ossession of the

lowest degree of the Telestial glory may

ultimately arise to the highest degree of

that glory" but no rovision has been made

for romotion from one glory to another.'et us be reasonable about it.

&%. 2 wish to say in illustrating the sub4ect

that if three men were starting out on anendless race" one having an advantage of

one mile" the other of two miles" and each

one could run as fast as the other" when

would the last ever catch u to the first@ 2fyou can tell me that" 2 can tell you when

candidates for the Telestial glory will get

into the (elestial glory. Each will grow"

but their develoment will be rescribedby their environment" and there is a reason

for it.&$. Aly this illustration to those who

are entitled to the different degrees ofglory< 6e who enters the (elestial glory

has the advantage over all others. 6e

dwells in the resence of the +ather and

the #on. 6is teachers are the highest. Theothers will receive all they learn from the

(elestial and the Terrestrial" from the

Terrestrial to the Telestial. They get it

second hand and third hand" and how canthey ever hoe to grow as fast as those

who drin from the fountain head@ Again"

those who come forth in the (elestialglory with (elestial bodies have a bodythat is more refined. 2t is different. The

very fiber and te3ture of the (elestial body

is more ure and holy than a Telestial or

Terrestrial body" and a (elestial bodyalone can endure (elestial glory" 2 am

imressed with this because 2 recall when

a child at school 2 learned that if an icicle amile s:uare were droed into the sun it

would melt in an instant" and when 2

learned how intense the heat of that orb is

and that our sun is a (elestial world" 2 did

not now whether 2 wanted to live in a(elestial world or not if it was that hot.

But when 2 come to understand" if 2 have a

body suitable to dwell in eternal burnings

then 2 thin 2 would lie it. +ishes can livein the water and have bodies suited to that

element but entirely unsuitable to a life

outside of the water. 9hen we have a

(elestial body it will be suited to the(elestial conditions and a Telestial body

could not endure (elestial glory. 2t would

be torment and affliction to them. 2 have

not read in the scriture where there willbe another resurrection where we can

obtain a (elestial body for a Terrestrial

body. 9hat we receive in the resurrection

will be ours forever and forever.

&-. 2 have several times been ased" howis it ossible for those who attain (elestial

glory to ever feel hay and satisfied to

now that their children are in the Telestialworld" and never would have the rivilege

of coming u with their arents in the

(elestial ingdom@

&;. 9e must not overloo the fact thatthose who attain to the higher glories may

minister unto and visit and associate with

those of the lesser ingdoms. 9hile the

lesser may not come u" they may stillen4oy the comanionshi of their loved

ones who are in higher stations. Also wemust not forget that even the least degree

of glory" as the 'ord has e3ressed it" isbeyond all our resent understanding. #o

that they are in the resence of glorious

conditions" even though they attain unto

the least lace" and we must COT forgeteither that these are our +ather5s sons and

daughters" and 6e has other sons and

daughters who do not even attain unto the

Telestial ingdom. They are sons oferdition out with the devil and his angels

and though the +ather has grieved over

them" 6e still has not the ower to rescueand save them" because 6e gave them freeagency and they used that in such a

manner that they have shut themselves out

from his resence. But 6e is 4ustified. 6e

has erformed 6is full duty by them andthat is the condition which we ought to be

in to feel 4ustified" though we may be so

unfortunate as to have some of our ownchildren in the lesser ingdoms" if we have

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done our full duty by them" we may be sad

at the thought of their not being with us"

but we will not have the sting or remorse

of conscience. 2f we have failed" however"to do our duty" then naturally we feel to

regret their situation and censure ourselves

in art for the same.

&. 'et me read to you from the ,,thsection commencing with the %/th verse

the three degrees of glory (english)

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