Telestial Kingdom
|
|
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. The primary source of this doctrine is a vision recounted by Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, at Hiram, Ohio in the United States on February 16, 1832. The origin of the word "telestial", which does not occur in any other contexts, is uncertain, although some claim it means "distant" (since this realm is seen as being further from the seat of God than either the Celestial Kingdom or the Terrestrial Kingdom), citing the meaning of other words that begin with the Greek prefix "tele-" (such as telephone and television). Another possible source might be the Greek adjective "telestikos", which means "mystical," "consecrational," or "intiatiatory."
The Telestial Kingdom is the lowest of the 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, and the lowest or Telestial Kingdom is compared to the stars. Also, "in addition to the degrees of glory, there is a place of no glory, called perdition (or the "outer darkness"), reserved for those who commit the unpardonable sin." (Bible Dictionary: Degrees of Glory)
Persons who will attain the Telestial Kingdom in the afterlife, according to the Church's teachings, include those "who received not the gospel of Christ, nor the testimony of Jesus" (Doctrine and Covenants 76:82) as well as "liars, and sorcerors, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie" (Doctrine and Covenants 76:103). These people, who will rise in the second ressurection, must first suffer for their sins in the spirit prison (similar to the Catholic concept of Purgatory - see Common Latter-day Saint perceptions) until the Last Judgement, at which time they will be assigned to the Telestial Kingdom. However, the Telestial Kingdom is not unpleasant: "the glory of the telestial...surpasses all understanding" (Doctrine and Covenants 76:89).
External links
- Doctrine and Covenants Section 76 (http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/76)
- Bible Dictionary (http://scriptures.lds.org/bd/contents)