The Results of the Final Judgement
Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2022 8:51 pm
Almost everything in this life is temporary. Some of the things that are not are:
1. Our relationship with God (as in, do we draw near to him and follow his commandments?)
2. Our relationships with our families and fellow mortals (as in, how do we treat them?)
3. Our personal self-development (our educational and spiritual growth)
Note that nowhere on this list is anything about money, possessions, titles, status, popularity and so on. Those things are meaningless in the eternities.
The final judgement is really about the three things listed above.
Our eternal reward is based on how we did in relation to these things.
There is a LOT of information that is available to me through my faith on the afterlife. I have decided, after some internal debate, to lay out the basics here. I don’t want to go too far into the details, as they are not for casual perusal, but are meant for those that are seriously investigating such things.
For, as it states in Matthew 7:14 “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it”. In this verse, Matthew is talking about eternal life (which means eternal existence after mortality in the presence of God the Father).
The implication is that most in mortality will fall short of achieving this goal. Anyone and everyone could achieve it if they want to, but most, unfortunately, are concerned with the temporary (and ultimately meaningless) things of earthly mortality.
To achieve the goal, eternal life with our Heavenly Parents, there are very specific things that we need to do, covenants (sacred agreements) that we need to make with our Heavenly Father, and then we need to keep our part of the agreement.
Failure to make these covenants, or to live up to them, would be to pass up eternal opportunities, and have eternal consequences. This is the most significant part of item 1 above, our relationship with God during our mortal life.
I believe, that ultimately there are three ultimate options for us in eternal life. These are described in 1 Corinthians 15: 40-42
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/stu ... =40-42#p40
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
There are three options for each of us after the resurrection of the dead. One is to be raised to a level of celestial glory (the glory of the sun), another is to be raised to a level of terrestrial glory (the glory of the moon), and the last is telestial glory (the glory of a star seen in the night sky).
The allegory of “light” is apt, and the differences between the light provided by each of these sources is distinctly different.
The sun illuminates that day and provides bright light. Moonlight is barely adequate. You can use it to avoid trees and other large obstacles, but it is certainly not enough to read or be very productive. A single star, on its own, provides almost no light at all, yet is better than absolute darkness.
In this post, I will start at the bottom of the ladder, and discuss those that are resurrected to telestial glory.
These are those that were wicked in this life. This is where murderers, thieves, cheats, and other reprehensible people end up for eternity. It is also where those who make sacred covenants with God, and then break those covenants, end up.
All of these people failed to repent of their evil deeds. Thus, they have no part in the mercy provided by Christ’s atonement. They will have to personally suffer all of the pain and anguish they have inflicted on others, and probably then some more as punishment. Some of these individuals will have to suffer for quite some time, but it will ultimately end.
They will exist for eternity as resurrected beings, as they did not rebel against God prior to mortality (as Lucifer and his followers did). Their reward is thus to have their bodies restored. Their eternal existence, after their suffering for their sins, will not be one of pain and torment, yet their ability to grow and progress is halted. Halted for eternity. Personally, I believe that the anguish over knowing what they could have had, for Eternity, versus where they end up and what they get, will be worse than the suffering they go through for their sins. There will be no way for them to fix what they have done (or didn’t do) after the final judgement.
They will be engaged in activities for the rest of eternity. They won’t just lie around. They will most likely be assigned as helpers and assistants to those who have been resurrected to higher rewards. Yet they will never again be allowed in the presence of our Heavenly Father or even Christ. Their own shame at what they have done with their mortal lives prevents it. They suffer the “second death”, which means eternal separation from God. While they exist eternally, they do not have “eternal life”, which means life with God, and having the opportunity to become more like him.
This is NOT where you want to end up.
I will post more in the next couple of days on the other two states of Glory.
1. Our relationship with God (as in, do we draw near to him and follow his commandments?)
2. Our relationships with our families and fellow mortals (as in, how do we treat them?)
3. Our personal self-development (our educational and spiritual growth)
Note that nowhere on this list is anything about money, possessions, titles, status, popularity and so on. Those things are meaningless in the eternities.
The final judgement is really about the three things listed above.
Our eternal reward is based on how we did in relation to these things.
There is a LOT of information that is available to me through my faith on the afterlife. I have decided, after some internal debate, to lay out the basics here. I don’t want to go too far into the details, as they are not for casual perusal, but are meant for those that are seriously investigating such things.
For, as it states in Matthew 7:14 “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it”. In this verse, Matthew is talking about eternal life (which means eternal existence after mortality in the presence of God the Father).
The implication is that most in mortality will fall short of achieving this goal. Anyone and everyone could achieve it if they want to, but most, unfortunately, are concerned with the temporary (and ultimately meaningless) things of earthly mortality.
To achieve the goal, eternal life with our Heavenly Parents, there are very specific things that we need to do, covenants (sacred agreements) that we need to make with our Heavenly Father, and then we need to keep our part of the agreement.
Failure to make these covenants, or to live up to them, would be to pass up eternal opportunities, and have eternal consequences. This is the most significant part of item 1 above, our relationship with God during our mortal life.
I believe, that ultimately there are three ultimate options for us in eternal life. These are described in 1 Corinthians 15: 40-42
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/stu ... =40-42#p40
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
There are three options for each of us after the resurrection of the dead. One is to be raised to a level of celestial glory (the glory of the sun), another is to be raised to a level of terrestrial glory (the glory of the moon), and the last is telestial glory (the glory of a star seen in the night sky).
The allegory of “light” is apt, and the differences between the light provided by each of these sources is distinctly different.
The sun illuminates that day and provides bright light. Moonlight is barely adequate. You can use it to avoid trees and other large obstacles, but it is certainly not enough to read or be very productive. A single star, on its own, provides almost no light at all, yet is better than absolute darkness.
In this post, I will start at the bottom of the ladder, and discuss those that are resurrected to telestial glory.
These are those that were wicked in this life. This is where murderers, thieves, cheats, and other reprehensible people end up for eternity. It is also where those who make sacred covenants with God, and then break those covenants, end up.
All of these people failed to repent of their evil deeds. Thus, they have no part in the mercy provided by Christ’s atonement. They will have to personally suffer all of the pain and anguish they have inflicted on others, and probably then some more as punishment. Some of these individuals will have to suffer for quite some time, but it will ultimately end.
They will exist for eternity as resurrected beings, as they did not rebel against God prior to mortality (as Lucifer and his followers did). Their reward is thus to have their bodies restored. Their eternal existence, after their suffering for their sins, will not be one of pain and torment, yet their ability to grow and progress is halted. Halted for eternity. Personally, I believe that the anguish over knowing what they could have had, for Eternity, versus where they end up and what they get, will be worse than the suffering they go through for their sins. There will be no way for them to fix what they have done (or didn’t do) after the final judgement.
They will be engaged in activities for the rest of eternity. They won’t just lie around. They will most likely be assigned as helpers and assistants to those who have been resurrected to higher rewards. Yet they will never again be allowed in the presence of our Heavenly Father or even Christ. Their own shame at what they have done with their mortal lives prevents it. They suffer the “second death”, which means eternal separation from God. While they exist eternally, they do not have “eternal life”, which means life with God, and having the opportunity to become more like him.
This is NOT where you want to end up.
I will post more in the next couple of days on the other two states of Glory.