On Sharing the Gospel with Mormons (Part 2)

On Sharing The Gospel with Mormons: Do They Need To Be Evangelized? Evangelism and Apologetics Series 4/7/21 Name of Cult: Holy Book(s): Founder: Founded: Number of Adherents: Headquarters: Foundations of Faith: Identifiers: Presidents: Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter Day Saints; Mormonism “The Standard Works:” (1) The Bible, King James Version; (2) The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ; (3) The Pearl Of Great Price; (4) Doctrine and Covenants Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805-1844) 1830, New York 13 million in 160 countries; increasing at 300,000 a year. Salt Lake City, Utah Polytheism; Exaltation of Man; Joseph Smith is a prophet On Mission; Dress nicely; No alcohol or hot drinks Joseph Smith, Jr. (1832-1844) Brigham Young (1847-1877) John Taylor (1880-1887) Wilford Woodruff (1889-1898) Lorenzo Snow (1898-1901) Joseph F. Smith (1901-1918) Heber J. Grant (1918-1945) George Albert Smith (1945-1951) David O. McKay (1951-1970) Joseph Fielding Smith (1970-1972) Harold B. Lee (1972-1973) Spencer W. Kimball (1973-1985) Ezra Taft Benson (1985-1994) Howard W. Hunter (1994-1995) Gordon B. Hinckley (1995-2008) Thomas S. Monson (2008-2018) Russell M. Nelson (2018-Present) What Do You Believe About Jesus? So he said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”1 John 8:21-24 21 V.24: εἶπον οὖν ὑμῖν ὅτι ἀποθανεῖσθε ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν· ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ πιστεύσητε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι, ἀποθανεῖσθε ἐν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν. Holmes, M. W. (2011–2013). The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (Jn 8:24). Lexham Press; Society of Biblical Literature. 1 Sharing with Mormons 1 Jesus’s Person: Origin: • • LDS: Jesus is__________, having been ____________ in the ________ by the God of ______ world. The Bible: Jesus is the second person of the triune ______. Jesus had no ____________ and has no ______. Incarnation: • • LDS: Jesus was ____________ in the ________ between _____ and ________. This was not a work of the ________________ or ________________. The Bible: Jesus was conceived in the womb of the ________ Mary by a ____________ of the ________________. Jesus’s Work: Creation: • • LDS: Jesus, at the direction of God, __________ the heavens and the earth2 by gathering pre-existent elements and _________ together.3 Jesus __________ create everything. The Bible: _______ created things were created by Jesus including __________. Creation was done “_______ of __________.”4 Death: • • LDS: Jesus’s death on the cross atones for the sins of _________ for all. However, you must still do ________ for salvation beyond general __________________. The Bible: Jesus’s death on the cross paid for the sins of all who would believe on and in Him. Salvation is then received through ________ alone by ________ alone in _________ alone. _________ are only evidence of salvation. Resurrection: • • LDS: Jesus was the ________ to resurrect on earth as his _______ and _______ joined again. He later ascended to __________ and descended to __________ to the Nephites. The Bible: Jesus was raised from the dead and interacted with his disciples in a ____________________. He later ascended into heaven as the ______________. 2 Mosiah 3:8; Moses 2:1 Abraham 3:24 4 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:15-17 3 Sharing with Mormons 2 Is Mormonism Christian? • • • Are they monotheistic or polytheistic? Do they hold to the sole authority of the Bible? Do they believe in the Jesus of the Bible? “To the unwary, however, they imply that they are monotheists, to the informed they defend their polytheism, and like the veritable chameleon they change color to accommodate the surface upon which they find themselves.” Walter Martin5 Mormonism’s Terms To Know: • • • • • Book of Mormon – This book, published in 1830, is supposedly translated from golden tablets (and a bronze tablet) which Joseph Smith Jr. discovered with the help of the messenger Moroni. The book is authoritative for the Mormon and tells of the history of two main people groups (Nephites and Jaredites) who found their way to the Americas from the Near East. There are clear plagiarisms from the KJV Bible within the BoM as well as claims of plagiarism for the overall work from an author named Solomon Spaulding and his family (see Walter Martin, Kingdom of the Cults, 258-263; Research Solomon Spaulding, Manuscript Found). Celestial Marriage – the marriage of two Mormons in the temple, which secures their eternal marriage to be carried over into the celestial kingdom. The celestial marriage is required to make it to the third level of the celestial kingdom.6 Celestial Sireship – God, in the flesh, having sexual relations with Mary to produce/sire Jesus on the earth. Brigham Young’s belief that Adam was God would mean that Celestial Sireship occurred in the conception of Seth, Cain, Abel, and many other children. If Young were correct, this would cause problems for a Mormon’s view of Jesus’ supremacy in part because of the celestial sireship. Doctrine and Covenants – One of Joseph Smith’s works which makes up the authoritative Standard Works. The D&C contains 138 revelations on Mormon doctrine which includes teachings on celestial marriage and the baptism for the dead. Eternal Progression – the belief that, because we are literally the children of God, we carry many of his divine attributes, including the ability to progress as he has. Eternal progression is then the idea that we are, after formation as spiritual children on God’s planet, in a constant state of progression as long as you are faithful to the teachings of the book of Mormon. You progress as spiritual children to physical children to spirit beings to, potentially, a god who creates your own planet to populate with your spirit children. One is always in a state of progression; some Mormon even believe that God is always in a state of progression as well. 5 Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults, 278. “While salvation is an individual matter, exaltation is a family matter.5 Only those who are married in the temple and whose marriage is sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise will continue as spouses after death6 and receive the highest degree of celestial glory, or exaltation. A temple marriage is also called a celestial marriage. Within the celestial glory are three levels. To obtain the highest, a husband and wife must be sealed for time and all eternity and keep their covenants made in a holy temple.” – Elder Russell M. Nelson (Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), General Conference, 2008. 6 Sharing with Mormons 3 • • • • First Death / Second Death – Each death is viewed as a separation from God. The first death occurs in one’s exiting of the pre-existence into life on earth and thus exiting God’s presence. The first death is overcome in death unless one is a “son of perdition” in which case, they eternally are outside of God’s presence. Holy Endowment – The ceremony, performed after baptism and before marriage, which involves the Mormon entering int covenants with God and the LDS church. These covenants are “to keep the law of obedience, the law of sacrifice, the law of the gospel, the law of chastity, and the law of consecration.”7 They Holy Endowment allows the Mormon to make it to the second level of the celestial kingdom.8 Pearl of Great Price – one of the authoritative Standard Works for the LDS church, compiled and published after Smith’s death in 1851, which “contains the Book of Moses, which is roughly equivalent to the first six chapters of Genesis, and the Book of Abraham, a translation of an Egyptian Papyrus that later proved to be fraudulent. It also contains an extract from Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible, extracts from the History of Joseph Smith, which is his autobiography, and the Articles of Faith.”9 Pre-existence – That state between which the Spirit-being is conceived in heaven and they inhabit a body, having been conceived in the physical world. Upon being conceived on this earth, the individual loses their memory of their time in the spirit realm. The Bible VS. LDS: What the Bible says about the Bible: The Bible is inerrant, infallible, and inspired by God. As the Word of God, the Bible is our sole written authority. God is the one who interprets His own word, thus Scripture interprets Scripture. (See 2 Tm 3:16-17; 2 Pt 1:20-21) What the LDS church says about the Bible: The Bible is one of the four parts of the “Standard Works” understood as authoritative. The Bible is only accepted to be true and the word of God in “as far as it is translated correctly. we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.”10 LDS claim that the Bible has many errors and is “corrupted,”11 missing whole portions of the true Bible.12 Joseph Smith corrected these errors and added to the Bible verses which affirmed Mormon beliefs and Joseph Smith himself as prophet.13 Due to the difficulty with the Joseph Smith Translation (JST), the David A. Bednar, “Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 103. There is some confusion on this point. Many Mormons do not know what is required of them to make it to exaltation at the third level of the celestial kingdom. The three ordinances are required but beyond that there is only speculation since there are no official writings to confirm. Thus most Mormons understand that Baptism is required for the 1st level, endowment for the 2nd, marriage for the 3rd. 9 Josh McDowell, Handbook of Today’s Religions, 68. 10 Articles of Faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Article 8. 11 Orson Pratt’s Works, “The Bible Alone an Insufficient Guide,” pp.44-47. 12 “…many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away. And all this have they taken away. And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord.” 1 Nephi 13:26b, 27 13 Genesis 50:30-36, Joseph Smith Translation (JST) 7 8 Sharing with Mormons 4 What the Bible says about the Trinity: God is three persons in One, co-equal, coeternal, of the same essence. All three persons of the Godhead are so in purpose and being. What the Bible says about God: See Trinity above. God the Father is living and active. He is our eternal creator. God has no beginning and no end. There are no creatures like him, nor will there ever be. He is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipresent (everywhere). Though God goes by many different titles, His name is YHWH. LDS church has distanced themselves from it, primarily using the King James Version as their authoritative Bible. The Bible is only properly understood through the other three “Standard Works” and the Living Prophet. What the LDS church says about the Trinity: The trinity cannot exist lest God be a ridiculous beast14 made up of three distinct corporeal persons. Instead, The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are unified as the Godhead in purpose, but not being.15 The son does the work of the father, so that he may earn his right to be like the father and by so doing the father becomes a greater father and the son takes his place as a father.16 What the LDS church says about God: God was once a creature like us.17 Though he was in a fallen state, he lived a life which was true to the Mormon faith and was redeemed and elevated by other gods to the celestial heaven.18 His glorified body was a physical one, allowing him to do physical things.19 Once elevated in his physical body, he copulated with his heavenly wife and had spirit children. Then God created the earth as a place for his spirit children to be born in corporeal form and live with hopes of elevating themselves to the place of God. The God who made us is named “Elohim.” “…All are to be crammed into one God, according to sectarianism. It would make the biggest God in all the world. He would be a wonderfully big God—he would be a giant or a monster.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 372). 15 “Many men say there is one God; the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are only one God. I say that is a strange God anyhow—three in one, and one in three! It is a curious organization.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 372). See also Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 576-577. 16 This doctrine has been affirmed and denied by several Mormon authorities. Joseph Smith affirmed Jesus’s eternal progression along with the Father’s eternal progression in the King Follett Discourse. Wilford Woodruff affirmed that if there was no continuous progression upward “the very idea would throw a gloom over every intelligent and reflecting mind. God himself is increasing and progressing in knowledge, power, and dominion, and will do so, worlds without end” (Journal of Discourses, December 6, 1857, 6:120). One-Hundred and Eighty degrees was done on this doctrine by Bruce R. McConkie as he claimed God was/is not eternally progressing (Mormon Doctrine, 1966, 239). The belief on this may differ with each individual. 17 “God was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens…I say, if you were to see him today, you would see hm like a man in a form like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form of a man” (Joseph Smith Jr., King Follett Discourse, 8-10). 18 Orson Pratt, The Seer, 23. 19 “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s…” (Doctrine and Covenants, 130:22) 14 Sharing with Mormons 5 What the Bible says about the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is the third person of the triune Godhead. He is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. Sometimes the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Holy Ghost. (See Mt 3:16-17; 28:19-20; Acts 5:1-11) What the Bible says about Jesus: Jesus is the “Son of God,” uncreated, coeternal and co-equal with the Father and Holy Spirit. Jesus coming in the flesh is the incarnation, it is the eternal God assuming human form in the womb of the virgin Mary: Fully God, fully man. “That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. :20). (See Is. 7:14; Mt 1:18-23; Lk 1:35; Jn 1:1-3, 10, 14; 10:30; Col. 1:15-20; Phil 2:5-11; Hb 1:1-3). Prophet Brigham Young taught that Adam was God. He brought his heavenly wife down to earth and copulated on earth bearing forth his children in creation. Members of the LDS church have since attempted to distance themselves from this teaching,20 however no general authorities/ living prophets have since contradicted this teaching of Young, leaving it as authoritative and true within their doctrine. What the LDS church says about the Holy Spirit: Despite a teaching that “if God possesses a form, that form is of necessity of definite proportions”21 because God is literally and physically the father of his spirit children,22 the Holy Spirit is “a personage of spirit.”23 The Holy Spirit can thus be omnipresent because he has no body, but is “waiting to take to himself a body as the Saviour did or as the gods before them took bodies.”24 Additionally, the Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost are separate personage.25 What the LDS church says about Jesus: Jesus was the firstborn of God’s spirit children thus, like all of us, Jesus is literally a son of God,26 “our elder brother.” Before the incarnation happened, Jesus was best known as “Jehovah” from the Old Testament. Jesus “attained Godhood while yet in pre-existence, he too stood as a God to the other spirits.”27 Lucifer/Satan being another spirit child grew jealous of Jesus’ status and God’s choosing of him for the “incarnation” and consequently waged war in heaven.28 What sets Jesus’ incarnation apart from the typical process of 20 B.H. Roberts, Deseret News, July 23, 1921 Section 4:7. James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith, 42-43. 22 James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith, 48. 23 Doctrine and Covenants 130:22. 24 Joseph Smith, April 6, 1843; see Discourses on the Holy Ghost compiled by N.B Lundwall, 73. 25 John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, 76. 26 “And now, verily I say unto you, I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the Firstborn; and all those who are begotten through me are partakers of the glory of the same, and are the church of the Firstborn. Ye were also in the beginning with the Father.” (Doctrine and Covenants, 93:21-23); see also Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 7. 27 Bruce McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 129, 323. 28 Spencer W. Kimball, Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 32-33; Milton R. Hunter, The Gospel Through the Ages, 15; Jess L. Christensen, A Sure Foundation: Answers to Difficult Gospel Questions, 223-224. 21 Sharing with Mormons 6 Jesus lived a celibate life, never marrying. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross at Calvary paid in full our sin debt (mercy) and purchased our salvation (grace). This gift of God, in Christ, is received by grace through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. (See Jn 3:16; 5:24; Rm 4:4-5; 1 Cor 15:1-4; Eph 2:8-9; Tt 3:5-7). Jesus is the cornerstone, the foundation of the true church. two humans conceiving and a spirit-child entering the body, is that Jesus is the result of Mary and the Elohim,29 taking on flesh, conceiving him through intercourse.30 This was not an act of the Holy Spirit, but of God31 through “celestial sireship.”32 Mary’s first husband was Elohim until he gave her to Joseph.33 Jesus was married at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-12) for the purpose of procreation.34 Not only did Jesus marry at the wedding of Cana, but Jesus married “many honorable wives himself, [to] show to all future generations that he approbated the plurality of Wives under the Christian dispensations in which His Polygamist ancestors lived.”35 Jesus’s wives consisted of Mary Magdalene, Mary, Martha, and others.36 Jesus’s death on the cross brought about salvation through the general resurrection for all of mankind.37 However each individual must still give an account for their deeds.38 Though Jesus lived a perfect life and established the true church, following after “Jesus is the only person who had our Heavenly Father as the father of his body” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Family Home Evening Manual, 125-126). 30 See Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 1:50-51; 4:218; 8:115; Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, ed. 1978, 23; James Talmage, The Articles of Faith, ed. 1974, 426, 466-467, 473. 31 Journal of Discourses 1:50-51. 32 James Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 81. 33 This is a necessary teaching in Mormonism so as not to condone sex outside of marriage: “The fleshly body of Jesus required a Mother as well as a Father. Therefore, the Father and Mother of Jesus, according to the flesh, must have been associated together in the capacity of Husband and Wife; hence the Virgin Mary must have been, for the time being, the lawful wife of God the Father: we use the term lawful Wife, because it would be blasphemous in the highest degree to say He overshadowed her or begot the Saviour unlawfully” (Orson Pratt, The Seer, 158). 34 Orson Hyde, apostle, Journal of Discourses, 2:82. It should be noted that though Hyde was only an apostle, Brigham Young spoke after him, affirming the teaching, saying “We have had a splendid address from brother Hyde, for which I am grateful. I feel in my heart to bless the people all the time, and can say amen to brother Hyde’s last remarks” (Journal of Discourses, 2:90). 35 Orson Pratt, The Seer, 172. 36 Orson Hyde, apostle, Journal of Discourses, 2:81-82, 210. See also Orson Pratt, The Seer, 159 and Wilford Woodruff’s Journal 8:187, July 22, 1883 on comments from Joseph F. Smith. 37 Joseph Smith, Article of Faith 3. 38 “We believe that through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel” (Joseph Smith, Article of Faith 3). 29 Sharing with Mormons 7 (See Mt 16:18; Acts 4:11-12; Col. 1:18) Jesus rose physically from the dead. Being in His glorified body, Jesus appeared to His disciples and countless others, eventually ascending in His physical, glorified body to Heaven, where he now resides as the GodMan. He will not appear again until his second coming. Jesus is coming back physically and visibly one day to be the judge of the living and the dead. the teachings affirmed in the book of Mormon, he failed to keep his own disciples together and after the 12 apostles died, the true church was lost until Joseph Smith rediscovered it.39 Jesus descended from heaven to the Nephite and Lamanite people in the Americas after his ascension in Israel. He spent time teaching and healing the people there before leaving. Jesus lives in the celestial kingdom but visits the terrestrial kingdom. God has graciously saved all through the act of resurrection which Joseph Smith will oversee.40 Joseph Smith will also be the judge (See Mt. 12:38-40; 24:29-31; 28:5-10; Jn as to whether one enters the celestial kingdom 5:28-29; 14:3; Rm1:4; 1 Cor 15:4-8; 1 Th 5:1- after resurrection.41 3; Tt 2:13; 1 Pt 1:18-21; Rv 19:11-14). What the Bible says about salvation: What the LDS church says about salvation: But what does it say? “The word is near you, The term must be defined because all are in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the saved by grace unto the general resurrection. word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is To go to God and reside where he is, one Lord and believe in your heart that God must adhere to the celestial laws: Baptism in raised him from the dead, you will be saved. the temple, holy endowment ceremony, and a For with the heart one believes and is celestial marriage. justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, If one is not baptized in the temple, they are “Everyone who believes in him will not be put unable to go to even the lowest level of the to shame.” For there is no distinction celestial kingdom. between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:8-13 “I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him, but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet” (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 6:408-409). 40 “If we ask who will stand at the head of the resurrection in this last dispensation, the answer is – Joseph Smith, Junior, the Prophet of God. He is the man who will be resurrected and receive the keys of the resurrection, and he will seal this authority upon others, and they will hunt up their friends and resurrect them” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, 116). 41 “No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith… Every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, Junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 7:289). 39 Sharing with Mormons 8 All, no matter who they are, who repent and receive Christ by faith enter immediately and everlastingly into Christ’s kingdom. Repentance and belief are only two of the “first principles and ordinances of the Gospel.”42 Baptism and other works are required of each person to enter the celestial (See John 1:12; 3:16; 5:24; Rm 10:9-10, 13) kingdom. Baptism is done to evidence faith, Baptism “is for the remission of sins”43 and is representing the spiritual process of dying to a necessity for salvation.44 Because of the self and raising unto life with Christ. Baptism, necessity of Baptism,45 one may partake in according to Scripture, is done via immersion “proxy-baptism” for the dead involving being on those who believe. baptized on behalf of a deceased relative.46 Proxy-baptism allows for non-Mormon (See Mt 3:13-17; 28:19-20; Mk 1:9-11; Lk relatives to be given Mormon status and rise 3:21-22; Jn 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; from the telestial to the terrestrial level of 16:30—33; Rm 6:3-5; Col 2:12) heaven. Extensive records are to be kept of relatives and those who have been baptized and thus saved, for everyone will be judged by the book in heaven (book of life) which mirrors the book on earth (records of good deeds done within the LDS church).47 Jesus’s work on the cross is finished and thus Jesus’s work on the cross allowed for man, if those who believe are secure in Christ’s work they work hard enough, to avoid the “second and God’s faithfulness. death.” The work of man is never finished or enough. They must do all that is within their (See Jn 5:24; 10:27-30;Rm 8:28-39; Hb 7:25; ability to earn salvation. 10:14; 1 Pt 1:1-5) “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace are saved, after all we can do.” 2 Nephi 25:23 What the Bible says about life after death: What the LDS church says about life after death: Heaven or Hell. At death, man’s eternal Essentially all are “saved by grace”48 in a destiny is fixed in one of these two places. general resurrection. Upon resurrection, a After death there is no opportunity for person is destined for one of several levels of salvation. It is appointed once to die and then the afterlife based off of their works: judgement follows. 1.) Outer Darkness – This location is the only one where the “second death” occurs. It is reserved for Satan and his 42 Joseph Smith, Article of Faith 4. Bruce McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 70. 44 “And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned” 3 Nephi 11:34; See also 3 Nephi 11:37-38. 45 “Baptism…is the gate to the celestial kingdom of heaven” (Bruce McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 70). 46 “Revelation, 19 January 1841 [D&C 124],” in Book of the Law of the Lord, 5, josephsmithpapers.org; Doctrine and Covenants 124:30. 47 Doctrine and Covenants 128:7-8. 48 2 Nephi 25:23 43 Sharing with Mormons 9 (See Lk 16:19-31; Jn 5:28-29; 2 Cor 5:6-8; Hb 9:27; Rv 20:11-15) demons and those wicked people and apostate Mormons who chose to serve Satan instead of God (this group includes all those who would know what Mormons believe and preach against them).49 2.) Telestial Kingdom – This kingdom is the lowest of the three heavens. The Holy Ghost will visit it but the Son and the Father will not. The nonantagonistic wicked people spend eternity here. 3.) Terrestrial Kingdom – This kingdom is the second of the three heavens. Jesus and the Holy Ghost will visit this kingdom but the Father will not. Those who lived honorably and “lukewarm”50 Mormons will live here. 4.) Celestial Kingdom – This kingdom is the highest and best of the three heavens. Naturally there are three levels or “degrees of glory” within the celestial kingdom which allow for further exaltation. The highest level of the celestial kingdom is where exaltation occurs. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost all reside in the Celestial Kingdom. The works include service to the LDS church, celestial marriage, baptism, mission, etc. One’s location is not necessarily fixed permanently. If one resides in the telestial kingdom, they may be elevated to the terrestrial kingdom through their descendants partaking in baptism for the dead, making the deceased ancestor a Mormon and thus elevating them to a better place. 49 50 Doctrine and Covenants, 88:32, 35. See also Mosiah 2:36-39; 16:5; 3 Nephi 29:7. The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 48; See also Doctrine and Covenants 76:79. Sharing with Mormons 10