Heavenly Glory—Not a Guessing Game

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Heavenly Glory—Not a Guessing Game

Posted by Connor on July 16th, 2006

For the longest time, I always pictured the judgment bar as being a nerve-racking experience, where you wait in line forever to get there, you’re biting your nails the entire time, hoping against all hope that you’ll “pass”. To me, the verdict given at the judgment bar, assigning you to a varying degree of glory, was always a surprise after God looked over his files on your life, and told you where you’d end up.

Not so. Your time of resurrection will indicate what glory you will be assigned at the judgment bar, so there’s pretty much no guessing game involved. Those who are resurrected in the morning of the first resurrection (at the time of Christ’s second coming) will receive celestial bodies and later be assigned to celestial glory.

And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth, for their graves shall be opened; and they also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven—
They are Christ’s, the first fruits, they who shall descend with him first, and they who are on the earth and in their graves, who are first caught up to meet him; and all this by the voice of the sounding of the trump of the angel of God. (D&C 88:97-98)

This is at the time of Christ’s second coming, when he is ushering in the millenium. To those in their graves, he says “Ye saints arise and live; ye sinners stay and sleep until I shall call again” (D&C 43:18). The saints are those mentioned previously, who will rise in the morning of the first resurrection. The sinners mentioned here are those will will inherit terrestrial bodies. They will “sleep until [He] shall call again”, meaning that their resurrection will be during the afternoon of the first resurrection.

And after this another angel shall sound, which is the second trump; and then cometh the redemption of those who are Christ’s at his coming; who have received their part in that prison which is prepared for them, that they might receive the gospel, and be judged according to men in the flesh. (D&C 88:99)

As you can see, we will be resurrected with bodies pertaining to the glory of the kingdom we will eventually be assigned to in the judgment, be that Celestial, Terrestrial, or Telestial. There is no guessing game involved. No biting the fingernails, no hoping against hope that we will “make it”. I think that, having a perfect remembrance of all our sin we didn’t repent of, that we will have a pretty good idea of under what condition we will be resurrected and judged.

Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil. (Alma 11:44)

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