Question: Members of the Restored Church say there is more than one heaven. Why would there
need to be more than one heaven?
“[A]nd
if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of
God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also. But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is
not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God;
wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is
filthy." 1 Nephi 15:33-34, The Book of Mormon
Members of the Restored Church believe heaven is not an all or nothing situation. Those
who work to follow Christ and Heavenly Father will gain eternal life. How
closely you obey God and what you put into your obedience to Him is what you
will receive in judgment. We believe a person will go to a place that is
according to the level of righteousness or law they wish to live.
"I the Lord search the heart,
I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to
the fruit of his doings." Jeremiah 17:10
This is why we only
find the Lord when we seek Him with all our hearts. It takes a person’s entire
effort.
“But if from thence thou shalt seek
the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart
and with all thy soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29
The law or word of
God must be written in our hearts. It must be who we are.
“Hearken unto me, ye that know
righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law. …” Isaiah 51:7
The law must be in our hearts so that our hearts may be pure.
“The law of the LORD is perfect,
converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of
the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring for ever,: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous
altogether.” Psalms 19:7-9
Charity comes out
of a pure heart.
“Now the end of the commandment is
charity out of a pure heart, and of good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” 1 Timothy 1:5
Charity is the bond
of perfection.
“And above all these things put on
charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” Colossians 3:14
Only the pure in heart can know God
and can see Him for what He is. Nothing
unclean can come stay in God’s presence.
"Wherefore come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and
I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall
be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:17-18
“Who shall ascend into the hill of
the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands,
and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn
deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from
the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that
seek thy face. …” Psalms 24:3-6
“Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8
“And I will give them an heart to
know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be
their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.”
Jeremiah 24:7
What have you become? What will you be? Will you
have godliness? Will you be clean? Will
your heart be pure? Will you go to where God is? Will you know God?
"For God hath not called us
unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." 1 Thessalonians 4:7
Who you are determines where you will go after this life. God is
a being of brilliant glory, and a filthy person could not remain in His
presence. You will go to a place suitable for the heavenly laws that you wish
to keep. An unclean person resists governance by God and is unsuitable to God’s
kingdom.
"For
he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a
celestial glory. And he who is cannot abide the law of a terrestrial
kingdom cannot abide a terrestrial glory. And he who cannot abide the law of a
telestial kingdom cannot abide a telestial glory; therefore he is not meet for a kingdom of glory. Therefore he must
abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory." Doctrine and Covenants
88:22-24
"The Lord knoweth how to deliver
the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of
judgment to be punished: But chiefly them
that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. …" 2 Peter 2:9-10
There is more than just heaven and hell after judgment, there
are many places reserved for peoples of differing levels of faith.
"I knew a man in Christ …such an
one caught up to the third heaven." 2 Corinthians 12:2
"In my Father’s house are many
mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive
you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:2-3
If it were not so, God would not be just.
Just as there is more than just hell for the sinners, and heaven
for the saved after judgment, there is also different levels of resurrected
bodies. Not all resurrected bodies will have eternal life. Those who are
faithful will have a different kind of body than those who were not. While the
unfaithful will have immortality and punishment through eternal separation from
the Father, the faithful will have immortality and also exaltation and eternal
or everlasting life.
"Thy dead men shall live,
together with my dead body shall they arise. …" Isaiah 26:19
"And have hope toward God, which
they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead,
both the just and unjust." Acts 24:15
"And these shall go away into
everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."
Matthew 25:46
“The ungodly are not so: but are
as the chaff [an empty husk of a seed] which the wind driveth away.” Psalms
1:4
"And many of them that sleep in
the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to
shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise
shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to
righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." Daniel 12:2-3
"Proving
to the world that the holy scriptures are true, and that God does inspire men
and call them to his holy work in this age and generation, as well as in
generations of old; Thereby showing that he is the same God yesterday, today,
and forever. Amen. Therefore, having
so great witnesses, by them shall the world be judged, even as many as shall
hereafter come to a knowledge of this work. And those who receive it in faith, and work righteousness, shall receive
a crown of eternal life; But those who
harden their hearts in unbelief, and reject it, it shall turn to their own
condemnation." Doctrine and Covenants 20:11-15
When Christ comes the dead will rise and live again. If
Christ had not risen then the dead would also not rise, as the bonds of death
stemming from the fall of man would not have been broken. If it were that
there should be no resurrection, then there was no need for Christ to be risen.
"But if there be no
resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
And if Christ be not risen, then is
our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." 1
Corinthians 15:13-14
If you aren’t really to have a living body for all eternity, if
Christ was not able to rise breaking the bands of death, then faith is vain.
There would be no purpose to this life. You are meant to live within a
glorious body, perfect like your Father’s. That is the culmination of the
Holy Spirits efforts, Christ’s efforts, and the efforts of your Father.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Being without your bodies would make you be and feel incomplete.
You may miss the strength of your spirit now under the veil, but you would not
want to be without your body. You would want a body that is like your
Father’s.
"For we know that if our earthly
house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan,
earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
If so be that being clothed we shall
not be found naked. For we that
are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be
unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life."
2 Corinthians 5:1-4
God made promises to all those who followed Him and Jehovah in
the first estate that they would someday become immortal.
"But now is Christ risen from
the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For
since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive." 1 Corinthians 15:20-22
But all who are resurrected will not have the same kind of
flesh. Some will only be immortal. Some will have creative flesh like
their Father’s, or eternal life in a bright glorious body. This also has to do with
there being more than one heaven as there are different kinds of glory.
"All flesh is not the same
flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts,
another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but
the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
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. So also is the resurrection of
the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It
is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is
raised in power: It is sown a
natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." 1
Corinthians 15:39-44
This end of this scripture does not mean that resurrection is
being risen from the dead into a spirit still. That makes no sense. Being
risen from the dead is again having a body with life. Remember that
section of scripture is about the different kinds of flesh. Spirits do not have
flesh. Christ, who is the image of His Father, as a resurrected personage is
not just spirit.
"Behold my hands and feet, that
it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones,
as ye see me have." Luke 24:39
Our resurrection will be as His is if we are obedient to God. What
is a spiritual body then? The Complete Jewish Bible, a translation taken from
the original Greek, has a different phrase for the final verse:
"When sown, it is an ordinary
human body; when raised, it will be a body controlled by the Spirit. If
there is an ordinary human body, there is also a body controlled by the
Spirit." 1 Corinthians 15:44 The Complete Jewish Bible
That section in The Complete Jewish Bible continues:
“In fact, the Tanakh says so: Adam, the first
man, became a living human being; but the last “Adam” has become a life-giving Spirit. Note, however, that the body from the Spirit did not come first,
but the ordinary human one; the one from the Spirit comes afterwards. The first
man is from the earth, made of dust; the
second man is from heaven. People born of the dust are like the man of
dust, and people born from heaven are
like the man from heaven; and just as we have borne the image of the man of
dust, so also we will bear the image of
the man from heaven.” 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 The Complete Jewish Bible
This is spiritual wholeness and maturity. Becoming spiritually
mature means that we can also become physically mature. We will not know what
physical maturity is exactly until we obtain it.
“For the earnest
expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of
him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because
the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into
the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Romans 8:19-21
“[A] partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.” 1 Peter 5:1
“Beloved, now
are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we
shall be like him; for we shall se him as he is. And every man that hath
this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” 1 John 3:2-3
Here we are on Earth and we struggle with our self-control. We
struggle to be the kind of people we want to be. It is very hard to find
our way because our spirits are asleep during this mortal probation. By
following Christ, striving to keep God’s laws and having the Holy Spirit with
us, our spirits slowly awaken. That awakening burns with light and glory.
“My heart
is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Awake up,
my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.” Psalms
57:7-8
“As for me,
I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake,
with thy likeness.” Psalms 17:15
“[N]ow
it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than
when we believed.” Romans 13:11
“Awake
to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I
speak this to your shame.” 1 Corinthians 15:34
“Awake, awake,
stand up, O Jerusalem. …” Isaiah 51:17
So then wherein shall our bright and burning
spirits reside? In a body, glorious and incorruptible, fully controlled
by spirit.
“But the
God of all grace who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ
Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish,
strengthen, settle you.” 1 Peter 5:10
“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear,
then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:4
"These
are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even
the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament.
…" Doctrine and Covenants 76:70
"For our conversation is in
heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who
shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious
body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things
unto himself." Philippians 3:20-21
“And when
the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that
fadeth not away.” 1 Peter 5:4
Eternal life is the crown of glory. It is a glorious body,
immortal, and life-giving.
"Blessed is the man that
endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of
life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." James 1:12
"[B]e thou faithful unto death,
and I will give thee a crown of life." Revelations 2:10
"[A]ccording to the faith of
God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In
hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the
world began…" Titus 1:1-2
“And he shall be like a tree
planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
Psalms 1:3
God is majesty. God is royalty. It is what He
is. In the world people can have power because of the situations they
were born into. Maybe their parents are wealthy. Maybe their
parents have some sort of political power, or some cultural benefit that helps
them stand above others.
You are also royalty. But you do not get the power and benefits
of royalty just because of who your Father is. You need to find it
through Christ.
"But we all, with open face
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same
image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."
2 Corinthians 3:18
At the second coming, the dead who followed Christ will rise
first, then those in succeeding order.
"For the Lord himself shall
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first." 1
Thessalonians 4:16
"For as in Adam all die, even so
in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his
coming." 1 Corinthians 15:22-23
Those who resist Christ will be judged and resurrected at the
end of the millennial reign.
"But the rest of the dead lived
not again until the thousand years were finished. …" Revelation 20:5
These people will experience total spiritual death, beyond the
spiritual death that happened with sin when they were first separated from
their Father. This death is the second death. This is a spiritual
death you cannot come back from. This death means you will never be with your
Father again and never become perfect as He is. You will never have eternal
life because you are dead in sin, because you choose not to know God.
"And death and hell were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire." Revelation 20:14-15
“In flaming fire taking vengeance on
them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 1:8
Because of the choices the wicked made all their light has been extinguished.
Though their bodies will live, they will be like chaff, an empty husk of a
seed, devoid of divine light, devoid of the creative power of eternal life.
If you fight to overcome everything that may separate you from your
Heavenly Father by following Jesus Christ, you will find yourself back at His
side. You will be made in the image of Him and His Son.
"He that overcometh shall
inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."
Revelation 21:7
"Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore
the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." 1 John 3:1
Are you enduring to the end? Are you fighting to
overcome? With Christ’s help you can. If you do, you will have
earned your place back with your Father. You will no longer be one of the
fallen. You will know God and will no longer be a lost divine child.
"I will seek that which was
lost, and bring again that which was driven away. …" Ezekiel
34:16
“For the Son of man is come to and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10
“But if our gospel be hid, it
is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded
the minds of them which believe not, lest
the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should
shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
You can be retrieved and brought back. You will be brought back
to your inheritance as God’s child. You will be an heir of all things.
Not an heir of meaningless material things, but of character, of truth, of
power, of love, of godliness, of life, of eternal life. You will be an heir of
everything that really matters. You will be a joint heir with Jesus Christ.
You will receive the same gifts that He receives from the Father.
"And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be
that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." Romans
8:17
Becoming a joint heir with Christ is the culmination of His
efforts. He wants to bring you to where He is. All you need do is follow
Him and learn to do as He did. It may seem hard. People may make it seem
too difficult. It really isn’t. It is a learning process that you
can do, so long as you never give up. You are a child of God. You can do
it. You can follow Jesus Christ and He will qualify you. Know that on the
other side of the veil there is a highly active effort to help bring you to
where you need to be. I testify of this.
"Come unto me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye
shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden
is light." Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus Christ is your brother. He is gracious. He
loves you. He went through the infinite pains of hell for you. If
you follow in His footsteps He will lead you home.
Through Him you can gain the promises your Father made you.
“But if
ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your
exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also. This is eternal lives- to know
the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he.
Receive ye, therefore, my law.” Doctrine and Covenants 132:22-24
Next Chapter
Watch- Kingdoms of Glory