Do members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints believe in heaven and hell?
Mormons--properly referred to as Latter-day Saints,
members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--do
in fact believe in a heaven and hell.
Latter-day Saint understanding of the fate
of the human soul after death is based on the teachings
from the Bible and other scripture
revealed by God through His ancient and modern prophets.
Let's explain.
When talking about life after death,
Jesus taught His disciples: "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."
Latter-day Saints affirm this truth in their belief
that the soul continues beyond this mortal life.
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul taught this
concept to the Corinthians as he expounded on the resurrection
of the body after death: "There are also celestial bodies,
and bodies terrestrial. ...
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon,
and another glory of the stars. ...
So also is the resurrection of the dead."
Latter-day Saints agree with Paul
that during the Resurrection, each of God's children
will be raised to one of three levels or degrees of glory,
comparable to that of the sun, moon, and stars.
Latter-day Saints learn more about these degrees of glory
through revelations that were given by God to the Prophet
Joseph Smith, the first prophet and President
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Latter-day Saints believe each of these kingdoms
is a degree of glory and can be considered a type of heaven.
Joseph Smith taught that the highest degree of glory,
or highest degree of heaven, is called the celestial kingdom
and is where God and His Son, Jesus Christ, dwell.
He also taught about the terrestrial and telestial
kingdoms.
Even the lowest kingdom, the telestial kingdom,
is a degree of glory comparable to the glory
of the distant stars.
While this degree is reserved for those
who lived lives of ill intent and hatred
for the things of God, they nevertheless
receive a measure of glory from a loving and just Heavenly
Father.
The terrestrial kingdom, with its brighter glory
comparable to that of the moon, is the reward
for those who lead good and honorable lives
but who never fully embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The highest degree of glory--the celestial kingdom,
comparable to the brilliance of the sun--offers a reward
of life forever in the presence of God and His Son,
Jesus Christ.
There, they may inherit all that the Father has.
"We are the children of God: and if children, then heirs;
heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ."
Let's back up a little.
After death, what happens to the body?
Latter-day Saints believe that after death, everyone
who ever lived on earth will live forever
with a physical, perfected, resurrected body.
This is what Latter-day Saints mean when
they use the term immortality.
This is a gift from the Savior Jesus
Christ as a result of His atoning sacrifice,
His death on the cross, and His Resurrection.
He overcame death and opens the way for all of God's children
to be resurrected.
Members of the Church further believe
that while all of God's children will
be blessed with immortality, not all will receive eternal life.
What's the difference, you ask?
What does eternal life mean?
It is an important element of the Latter-day Saint faith,
and it simply means to dwell where God and Jesus
Christ dwell and to live as They live within the highest
glory in the celestial kingdom.
This is also sometimes referred to as exaltation.
It is an opportunity for one's further progression
to become like God and Jesus and is
a reward for the highest measure of faithfulness
to the commandments of God.
It is for those who receive God's mercy
through sincere faith in Jesus Christ
and repentance through His Atonement.
Simply put, heaven is the reward for one's actions in this life
and the love of the Savior Jesus Christ
through His merciful Atonement.
Heaven is realized in the three degrees of glory
prepared by a loving Heavenly Father
and His Son, Jesus Christ.
But what about hell?
Do Latter-day Saints believe in hell?
Yes, Latter-day Saints believe hell
can be thought of in two ways.
First, it is the temporary waiting place
prior to the Resurrection in the postmortal spirit
world for the spirits of those who
are disobedient in mortality.
For them, this hell is a type of prison spoken of by the Apostle
Peter in the New Testament.
He taught that God has provided a way
for the gospel of Jesus Christ to be "preached
unto the spirits in prison."
From this, we learn for some spirits, hell has an end.
Latter-day Saints believe all spirits
will have an opportunity to accept or reject
the gospel of Jesus Christ that will be taught to them.
Depending upon their choice, they
will receive a corresponding level or degree of glory.
In addition, Latter-day Saints refer
to a post-resurrection hell as a realm of absolute emptiness
called outer darkness, a place of no glory
at all, where Satan dwells.
It is reserved for the very few who
once had a full understanding of truth
and a personal witness of the Savior Jesus Christ
but who subsequently renounced and abandoned
that personal witness.
Only the most evil people are assigned to hell
as a final destination.
Heavenly Father loves His children,
and a mansion of glory is available to all.
God's plan of happiness even provides a way
that His children can return and live with Him.
The way is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It is this eternal aspiration--to be with and like
Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ,
in the highest mansion of which Jesus taught--that motivates
Latter-day Saints to live lives of purpose and to progress,
to love their families and serve their communities,
to follow the Savior in every way.
The Latter-day Saint belief of heaven, hell, and the degrees
of glory.
Now you know.