I recently thought about the possibility of many kingdoms, in addition to the typical three kingdoms of glory of which we Mormons are so familiar. I read that some people are not “meet” for a kingdom of glory — and they must “abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of 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. (D&C 88:24)
After I read that and thought about it, I came to a spot in my reading of Visions of Glory
, where the narrator describes just such a thing — other kingdoms, not just the three: celestial, terrestrial, and telestial. That confirmed my pondering.
Spencer, the narrator of Visions of Glory has a near death experience and says he saw other kingdoms of no glory.
“All of the glorified universes I perceived were one of three glories — celestial, terrestrial, or telestial. There were other types, which were not types of glory. These were wonderful places without glory where beings who had not qualified for a reward of glory during their lifetimes were ultimately sent. These were of every type, of every description, and were created in response to their desires.”(80)
Now some people are not going to believe Spencer’s account. In fact, I read a review of Visions of Glory on Fair LDS, by Gregory L. Smith, who remarked that this is false doctrine, stating, “This claim directly contradicts Latter-day Scriptures.“ Gregory Smith supports his view with section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants, but I think he is confused, as the sections he quotes refers to sons of perdition.
But as for me, I believe there are other kingdoms, of no glory, perfect for those who want to live whatever life that affords.
That’s one of the things confirmed to me while reading. If I study my scriptures and think about a verse, wanting more understanding, sometime later, it appears through other texts, people, or random events.
Typical Three Degrees of Glory of LDS Doctrine
