The Line between Heaven and Hell

To some it is difficult to tell what the dividing line is between heaven and hell. Here I am not talking to Christians as a whole, I am talking to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

The question 'what is the dividing line between heaven and hell?' is answered by many members of this church as the celestial kingdom. That is where God the Father dwells. That is where faithful members of this church go. Some say that it is the only kingdom that requires baptism. All those who do not dwell with God the Father are in hell. Other people would say - its not that easy - heaven is the celestial kingdom and hell is outer darkness but there are two kingdoms in between. Well, as far as the scriptures are concerned there is no in between; either one goes to heaven or to hell.

Others would say that the dividing line is between the terrestrial and telestial kingdoms because everyone that goes to the telestial kingdom are the murderers, whoremongers and liars. Those who go to the terrestrial kingdom are those who accept vicarious baptism after this life, and therefore, go to heaven - not as good as the celestial kingdom but they get to dwell with Christ nonetheless.

From this train of thought I started to wonder a few years ago what that line is. It appears to be baptism. Who needs baptism? It is certain that those who go to the celestial kingdom need it. From D&C 76 it seems obvious to me that those who qualify for the terrestrial kingdom accept it; even though it is vicarious they still need it and accept it. But what about the telestial kingdom? They don't go to outer darkness to dwell with Satan; and they can dwell in the presence of the Holy Ghost. Do they need baptism?

D&C 76 starts out talking about resurrection not baptism. It talks about two resurrections the resurrection of the just and that of the unjust. We are shown first what happens to those who are resurrected in the resurrection of the unjust. These are they who go to outer darkness - who go to hell (eternal damnation) to dwell with Satan after the resurrection. This is not the hell referred to for those before the resurrection. They are different, the hell before the resurrection may be temporary whereas that judgment declared to the wicked at the final judgment is the second spiritual death and is permanent.

The rest of the chapter focuses on the resurrection of the just - not just the next several verses but the whole rest of the chapter. So that would indicate that those who go to the telestial kingdom are resurrected with the just. How can this be? They are the wicked who lie and murder? Yes, they are those who lied and murdered in this life but fortunately God is a loving God. The time to prepare to meet God continues after death up to the time of the resurrection. It states very clearly what happens to them before the resurrection:

"These are they who suffer the wrath of God on earth. These are they who suffer the vengeance of eternal fire. These are they who are cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of Almighty God, until the fulness of times, when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under his feet, and shall have perfected his work; When he shall deliver up the kingdom, and present it unto the Father, spotless, saying: I have overcome and have trodden the wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. ... These all [of the telestial kingdom] shall bow the knee, and every tongue shall confess to him who sits upon the throne forever and ever; For they shall be judged according to their works, and every man shall receive according to his own works, his own dominion, in the mansions which are prepared; And they shall be servants of the Most High; but where God and Christ dwell they cannot come, worlds without end." (emphasis added)

'Until' is the first key word. Their suffering has an end. They suffer until they become 'spotless' - that is the second key word. There is a sentence in verse 88 that makes this clear: "for they shall be heirs of salvation." This phrase is referring to those of the telestial kingdom. There is some confusion with chronology. The statements that say "these are they who say they are some of one and some of another" is referring to the people while they dwell on this earth as well as the following verses. How they are on this earth is not how they will be after suffering "the vengeance of eternal fire."

They will need to be baptized vicariously. In order to be "heirs of salvation" they must be baptized; this is required. Another way to look at it is from the statement in verse 83: "These are they who deny not the Holy Spirit." As Christ stated "he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, ... it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." Those who become spotless do not reject the Holy Ghost or in other words the gift of the Holy Ghost which is baptism - baptism of water and baptism of fire which is one baptism.

"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost are one God and the kingdom of God is heaven. Joseph Smith stated, after seeing the vision of the kingdoms of glory: "'Heaven,’ as intended for the Saints’ eternal home, must include more kingdoms than one." That is, heaven has three kingdoms - the celestial or kingdom of God the Father, the terrestrial or kingdom of God the Son and the telestial or kingdom of God the Holy Ghost. That is one kingdom of God and one heaven consisting of different kingdoms and degrees therein; and they are distinguishable as Paul stated: "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." That is the first resurrection or resurrection of the just.

In conclusion, baptism is required for all men to receive any glory in the kingdom of God and to be resurrected in the resurrection of the just. Baptism is required to receive celestial glory, terrestrial glory or telestial glory and to enter the kingdom of God. If baptism is rejected, or in other words the Holy Ghost, they are rejected from the presence of God - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost - and are the only ones on whom the second death has claim. All men will be at the point before resurrection where they can of their own free will "choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death."