Celestial Kingdom

Latter-day Saint doctrine teaches that the Celestial Kingdom is the highest of three degrees of glory in the afterlife, reserved for those who fully keep the commandments as restored through Joseph Smith.¹ According to Spencer W. Kimball, “all good people of every nation will be saved in one of these kingdoms,” but “celestial life or eternal life [has never been] promised … to any soul who does not live celestial laws.”² This belief highlights the separation between general salvation—available to the good of all humanity—and exaltation, which is conditioned upon complete obedience.

Requirements for Entrance

According to Joseph Fielding Smith, entrance into the Celestial Kingdom demands lifelong faithfulness and obedience. He wrote, “In order to enter the celestial a man must be true and faithful to the end, observing all things which the Lord has commanded, otherwise he shall be assigned to some other kingdom, or to outer darkness if his sins so merit.”³ Smith’s emphasis reflects the consistent Latter-day Saint view that only those living up to specific revealed commandments can attain the highest glory.

Trials and Covenant Keeping

Wilford Woodruff taught that faithful endurance through trials is essential to prove one’s covenant loyalty. He stated, “It is impossible … for the Saints of God to inherit a celestial kingdom without their being tried as to whether they will abide in the covenants of the Lord or not.”⁴ The test of covenant obedience, according to this teaching, determines readiness for celestial glory.

Joseph Fielding Smith also warned that exaltation is rare among Latter-day Saints themselves. He recounted that if “we save one-half of the Latter-day Saints … with an exaltation in the celestial kingdom of God, we will be doing well.”⁵ This statement suggests that even among Church members, strict observance of required laws and ordinances is uncommon.

Joseph Smith’s Authority in the Celestial Realm

Early Latter-day Saint leaders taught that Joseph Smith continues to hold unique authority tied to the Celestial Kingdom. Brigham Young asserted that “no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith,” explaining that Smith “holds the keys of that kingdom for the last dispensation … and he rules there triumphantly.”⁶ This statement illustrates the enduring role ascribed to Joseph Smith, whose priesthood authority is believed to extend into the next life.

Full Obedience and Choice

In general conference, Joseph Fielding Smith explained that attaining celestial glory requires full obedience, while lesser kingdoms require less. He stated, “If … you want to go into the presence of God and dwell in the celestial kingdom and see the glories of exaltation, then you must live by every word that proceeds forth from the mouth of God.”⁷ By contrast, he said those content with lower kingdoms “do not have to keep other commandments,” emphasizing absolute compliance as a condition for entrance into the presence of God.

References

1. Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1982), 69.

2. Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3 (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1956), 310.

3. Wilford Woodruff, The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, ed. G. Homer Durham (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1946), 263.

4. Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 2 (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954), 15.

5. Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7 (London: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 1860), 289; also in Search These Commandments (Salt Lake City: Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1984), 133.

6. Joseph Fielding Smith, Conference Reports (April 1968), 11.