Inheriting a paradisiacal/celestial earth as the Eschatological Reward For God's People

We believe . . . that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory. (Article of Faith 10)

While many Latter-day Saints seem unaware of such these days (perhaps because it is not taught that much in missionary discussions and explicated in LDS circles these days, coupled with many converts coming from “mainstream” faiths and retain errant doctrines), in LDS eschatology, there will be a "marriage" between heaven and earth. Notwithstanding (errant) LDS tend to speak of "going to heaven," in reality, the eschatological goal, if you will, will be dwelling in a “celestialised” (paradisiacal) earth. Consider the following from various LDS sources:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches of three degrees of glory in the afterlife-the celestial, terrestrial, and telestial. Jesus alluded to these when he said, "In my Father's house are many mansions" (John 14:2). Paul likened them to the sun, moon, and stars, with the highest or celestial being typical of the sun (1 Cor. 15:40-41; cf. D&C 76:50-98). The Celestial Kingdom was seen in vision by John the Revelator, Paul, and the Prophet Joseph Smith (Rev. 4:6; 2 Cor. 12:2; Tpjs, pp. 106-107). This earth in its "sanctified, immortal, and eternal state" will become a celestial sphere (D&C 88:19-20;130:9).

Celestial glory comes to those "who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial,…and who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true" (D&C 76:51-53). Within the celestial glory are three levels, and to obtain the highest requires a temple marriage or sealing.

Inhabitants of the highest celestial degree inherit "thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers," and dwell with God and Jesus Christ forever (D&C 76:54-70;132:19-20). (Susan Easton Black, “Celestial Kingdom,” Encyclopedia of Mormonism)

THE ORIGIN AND DESTINY OF THE EARTH. Joseph Smith wrote, "We believe…that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory" (A of F 10). LDS revelation declares that the earth is destined to become a celestial body fit for the abode of the most exalted or celestial beings (D&C 88:18-20, 25-26). This is a unique departure from the traditional Christian beliefs that heaven is the dwelling place for all saved beings, and that after fulfilling its useful role the earth will become uninhabited, or be destroyed. Doctrine and Covenants 130:9teaches that finally the earth will become sanctified and immortalized, and be made crystal-like. The "sea of glass" spoken of in Revelation 4:6"is the earth, in its sanctified, immortal, and eternal state" (D&C 77:1). Elder James E. Talmage wrote of this earthly regeneration: "In regard to the revealed word concerning the regeneration of earth, and the acquirement of a celestial glory by our planet, science has nothing to offer either by way of support or contradiction" (AF, p. 381).

Latter-day Saints understand the entire history of the earth to be directly linked to its role in God's Plan of Salvation for his children, his work and glory, "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). The earth was created as a paradise. Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, it was transformed to a telestial state, or the present mortal earth. This interval will end with the return of the Savior, after which the earth will be changed to a terrestrial state and prepared during the Millennium for its final transformation into a celestial sphere after the Millennium (D&C 88:18-19). The ancient Nephite concept derived from Christ's teachings to them includes the idea that before the final judgment the earth will be "rolled together as a scroll, and the elements [will] melt with fervent heat" (Morm. 9:2), "and the heavens and the earth [shall] pass away" (3 Ne. 26:3). This historical account is linear, marked by unique, important events that link the theological and physical history of the earth, that is, creation, fall, renewal at the second coming of Christ, and final glory. (Morris S. Petersen, "Earth,” Encyclopedia of Mormonism)

CELESTIAL EARTH. — Following the millennium plus "a little season" (D. & C. 29:22-25), the earth will die, be resurrected and become like a "sea of glass" (D. & C. 130:7), attain unto "its sanctified, immortal, and eternal state." (D. & C. 77:1-2.) Then the poor and the meek — that is, the godfearing and the righteous — shall inherit the earth; it will become an abiding place for the Father and the Son and celestial beings will possess it forever and ever. (D. & C. 88:14-26, 111.) (Bruce McConkie, "Earth" in Mormon Doctrine)

This earth will be rolled back into the presence of God and crowned with Celestial Glory. (Joseph Smith, The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 60)

Following the Millennium, this earth will be sanctified, receive its celestial glory, and become the heavenly orb described by John as a "sea of glass" (Articles of Faith 1:10; D&C 77:1). It will be as a sacred seer stone to the celestial Saints who dwell thereon (D&C 130:8-9). In this connection, several statements by President Brigham Young are worth pondering: "When the earth is sanctified, cleansed, and purified by fire, and returns to its paradisiacal state, and becomes like a sea of glass, urim and thummin; when all this is done, and the Savior has presented the earth to his Father, and it is placed in the cluster of the celestial kingdoms, and the Son and all his faithful brethren and sisters have received the welcome plaudit, 'Enter ye into the joy of the Lord', and the Savior is crowned, then and not till then, will the saints receive their everlasting inheritance" (JD 17:117). "This earth, when it becomes purified and sanctified, or celestialized, will become like a sea of glass; and a person, by looking into it, can know things past, present, and to come; though none but celestialized beings can enjoy this privilege. They will look into the earth, and the things they desire to know will be exhibited to them, the same as the face is seen by looking into a mirror." (JD 9:87.) (Hoyt W. Brewster, Doctrine and Covenants Encyclopedia)

This Earth will become a celestial body—be like a sea of glass, or like a Urim and Thummim; and when you wish to know anything, you can look in this Earth and see all the eternities of God. We shall make our homes here, and go on our missions as we do now. (Brigham Young, JOD 8:200)

This earth, when it becomes purified and sanctified, or celestialized, will become like a sea of glass; and a person, by looking into it, can know things past, present, and to come; though none but celestialized beings can enjoy this privilege. They will look into the earth, and the things they desire to know will be exhibited to them, the same as the face is seen by looking into a mirror. (Brigham Young, JOD 9:87)

And this world, so benighted at present, and so lightly esteemed by infidels, when it becomes celestialized, it will be like the sun, and be prepared for the habitation of the Saints, and be brought back into the presence of the Father and the Son. It will not then be an opaque body as it now is, but it will be like the stars of the firmament, full of light and glory; it will be a body of light. John compared it, in its celestialized state, to a sea of glass." (Brigham Young, JOD 10:175)

Some of the main texts in modern revelation supporting this view are:

But blessed are the poor who are pure in heart, whose hearts are broken, and whose spirits are contrite, for they shall see the kingdom of God coming in power and great glory unto their deliverance; for the fatness of the earth shall be theirs. (D&C 56:18)

Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth; (D&C 59:16)

  

Q. What is the sea of glass spoken of by John, 4th chapter, and 6th verse of the Revelation? A. It is the earth, in its sanctified, immortal, and eternal state.

Q. What are we to understand by the four beasts, spoken of in the same verse? A. They are figurative expressions, used by the Revelator, John, in describing heaven, the paradise of God, the happiness of man, and of beasts, and of creeping things, and of the fowls of the air; that which is spiritual being in the likeness of that which is temporal; and that which is temporal in the likeness of that which is spiritual; the spirit of man in the likeness of his person, as also the spirit of the beast, and every other creature which God has created. (D&C 77:1-2)

Now, verily I say unto you, that through the redemption which is made for you is brought to pass the resurrection from the dead. And the spirit and the body are the soul of man. And the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul. And the redemption of the soul is through him that quickeneth all things, in whose bosom it is decreed that the poor and the meek of the earth shall inherit it. Therefore, it must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be prepared for the celestial glory; for after it hath filled the measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father; that bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever; for, for this intent was it made and created, and for this intent are they sanctified. And they who are not sanctified through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom. For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory. And he who 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. And again, verily I say unto you, the earth abideth the law of a celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation, and transgresseth not the law--wherefore, it shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by which it is quickened, and the righteous shall inherit it. (D&C 88:14-26)

But they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord. (D&C 130:7)

So, while there are passages that speak of one “going to” or “being brought” to heaven (e.g., Mosiah 5:15), the one must read such passages that the earth and heaven will be brought together, with the (celestial) earth being the inheritance of the righteous. One cannot absolutise one set of Scriptures to the exclusion of the whole when it comes to all theological issues, including this area of eschatology.

Some who believe that “going to heaven” to the exclusion of inhabiting the earth in a paradisiacal state will appeal to certain passages, such as the (false) idea that the righteous go to heaven immediately after death. Such texts include:

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. (2 Cor 5:6-9)

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better. (Phil 1:21-23)

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:14)

 Commenting on Phil 1 and 2 Cor 5,  J. Richard Middleton presents a pretty sound refutation of the popular misuse of these texts:

[On 2 Cor 5:6-9] The first thing we should note is how Paul has already stated in 5:1-2 that his actual hope is for the heavenly dwelling that God has prepared (the resurrection body), and in 5:3-4 he affirms that he does not want to be “naked” or “unclothed” (disembodied). And yet Paul says that he prefers to be away from the (present) body and at home with the Lord (5:8). Could Paul have contradictory hopes? . . .[W]e need to pay attention to Paul’s key statement near the end of chapter 4 about the basis of his hope even amid tribulations and suffering (vv.8-12). The reason why Paul says he can live faithfully in the midst of suffering is this: “We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence”(v. 14). There is no separation here of resurrection and being with Christ. Not only does Paul look forward to the resurrection but he also conceives of being in a resurrected (embodied) state in the Lord’s presence. This means that when Paul comes to speak of being “at home with the Lord” in 5:8, there is no reason to separate this from his hope of resurrection (except that we are habituated to reading the text this way). Paul is not speaking of being with Christ immediately at death; rather, he is looking to the second coming, at which time we will be raised and be with Christ in the new creation. [On Phil 1:23] While interpreters often take Paul as expressing a preference for death . . . the text does not actually say that it would be immediate. Yes, he wants to be “with Christ,” but he does not elaborate on where or exactly when this will be. Once again, the rest of Scripture would lead us to expect that Paul is thinking of the eschaton. There is no clear teaching here of any interim state in heaven. (J. Ricahrd Middleton, A New Heaven and a New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2014], 230-31)

On Phil 1, the Expositor’s Greek New Testament, ed. Nicholl, the commentator, H.A.A. Kennedy, wrote the following cautious note about reading too much into this text (emphasis added):

It is, however, hazardous to build up eschatological theories on these isolated utterances of the Apostle. He has, apparently, no fixed scheme of thought on the subject. The Resurrection is not before his mind at all in this passage. His eschatology, as Dsm (Th. LZ, 1898, col. 14) well observes, must rather be conceived as ἐλπίς. Death cannot interrupt the life ἐν Χριστῷ. This is the preparation for being σὺν Χ. Even contemporary Jewish thought was familiar with a similar idea. So, e.g., Tanchuma, Wajjikra, 8: “When the righteous leave the world they ascend at once and stand on high” (Weber, Lehren d. Talmud, p. 323). See also Charles, Eschatology, p. 399 ff.—πολλῷ κ.τ.λ. It seems necessary for the sense to insert γάρ with the best authorities. The double comparat. is fairly common.

With respect to Phil 3:14, it is based on a mistranslation of the Greek text. The Greek of the text reads:

κατὰ σκοπὸν διώκω εἰς τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.

The term τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως τοῦ θεοῦ is not correctly rendered by the NIV; instead, it refers, not to Paul being called to heaven, but that the calling of Paul originates from God. Peter O'Brien, a Reformed Protestant and New Testament scholar, commenting on this passage, wrote:

κλησις can be understood in its customary Pauline sense of the divine calling to salvation, particularly the initial summons, while the prize is that which is announced by the call. On any view του θεου indicates that it is God himself who issues the call, while εν Χριστω Ιησου probably signifies that it is in the sphere of Christ Jesus himself that this summons is given. In the immediate context the prize (το βραβειον) is the full and complete gaining of Christ for whose sake everything else has been counted loss. (Peter T. O’Brien, The New International Greek Testament Commentary: Philippians [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1991], 433)

What further militates against this understanding of Phil 3:14 is that the context is about, not the intermediate state of believers, but the resurrection (cf. Phil 3:21).

That Paul did not believe that all the elect would immediately go to heaven can be seen in a text that also soundly refutes various Protestant theologies, 1 Cor 3:15. For a full discussion of the theology of this verse, see:

1 Corinthians 3:15: A very un-Protestant Biblical Verse

With respect to Luke 23:43 and the "good thief," the claim is made that Jesus promised him that he would go to heaven the day he (and Jesus) died:

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

One is simply begging the question with the equation of “paradise” with “heaven.” This is not the case according to the New Testament, as we know Jesus when he died, did not go to heaven. In John 20:17, after revealing himself to Mary Magdelene the day he was resurrected, he read that:

Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and day unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Where Jesus spent the three days between his death and triumphant resurrection was the “spirit world,” as seen in 1 Pet 3:18-20 (cf. D&C 138):

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is eight, souls were saved by water.

Some may appeal to texts that speak of one's reward being "in heaven" (e.g., Matt 5:12); the argument goes that one will receive such a reward in heaven to the exclusion of a glorified earth. However, this is fallacious on many levels. Firstly, such texts speak of the present location of the reward with respect to the relationship between Heaven and the earth--in the eschaton, they will be "married" if you will. Secondly, the texts speak of where the gift/reward is, not where one will receive such--an analogy would be a wife telling her husband that his dinner is in the oven--such does not mean that one must enter into the over to receive it, only that is present location is in the oven awaiting receipt by the husband. Similarly, the reward comes from heaven to the righteous on a paradisiacal earth.

That this is the proper reading of Matt 5:12 and other like-texts can be seen from other passages:

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. (Matt 16:27)

Set you affection on the things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Col 3:2-4)

To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. (1 Pet 1:4)

And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. (1 Pet 5:4)

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Rev 22:12)

Indeed, in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ promises the earth to the righteous:

Blessed are the meek: for (ὅτι; alt."because") they shall inherit the earth (Matt 5:5)

Another text often used is that of John 14:2

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.

Every reference to God’s house in the Bible is to His house on the earth:

Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord. (2 Kgs 20:5)

But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Mic 4:1-2)

And I said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. (John 2:16)

As we see, while one should avoid the either-or fallacy (either a paradisiacal earth [as per JW and other theologies] or heaven merely), a celestial earth will be the inheritance of the saints. This is a beautiful doctrine that should be more explicated in LDS talks and discussions of the nature of the Celestial Kingdom and our eschatology and hope.

For a previous discussion of a much different understanding of eschatology (Seventh Day Adventist), see: 

Response to Douglas V. Pond on Biblical and LDS Anthropology and Eschatology