Many of us may have wondered what heaven is like. There have been those who have apparently died and were later revived; some of these have thought that they went to heaven. Many of them described having similar experiences during that interim period. The common remembrance is seeing a very bright light and possibly going through a tunnel progressing from a darker to a brighter place. They claim to have seen one or more relatives waiting to greet them. They felt that where they were was a peaceful and a loving atmosphere. Some remember either being told that they had to go back because it wasn’t their time yet, or they just remember waking up on an operating table, etc. Most claim that they were reluctant to return. Those having that experience thought they were experiencing a taste of Heaven, when in reality, it would have been a taste of the spirit world.
The spirit world is divided, somehow, into two places referred to as paradise (Luke 23:43) and the spirit prison (1 Peter 3:19) (D&C 138). They are places where the obedient and the disobedient go in preparation for the resurrection. The disobedient and those who had not been given an opportunity to hear the Gospel while on earth wait in a place referred to as a spirit prison. They are at some point taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ by those who were so blessed to have received it during their time on earth. President Lorenzo Snow taught, “When the Gospel is preached to the spirits in prison…very few…will not receive it…the circumstances there will be a thousand times more favorable.” (October Conference, 1893) Those who accept the Gospel there are also awaiting their ordinance work to be done in the temples on earth. When they have accepted the Gospel and their temple work is completed, they are able to enjoy a place referred to in the New Testament as paradise.
So, you might ask, where is Heaven? Heaven isn’t just one place where all the righteous are privileged to enter through a set of pearly gates. Both the New Testament, as well as latter-day scriptures, tell us of at least three different degrees of glory; these were described by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians. He said that he was caught up in the third heaven, and he described his experience this way, “There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. (1 Corinthians 15:40–44) The third heaven referred to by Paul is called the telestial glory or the glory of the stars. The celestial degree of glory is the highest, and that is where God dwells. Therefore, those who live such as to warrant celestial glory will dwell with God. In the parable of the tares, Jesus described that place by saying, “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun (celestial) in the kingdom of their Father.” (Matthew 13:36) These three degrees of glory are also described in more detail in the 76th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants. These scriptures only describe who qualifies for each of the three levels of glory but not what each glory is like and what one might be doing there for eternity. The three degrees of glory, as described by Paul, were based on what the disciples were able to understand in their day. Modern day understanding of the universal bodies would not describe the moon as brighter than the stars, but it appeared to them to be so. It was an analogy that they could relate to.
Jesus, teaching his disciples in parables, describes how the kingdom of heaven is most desirable above all worldly treasures, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he…goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field…it is like unto Pearls etc. When Jesus had finished speaking these parables, He saith unto them, “Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.” (Matthew 13:51) In fact, they only understood that the kingdom of heaven has much greater value than earthly treasures and that one would be wise to obtain it at any price. In the Book of Mormon, the kingdom of God is similarly described. The Tree of Life described by the prophet, Lehi, provided a similar but brief description of heaven’s value. The Tree of Life bore fruit—fruit that was described as most desirable above all other fruit because it represented “God’s love.” In order to attain this most desirable fruit, one must keep hold of the “Iron Rod,” which represented His “word.” In the Book of Abraham, we are told that where God dwells is near unto a planet called Kolob and that its revolution is such that a day on that planet is equivalent to one thousand years here on earth. “This is the reckoning of the Lord’s time.” “Thus I, Abraham, talked with the Lord, face to face, as one man talketh with another; and he told me of the works which his hands had made.” (Abraham 3:4–11) But Abraham never received a description of Heaven.
Understanding only that the Kingdom of Heaven has variable degrees of glory and great value apparently satisfied His disciples on both continents. They did not come away with a knowledge of where the Kingdom of Heaven is in relation to our earth or what it looked like or how those who were blessed to obtain it lived while there, etc. That kind of detailed description of heaven was, apparently, beyond their ability to comprehend, and because we haven’t been given a clearer picture of heaven since that time, it is possible that it is beyond our capacity as well. If we knew more, maybe it would limit our agency, because our attraction to evil might be negated.
More knowledge of His Kingdom is something that will come according to His timetable and not ours. Patience is a heavenly attribute that we should all nurture. Preparing ourselves to qualify for heaven is what we should be concentrating on. When God feels it is time to enlighten us in a more specific way about the “day to day” in heaven, our current prophet, like Abraham, may have a “face-to-face” with Him. May God bless us to labor together in our preparation to qualify for His Kingdom and to do what we can to help those waiting in the spirit world who are dependent on our services to progress.